“Apologies for keeping you wait, darling. Here is your order.” Savirei brought a plate with the meat.

“Thanks.” I said, my mouth becoming watery from smell alone.

The piece of meat looked a little different than the prepared Carnabbit meat. It was darker in color and was thicker in size and I couldn’t see any traces of fat on or around it. Savirei said it will be half of the full piece, but it looked only a tiny bit smaller than a full serving of the monster rabbit meat.

“Let me know what you think of the taste after you’re done.” Savirei smiled before walking away.

Ok, let’s try it. I picked up the fork and the knife provided. I cut a small piece of and put it in my mouth. Holy Damn! This is… ahm… hmh… so good.

The meat tasted incredibly delicious. Just like Savirei said, it had stronger flavor, but it was more than that. Initially, I thought the meat will be much harder to bite and chew, because it looked much thicker. But when I chewed on it a few times, the meat was ripped apart easily, the juices splashing inside my mouth and showering me with the sweet and sour taste. It wasn’t the taste of the sauce because there wasn’t any. The meat had some spices on it, but the whole taste was coming from inside of it.

Freaking awesome. I will never eat monster rabbit meat ever again. I was devouring the piece of meat like a hungry lion.

“Well, how was it, darling?” Savirei approached me after I was done with my food, sitting there happily like a ripe plum.

“Freakishly delicious.” I ran my tongue inside my mouth, trying to pick up the leftover taste.

“Hmm… I’m glad to hear that.” She chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Damn, I wish I could have more of it.” I swallowed the last bit of saliva, remembering the taste of the meat.

“Really?” Savirei gave me a puzzled stare.

“Oh, not right now. You were right, it filled me up good, but I’ll be definitely ordering it again next time.” I told her.

“In that case, it will be my pleasure to serve you, handsome.” A shiver ran down my spine because of the way she said that.

Was she talking about the food or… All kinds of fantasies flashed in my head.

“Is something the matter, darling?” Savirei asked, her eyes telling me she had a hunch what was happening in my mind.

“Aaa… nothing, sorry.” I averted my gaze, scratching my cheek with one finger. I needed to distract myself somehow. “That’s right, I wanted to ask you something, Savirei.”

“What is it?” She became curious.

“It’s about the meat. When I get a piece of meat as a drop from those monster rabbits, it disappears after a short amount of time, but you must have some stored inside your diner, so you could cook and serve it for your patrons. How do you keep it without disappearing?” I really wanted to know the answer.

“That’s an interesting thing to ask. Why do you want to know? Are you planning on opening a diner?” Savirei wasn’t about to spill the beans for some reason.

“Ah, no, no. It’s just that, it’d be good if I could carry some meat with me when I go out… to the dungeon for example, or when I get some as drops from the monsters. That way, I wouldn’t need to worry about… well… bringing ready-made food with me or starve to death.” Her questions made me think she was worried about getting a new competitor, but I had no intention of opening a diner.

“So sorry, I was just teasing you.” Savirei chuckled charmingly. “You can buy an Item Storage Box or have one made by a blacksmith. It cost a small fortune, of course, but it is a must have for someone who runs a diner.”

“Hmm…” I hummed, leaning on my fist, but then noticed Savirei giving me a curious look. “Ah, sorry. I was just wondering about the size of the box.”

“How big… hum…” She started to laugh, hearing me say that.

“Aaa…” I scratched my cheek, not knowing what was so funny about what I said.

“You’re so innocently charming, I could eat you right here and now, darling.” Savirei said, licking her lips.

“Eh?” A shiver ran down my spine, seeing her do that. She was a woman alright, but she was also a beast-woman and that made me worried. “I… don’t think I would taste good.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would…” She covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes dropping down at the table. I almost had an impression she was looking not at the table but right through it, her eyes stopping around the area where my crotch was.

- ‘Gulp.’ –

She’s not implying what I think she’s implying? A not so cold shiver ran down my spine this time.

“So, yeah… where can I buy an Item Storage Box?” I asked, wanting to get back on the topic.

“A blacksmith with a Magic Enchanting skill could make you one. Or you may find a merchant who could sell you one. I suggest buying a level two box, really. Although, level one Item Storage Box would be more than enough if its only to carry some food for your own needs.” She explained in a normal, casual tone.

“What’s the difference?” I suppressed my surprise hearing her mention there were different levels for the items.

“The size of the box of course. The higher the level of the box, the more items you can store in it.” Her explanation made sense. “On the same topic, if you happen to get a level two or higher Item Storage Box, and gather more meat than you need for yourself, I’d be more than happy to buy them off of you. Especially Rhaki’s meat. I’m always low on those.”

“Really?” Now that I had a taste of it, I wanted to eat it more often. “Is it a monster drop just like the Carnabbit meat?”

