Liam finished the last grain of Spirit Rice and set his chopsticks down. He exhaled, savoring the aftertaste of lotus herbs still lingering on his tongue. Then he rose from his seat, collected himself, and walked toward the counter where the waitress waited.
"I'll settle the bill," Liam said casually, retrieving the pouch of coins Zhou had given him.
The young woman nodded with a faint bow, tallying up his order on a slate tablet. "That will be three silver coins, honored guest."
Without overthinking it, Liam fished out a gold coin from the pouch and handed it over. The waitress blinked, surprised at his generosity, but quickly composed herself. She took the coin, then carefully counted out his change: ninety-seven silver coins stacked neatly on a small wooden tray.
Liam froze briefly in shock.
What? Ninety-seven silver?
He stared at the gleaming pile, then back at the waitress. The weight of the coins pressed into his palm when he picked them up.
