System Change

Derek left the City Building and met back up with Jacks, who was waiting for him a small distance away from the commotion.

“You make friends everywhere you go, don’t you?” Jacks asked.

Derek shrugged. “There’s a special place in hell for those who cut in line at the DMV or places like it.” He said.

Jacks frowned. “A DMV?”

“It’s kind of like the City Building where I come from. Except the wait can be even harsher. And the people… well, let’s not talk about the people.” Derek replied before changing the subject. “Why’d you leave in such a hurry?” He asked.

Jacks snorted. “There was no way I was sticking around to be hit by that aura of yours again.” He said. “How did everyone inside deal with it, anyway?”

“I did a pretty good job controlling it this time. Only the three troublemakers got hit with the majority, and only one bystander, who was too close to that female elf, was a victim of a bit of the splash damage. He should have moved away like everyone else. Also, I didn’t release it fully like I did back by Wilmette.” Derek explained.

Jacks nodded. “That’s good.”

“Who was that elf? Do you know?” Derek asked.

Jacks shook his head. “It seemed like most people knew of her, but she must have gotten here sometime since the last time I was here. With the way she looked and acted, in Savannah no less, I wouldn’t put it past her being a foreign noble from a different country.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. Cydaria has its fair share of elves and dwarfs, but humans make up the vast majority of the country. It’s the opposite of some other countries. Currently, we are at peace with Indria and Vallum. Indria is elven lands, and Vallum is dwarven. We are at a standstill against Astrus. We aren’t really at war, but you can’t call it peace.” Jacks explained. “Those are the three kingdoms that border Cydaria to the west. The sea borders us on the east.”

“I see.” Derek didn’t really care about the war status of Cydaria as long as it didn’t get in the way of his plans. It was nice to know some of the structure of the continent, though. When he first arrived, he had wanted to find a library to learn more about the kingdom and continent, but Torith wall ill equipped, and he only learned that there was a Great Library in the capital.

Derek checked the system time. He and Jacks had been out for a few hours already, especially after the wait in the City Building. “Let’s go grab some lunch.”

A few minutes later, Derek was handing his Crown Membership card to a hostess, and he and Jacks were being led up to a dining area.

After being seated in a luxurious private room, the hostess took his card away before and different woman came back with it.

“Mr. Hunt, it is our honor to have you and your guest dining here with us today. My name is Rose and I will be your personal waitress today.” She held his card in her hand. “There is a free meal still available on your membership card. Would you like to use that today?”

Derek smile, he would not be eating here if it wasn’t for the free meal. “Sure.” He said.

“Very well.” She said as another card appeared in her other hand. She placed the card beside Derek’s and injected some mana, before handing his card back to him. “Your free meal has been removed.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” She replied. “Now, today’s tier one meal is a glazed level 175 Sumu, with our freshly harvested herb salad and a loaded tario. Do you have any dietary restrictions or will this meal be adequate?”

Derek, of course, had no clue what anything other than a salad was, but from the way Jacks was trying to keep himself from slobbering all over the table, it seemed to be good. “That is fine with us.” He replied.

“Great! Now, what can I get you to drink?” She asked.

“Coffee… black.” Derek said.

The lady raised her eyebrows. “That has been a most popular choice as of late.” She said. “And you, sir?”

“Same.” Jacks replied.

“I’ll be right back with your beverages.” The lady said.

“Are you sure you want to use your membership with me?” Jacks asked.

“Eh, you’ve been running around the city with me all day, not to mention it’s free. You ever eaten in one of these restaurants?” Derek asked.

Jacks shook his head. “Only the bottom floor, and only once. That was back when I was an adventurer. I saved up and brought Emily… my wife… out for our anniversary. It was the best meal I ever had, and I don’t even remember what we ordered.”

Derek gave Jacks a sad smile. “I’m sorry about her.”

“Thanks.” Jacks said. “It happened a long time ago.” He clenched his fist. “Besides, I finally have a target for my revenge.”

“Mhm…” Derek agreed. “But you need to be careful.”

“I know.”

After that, the two sat silently until the waitress brought their beverages out. “Here you go.” She sat the coffee in front of them. “Your food will be ready momentarily.”

