Lizard's Path to Prosperity

With the addition of the chicken coop to her business, the restaurant now had two more ingredients to choose from: chicken and eggs. As Ina was considering the menu for the evening, Lusen, who was wiping the table, suddenly turned around and shouted, "Boss, a little bird is knocking on the window!"

Ina recognized the familiar flash of gold as the Goldfinch she had met in the Misty Swamp, "Open the window."

The Goldfinch flapped its wings and flew in, obediently perching on the nearest table to Ina.

"Miss Ina, were you serious when you said we could eat here?" the Goldfinch asked.

"Of course." Seeing such a bright and cute little creature made Ina's mood much better. "What about the big guy that was with you?" Although Ina asked, she had a pretty good idea. The Goldfinch was small and not ferocious-looking, so no one would notice it in the restaurant. A lizard that big, however, would certainly give the townspeople a scare if it suddenly came out of the Misty Swamp.

The Goldfinch spoke gleefully, "It's ugly and would scare people. Besides, it's a pauper and can't afford a meal."

Ina rested her chin on her hand, staring at the Goldfinch's shimmering golden feathers as it trembled with every movement. "I did say I'd treat you two to a meal, so if it's worried, it can come over at night. I'm always here. But you're both magical beasts. How come only it's a pauper? Do you have a human currency?"

The Goldfinch puffed out its chest proudly, "I collect those shiny round things that humans leave in the swamp."

Humans wouldn't kindly pay the Misty Swamp a fee; they'd simply leave their gold coins behind along with their bodies. As the Goldfinch finished speaking, it buried its head under its wing and pulled out a gold coin.

A gold coin! This was a considerable sum of money for the Dragon Flame restaurant. However, Ina had promised to treat them to a meal and wouldn't go back on her word.

Ina did not accept the gold coin but instead directly asked the Goldfinch what it liked. After learning that it was an omnivorous bird with a diverse diet, Ina brought it several small plates.

One plate contained carrot, cucumber, and diced ham, another held two translucent peach slices from the last remaining can of fruit, which was originally reserved for prizes, and the last plate held pure white Cold Thorn fish slices.

The Goldfinch had never eaten such a lavish dinner before, and it jumped around excitedly. Perhaps one of the reasons they were called magical beasts was that they might have an extradimensional stomach, Ina thought as she watched the Goldfinch devour food larger than itself.

The Goldfinch left the gold coin in the restaurant, reasoning that it would come back for more meals, and it was inconvenient to carry the coin under its wing each time. Besides, it was so full that carrying the weight back home would be a bit difficult.

Ina watched the Goldfinch fly out through the open window and was quite sure she saw it sink heavily towards the ground before desperately flapping its wings to regain altitude and wobble back into the air.

After closing the window, she saw Lusen looking perplexed, seemingly very confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Miss Ina, can you understand the language of birds?" Lusen wondered. Whenever he thought he knew his boss well enough, she would reveal new abilities. Was she, not just a witch or a mage, but also a druid? Or was Ina a witch, a mage, and a druid all at once?

"Bird language?" Ina suddenly realized that Lusen couldn't understand the Goldfinch's speech. However, based on its communication with the lizard, this was clearly not a language specific to birds but likely a means of communication between intelligent magical beasts.

So, the question was, having never learned the language of magical beasts, why was she able to communicate with them without any barriers?

The system proudly made its appearance: [Universal Language Translator, a quality product from the system!]

The system reminded Ina that there was indeed such a language translator, which was a trivial accessory built into the system for players to complete various tasks across the continent. They would encounter various races such as goblins, orcs, and elves, decipher lost ancient texts, and even talk to animals for quest clues. It seemed quite useful now, didn't it?

Ina didn't know that she had added to her mysterious identity in Lusen's eyes, as she was attracted by the new side quest that appeared.

[Random Side Quest 0-2: Lizard's Path to Prosperity

Difficulty: ★★

Reward: Unknown

Progress: 0

Requirements: The dominant lizard of the Mist Swamp has recently fallen into poverty. Please find a suitable job (this quest cannot affect the residents of Misty Town, and the job payment must be equivalent to the labor provided).]

It was clear that the requirements in this quest were designed by the system to prevent Ina from paying the lizard without working. She couldn't think of a suitable job for the lizard at the moment. Anyway, this quest had no time requirement, so Ina decided to put it aside for now.

The Goldfinch, like a drunkard, stumbled deep into the Mist Swamp, pursued by a sharp-eyed gray hawk. The gray hawk was agile and fierce, its talons nearly hooked the Goldfinch's plump rear end several times.

"Big Head! Big Head, come save me!" the Goldfinch cried for help.

With a splash, the big lizard crawled out of the water and onto the shore. Its scales spread open, water droplets falling, and it raised its head, hissing at the gray hawk. This was a clear signal of aggression, and the gray hawk hesitated for a moment, wondering why the lizard wanted to compete with it for such a small prey, not even enough to fill with its teeth.

Seizing the moment of the gray hawk's hesitation, the Goldfinch swiftly performed a series of maneuvers – diving, retracting its wings, and plunging like a plumb bob – ultimately landing precisely on top of the lizard's head.

"oh my god." The Goldfinch patted its chest with lingering fear.

The lizard had already noticed its bulging stomach and asked curiously, "Baldy, what did you eat at Lady Ina's restaurant?"

The Goldfinch looked blissful, "Lady Ina is so gentle. She gave me sweet yellow berries and tender fish meat without scales or blood, a whole plate of fish!"

Envy appeared in the lizard's eyes. It wanted to visit the restaurant too. The gilded sparrow often went to human towns, but itself had never left Mist Swamp. Finally, it was invited by Black Dragon to the restaurant in town, but it hesitated. On one hand, it worried that its appearance in a human town would cause panic and trouble for Lady Ina. On the other hand, it worried that its large appetite would upset Lady Ina.

"Big Head, Lady Ina asked about you too! She invited you to come over after dark!"

Lady Ina still remembered it? The lizard was surrounded by sudden, immense happiness. Feeling dizzy, it retreated to the creek, shaking its head as if Ina were standing in front of it: "Should I go? Is that really a good idea? But what if I eat all the food in the restaurant? Will Lady Ina kick me out? If I go after I'm full, will she think I'm perfunctory?"

The Goldfinch hurriedly flew from the lizard's head to a bush nearby. Its tail feathers got wet, and as it vigorously shook off the water droplets, it looked at the lizard burying itself in the river: "You can pay! Humans run restaurants to make money. I think Lady Ina is probably the same. If you pay for your meal, you're supporting Lady Ina."

A large head suddenly emerged from the water. The lizard was reminded and climbed ashore, pacing back and forth: "Where can I get human currency?"