Jasmine's unexpectedly large order made the shop owner rejoice, but it also left him feeling somewhat flustered; he needed to immediately make a fresh batch just to have enough to deliver.
Jasmine did not make things difficult for him; she decisively paid the money upfront and instructed the shop owner to bring the goods straight to the small inn at the entrance of the alley ahead for her once they were finished.
Before leaving, Jasmine bought the remaining two loaves of black bread—the kind not mixed with sawdust—that were left in the glass display case. She broke them apart and shared them with the Minotaurs, who were faint with hunger, allowing them to devour the food right there on the spot to fill their empty stomachs.
After that, she led them out of the bakery, walking back towards the noisy tavern situated on the main street.
The tavern was the place with the most mixed composition of people, where all sorts of characters came and went; she needed to scout for some important news within those walls.
The tavern was located in a prime spot in the middle of the main street, making it very easy to find.
Unfortunately, since it was currently noon, the number of people remaining to drink in the tavern was not large, and there were quite a few empty tables and chairs.
After pushing the door open and stepping inside, Jasmine led the three Minotaurs to scan the room, finding a secluded corner that was not very eye-catching, and then they sat down.
The server was a young girl, very young in age; although there were a few scattered freckles on her face, her smile was very bright, and she looked as though she was very popular with the customers.
When Jasmine entered the door, she just happened to see the girl gathering and joking happily with several male customers. Looking at their wind-swept, weathered attire and the weapons they carried, those customers certainly belonged to a group of freelance adventurers. One burly man among them even wore a set of old iron armor that clearly belonged to a wandering Knight.
That agile girl was named Evelina, and she was the biological daughter of the tavern owner.
Since she was very small, she had been rolling around helping her father in the tavern, so she was very articulate and knew how to speak pleasingly. She knew how to satisfy customers, and notably, her memory was excellent.
In this entire town of Ankera, there was almost no one whose face and name she did not know; after all, no matter who it was, as long as they had some small change in their pocket, they would stop by this tavern to drink a glass and relieve their sorrows.
Therefore, the moment Jasmine and her group entered the door, Evelina immediately determined that these people were newcomers to the town of Ankera.
The atmosphere in the tavern was noisy and bustling; the smell of strong liquor mixed with the scent of sweat and the characteristic odor of rotting wood assaulted the nose, but the demeanor of this group of people was completely different.
Jasmine's style of dress looked like that of a noble; although the long dress was not overly elaborate, the stitching was exquisite and clean, completely free of any dust from a long journey.
As for the Minotaurs walking behind her, although they did not wear the shining armor of a Knight, the material of their clothes was not bad either. The fabric was thick and durable; at the very least, no one would guess that they were lowly slaves.
Evelina's eyes lit up; she quickly adjusted the bangs on her forehead to be neat, swayed her slender waist, and with light footsteps, she glided past the wooden tables full of knife marks to welcome them.
"Does the guest want to drink a little something?" Evelina's beautiful emerald green eyes stopped on Jasmine, assessing her for a moment before asking with a radiant smile.
She could smell a faint fragrance on this customer, very pleasant; she guessed that this great personage would not be too stingy.
"What food and drink do you have here?" Jasmine cast her eyes around; in a tavern like this, there was no menu hanging on the wall or placed on the table.
After all, parchment was not cheap, and no one would extravagantly use parchment to make menus for drunk customers; the server could only recite the names of the dishes one by one from memory.
Evelina proficiently recited the menu once, her voice ringing out clearly, listing everything from various types of meat roasted until the edges were charred to those stewed soups cooked until soft.
Jasmine nodded, calculating quickly in her head, and then said: "Then give me three glasses of the best barley beer, one large portion of vegetable soup, three loaves of black bread, one bowl of barley rice, four grilled fish, and one portion of Apples without grilling."
The town of Ankera was not far from the sea, so fish here was quite cheap. Additionally, sea fish had few bones and the meat was soft, making it considered one of the most popular meat dishes locally.
After all, sea fish was much easier to find than wild game meat, and hunters could not always hunt large beasts. It was just that if the chef did not handle it well, there would be a strong, pungent fishy smell that was hard to smell.
"Apples, no need to roast?" The tavern's most famous dish was Honey Roasted Apples, where the scorched skin was fragrant and blended with sweetness.
This was the first time Evelina had heard someone order Apples directly without grilling.
Apples not roasted until cooked were both hard and sour; could they be eaten? She blinked her eyes in doubt, looking at Jasmine.
"Mhm, no need to roast, just bring the fresh fruit up." Jasmine replied affirmatively, her eyes showing a few degrees of anticipation.
She had not eaten Apples for a very long time; that crisp, sweet and sour taste in her memory kept haunting her, and she was about to forget what Apples actually tasted like.
Hearing that this item was on the menu just now, she couldn't help but order a portion to relieve her craving.
The dishes that Jasmine ordered were quickly brought up on large wooden trays.
The style of the dishes was not varied, and the presentation was rudimentary, but the portions were very full, piping hot and steaming, enough for them to fill their stomachs that were rumbling with hunger.
People here did not drink plain water directly for fear of disease.
The barley beer was ordered for the three people in Angus's group of Minotaurs.
In the tavern, there was also high-end beer and rippling red wine, but these latter two types were not alcohol produced in the town of Ankera. They needed merchant caravans to transport them from distant places outside. Having gone through a long journey, the price was a bit more expensive than the local barley beer.
The Minotaurs had never drunk barley beer; being slaves born in the stables, they did not have the qualifications to drink beer or wine. Clean water was already rare, let alone alcoholic beverages.
Therefore, when he saw Jasmine push a glass of barley beer with white foam bubbling up in front of him, the Minotaur was a bit apprehensive. His large hands were clumsy, not knowing where to place them, and he lowered his voice to confirm with Jasmine: "Milady, this precious water... can I really drink it?"
"Since it has been given to you, then it is yours. Don't worry, drink it; consider it a reward for the hard work these past few days." Jasmine reassured him gently, her eyes looking at them with encouragement.