Ethan looked at the massive spread of luxurious food and then at the shivering, bowing innkeeper, a dark, highly amused laugh bubbling from his throat.
"You frontier businessmen truly know how to read the wind," Ethan chuckled smoothly.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he reached into the open leather purse on the bed, pulled out a single, perfectly cut translucent rock, and tossed it through the air. The pebble cut a sharp arc before landing with a heavy, metallic CLACK right on the center of the innkeeper's silver tray.
It was a pristine mid-grade spirit stone.
The innkeeper's single eye widened to the size of a saucer, his heart skipping a beat as he stared at the immense fortune sitting on his tray as a mere tip. "M-Master... this is..."
"Take it as a tip for the quick service," Ethan murmured, waving his hand lazily toward the door as he sat down at the dining table. "Now leave the trays and close the door behind you. We wish to dine in peace."
