You sneaked into my simulation world and started spamming the panel?

However, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Taking on commissioned tasks is based on individual ability; the more capable you are, the more you can take on, and no one in Maple Town has any complaints.

The pastor was aware of this, so he didn't harbor any hostility towards Lott; he was simply embarrassed to bring it up in front of Lott.

Lott said, “Sit here for a while. I’ll serve you your food right away, and it will cost you three copper coins.”

"But……"

Just as the pastor was about to get up, Lott reached out and pressed her back down.

"Just sit here and don't leave. If you leave, you'll be wasting food."

Lotte came to the kitchen and called out to Chloris.

The two stood in the narrow passageway, the white walls making Chloris's face appear even whiter.

Chloris leaned against the corner, fiddling with her bangs. "What's wrong?"

“The pastor is here. I’d like to have her join our team. I came to discuss it with you.”

"No."

Lott was somewhat surprised. "Why?"

"Have you forgotten your abilities? If other teammates team up with you for a long time, they will eventually discover your abilities and spread the word. At that point, the entire Mage Guild's attitude towards you will become quite complicated."

What would happen if mages learned that Lotte had learned the magic they had spent hundreds of gold coins to acquire with just a glance?

But perhaps because of Lotte's existence, no one dares to unleash magic, and the world will be at peace.

“So,” Lott sighed, “I can’t team up with anyone else except you, right?”

That's pretty much the idea.

"Chloris, may I ask you something? When you see cute little animals, do you ever feel the urge to hold them in your hands?"

Chloris blinked, thought for a moment, and then followed Lott's train of thought. "Yes."

"If they try to break free from your grasp, will you get angry? Or feel resentful?"

Chloris paused for a moment, then suddenly grinned. "Yes."

"Can?"

“I spent so much money raising it, so much effort nurturing it, and it still wants to run away. It's a betrayal of all my good intentions. If it dies, maybe it won't run away…”

Lott stared at Chloris's face, not thinking she was joking.

Chloris leaned close to Lott's ear and whispered, "Mr. Lott, since you want to test me, it means you're no longer a simple lamb. Do you want to run away from me?"

A sudden chill ran down Lotte's back; he felt as if Chloris had smothered his heart.

Seeing Lott frozen in place, Chloris couldn't help but cover her mouth, bend slightly, and laugh out loud: "Did I scare you?"

Lott clutched his chest. "Don't say things like that all of a sudden! Good heavens, you scared me to death!"

“I’m not that kind of person. And you’re not a kitten or puppy, you’re not cute.” Chloris pouted. “As for the priest, we can team up with her occasionally in the early stages, but it’ll just be the two of us most of the time. Once we completely trust her, we can bring her in, okay?”

"no problem."

While busy in the kitchen, Bard wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. He heard Chloris's laughter, peeked out and found Lotte cornering Chloris and chatting happily.

Bard knocked on the door, making a loud thumping sound: "Miss Chloris, can we talk about this later? Sgar's roast goat is ready."

"Okay. Lott, go move it."

"I dont go."

"Go ahead~ I'll go chat with that pastor and find out some information for you."

Chloris pushed Lott to the door, and Lott had to take the plate of roast goat from the window.

Although it's half a roasted goat, the goats here are all quite small, with more bones than meat, so half a goat can only feed four or five adult men.

Baldr's cooking skills are indeed excellent; the tender lamb is topped with a thick layer of spices and roasted in the oven for ten minutes.

His oven was said to have been crafted by an alchemist who traveled to the area. It contained a magic circle that not only sped up the baking process but also ensured more even heat distribution, resulting in a more flavorful product.

Although each drive requires crystals, Bald is a part-time adventurer, and occasionally going into the forest to hunt monsters is enough for him.

Even after Lott had eaten dinner, he still couldn't help but swallow hard when he held the roasted goat.

The aroma kept rising upwards, and he could even hear the sizzling sound of oil exploding.

Lott brought the food to Sgel's side, and Sgel invited Lott to sit down and eat with him.

Lotte said "Wait a moment," walked to the counter, tossed in 10 copper coins, collected five glasses of honey mint liqueur, and, carrying the tray, returned to Sgor's side and joined them.

There are fewer people with 3,000 gold coins today, so it's okay to be lazy.

Lott took a few bites, and after satisfying his appetite, he felt a little full. He stopped eating meat and instead drank from his wooden barrel cup, his gaze fixed on Chloris and the priest.

Chloris seemed to possess some kind of magic; she sat beside the priest, turned her head, and smiled as she spoke to him, quickly putting the priest at ease.

If Chloris is a bad person, then she'd be perfect at fooling children.

Sgel, standing next to Lotte, spoke up: "Lotte, why are you staring at Chloris? Haven't you seen her enough already?"

"I haven't seen enough. Speaking of which, I met some nobles the other day and a question came to mind."

"what?"

"If commoners like us, who don't have surnames, marry noblewomen in the future, wouldn't we have to take their surnames?"

"Isn't this good? If I can marry a noblewoman, what's wrong with taking her surname? You can also create your own name, let me think..." Sgor downed a glass of wine, "How about Ifakiwin?"

"It's not good. Why does it sound so awful? I'd rather be called Lotte Lotte."

"Calling him Lotte Sgard would be more appropriate."

"Screw you."

The five men clinked glasses and drank, gnawing on bits of meat stuck to the bones as they chatted about recent events.

