Dragon Flame Tavern

Nami had come to the Midnight Marsh again to stock up on supplies.

The tavern's vegetables now mainly came from the bathtub farm's produce, while dairy and meat products were purchased from Keira. However, Keira didn't slaughter livestock frequently, so most of what she had now was smoked meat and sausages. But Keira had mentioned that when the first batch of mercenaries returned from the Midnight Marsh, they would bring fresh magical beast meat to sell to her butcher shop, and then there would be fresh meat available.

Nami arrived at the riverside and, as usual, lowered her tail into the water, waiting for fish to take the bait. She stared at the rippling water surface, thinking: This method was rather inefficient. When the tavern had more customers in the future, she would probably find it hard to juggle both cooking and fishing. She wondered if the Thornback Fish, these fierce fish from another world, could be farmed.

After catching two Thornback Fish, she immediately left without delay.

After a while, an iron-gray large head emerged from the bushes by the riverbank, and a giant lizard came out, swishing its tail. Standing on its head was a small, colorful bird with fluffy feathers like cotton candy, a circle of fine and brilliant golden down around its neck, and a touch of vermillion on its chest that added a playful charm.

The dragon lizard spoke in a low voice: "Baldy, has the Black Dragon Lord left?" Although it tried its best to keep its voice down, it still sounded like a bronze bell, breaking the surrounding silence.

"She's gone, but Big Head, are you sure she's really a black dragon? Dragons have long been extinct on the continent," the Gilt Finch asked, hopping lightly and tilting its head.

"Of course I'm sure. Are you questioning the dragon bloodline in me?" The dragon lizard glared.

"Not really, your thin bloodline isn't worth questioning anyway." The Gilt Finch's pretty little beak spoke harsh words. "Speaking of which, why did the dragons disappear? They were powerful and long-lived, with no natural enemies at all."

The dragon lizard pondered thoughtfully: "Maybe humans killed them. You know, humans are the natural enemy of this world. But there's also another theory—male dragons would fall in love with any kind of magical beast, except the females of their own kind."

The Gilt Finch laughed so hard it nearly fell over: "So that's how you guys came about."

"Is that so?" Nami appeared silently behind them and suddenly spoke.

The dragon lizard's tail slammed hard against the ground, creating a deep pit, and its massive body jumped three feet high. The Gilt Finch on its head was bounced off, its feathers standing on end, its body puffing up to twice its original size.

"B-Black Dragon Lord..." the dragon lizard trembled, trying to curl itself into a ball. The Gilt Finch buried its head in the dragon lizard's neck like an ostrich, leaving only a round, trembling fluffy bottom visible.

"My name is Nami. You don't need to be nervous—I mean no harm." Seeing the rapidly shaking big ball and small ball in front of her, Nami stood where she was without approaching.

The Gilt Finch cautiously poked out its head, and Nami caught a glimpse of dazzling gold, combining the softness of down with the luster of metal—each feather was like a work of art. What a beautiful little bird!

Under Nami's intense gaze, the Gilt Finch immediately shrank back. Nami had to take the initiative: "I just wanted to ask, what specialties are there in the Midnight Marsh?"

The dragon lizard hurriedly answered: "There are precious magical plants, rare ores, and..."

The Gilt Finch added sullenly: "And us." Magical beasts were the raw materials for various precious equipment for professionals, and the Midnight Marsh was indeed famous for its diverse and powerful magical beasts.

Nami was amused: "I meant are there any fruits, freshwater delicacies, and wild vegetables?"

The big and small creatures realized they had misunderstood and hurriedly told her everything they knew. The Gilt Finch mentioned several edible wild berries from bushes, while the dragon lizard dove directly into the water and caught quite a few river mussels and river shrimp for Nami.

