Chương 155: Chapter 42: The De Facto Winner of the Duels

Aurum Osmanthus was all rightfully as extravagant as its name suggested. A four-storey opulent edifice with a distinctive antique design, which was favoured at the time of the empire's founding, it boasted clear marble flooring that could serve as half a mirror.

The interior décor did not miss any decorative details—from the osmanthus garden and the immaculate flowerbeds arrayed with colourful blossoms that welcomed us, to the vaunted paintings, gold-threaded tapestries, and finely carved wood panels—everything in the interior spoke volumes about the restaurant's rich ambience. It also said that Aurum Osmanthus was not only selling food but also the vibe. It was particularly apparent with the golden osmanthus blossoms wafting a scent of springtime.

It must take quite some effort to cultivate them in all seasons. Many tables sat throughout the garden, in case any guests would like to dine outdoors. It was a scenic sight, all right. Honestly, I would have liked one of those tables, but evidently, Tera had booked a private room on the third floor. She was waiting outside and greeted us before the attendant; her noble etiquette was as immaculate as the fine black silk draped on her.

"Apologies for the delay," Mum said, greeting the girl. It was actually my fault, as Eran's duel had gotten quite long for me to extract myself from the Coliseum halfway. From there, it was merely a minute's walk, as Aurum Osmanthus was only a block away from the Hippodrome. Now I had about forty-seven minutes for lunch. Not that I ever take even half as long for dining, but this was clearly an opulent establishment with many specialities. Hopefully, serving the dishes quickly was one of them.

"Where is your grandfather?" Mum asked as Tera led us into the private room. Manager Marn was nowhere to be found inside.

"He is running late, obviously," the girl said. She gestured to us with great courtesy—well, to my mother mostly—to our seating.

"After you." The private chamber was quite spacious, with only a circular table and eight cushioned chairs surrounding it. A grand chandelier, one of a fresher style, hung low, almost meeting Father's tall stature. It illuminated a warm glow downwards onto the table in an otherwise well-lit room. Tera sat across from us, as an attendant came to open a menu book before us.

"Order whatever you wish." I took the menu, my eyes darting from one dish to another as Hypercognition took effect. Most of the names were unfamiliar. Some were so alien that I was not even sure they were actual words. At least the suffixes like roasted chicken, royal duck breast, lobster, or lamb made it easier to guess what those dishes could entail.

"I'll take a salad and a cup of osmanthus tea for now," Mum said, eyeing the attendant who was ready with a pocket notebook in hand.

"I heard it is your speciality." She turned towards us.

"What about you two?"

"I'm good with anything," Father said, resting the burden of ordering on my shoulders. I mumbled under my breath about the names of the dishes but ultimately handed the menu to Mum. In all the times we dined outdoors, she was the one who ordered, even when the diners were much cheaper. I bet she knew a thing or two about a place like this as well.

"You choose it for me." Mum smirked.

"You see now why etiquette lessons are so important?" I snorted and combated her by sitting in a more lackadaisical fashion, one leg slipping onto the empty chair on my left. She glowered at me.

"Is this what I taught you?" she said admonishingly.

"Do you know that any lack of your decorum will not only fall on you but on myself and your father too?"

"I learned this from Father." I was quick to push off the blame. Besides, it was a private room. Wasn't the purpose of it to lie however you liked? Her eyes swiftly turned to Father, and we all found him sitting perfectly straight, with an affable smile on his lips.

"I never had any poor dining habits," he said, and everyone believed him. I did too, never remembering him ever wasting even a speck of food.

"Anything more you would like to add?" Mum returned to me, ready to make her verdict.

"I'm tired," I whined. Her pupil contracted in challenge. I quickly added, "Fine, I was wrong." I sat straighter with as much propriety as she expected of me. On the other side of the table, Tera hid a smile.

"Now, was that that difficult?" Mum asked. But did that make any difference? I complained internally. Not wanting to let her catch wind of my thoughts, I changed the topic back to a matter of more importance.

"Come on, order my food. I'm almost starving."

"All right," she said, her eyes moving through the list.

"How about Osmanthus Truffle Risotto?" I nodded.

"And Rosemary Lobster Medallions?" I nodded along. At least I knew what to expect from them.

"Add a glass of Royal Citrus juice." Her gaze drifted to Father.

