Chapter 10: New Encounters (1/2)
The two of them sat down and the consul said ”Kind Lord, I see you were sent by the ever merciful and beautiful Lady Aphrodite. May this servant ask of the purpose of your visit?”
Alex didn't like the formal tone too much, but he figured the consul wouldn't budge, so instead he went along ”I need a carriage to take me to the city of Abdera”
The consul then sighed deeply in relief and exclaimed ”A carriage, Of course! Might this servant ask that this kind Lord spend the night in this servant's humble abode, as we prepare the best of carriages and horses for you, Lord?”
Alex nodded and the consul once again sighed in relief. He proceeded to ask the consul ”Where can I get some good food in Olep?”
”Lord, I'll ask my best chef to prepare a banquet for you immediately.” The consul responded in a frenzy.
”No, that's fine. I'd like to explore some of the regional cuisine” When he was walking down, he noticed some appetizing foods and it seemed like the citizens of Olep were active even at night, thus the city was brightly lit and the atmosphere, very cheerful.
The consul then told him about the best food spots around and proposed having a servant go along with Alex, which the latter refused fervently. He also told the consul that embarrassingly, he didn't have any money on him, to which the consul responded by giving him a pouch with bright and shiny gold coins that had Zeus' face on them. It seemed like the money was from the consul's personal stash, so Alex thanked him and promised to send a good word about him to the gods.
He then left the mansion, leaving the soldiers who wanted to take him on the palanquin, speechless.
He wanted to check out one of the restaurants that the consul recommended him, that wasn't too expensive and had good food. It was quite close so he soon reached the bustling restaurant and took a seat. Alex then ordered a simple meat composed of honey-braised chicken, a salad, some bread and red wine.
When his food arrived, he dug in. It was quite tasty, and the salty condiment that he believes is called liquamen paired very well with the simple salad. He tried drinking a bit but the wine was too tangy for his taste. While he was eating, he noticed 2 customers that were sitting next to him. The 2 looked different from the residents of Olep, as they looked south asian. One of the two men was short, bald and he was wearing plain monk clothing, he had a kind face. The other man looked younger, about Alex's age and had long black hair reaching his waist and was wearing luxurious and flowy clothing, though his expression was of confusion. The young man ordered oysters and was trying to eat them wrong and they kept slipping away from him.
'Who orders oysters in an inland city?' Thought Alex but turned away his attention.
He really couldn't bear the sight of the man wasting food any longer so he stood up, went up to the young man, and told him.
”That's not how you eat oysters. You're supposed to sever their body from the shell with the chopstick then eat them” Alex showed the young man how to do it.
Nevertheless, the young man didn't respond favorably and glared at him while declaring arrogantly ”Who are you to tell me how to do it? However I do it is the right way”