[Active Mission "Gather 10 Essence Cores" completed!]
[Received +1000 Hearth Points]
Well, good, but—
"Did you just eat everything?"
"It’s not like you can use them any time soon la," he said, completely remorseless. "At least you won’t have to worry about overusing utilities for a year!"
The energy in awakened cores could power the inn for about a week. A toughened core could power it for a month at maximum use and 2 months on average.
Finn thought for a while and calmed down. While he wasn’t planning on allowing the panda to just do whatever the heck it wanted, it was indeed better than worrying about it every week or so. Further, it wasn’t like he had any other use for it anyway.
What he could use was the gold and the hearth points he had just received.
[Status]
Name: Finnick Altheus Solthar
Race: Human
Class: Innkeeper, Chef
Level: Dormant
Awakening Type: N/A
Affinity: Unknown
...
VITALS
HP: 68/100
Mana: 100/100
Stamina: 46/100
Wallet: 251 Gold
Hearth Points: 1500 Points
...
Skills:
Active: [Ingredient Scan] [Dish Analysis]
Passive: [Blade Proficiency - Growth Type (Lv 1)] [Monster Instinct]
[Strong Stomach] [Improved Palate] [Fire Resistance]
Condition: Peckish, -0.5 Stamina per 1 hour; Thirsty, -1 Stamina per 1 hour]
Finn nodded, for the first time in more than a day, there was finally an increase in money!
...
While Finn was staring into blank space as he looked over his stats, the elf lady went to look around. She also saw how much of a mess she made. The blood was all over the sofa as well as the floor. Her face flushed, embarrassed, and she immediately manipulated water to wash things off.
Finn was taken back to the present by the magic floating water and he flinched. "Ah, don’t worry about that! We’ll handle it!" he said. "We’re an inn, after all, and this little thing is our responsibility."
"I see now this is an inn, though I must admit I haven’t seen anything like it," she said. Her tone was slightly monotonous, but her words were frank. "I feel a healing energy around me, and the barrier from before is also very strong."
Pang blinked. "This great spirit wonders if the Hearth technology is typical here or is the elf just knowledgeable?"
Finn looked at Sylwen before looking back at the Panda. He kneeded its head. Very pudgy. "She’s impressed," he said. He could tell, and this meant that the technology was atypical.
"You can recover faster within the rooms," he said. "Sadly, you’d have to register and pay for the room before you could enter."
He hadn’t forgotten about the mission to open the [Hearth Market]. He needed a paying customer to complete it.
"How much do I charge?" he whispered, and the Panda flinched.
"Up to you."
In reality, Pang wasn’t sure either.
So... they were both clueless again.
Finn couldn’t show that, of course, so he flashed a confident smile of someone who knew what he was doing.
"Ah, yes," he said. "This humble inn is mine, but we just opened so I’m still studying the market. Can you tell me how much you think is acceptable?
"And note that being in the inn and the rooms have a stackable increase in regeneration," he said. "And delicious breakfast is included!"
She blinked, not expecting the Innkeeper to ask her for pricing. She saw that he was serious, however, so she did seriously think about it.
"The barrier is rare, especially one so big and sturdy," she said. "At least outside of our Elf capital, I haven’t seen one that worked so uniquely."
She stood up and looked around, observing each amenity with those ruby-like eyes of hers. He saw her pause a bit when passing the thresholds—one of the rooms, the next of the inn—and Finn knew she could probably tell the difference in aura even when she couldn’t get inside yet.
He wondered if everyone from this place could tell the differences. That way, it would be easier for him to show people the effects, right? After all, to some, the regeneration might be better but not too obvious, especially at first, so some people might be cynical of the effects he claimed.
He would definitely not charge low—he really needed money—and it would be a hassle to have to rationalize himself every time.
"Considering the regeneration improvements, there should also be an additional charge. You mentioned that it is stackable with potions and the like, and that alone is equivalent to a few gold depending on the person and the potions’ levels."
Finn nodded. "I’m planning on charging a bit more than what was charged in towns," he said. According to the law of supply and demand, he could definitely sell high!
"You are days away from the nearest border town, perhaps thrice or more will not be a problem," she said. Syl wasn’t entirely sure as she herself never really struggled financially. However, staying in a place like this, she could easily pay several times the usual costs.
"It is not too near from the Easter dungeon, but also at a sufficient distance where beasts are prevalent enough. This makes the place an ideal rest area for people traveling to the Eastern dungeons or nearby there."
He was surprised she was bothering to explain her logic so much. He had the impression she’d just say a number and not explain, even if there was a rationale.
His lips twitched again. Hey, he felt a bit flattered.
And he should.
Syl was really like that. She was just really embarrassed about the earlier misunderstanding that she wanted to make it up to him.
"I am willing to pay 5 gold for this room."
"Okay, then I’ll charge two for you," he said. He had a feeling 5 gold was beyond most people’s means, even the richer ones might feel reluctant to spend it on a day at a random inn.
"But..."
"You’ve already given enough," he said, looking at the gold he received. Clearing his throat, he assumed a professional stance and guided her to the Front Desk.
"Well, follow me, dear customer," he said, entering the wood-marble counter.
He couldn’t help but grin sheepishly. It’s official! He finally got his first customer!