"Big Brother, you'll visit us again, right?"
"Of course, I will. The next time we meet, I'll bring apple pies for you."
"Yay!"
A day after Lux talked with the Living Armor, Lilia's fever went down, and her complexion looked a lot better than before. The Half-Elf had bought them enough food supplies from Brookwest Town that would last them a week, so Lilia could take it easy until she was fully recovered.
"Lux, I can't take this money," said Lilia in rejection to the small pouch containing 50 gold coins Lux offered to her. "We are already indebted to you for helping us out, so you don't have to do this."
"It's fine, Aunty Lilia," Lux replied. "This much is at most pocket change for me. Just use this to buy some new sets of clothes for Heidi, as well as more food to put on the table."
The Half-Elf wasn't lying when he said that 50 gold coins were just like change for him. He had over two million gold coins in his possession, which he earned from his quests, in addition to the reward for winning the Lionheart Tournament.
Lilia was persuaded when the red-headed teenager mentioned that she could use it to buy clothes for her daughter, whose clothes were already worn out from constant washing.
"Thank you, Lux." Lilia looked at the Half-Elf with gratitude. "Please, have a safe trip to the capital."
Lux smiled and nodded his head. Although he had been delayed from his mission by a day for taking care of Lilia and Heidi, he never thought that what he did was a waste of time. If he wasn't pressed for time, he would have stayed for a few more days. After bidding his farewells, he once again returned to Brookwest Town.
Instead of heading straight towards the Adventurers Guild to hand the Passion Blossom to the Guildmaster, Cobie, he first visited the Starfleet Tavern where the waitress, Diana, was working.
He was pretty sure that Cobie would use the Passion Flower as an ingredient for an aphrodisiac to do XXX and XXX to the waitress, so he decided to see her first and find out if he would feel guilty about handing the flower to Cobie.
"Welcome to Starfleet Cavern!" As soon as Lux entered the shop, Lux was greeted by a pretty blonde waitress. "Will you be dining today, Sir?"
"Yes," Lux replied.
"Please follow me. I will take you to your table."
"Thank you."
As the waitress led Lux towards the table at the very back of the tavern, the Half-Elf scanned the surroundings and noticed that all the waitresses were quite pretty. Any of them would definitely be wanted by any able-bodied man, so he kind of understood why Cobie wanted to marry one of them.
After taking his order, the blonde waitress left with a smile before heading towards the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, Lux's food arrived, and he was surprised at how delicious it was. While the Half-Elf was enjoying his meal, a two-meter tall man who resembled a gorilla entered the tavern.
"Hello Patricia. You're looking more beautiful than you looked yesterday," Cobie, the Guildmaster of the Adventurers Guild praised the blonde waitress that had greeted Lux earlier.
"Thank you Guildmaster," Patricia answered in a professional manner, but if one looked closely enough, one would notice the corner of her lips rise by a fraction after seeing Cobie enter their establishment.
Lux ate his sandwich while staring at the Guildmaster who was led to a table not far from him to order some food.
"What will your order for today be?" Patricia asked.
"The usual," Cobie replied.
"Okay," Patricia smirked before heading towards the Kitchen. "Guildmaster Cobie is here, and he ordered the usual!"
As soon as everyone in the tavern heard Patricia's words, they all started laughing and cheering for Cobie, who seemed to be in a very good mood.
'It seems like he is well liked by everyone here,' Lux mused.
As the Guildmaster of the branch of the Adventurers Guild in Brookwest Town, Cobie was definitely not as simple as he looked.
No one would be able to attain such a position with just luck since all the candidates were screened and tested to check if they were at least capable of leading one of the branches of the Adventurers Guild.
Lux had just finished his meal and was drinking his tea when someone emerged from the kitchen.
She swayed her hips from side to side, while holding a tray in her hands. The waitress walked towards the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild with such grace, making the latter smile from ear to ear.
The moment she appeared, everyone in the tavern started whistling and cheering.
"You brute, just go eat your food and leave," the two-meter-tall woman said. "Aren't you tired of causing a commotion day in and day out? Why don't you give up already?"
"Others may give up, but that others isn't me," Cobie said with confidence. "The one who will XXX you will be me, Diana."
Lux spat the tea he was drinking because he didn't expect that Cobie had this kind of kink. The waitress named Diana was none other than a two-meter-tall Gorilla-Kin.
