When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [OP Mentor, SoL, LitRPG]

"I don't want to sleep all day!" ~Apple, her thoughts lately

Apple's Little Errands - The Shopping List

Today, Apple decided to volunteer for some restocking. Of course, Shallies didn't mind when she asked about it. The issue, however, was how?

"I can write the ingredients we need," Shallies mused.

Apple quickly agreed, zipping lively as they entered the large refrigerator room. For the teacup fairy, it felt like entering a portal to a winter world. The flowers on her dress shivered quicker than she could, but she applied mana to it to provide them with some warmth. She perched on her Soul Confidant's shoulder to get cozy.

They started with the fruits and vegetables. Apple observed Shallies open each container with mana-control, count the contents, and then write something on her System Console. Next, they entered the freezer room and took account of all the meat. Pork, beef, chicken, fish. They had all the usual ones and had them sorted, but were quickly running out.

Apple looked around the freezer room. Aside from their stored produce, the room was largely empty. There was a prep table in the middle, a metal bar with some hooks at the back side, and some other stuff that was mostly unused.

Maybe for the monster stuff? she pondered, tilting her head.

"In case they come back with a carcass, we can field dress it here," Shallies explained. "Not exactly a Chef's main job, but a Skill's available for us to take. Might be useful for when we're in the field."

Gotcha. Apple nodded.

"Alright, we're done here. Time to check the rest."

After a few more minutes of going around the kitchen to check for things to buy, Shallies finally handed the list to Apple. The teacup fairy checked her System Console and gave a nod. After double checking everything, she waved goodbye.

"Take care," Shallies said. "Have fun, but not too much."

Apple replied by sticking her tongue out.

"Alright, alright, you can search for a music player and some records to play."

The fairy gasped and zipped around in overwhelming joy. Finally! She couldn't resist hugging Shallies' face. She circled her around a few times before leaving through the back door.

Flying through Catelyn Road, Apple saw the three seraphim currently training.

First was Phey'lan, who was meditating. She wasn't using The Perpetual Method, as expected, but the advanced form of meditation wasn't that bad, as far as Apple was concerned. A Great Miracle cost the Archdevout a great burden. And meditation helped lift such a weight.

Next were the remaining seraphim. They were sparring. In their hands were practice swords, weaved with mana energies. Arun'dul would strike, while Valor'el parried or dodged. It looked like there was no particular goal other than letting the young seraph return to form.

As Apple went by, Phey'lan noticed her and beckoned her over.

"Watcha doin'?" she asked. Apple showed her the list.

In hindsight, Apple figured that it was a good test to see if it would aggravate her Great Sacrifice. She couldn't use her voice to say words or her hands to write them down. But since Shallies had made the list for her, it shouldn't cause her any problems.

They had never really tried it before, since there had been no need for Apple to talk to anyone else. They were too focused on being Godkillers.

But when she was able to produce the list and turn it towards the seraph without difficulty, Apple made a sigh of relief. Of course, Phey'lan thought nothing of it and looked at the list instead.

"Oh, shopping! Do you need company?"

Apple shook her head.

"Right. Take care, then. Don't talk to strangers."

This time, Apple gasped. She was used to being treated like a kid, instead of a millennia old queen fairy. But for Phey'lan to deliberately do it meant she was clearly being teased. The seraph deserved a pout and a frown. The teacup fairy placed angry arms on her waist for added effect.

"I was just kidding, Apple," Phey'lan said with no hint of apology in her words. "Stay safe."

The teacup fairy sighed, waved the other two seraphim her acknowledgement, then went on her way.

"Good morning, Master Apple."

"Apple's here, yay!"

"That means we get to play, right?"

Catelyn's conjured trees and the animals residing in them greeted Apple as she passed by. The animals, especially, followed her, asking if she could play with them. Small critters like squirrels and birds. Even a large rabbit showed up.

I'm on an errand today, kids, Apple thought as she shook her head, softly letting down the animals.

"Aww…" they said in unison, craning down their heads.

Feeling a little guilty, Apple made a short magic show for the kids. Of course, conjured nuts were part of the set, letting these small critters have a small taste of mana while enjoying the beautiful display. Magical flowers, sparkles of mana, even smaller conjured animals to play with the real ones. The kids laughed and ran around, playing with their mana counterparts.

Apple kept it short; she was on an errand, after all. After tapping each of the kids' heads, she bid them goodbye. Satisfied somewhat, the kids returned to their homes.

