And enjoy their stay, they shall!
The travel from that mission, then pulling the half-orc, and then the war, had been excruciating!
However, they decided not to rest because their tiredness was swept away by the curiosity of this place.
First off: Food. "Where's the place where we could get good food the fastest?" Bart asked. They ate noodles and dim sum before (which they still remembered to be a spiritual experience) but after being hungry for so long, how could that be enough?
"That'd be the marketplace," Louie said, "There're stalls there with readily available food. There are also a lot of options so there's less queue.
Louie nodded with a smile. "Let's go, it's better to go before the lunch break crowd arrives."
They didn't know what 'lunch break crowd' was but they hurried up to the nearest Marketplace anyway. They had seen more than a few people eating some interesting things while walking! Their stomachs gurgled just at the thought of them.
Soon, they reached the aforementioned marketplace. It was a large area—almost as big as normal plazas—with various stalls side by side and back to back.
In a few areas near these stalls, there were groups of tables. This way, a group could choose to buy whatever they wanted in whatever stall but still get to eat together. This was an interesting arrangement and it wasn't something they had seen before, even in cities.
After all, the major variety of delicious food was only available for nobles, and they were usually made bespoke to the noble, so how could such a 'commoner market' be created?
Anyway, Bart's group decided on a table and they hurriedly dispersed to get their respective food. Louie got a simple barbeque-and-spiced-rice meal, while the rest chose to try various things.
Someone took shawarma, barbeque, salad, and gouji fruit juice; someone chose rice toppings with sweet and sour Gugi birds and vegetable side dish; someone chose deboned grilled fish with sauteed vegetables. Et cetera.
The food could barely fit in their hands, not including the several rounds of queuing that came after.
When the was over, the men patted their stomachs in satisfaction.
"That was satisfying…"
"Your order was interesting too. Wasn't that fish?"
"Yeah, I just realized it."
Fish wasn't exactly easy to prepare after all. Untrained people would create food that was extremely oily and bony—not delicious at all. But somehow even that, people here could make into a delicacy!
After some rest and desserts, they looked at Louie to ask where their next stop would be.
"Is there anything you want to see?"
"We're a mercenary team," Bart explained. "We hope to find tradeable items."
"Ah, yes, of course!" Louie said with a smile, leading the men to the shops. "We will go to the supermarket first."
Around this time, just as they exited, a mob of people arrived and they quickly filled up the marketplace. It was extremely lively and they were taken aback by the change.
"This is what I mentioned before, the 'lunchtime' crowd. As you may have heard, we implement working hours here. In between those hours there are break times where people can stop working to eat and rest."
Bart and the others nodded. These people really thought of everything.
Anyway, they headed to the nearby supermarket. Because of their previous partnerships with Garan and based on what they've seen so far, they did have expectations going in.
However, even their high expectations weren't enough and they were still shocked at the array of products that greeted them.
The variety of sauces alone was mind blowing, let alone the fact that they seemed to have a supply of salt and sugar—which were not common at all—as well as other novel things they didn't know about.
Louie though happily taught them what they were for and suffice to say they were convinced.
There were also free taste sessions and they bought a lot of whatever they tried.
They followed the locals and got their own carts, placing whatever they could fit in. It so happened that a cart was around one-third of a typical space, so they could estimate better what they could bring out.
Everyone filled a cart or two of the goods, hearts beating in excitement. To be honest, at this point, they weren't planning on selling what they bought at all—they would be keeping each one of them for themselves.
They looked at their loot with pure satisfaction, not really caring if they didn't fit in the space anymore.
Louie had long been used to situations . "We still have a few stores, but we can continue tomorrow after you check in and rest."
"No need to rest, just let us check in so we can put down our items," Bart said, and then he got a few of his cronies to place their items back in the inn.
They were curious about the inn but were afraid they'd fall down asleep if they entered so they resolutely refused to do so.
"Next is the Department Store, the Specialty Store, and the Bookstore," Louie said, and the guests's eyes brightened even more in anticipation.
They had no idea what those places would offer, but they were certain it'd be good!
"Okay, yes, let's go."
As they went there, they encountered Pieto again. The merchant seemed to be heading back to the inn already.
Pieto looked at them up and down, shaking his head.
Goodness. They should feel ashamed! As seasoned mercenaries from a big town, they were acting like children!
They walked past him after a quick greeting though Bart and the others had visibly calmed down, at least on the outside.
Louie laughed as they continued on. "I also guided Mr. Pietro back when they just arrived," he said. "He pretty much slept in all those shops, you know."
Bart and the others chuckled at this, tense shoulders softening once again.
Heh, that bastard, making them feel immature when he reacted even worse!
But still… the longer they stayed, the more they felt that this place had a unique charm.
A unique charm that would bring out another side in all of them.