It seemed there were quite a few ingredients in the marsh that she hadn't discovered yet. In high spirits, Nami actively invited them: "I've opened a small tavern on the east side of the marsh. You're welcome to come eat." She added: "The first visit is on me, to thank you for the information. After that, you'll have to pay, though I only accept human currency—those round metal things."

This time Nami really left. The Gilt Finch stretched out a wing to wipe away tears and collapsed on the ground with its legs sprawled. The dragon lizard also breathed a long sigh of relief and seized the opportunity to mock the Gilt Finch: "You actually cried from fear. How pathetic."

The Gilt Finch looked at it haughtily: "What do you know? I was moved! That was a black dragon—a black dragon that collects all the shiny things in the world for its lair! Seeing me with such gorgeous feathers and not plucking them all out—she's so kind!"

The dragon lizard thought seriously and actually nodded in agreement: "Lord Nami really is a kind dragon. She didn't get angry at me either, and she even invited me to dinner!"

Just as she returned to the tavern, a message box popped up in front of Nami.

[During your absence Employee [Luthien] served 7 customers, Sold 12 portions of food, revenue: 5 silver coins and 90 copper coins Tavern experience increased by 103 points Achievement points increased by 27 points]

The flatbread was simple to make, and Nami had already prepared the seasoning proportions for the Wolf Fang Potatoes, so Luthien could make equally delicious food with almost no effort.

But why were there suddenly so many customers? Full of curiosity, Nami walked into the tavern and saw that Keira, who had already left, had returned, surrounded by a large circle of people—old and young townsfolk that Nami had never seen before.

Luthien quietly came over to explain: "Lady Keira brought her neighbors. I heard that she promised to tell everyone a way to get a chance at eating fruit, on the condition that whoever ultimately gets the fruit preserves must share half with her."

Luthien felt that Keira seemed to be testing the boundaries of cheating and said anxiously: "Miss Nami, does this meet the activity requirements?"

Nami praised this behavior highly: "It absolutely does!" She hadn't expected that a few fruit preserves would actually spread the word like advertising. This way, more people would learn about the tavern's reopening. She quietly told Luthien: "But next time you encounter Hannah, you'll 'accidentally' let this news slip to her."

Luthien was stunned for a second, then showed a knowing smile: "Indeed, I talk too much—so careless of me."

Some of these new customers, like Lilith, bought 'semi-finished ingredients'—chopped onions and peeled carrots. Others had Wolf Fang Potatoes and flatbread in front of them, eating breakfast.

After hearing Keira's tempting offer, Jennifer didn't hesitate to bring her daughter to the Dragon Flame Tavern. During the days when the tavern was closed, they hadn't had an easy time, eating only sausages and bread daily, with not a trace of green on their table. There was no choice—only the Dragon Flame Tavern could grow vegetables. She had once tried growing some peas herself, scattering nearly a pound of seeds, but only harvested less than two-thirds of a pound of peas in the end. It would have been more cost-effective to just eat the seeds directly.

Even if she didn't win the lottery, she needed to buy vegetables anyway. Jennifer bought two types of vegetables and watched the young server write down her and her daughter's names on a slip of paper. She had planned to leave directly, but her daughter was attracted by the aroma in the tavern, looking back every few steps, taking smaller and smaller steps, until she finally stood at the doorway with her feet seemingly rooted to the floor, refusing to leave.

Left with no choice, Jennifer sat down and ordered her daughter a flatbread roll with shredded vegetables and chocolate milk. Smelling the aroma of Wolf Fang Potatoes in the air and watching her daughter eat with gusto, a chocolate-colored milk mustache around her mouth, Jennifer suddenly felt that occasionally dining at the Dragon Flame Tavern wasn't a bad choice.

The new owner seemed to have completely abandoned the previous owner's insistence on boiling everything and turning all dishes into vegetable mush. The food introduced was novel and delicious, and various precious seasonings and spices were used generously without stint.

She'd come take a look tomorrow too. Jennifer subconsciously felt that the tavern's new owner would bring her different surprises.