Speeding up a bit, the teacup fairy reached Cinterbrim Town. She waved at the guards as she passed the checkpoint. Them, on the other hand, recognized her and returned a nodding smile.

"Alone today, Miss Apple?" asked Siobhan, who showed up out of nowhere.

Apple spun, but not exactly caught by surprise. She nodded.

"Must be tough not being able to talk, huh?" he mused. "Sorry, that must've sounded offensive."

At that, she merely shrugged. After centuries of being a Godkiller, she was used to it. For him though, he only knew her as someone who was born mute, both physically and magically. It was a rare affliction, but it was a thing that did exist.

To show how much it didn't matter to her, she sat on the Shadow Walker's shoulder then smiled.

"Umm… I'm headed for the bank myself, but if you have somewhere to go, I can walk you over there, if you want?" he asked, blushing slightly.

Apple showed him her shopping list.

"Oh," he said, nodding in understanding. "You're Ben and Marisa's regulars, right? They're nearby, I'll walk you over."

The fairy showed her appreciation with a wider smile.

As promised, it didn't take long. Assuring Siobhan that she could handle the shopping, the banker then nodded and waved as he headed towards the bank.

Ben and Marisa's Shopping Center was a sight, all things in Cinterbrim Town considered. With a new sign over the warehouse, more people were coming and going compared to how Apple last remembered it. Not packed that she would consider the place busy, but there were definitely more than usual. In fact, some of them didn't look like locals.

Adventurers? That was the most logical solution. None of these people wore armor or any magical equipment, but that was a normal thing, since they were only going shopping. A subtle read of the mana surrounding them, however, easily gave away their strength.

Taking a deep breath, Apple entered the shopping center.

Immediately, she saw Marisa by a counter, serving some people. They made eye contact and she immediately waved the fairy over. There were about three groups in the line, but Apple just skipped them. She didn't mind the looks. They were all both confused and amazed. Such was her charm as a fairy.

"You're on your own today, Apple," Marisa started. "Let me guess, errands?"

She moved each of the customer's items from one side to the other while tapping on her System Console. A separate screen was turned towards the customer, to show transparency. She was moving on automatic, barely sparing the items a glance, and was paying more attention to Apple than anything.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

As for the fairy, she nodded enthusiastically while showing Marisa her shopping list.

"Oh, I can get them for you, once I'm done with the line here. Shouldn't take too long."

Apple wanted to do the shopping herself, so she shook her head and pointed to herself.

"Ah, I see. Alright, have fun. If you can't find what you need, just let me know." She turned to the customer. "Thank you for waiting, that'll be 339 bits. You got quite a supply, sir. Going for an adventure?"

Before she left, curiosity got the better of Apple.

"Ah, yes ma'am," replied the adventurer. "Heading north, towards the peaks."

"Alone?" Marisa asked while she packed the supply. Lots of meat, some vegetables, and a lot of condiments packed for the field rather than a home kitchen.

"Oh, no. My friends are already camped outside of town. Just forgot a few things, so I went back. We're headed out now."

"Ah, I see." Marisa presented the items contained in a medium-sized box. "Safe travels, then."

"Thank you."

As the man left, Apple went on to do some shopping, starting with mana-controlling a basket to follow her around. She went through the easy items first, like condiments and other light ingredients. Then she went to the heavier ones. By the time she was going for all the liquid ingredients, she noticed she was being followed.

When she turned, she saw a small girl peeking from the corner of the aisle. Small, in terms of humans, of course. The girl had orange hair like hers, but with black eyes instead of blue.

A curious child. Apple smiled. Of course she would attract some attention. Fairies were probably rare in Cinterbrim Province. Even in the main cities of El'doron Kingdom, she had only met a few. She smiled towards the girl, knowing full well that she would come over.

"Hello…" said the girl, walking closer. She was curious but also shy.

Cute. Hello. Apple waved a hand.

"I'm Yulie."

The fairy tilted her head and looked around, not exactly sure how to introduce herself. Fortunately, she saw an apple not too far from there. She grabbed one with mana-control, pointed to it while looking at Yulie, then pointed to herself.

"Apple? You?" the girl asked.

Apple nodded.

"Oh, your name is Apple?"

She nodded some more.

"Nice to meet you, Apple. Why can't you speak?"

At this, the fairy simply shrugged. Children, most of them, usually let go when they couldn't get a straight answer. As expected, Yulie moved on. But before she could continue, Ben showed up.

