"Where's the person who was just sitting across from me?"
Realizing something wasn't right, Charija asked the maid with a hint of nervousness.
"The guest who was sitting there said he needed to use the restroom and went outside," the maid replied, blushing mysteriously as she recalled what Yu Zhou had just told her. "But our Dragon Hunter restaurant's restroom is actually inside. I don't know if that guest managed to find one outside."
Charija: "…"
Seriously?!
Are all the maids in this Dragon Hunter restaurant brainwashed by grilled fish?!
That was the most obvious dine-and-dash excuse ever, and she didn't even notice?!
"That damn Yu Zhou!" Charija grew more annoyed the more he thought about it, but still forced a polite smile and said, "Then I'll go check outside too. Maybe I'll find the restroom."
Since the maids here were as clueless as roasted fish, Charija figured he might be able to get away with it too.
"Sir, please settle your bill first."
Just as he took a step, the maid blocked his way.
"That brat Yu Zhou really tricked me…"
Charija froze in place, that one sentence echoing in his head.
"…Fine then." He sighed, plopping back into his seat. "I'll pay after my friend comes back from the restroom."
"Alright, sir." The maid nodded and walked away — but not too far, keeping an eye on Charija to make sure the chubby guy didn't try to skip out.
"I don't believe Yu Zhou would actually abandon me here," Charija muttered, half-pouting like a tsundere.
"But if it's a dine-and-dash situation, I'll have to run either way…"
"One plate of fish or two, it's still running."
"So… might as well eat more before I go!"
With that brilliant logic, Charija walked to the counter and started ordering again.
"Another plate of Southland grilled fish!"
"One portion of braised feather-dragon meat!"
"One steamed bird-beak beast!"
…and who knows how many other dishes.
Satisfied with his order, Charija sat back down and waited.
"Much appreciated!"
At a nearby pawnshop, Yu Zhou pocketed ten heavy bags of currency, smiling contentedly as he left.
The coins inside were Mu coins — the common currency of the Ultra-Ancient Earth.
Money was essential in any world. After asking around, Yu Zhou had found a pawnshop willing to trade. He pawned some of the crystals stored in his dimensional ring and got quite a fortune in return.
"I wonder how Charija's doing. I'd better get back."
Feeling light with money in his pocket, Yu Zhou hurried toward the Dragon Hunter restaurant.
After all, Charija had come with him to the Ultra-Ancient world; Yu Zhou would never abandon his companion.
But without any local currency before, he'd had to find a way to make some first — otherwise they'd be broke before their journey even began.
When Yu Zhou returned, he was almost moved to tears.
He had imagined Charija might be in trouble…
But what he actually saw was a table buried in empty plates, with strange bones scattered all over the floor — bones that had clearly been spat out.
And there was Charija, holding what looked like a dinosaur leg, gnawing on it enthusiastically.
"What the heck is he doing…" Yu Zhou muttered in disbelief. "Don't tell me he decided to just eat as much as possible since he can't pay anyway?"
But… with that body, could he even run fast enough to escape?
Shaking his head, Yu Zhou went to the counter and quietly settled Charija's bill.
The maid gave him a flirty glance, but Yu Zhou ignored it completely.
After paying, he bought himself a glass of fruit juice, sat aside, and decided to see what Charija would do next.
"He still hasn't come back…"
Charija mumbled groggily, feeling bloated after eating so much. He glanced toward the restaurant's entrance, but Yu Zhou was nowhere in sight.
"Guess I'll have to make a break for it."
He braced himself, fixed his eyes on the door, and suddenly bolted.
A gust of wind blew past a maid, nearly lifting her skirt.
"Sir, is something wrong with your friend?"
The maid, holding her skirt down, walked to Yu Zhou and asked.
"Hmm… maybe he just really needs that restroom," Yu Zhou replied casually after a pause.
"But I already told him the restroom's not outside…"
The maid looked at the door, confused.
"Ha! Those fools! Guess I'm still pretty fast!"
Charija laughed smugly as he leaned against a wall in the corner of the city, panting for breath.
"Charija, what are you running for?"
A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"How can I not run?!" Charija snapped without turning around. "That damned Yu Zhou ditched me and left me to foot the bill!"
"Huh?" Realizing who it was, Charija spun around. "You—! You sneaky bastard, you actually came back!"
"Hey, calm down, Charija!" Yu Zhou raised his hands, smiling awkwardly. "I just went to the pawnshop to get us some money. I already paid for everything. I even saw you running out of the restaurant."
To prove it, Yu Zhou pulled out a bag of Mu coins from his storage bracelet.
The coins shimmered under the sunlight — golden, but not quite gold, made of some unknown material.
Good thing there weren't many people around, or they'd definitely attract unwanted attention.
"Alright, you've still got a conscience," Charija grumbled, snatching the bag and stuffing it into his own storage space. "Let's go find someone who actually knows something about this world."
Now that the money issue was solved, Yu Zhou planned to continue investigating Ultraman Tiga's whereabouts.
But before they could go far, a squad of patrolling soldiers suddenly rushed toward them, surrounding the two.
"Don't resist! You two, come with us!"
One of the soldiers barked sharply.
"What's going on now?" Charija muttered in confusion. "Didn't we just get into the city fine earlier?"
"Let's just go with them," Yu Zhou said after a moment of thought.
They were new to this world, and it was normal not to understand everything yet.
If the patrol wanted to take them somewhere, he might as well see what this was all about.
Charija shrugged — as long as his life wasn't in danger, he didn't really care.
They followed the patrol to a tall cathedral-like building.
From within, an elderly man wearing a pointed blue hat slowly walked out.
"You two… are the aliens from Orion?"
The old man glanced briefly at Yu Zhou and Charija, then asked in a solemn tone.