They knew that a strange fight had taken place outside the town two days ago, but they didn't know who had done it.

Lotte squinted, the alcohol making him a little tipsy.

He leaned back in his chair, stretching his body which had been curled up for a long time.

Starlight twinkled outside the window, while the warm light inside bathed everyone in its glow.

If possible, it would be even better if a troubadour were to be placed in a corner of the shop.

Lotte really wanted to open her own little shop, watching people come and go every day and listening to stories from all over the world. That wouldn't be bad.

However, if one becomes too complacent with the status quo, then one is betraying one's destiny.

Lotte looked at Chloris in the distance, laughing and talking with the priest, and recalled the battle two days ago.

Although he fought Zephyr for Isolde's sake, he also wanted to test his own abilities.

The value keeps increasing, but I still don't know how strong it really is.

Fortunately, the results of the experiment satisfied Lotte, but he still didn't do anything to show off. He returned to the [Three Thousand Gold Coins] to continue helping, greeting guests for Chloris and serving dishes for Bald.

Pride can blind one to reality.

The path from novice mage to natural disaster master is extremely long, and one wrong step can lead to irreversible consequences.

What Lott is worried about now is whether Zefina will say something to the Reinhardt family after returning to the capital, which might affect his future self.

Lotte was unaware that the Reinhardt family now had a good relationship with Isolde.

"Lotte," Sgel shouted, "why aren't you drinking the rest? Are you raising fish?"

"I can't drink anymore, I'll throw up if I drink any more."

"What are you afraid of? Miss Chloris will wash you if you throw up. Drink up, drink up!"

"Mr. Skel, shall I drink it for Lott?"

Chloris's voice came from beside the table, and everyone's eyes turned to her.

Sgel chuckled, "I'm not drinking anymore, I'm not drinking anymore."

Chloris sat down next to Lotte naturally, leaning back in her chair.

Chloris gently sniffed the aroma of the roasted lamb. "Mr. Sgar, how does it taste?"

"Excellent, really delicious. Miss Chloris, would you like some?"

"I don't need it. I need to talk to Lott, is that alright?"

Please, please.

As Chloris combed her hair, she said to Lott, "I found out her name is Pepper. Can you guess what race she is?"

"Race? She's not human?" Lott stared at the small figure in the distance. "Could she be a dwarf?"

"She's really smart. It's not easy for her to cross mountains and seas to come to human territory all by herself."

"If she's a dwarf, does that mean she'll never grow taller?"

“Mr. Lott, I’ve noticed that you become unusually excited whenever a certain type of girl comes into play.”

“You’ve misunderstood me.” Lott shook his head. “Does Pepper agree to come with us?”

"Of course. But she still owes the inn money and has run out of money for food. She hopes we can get the monster-hunting commission as soon as possible and earn some silver coins."

“But lately, all the monsters that came from somewhere have been scared away by your sister.”

"There are also commissions such as those for Bloodveil Beasts."

Lotte had already given up on the meager earnings from hunting Bloodvelvet Beasts; it was too little, too troublesome, and the experience gained was minimal—a pure waste of time.

How much does Pepper owe?

"10 silver coins."

"I'll just lend it to her."

Lott secretly took out the gold coin that his sister Chloris had given him from his pocket. "I only have this one gold coin. I don't know if you can break it?"

"Good heavens, it's gold coins!" Chloris exclaimed. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't have change."

"Then you pay it back for her."

"You!" Chloris patted Lotte on the shoulder and snorted softly.

Lott got up and said goodbye to Sgle and the others, wishing them goodnight, before coming to Pepper's side with Chloris.

When Chloris handed Pepper 10 silver coins, Pepper quickly waved her hand.

"This is too much, I can't accept it."

“Lotte lent it to you,” Chloris said. “He’s a mage, he’s rich. Take your time, there’s no rush.”

Pepper refused to accept it no matter what, but Chloris forced the silver coin into her pocket before she finally gave up.

If it weren't for Chloris making her lower her guard, she wouldn't have so easily accepted the stranger's kindness.

“Thank you.” Pepper bit her lip. “We’ve only just met, and you’re willing to give me so much money. I… I don’t know what to say. I will definitely pay you back.”

"It's alright." Lott waved his hand. "It's already quite an achievement for you to come to human territory all by yourself. Keep up the good work, I believe in you."

"Thank you, Your Excellency. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything in the future, and I will definitely help you."

With Chloris's help, teammate Lott was promoted to Lady Lott.

Ten silver coins to gain the favor of a priest—this is a very worthwhile deal.

If Lott or Chloris were to suffer serious injuries in the future, Pepper's healing magic could save them a lot of medical expenses, perhaps far more than 10 silver coins.

Lott wasn't worried that Pepper would run away with the money. When he was observing the half-elves, he also observed Pepper and found that she wasn't a mercenary person, otherwise she would have left the half-elves long ago.

It was late at night, and Pepper got up and left. As she walked to the door, Lott noticed that she was barely half the height of the door.

She waved repeatedly at Lotte and Chloris, her figure gradually disappearing into the night.

Chloris then said, "Lotte, I have a feeling something's not right."

"What's wrong?"

“The pastor must be a very popular figure. The two of us first made her poor in a roundabout way, and then lent a helping hand when she was desperate, bribing her with a mere 10 silver coins.”

"Isn't this great?"

Chloris sighed, unable to process this.