A Living Armour Owns A Tavern - Chapter 15 Gus Finishing Move

The fated day for the Merchant to arrive has come! Gus has already left the responsibility of the potato farm to the children. All they need to do now is to maintain the farm and wait for 100 days till harvest and repeat the crop rotation.

Two people have shown up at the Orphanage’s doorstep.

“Sir Nico! It’s nice seeing you again!” Said Sarah as she gave him a bright, welcoming hug.

“Hello Ms. Stillwater, business is doing well. Let me introduce my Friend, Ms. Rhoanne Springrage.

said Nico.

“Boss, I would really appreciate it if you introduce me as a bodyguard when we are on duty.” said Rhoanne.

“No matter Rhoanne, we are in the company of an acquaintance! There is no need for such formalities.” said Nico.

“Hello Ms. Springrage, My name is Sarah Stillwater, it is my pleasure meeting you. You must be tired from your journey from Tenrocks City! Please come in!”

As they walk towards the Orphanage’s receiving area, Nico and Rhoanne noticed various presence that is looking at them. It was the children Gretel, Griffin, Cindy, Ray and Little Sage.

Nico and Rhoanne waved at them smiling. The kids also waved back at them and quickly hid in a corner. Little Sage got left behind and toppled. She quickly stood up and ran behind the same corner where everyone was.

“Rhoanne, please refrain from adopting them on impulse. they are not pets.” said Nico as he was making fun of Rhoanne.

“B..b..boss! I won’t do such a thing! But, I do want to meet them!” said Rhoanne as she took one last look at them before entering the room.

As they sat down, Sarah served hot chamomile tea which she is saving for very important guests. After filling their cups with hot tea, she finally sat down as well.

Ever since they received Sarah’s letter, Nico and Rhoanne couldn’t come up with a plausible answer to why Sarah would request for them. They couldn’t eat or sleep properly during the journey thinking of possible reasons. Now that the answer is just seconds away, Rhoanne is on the edge of her wits and couldn’t contain her instincts. Ever since she entered the room, she feels as if there was another presence observing them. She considered if it might be the kids watching them, but she confirmed that this presence is something not human. She thought that maybe the pressure of Ms. Sarah’s concern was getting to her and she decided to shake it off and just finish this business once and for all. All she could do was tap her feet unsettlingly and raise her guard.

“Normally, I would leave our business talk for later and discuss pleasantries at foremost, but we are really interested in the reason you would call us with a very serious tone.” said Nico wearing a serious face.

Ms. Sarah nodded at them and shook her handbell beside her. Seconds later, Gretel, Griffin, Cindy, and Ray came in with plates of food in their hands. The dishes were The Sumptuous Bacon, Oven-Roast buttered potatoes, mashed potatoes, and finally a Much improved Pork Chowder.

Nico and Rhoanne has already been captivated by the food they have no knowledge of. The Smell was so good that Rhoanne has managed to calm down. She even drooled a bit at the intoxicating smell of Bacon.

“You invited us over to eat? I’m afraid I don’t understand.” said the confused Nico.

“Please help yourselves, you will understand once you finish.” replied Sarah.

“Then, don’t mind if I do! Ms. Sarah!” said Rhoanne.

Nico figured he would save the best dish for last and started with the roasted vegetable he has never seen before. As he bit into the potato, his cool and refreshing handsome face suddenly turned into a wide-eyed, regular uncle! As he took a bite of the mashed potato, his surprised face suddenly turned stiff. As if all kinds of information was analyzing in his head. Rhoanne tried both the roast-herbed potato and mashed potato as well. At first she took cautious small bites. “Such a weird vegetable boss! It looks ugly! Does it even taste great?” remarked Rhoanne.

All the people present in the room paused in silence, and gave her an eccentric look. How could she say that when she herself hasn’t noticed that she finished the whole thing already! Everyone thought.

Nico’s stiff face started moving again as if he understood a part of Sarah’s unusual request. Nico started sweating after he took a bite of the Steaming Pork Chowder. This time he just enjoyed the explosion of flavors it had! The Stew he tasted has a different texture from the other stews he have previously tried. Rhoanne helped herself to the stew and simply ignored everybody in the room.

“This is one of the best Boar Stew I had in a long time! Whoever cooked this is a genius! Are you selling us the recipes? I’m sure even the nobles would love to buy these!” Said Rhoanne as she licked every last drop that remained in the bowl.

“Boss?”

Rhoanne has just noticed that Nico has already took a bite of the bacon a while ago. He wasn’t moving and now sweated more than ever.

“Boss?! What… what did you put in his food?!” reacted Rhoanne. But as she stood up, Nico grabbed her arm to sit her back down. He gave the rest of the Bacon to Rhoanne and said: “Here, you try this and tell me what you think.”

