CHAPTER 72: 072 THE BOUNTIFUL HOSTESS

Night had quietly descended.

As the sunset gradually faded into the night, members of the Loki clan scattered across Ourali finally returned to the House of Dusk.

The large amount of fallen items and various precious resources taken by the clan members were gone, replaced by big bags filled with gleaming coins.

Reiger and his group also returned to the clan’s headquarters carrying bags containing tens of millions of farlis and a medicine chest with twenty doses of Spiritual Medicine, truly a haul to behold.

Of course, the clan returned fully loaded, but Reiger had spent quite a bit of money.

He paid the "Battlefield Saintess" for a comprehensive healing using her famous high-level healing magic. This wasn’t cheap—it costs one million farlis, twice as much as the highest-quality Spiritual Medicine.

But the money was naturally well spent.

One million farlis for perpetual use of the Battlefield Saintess’s healing magic was a sum anyone in the world would willingly spend.

Reiger did just that, paying honestly.

He had officially learned Amide’s magic.

In this respect, he could also be considered to have returned fully loaded.

However, for the clan itself, the money earned today hardly made a dent in its deficit.

"Looks like we’ll have to tighten our belts for a while,"

Grace muttered this in front of everyone, clearly indicating the precariousness of the current situation.

In contrast, as the chief god, Loki remained carefree.

"Let’s not worry about this now. If we’re going to stress, let’s do it tomorrow. Today we feast, let’s not overthink, just enjoy and drink to your heart’s content!"

With that declaration, Loki led the clan’s expedition team members out of the headquarters, with envious looks from those who stayed behind.

It was customary for the Loki clan to host a grand banquet upon returning from an expedition.

Through the pretext of honoring the clan, Loki, who was fond of drinking, would organize a lavish feast the day after the team’s return, allowing members to fully enjoy themselves for the day.

According to Loki, just coming back was a reason to celebrate substantially.

Hence, regardless of the results or losses of the expedition, as long as there were no sacrifices or severe casualties, the celebration was a must.

The clan could cut costs anywhere, except for this celebration.

Finn and the others had no objections to this policy.

Clearly, they too agreed on rewarding the hard-working expedition team.

Thus, with dozens of members, the Loki clan’s expedition team followed their chief god to West Street.

West Street, unlike the Northwest Street known as adventurer street, housed many ordinary citizens.

The Guild, which primarily engaged in trading magic stone products around the world, employed many laborers responsible for production in Ourali—far more than those who ventured into the underground city. These laborers generally lived on this West Street, along with their families.

Thanks to this, West Street had a large residential area and many pubs, inns, and restaurants stood side by side. Many adventurers liked to strip off their gear after exploring the underground city and come here to relax.

Members of the Loki clan arrived at this bustling street and found a venue.

It was a stone two-story building.

The setup was similar to an open-air café, with numerous outdoor seats in front of the shop, while a bustling atmosphere inside hinted at its business success.

Outside the shop was a sign with the name—’The Bountiful Mistress’.

"The Bountiful Mistress?"

Upon seeing this name, Reiger, who was casually chatting with Rephia in the crowd, suddenly paused.

However, Loki stepped inside without a moment’s hesitation, striding in arrogantly.

"Mama Mia! We’ve arrived!"

Loki’s loud entrance silenced the noisy inside instantly.

Many people peeked out, and soon the members of the Loki clan were spotted.

"It’s the Loki clan!"

"This many people?"

"So they are here to celebrate?"

Some exclaimed, others whispered, and a few who seemed familiar with such scenes nodded knowingly.

Inside, a woman behind a counter like a bar glanced at Loki and the others, snorted lightly.

"Xi’er, greet the guests."

The robust woman, who looked like a boxer, was unphased by the grandeur of the Loki clan and dismissively called into the shop.

"Coming!"

With a light and cheerful response, a human girl quickly trotted out from inside.

She was wearing a white blouse, a young leaf green vest that reached below her knees, and over that, a longer half-apron. Her hair was a glossy, pale grey, tied into a short ponytail, giving her an appearance of innocence and charm, her skin fair and delicate.

"Ah, isn’t this beaut Xi’er?" Loki immediately approached her playfully, "Long time no see, you’ve gotten even prettier."

