Chapter 465: A Method to Pacify Parul
“Cheers!” I raised my wine and said to Jayad.
“Hehe, I used to think only nobles did this, drinking red wine from crystal glasses under candlelight,” Jayad chuckled, raising his glass, his grip on it not quite right.
“It’s not actually expensive, we just never had the time to enjoy it before,” I replied. In terms of savings, we had already surpassed the general citizen class. However, our mindset hadn’t caught up, and my bottomless appetite required us to be frugal.
It was no wonder some people found dining by candlelight in a dim environment romantic. The atmosphere was indeed warm, aside from the rather noisy surroundings.
As the red wine flowed down my throat, its rich aroma accompanied it. While I couldn’t claim to be a wine connoisseur, I could still detect notes of red grape, honey, and cherry, along with a peculiar, slightly fishy and salty taste. It was quite unique.
“What’s that taste?” Jayad frowned and asked. He must have been referring to the fishy, salty note that I had also detected. It was certainly distinctive, but I found it rather pleasant.
“Hehe, young man, is this your first time in Robin Town? This is our specially made Madam Scarlet, a renowned wine famous far and wide. We use a special Blood Wine as the base, blended with top-tier grape wine. It’s rich and fragrant. You’re sure to like it.”
“Eek!” Jayad and I were both startled by the sudden appearance of the Vampire Banshee. She seemed to float out from the shadows, appearing abruptly, a serving tray in her hand.
Blood Wine… that was the blood wine I had bought from the Blue-eyed Merchant. That meant this wine actually contained blood?
“You! This wasn’t specified on the menu!” I demanded. It wasn’t that I found it unpalatable, but it was clearly not something normal wine should contain.
“Hehe, guests, all the wine here contains Blood Wine. Everyone in town says it’s delicious, and guests who come here are all here for the Blood Wine, so we assume all guests know this,” the Vampire Banshee said with a smile.
It was only then, by the dim candlelight, that I noticed the wine in the glasses held by the patrons was a vibrant crimson. Even the beer was a dark red, which, bathed in the candlelight, possessed a peculiar aesthetic charm.
I felt she was twisting logic and engaging in rogue business practices. A tavern should offer various types of drinks. If there were special varieties, they should be clearly marked to inform guests. Yet, when I looked at the menu, none of the ingredients were listed, and all the wines contained Blood Wine.
That made sense. This was wine sold by Vampire Banshees, so of course, they would enjoy adding Blood Wine. And considering the other races in this town – Jackalmen, Sh, and Kou Tao Merfolk – they were all races that consumed raw flesh and blood. Naturally, they wouldn’t mind a bit of a bloody taste in their drinks.
And it wasn’t bad at all. At least, I could completely accept it. In fact, after getting used to it, I found it had a unique flavor. Unexpectedly, the Blood Wine I had intended to buy for Via was tasted by me first.
“Well, let’s leave it at that,” Jayad nodded. We were here to gather intelligence, not to dine. The wine was something I could just drink. There was no need to cause conflict with the staff on their turf.
“Young man, would you like some… special service? It’s free,” the Vampire Banshee said, licking her lips and leaning closer to Jayad, pressing gently against him.
“No, thank you. Please leave. I’ll call you if I need anything,” Jayad hadn’t even spoken before I coldly dismissed her.
Don’t assume I don’t know what their so-called special service entails. I could see several alluring figures swaying and heaving in the tavern, emitting sweet moans.
And I saw right through that “free” offer – they just wanted to suck Jayad’s blood, didn’t they? His blood scent was that alluring to these bat-women? What a disgrace to the Blood Kin!
“Waaah, waah, little sister is angry. Sorry, I was just suggesting. If you don’t want it, we’ll forget it. Goodbye.” The Vampire Banshee was startled by my cold gaze and retreated, though she maintained a smile before melting back into the darkness.
“Honestly, she ruined such a rare atmosphere,” I said, unhappy.
“Never mind, never mind. This wine is actually quite good,” Jayad said, drinking his wine. This guy actually thought I was upset about the wine.
Seeing that my expression hadn’t improved, Jayad picked up a pan-fried fish and brought it to my mouth. “Here, Parul, don’t be angry. Eat something. Ahh~”
“Ah wu!” I bit into the pan-fried fish, crunching down on the bones and head. Mmm, it tasted pretty good. This Black Horn Fish was a species not found in the real world, and its taste was very unique.
“Another scallop?” Jayad then picked up some scallop meat with a small pair of tongs and offered it to me. He discovered that if Parul was unhappy, feeding her was a very effective solution, though the quantity required was substantial.
In an outside restaurant, this kind of baked cream scallop would usually be roasted and served in its shell. But here, they were all de-shelled and baked together in a pot, hence the need for small tongs.
I wondered if the Kou Tao Merfolk, before selling the scallops to them, had already separated the shells for their own tribal currency or some other use, only selling the shucked meat for food to others.
Soon, under Jayad’s continuous feeding, my mood rapidly improved. To achieve this, Jayad ordered five types of grilled fish, three types of pan-fried fish, a whole pot of fish soup, cold seaweed, seaweed salad, spicy snail meat, cream scallops… almost the entire tavern menu.
Jayad’s constant ordering startled everyone in the tavern. During the meal, there were also moments when the food delivery was delayed, causing a brief interruption, which made Jayad worry that Parul might get upset again. Fortunately, it was eventually smoothed over.
Once my mood had improved and I had recovered from the urge to gorge myself, I was faced with a stack of empty plates beside me, and Jayad, who had been watching me eat without formally starting his meal.
“Uh, I’ve had enough. Jayad Older Brother, you eat now,” I said, feeling a bit guilty.
Jayad could only offer a wry smile. Just watching Parul eat had almost filled him up.
To compensate Jayad, I specifically ordered the most expensive dish here: caviar. I was sure Jayad Older Brother had never eaten this before.
However, although Jayad and I had talked at length about how rare this item was, how only nobles could afford it, and how its price per weight was comparable to gold, we were somewhat disappointed when it arrived.
This wasn’t true caviar. Real caviar should be made from cod roe. This was clearly made from other, cheaper fish, and each egg was disproportionately large.
Come to think of it, this was a tavern, not a truly high-end restaurant. Expecting top-tier caviar here would have been too extravagant.
