Norton Lollister carried a large satchel on his left and a bulging backpack that reached his knees on his back. He carried a large box made of yellow rattan in his left hand, and a large and long animal skin scroll on his right. He stretched out his leg to push open the mahogany door with a white wine glass. Like a big bento bear that had mistakenly entered the irontooth shrubs, he staggered with difficulty and squeezed into the tavern's entrance that could normally fit two burly men at the same time.
It was three in the afternoon, the time when Red Raven Tavern was at its most idle. There were only three people in the large tavern's hall. The red-nosed singer, Old Mike, had drunk too much cat urine at noon and was sleeping soundly on the table. Old Hope, whose family owned a leather shoe shop, and Thom, a retired postmaster, were sitting at a table by the fireplace playing cards to kill time. Both of them were staring at Lollister with wide eyes in shock as he walked into the tavern.
Nodding at Old Hope and Thom, Lollister unloaded all the weights on his body and threw them on the floor in front of the long tavern counter. Backpacks of all sizes, satchels, boxes, and animal skin scrolls piled up into a small hill. He took off the bearskin hat on his head and threw it on the table beside him. Then he took off the black leather coat on his body and pulled out two swords of different lengths from his waist. He placed them on the table and let out a long sigh. He slapped the counter and called out, "Old Jia, Old Jia, where are they? Where did he go? The wine barrel was taken away! "
"Oh my god, it's Lil 'Locke …" Thom finally recognized Norton Lollister after he took off his leather coat.
Old Hope stood up impatiently, "Hey, Lil 'Locke, why did you take so long this time? It's been more than half a year. We were worried that something had happened to you. Did you get the astral deerskin I wanted? "
Pointing at the animal skin scrolls on the floor, Lollister said, "Three of them. They're all wrapped up inside. Take a look yourself."
A thin and tall old man limped out from the small door behind the counter. Seeing Lollister standing in front of the counter, a smile flashed across his gloomy face, "You're back?"
This old man was the owner of the Red Raven Tavern, Brunan Galilando. He was the Ol 'Gar that Lollister mentioned. Although he was limping, who would have thought that this expressionless old man who usually stayed behind the counter of the tavern would be a 1-star Gold-ranked swordsman. Even the neighbors who frequented the tavern would think that he was just an ordinary tavern owner.
"Hey, Old Jia, have a glass of Black Plum Ale to moisten your throat. Call Fatty Mai from the kitchen to give me a feast first. I've been eating and sleeping in the open for more than half a year. I've missed your delicious food to death. "Laurist was not polite at all.
"Got it." Garilando scooped up a mug of ale and placed it in front of Lollister. "Drink some first. I'll go wake Madoff."
"That's right, Old Jia. Help me make an inventory later. I've gathered everything that everyone wanted. Take a look and see if it's the same as what was registered." Laurist sipped his ale as he watched Old Hopper rummage through the animal skin roll.
Garilando grunted and disappeared through the small door.
"Heh." A sleepy, yawning woman appeared through the small door. "Who is it? Don't you know that everyone needs to take a nap now? You're sick, coming to eat at this time. "
Her breasts were huge, and the fitting maid outfit on her head was tight. This was the head maid of the Red Raven Tavern, Louise.
"Ugh …" Laurist choked, and his face turned a little red. Anyone would feel a little guilty in front of the first woman they had sex with. Laurist, in particular, was a little afraid of Louise. After all, on his twentieth birthday, he got drunk at the Red Raven Tavern and lost his virginity to Louise. She said it was a gift for him to come of age. It had been a few years since then, but Laurist still had lingering fears when he saw Louise.
"Oh, our little Locke is back! It's been half a year. I've missed you so much. Come, give me a hug first. " When she saw Laurist, Louise's eyes lit up, and her sleepiness disappeared without a trace. She spread out her arms and pounced on him.
Across the counter, Laurist and Louise hugged each other, and Louise gave him two big kisses on the cheek.
"You just came back? Poor little Locke, it's only been half a year, and you've become so skinny and tanned. Everyone always talks about you, worried that something might have happened to you. We haven't heard from you for so long, we're really afraid that something might have happened to you … "Louise began to nag.
"Well, I'm back now, aren't I? This time, I'm going to the Ruins Islands, and there's no way to communicate across the sea. Besides, doesn't everyone know that the ship that goes there once every six months? What's there to worry about? At least have some confidence in my strength, right? "
"With your strength as a 3-Star Iron Warrior? How many Silver Swordsmen have died in the Ruins Islands? I've heard a lot about it in the tavern. "Louise did not give Laurist any face at all.
"Ugh, but as a 3-Star Iron Warrior, I've never lost to a Silver Swordsman …" Laurist rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
"That was an academy tournament, not a battle to the death with a major monster. The others were just going easy on you. I really don't understand why the old men in your academy took a liking to you and made you their bodyguard on an expedition with them. There are so many Silver Swordsmen out there, yet they didn't want you. " Louise felt that it was a heinous crime to make Locke, who was only an Iron Warrior, do the work of a Silver Swordsman.
Laurist smiled bitterly. Louise was just being nice. How could she understand the pain of not being able to break through to the Iron Warrior stage for the past three years? This time, the academy organized a team to go on an expedition to the Ruins Islands. He had to pester the old man, Levins, and was forced to sign several unfair treaties. Only then did the old man agree to let him follow the team to the Ruins Islands as a life support.
