Chapter 185: Hurray for the Sultan (2)
A credit card. A common item carried by almost anyone with income in South Korea. Depending on an individual’s personal finance credit, they could purchase goods and services on their card and pay it back later. Made of plastic, it was 3.375 inches wide and 2.125 inches high. But Lloyd never owned a credit card before. Neither South Korea nor its banks had ever allowed him to own one. The reason was simple.
Why else? I was pretty much a beggar.
He was young when his parents were alive. Getting an allowance was more than enough for him. But once he grew up, around the time he was old enough to use a credit card, his family went under. And then his parents passed away so soon that he was forced to live in a room rental. He could only make a living by working his butt off on construction sites to cover his expenses. So, making a credit card was impossible. Not a single bank in Korea issued him one.
That was the reason. I could only use a debit card and a transportation card.
Those wretched days came to his mind. In TVs, and everywhere he looked, people seemed to be wealthy. The celebrities on TV wore tens of thousands of dollars worth of watches as though they cost nothing. Ordinary people spent thousands of dollars every month. No, he was in dire straits that he was simply jealous of those who had the luxury of worrying about paying back a thousand-dollar card credit. Those ordinary people. Their ordinary concerns. But such ordinary things were nothing but a fairy tale for Lloyd.
It was obvious. A thousand dollars in credit card debt? Even that was a luxury for me. How starved I was! On bad days, I had to get by with instant ramen.
There was a time when a long monsoon put a pause on a construction project. That was when Lloyd naturally learned the art of surviving with one cup of instant ramen a day. In the morning, he cooked an instant noodle and ate only the noodle, leaving the soup untouched as much as possible. That was the most important part here. Kill the desire to chug the soup in one go, and that promised him a generous serving of lunch and dinner. Why? It was because he could use the soup again.
For lunch, I cooked the dried noodles offered at the room rental in the ramen soup and only the noodles. Then, for dinner, I mixed in the rice they give out at night with the leftover ramen soup from lunch. This method allowed me to get through the day with one bowl of instant ramen.
Otherwise, he threw an egg and some oil in a large bowl of rice and made fried rice out of it. It was a mess in terms of nutrition, but it was one of the most filling meals out there. It was because of the oil that made the rice greasy and slowed his metabolism.
The downside was that I felt bloated for the rest of the night, but it was better than getting a stomach ache from starving.
The resurfacing memories made his stomach flip over with bitterness. But those miserable days were over for him. The struggle of not having a credit card was nothing but history. It was different now. Why?
“That gold plate… Is that the Padashar, the one that the great and omnipotent sultan bestows…?”
“Yes, it is the one. I am glad that you recognized it right away.”
“Well, of course…”
Gulp. The restaurant owner’s Adam’s apple bobbed visibly, and his eyes, which were buried in fat, observed the gold plate. It was real. It had to be real. The symbol of sultan was engraved in the center of the gold plate. No one could replicate or copy it. It was the absolute law for anyone living under the rule of the sultan.
“So, what do you want to get with the Padashar?” The owner asked Lloyd.
“Everything,” stated Lloyd with a grin.
“Excuse me?”
“I want everything on the menu in this restaurant. Use all the ingredients you have,” demanded Lloyd.
“What are you saying…?”
“Do not think. Just go grill and fry. Consider closing your business for today.”
“Are you telling me to cook your meal using all the ingredients stored for today?”
“Yes, that is what I mean.”
Lloyd smiled in satisfaction. But the restaurant owner’s forehead started to form beads of sweat.
“But as you can see, this is not like any other restaurant. Only the wealthiest in Ahinsya can come in-”
“And that’s why I’m here. With the Padashar bestowed by the great and omnipotent sultan.”
Swish. Swish. Lloyd swayed the gold plate in front of the owner’s eyes, and the latter’s gaze shook.
“Ah… I understand.”
The authority of the Padashar could be trusted, the owner told himself. The sultan would eventually pay him later. Even if he used all the ingredients for today, amounting to an exorbitant bill no ordinary citizen could imagine for one meal, the sultan would pay it all back. So, in a way, this was an opportunity, a golden opportunity to make the most money ever since the restaurant opened.