"As for you, how about some creamy scallops and butter-seared salmon?"

"Fine with me." The attendant confirmed the order and gazed up at Tera, who ordered for her grandfather as well. She threw around the names of dishes with a fancy accent that made my eyes roll. There were many dishes and wines, with far more extravagant and bewildering names. Idly, I memorised it all with the clear-cut accent in case it came in handy at some point. You never know. Now that I was a Journeyman Artisan, I could earn a lot of gold. I had to learn to spend it somewhere, too.

While we waited for our meals to arrive, Mum exchanged tidbits with Tera until finally the old man arrived, practically sweeping into the room to take a seat. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Hope I have not kept you waiting for too long."

"You forgot about it, didn't you?" Tera accused.

"Bah!" the old man waved.

"What do you take me for, a senile old fool? It's just that my other meeting kept me enchanted for a bit longer. Anyhow, you have ordered my plates, I take it?" Tera inclined her head.

"Excellent." Then he leaned on the chair next to his granddaughter as though he were at home, lounging like on a rocking chair.

"Have some decency, old man," Tera groused.

"Bah!" old Marn wiped his face with a napkin.

"I get an elder pass to act the way I want."

"Apologies, Lady Ashlyn, for my grandfather's lack of etiquette." Hey, where's my apology? I even sat properly.

"You worry for nothing. I knew your Lady Ashlyn when she was your age, and she does not mind. Elders like us get a pass. Isn't that right, Ashlyn?" Mum hummed noncommittally.

"I do not mind, outside of my son catching a poor habit or two." At that, the old man did sit a little straighter. He queried me about the competition, only a little boastful about his granddaughter's display, but otherwise acted as a jovial old fellow until our meals arrived. Two extra attendants came pushing a trolley of dishes and served them perfectly. A collection of delectable odours wafted from the dishes. Though it did not go unnoticed that, other than mine, most plates contained little.

Father's rare steak was only a medium-large piece at the centre of its plate, with herbs and sauce arranged decoratively. As for whatever Tera ordered, there were several plates with even smaller portions. They seemed more like art pieces than meals. I knew for certain that cooking was an art form, but looking at the dishes spread across the table, they seemed to have taken it a realm further with all the decoration they had made with the food. I bet that would add a surplus to our bill.

Well, I was happy with mine. The risotto and the eight pieces of lobster were enough for me. Now all that was left was to taste. Taking a spoonful of the mixed risotto—yes, I would not call it by that fancy name even if Mum glowered at me—I put it into my mouth and waited for the delectable flavour to spread across my tongue. Ignoring the shrimps and mushrooms mixed with the rice, there was certainly a flowery note in the food, particularly the smell of osmanthus.

It certainly did not make me feel like I was chewing a flower, but it was definitely an acquired taste. The lobster medallions, on the other hand, I could not get enough of. Props to the chef; I had feared I would have to pry it open from a lobster's body with a knife. Thankfully, the citrus juice contained no more osmanthus. Don't get me wrong, I liked the smell, but only through my nostrils, not on my tongue. Anyhow, Mum sipped her tea with great appreciation, which had an even thicker scent of the flower.

Another notable odour, a sweeter one, filled the room as old manager Marn poured a glass of osmanthus wine, drinking it as though it were cheap ale. His granddaughter, however, stirred the glass slowly in her palm before taking slow sips. My arcane senses sizzled, catching a few whiffs of the wafting odour, when I found Mum's gaze fixed on me, a line between her brows.

"Don't even think about it."

"I said nothing," I whined. It was not like I was of drinking age. I suspected Tera was not either, but nobles had various etiquette to uphold. It wasn't as if a glass of wine would harm a noble-class awakened in any way.

"Not much of a drinker, eh?" Master Marn said, eyeing my parents. Father shot a tight smile. As I slowly finished my risotto, Mum talked a great deal about many other things until she mentioned she had thought about sending me to Dragonforge as an intern apprentice. I blinked at her, unsure why I was hearing it for the first time.

"You can send him anytime," Master Marn agreed rather easily.

"We can make arrangements to take care of it easily. I'm sure some competition would do good for our Tera as well."

"We'll decide after the competition ends," Mum said, before explaining it to me.

