Iya Continent: Card God

Inside the Two-Headed Deer Tavern, the atmosphere was as lively as when they arrived. Cheap drinks and filling meals encouraged the adventurers and travelers to speak freely, recounting their experiences in the snowy north, the forests teeming with long-lived elves, and the ever-present topic of conversation on the continent of Iya: the incredibly powerful Sastan Empire.

The tavern owner was an anomaly amidst the festivities. He remained as still as a statue, utterly devoid of emotion. Even the tales of the gods couldn't stir a flicker of emotion on his face.

This is Simon, the owner of the two-headed deer tavern.

"Boss, what do you have to eat here?" Linta asked with a hint of curiosity as she returned from the back warehouse and approached Boss Simon.

The dwarf Jingon and the thief Malen had already left and returned to the workshop. As for whether the elven girl hiding in the shadows was still there, Linta himself wasn't sure.

Simon, the boss with a face as hard as bronze, spoke in a magnetic voice, "It depends on how much you're willing to give."

Linta roughly understood that you could eat food according to how much money you were paid for.

To Linta's surprise and delight, the intelligence purchase from the underground casino was completely free. Gary the Elephant hadn't charged him a single penny. He wondered if it was because he'd won a bet with Carma, or if the other party had ulterior motives. Linta didn't bother to think about it; in short, it was a good thing he hadn't spent any money.

"What can I buy with 100 copper coins?" Linta asked.

A helper at the tavern only earns 300 copper coins a month, so 100 copper coins is equivalent to one-third of his income. Spending so much at the Two-Headed Deer Tavern, which is known for its low prices, is simply extravagant.

Boss Simon remained unmoved by Linta's actions, simply accepting the money silently before heading to the kitchen.

When they returned, they were carrying a stew pot, steaming hot and emitting the aroma of various ingredients, including farm-raised hens, river fish, smoked bacon, turnips, apples, onions, herbs, and more.

A pot of incredibly delicious stew, brimming with the atmosphere of a tavern, drew in many customers, their eyes gleaming as they watched Linta, who had ordered this delectable dish, take notice.

In addition, there was a bottle of aged Macedonian wine and a plate of white rice that ordinary people would never dare to eat.

"Please," said Mr. Simon.

Linta's eyebrows twitched slightly as he sniffed the strangely fragrant stew ingredients, unsure if this meal was worth 100 copper coins. Or was it that the wine was too expensive?

"Thanks."

Linta picked up a spoon, scooped the ingredients from the stew pot onto the white rice, and then began to eat with her clumsy knife and fork.

The stewed chicken was tender and soft, indicating that the kitchen had been preparing it before I arrived. The Two-Headed Deer Tavern's kitchen prepares some food in advance each day before opening, ensuring it's served to all customers as quickly as possible. After all, these poor folks aren't too picky.

"Forehead……?"

Linta frowned as he ate the food that cost 100 copper coins.

The taste is hard to describe. It's not bad, but it's difficult to describe. Before I transmigrated here, I never ate this kind of mixed stew of fruits, vegetables, and meat.

However, it goes very well with white rice.

"So there's rice here." Linta said with some emotion and warmth.

The tavern owner, Simon, said, "They grow it in many countries south of the continent of Iya, but the yield is not high."

He assumed the young man was a traveler from a wealthy family in the north who had come south. After all, a local wouldn't say something like that.

However, Linta believed that people in this world only ate bread and did not have rice as a product.

……

"Ugh, I can't eat anymore." An hour later, Linta put down her knife and fork, looking completely exhausted.

The pot of stew still looked full, but the chicken and fish were reduced to bones. As for the expensive bottle of wine, Linta didn't touch it.

Mr. Simon wiped the wine glass without saying a word.

Throughout the entire process, Linta didn't say much; he only spoke what he could have said.

“Next time I come, don’t bring me wine. Of course, I won’t order anything this expensive,” Linta said with a smile, picking up the unopened bottle of wine and leaving.

The tavern owner, Simon, looked at the departing figure with a deep gaze.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Goblin Stone Workshop.

"Yes, Kim Gong, this is for you."

Linta handed the Macedonian wine to the dwarf.

The dwarves are a race that loves to drink.

"Haha, you're always thinking of me." Jin Gong took the wine, forcefully pulled off the cork, sniffed the aroma, and said approvingly, "This wine is good."

"Gurgle gurgle!" The little fishman immediately jumped in front of Jingon and kept shouting.

Pinecone Translator said, "He wants to drink too."

Kim Gong showed a hint of reluctance, "Why would a fish like you drink alcohol..."

Having no other choice, I handed the bottle to Guagaga.

The thief Maren, who was huddled in his usual corner, stared at Linta, wanting to ask but not daring to.

Only after the elven girl returned silently did Linta begin to recount the events of the day.

"Flame Fox Moke Besson is probably not the murderer, but he must be connected to Elephant Gary. And his appearance last night must have been Gary's doing."

Jin Gong asked, puzzled, "Why? It's getting more and more chaotic."

Linta smiled slightly and said calmly, "Chaotic? I feel like it's become clearer."

Shia asked directly, "Just tell me, what should we do now?"

Linta smiled and said, "Let's start from the beginning..."

"In everyone's eyes, this is a conflict between two magical artifact merchants. It's the story of a goblin weapon refiner killing a magical artifact merchant. The method of killing was a short, sharp blade forged from crystal."

"Later, he was arrested as a result of witness testimony and physical evidence."

Jin Gong asked gruffly, "So? What should we do?"

Lin Ta said, "There's a suspicious point in this matter: how did that crystal blade end up at the murder scene?"

Ma Lunyan said, "It was stolen, and then they framed it."

Jingong frowned and glared at Maren. "Stolen? You're the thief, aren't you? Did you do it? You've been lying the whole time!"

Maren was immediately startled and said in a panic, "What...what does this have to do with me? I'm a thief, but there are plenty of thieves out there! Besides, I had no idea this goblin boss had any crystal blades..."

“That’s right,” Linta interjected.

"Why did they steal the crystal blade instead of other weapons?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked around the workshop, which contained all sorts of magical artifacts and a few weapons.

Shia said coldly, "Because it's not outstanding enough, stealing other weapons cannot prove that they belong to this goblin Bruce."

Linta chuckled, "Yes, because it's impossible to prove the theft of other things. But it's possible to prove the theft of that unique crystal blade. That's because it was made of goblin stone, and the crystal material was traded from an underground casino!"

Gary the elephant allowed Linta to ask one more question.

Linta asked about the origin of the crystal blade.