"...your house?" Aaron asked, wondering if he had heard that right. Well, technically, he mentioned he ’lived’ there in the forest, they assumed it was among the border villages that were on the border of the safe zones, that they were practically the middle ground.
They naturally didn’t assume it was literally smack in the middle of the danger zone!
"Is there a village or a town nearby?" Ren asked. Perhaps... they had ran farther than they thought while they were escaping monsters?
Finn shook his head, looking at them. "No, just my home. No neighbors, just me."
He was purposely being mysterious, of course. Why? Because why not?
"I see..." Aaron and the others nodded, accepting his answers.
At this point, the five were just confused, but they were also extremely tired. They didn’t have enough brain cells to keep thinking anymore.
...
It was just that their foggy brains jolted back into action when they saw there really was a house in the middle of the Forest of Beast .
No, it wasn’t just a house, it was a freaking building!
"S-Seriously?" Aaron gasped. He honestly thought Finn was coo-coo in the head, and they were following and helping him carry stuff to be polite and express their thanks.
"How was this even built?" Zachary asked, eyes sparkling, while Ren nodded, also impressed.
"Wow..." the goblins mumbled, clapping their hands, absolutely amazed.
Finn smiled and grabbed their shoulders, pushing them forward.
"This line here...is a barrier," he said. "You’d see later when we get attacked by monsters but they wouldn’t be able to go in. It’s not free though."
"Amazing..."
[Welcome to the Wanderer’s Refuge!]
[Within these lands, you must follow the following rules:
1. No Harm Rule - Guests may not inflict harm on other guests, staff, or to the inn itself.
2. No Theft and Trespassing Rule - Property of the inn and fellow guests cannot be stolen or moved without permission. This includes vegetation within the protected area. Only assigned accommodations can be stayed in by guests.
3. No Unauthorized Magic Rule - Offensive or disruptive spells shall be suppressed unless explicitly allowed by the Innkeeper.
Note: The Innkeeper and any of the staff reserves the right to kick out anyone who affects the peace of the inn
[If you wish to stay within these lands, you must agree to all rules within a minute or risk becoming blacklisted.
P.S. Blacklist can only be lifted by the Innkeeper or the Inn Spirit.]
[Do you accept these conditions? Yes | No]
[00: 00: 59]
[Entrance Fee is 1 Gold or 1 awakened core. Please pay within five hours, or you will be escorted out.]
Finn wasn’t too greedy. He allowed people to rest for free in his territory, but only for five hours to keep it fair for others as well. Not to mention, they could exchange with one awakened core which, at least in the hearth market exchange rates, was less than half a gold.
That was his limit, though.
Beyond this, he would never give anything for free before he received his part.
After what happened to his parents, it was just an instinctual thing.
It was nothing personal to the customers who could very well be good people, but he simply never did anything before getting paid.
No ’verbal agreements’, downpayment first!
"I see..." They looked at each other, thinking of whether to spend that much. They were not even sure if they’d stay past five hours.
He smiled at them. "You can stay here for free for five hours. I can whip you a nice essence food while you wait or decide whether you’re staying for longer."
Finn asked them to leave the baskets by the door before he entered. The others were about to enter, too, but a small black-and-white critter appeared to block their way.
He stood on his two hind legs and crossed his arms. "No!" he yelled, though only Finn could understand him.
"This... what is this?"
At this, Finn looked back, and his eyebrows rose. He put a hand on his hips as he bent down over the threshold, looking at the panda blocking it. With his other hand, he gently kneaded the panda’s head.
"What are you doin?"
"Only customers who paid the entrance fee can use the inn amenities la," Pang said, looking quite strict. "It’s against the rules!"
"I see..."
"Are you talking to it, Finn? What is it?" Zachary asked, curious. His eyes never left the panda and he was sparkling .
Well, someone had a sweet spot for fluff.
"Ah, he’s... the guardian of my inn, Pang. Don’t underestimate him. He’s very strict and I listen to him."
Aaron and Ren had no idea whether he was being serious, but Zachary and the goblins believed it.
"Oh? What did he say?" they asked.
"Only customers of the Inn can use the amenities," Finn said, a bit embarrassed. But...rules were rules, and he also understood where Pang came from. "Don’t worry, we can set up a dining area outside. Fresh air, y’know?"
It was here that Ren finally spoke. "This is an Inn, right? How much do you charge?"
"I was planning on charging 3 gold per room (we have two available, but you can share). I’ll reduce it to two for you guys, though."
"T-Three Gold?! That’s 30,000 danas!"
Danas? That must be the main currency of this world.
"Is it very expensive?"
Aaron looked at him. "Yeah, just half of my monthly wage!" Then, he wanted to slap his mouth for outing that he wasn’t getting much allowance from his family, but Ren and them didn’t seem to care, so he calmed down.
The raven-haired man spoke. "It’s a quarter of mine."
Aaron glared at him. Didn’t that comment make him look weak and poor, then?! "I was exaggerating, I earn a bit more than that," he said, looking at Finn. "It’s a bit more costly than town inns, though."
They were mercenaries who supposedly were part of the upper-middle class here (and upper class for the most powerful ones). Let alone them, the goblins had never seen so many danas in their lives.
Finn thought for a moment. A quarter of an upper-middle class person’s salary was still costly. However, following the law of supply and demand, Finn still thought this was fair.
"Well, think about it," he said. "How can I maintain such a building in the middle of nowhere? Imagine being lost here with low stats and empty stomachs," he said. The group looked at themselves, feeling exactly that.
"Wouldn’t this place be a lifesaver ? Is 30,000...danas... still expensive?"
Just by that, they were reminded of the horrors not too long ago, and the five immediately got convinced.
They still remembered the terror and hopelessness they felt before finding Finn. They really would’ve died in the danger zone, ripped apart by monsters, or eaten from the inside by the brootrats. In that case, wasn’t a few gold super worth it?
Aaron and Ren also began to think ahead.
Most adventurers or mercenaries didn’t even go out to the danger zone too often, probably only once or twice a month at most. The big earnings were here, but not many actually went so far in because it was dangerous, and the investment in equipment and potions could get too much.
If they could guarantee their lives, 3 gold a day really wasn’t that expensive.
Rather, it would actually be... profitable , wouldn’t it?