“Yes, it is. Rhaki is a lizard type monster that is found on the fourth and fifth floor of the dungeon just outside the Hirvant, with denser population of them inhabiting the fifth floor. It is quite a strong monster and the meat drop rate is about thirty to forty percent, so not many adventurers are willing to farm it. I have a few regular patrons who enjoy it so much they are willing to get me some, but the supply is low.” Savirei shared the information, adding a hopeful smile on her face.

Fourth and fifth floor? I wonder how strong that Rhaki monster is? I might be able to take it on by myself probably. I thought to myself.

“Ok, I’ll see if I could get you some.” I told her.

“That would be most wonderful, darling.” My words sure made her happy.

“Well then, I suppose I will be going now. How much for the food?” I realized I haven’t paid yet.

“That’ll be four bronze coins.” She smiled.

Four? It cost only two for the Carnabbit meat dish. Well, she said it was more expensive. I had to accept it.

“Here you go.” I paid, ready to go.

“Before you go, would you like the details of the blacksmith I mentioned earlier?” She stopped me.

“Right, yeah.” I said, feeling a little bad about being rude to her regarding the matter earlier.

Savirei told me the name of the blacksmith and where to find his workshop before I left. It was late, so I had to go find a place to stay the night. With the additional Savirei’s encouragement, I agreed to visit the same inn I’ve been to before. Even if I was to be greeted by the same grumpy old man, I’d rather sleep in a bed than outside on the street. Luckily, and to my biggest astonishment, I was greeted by someone far luscious than I could’ve ever imagined.

“Good evening. Welcome to my humble inn, traveler. My name is Navirei. How can I be of service to you?” A fox beast-lady, dressed in clothes resembling kimono, yellow and red in color, and a charming white color scarf around her shoulders greeted me.

“H… hi…” My jaw dropped upon seeing her.

She was a beastfolk woman alright. Her face was one of the fox, if I ever saw one, but it also had that feminine, human facial features too. She was covered in orange fur, with some white and black stripes here and there. Of course, I couldn’t see her whole body since she was wearing clothes, but that part was obvious. Her face looked extremely appealing for someone who looked like a beast. Wide, sparkling eyes with captivating eyebrows of which one was white and the other one was black. Quite a distinction if I may say so. But that wasn’t the most outstanding feature about her. She had quite the bosom too and the way she was wearing her kimono made it stand out even more.

Her kimono dress had a very wide decollete, revealing her shoulders almost to the fullest. That also helped to expose the top part of her chest too which, despite being covered in fur, was very successfully drawing my attention to it. An interesting feature of her fur was that it was visibly longer on her head, shoulders and arms, but was much shorter and smoother the closer it was to her chest. Add to that the fur going from orange to white color from where her chest started and you could easily forget it was covered in fur at all. Since she was standing behind a counter, I couldn’t see the lower part of her body, but if I was honest with myself, my eyes wouldn’t have gone down that far anyway.

“How may I be of service?” My staring was interrupted by the fox woman’s question she asked me earlier.

“Ah, yes, s… sorry, I… I would like to get a room for the night.” I said, averting my eyes away.

“Of course. May I take a name, please?” She asked again.

“Yes, it’s… Rockin. Rockin Starling.” I looked away as soon as my eyes dropped to the first line of her chest.

Shit, get it together, you moron. She’s a beast for fuck’s sake. I was appalled by my drooling over a beast-looking woman. She had the goods, that was a fact, but still. My body must’ve been desperate to get some, especially after listening to Lavita talk all kinds of lewdness into my ears all this time.

“Rockin? Would you be the same adventurer who ate a whole piece of Carnabbit meat at Savirei’s diner?” The voluptuous fox lady asked, focusing her gaze on me.

“Y… yeah…” I was puzzled by her knowing that.

“In that case, I owe an apology to you. I’ve been informed that my… employee was quite rude to you the last time you visited my inn. Please forgive me for such an unpleasant experience you have endured because of it.” She said, bowing down forward.

Holy fuck! She’s not wearing any bra! And a holy view became even more blissful. As Navirei leaned forward with a bow, her bosom fell down and pressed against the kimono fabric, accentuating the softness of her breasts and clearly indicating she wasn’t wearing anything else under her current dress. She would’ve been forgiven of any sin she might’ve committed against me right there and then without any apology whatsoever.

“No, aaa… it’s ok. We… all have bad days now and then…” I felt very uncomfortable yet very grateful.

“I am very happy to hear that.” She straightened up.

“But… how do you know about me eating at Savirei’s diner?” I was curious about that part.

“She didn’t tell you? That’s just like my sister. Savirei was the one who told me that.” The fox woman said with a chuckle.

