"Captain? Nah, General. General Xalvador," Alfred replied.
"General? Damn it!" Dion exclaimed without meaning to. Alfred noticed the sudden unrest within Dion and inquired about it.
"Anything wrong? You seem a bit off," he asked.
"Uhmmm, no, not really. A General isn't staying in the barracks, is he?" Dion asked curiously.
"Absolutely not, he's at the Lord's palace, keeping him safe," Alfred replied.
Dion knew things were definitely going to be a little bit bumpy now since there was a shift in rank for Xalvador. Getting to see him now isn't going to be easy, let alone getting close enough to stab him.
Alfred noticed the sudden silence from Dion, sensing that something was bothering him, but Dion seemed to be hiding something.
"You seem troubled. What's the issue? Can my knowledge fix it?" Alfred offered.
Although Alfred seemed knowledgeable, he was quite chatty. "Nothing's wrong, just that I feel a bit hungry," Dion said, diverting the conversation to something less suspicious. His attention shifted to Alfred as he made the last statement, unsure if there was food in this new world.
"There's a caff outside, they serve up the finest grub around," Alfred suggested.
"Thanks, mate," Dion said as he stood up to get himself something to eat. His actual intention wasn't to eat as he wasn't very hungry; he wanted to find somewhere he could sit alone and think of a plan to reach the General.
"How long was Hellestra banished for? Centuries? Because I don't really get how a Captain suddenly becomes a General within a short period. Her source of information is quite poor, if she even has any," he cursed as he walked to the eatery.
There were many Extinguishers along the way, all dressed in black suits, but he didn't pay attention to their faces or what they were saying; his mind was entirely somewhere else.
[The eatery's behind you] Viza reminded him; he had walked past the description he was given.
Right before the door hung a large signpost reading: "At Gina's."
As he entered the eatery, he was quite amused by what he saw inside. The place was quiet despite a few men and women eating and drinking.
"Tranquility, at last," he said as he found his way to an empty table with a seat beside it. His mind was still lingering on a possible plan when a lady wearing an apron appeared beside his desk.
"Good day, Sir. What can I get for you?" she asked. The lady was the owner of the shop named Gina.
He knew he just had to order something if he was going to sit there for a while, so he said, "Get me your best dish."
"What else do you need?" Gina asked.
"That will suffice," he said without raising his head to look at her.
Before he knew it, a plate was placed before him, containing some small grainy bits that smelled horrible.
"One doesn't get to see many Extinguishers down here," she stressed. "Only one comes here, Alfred," she said.
Dion wasn't interested in any conversation at the moment, so he replied with a gentle smile, saying, "Yeah I know."
Having placed the plate before him, she took her leave, saying, "Enjoy your meal!"
The food looked good but smelled horrible; the odor was beginning to dull his senses.
"What sort of smell is this? A rotten egg smells pleasant compared to this," he cursed.
Turning around, he saw the men around him delving deeper into the same type of food before him. Some even asked for more, indicating how much they enjoyed it.
Dion's eyes widened as he saw small writing on the plate: 15K.
"Things down here don't really make sense," he murmured.
[The 'K' stands for Kainon, the currency used here] Viza explained, trying to make sense of it.
Immediately, he heard the word 'currency,' and it dawned on him that he had no money with him. The atmosphere was so pleasant that he mistook it for Earth.
"There has to be something in these pockets," he said as he dipped his hands into his pockets, hoping to find something of importance, but there was none.
"Viza, care to help here?" he asked.
[Sure, lust points can be used to upgrade your skills and can also be converted to Kainon. With that, you can pay for the meal] Viza replied.
"Complete the tasks and get some points, huh?" Dion asked.
[Yes] Viza confirmed.
*Ding*
[Task: Fondle the waitress's boobs for 30 seconds]
[Reward: 15 Points]
As the menu appeared before him, he smiled. "Fondle for 30 seconds? Interesting. What is the value of a point when converted?"
"Each point equals 2K," Viza replied.
"Well, I can't let my money waste. I have to give this a try, let the taste buds be damned," he said, referring to the meal before him. He took a spoonful and tasted it.
Surprisingly, the food was not as it smelled. It tasted even better than it looked; it was one of the best he had in forever. He delved even deeper until there was nothing left on the plate.
After he was done, he tactically carried the plate to meet Gina, who was at the table attending to some stuff.
"Now let's hustle for the cash," he said as he approached her, planning to complete the task given to him.