Because Kexo Grenifen was only offering a single reward, Akimi and his companion wasted no time preparing to head straight for the Swaying Forest, determined to finish the quest before the Knights of the Blood could.
However, before they even left the city, they ran into their first obstacle —
Why was such an ordinary-looking restaurant by the city gate giving off such an incredibly tempting aroma?!
Was this some kind of challenge for food lovers?
What foodie could possibly resist this kind of test?!
And so, the two of them cheerfully decided to eat lunch at the restaurant, before going off to complete the quest.
The restaurant only served one type of dish — a food called "Pie", or more specifically, "Coin Pie."
Just like the name implied, Coin Pies were tiny, about 2 to 3 centimeters in size — roughly the size of a coin — and filled with various fillings.
Some were fruit-filled, others contained meat.
The restaurant had an open kitchen, allowing customers to clearly see everything the chef was doing, including the full process of making the Coin Pies.
The preparation was actually very simple: two thumb-sized pieces of dough and a spoonful of filling.
Just put them in the oven and bake.
In fact, all the Coin Pies in the restaurant were already half-prepped — all the chef had to do was insert the filling into the half-cooked dough shells and bake them for another two to three minutes.
What's more, the Coin Pies were quite affordable.
Though the restaurant required a minimum order of 40, each pie only cost 5 Kol.
If you ordered more than 100 pies, you even got a discount.
"I've never seen pies this tiny before,"
Asuna said, staring at the two plates of Coin Pies brought over by a chef whose figure could be described as three parts weight, two parts curves — basically all hips and waist — in other words, very "wow."
Akimi chimed in with a joke:
"Don't you think they're kind of cute, being so small?"
Asuna gave him a side-eye and ignored the comment.
She picked up one Coin Pie and popped it into her mouth.
As she slowly bit down, the burst of fruity filling exploded across her tongue, immersing her senses in a sea of fruit.
The diced fruits inside gave off an unusual yet pleasant aroma.
The flavor was sweet but not overly sugary — absolutely addictive.
Even more incredible was the fact that the diced fruits had retained a crisp texture, which was amazing considering that most fruits become soft and mushy when baked.
Akimi picked up a Coin Pie too.
After glancing at it a couple of times, something seemed to click in his mind.
"This thing… kind of feels like a mini pan-fried dumpling. There's honestly not much difference."
"How could you say that?!"
Asuna immediately snapped back.
"Frying and baking are two completely different cooking methods! Only someone like you — kitchen novice that you are — would say there's 'not much difference.'"
Akimi, thoroughly roasted, could only give an awkward laugh and silently took a bite of the Coin Pie in his hand.
"Agh! What the—? Bleh bleh bleh!!"
But the very next second, he spat out the chewed pie crumbs in shock, a disgusted look on his face.
The remains of the Coin Pie hit the ground, and within two meters, it dissolved into glowing particles and disappeared.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing the pained expression on Akimi's face, Asuna asked with concern.
Akimi didn't respond right away.
He rinsed his mouth thoroughly with water before finally speaking:
"Why is this Coin Pie so sour?"
He looked at the remaining half of the Coin Pie in his hand.
Inside was a mixture of white and red filling.
He tapped it to bring up the system description:
Coin Pie made with a filling of Konibia Fruit, mixed with light cream and condensed milk.
No bonus effects.
When Akimi saw the words Konibia Fruit in the description, he froze for a moment.
With a hint of uncertainty, he asked:
"Hey, Asuna… the quest we just accepted asked for something called Konibia Fruit, right?"
Asuna was still eating her Coin Pie as she casually replied:
"Yeah, what about it?"
Akimi then showed her the description of the Coin Pie.
Asuna read it and a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes as well.
Just then, the curvy chef-owner of the restaurant walked over, beaming:
"So~~ you two are the lucky ones who got the Konibia-filled Coin Pie! Congratulations..."
The two of them blinked.
Akimi asked:
"Congratulations... for what?"
"Haha, our restaurant randomly sells just one Konibia-filled Coin Pie every day. The customer who gets it wins a prize — 20 extra Coin Pies, on the house!" the owner explained.
"Umm..." Asuna spoke up, "Can I ask you a question?"
The owner chuckled and scratched her head:
"Of course, go ahead!"
Holding the half-bitten Coin Pie in her hand, Asuna asked:
"This Konibia Fruit you used for the filling... is it rare?"
"You're not from this floor, are you?" the owner said with a warm smile.
When the two of them nodded, she continued,
"Ah, that explains it. Konibia Fruit isn't anything rare. It's mostly just used as an ingredient. But it's so extremely sour that unless you process it in a very specific way, it's pretty much inedible. That's why almost nobody sells it."
"Ingredient?!"
Akimi furrowed his brow and asked:
"Then... where did you get your Konibia Fruits, if you don't mind me asking?"
The owner waved it off:
"No problem, it's not a secret — a hunter friend of mine brings them to me. He hunts in the Swaying Forest every month, so I just ask him to bring back a few."
"Hmm... I see..." Akimi's eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
But he quickly returned to normal and politely said:
"Thank you very much for the information."
"Haha, you're welcome!" the owner grinned, placing a plate with 20 Coin Pies on their table.
"Here are your bonus Coin Pies. Please enjoy!"
Then she swayed cheerfully back to the kitchen.
"There's something off,"
Akimi muttered with a deepening frown, squinting toward the direction of the Grenifen Castle.
He leaned in and quietly said to Asuna.
Asuna also nodded, her expression now serious — Konibia Fruit was supposedly just a common ingredient.
So why would Kexo Grenifen offer such a high reward for a quest to collect it?
He could've just sent a servant.
It didn't add up.
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