“Savirei is… your sister?” I gasped, my eyes almost popping out of their eyeholes.

“Yes, we are twins.” She said, tilting her head to the side with a smile.

“Twins?” I was shocked even more, considering Savirei was a wolf-lady and Navirei resembled a fox.

“Wow, you’re as charming as she said you are.” My shocked face must’ve looked really weird, because it made Navirei laugh. I blushed, because she had a very delightful laugh.

“S… sorry, I… didn’t know.” I looked away, feeling embarrassed.

“No, no, I’m the one who should apologize here. Speaking of which, how about I offer you a room free of charge for tonight? To make up for the bad experience you had before.” Navirei said, her eyes still laughing.

“Right… Yeah, thanks.” I wasn’t about to decline an offer to spend a night for free.

“Wonderful. Let me check which room is available.” She clapped hands before stepping away from the counter towards the cupboard hanging on the wall. Her tail, which wiggled to the sides slowly as she made a few steps, was an orange color too with a single footlong stripe almost in the middle of it. The stripe was white on the inside and black on the outside. Watching her tail move had an appealing, almost hypnotizing effect on me. Maybe because I stared at her ass at the same time. Navirei picked up a key and then walked back to the counter. “Here you go, number four.”

“Ok, thanks.” I picked it up.

“Would you need any help carrying your things?” Navirei suddenly offered.

“Ah, no, I’m fine.” I said before picking up my shields and the stash with the monster drops from the floor.

“I see. I wish you a good night sleep, Rockin.” Her voice was sweet and her smile charming.

“Yes, thank you. You too.” I said and then walked up the stairs.

Shit, I made such a fool out of myself. I literally fell on the bed after entering my room. But holy damn, she looked totally hot, even for a beast-woman. Huh? Wait, beast… woman? Why would I become aroused looking at the… Sigh… Living in the dungeon must’ve messed up my senses.

I threw my right hand on my face, almost slapping myself in the process.

“Right, I should probably take my clothes off if I am going to sleep. I’d kill for a shower too.” I realized I really needed to wash myself.

Unfortunately, I knew I can forget about getting a shower any time soon. They definitely didn’t have those here. But I still needed to have a wash. A wooden bowl, a size to fit one person, was provided inside the bathroom. It was halfway filled up with water. Cold water, but still water. Complaining about it would’ve done me no good, so, I braced myself and had a wash with what was provided instead. It was a cold experience, but at least I felt refreshed and the sleep was much sweeter as a result too.

 

{next morning}

 

Right, time to give that blacksmith a visit. I picked up my stuff, ready to leave the next morning.

The luscious fox woman wasn’t at the counter when I came downstairs. A young man with cat ears and nose, and dressed in an attire resembling a butler’s suit greeted me instead.

“Good morning, sir. I hope you had a good rest staying at Navirei’s Inn.” He was very polite.

Is he… a half-beast cat person? I wondered.

“Good morning. Yes, I did.” I greeted him back before returning the room key. “Here you go.”

“Not staying any longer, sir?” He enquired.

“Longer? I mean, I booked… for one night only.” I paused in the middle of my answer, remembering I didn’t actually have to pay for it.

“I see. In case you don’t know, sir, you can book several days in advance to have your room reserved for you. And if you book for seven days, you will pay for only six.” The clerk informed me.

They are offering discounts for longer stays? Impressive. That brought back some memories of my past. Still, I wasn’t keen on taking his offer. It cost one silver coin to stay for the night. Booking a room for seven days offered a discount, but paying six silvers for seven days when I was planning to go to the dungeon without knowing how long I will stay in it didn’t seem worth it.

“Good to know. Thanks.” I said and then left.

I made my way through the busy street which was bustling with merchant shops and a lot of people coming, and going. That blacksmith’s workshop was at the far end of the crafters district, so I had to pass all other shops to get there. Me carrying a stash full of monster drops attracted attention and I was stopped by a human merchant who was a little too sweet for my taste.

“Hello dear sir. Would you be looking to sell the goods you are carrying with you?” He was quick to notice what I had on my back.

“Aahm… yeah.” I was planning to sell them alright.

“Wonderful. I’d be very interested in buying some Lesser Trent wood. I’m sure you will be pleased with the price I have to offer.” He smiled, rubbing his hands together.

“And what price are you offering?” I asked point blank.

“I buy the Lesser Trent wood in bulk of five pieces per transaction and can offer you one silver and five bronze coins it.” He was as sweet as honey, although truth be told, I had forgotten the taste of honey by now.

One silver and five bronze coins? That’s three bronze coins per piece of wood. I guess Savirei paid me fair price after all. I calculated in my head before giving the merchant an answer.

“Well, I need to think about it.” My negotiation skills kicked in.

