Vol 2 Chapter 26: Beg Town Tavern

“Fir Black Forest”

Passing through the tree-shaded pool path, Sylutia walked down the hillside along a clear road. After rounding a bend in the mountain trail, a small town with smoke curling from chimneys came into view. Scattered houses lay across the slopes, connected by stone pathways.

Compared to the central region of the Glittergold Plains, the Fir Black Forest has few permanent residents, only about two thousand people in total, and they are dispersed across different areas. The town that serves as the local hub, Berg Town, has nearly eight hundred permanent residents.

Along the way, Sylutia saw the occasional apprentice passing by. Judging by their badges, most were between First Tier and Second Tier. She saw only one person above Third Tier, probably the town’s resident apothecary. He wore a verdant robe embroidered with countless floral and leaf patterns, intricate and elaborate.

“Dean, you’re back.” In a shop by the road, an auntie drying herbs greeted the young man as he walked past.

“I’m back, Auntie Herlin.” Saying that, the young man carrying a broad sword walked over and exchanged a few words with her before departing.

“Rusha, you’re here too. Just came out of the instructor’s herb hut?”

A few steps further, Sylutia heard voices again. The young man called Dean was waving to a passing young woman.

“Yes, I’ve been busy all day;
I finally finished the base for the instructor’s magrin potion.” She yawned as she spoke.

“All I want now is to sit in the tavern, eat something good, then go to sleep.”

“Heh, once this busy patch passes it’ll be fine. Next time let’s go to the Shattered Gravel Shore, want to come?”

“That place, sure, but you have to protect me. I don’t have much fighting ability.” After a bit more idle chatter the two went their separate ways.

Sylutia’s keen hearing picked up several similar conversations as she walked. It seemed the town’s residents, whether apprentices or permanent staff, were all well acquainted with each other.

No surprise—Berg Town only has around eight hundred people, so over time you learn people’s names by sight.

Two organizations were stationed in the town: Lanxiang Secret Medicines and the Elk Horn. The former is mostly apothecaries, while the latter consists of rangers, battle dancers, and beast-blood users—professions suited to the forest.

Sylutia stopped in front of the town’s tavern. It was likely the largest building in town: a three-story wood-and-stone structure under a tall triangular roof. Open doors and windows spilled warm, noisy sounds into the street.

Of the town’s eight hundred residents, roughly two hundred were gathered here. Some were drinking and eating, some clustered chatting, and others were attending to business at the counter along the hall’s side.

Seeing the counter explained the crowd: the tavern belonged to the Hidden Grove association. Even the local affairs office was set up here, which made it especially convenient.

The spacious hall could easily hold several hundred people;
even with the noise it did not feel cramped, and Sylutia could still see many empty tables.

Tables and chairs were mostly pine. Honey-wax candle lanterns hung around the hall’s support pillars, their faint scent drifting with the flames.

She sat at a small table in a corner of the hall, and soon a cheerful server hopped over. A curled tail stuck up from behind her waist, giving her the appearance of a cat-kin.

“May I take your order?” She set a wooden menu on the table, the items handwritten in a crooked script.

“Anything you recommend that’s particularly tasty?”

Sylutia glanced at the menu;
the main ingredients were common forest fare.

“If this is your first time here, I recommend the mushroom savory pie paired with refreshing blueberry juice. That combination tastes best.” The server suggested Sylutia’s dinner.

“Then I’ll have that.” Sylutia decided.

“Alright~ Please wait a moment—the pastry and fried filling will take a little while.” The cat-tail girl hugged the menu, waved at Sylutia, and skipped away.

Sylutia observed the girl’s retreating figure. The girl appeared to be First Tier Beast Fang Aspect. Sylutia couldn’t help being curious: although the tavern’s dishes cost more than outside, they weren’t outrageously expensive. How could they afford staff like this? Perhaps the girl was an apprentice performing some duty or task.

Sylutia’s gaze shifted toward the association counter. Nearby was a bulletin board hung with plaques of various sizes showing bounties and announcements.

“Buying Pranli Flowers, one plant for one gold coin.” A sketched flower adorned the notice.

“Seeking snake sheds from Second Tier or above. If intact, buying at 20 gold coins per piece.”

“Transfer: one snake-shaped sword, quality ‘Second Tier · Excellent’, price 50 gold coins.” A detailed description followed: this sword possesses (Sharpness +2, Bleed +1).

“Seeking a full-time Purifier. Must reduce Distortion erosion by at least 40%. Each expedition pays an extra 10 gold coins and loot is split equally.”

…

Purifier? This was the first time Sylutia had heard of that profession. From the description it seemed to be someone who could reduce Distortion Aspect erosion.

About twenty minutes later, Sylutia’s mushroom savory pie arrived steaming on a plate, accompanied by a chilled glass of mixed blueberry juice.

“That will be 2 silver coins in total.” The price was roughly eight to ten times that of outside, but acceptable within the Hidden Grove.

The crisp, browned crust covered a filling of sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic, topped with melted cheese. Steam rose as Sylutia cut a small piece, popped it into her mouth. It was warm;
a savory saltiness followed. The mushrooms were pleasantly crisp, balancing the cheese’s richness, while the onions and garlic added complexity.

After finishing the pie, Sylutia drank half the blueberry juice, then lingered a while before finishing the tart-sweet drink. She then rose and walked to the counter.

“Hello, I’d like to inquire about expeditions into the deep forest.” She asked the association staff.

“Oh, you’re a newcomer here, right?” They hadn’t seen Sylutia before.

“If you’re looking to search the secret realms for resources, I suggest starting from the small river to the south. Follow the river downstream, then head into the valley. You might find something.”

“The monsters and anomalies on that route are low danger, very suitable for beginners.”

“If you want higher returns and rarer resources, you’ll need to form a team and plan the route. Try not to stay in a secret realm for more than five days.”

“Staying too long increases chances of accidents, and the secret realm will gradually be eroded by Distortion. You need to come out in time to recuperate.”

“Each traversal through the gray-white Shadow World brings slight erosion. Early on it may be unnoticeable, but once a Fate Card’s erosion exceeds 30% it becomes very hard to deal with. So expedition teams generally return once erosion reaches 20%.”

There was such a thing? Sylutia recalled the time she accidentally entered the Shadow World. She had felt unwell, needing to expend some of her Aspect power, but she hadn’t suffered any erosion.

Maybe she had only gone into a shallow area that wasn’t dangerous.

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