[Name: Don Quixote]
[Identity: Knight]
[Spirit: 1.82 (Standard value for an adult in the GOT world is 1)]
[Vitality: 1.23 (Standard value for an adult in the GOT world is 1)]
Don Quixote swept a glance over his stats panel:
"Is this my physical condition? Not exactly impressive."
It was worth noting that in this life, he hadn't stayed up late, nor had he indulged in any... excessively solitary hobbies.
Aside from often going hungry, his routine was disciplined, filled with manual labor and knightly training.
Yet after nearly ten years, his physical fitness was only about twenty percent higher than that of an average adult.
It just goes to show that the saying "you can't train on an empty stomach" is true. Without sufficient energy and nutrition to support the high intensity of martial arts training, the results are severely compromised.
Don Quixote thought about the hardships he had endured over the years, only to achieve such meager results, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion for a moment.
After a few breaths, he composed himself and looked at the System's quest section.
[Employer: Lady Wylla]
[Quest: Maintain order in the Iron Axe Tavern daily (This quest is settled daily; rewards are random)]
[Reward: One Blood Apple (Claimable)]
"It's actually a long-term quest! Thank you, Lady Wylla!"
Don Quixote was both surprised and delighted.
After the System unexpectedly appeared, he had planned to find an excuse to leave the Iron Axe Tavern after a while.
But now, it seemed he could hold off on that.
...If the daily rewards for this quest weren't bad, staying at the Iron Axe Tavern for a bit longer would be just fine.
The thought flashed through Don Quixote's mind as he mentally commanded:
"Claim!"
Instantly, a fist-sized, blood-red apple appeared out of thin air in Don Quixote's palm.
[Blood Apple: Watered with the lifeblood of elves. Direct consumption slightly enhances constitution with no side effects.]
"Enhances constitution with no side effects? That's the good stuff."
Don Quixote's eyes lit up instantly.
He resisted the urge to devour it right then and there. Instead, he quickly got up, ladled out some well water to wash the Blood Apple twice, and washed his hands thoroughly.
Crunch.
Shortly after the Blood Apple went down, Don Quixote suddenly felt a warm current spreading from his stomach.
Like the most comfortable hearth fire in winter.
Or like a lover's warm, moist tongue.
It felt incredible!
"Hehe."
Thinking of who knows what, Don Quixote let out a giddy chuckle.
---
Waking up early the next morning, the first thing Don Quixote did upon opening his eyes was check his stats panel.
[Name: Don Quixote]
[Identity: Knight]
[Spirit: 1.82]
[Vitality: 1.26]
"My constitution really did improve. My Vitality increased by 0.03 overnight. Incredible!
"And I feel like the effects of the Blood Apple haven't fully faded yet; it's still faintly strengthening my body."
Don Quixote clenched his fists, as if he could truly feel his physical strength had increased.
"This life finally has some hope and direction.
"Hehe, time to celebrate this new life. No gnawing on black bread hard enough to break rocks this morning—I'm going straight to the Iron Axe Tavern for a feast!"
Don Quixote rode to the Iron Axe Tavern with a look of joy on his face.
Lost in his thoughts, Don Quixote arrived at the Iron Axe Tavern before long.
At the bar.
Don Quixote looked at Ronan, who had arrived even earlier than him and was already working, and smiled:
"Hey, Ronan. Get me a bowl of barley beef stew, add a roasted pigeon, and a cup of ale."
Ronan stopped wiping the glass, stared at Don Quixote for a good while, and said coldly:
"Kid, the tavern meals are just black bread and a little salted meat. Don't get greedy."
Don Quixote frowned, but quickly relaxed his expression and said calmly:
"I'm paying for this myself. It doesn't count towards the two free meals provided by the tavern."
Hearing this, Ronan's expression softened slightly. He thought for a moment and said:
"Barley beef stew is 13 coppers, roasted pigeon is 9 coppers, and a cup of ale is 3 coppers. That's 25 coppers in total."
A slightly richer meal cost nearly two days of Don Quixote's wages. If he didn't have the System, he wouldn't dare be so extravagant.
Don Quixote nodded, but then added:
"Ronan, I work here now. Isn't there a discount?"
Ronan immediately corrected himself:
"There is a discount. Let me think... call it 23 coppers."
...If I hadn't mentioned it, you weren't planning on giving me a discount, were you?
Don Quixote felt a flash of annoyance.
He had intended to buy Ronan a drink to get to know him better.
Building some camaraderie would have been good.
Forget it.
Don Quixote briskly took out 23 coppers and spread them on the counter.
Then he turned and chose a quiet corner to wait for his food.
Ronan looked coldly at Don Quixote's back and muttered under his breath:
"Skinny as a monkey. So what if he learned a few knightly skills? He really thinks he's somebody.
"Eating two days' wages in one meal. The cold must have frozen his brain."
The original three employees of the Iron Axe Tavern all scrimped and saved, squeezing their coppers until they sweated.
Even when he craved a drink, he would only order a small corner of ale.
Only on holidays would he splurge on a full cup.
"Hmph. Watching the place? I bet he won't last three days."
Ronan secretly prayed for it.
Don Quixote just had to relax and watch the tavern, while he had to work his ass off all day.
He didn't know the specific salary, but it probably wasn't lower than his.
Although he didn't show it on his face—after all, this was Lady Wylla's decision, and complaining recklessly could cost him his job—he was already feeling unbalanced and dissatisfied inside.
Why?
Just because he has the status of a squire?
He's not even a real knight!
However, Ronan still had some sense and self-awareness.
He knew a squire wasn't someone a commoner with no background like him could compare to.
Even if Don Quixote was down on his luck enough to work as a bouncer in this tavern, and even if he looked frail.
It still wouldn't do.
"Knight" wasn't just a profession; it was an honorable status that could be bestowed.
Some knights were even reserves for the nobility.
In the eyes of many smallfolk, a knight was equivalent to a noble.
Before knowing Don Quixote's specific situation, Ronan only dared to complain to himself in private.
---
After waiting quietly for a while, the runner boy, Cole, walked up to Don Quixote's table with a wooden tray.
Cole was about eleven or twelve years old.
He looked at Don Quixote, then looked left and right at the empty seats nearby, puzzled:
"Hey, Don Quixote, is this food for you?"
"Yep."
Don Quixote nodded and smiled:
"Finally here. I'm starving!"
Cole hurriedly placed the wooden tray gently on the table.
The aroma of barley beef stew mixed with the charred scent of roasted pigeon instantly spread out, making Don Quixote swallow hard.
On the tray, a large coarse clay bowl held beef chunks stewed until they were tender and falling apart. The barley grains had soaked up the meat juices, glistening with oil.
The skin of the small pigeon was roasted to a golden brown, with fat dripping down the crispy exterior. Just looking at it made one's index finger twitch in anticipation.
In the clay mug beside it, the ale had a layer of cloudy foam on the surface, emitting a faint scent of malt.
...