"Yulie, you shouldn't be bothering our customers, remember?" he said while placing a hand on her shoulder. He was wearing a cap and clothes indicating that he just arrived. Usually he would be in an apron, already working in the butchery. "You'll have to forgive my niece here, Apple. She's just curious."

Apple didn't really mind.

To show that she wasn't bothered, the teacup fairy pulled a small floral necklace from her Class Inventory. It was magical but had relatively no effect. The flowers were grown straight from her dress.

She only had Shallies as a basis for how long the necklace should be. So for Yulie, who was admittedly a lot shorter than Apple's Soul Confidant, the band was a bit too long. Nonetheless, the fairy presented it as a gift.

The kid's eyes sparkled as she received the necklace of flowers. Without a second thought, she wore the accessory and twirled with happiness.

Ben smiled, appreciating the gesture. "Yulie, what do we say when we receive a gift?"

Stopping her twirl with a joyful hop, Yulie leaned close to Apple. "Thank you, Apple! I love it!"

Apple smiled her approval.

"Anything we can help you with, Apple?" Ben asked.

The teacup fairy went through her list and realized she was about to get the meats they needed for the tavern. She simply showed the butcher her list.

"Oh, great," Ben started. "We can certainly help you with that."

"So the Field Dressing and Butchering Skill is like a General Category Skill?" Shallies asked, staring at the available Skills on her Chef Class.

[It's categorized as Shared Profession Skills,] Stachie replied. [Certain Skills can be learned by multiple Classes, but the ones that only make sense. While not all Chefs would choose to learn field dressing or butchering, it's still within the Class' circle of knowledge. The same could be said for Farmers. Some specialize in handling cattle and other produce, which can include butchering. For this specific Skill, it's even available on some hunting archetype Combat Classes like Ben's Brave Ranger or Marisa's Wood Stalker.]

"So even in Profession Classes, overlapping Skills are also apparent."

[Yep.]

Shallies closed her System Console. "Still, the leveling grind for a Chef's pretty slow, if I don't involve new customers all the time."

[Part of the challenge, I suppose.]

"We should really finalize our menu, then. Danilo should have our signs in a day or two." Shallies stood from her usual spot on the sofa, and went to her kitchen. There on the sink were a number of coffee cups that she had used for Latte practice. The seraphim had to help her drink all she made. At the very least, she got the flavor right. For now, she ignored them there.

[Did he prioritize you over the guards' equipment?]

"Oh, no, I hope not. He just gave me a deadline."

[Well, they're professionals. They'll know how to manage.]

"And we have to start acting like one too," Shallies said. "Tavern-wise, at least."

She sat on a stool and opened her System Console once again. This time, however, she was looking at her list of recipes. It was time to finalize her price and offers.

With Stachie helping her out, the Chef spent the entire afternoon going through her menu. They discussed which ones she could cook quickly and which ones needed some preparation time. Where the pots would be used for which dish and where they should be stationed. After discussing more details, they finally ended up with a starting menu.

"We can build through this as we get used to serving them," Shallies said. "We might not even get that many people in the first place."

[I like it,] Stachie followed. [You should make some physical copies of it, for your customers.]

"Yep. Let's finalize this one first."

[Main Menu - Per Serving]

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice - 5 bits

Charcoal Grilled Ribeye Steak (with choice of sauce) - 10 bits

Crispy Chicken Sandwich - 5 bits

Grilled Cheese Sandwich - 3 bits

Roasted Chicken Quarter with Rice or Potato - 5 bits

Slow-Cook Cottage Pie - 7 bits

Skewered Pork Belly Barbeque Chunks with Garlic Vinegar Sauce and Rice - 7 bits

Tomato Soup - 4 bits

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich Combo - 6 bits

Vinegar-Braised Pork with Rice - 5 bits

[Menu - Drinks]

Avel Grand Reserve - 2 bits (glass) / 7 bits (bottle)

Fruit Juice - 1 bit (glass) / 2 bits (pitcher)

High-Fare Herbal Tea (fruit infusion optional) - 1 bit

Original Cinterbrim Toast Brew - 1 bit

Original Cinterbrim Toast Brew Latte - 2 bits

Original El'doron Dark Brew - 1 bit

[Menu - Others]

Extra Rice - 1 bit

Super Quick Baked Potato - 2 bits

"That should be all good, right?" Shallies asked.

[We really need some desserts,] Stachie replied.

