Torith a litrpg adventur.., p.13
Torith: A LitRPG Adventure (System Universe Book 2), page 13
After setting the cup down, he spoke, “Well, the flavor just isn’t there yet. With what you currently have, I would suggest brewing it with less water or double brewing it for a stronger taste. The problem may just be that your people aren’t used to strong drinks, so they are diluting the coffee with too much water.
“I’m not sure how roasted the coffee is, but if you have your people roast them longer, then you will get a much richer, bolder flavor. Where I’m from, you can get a light roast, a medium roast, or a dark roast. I prefer medium roast, myself. With it, you get a bit of the stronger original flavor of the coffee combined with a bit of the bold flavor from the roasting process.”
Stella nodded and made some notes on one of the papers scattered around her desk. “I will let them know. Thanks for the information.”
Derek smiled. “Well, I am by no means a coffee expert. I would just like to be able to drink all I want without having to worry about not being able to find it anymore.”
“Well, thank you anyway. I actually think the product is going to bring in more money than I initially expected. It has something in it that stimulates a person and their energy. If we are able to increase the drug’s effects, we could sell it as more than just a beverage during a meal,” she explained.
“Of course, there are other plants and medicines that do the same. It’s just that none of them tastes good while also providing the benefit. Also, having the stimulant occur naturally in the beverage is much easier than having to extract the stimulant and add it to other medicines,” she continued.
Derek nodded. “Yeah, we call that caffeine where I’m from. We never enhanced it. It was used by very low-level people who needed more energy to work late or to wake up faster. Because, as you know, it would take a ton of enhancing it to work on someone with a lot of endurance.”
She smiled. “Exactly.” Then she pulled out a stack of papers from her storage ring. “Well, let’s get down to business. I’m sure that you are anxiously waiting to see what the Void Beast is worth to us.”
Derek nodded.
“Well, I have some good news. My employer seemed to take an interest in you and decided to give you a premium offer in hopes of your further cooperation with the restaurant.” She slid the papers over to Derek.
After reading, Derek’s eyes went wide. “Is this right?”
18 CROWN MEMBERSHIP
“Is this right?” Derek asked, looking at the contract. The offer was for 25,000 gold coins and contribution towards a membership. He had expected quite a lot, but more like 10,000 gold coins. If Bronson’s sword cost 2,700, I wonder what kind of weapon I could get for this. Nah, I bet at a certain point, Weaponsmiths stop accepting gold for their wares. They probably deal only in trade.
“Mhm.” Stella nodded. “As I said, my employer has made the decision to give you a premium offer. Plus, the Void Beast you brought in was high quality, so the price has to match. As you only want the hide back, not much was deducted from the amount because we don’t have many uses for it.
“The current payment is what someone with a tier one membership would be awarded if they brought in the same beast. As I said, my employer is treating you quite fondly. This is the first time I have seen such a thing happen, though it is not the first that I’ve heard of,” Stella finished with a smile.
“I see. I will have to thank your boss at some point,” Derek replied. “Now, about the Crown Membership. This contract only states that I will be awarded a medium amount of contribution towards a membership. Is there a tangible way to tell how much contribution I have?”
Stella’s smile grew wider at the question. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that.” Stella looked deep into Derek’s eyes. “Now, there are two answers that you can get. One is a basic outline, but the other requires an oath to not repeat what I say to anyone. Which would you like?”
Derek frowned but agreed to the oath. “I, Derek Hunt, swear to the Great System to abide Stella Brighton’s words and keep what I am about to hear to myself… and my companion—as I cannot hide things from her—for as long as required.” After his oath, the notification popped up.
You have made an oath to ‘Stella Brighton.’
Please abide by the terms and conditions to avoid any penalties or punishments.
Stella frowned. “Your companion? The rabbit?”
Derek nodded. “Yes. We communicate telepathically. It is easy for her to hear my thoughts unless I specifically focus on keeping her out. Trust me, she does not actively try to listen to them either.”
“That’s… interesting. Most communicate with their beast companion through their will. They just understand each other.” Stella furrowed her brows. “Just how strong is that bunny?”
Derek smiled. “Would you like to swear an oath?” He laughed.
Her eyes widened a little, then she chuckled. “No, it was just a passing thought.” Then she cleared her throat. “I trust that she will not speak of what we are discussing to anyone?”
“No. If we were talking about food or sleeping, she might find a way, but she couldn’t care less about anything we are discussing right now. Besides, as of right now, she can only communicate with me,” he answered.
Stella nodded. “Very well. First, to answer your question… No. All that you have to go on is my word and the trust that you have in the Crown. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is because my boss controls who gets the memberships and who does not. She is quite fair, though.
“Even if she does not personally like you, as long as you do not act in a detestable and despicable way, and if she sees that you have worked and contributed much to the restaurant, she will award you with a membership. However, the biggest factor standing in the way of most of the nobles receiving a membership is how they act and treat others. My boss is… well, she has eyes and ears everywhere.”
