"Good day, young sir. Welcome to Pitfall Town and thank you for stopping at Green House." The well dressed middle aged man said with a warm smile as he stopped at Eugene's table alongside the attendant that had welcomed Eugene earlier.
Eugene looked up at the man and took in his features in an instant. The man had light brown skin that was common in the desert areas. He had round face and a light dusting of a beard, crowned by a small moustache that sat above his lips.
"Hello." Eugene responded with a raised eyebrow. He did not know who the man was or why he had come to seek him out.
"Ah, yes. I apologize for disturbing you, your meal will be here shortly. I just wanted to introduce myself. I am Einar Brown, the owner of the Green House. It is a pleasure to cater to your services." The man, who had just introduced himself as Einar Brown, said and reached out his hand to Eugene.
Eugene took the man's hand and shook it before pausing and introducing himself. "I am Eugene, a traveler. Nice to meet you." He said.
At first, the thought of hiding his identity crossed his mind, but it would have been pointless. If anyone from Blazing Sun or Tahan came looking for him, then the automobile and a description of his looks would be enough to give him away. Changing his name at this point was pointless. Perhaps when he got to an area where automobiles were not as scarce and he had a way to hide his identity, then he would do so.
"A pleasure meeting you, Sir Eugene. Please, enjoy our services during your stay." After that, Einar turned around and left, leaving the attendant from earlier to tend to Eugene. A few moments later, she also left to get Eugene's meal.
'All this is already stressful. And I am barely even starting my journey...' Eugene thought to himself as he turned to peer out of the window beside his table. He could not get a complete view of the automobile, but he was able to catch a glimpse of its back from where he was. Unfortunately, this was the only free table that was set by a window.
Clink.
The young attendant came back and set down a tray with some plates and a cup of water in front of Eugene.
"Here you go, sir. If you need anything, please let me know." She gave a warm smile before turning and scurrying away, leaving Eugene to his meal.
As Eugene ate, he could feel multiple curious gazes on him. He was sure that the news of him being the owner of the automobile had already spread amongst the people present. Among the people studying him, a greater proportion of them seemed to be those wielding weapons.
'In a remote place like Pitfall Town, the number of strong people should not be too high. I should be able to take care of myself if they try to look for trouble.' Eugene had already considered that some greedy people might have set their eyes on him. He was ready to meet them head on.
Soon, Eugene sat back, happy to have filled his belly with some warm food. He turned and found that the attendant was already making her way to him.
"How was your meal? Did you enjoy it?" She asked as she cleaned up the table.
"It was nice. How much is it?" Eugene asked. He already knew that part of the reason she was acting so nice and attentive was because of Einar's orders to her, but he did not care much. He did not want to associate himself with others too much, both for his safety and theirs.
The attendant was a bit taken aback by Eugene's lack of reaction and direct responses, but she kept her cool and replied, "Twenty coppers, sir."
Eugene's lips twitched at the absurd price of the food. A small loaf of bread sold for a copper coin back in Blazing Sun. That loaf of bread was enough to satisfy one for a time. But this simple meal cost a whooping twenty copper! Was that not just cheating?
Eugene simply sighed and nodded his head before slipping his hand into his pocket. He did not actually have money in his pocket, but in order to not draw more attention to himself by bringing it straight out of his spatial ring, he had to act as if his money was in his pocket.
A small pouch appeared in his hand and he brought it out before counting the twenty copper and handing it to the attendant.
"Thank you!" She beamed at him. Thanks to him, she would have a much easier time. First, the room of a hundred copper, and now the meal of twenty copper. She had helped the guest house bring in a decent profit today and it would show on her record.
Eugene simply nodded and got up from his seat then he walked out of the guest house. The moment he was out, the excited cry of his avian companion reached his ears.
"Caw!" Sahar landed on Eugene's shoulder and pecked at the side of his head in a fit. Eugene felt as if the Desert Eagle was reprimanding him for making him wait outside along for so long.
"Sorry, bud. The bed was too tempting and I had to try it out." Eugene smiled and rubbed Sahar's head, causing the young eagle to quiet down and lean into his touch. He then walked over to the automobile and was about to open up the door when he paused.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see a group of three making their way over to him. Two men and a woman. The men had swords strapped to their backs while the woman had a pouch hanging off her waist. She wore a light dress that covered her well, but allowed her to be able to move freely with minimal interruption.
'Adventurers?'