“Then please wait here for a moment. No, I will escort you personally. Over here.”
Realizing what was going on, the owner dismissed his workers and led Lloyd to the most luxurious room. And he flashed the most courteous smile at Lloyd as though he was looking at a bar of gold.
“So, should I bring all the food to this table?”
“No.”
Lloyd shook his head, and with a carefree smile, he spoke.
“I want you to distribute it to everyone in the restaurant.”
“Excuse me…?”
“Look, I am not a monster. I can’t eat all of that alone. So, bring me one reasonable serving of food. As for the rest, distribute it all to the customers here.”
“But that’s going to-”
“Any reason you can’t?”
“…”
There wasn’t any reason not to. Surely, doing this was an outrageous and irrational way to spend money, but there wasn’t any rule that prevented him from doing so.
“Duly noted.”
The owner hurried into the kitchen and urged the chef and the others. The food came out in no time. Now, Ahinsya was the capital of the sultan’s kingdom and the largest port on the southeastern coast of the continent. So the quality of food was far from ordinary as the restaurant itself was high-end, to say the least. Expensive food continued to be served in series to the point that the table legs shook. Lobster was just the common one. Lamb aged with a 50-year-old wine. Rare jellyfish are caught only in the Arctic. Mushrooms grow only in the deepest part of the cave. Dessert fried from the oil extracted by a flower that blooms every 30 years… Lloyd used his fork and knife as he heard the chef personally explain each food to him. And Lloyd thought to himself…
Oh, I want to eat soybean paste stew.
Was it because Lloyd preferred simpler food? The chef boasted that his food was gourmet. But Lloyd couldn’t feel that exquisite quality when he tasted them. But still, they were more delicious and filling than he thought. And just like that, he stepped out of the VIP room slapping his belly which had grown slightly chubbier. And he looked around the restaurant with a confident gait, wherein people started to murmur and stare. It was obvious why. Lloyd was the first customer ever to empty the pantry of this high-end, gourmet restaurant in Ahinsya in just one day.
“Everyone,” Lloyd said, his jolly voice echoing through the wide and flashy restaurant. “I am joyful and honored to pay for your meals today. But most of you must be wondering. Why is this man, a total stranger, paying for such an expensive meal for us?”
Everyone nodded their heads. All of them were actually curious. Why on earth is he doing it? What is up with this alien? They used their wildest imaginations but no answer came. They couldn’t wrap their heads around his behavior. The corners of Lloyd’s lips rose slightly.
“There is only one thing I would like to say. May the glory of the great and omnipotent sultan spread everywhere! Yes, that’s right. I am not the one paying for the food here. It’s the sultan’s treat. No, wait, he is paying for the food,” clarified Lloyd, thinking that they won’t know what “treat” meant.
Lloyd then held up the Padashar in his hand, and everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I am sure you know what this object is. Yes, it is the Padashar bestowed by the great and omnipotent sultan. That is right! Every bit of food or sip of drink you enjoy today reflects the grace and consideration of the great and omnipotent sultan. So, let us cheer.”
Lloyd raised the Padashar high. And then…
“Long live the sultan!” Lloyd yelled.
“Long live the sultan…!” Not knowing why, the rich merchants and emirs in the restaurant yelled together.
Lloyd continued to yell, this time louder. “Long live the great and omnipotent sultan!”
“Long live the sultan!”
“Should we,” Lloyd went on, “spend the night partying as we wish for the eternal glory of the great and merciful sultan?”
“Long live the sultan!”
The atmosphere in the restaurant heated up, and on top of the endless buffet of superb food and alcohol, the best of the best bandsmen and dancers were hired. The generous pay guaranteed by the Padashar made them happy. They went an extra mile in their performance, and soon enough, the fanciest restaurant in the capital transformed into a flashy club. And Lloyd was the one behind the utterly over-the-top celebration.
Who cares?! It’s not my money anyway!
