An Assassin's Adventure: The Great Conjunction

Chapter 6: Cornucopia

A different type of wave greeted Hit as he made his way into the bustling establishment, this time a pleasant one. A cornucopia of lovely aromas soothed his senses and washed away the slimy feeling he got from his most recent stalker. Waitresses, dressed in frilly green and white uniforms, flittered between tables. Groups of people sat eating, playing games, and swapping tales.

*Grrrr...* Hit's stomach grumbled.

The food he could see was not unfamiliar to him; it was nearly identical to the dishes in universe 7. Earth food was renowned as the tastiest in the universe; it had even managed to tame a god of destruction into more of a housecat. Hit's sustenance at the orphanage was not terrible, cosmically speaking; however, since most of the universe's inhabitants consumed insects and raw vegetation, that was not a compliment.

One of the waitresses approached Hit, a friendly smile on her face, and a serving board clutched to her chest. "Hello Sir! Welcome to the Hostess of fertility! Where would you like to sit tonight?" She tilted her head innocently.

"Anywhere is fine". Hit was eager to finally take a load off. He had been traipsing around the countryside and Orario all day. A cold shiver slinked down Hit's spine at the woman's gaze, likely an aftershock of his recent stalker.

"Okay! Leave it to me!" The waitress turned around, silver hair awhirl. "Seating one!"

After presumably notifying her supervisor, the girl led Hit to a seat at the front of the restaurant, near the counter. She moved the serving board to her side, dexterously, and pulled a notepad out of her apron. "I'll be serving you tonight, Sir! Syr Flova, a pleasure to meet you."

The former assassin nodded. He had seen the menu, yet did not recognise any of the dishes. "Get me whatever you recommend, and a strong drink".

"Right! I'll be back with your order shortly". The girl took his order form towards the kitchen, a pep in her step.

Once Hit was alone, he carried out his main goal in coming here: eavesdrop on everyone. Akin to meditation, he sat with his eyes closed and arms crossed for some time.

.

..

...

Despite the cacophony around him, Hit managed to pick out some juicy rumours and gossip. The people around him seemed to call themselves 'adventurers' and bragged about their 'statuses' and 'levels'. One feline woman seemed adamant she was close to 'level 2' and achieving the rank of 'high class adventurer'.

Another group competed over who earned the most valis for the day, a Chienthrope coming out on top since he found a 'goblin drop item'. His comrades whinged, and argued that that did not count, as he turned in less 'magic stones' at the guild building.

Off on a faraway table, a young boy whinged that he was still too young to start adventuring. His supposed parents, who seemed rather irresponsible for bringing the youngster into a tavern, promised he could register at the guild on his sixteenth birthday.

Humorously, hit had already begun to cultivate his mythical status here.

"Did you hear? They caught that serial killer..."

"Yeah, apparently, he was raving about a red eyed demon. What a lunatic!"

Hit nodded. In summary, adventurers delved into the dungeon each day to kill creatures who produced stones. These could be exchanged for monetary compensation at the guild building; however, registration was required. Adventurers therefore drove the world economy. 'I wonder what they use the stones for. Energy?'