She was one of the Beastkin Races that could be found both in Solais and Elysium. Although Lux had seen Cat-Kins in Barbatos Academy, this was the first time he was seeing a Gorilla-kin, so it clearly made an impression on him.
Diana gave Cobie a slap after hearing the man's bold words. It sounded loud, but the force applied to it wasn't that strong. Clearly, the waitress, Diana, didn't want to hurt Cobie too much.
"You brute, just give it up," Diana replied. "Looking at you doesn't make me go in heat. It's impossible."
"Impossible is just another word for possible," Cobie said with the "never surrender" attitude. "You'll be marrying me soon enough, and we will create a bunch of kids that look just like us."
The corner of Lux's lips twitched because he couldn't find the right words to describe his feeling right now.
A Gorilla-looking-man wooing a Gorilla-Kin was like a match made in heaven. It was quite clear that Cobie was serious about Diana, and the waitress seemed to be fond of the Guildmaster as well.
Because of this, Lux stood up from his seat and approached Cobie's table.
Sensing his gaze, Cobie glanced in his direction and immediately stood up from his chair. He then moved between Lux and Diana, glaring at the handsome Half-Elf as if looking at a mortal enemy.
"Your name is Lux, right?" Cobie stated. "I guess you came here to find out what Diana looks like after I gave you that quest for your Recommendation Letter. But sorry, I'm not handing her to any good-looking men like you. She's too good for a Half-Elf, so give it up, kid. There are many fishes in the sea, but Diana is the only one for me."
Lux was very tempted to spit on the Guildmaster's face for even saying such a thing. He already had a beautiful and loveable fiance, whom he would be marrying in two years. Why would he even bother to XXX a Gorilla?
"Boys, please, don't fight over me," Diana said. "You shouldn't disturb the other customers. Cobie, go back to your seat."
"No! I will not. Every man has something to protect, and I am here to protect your smile, Diana."
"Are you going to sit, or should I have you blacklisted from entering this tavern again?"
Without another word, Cobie obediently sat while glaring daggers at the Half-Elf, who was already regretting coming to the Starfleet Cavern because he was concerned for the waitress that Cobie was in love with.
Sighing inside his heart, Lux walked towards Cobie's table and took out a storage ring from his pocket. He then passed it to the Guildmaster, who took it with a doubtful look on his face.
However, as soon as he saw what was inside the storage ring, a look of surprise and shock appeared on his face, before it was replaced with a dazzling smile that would make the toothpaste models on earth cover their faces in shame.
"Bro. You are my bro from this day onwards," Cobie said before giving Lux a bearhug that almost broke his bones.
"Sorry, I'll pass on being your bro," Lux replied as he tapped the Gorilla-like man's arm to tell him to release him.
Cobie released Lux and laughed so loud that everyone in the tavern thought he had gone mad.
"Everyone, drink up!" Cobie shouted. "The tab is on me! We're getting drunk today!"
Although no one knew what happened, all of them raised their mugs and cheered. Free drinks was something they wouldn't turn down, so they cheered for Cobie's generosity.
"Here is the Recommendation Letter," Cobie handed a scroll with his seal attached to it. "You have earned it. When I marry Diana and have kids, I'll make you their Godfather!"
"...I'll think about it." Lux was starting to sweat buckets seeing Cobie look at him as if he was his lord and savior.
After a round of drinking, Lux was finally able to leave the Starfleet Tavern.
"Let's go, Jed," Lux said as he summoned his Thunder Warg King. "Let's head to our next destination."
Jed gave a growl of agreement before sprinting to the North Entrance of Brookwest Town.
"There are really so many kinds of people in the world," Lux muttered with a helpless smile. "I guess love has many forms as well."
The Half-Elf fondly remembered the scene in the tavern where Cobie started to dance with Diana after getting the Passion Blossom from Lux.
Perhaps, unable to turn Cobie down, who was brimming with happiness, the waitress agreed to dance with him, while the customers who had musical instruments with them played music for them. The tavern immediately had a festive atmosphere, making the Half-Elf momentarily forget his worries about getting his Recommendation Letters, as well as passing the Trial of Leadership.
Jed left the town in a steady sprint with its Master looking forward to the next adventure that he would face.
It was just past noon, and the sun was still at its zenith. However, Lux had a feeling that when night came, Cobie would finally be able to make his wish a reality, and tumble on the bed with the woman of his dreams.
