Chapter 42 Whiterun (1/2)

The merchant squad was to leave town for Whiterun early in the morning, so Soran had already packed everything up and even prepared breakfast by the time Vivian woke up.

”Big brother,” Vivian said and tugged her sleeves as she felt nervous, ”I'm sorry. I won't drink again.”

_This little brat, drinking alcohol when I wasn't looking,_ Soran thought. He was about to scold Vivian harshly but then decided not to after seeing her cute, pleading face.

”One last chance. If I ever see you do this again, I'll slap your butt with a wooden plank,” he said in a stern voice.

The young girl let out a sigh of relief and even stuck her tongue out when Soran was not looking. She then followed Soran down the stairs to the lobby.

Vivian had only taken a few sips of ale out of curiosity simply because she could not understand why people liked drinking alcohol so much, but she did not expect to get drunk so easily. She felt lucky that her brother did not give her a scolding.

Her butt was still slightly painful even after sleeping all night; Soran must have been extremely mad to hit Vivian so hard. She made a mental note to herself that she must never drink alcohol again.

Soran did not like drinking; or rather, he never drank any alcohol. Alcohol was a rogue’s greatest enemy, as the substance would lower their senses, willpower, agility, and awareness. While some warriors had increased battle prowess after getting slightly drunk, things were not the same for rogues—their profession advantages would be gone instead. Soran had once seen a Level 19 rogue who, though so close to reaching the Realm of Legends, got chopped up into pieces by mere Level 6 newbies because the rogue was dead drunk.

For those who had professions which were heavily reliant on skill instead of raw power, it was essential to keep a clear mind at all times. Alcohol in this world was rather strong; the wizards had created a process similar to that of alcohol distillation, and the purifying techniques used by alchemists were then used to make alcoholic beverages. By combining the two, the liquor obtained was so strong that even Legendary Warriors might get drunk with just a shot or two. Due to this, Soran would instead smoke tobacco made byhalflings to relieve his stress, and he always had a tobacco pipe with him.

Soran went to the kitchen and took out the porcelain pot, which had been kept hot the entire night. A sweet fragrance permeated the place immediately, making others turn their attention to him. Soran smiled as he poured the contents out of the pot, keeping a portion for himself and Vivian before giving the rest to the merchant guards. The merchant guards had been preparing their meals the entire journey, and the least Soran could do was let them taste his cooking in return. He also paid the inn to fry two eggs and prepare two bowls of congee; Vivian should eat as much as she could now, because their rough journey would soon resume.

The mysterious mistress appeared out of nowhere and sat down opposite of Soran. Without asking for permission, she began tasting the food he made. She looked so casual that Soran was dumbstruck for a second and could not voice his objection.

”Won't you take off the veil when eating?” Soran asked casually while eating. ”Isn't it rather inconvenient to eat like that?”

The mistress gracefully picked up the spoon, scooped up some stew, and blew to cool it down. The veil fluttered, showing her slightly pointy chin.

”It's quite good. I did not expect you to have talent in cooking,” she replied calmly.

She only ate a little though. Her gaze landed on Vivian, who was busy gulping down breakfast like a hungry beast. Vivian had lived a poor life from birth, thus she was not picky about food. As long as it tasted above average, it was already a godsend to her.

For some reason, the mysterious mistress spoke a lot more than before. Soran did not expect her to strike up a conversation during breakfast, which made him suspect her. There had to be ulterior motives behind her sudden change in behavior.

Soran quickly finished his portion, then looked at the mistress and said, ”We shouldn't waste food.”

He casually reached for her bowl and poured the unfinished food into his own and began eating. This was an extremely arrogant and disrespectful act, especially so when the other party was a lady of high standing.

The mistress' gaze showed indignity and vexation. She took a deep breath, making her bountiful bust wobble ever so slightly, then regained her composure and continued sitting there as if nothing had happened.

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Something was wrong.

Even so, Soran continued eating as if nothing had happened, pretending to be a frugal and stingy person. He also intentionally peeked at her chest in order to disguise himself as a low person.

From Soran's point of view, the mistress was definitely acting strangely, thus he was on guard against her. She, as a witch, had a slightly haughty attitude. She was not especially cold toward the siblings during the trip, but she was not especially friendly to them either. The mistress was obviously enraged and offended by Soran's behavior, but she endured it and continued acting normally for some reason. Witches and wizards were all rational people; there had to be a reason for her actions. Soran could tell that the mistress was not interested in him, so she had to be aiming for Vivian.