章節 3: Unexpected Kindness
"Here you go," a sweet voice interrupted my train of thought. I looked up and saw the beautiful face of my angel again. I looked down and saw a steaming mug of milk placed in front of my seat at the table. Amelica lingered nearby wordlessly.
I took a sip of my drink but it was too hot for me. I had to set it on the table and wait for my drink to cool. I heard someone clear her throat. When I looked up, I saw the barmaid still standing there. I realized that she was waiting for her payment. However, I now had a dilemma. I wanted to pay her but I had no clue what my coins were worth. How could I resolve this situation without embarrassing myself further?
A light bulb flashed inside my brain. I quickly dug out all my coins from the hidden pouch. I looked at the waitress apologetically. "My brain still isn't working right. Can you tell me what I have? Also, please go ahead and take what I owe for the milk." I requested politely.
I cupped my hands together, palm facing up, and showed her the coins in my possession. I looked down and saw that I held six gold, five silver, ten platinum, and eighteen copper pieces. Honestly, I was surprised to see so many coins in my hands. Fortunately, the coins were the size of American dimes and nickels, rather than quarters or even dollar coins. The coins had fit into my waist pouch and were hidden by the sheath attached to my belt.
I certainly realized that I was taking a big risk in asking Amelica for help. After all, I was relying on her personal honesty in this situation. She could easily pretend that a valuable coin was worth much less and simply take it. But if you ever worked in a location that was a tourist attraction and the foreigner wasn't familiar with the local currency, you know that foreigners often ask the locals for help in this manner. Heck, I did the same thing when I visited Japan one time during college; I went to a souvenir shop, took out a few bills, and asked the shopkeeper to take the appropriate amount for my purchase. For whatever reason, I had faith in this lovely angel and I believed that Amelica was a very honest person. She was not going to take more than necessary for my drink.
A look of surprise flashed across Amelica's face as she stared at all the platinum coins in my hands. My ten platinum coins were more than enough to buy a shop, even The Noble Lady! It was far more wealth than she could expect to earn in her lifetime. She felt faint momentarily at the wealth in my possession. "Milord," she curtsied quickly because I was obviously nobility. After all, commoners like her wouldn't carry even one single platinum piece. With a trembling hand, she took five copper pieces.
Before her hand was withdrawn, I asked again. "Can you tell me what I have?"
Amelica looked at me with a perplexed expression, wondering if I was jesting with her. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to walk back into the kitchen rather than become the target of a nobleman's cruel joke. But the serious expression on my face and the sincerity in my tone of voice gave her pause. She looked around the room and saw that every patron was now watching us out of curiosity. Sighing in defeat, she sat down on the bench next to me and leaned her well-endowed chest against my arm.
I had to call up every ounce of my willpower to stay still at the unexpected contact with womanly flesh.
In a very low voice, Amelica gave a quick lesson. "Sir, this is the lowest value coin. It's a copper piece," she explained while touching one with her forefinger. "One hundred of those will equal one silver coin," she said while touching the silver piece. "Another one hundred of those will equal one gold coin," she continued. She looked around the room and saw that some patrons were still looking at them. Amelica leaned into my right ear and whispered. "The remaining coin is a platinum piece. It is equal to one thousand gold coins."
I jerked in surprise at the value of the platinum piece. I quickly understood why the waitress reacted in shock at the sight of the blue tone colored coins. Traditional RPGs valued everything in gold because it was the currency used by farmers, tradesmen, and merchants; gold was the common currency for normal commerce. Platinum coins, on the other hand, were the province of nobility. In other words, Amelica thought I was a nobleman who stumbled into the wrong part of town! Even worse, I was apparently flaunting my wealth like Floyd Mayweather and his $100 million check from his fight with Manny Pacquiao.
I gave Amelica my warmest smile to put her at ease. Well, my newfound wealth had just solved the problem of food and shelter. "I would like to rent a room upstairs. I don't know how long I will be staying, though," I said with a shrug.
"Milord, our rooms are poorly furnished, terribly tiny, and utterly unfit for you. With your permission, I shall ask an errand boy to guide you to a more suitable establishment," Amelica replied. The only tavern suitable for the nobility was The Faithful Servant; it was located right across from the Church. While the cost to rent their rooms were exorbitant, I could easily afford it.
I tried to remember how the nobility usually treats the common folk. The nobility enjoyed greater privileges as well as discretion, and transgressions against commoners were often ignored by the law or settled with the coin. As a result, while the commoners were understandably skittish around nobility, they were also quick to obey commands from noblemen.
I quickly decided to take advantage of her misunderstanding. I took my left hand and gently cupped her chin. I drew my face closer to hers until I was close enough to kiss her—if I chose to. I felt initial resistance from the waitress when I held her face, but she quickly acquiesced to my apparent desire. Asserting myself more forcefully in the role of a nobleman, I stared deep into her captive eyes and saw both fear—and desire. "I want to rent a room here at The Noble Lady. I will pay for a week's rent up front. Please take the payment now," I ordered and then released her.
Inwardly, I was shaking with fear because I was pretending to be something that I wasn't. From the angry looks of the patrons in this room, it was clear that they were prepared to murder me, cut my body into pieces and feed them to the pigs if I treated Amelica poorly. Thus, I was walking a fine line between an arrogant nobleman and a corpse.
"A week's lodging in a single bed guest room will be twenty-one silver pieces," Amelica replied in a more professional tone of voice. "If you want three meals per day, each day will cost the discounted rate of half a silver piece excluding drinks which cost extra. So your total for a week of lodging will be twenty-four and a half silver pieces excluding drinks." After a moment of thought, she continued. "Unfortunately, our rooms offer only the basic amenities of a bed, storage chest, nightstand, and chair. And you will probably be dissatisfied with your room."
I placed a gold coin in her hand and quickly put the rest of the coins back in my money pouch. "Please keep the change as a tip," I said. Then I leaned my mouth next to her ear. "I will see you in my room tonight."
Amelica blushed at my bold request. She stood up from the bench, curtsied, and escaped into the kitchen.
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