"I planned to get you some real-world experience with crafting after you reached noble class, but your advancement came early, and then we got busy with other things. Still, it isn't too late. You still have much to learn about the world of artificing." Well, I nodded, finding nothing out of the ordinary in that. It was somewhat intriguing, as Mum had alluded to many fancy mechanisms and artefacts that were only available in large workshops. Then it crossed me.

"What about my apprenticeship under Master Kaius?"

"That is not wholly dependent on you, is it?" True, I had not seen Master Kaius since he delivered the sword the other day.

"The old man is far too free-spirited," Father interjected, "but since he had agreed, he'll come looking for you when it's time—or when he feels like it." That did not sound all that convincing. I had finished my meal and was emptying the juice when a knock came at our chamber. A pretty young woman in a similar dress code entered with a merry smile on her lips after receiving permission.

"Is all the food adequate, sir and madam?" she asked.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" I had to fight myself not to ask for a piece of frozen dessert. There were still two duels to be fought. I should not fill my stomach with too much sugary stuff. Old Marn got more wine, while Tera ordered what I craved. I almost, almost gave in; thankfully, the meal had filled my stomach just fine. I was finished within a quarter of an hour, leaving another quarter remaining for my lunch break.

Mum seemed to have some other business dealings planned with Dragonforge, so I decided to excuse myself early. The old manager also sent Tera out to accompany me. The girl in question was a bit peeved about it, but she did remove herself with courtesy.

"Aren't you curious about what they were talking about?" Tera hummed as we walked out.

"Not really," I said, not paying her much attention.

"I'm sure if it was anything of importance, Mum would talk to me about it later." Well, there were still some things they had kept me out of, but I could already guess what her dealings with Dragonforge would be about.

"There are some secret things that only Fable class and above are privy to," Tera said, a spark in her eyes.

"Don't you feel curious about that?" I craned my neck, a frown developing between my brows.

"Grandfather allows me to run the day-to-day business and everything," she continued, "but whenever some higher-class people come, I am not even allowed to attend his meetings. He always says something about how it does not concern kids. But even my father and many members of our house are kept out of the secret dealings." That was certainly much more interesting than I had thought. There were only so many who had reached Fabled class.

I might have met more than a few notable figures, even legendary figures like Knight Captain Gaius or Sir Emil, but my experience was more out of the ordinary.

"Oh, I almost forgot to give you your fabricator," I said, bringing it out from my blessed stone.

"Now are you convinced of my prodigious work?" she asked with a beaming smile.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, you are not half bad," she said. She fished out my craft after storing hers in one of her spatial devices. I detected at least three on her person.

"You must have had many points in Will to complete a crude design like that?"

"My design is not crude," I grumbled, scrunching my nose.

"Uh-huh," Tera returned.

"Perhaps not crude, but there are instances in every disc of yours where a lighter script would do the job easily." We almost faltered before the staircase and began bickering there.

"Fine then, why don't you show me one of those instances and I'll tell you my statistics on Will."

"Have you already reached the fifth or sixth stage step, have you?" she asked as we walked down the staircase. Not yet, I thought, and my points in Will were probably still lower than hers. A pure craftsman would only need to spare a little for Influence and Weight, whereas for a shaper all three were necessary. Thankfully, I could still maintain an advantage even after distributing my Will into all three aspects, thanks to all the honours I had earned.

"Can you guys hurry up already?" We had just stepped onto the stairs when a familiar voice chimed from behind. I turned to find a surprised Melina standing with a couple of others. Her eyes went from startlement to amusement as she considered me, her eyebrows quirking up.

"Oh, Sir Arilyn, are you following me by any chance?" My eyes had already moved to the woman standing behind her, a shaper, one of the prestigious class at that, when I heard her. I clicked my tongue.

"I don't know, I should be the one saying that."

"You wish."

"Your acquaintance?" the other person, a youth well into his adolescence, asked.

"No, more of a competitor," Melina snorted.

"That makes him your competition as well." The youth's eyes met mine, and we exchanged a nod. He was a shade shorter than I, even while being older, but that mattered less, as he was a shaper. Looking at his fair skin, squared jaw, and the perfect patrician look which had yet to develop fully, I knew exactly who he was. Marnus Nerva. The information I had bought depicted Marnus Nerva as the de facto winner of the duels. Now, meeting him at last, I could glean a hint or two as to why that was the case.

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