Stella sighed. “You could say that she is the kingdom’s foremost expert in gossip. She does not spread it, but she collects it, then verifies it. There are nobles—I will not name names—that have contributed greatly to the Crown and helped the cities and those less fortunate than themselves. But they have never received a membership, and they never will.
“They may look perfect on the outside, but they are vile on the inside. Some of the things that I have heard about…” Stella shook her head. “My mistress will never allow people like that to be formally associated with her business. There are some, though, that are strict and violent that have been given membership and people wonder why.
“Those people treat everyone the same. If a descendant from their house steps out of line, they will be punished the same as if a beggar did the same. Their violence is warranted. They are usually noble houses that uphold the laws of the kingdom. And though they cannot punish a noble of another house the same way as they do a commoner under kingdom law, they will punish their own. It is respectable. Many normal folk and nobles alike fear them,” Stella stated.
Derek nodded. “I understand. This is actually great information for me to know. If I go to another city and a ‘perfect’ noble house is there, but they do not have a membership to your restaurant, I will know to avoid them. I see why you had me take an oath.”
Stella nodded. “That is correct. There are a few, not many, that are respectable and close to perfect that do not care for a membership; therefore, do not seek to obtain contribution. But they are usually neutral parties and will not seek you out without reason.”
She continued. “Now, that is all for people who have not earned a membership yet. There is a tangible way to see your contribution once you are a member.” Stella flicked her wrist and a solid white card with a golden crown in the middle appeared in her hand. It was slightly bigger than a credit card. “This”—she waved the card around—“is a membership card.” She handed it to Derek to examine.
Holding it in his hand, he studied it. It was hard. He put some strength into his hand and squeezed slightly. After some pressure, the card bent a little, and he relaxed. “Some good material,” he said.
“Indeed,” she answered. “They can survive”—she watched as he bent the card even more—“most indirect attacks.”
Derek nodded and handed the card back. “I’m guessing this is just for me to examine?”
Stella chuckled. “Yes. It is not an actual membership card, just a display. It is the same in almost every way, just lacking the enchantments.” She took the card back. “Now, as you can see, the card is a blank slate, solid white. This is a tier-one membership card with no contribution. You will begin at tier one if you ever become a member.
“Now, as you gain contribution, you can give your card to a manager, and they will transfer it to the card.” Stella injected mana into the card. The end of the card began turning blue. As she continued, the blue color spread across the card. “As you can see, as you earn contribution, the card will fill with a different color.” At that point, the entire card had turned blue.
Stella injected more mana into the card, and a purple tint appeared on the side. “White is tier one, blue is tier two, purple is tier three, and black is tier four—the maximum tier. Each tier comes with different benefits. You will only learn about them when you reach that tier, and you will be required to sign a contract not to spread said benefits.”
Mhm… It’s like the more I spend, the higher my credit limit. Derek nodded. “I see. That makes sense to me.”
Stella nodded and put the card back into her ring. “Now, like I have said, my boss seems like you, which is a point in your favor. She will definitely be listening and watching you, so when you reach enough contribution in her eyes, it won’t be hard to become a member.”
Derek frowned, disappointed. “So, no matter how much I contribute, it will take a while to become a member because she needs to find out my character?”
“Well, that depends. My boss is a great judge of character, and I don’t believe that she has ever been wrong about a person, no matter how quickly she came to her opinion about them. She’s… special in that way.”
“I see.” Derek nodded. “So, hypothetically. If I had enough contribution in her eyes today, how long do you think before she judged me worthy or not?”
“That’s a tough question. It could be a day, a week, a month, a year… I don’t know. I’m sure she knows more about you than I do already. And she’s in the capital. She may already have her opinion.”
“Interesting.” Derek smiled. “This isn’t some secret spy or assassination guild or something, is it?” he asked in jest… mostly.
Stella broke out in laughter. “No, it isn’t. But isn’t that exactly what a spy guild would tell you?” She gave him a serious look, then burst out laughing again. “No, my mistress doesn’t have a lot of friends and can’t talk to many people.” She frowned and lowered her head. “So, learning about people from afar became a hobby of hers after she started the Crown, and her skill in it has greatly improved the restaurant’s standing. This is all public knowledge.”
“Why can’t she talk to people?” he asked, intrigued.
“This is also public knowledge. Her class has a skill that makes people… uncomfortable, and she cannot turn it off. It is a tragedy because she really does love having conversations. Very few servants can be around her, and she does most of her communications via the communication crystal. Even then, her skill affects others,” Stella replied.
“That is sad. I would like to talk to her someday. Who knows, maybe I’m different.” Derek smiled. If she has a skill that’s constantly active, and it’s magic, will my Magic Resistance constantly go up? Of course, he had ulterior motives.
Stella’s smile shined. It was more genuine than Derek had seen before. “I’m sure that she would love that. I’ll let her know next time I speak with her.”
Derek nodded. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, then continued. “Now, let’s get back to my payment and contribution.” He reached over and rubbed his bracelet, waiting for the right time to reveal his other… goods.
