Avoiding the unscrupulous gaze aimed at them, the group headed towards the table that Peyton had prepared for them. They were directed to sit at the fanciest center table reserved only for the best and the wealthiest. 'A bad decision' was what Arnold thought. They didn't want attention, the reason being is that Laurence isn't ready to be publicly announced as a hero to the higher society. The nobles might lose their support towards the Imperial Crown once they see how Laurence act. The worst thing that could happen is a civil rebellion.
*Note: The Great Sage is deeply associated with the Northern Imperial Monarchs. He used to serve the current emperor when he was a kid and up until now.*
The Great Sage was nonchalantly walking towards the table while holding Laurence's hand. Arnold wondered why his master could bear such an expression in a dire situation. Cold sweat began to form on his forehead. Amongst the whispers and gossips, Arnold had managed to overhear what it was all about. People are wondering who the red-head kid was and why she was holding hands with the Great Sage. 'This is getting worse and worse...' Arnold thought as he let out a tut.
Sitting in one of the sits placed on each side of the quadrilateral table, the group was able to properly observe one another, or so it would seem. Peyton called out one of his assistants and ordered him to get a high chair for one of the customers. Having been adjusted to the right height thanks to the chair, Laurence was now satisfied, and everyone is now ready to order. Each was also handed out a menu, and after receiving it, the company opened the booklet to check its contents.
Checking out the menu, Laurence observed the diverse dishes that this inn served. She was wondering if she could take bits of information to improve their own recipe. What's surprising about the menu is that it doesn't show the price. Laurence was intrigued by this fact. Her opinions about the opulent and the affluent individuals are getting weirder that she's becoming more uncertain about them.
"Go on. Don't be shy. Tell me what you want to eat and we'll order them." The Great Sage said as He directed His gaze from the menu to Laurence.
"Am I really allowed to pick whatever I want?" Laurence asked to make sure that what she heard is correct.
"Why yes of course!" The Great Sage merrily said. In a moment, Laurence's poker smile shifted into a large grin, and her eyes rapidly scan every content written in the book. Her family would've been proud to look at how much she'd improved on her literacy rate. For Arnold, he felt a bad premonition about this.
"Has everyone finished deciding on what they want to order?" Peyton asked the group. Gazes shifted from Peyton to the young girl. Laurence looked at the Great Sage and responded with a nod, confirming that she was ready.
"Alright. Can I please take your order?" Peyton asked as he took out his personal notepad and self-inking magic styli that uses a specific type of rune as a medium for its inking mechanism.
"Then I'll start with mine." Laurence said while revealing a smirk. Arnold gave an unnoticeable look of annoyance from which was caused by the girl's sudden cockiness. 'Had she lost her respect towards the Great Sage?' Arnold thought as a vein popped on his temples.
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"The food is ready to be served and is now on the way. Thank you for waiting." After waiting for quite a bit and being served with beverages, an attendant came up to inform them that the food is ready. After saying his words, the gentleman gave a solemn bow and left to accompany his fellow mates.
"Well, I guess my expectations about you is wrong, huh?" Arnold sighed as he converses with Laurence. He imagined she would greedily order heaps of dishes, but she only ended up ordering a simple meal in this case. Arnold probably assumed her smile of happiness is that of a greedy person. Laurence rarely ever gets to eat in another place, and either Dad and Greg are always the one in charge of ordering.
"Haha, if only I could read properly. But even so, I'm not a gluttonous bold person who'd just casually order whatever I want in front of others, especially in front of his excellencies." Although ridden with lies, Laurence managed to convince them by talking in a straightforward manner.
*Thump* Interrupted by the noise of the door, the company looked at the entrance to observe the waiters who're bringing forth gold plated trays. They're probably about fifteen men who came up to them to get everything on set. They laid fancy tableware and even delicately tied a golden spider silk bib around their neck. The waitress didn't open all of the trays but instead only revealed one dish at a time. 'Very high class indeed. Weird but neat!' Laurence said as she gave an earnest smile of appreciation.
A waitress pulled one of the food trolleys closer to the table, and another waitress came up and removed the lid for the topmost tray. What's inside radiates a dazzling gleam that reflects on Laurence's eyes. It was a dish only served to the richest of the high class. A ham made from an ignivomous dragon, specially cured to reduce its petrolic contents. Its shimmering gaze is made from honey taken from a golden empress bee, which lives underground and feasts on gold and other precious gems. The dish itself is an incredible one-of-a-kind sight, even for the other people in the v.i.p lounge. No one dared to utter a word, and the room's quietude is only filled with the sound of the working waitresses.
The company's emptied cup was taken and replaced with golden chalices and filled with expensive red wine. Then, each was handed a plate made from a dragon scale. Judging from the scale size, it probably came from something significantly larger than the one that carried their own carriage.
Peyton came up and precisely cut the ham into thinner strips of bacon before dividing them into four and went around the table to distribute them out to the special guests. Next, he took out a small ignition stone and ablaze Laurence's plate. The girl was surprised when Peyton suddenly came up and roast her dish, but dragon scales can withstand a tremendous amount of heat. Instead of getting disappointed, Laurence was somewhat mesmerized by the flames produced by her food.
Everything was fire resistant, from the mineral-rich glaze to the dragon meat yet it was ironically burning. It gave out a beautiful blue and lilac radiance. She felt the warmth, but the food remained unchanged even with the presence of heat.
Arnold was a little tranced when Peyton almost destroyed the world or could've possibly started a revolution. Tybalt felt his uneasiness and, somehow, felt guilty for recommending this place.