Chapter 300: The Play I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I've also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won't be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I've reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it's young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.}

Sally and I are slowly moving around the room and trying to get out of the sleepy state. We're both in our underwear, and the fire from the fireplace is out. Mixing that with the sun warming everything up is pretty hot hence why it's no longer on. "What should we eat for breakfast today..." The groggy and lack of energy is evident in her voice. I did tell her whenever we get a chance to eat at a player-owned restaurant. We would. I saw some pretty good places on the way in, and I know I can go for some food that you'd only get from Earth.

I fold my arms while sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. "You want to go and eat at one of the player-owned restaurants." I like that I can use the term player with Sally now. It's going to make things easier to explain and talk about. She darts her head up, and the excited expression on her face tells me all I need to know. "Get dressed, and we'll head out." All I have to do is equip my armor and hood. On the other hand, she actually has to get dressed. So it takes her a bit to get ready. I don't have a problem with waiting. 

It allows me to relax. She puts on her armor, but I can't help a blush from spreading. Watching the clothes and armor slide against her silky skin and tightly hug it makes my thoughts wander. I shake my head and look away, so I don't get lost in dreamland. Now isn't the time for that. "I can't wait to have more of that amazing food!" I'm not going to ruin her mood by telling her that it might not be as good as the last place we were at. Every place is different and unique. There's a good chance that this place isn't going to be as good.

She finishes getting dressed, and she slowly walks over to me. I stand up to meet her, and she stops. She reaches out her hand and wiggles her fingers. I bring my hand to hers, and we lock hands. "This is going to be a great day! Not having any responsibilities is really the way to live!" I chuckle as she pulls me towards the door, and we exit our room. We leave the inn, and it's a little past 9, I believe, so everything should be opening right around now. Sally lets me take the lead, and she walks beside me as we're hand in hand. I can see some up ahead. 

While Cera and Sally start off their morning with some good food, Hailey and Jasmine are also starting their day. Right now, they're getting the final things they need for their long trip to their destination. Which is the same place that Cera and Sally are in. They're going to be helping Cera and Sally in their mission to get revenge on the royal family and the Orvello family. The trip itself will take five days by foot, but they're going to be taking a small shortcut via teleportation. They're going to teleport to the closest city that has a teleporter near their destination. 

I have all the money we need to use the teleport, and I've got the name of the city closest to the city at the southern border of the Elven Kingdom. The plan is to teleport to the closest city and then walk the rest of the way. It sucks cause our actual destination doesn't have a teleporter. It makes this trip so much faster. "Should we pack for the cold weather in the north? I heard it gets really cold near the Elven Kingdom." It shouldn't be too bad, and if it is that cold, we'll buy some weather-appropriate clothes at the place we get teleported to. 

I give her my answer, and that ends the current topic. We're on our way to the teleporter since we have nothing else to grab. We've already eaten today, and we have a long trip ahead of us after we're done with the teleporter. It'll cut the time by three whole days. "Once we're done with the teleporter, we'll have about a 2-day journey. If we run, it'll be a day at the most." Jasmine groans at the thought of running, which means we'll be walking most of the time. "It's not that bad. Just give it some thought." I receive no reaction other than an annoyed look.

Naturally, a person doesn't want to run. It's an uncomfortable state. It's the fastest way, and who knows if Cera and Sally will be annoyed with us or not. "If there's no other option, I guess we can run... I want to take frequent breaks, though... I already smell bad due to not having a bath in the last week. I don't want to make it worse..." Being stinky is common here, and while it sucks. It's not as self demoralizing since the majority of people smell bad. We're quickly approaching the teleporter, and I get the gold ready for the price.

It's become even more expensive for players to use the teleporters, and it really does suck. It's not something I should complain about. I have more than enough money. I hand the money to the warden of the teleporter, and I input our destination. Jasmine is the first to go, and I follow soon after. I land on a platform, and Jasmine is right in front of me. It's much colder, and there is snow falling where we're at. "Let's get those winter supplies. It's pretty chilly this far north." Jasmine nods her head as she shivers. The next stop is a store with what we need.

While Hailey and Jasmine prepare for the cold trip to the north, where the city at the southern border to the Elven kingdom is, Cera and Sally are currently chowing down on some of the best food they've ever eaten. There's a much larger selection at the restaurant they're at than the last one they were at. Sally is making sure she's eating everything she can, and Cera is following her example. It's not that expensive either since players are the ones working and running this restaurant. It's the best thing going for players right now.

I watch Sally shovel food into her mouth, and the way she does it makes her cute. The last time we had a good meal like this was back at the last player-owned restaurant we went to. "This is... So damn... Good..." I hear her talk through gulps of her drink and mouthfuls of food. I'm not going to bother talking due to a large amount of food in my mouth. I focus back on my food, and many would consider this a heart attack on a plate. Steak, tater tots, eggs, and cupcakes. Something you'd not eat on a daily basis.

This is something we deserve. After all the shit we've been through to get to this point, a delicious meal only seems like the right thing to have. I'm only saying this at the moment, thanks to the increase in serotonin and dopamine from the satisfaction of eating good food while in a state of hunger. "Can we get another order!" I yell towards the front desk, and they start making more food for us. I know I'm still hungry, and I can see that Sally is ready to devour more food. We finish the food on our current plates and have some downtime before the next order arrives. 

I place my hand under my chin and look at Sally. I'd say I'm about half full. "I don't know how players make such good food... I'm so jealous you got to have this anytime you wanted... I'd be obese if I had that choice..." Her words are honest, and I agree with them. If the human race is known for anything, it's how to make delicious food that isn't healthy for you. "How much is this costing you?" I use my index finger and thumb and show her that it's tiny with the action. It's so much cheaper here.

Soon, more food is on our table and we begin to dig in, even more, the food is absolutely amazing. "Take your time guess... The food isn't going anywhere..." Our waiter decides to whisper under his breath as he walks away. That's something that I'd consider funny under the circumstances. Once, my father made a joke when I was eating a steak. It was so rare and blood, by the time I was done. He said I'd be more satisfied biting into a cow. That was a good laugh. I modified the wording of the joke, in the moment, it was much more clever.