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Loki," Xi’er said with a smile as innocent as her appearance, gracefully shifting her body to dodge a stealthy hand reaching towards her. "But please, no harassing the staff."

"Oh come on, what’s the harm?" Loki protested, "It’s not like you lose a piece, and we’re all women here. Better to be taken advantage of by us than some stinky men, right?"

Ignoring Loki’s nonsensical chatter, Xi’er turned to the clan members standing behind him.

"Please come in, Lord Loki has already reserved a spot, but there are quite a few of you—the restaurant can accommodate all of you, but the rest of the group will need to sit at the outdoor tables, is that alright?"

This was a reasonable request.

If they welcomed the entire expedition team into the shop, there would have been no room for other customers.

Considering the customers’ feelings and the impact on business, they couldn’t exactly ask the visiting patrons to sit outside.

"No problem," Finn nodded and said, "Just give us a seat inside the shop, and the rest will stay outside."

"Thank you." Xi’er bowed to everyone, dodged the persistent hand of a lecherous chief god with agile movements, and said, "Those entering the shop, please follow me."

Xi’er turned and walked into the shop, leading the way for everyone.

"You all stay outside."

Finn instructed a part of the team members.

"Alright!"

All the team members nodded without objection.

Because the status of those who could enter the shop was not ordinary in the clan.

Finn, Revilia, Grace, Ais, Theona, Theone, and other first-tier adventurers were all going to enter the shop.

Rephia could also enter the shop, accompanied by Raul, Angel, and other clan members from the second army, and the advancing third tier.

"Reiger, you come in as well."

Finn waved at Reiger, who was standing at the entrance of the shop.

Reiger glanced at the burly female shop owner who was grinning at him from inside, then at Xi’er, the female shop clerk leading the way ahead, and finally stepped inside.

At this time, the shop was already nearly full.

Adventurers of various races seemed to have gathered here, drinking and eating together, with some even playing around, leaving only a particularly large spot in the middle empty, which felt out of place in this lively atmosphere.

The interior was adorned with wooden panels, and the magic stone lamps on the ceiling were not very bright, giving the tavern a steady and romantic ambiance.

Under Xi’er’s guidance, the group entered one after another, attracting the attention of many.

Especially Reiger, who walked with Ais and Rephia, received a lot of attention.

"Is that the one from the rumors?"

"It must be, he’s the unfamiliar face."

"Tsk tsk, he looks so young."

"Only 17 years old, of course he’s young, Sword Princess is even younger."

"Is that the same thing?"

"Right, Sword Princess was only eight when she leveled up to Lv.2, it took her eight years to reach Lv.5, not as fast as him."

"Hmph, he doesn’t look so impressive, I don’t believe he actually went from Lv.1 to Lv.5 in just over three months."

"Believe it or not, the Guild has announced it, would they lie?"

"Anyway, I just don’t believe it."

Comments like these kept coming, perhaps because some were drunk; they weren’t particularly discreet.

About this, Rephia and some others frowned and got a bit angry, Finn and others glanced over there and silenced them.

In contrast, Reiger appeared unconcerned, bathed in many gazes, and sat down with his clansmen.

"Please enjoy!"

Xi’er and two cat-person staff members served everyone food and drinks, and only after that did they step away with smiles.

"Alright!"

Loki stood up.

"Well, everyone, it has been a tough expedition, cheers!"

Loki raised his glass.

"Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.

The atmosphere quickly became very lively.

Following Loki’s lead, the team members first drank their drinks, and only after a while did they start reaching for the knives and forks to dig into the dishes on the table.

As it was a banquet, there were no particular dining etiquette rules, Loki didn’t abide by any, simply expressed his concern, then started eating and drinking heartily, finishing a whole glass of drink in one go.

The others did similarly, either talking, laughing, or savoring the fine wine and dishes, showing their familiarity.

"Mr. Reiger, I offer you a toast,"

Rephia, sitting to the left of Reiger, offered a toast somewhat shyly.

"Sure, let’s drink," Reiger responded with a grin, clinked glasses with Rephia, and then turned to his other side, saying, "Ais, don’t you drink?"

"Mm." Ais sat upright beside Reiger, holding a cup of beverage and sipping from it.

Reiger was about to say something else when he suddenly felt two different kinds of gazes.

These gazes made Reiger pause slightly, and he turned his head to look towards their source.

The next moment, Reiger saw two people.