“Lo and behold! That’s the place!” Tuilë pointed at a certain place with extreme enthusiasm while jumping in place.

At the avenue, among the intricate streets and market stalls, there was a grand establishment, an elegant eatery tucked away in a corner of the underground town. Its pristine facade and soft, golden lighting beckoned me closer, promising a culinary experience unlike any other I’d ever tasted in Aquarine.

The entrance to the eatery was adorned with intricate carvings, and the interior exuded an air of opulence, with glistening crystal chandeliers casting a warm glow over the exquisitely set tables and plush velvet furnishings. Painted in bold hues of crimson and gold, the marble signboard boasted elegant calligraphy that spelled out the name of the establishment, “The Gourmet Sanctuary.”

“Uhm… You sure this is the right place? It’s sure is a posh restaurant…”

“Rest-au… rant? It’s a luxurious eatery, you know.” She nudged me on my shoulder. “I bet you’ve never been in one this fancy, right?”

Luxurious eatery, my ass! The distinct carvings and furnishing aside, the vibe it exudes does resembles greatly to that of any other Victorian-style restaurant in my world… And who are you to underestimate me, anyway!

“That is to say, this establishment will provide the food you much needed, Maxim. Even if the price may be a little pricey,” Lunaria remarked in recognition of this place.

“It’s not going to be just ‘a little pricey’ for me, Lunaria.” In fact, it would be closer to say that it would have an exorbitant price.

As soon as we had one of our feet inside, we were greeted by a bipedal lizard dressed in elegant blue cloth that resembled that of a butler’s tuxedo. He had an elongated face with four horns and a pair of thin eye lines for eyes… Regardless of my perspective, his features bore a striking resemblance to that of the one familiar merchant I had previously dealt with.

“Gekko?” I blurted out. Since when did he change his profession from a merchant to a waiter?

“Pardon, my name is not Gekko. I am Ginko, the head waiter of The Gourmet Sanctuary,” the waiter who named himself Ginko slowly explained.

“Ohh, sorry I mistook you for someone else.” After all, for a human like me, it would be hard to distinguish these lizard people.

“No problem; we lacertians all look alike. Now, may I help you gentlemen, and these two misses?”

“Table for three, please.” Tuilë held out three fingers into a W-sign.

“Of course, come on in.” The waiter gracefully bowed and extended a polite gesture, beckoning us to follow him.

Inside, the bustling sounds of conversation and soft clinking of cutlery filled the room, as patrons engaged in animated discussions. The walls were adorned with tasteful artwork, and curated pieces that showcased both the mixture of different cultures and local talent.

As we were led to our table, I admired the attention to detail that adorned each setting. Fine porcelain plates, delicate silverware, and sparkling glassware were placed with precision, ready to serve as vessels for culinary masterpieces.

“Only the wealthiest eat in this place. And this is also my first time…” Tuilë, the one who had invited me to this place, made short jerky movements, seemingly nervous as she took a seat.

On the contrary, Lunaria was behaving as elegantly as someone could be, as if this was a sight that she often saw. Only the strange silverware turned her facial expression intrigued. Well, the silverware here ranged from as large as my fist to as small as my fingernail…

As someone who came from another world, I had come to similar fancy restaurants in the past. However, this kind of place was the first even for me…

“Please…” The waiter handed us three menus. “Everything on the menu is served at the highest quality here.”

Perusing the menu, my eyes widened in anticipation. Last time in Morana’s Eatery, I only ever tried crispy woodlouse smeared with gravy. But here, from the delicate seafood on the lake to the expertly seared cuts of meat from the forest, the menu was on a whole different level than anything I’d ever seen. Truly a peak of culinary artistry in this underground town.

Just that…

Each one of them was priced so expensively, to the extent that the currency used here was in units of source crystals. Of course, source crystals had too high of a value to be equal to one dish, so most were in decimal. It seemed that I had to spend at least one source crystal here.

Speaking of which, this one month living in Aquarine caused me to be able to understand Fogland’s written language thanks to my Vocation. Furthermore, Lunaria was having it easy with the drone and all.

“Wh-What’s the specials here?” Tuilë asked.

“We have…” The waiter started recommending the dishes that were currently available. There were many strange-sounding dishes, honestly.

Basically, although varied, most of the menu here had mushrooms as their basic ingredient. Even the moonshrooms that became the source of light in deeper caves were included in one of the more common menus. The same could be said about the good ol’ woodlouse I had eaten previously.

“Is there anything that’s not iffy— I mean, a meat that comes from rare animals?” In Aquarine, most normal land animals were extinct, and there was no such thing as cattle, chickens, or even pigs, but this place might have some.

“How about venison meat?” The waiter Ginko pointed to a certain menu. “This venison steak contains one of the rarest types of meat in Aquarine and can be said to be this establishment’s signature dish.”

Holy crap!

Upon looking at the right side of the writing, I could feel my jaws dropping. One serving of venison steak along with sauce and seasonings was priced at three source crystals. In dollars that would be equal to three hundred bucks! So pricey!

With a heavy heart, I raised one finger and said, “One serving please… Tuilë, Lunaria, have you decided yet?”

Both of them nodded and chose a different dish than me. As for drinks… Tuilë said we hadn’t had a celebration drink, so we ordered some alcoholic drink that resembled wine.

“Very well. Your orders will be served shortly, dear guests.” The waiter gave the politest of bows and excused himself with the menus.