Not long after, she brought their food. That was when Derek realized that they were actually having chicken with a loaded baked potato and a side salad. He inwardly chuckled to himself as he examined the food.

The entire meal was eaten without a word said. They were both too engrossed in the hot food for any idle talk. Finally, Jacks pushed his plate with only bones left on it to the side.

“Delicious.” He said.

Derek agreed. The food was delicious, but he had to admit, the meal he had with Walter back at Torith was actually a little better. Still, both meals gave temporary stat increases.

“Dexterity this time.” Derek said.

“And a nice increase to it as well.” Jacks agreed. “So, where to next?” He asked.

“While I’m here, I need to talk with Stella about some things if she is also here.” Derek said.

Derek raised his hand and soon, the lady that served them the meal appeared. “Is Stella in yet?” He asked.

“Uh… yes, Mistress Brighton returned an hour ago. She is currently in her office. Would you like me to notify her of your arrival?” She asked with a frown.

“Sure. I’ll come with you. She’s probably expecting me.” Derek stood.

“I’ll be outside.” Jacks said. “I can find my way.” He told the waitress before she could offer her assistance.

“Please wait here.” The lady said.

“That’s fine too I guess.” Derek said.

Two minutes later, the woman reappeared. “I’m sorry for the wait. Mistress Brighton will see you now.”

Derek followed Rose to Stella’s office. When he entered, he was surprised to see a near replicant of her old office, only bigger. I guess Stella isn’t one for showing off. He thought.

Stella nodded at Rose, and the waitress closed the door behind Derek.

“What brings you here?” Stella asked before sitting down. “I’ll be back at the hotel later.”

“Well, I figured it would be best to discuss business at your actual place of business.” Derek took a seat in front of her desk.

“I see… What do you need?”

“Well, it’s been awhile and I was hoping to collect on my portion of the coffee sales.” Derek explained.

Stella smiled. “I was wondering when you were going to get to that.” She pulled a big book out of her storage ring. “This is a book of all the sales, profits, losses, and such of the restaurant. All restaurants. When it is updated by a manager, all existing books are updated as well.”

“That’s cool.” Derek said. I’ll have to get a couple of those for our business. He thought. “What happens if it gets stolen?”

“Each book is linked to a specific person. Only Alanah can open or use each one. If someone else tries to tamper with it, it will destroy itself. It also makes it easy to catch anyone trying to steal from the business. Every mark I make will leave my mana signature, so if I input something false and someone finds out, it will be easily traced back to me.” She explained.

Stella began flipping through the pages of the book. Derek could swear that the book was even bigger once she opened. It. Finally, she put her finger on a page.

“Here we go. How long do you wish to pay for the stay at the hotel?” She asked.

“Go ahead and put us down for a week. If I need more, I’ll pay then.”

“Okay.” She injected some mana into the book. “So, with the cost of the hotel, the skill books, and everything else, your current total comes to…” She let her words hang in the air.

“Well?” Derek asked. He was hoping for at least 5,000 gold.

Stella smiled. “Let’s just say that your coffee has exceeded both Alanah’s and my imagination in terms of sales. We’ve also extracted the stimulant part of the coffee, increased its effects, and have begun selling it as well. You obtain the same percent of those sales as well as the coffee itself.”

“And how much is it?” Derek asked again.

“Your first payout is 13,465 gold.” Stella said.

Derek whistled. “That’s not bad.”

“No, no it is not.” She replied. “I suggest you open a bank account. Have you heard about that yet?”

Derek nodded. “I have. The clerk at the City Building told me about it after I put a mountain of gold on his counter.”

Stella chuckled. “So, you already found your land?”

“I did. It’s in the new part of the city, but I don’t need it to be close.”

Stella nodded. “It’s probably for the best. That land is much cheaper and no matter where you are in the city, if your product is good, people will show up.”

“Now, I don’t have that much gold on me, and you don’t have a bank card that I can transfer it to. You can either wait for me to go get the funds, you can go open an account and come back, or we can go together.” She said.

“If you’re not busy.” Derek agreed to go with her.

“Ha. I’m just a floater right now until I go back to the Capital City. I don’t actually have any proper work that I need to do here. We can go right now.” She said.

“Lead the way.”