“Very well,” Stella replied.
19 THE TRUE VALUE OF VOID BEASTS
“So, as you can see…” Stella reached over to the contract and pointed. “You will get 25,000 gold coins for the Void Beast, minus the hide. And seeing your earlier reaction, I’m guessing that this price is acceptable?” she asked.
“Yes, very acceptable. I was just wondering what I would do with so much gold,” Derek replied.
Stella chuckled. “Ah yes, having such an amount of coin and nothing to spend it on can be a problem. May I suggest your local Crown Restaurant? I hear that they have a delicious menu, though they aren’t cheap.”
Derek laughed at that. “No, I suppose they are not. As for the contract, I would be happy to sign it, but I was thinking about maybe adding something to it. Or I could take this and the money, and we could make another.”
Stella’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You never cease to amaze me. You have more to offer the restaurant? Is it another product like coffee? I don’t think we’re ready for that yet. The Botanist is still working out the kinks in that, and we wouldn’t want to introduce too many new products like that into the market all at once. I mean, we would still buy it, but you wouldn’t see revenue on whatever we work out until we begin selling.”
Derek shook his head. “No, unfortunately I don’t have any more moneymakers like that. Though I may have an interesting alcoholic beverage later, but I’m still in the process of thinking about it. This is another one-off purchase like the Void Beast. Are you interested?”
“Of course we are interested. May I see the goods?”
“Sure, but first, since you’ve treated me so well.” Derek held his arm out and the small Void Beast appeared, held by the back of its neck. “You said that the older and stronger the Void Beasts were, the more expensive. Well, this one is neither old nor strong, more like a baby. I figured I’d toss it in as an appetizer if your offer was sincere.”
Stella’s eyes were like saucers. “Another Void Beast,” she whispered. Then she stood and walked around the desk to get a closer look. “May I?” she asked.
“Of course.”
With that, a knife appeared in Stella’s hand, and she reached over to the beast Derek was holding. She slid the knife along the upper arm of the creature, slicing through the flesh. Derek could see the bone when she withdrew the blade.
“Interesting…” she said as she touched the exposed muscle with her finger. “I’ve never seen a Void Beast that was so… delicate.” She looked at the finger, which had a small amount of blood on the tip, and frowned. “I hate having to do this.” Sticking her tongue out, she licked the end of her finger and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, her eyes shot open. “Store that… immediately.”
Hearing the agitation in her voice, Derek quickly stored the Void Beast. Confused, he looked at Stella. “What’s wrong?”
Stella leaned against the desk, and using her hands, she lifted herself atop it. She sighed and summoned a tissue to clean her hand. Then, sitting on the desk just in front of the seated Derek, she spoke. “I can’t in good conscience accept your gift. Not without you knowing the real value of it. Now, I can’t tell for sure by just tasting the blood, but that creature is most likely worth much more than the one you already brought me.”
She sighed again. “The meat, bones, and brain are the valuable parts of the usual Void Beasts.” She chuckled. “Hell, I might as well tell you this. I suspect you will be a member soon. With the right chefs, our chefs, those who eat the Void Beast meals we prepare obtain increases to their stats. Of course, a Void Beast meal is absurdly expensive and usually only sold via auction.”
“Don’t most meals increase a user’s stats?” Derek asked. He could see where it was going, but he wanted to make sure.
Stella nodded. “That’s true, but those stats are temporary. These are permanent. We are unsure why, but the theory is that the beasts are creatures ‘outside the Great System.’ So the increased stats aren’t system-granted stats but more… personal.”
That got Derek’s attention. “How much will a Void Beast increase someone’s stats? Let’s say, the one I’m selling you.”
“Well, you are able to get increased strength, endurance, and intelligence out of a Void Beast. Which is funny because they come from the muscle, bones, and brain, respectively. Now, if you want to get the most benefit out of the creature, you can’t eat it all at once. The benefits diminish the more you eat. You have to give your body enough time to process everything.
“If you were to just eat it all at once, that Void Beast, prepared by our cooks, would give you around 25 strength, 15 endurance, and 10-20 intelligence. Intelligence is always hard to estimate. Now, if you eat, then wait a couple months for your body to process everything, then repeat until the Void Beast is gone…” she quieted, thinking. “Then you could stretch the gains to probably 50-60 strength, 30 endurance, and 30 or more intelligence,” she answered.
“Okay, you said that Void Beast was pretty strong and special, though, so I imagine those results aren’t typical,” Derek said.
“No, not typical at all. Really, Void Beasts aren’t typical.” She laughed. “The foundation of our entire business is based on the way we prepare Void Beasts. My boss… the owner is the only person who has the recipe. Our cooks are bound by extreme contracts. If they so much as think about selling the recipe, they will die.”
Derek frowned at that.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Stella said. “They aren’t slaves. They and their families are paid extremely well. A chef’s child can grow up as if they are the heir to a top noble house in the kingdom. Also, they can leave whenever they want. Remember how I was telling you about the owner’s skills?”
Derek nodded. “Yeah.”