“What’s the big deal it’s just any other boar belly…..” As she bit the bacon while talking. She stopped and tears suddenly rolled down her cheek!

“BOSSS!!! WHAT’S WITH THIS MEAT?! WHY IS IT THIS GOOD?!” exclaimed Rhoanne. She finished the bacon in the blink of an eye. But after finishing the delicious cured pork belly, only did she understood Sarah’s request.

“Boss…. Its….. Its. Sa…” said Rhoanne. She wanted to finish what she was saying, but she was busy chewing the poor boar in her mouth and resumed ignoring everybody again.

“Oh my, Ms. Sarah. This is certainly surprising. I fully understood your situation. I am willing to invest 2000 gold pieces!” said Nico.

“Well, that is rather a large sum Mr. Nico….. please let me think about it.” replied Sarah.

“2500 gold! We even have 4 orcs and 2 Minotaur carcasses in our carriage. It’s all yours”

“KLANG!” A suit of armor is placed on one side of the room. It seems it dropped its arm down the floor.

Rhoanne’s instinct kicked in, drew her dagger and instantly stood in front of Nico. But as soon as she saw little Gretel went to the armor’s arm to pick it up, Rhoanne sighed and sheathed her dagger back in her waist.

Gretel just simply smiled at them and said. “I’m sorry about that. His Arm is loose you see. I thought I fixed it this time.” after putting the arm back, she simply walked back to the group whistling.

“Haha! That’s a funny-looking suit of armor little Miss!” said Rhoanne to Gretel.

“Thank you! It’s my doll Gus…Gusford! Say Hi to them Gusford” said Gretel as she playfully swing the armor’s hand making small waves at them.

“Such a cute kid.” said Rhoanne.

“We will accept your generous offer, Mr. Nico! Thank you very much for this opportunity.” said Sarah as she shook Nico’s hand.

“What’s the big deal boss? We traded Salt for far much less!” asked Rhoanne.

“Rhoanne, what they offer is simply not just Salt. Have you forgotten the vegetable called the potato?”

“Yeah? What of it?” smugly asked Rhoanne.
for visiting.

“Nobody knows what this vegetable is. It’s something that doesn’t exist! In My whole life as a merchant, I have never laid eyes on this vegetable. It seems, Miss Sarah wants to use us to sell her potatoes!” said Nico.

“Then what makes it so special than the other vegetables we sell?” asked Rhoanne.

“This crop is cultivated by them in this town where soil is bad. Miss Sarah has also demonstrated the variety of dishes you can accomplish with this vegetable. She even used it to give a thick and rich texture to this soup! Now imagine a crop that can survive in the harshest environment. It means anybody can grow this vegetable! Nobody has to die of hunger again Rhoanne!” answered Nico.

Rhoanne’s heart was struck instantly as a tear rolled out her eyes once more. She has always felt bad about the children’s condition back in Tenrock city. She was powerless, seeing the hungry children dying. It has always left a bad taste in her mouth. Even with all the strength she trained for, she hated the fact that her might can’t save these children from starvation. But right in front of her is the solution. If she can bring back these so called potatoes in her city, then she can finally have the power to save these starving children!

“Why couldn’t Miss Sarah just tell us directly her request then? We could’ve prepared for her request better, right?” asked Rhoanne.

“The First reason for that, is because Ms. Stillwater is testing us. The second reason is that she possesses a vegetable that can possibly end world starvation. The last reason is that she also has a method of acquiring an unimaginable amount of salt. The only way to make this bacon is if you use salt in large amounts.” explained Nico.

Miss Sarah nodded and smiled as she fully heard Nico’s explanation.

“You passed Mr. Nico. Yes, you are correct. We want you to sell the salt and potatoes in our stead as we are not capable of defending ourselves.” Sarah explained.

As Nico’s explanation ended, the door behind them opened. Our adorable little Sage stepped in holding one more dish.

“Thank you little Sage” said Sarah. Little Sage then after gave a quick curtsy with her dress and pranced towards her brothers and sisters as she licked her fingers. It seems a little part of the food got stuck on her fingers which explains her messy face. Rhoanne adored how cute Little Sage looked.

“Please enjoy this dish. It’s best consumed after meals so I intentionally served it last.” said Sarah.

“What is this boss? It’s wobbling all over!” said Rhoanne as she was looking at the unusual dish in front of her.

As they both took a bite, Nico dropped his spoon.

“heh… heh…Hehe… hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHHA!” Nico laughed like a lunatic.

“Boss?!” said Rhoanne as she got worried for her dear friend who has gone mental.

“They got us Rhoanne! They got us good! To think they even have that! Ms. Sarah Stillwater, the Blue Fox Company is ready to fully cooperate with you!!”