Is this what it felt like to swipe a VIP card that couldn’t be maxed out? Everything was on the sultan, and there was no limit to its usage. The officials told Lloyd what? Meeting the sultan would take at least six months? Lloyd actually couldn’t be any happier. The opportunity appeared right in front of him, and he meant to grab it hard. So, the next six months would be spent swiping this credit card and shamelessly throwing money down the drain.
Now, this is the sweet life I was talking about!
Lloyd shouted at everyone, “Thank you so much, sultan!”
“Thank you so much!”
The customers in the restaurant and those who just joined after hearing the rumor all roared under the heated atmosphere.
“Our sultan! Our great leader! Our god! We praise you!”
“We praise you!”
The night advanced, equally heating up Lloyd’s unbridled money-spending party.
A few days later, there was a fuss at the Ahinsya palace. In particular, the palatial high-ranking official’s heart sank.
“What… is this?”
“It’s the credit history of the Padashar used by the Magentano delegation,” replied the official under him.
The high-ranking official’s eyes shook as he looked at the history. “Tell me, are you sure this is the right one?”
There seemed to be an error in the amount. One or two zeros were mistakenly recorded maybe? The high-ranking official hoped a little. This couldn’t be real. It had been only a few days since he handed over the Padashar after mortifying them.
“They splurged this much money in just a few days? That delegation?
He could not believe it, but the response from a low-ranking official was more unbelievable.
“There is no error in the amount. One more thing… It was not used by the whole delegation.”
“Then?”
“It is used independently by one member of the delegation,” said the official.
“What…?”
Just one? Not many? This amount? The high-ranking official’s mouth hung wide open. In a shaking voice, the subordinate spoke.
“I could not believe it at first when I received the history. So, I checked it over two, three times. And then…”
“And?”
“I found out that a member named Lloyd Frontera used the Padashar in various places. He searched for the best of the best restaurants and ordered food and drinks until they ran out of ingredients.”
“Did he eat and drink everything alone?” asked the superior in shock.
“No, he didn’t drink a sip of alcohol, and he shared food with the other customers.”
“To others?” he asked.
“Yes. It is said that he made people praise the sultan by telling them that the food is being paid for by him.”
“Hahaha…”
“It does not end there. He purchased all the silk in the capital, and we discovered that he bought a merchant ship to send every bit of it to the north sea.”
“Silk? To the north sea?”
“The destination is the Cremo port of the Magentano kingdom,” answered the subordinate.
“…”
“It was presumed that it will pass the Cremo port to be finally sent to the Frontera fiefdom…”
“…”
“Furthermore, an extravagant festival is happening every night,” he went on, “And he is purchasing not only silk but also pottery, jewelry, and other valuable items using the Padashar. And he is shipping them to port Cremo…”
“He is shipping them all?”
“Yes. Thanks to him, the palatial budget for this year is…” mumbled the subject.
“It can’t be.”
“…”
“You are not telling me,” the high-ranking official paused, “that we spent the budget already?”
“I am sorry.”
“…”
What kind of weirdo is he? The face of the high-ranking official turned pale as a sheet, and if the report was true, this was a grave matter. No one in the palace imagined such a thing would happen when he offered the Padashar, the grace of the great and omnipotent sultan, to the Magentano envoys. Why? They were the delegation from Queen Magentano and would not dare fall under the grace of the sultan so thoughtlessly. That would be a great shame for them. The official had had no inkling of doubt about it. That was the normal way to think. It was common sense. The natural order of society.
It was beyond his imagination for a loony in the delegation to abuse the Padashar to his heart’s content and act so absurdly. The official jumped to his feet.
“Stay here for a while.”
“Sir? W-where are you going?”
“I must report the matter to the sultan.”
This matter couldn’t be covered up anyway. It had to be reported before it was too late. Something had to be done before it spiraled out of control. So, the official rushed to the palace of the sultan. And later that afternoon, the sultan sent out an order.
“Bring Lloyd Frontera to the palace.”
And just like that, the meeting with the sultan, which was expected to take at least six months, was shortened to a few days. It was all thanks to Lloyd’s unrestrained use of money.