"Yeah…"

Shallies managed to borrow a menu sample from The Swallowing Whale. From there, she matched the price of what she thought would be a good equivalent on her menu. Her 'friendly competition' had quite the options. They had more full-meal sets, they had more liquor, and they even had more on-the-go meals too.

The Chef didn't mind. She was just starting anyway. And true to Grace's word, the Food Buff meals were expensive.

"Twenty bits for a +5 Strength buff?" Shallies pondered. "That's so expensive. Not to mention, the section's way on the corner. It's like they don't want to sell it."

[At least we have our angle.]

"Yeah. But let's not rush into it." Shallies closed her copies of both menus and started making dinner. The seraphim would be back from training. And Apple as well. "We need to understand why they're selling it so expensive. We should also probably check what the cost in the city is."

[One step at a time, then.]

"Yep."

[There's one important thing we're still missing, though.]

"Hmm?"

[We still don't have a tavern name.]

Apple's Little Errands - The Music Player

Apple understood not to store her groceries into her Class Inventory. Though she could, storing such a sheer amount of it would be suspicious. A Class holder's Class Inventory would be proportional to their size, since the main purpose of this perk was to hold the adventurer's equipment.

Sure, it could be developed and grown over time, and that was exactly what Apple and Shallies did. They could even walk inside and find what they wanted, if they wished. But adventurers wouldn't prioritize developing their Class Inventories in such a way, since Containers of different sorts and functions existed to help them out.

So for consistency's sake, at least with regards to their secret, the fairy couldn't take advantage of her extremely large Class Inventory. Not a problem though, since she could simply carry them all with mana-control. That, she could explain easily, thanks to her Grovekeeper Hero Class. Not to mention that it was a Spellcasting Class.

On her way back, Apple noticed the bookstore that Shallies had mentioned way back when. Inside she could see books, both old and new. The selections weren't much compared to other libraries she'd seen, but that wasn't why she looked through the display glass anyway.

In the corner of the display was a small music player. It had the classic appearance of a vinyl record player, with the disc surface and the pin and all that. But the important part was the 'System Console Compatible' label, underneath its 500 bits price tag.

Apple gasped at the price. She could afford it, for sure, but it was still many times more expensive than a normal player.

Should I buy it? It's worth it, right? Maybe I can haggle…

With a sigh, Apple left her groceries neatly organized on the side and entered the shop. Inside, she saw an old man. White hair had framed his head, but had he kept his figure despite his age. He even managed to light a pipe as he silently welcomed her.

The fairy blinked. Guess he's seen his fair share of fairies.

Apple waved, asking for the shopkeeper to come over, while she hovered around the music player. He didn't move.

"Five hundred for that player, miss fairy," he said simply, his voice carrying a low vibrato. "It's a vintage, a first edition model, and completely functional. You won't find any of that kind in that same pristine condition anywhere else. If you're looking to haggle, you've come to the wrong place."

Apple narrowed her eyes. Didn't even entertain the idea… Rude. She went to the counter and pulled five circular crystal bits which accounted for 100 bits each.

When she placed it on the counter, the rude shopkeeper gave her a glance. He took the bits, retrieved the music player from the display, and started packing it.

"I've seen you a few times with that short lady," he began. "Did you two recently move into town?"

Apple nodded, keeping an eye on the box that contained the music player. She wanted to browse some records, but she decided to do it some other time.

"Not much of a talker, huh?"

This time, Apple shrugged. She pointed to her mouth and made a wide X-shaped gesture with her arms.

"I see." The shopkeeper placed the box on the counter. It was opened, showing the player inside. "I heard Catelyn's house was turning into a tavern. That you?"

Apple nodded again. This time both to answer the man and confirm the package.

The man sighed. He reached under his counter and pulled a vinyl record. He placed it inside the box, on top of the player. Apple tilted her head in response.

"It's Catelyn's favorite album. From a fairy, like you. An artist who called herself Lyra."

Apple gasped. That was her artist name, back when she could sing. She stopped herself from tearing up.

"You can keep it, free of charge," said the man. "Catelyn asked me to give it to anyone who bought this player. When I get the chance, I'll go visit your tavern."

Her impression of the man quickly changed. She nodded cheerfully as she took the package. After making sure she got all of her groceries under mana-control, she turned back and waved goodbye with a smile.

"Yes. Take care, miss fairy."

Apple pulled an apple from her groceries, pointed towards it, then towards herself. The man smiled, if only slightly.

"I'm Olivard. Take care, Apple."

The teacup fairy went back home with a huge smile on her face.