The Star and Moon Suite, as their room was called, really didn't have to hide compared to modern hotel rooms, Seth knew. Of course, the sense of style was completely different. The room at the Amber Star pavilion oozed the aura of high-class and immaculate craftsmanship.
Every piece of furniture was carved in elegant designs and high-quality wood, at least for mortals. The room offered its own bath area with running water and a spectacular view over the town of Konan.
The bed was massive, covered in fine silk sheets, and the walls were decorated with ink wash painting of intriguing landscapes. It also came with special soundproofing and expensive incense that gave it an exotic, calming smell.
They didn't care for the cultivation area, but it seemed like a nice corner to relax. If Seth had not seen quite a few things in the quarters of elders and disciples in the Silk River Sect, he would have been more impressed with this place.
Upon entering, a couple of servants followed the trio, carrying their decoy luggage from the carriage. Mina had booked the room for a week, spending 85 of his "hard-earned" Silver Taels to rent the top suite. At least it included the garage for their carriage.
"Finally, let's go," Fin exclaimed, looking forward to the food they had seen along the road on the way here. The blacksmith had to admit that the variety of street food in this place outperformed Urth, or the system worlds he visited by far. However, what they saw in the way couldn't compete with the actual market.
They only had to walk down a couple of streets before they reached the vast marketplace that stretched across the heart of Konan. Seth had no admit the variety of food items vastly outclassed any market he had visited so far.
Wherever he looked, no matter what stall they passed, every sight was filled with exotic food, plants, spices, vegetables, and all kinds of meats. Many stalls even advertised with monster meat. meat of beasts he had never heard of, or promised the magical quality of their produce. There were also livestock traders, pet traders (mostly birds), and a small number of traditional craftsmen.
The market was not just a chaos of goods, but also of voices and people. Yet, it was all mixed in a chaotic yet warm atmosphere that made visiting and watching the scenery. Not fun but somehow relaxing and exciting.
Feeling no immediate aversion to this place, Seth found he had truly overcome his social anxiety. The only thing he noticed with slight confusion was the lack of weapons or artifacts. But when asking about it, they found that these things, just like most cultivator stuff, were pushed to a kind of bazaar where everything could be traded. They decided to take a look later.
Of all the things in sight, the stalls drawing their attention the most were obviously the food stalls. Especially, Fin wanted to try all the familiar and new variations of foot. The market had the traditional stuff like grilled meats, or meats on a stick, and some others offered soup.
But there were many dishes they had never seen, especially the great assortment of noodles and rice, fried or in soup with various sides to personalize them. There were also steamed buns and dumplings with various fillings, some even had soup inside!
It was quite fascinating and very tasty.
"Come on, you two. Don't ruin your appetite already before we get to the restaurant. We have a whole week here, you have enough time to try everything later," Mina complained as their walk came to a halt for the 14th time as they came across a stall that sold pieces of fried meat in a flatbread, almost like a burger.
Both looked up, each already holding a flatbread.
"Okay, okay. This is the last one. Let's walk for a while before going straight to the restaurant, okay?" The blacksmith suggested, earning Fin's shocked look. His betrayal hit her hard. She opened her mouth, but she didn't voice her discontent with that decision. Instead, she stuffed her open mouth with the new dish and followed them, silently munching.
On the way, Mina explained about the place they were going to visit. The Five-Savoring Flavors was a high-class restaurant and tea house in the better part of the market area. According to Fin's and Mina's research, it was actually a place well known even outside of Konan.
Not as in "known across the province", but the name was bound to come up when talking about must-visit places in this region. Describing various special dishes they two had heard of, they raised Seth's expectation; however, when they finally reached the restaurant, they faced an unprecedented situation.
The doors of the restaurant were closed. The restaurant looked promising, comparable to their inn, but a little smaller. After getting hyped up by the two, Seth was moderately disappointed to find that the main attraction for today was closed.
"...I guess we will have to go to the second on the list then," Mina said, controlling her expression. Mina was shocked by the turn of events, but she was able to bear it. Fin, on the other hand, was clearly glum. It was not just that they held back with the street food to come here; she had been the most excited for this place.
"Don't worry about it, we can come here tomorrow," Seth comforted the two. " So, where is the next restaurant on the list?" he asked Mina. His wife nodded and turned around to look along the street.
"It should be that down there," she said and pointed at another big building not far down the street.
The style was clearly different, more gaudy and colorful, than the one they were currently standing in front of, but it also oozed an aura of extravagance.
"It's called The Fried Peacock. It's not as famous as The Five-Savoring Flavors because the cuisine is not for everyone, but within Konan, it should be the second-best restaurant," Mina explained, as if reciting a passage from a tourist guide.
At this distance, they could see that the doors were wide open and a trickle of people was entering and leaving. At least it was obviously open for business. The trio walked over. Although Fin was dragging her feet, they soon entered the next restaurant.
They entered the wide dining floor, which resembled the first floor of the Amber Star Inn. It was filled with about 40 square tables fit for 4 people. In the back was a stage, where a handsome musician was currently playing a traditional string instrument of the Cloud Continent.
The mouthwatering smell of food that had already greeted them when they entered intensified inside. All the tables were filled with tasty and exotic-looking dishes. All the tables. There were actually no free ones.
No wonder there was a constant stream of people entering and leaving, many of them probably just didn't get a table. They had already realized the problem by the time a server approached them.
"I'm terribly sorry, esteemed customer, but the only seats we have left are on the third floor. Or you can wait for one of the tables here to free up," they said apologetically and bowed. The group breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good! We already thought you were fully booked," Mina joked, relieved, but the server's smile still stayed a little awkward.
"Seats on the third floor will come with a premium fee for view and service, if you are okay with that, I will show you to a table," the man explained, fully expecting the three of them to leave again. Apparently, most people coming here were not ready to pay that extra fee for the view and, hopefully, superior service.
But he thought wrong.
"Lead the way," the trio said in sync. They shared a glance and laughed. None of them were interested in looking for the next place, just because it was a little more expensive.