Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 287: Trouble at Ironspire City (Part-5)

The group froze for a heartbeat. Then a collective, almost amused disbelief rose in their eyes.

What kind of fate was this?

They had just fought these people outside a restaurant, and now they were meeting again under the same roof.

Reesa was the first to speak, her tone dripping with mockery. "Do you have eyes? Of course, we’re here to stay. Or did you think this inn exists just for you?"

Drusilla’s face instantly turned dark. "I knew it. You did this on purpose. You followed us here just to stay in the same inn!"

"Don’t flatter yourself," Reesa replied lazily. "You’re not interesting enough for that."

"We already booked this entire inn," Drusilla snapped. "Go somewhere else!"

Just then, Ignar and the rest of the other representatives of the Lunar Academy came out of their rooms, drawn by the noise. When they saw Zora and the others standing there, their expressions shifted in unison.

So it was really them.

Tiffany stepped forward, his voice cold. "The innkeeper never said anything about you booking the whole place. If you don’t want to share, then you can move out."

Alaric Von Seraph’s patience was clearly running thin. His eyes were icy as he turned to the innkeeper. "Take us to our rooms."

He had no interest in wasting more time with these people. Whether they argued or not, it wouldn’t change anything. Better to rest now and settle accounts later at Thunderclap Academy.

The innkeeper looked as though he had swallowed a mouthful of bitter herbs. He had thought today would be a lucky day, with two big groups staying in his inn. He never expected them to be enemies.

"Y... yes, of course," he stammered, quickly stepping forward.

But Drusilla suddenly blocked his path. "Didn’t you hear me? We’ve booked this place. Make them leave!"

Caius even pulled out a heavy-looking money pouch and shoved it into the innkeeper’s hands. "We paid. Drive them out."

The poor man froze, completely caught between two fires. "Guests, this wasn’t agreed on earlier. This... this puts me in a very difficult position."

Both sides were clearly powerful young Spirit Warriors. Offending either could ruin him.

Baldwin let out a sharp laugh. "Is money the only trick you have? Bribe the innkeeper whenever something doesn’t go your way?"

"Exactly," Tiffany added coolly. "So much for a Lunar Academy student. All you know how to do is bully shopkeepers and waiters?"

Caius’s face turned an ugly shade of green.

"I’m rich. What can you do about it?" He snapped those words out with raw, ugly pride. In his world, money was king. When trouble appeared, you crushed it with gold. What else was there?

Drusilla’s lips curled in satisfaction. That was the kind of confidence she liked. They had money. They had status. Why should they give way to anyone?

Ignar, however, was already losing patience. He rubbed his brow lightly, clearly annoyed by how petty this had become. "It’s just one night. Even if we stay in the same inn, what does it matter?"

This was the closest inn to the restaurant. Anyone with a brain could see that running into each other again was just a coincidence. Besides, their instructors were not far away. Nothing serious could happen here.

But Drusilla was not the type to swallow even the smallest grievance.

"How can it not matter?" she shot back. "They already embarrassed us earlier. If we let them stay here too, where does Lunar Academy’s face go?"

Her gaze flicked toward Zora, full of resentment. In her heart, she was convinced that Ignar’s indifference toward her was because of that woman. "Caius, drive them out!"

Ignar did not even bother to reply. He gave Drusilla a cool glance, turned around, and went back to his room, clearly done with this childish quarrel.

Caius took that as tacit approval. He pulled out another heavy money pouch and shoved it forward. "Double the price. Make them leave."

The innkeeper’s hands trembled as he looked from Caius to Zora’s group. His face was full of misery. "Young Lord, I’m just running a small business. I really can’t afford to offend either side..."

"Three times," Caius said flatly, as if he hadn’t even heard the man’s plea. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Reesa and the others exchanged looks, half angry and half incredulous. This man was really trying to bury them with money.

Tiffany sighed quietly and leaned toward Zora. "Zora, should we just go to another inn? There’s no point making things hard for the innkeeper."

The smugness on Caius’s and Drusilla’s faces deepened when they saw that the other group seemed like they were reconsidering. They thought they had already won this round.

Baldwin and the others looked irritated, but helpless. They were not poor, but they were not the type to throw money around in a meaningless bidding war either. If this continued, the price would only spiral upward.

And just then, Zora calmly reached into her storage pouch and a glittering pouch appeared in her hand.

She then walked forward, placed it on the counter, and said in a clear, unhurried voice, "Shopkeeper, we’ll buy this entire inn."

The air froze.

Reesa and the others stared at her, mouths slightly open.

"Wha?"

Sylvandria, Raphael, and Alaric Von Seraph exchanged glances, all of them silently amused.

Back in the White Mountains, they had already seen just how terrifying Zora could be when it came to wealth. A single Recovery Potion was worth a small fortune, yet she had handed them out as if they were candy. Compared to that, Caius’s proud little pile of gold was barely worth mentioning. Buying an inn, even one in a busy border city, was hardly something that would make her blink.

Caius and Drusilla, however, were completely stunned.

They had never imagined that Zora would go this far. They only wanted the inn for one night, yet she had casually declared that she would buy the entire place. Not even booking, but outrightly buying it. For a moment, the two of them felt as if the ground had shifted beneath their feet.

Caius’s eyes narrowed as they locked onto the small purse in the innkeeper’s hands. It was thin, light, and looked as though it could barely hold a few coins. A sneer crept onto his face as he seized the chance to strike back. "With that tiny little bag, you can’t even afford to book the place, let alone buy the whole inn. Are you trying to make a joke out of us?"

Drusilla burst into mocking laughter as well, pointing at the money pouch. "That’s right. Ironspire City isn’t some backwater village. Do you think you can buy an inn here with pocket change? You really know how to embarrass yourself."

Zora glanced at her with cool indifference, her gaze sharp and steady. "Before you understand the situation, it would be wiser not to laugh so early. Otherwise, you will only make yourselves look ridiculous."

While the Lunar Academy students were full of disbelief, the people from Imperial Academy remained calm. They knew Zora too well. Someone with her composure and intelligence would never make such an obvious blunder.

"Shopkeeper, open it," Zora said quietly.

The innkeeper hesitated for a heartbeat, a trace of worry crossing his face. He did not want this young woman to lose face, especially since her group had been nothing but reasonable to him. Still, he slowly untied the pouch.

The moment he opened it, a faint black glow flashed out, catching everyone’s eyes.

"Black gold coins!" the innkeeper exclaimed, his face instantly lighting up with delight.