"Knock, knock."
Jasmine stepped closer to the counter and rhythmically rapped her knuckles down against the wooden surface of the reception desk.
The old man, who had been nodding off in a doze, was startled awake by the sudden knocking sound. He sluggishly opened his pair of eyes, which were heavy with sleep and clouded with age.
Seeing that there was a silhouette of a person standing in front of him, he hurriedly raised a hand to vigorously rub the sleep and rheum from the corners of his eyes, trying hard to blink repeatedly to make himself more awake and alert.
Waiting until he could clearly see Jasmine's style of dress—which was noble and aristocratic despite carrying a bit of the dust of the road—his many years of experience told him that this was a noble personage, a great lord. His attitude changed completely and abruptly; very quickly, he blossomed into a fawning, flattering smile that revealed his stained, yellowed teeth:
"Welcome, young lady. Do you wish to rent a room to stay in?"
"Um, that is correct. How much money does a room in your establishment cost for one night?" Jasmine went straight to the main issue without beating around the bush.
"The communal sleeping room on the first floor is ten Odd Coins a day, while the private single room on the second floor is fifty Odd Coins a day, my Lord." The old man rubbed his two hands together, smiling with his eyes narrowed into slits as he answered, his voice full of inviting eagerness.
This price was completely identical to the price level that the old Butler had introduced beforehand, so Jasmine did not waste time bargaining or haggling with the old man in front of her.
She nodded her head in satisfaction, reached her hand into her coat pocket, and fished out a shiny, gleaming Gold Coin, tossing it to the other party: "Good. Prepare for me two large communal sleeping rooms and one single room, the cleanest one you have. Furthermore, please prepare plenty of dry hay and drinking water for my horses as well."
The old man quickly used his hands to catch the Gold Coin in mid-air, his eyes lighting up brilliantly.
First, he brought it up to his mouth to blow a breath of air onto the Gold Coin, then brought it up close to his ear to test and listen to the resonant ringing sound of the metal, confirming that this was a one hundred percent real gold coin. The smile on his face became even deeper and more intense, his wrinkles bunching together:
"Yes, yes, generous young lady. I will go and prepare things for you right away."
The old man bowed his body, busily taking out a bunch of clinking, clanking keys from the drawer of the counter cabinet. After that, he respectfully led Jasmine to walk up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor first.
The loyal Minotaur walked closely following Jasmine up the stairs; in this strange place filled with potential dangers, he had to always be on duty right by the side of the Lord to protect her.
The others continued to stand and wait in the main hall; they still had the important mission of looking after the precious luggage piled in the carriage outside, lest someone take the opportunity to steal it away.
The space of the wooden staircase was very narrow and steep, only enough to allow one person to pass through. Because there were no windows for ventilation, the air was a bit stifling and stuffy, and the light inside was also very dim and hazy.
Jasmine walked following behind the hunched back of the old man, and while walking, she opened her mouth to inquire: "May I ask, is Knight Isaac currently staying as a guest in your inn?"
"Are you speaking of the famous Lord Knight Isaac of the Black Dragon Castle?" The old man asked back to confirm.
Jasmine nodded her head, but suddenly realizing that the old man walking in front with his back to her could not see her movement, she softly made an "Um" sound to affirm it.
The old man seemed to rummage through his memory, thinking for a moment, before opening his mouth to answer slowly:
"Previously, Lord Isaac was indeed a frequent familiar customer in our shabby inn, but I have not met Lord Isaac again for a very long time. I heard rumors floating around somewhere saying that Lord Isaac seemed to have accepted an important mission and had to set sail far away with a band of mercenaries already."
"Set sail?" Jasmine was surprised, her footsteps pausing for a brief moment.
"Yes, it is true that he went to sea."
"What is he doing going out to sea so far away like that?" Jasmine wondered aloud.
"As for this, I give up; I am not very clear on it." The old man stepped up onto the final step of the stairs, walking along the corridor to stop in front of an oak door on the left side, inserting the key into the lock and opening it with a clicking sound:
"There are people spreading rumors that they went to conduct a secret trade with the Merfolk race under the bottom of the sea, while others say they discovered a treasure map of the Pirate King; who knows what is true and what is false. The people of the Mercenary Guild are very tight-lipped; they will never publicly announce the content of other people's private missions to the outside world."
....
The area of the single room on the second floor was not very large; it was estimated to be only about twenty to thirty square meters.
Inside, the interior furniture was very simple. Except for a wooden bed spread with a white sheet and a small table, there were no other decorative items or furniture.
A place as simple and crude as this was certainly not a place where noble lords, who were used to living in silk and velvet, would be willing to stay.
However, the old man had perhaps met many nobles who had fallen on hard times or eccentric individuals; regarding the fact that Jasmine was dignifiedly a noble yet chose to stay in a shabby place like this, he did not reveal any expression of curiosity or questioning.
After leading Jasmine in to accept the room on the second floor, he immediately bowed in greeting and then turned around to leave and go downstairs, continuing to go and arrange the communal sleeping rooms for her other guards.
The environment of the single room was actually a bit better than Jasmine had imagined. Although the furniture was meager, at least looking at the floor and the bedsheets, they could be considered clean, and there was no unpleasant smell of mold or dampness.
"You go down and tell everyone to quickly move all the important luggage in the carriage up here." Jasmine gave an order to the Minotaur.
The first floor was crowded with people and had a complex composition of characters. Jasmine did not dare to take the risk of leaving important items in the communal room of the guards, as it would be very easy for them to be stolen.
Nobles in this world possessed very great privileges. Even if they were adventurers with powerful strength, they would usually be apprehensive and would not dare to casually make a move against a noble.
Therefore, as long as Jasmine displayed her noble identity, even if she stayed in this small, remote, and simple inn, she was a relatively safe existence protected by the law.
Moreover, Jasmine was not just an ordinary noble with an empty title; on her person, she also bore the title of a legitimate Lord governing an entire territory, regardless of how poor that territory might be.
The Minotaur responded with a sound of "Understood," and then immediately turned around to run downstairs to urge everyone to arrange the moving of the luggage.
This room must have had a short period of time without anyone living in it, as the headboard of the bed was covered with a thin layer of dust.
Jasmine stepped forward and pushed hard to open the wooden window to let in some air.
The majority of the housing architecture in the town of Ankera consisted only of short, one-story buildings, so the second floor of this inn could be considered a high position.
Jasmine stood by the window welcoming the wind; looking out from here, she could cover and see the situation of more than half of the bustling main road down below. The view was not bad at all.
She nodded her head, appearing quite satisfied with the strategic position of this room.