“What’s there to think about? You won’t find a better price anywhere.” The merchant tried to talk me into agreeing with his offer.

“Really? I’ll come back if I find your words to be true.” I smirked at him.

“Please do, please do.” He wasn’t affected by my taunt to offer more.

If the price was the same everyone, I wouldn’t have cared who I sell the goods to. But since I wanted to have an Item Storage Box made for me, I thought selling the wood pieces to the blacksmith might earn me a discount. I was proven wrong, however.

“Two bronze coins for one or one silver for four.” Was the blacksmith’s offer once I found his place.

The blacksmith himself was a beastfolk resembling a bull and he was huge. A whole head taller than me and very bulky. Calling him a bull wasn’t exactly right, because his face looked way more menacing than any cow’s face I had ever seen. He had facial hair grow on his cheeks and his beard was over a foot in length, and was done in a braid. But the scariest feature were the bull’s horns. They were awfully big and twisted, forcing you to think thrice before saying anything snappy to him.

“Eh? Two bronze coins for one piece of wood?” I wasn’t happy with the offer since that merchant offered three for one.

“That’s my offer. I pay in full too, so take it or leave it.” The blacksmith wasn’t about to change his mind.

“Fine, I’ll leave then.” I decided not to waste my time with him.

“Humph…” he snorted before turning away from me.

Whatever, I’ll just go sell them to that merchant instead. Getting more money was the reasonable thing to do.

Obviously, the merchant was extremely pleased to see me again. Surprisingly, he wasn’t snappy about me not finding a better deal and was very happy to buy the Lesser Trent wood I had. I had fourteen pieces in total, but he was willing to buy ten, five pieces per transaction, which sounded strange to me, but I didn’t argue. I thought I’ll sell the last four to Savirei since she paid three bronze coins per piece as well. I was happy with my sale until the merchant brought the payment. I was stunned to see it wasn’t the amount he promised.

“Hey, that’s only one silver and five bronze coins. Where’s the rest?” I looked at the coins in my hand.

“Oh, I always pay half in coins and add the other half to the balance which you can use when you buy something in my shop. I was so happy with you selling me the goods, I must’ve forgotten to mention it to you.” He explained with the sweetest smile on his face.

“What? But I don’t intend to buy anything.” I was shocked to learn about it.

“That’s ok. You have three days to decide what you want.” He added.

“Three days?” I grimaced.

“Yes. I’m sure you will be pleased with your purchase. I have variety of goods to offer. From casual garments to weapons and armor. You are free to look around.” Instead of answering my question, he tried to push for me to browse his goods.

“And what happens if I don’t buy anything within the three days?” I still wanted to know.

“Your balance will be lost I’m afraid.” The man said it like it was normal practice.

“What? No, thanks. I changed my mind. I’d like the wood pieces back.” I was about to return the money back to him.

“I’m terribly sorry, but that’s not possible. The Lesser Trent wood had been used up already.” He refused.

“Used up? But one of your employees took it away only a moment ago.” I argued.

“Yes, however, all of it has been instantly put to use.” The merchant was clearly lying about it.

“You tricked me.” I felt my blood starting to boil.

“Of course not, it’s just business. I treat everyone the same way.” But even if he was lying about the wood pieces being put to use as soon as they left my hands, doing the business the way he did might’ve been common practice for him.

Fuck. So, that’s what he meant. I was about to lash out at the man in front me when I remembered that bull blacksmith telling me he would pay me in full. I’m such an idiot. Baah… That’s what I get for being greedy. Anyway, I better not raise a scene. A few bronze coins are not worth me getting in trouble with the authorities here. Right, let’s see if I can buy something useful with my balance.

“Ok, so… what do you have for sale for one silver and five bronze coins?” I tried to stay calm.

“I’ll be more than happy to show you around the shop. Although, majority of my merchandise might have a slightly higher price than your current balance.” Honey couldn’t even compare to how sweet he was.

Bastard… I grunted after leaving the merchant’s shop.

I hadn’t bought anything from the merchant. The simple reason was, I wasn’t in a big need of the stuff he had for sale and every item in his shop cost over three silvers which was on the cheaper end of the prices for what he had to offer. I felt honestly tricked, but at the same time, I had no one else to blame for it. I was a total noob when it came to this place, but instead of learning more how things are run here first, I agreed to the merchant’s offer without thinking. I was reminded of how it felt to learn things the hard way. Worse yet, I had to eat the humble pie and go visit the bull blacksmith again.

“Huh? Back already?” He came over as soon as I entered his workshop.

“Yeah. I… still have four pieces of the Lesser Trent wood. Do you want them?” I asked, not willing to look directly at his face.

“I won’t give you more than one silver for them.” He grunted, squinting his eyes.

“That’s fine.” I had no intention to negotiate with him.