Martin had this look on his face that Yunan could not ignore while he was cleaning away the tea drenching him, so he said after a while "it's not about the money, it's about treasuring the experience, this place serves very few people for a reason, and that is the satisfaction of its customers cannot be guaranteed otherwise, thus the atmosphere that makes one really want to come to this place even if one has never been in it"
"That means this place was not meant to serve the masses?", "I cannot say how it started, but I can only tell you that on a certain point of its history this place was bustling with laughter and one would feel better just from passing by, however when the old lady stopped providing her services and only took very few customers that were mostly old acquaintances, the place changed inevitably to what it is today, luckily the old woman still cares about the satisfaction of her customers even if their good mood is no longer her concern".
"So that is why you asked for a feel better drink when the waitress told you the old lady was not working. It really feels unbelievable that this place has such a hidden story behind it". Just as Martin finished his words the old lady was back with an old bracelet jingling on her wrist, she sat beside the two and provided two empty glasses and a teapot for them. "men forget" she looked at Martin with a nostalgic look in her eyes and sighed "I got old and stopped working and it took just a few years for the world to forget the joys that spread from this old shop".
Yunan nodded his head in affirmation, he had personally experienced it with the old barber who must have become lonely again with him being as picky as he was. The two of them watched the old lady pull out powders and dried leaves and crushed minerals and some other things better left with being known and mix them in the teapot, casting a spell here and there before finally pouring some water in the pot and using magic to boil it.
The fragrance was not the most enchanting or the strongest but it was soothing and relaxing, it spread around them forming a visible bubble that blocked the sound of the outside world, inside the bubble it felt comfortable and cosy, so much so that the tense Martin found his shoulders slouching and upright back bent a pit forward into a more relaxed pose. The old lady poured a sip for each of them and then started working on the next concoction.
Yunan and Martin took a sip at the same time sighing a big relief sigh as the sensation of the tea drowned their minds into a world were stress was an alien concept. "I am leaving, I will be back in a few years, 30 years at the latest, there is no need to worry about me getting into trouble, there is nothing to worry about, after all my teachers are still inside, of anything goes wrong I will contact you immediately, our deals will be active while I am away, so no need to worry, even coming yourself to greet me is a waste of time".
"I see", said Martin, he would think that this conversation would better be left for private, but for some reason he just knew it was safe to talk at this time and place. "The deals are not a big matter, however, you leaving the dungeon and your newest party would ring a few alarm bells for me, the threat of the cult is still fresh in my mind, and although things have been rather quiet we rather feel that you going on world tour to look for some legacy is more like a lie than anything else. But if it is the truth then I wish you a safe journey".
The two talked a bit more about a few official matters and by the time they were done the second drink was ready, the first bubble had just burst and a new one was forming, this one had an odd feeling to it, one that Yunan could not place, but to Martin it was as clear as the sun on a sunny day, it felt like the moment when one wakes up on the last day of a lovely vacation and start preparing mentally for returning to the daily grind.
Yunan and Martin stopped talking soon after the second sip, their eyes were fixed on the old woman working with rehearsed and refined moves, the exquisite spell work and the flawless control was more mesmerising than any other small talk the two could think about. As for the old woman she started feeling nervous from being watched so intently, usually people would start chatting and never stop until they left the place, these two, however, were more interested in her work than in talking gibberish, it felt really nice; being noticed and appreciated for her work and not its effect was probably what got her to open the shop and she had completely forgotten about that feeling.
The drinks came in moderate succession, and with them came an emotional and sensational crescendo that lifted the spirit of Yunan to a realm he never thought was possible for him. Going up from preparing for daily life to the daily grind to the anticipation of payday, to the excitement of going out with friends and the light-hearted feeling when the meeting turns from a dinner to an all night long party, the excitement of meeting a love interest, the fidgeting and stressful feeling when taking the first step towards creating a relationship, the abundance of the first kiss, and the happiness of the honeymoon when love blossoms with all its power.
Some of those feelings were very strange to Yunan yet he still felt that he had a taste of what they represent once upon a time, while some he was still experiencing even after 15 years, therefore he made a mental note, if he got his legacy and lived to tell about it, he would invite both this old woman and the old barber to have a Debauchery style party, they would appreciate the atmosphere better than most.
Afterwards, Yunan left the place in high spirits, he waved at the new Martin who just learned to relax after so many centuries of stressful life, he then used phase shift to arrive at the international port of the twilight pearl kingdom where he would start his hunt for this mystical valley hidden in the world or Burkan.