Now the dining table was left alone for us.

The first to break the ice was Tuilë: “Say, you said that a force from outside will attack Aquarine, but when exactly is that?”

I thought for a moment before answering, “I know not the exact time, but it should be in forty days, give or take.”

Telling the exact time would be too bizarre, and there was no guarantee that the invasion would start exactly as when the deadline reached zero. Therefore, preparing early would do much good than otherwise.

“Oof, that’s neither long nor short. We better be prepared and quick, we shall.” Tuilë’s eyebrows pinched together.

“Oh yeah, Tuilë, do you know anything regarding the Divine Mushroom Cult, like how they operate and such? You see, I’m thinking of a way to deal with them.”

Now that I was solely focused on infiltrating the Cult, I must make a plan based on the known intelligence. Or else, I would be like a goose on the loose. Joining their ranks would be easy, evidenced by how they offered me a mask the last time, but what came after that was an untapped field.

Tuilë quickly glanced left and right, ensuring no prying ears were nearby. Satisfied that it was safe, she proceeded to explain, “Those lunatics, although they aren’t causing chaos, they’re not easy to deal with. It’s not gonna be easy to mobilize them… For your information, even the most unassuming townsfolk can be one of the cultists.”

Really? That would make this plan even more complicated…

“Still, a bunch of lunatics, you say…”

My hunch was yelling at me that something was at the tip of my tongue. Lunatics… A cult. Prophecy?

Bingo!

All I had to do was to convince them of a prophecy that a great danger would befall Aquarine and mission complete. Why didn’t I think about it sooner?

The strangest kinds of problems required the most bizarre solutions. If logic and reasoning wouldn’t work, then I had to play their games. As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”  To put it in a nutshell, cults like to host all sorts of rituals, like holding sacrificial rituals, initiation rituals, and what have you. Thus, if they really worshipped the divine mushroom, then I just have to somehow spread a prophecy regarding the incoming invasion in one of those rituals.

As to how to make them believe in the prophecy, I might have a solution to this conundrum that was worth exploring.

When I was finally enlightened, the course arrived with a food trolley. The waiter neatly placed the dishes on our table. They were presented with a flourish, the aroma wafting through the air, awakening my taste buds. Each plate was a work of art, meticulously crafted and meticulously plated. Mine, for instance, had a harmonious balance of colors between the brown meat and the reddish-brown sauce decorated with pretty garnishes.

“Whoa! These foods look so delish!” Saliva had almost spilled out of Tuilë’s mouth.

Next, he plugged open a jar of what seemed to contain the alcoholic drink and poured it into the three glasses on our table.

“Bon appétit, dear guests. Please call me if you need anything else.” said the waiter with what seemed to be a smile as he dismissed himself.

Without delay, Tuilë swiftly cut into the succulent meat and eagerly savored it, causing her eyes to shimmer with sheer astonishment. “Mmm! Yummy! This place is simply unparalleled!”

It was only once in a blue moon that she looked this pleased except when showing her creations. Was the food that amazing?

“Please, do exercise some restraint,” Lunaria interjected, playfully impaling a mushroom bathed in a delectable brown sauce before putting it in her mouth.

“I’m glad that you two like it.” But I wasn’t at all glad that my wallet would suffer from this, though.

Following their examples, I deftly wielded the knife, slipping it between the tines of the fork to slice through the venison steak. Once put I bit on it… a wave of tenderness and juiciness enveloped my mouth. Its rich, buttery flavor was melting on my tongue, while the aroma of the sauce was tantalizingly flawless. Simply divine!

It was well worth the steep price for it.

Until the last bite, we didn’t make much of a conversation, purely focusing on devouring the dishes.

Tuilë dabbed the last of the sauce on the plate and sipped it. “Maxxy-Maxxy! You hafta treat me to this place again! I swear I’ll make you anything you ask me in return.”

“Yeah, yeah. Only if we have the budget that is.”

“I concur.” Lunaria wiped the smear on her mouth. “Tasting such delight after a long time is not so bad. A mortal enjoyment is always fun.”

“What are you, an immortal?” I joked. Although, it wasn’t a stretch to call her that since she could upload her consciousness.

As the grand finale, we ceremoniously poured the velvety alcoholic libation into each of our glasses.

“There is nothing like good food and alcohol to celebrate our success. Bottoms up!” Tuilë raised her glass high.

““Cheers!””

The three of us clinked our glasses together and took a sip. Mm, it tastes like fruit wine.

Among the three of us, Lunaria showed the most elegance in drinking the fruit wine, and coupled with her flawless look, she looked no different than a princess in fairytales — or even better. This happened to remind me of something.

“It has just gotten into me, but Lunaria, you are royalty, right? Should I treat you differently from now on?” I brought up the topic.

“Don’t be.” Lunaria shook her head. “I was royalty; my empire had collapsed ages ago, so I’m pretty much a normal human.”

“A ‘normal’ human being you say…” I scrutinized my eyes and decided to tease her a bit. “Then, I will humbly oblige, Your Highness.”

“Didn’t I say not to—?”

“Princess Lunaria, may you beseech me with your wisdom?” Tuilë joined in the fun.

“Since you’re acting like that, then I will humor you both.”

The three of us played along with our little silly acting throughout the noon. This created a sense of luxurious escape from the imminent danger that had yet to come, and the soft melodies of a strange live band provided a soothing backdrop.