"A preliminary contest?" Fang Hong also asked loudly, but this penniless guy's focus clearly wasn't on the contest, "Is there a prize too?"

Tianlan couldn't help but snicker, "Of course there is. The preliminary contest is divided into three matches, and the final winner will receive fifty thousand Lycel. Moreover, the final winner might also be selected by the finalists as a challenger, and if lucky, could even make it to the grand final."

"Of course," she shook her head, a look of someone privy to the inner workings, "But think of it as just an opportunity. The seeded players who get into the finals are the future stars cultivated by the Grand Guild. The so-called challenge contest is really a form of an exhibition match anyway—"

But Fang Hong had only listened to the first part: "How much is the prize money?"

Tianlan spread her five fingers and shook them at him, "Fifty thousand, Lycel."

"Where should I go to register then?" Fang Hong immediately asked.

The French girl couldn't stand his obsession with money and rolled her eyes, "It hasn't started yet, let's wait for the meal first, I'm nearly starved."

Even Fang Hong found this wise suggestion agreeable.

At that point, Atira pressed a bell on the table, the sound traveling along a thin wire in pipes buried underground to another hall. There, a dwarf with a beard that touched the floor glanced at the dense cluster of bells on the wall, looked down at the long scroll in his hands and shouted:

"Table seventeen, third row."

Behind him was a bustling huge kitchen, and instantly, a bunch of brown-skinned Dwarf Goblins scurried out, clumsily carrying silver platters with lids in a single file.

Dwarf Goblins were ugly creatures but not evil-hearted. Some people thought they had Purgatory lineage due to their brown skin, but actually, it was just their protective color in the Brown Earth Desert of the Osh Empire.

They were an industrious race, originally slaves of the Osh Empire, but after the Battle of Bain, many Dwarf Goblins escaped to Colin Ishurian territory and started enjoying a gratifying life.

At least that was what they believed.

The intelligence of Dwarf Goblins was generally not high, so they often made blunders, like one little guy carrying a soup bowl who collided with his companion in the chaos, created a mess, and almost stained Gita's robe.

The dwarf supervising their work shouted at them, causing the creature to tremble with fear. However, other adventurers in the hall were used to this sight and burst into laughter, and Tianlan too started giggling.

As if the spilled soup wasn't the dish she had ordered—

Only Atira came over and patted the little guy on the shoulder, signaling it not to worry. She kindly told the dwarf not to bother with the soup, as they didn't mind such a trifle.

The dwarf bowed to her.

An adventurer who saw this raised his glass in a salute to Atira, "To your kindness, Lady Elf!"

Atira also raised her glass, "To the mistress of the forest, the sheltering Lady Ameya, may she forever be youthful—" as rumored, Ameya was a lady who loved beauty, and that was one of her favorite blessings.

Then Atira lifted her mug of barley wine and drained it in one gulp, then holding up her empty mug for everyone to see.

The people in the hall couldn't help but applaud loudly, their cheers as vast as waves.

Such a generous lady was a rare sight.

Tianlan couldn't help but join in the applause, clapping until her hands were red.

Sometimes, Fang Hong felt Atira and Miss Sicape were similar, both having a generous nature, though Atira was evidently more gentle, while Miss Sicape really would hit people when she got angry.

People often said that the Forest Elves, who adhered to the teachings of Goddess Ameya, were passionate and friendly, and the Elf Girl was a living example of this.

Today, the Traveler's Rest's main courses included two famous dishes from Tarun, where Smoked Silver Trout was a method discovered by the Sky Sea sailors of the Cloud Sea—because the sailors found that salting and smoking the fish could preserve it for long journeys, giving birth to smoked silver trout.

To this day, smoked silver trout has become an important starter in Colin Ishurian. The meat of Tarun's silver trout differed greatly from Earth's, having a rare silver quality, akin to delicate moonlight.

After smoking and curing, the fish meat was layered like thin silver foils on white porcelain plates, decorated with horseradish leaves and celery. The Traveler's Rest's dwarf chefs creatively garnished the silver flesh with black olives, contrasting black and white, stunningly beautiful.

The roasted venison was another, more robust style.

Upon slicing, the tender red steaks piled up like towers, the fat oozing golden jus brushed with honey, fragrant and appealing; the rich meat bore grill marks, the fat dripping like amber from the crispy yellow exterior, with a specially heated silver plate below making sizzling sounds as the juices fell.

The potent scent of spices hit them full force.

Atira took the initiative to cut meat for everyone but Tianlan was choosy, picking at her food like a spoiled Little Princess, hardly eating anything.

The result was a light tap on the head from Atira, who frowned and said, "Don't be picky."

"But it's nowhere near Miss Atira's cooking," Tianlan then pleaded with the Elf Girl to cook something special for her.

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