Without the strength of a Silver Swordsman, going to the Ruins Islands was equivalent to suicide. This was a fact known to all adventurers in the Galinthia Continent. Of course, protected scholars and researchers were an exception. Although Laurist went as a life support to take care of a few professors in the academy, he actually did not do any less than a Silver Swordsman. He went through all the risks that he should and should not have taken. He even went through several dangerous experiences that exceeded the strength of a Silver Swordsman.
The journey back and forth took nearly two months, and he stayed on the Ruins Islands for four months. He had gained a lot. Laurist could also feel that the life and death battles with those magical beasts and the many life-threatening experiences had indeed greatly increased his strength. His swordsmanship had become sharper, his movements more agile, and even his spiritual intuition had become sharper. However, his original wish of breaking through to the Iron Warrior stage through life and death experiences was still unfulfilled. He was still stuck at the peak of 3-Star Iron Warrior.
He regretted it so much. How could he have thought of using the Qigong cultivation method from his previous life to circulate his Qi? One was the meridians, the other was the bloodline. One was the internal, the other was the external. They were completely unrelated. Only he would do something like that if he had a brain cramp. In the end, he had messed up his family's high-grade Inferno Warrior. He had been stuck at the Iron Warrior stage for more than three years, unable to advance to a Silver Swordsman. He had also fallen from being an envied genius in swordsmanship to a joke in the academy.
"Hey, Brother Locke, you're finally back. I'm so happy to see you …" The fat man who interrupted Lollister's self-pity was the head chef of the Red Raven Tavern, Madoff. He was currently wearing a mottled blue linen apron while trying his best to squeeze his big belly out of the door and into the counter.
"Hi, Madoff. It's nice to see you too." Laurist raised the glass of ale in his hand. "Is there anything else to eat? I'm starving. I didn't eat breakfast or lunch, just a rye stick on the boat …"
"Oh my god, why didn't you say so earlier? Don't just drink. You'll get sick on an empty stomach. Madoff, quickly think of something that can be served immediately. "Louise said." Well, there's roast goose in the smoker, it hasn't been seasoned yet.
"Well, there's roast goose in the smoker, it hasn't been seasoned yet, and there's potato ribs in the pot, but it's cold and needs to be reheated. These can't be served until later. By the way, there's mutton balls steamed over a small fire, they're still warm. Louise, go to my room, there are two loaves of white bread in the birch box next to the bed. Bring them to Locke first, I was planning to have them as snacks in the afternoon." Madoff was a little reluctant to part with the two loaves of white bread.
Louise left in a hurry.
"Alright, give me one roast goose and a pot of stewed potato ribs. Madoff, fry me a herring, green bean sausage, steamed eggs and shrimp, stir-fried mushrooms and green cabbage, and a bottle of fruit wine." Laurist continued to order.
"That much? Do you have enough to eat? "Madoff looked at Laurist suspiciously.
"I'm so hungry I can eat a cow right now. Hurry up and get the food. Let's sit down and have a drink when we're done."
As soon as he sent Madoff away, Louise came over with a large plate of steaming lamb meatballs and two loaves of white bread. "Hurry up and eat. Don't starve yourself."
"Oh, Locke, you're amazing. This is the leather I wanted. Look, what a beautiful pattern of stars …" Before he could swallow the bread in his mouth, Old Hope's praises came from behind him. He was admiring three pieces of deerskin the size of a table, admiring them under the fireplace's light.
"Right, I'm going home to get the money. I'll be right back." Old Hope finally put down the deerskin in his hand and rushed out of the tavern with an agility that did not match his age.
"Uh, why is he in such a hurry …" Laurist shrugged at Louise, who was sitting at the table, and mumbled as he chewed on the lamb meatball.
"Old Hoppe has been talking about you in the tavern for the past two months. I thought he was being kind, but it turns out that he's only concerned about the furs you promised him …" The retired postmaster, Old Thom, raised his mug of ale at Lollister.
When Louise served Laurist the green bean sausage, Old Hope also rushed back, sweating profusely. He came to Laurist's table, panting, and poured out fifteen gold coins from an intricately patterned leather bag. He tidied them up neatly and impatiently reached for the three pieces of star-patterned deerskin.
"Hey, Old Hope, wait. Are you sure this is the price?" The tavern owner, Garilando, appeared in front of Old Hope at some point and pressed his hand on the three pieces of star-patterned deerskin on the table.
"Garilando, what's going on? Didn't Young Locke agree to it? "Old Hope looked at Garilando.
"Young Locke didn't say anything, but that doesn't mean he has no objections. The current market price is seven gold coins and eight big silver coins for a piece of star-patterned deerskin. You want to take these three pieces of good leather with only fifteen gold coins? That's too much."
Old Hope's face turned red. "But I made the reservation half a year ago …"
"You didn't agree on a price when you made the reservation with Young Locke six months ago. You only said that it would be the market price. It's been half a year, and you're still going at the market price at that time? Now that there are fewer and fewer star-patterned deerskins on the market, the price is getting higher and higher. If you sell these three pieces of good leather, someone might even pay eight gold coins for them. If you use them to make boots, you can make about ten pairs. That's enough for you to earn a few tens of gold coins. If you don't make up for the difference, we can forget about this deal. I'll sell them on Young Locke's behalf. I don't believe that no one will pay a high price for them. "
"That's right. Two days ago, didn't two mercenaries say that it costs five gold coins to buy a piece of star-patterned deerskin from the Ruins Islands? Old Hope, you're obviously bullying people, aren't you? Young Locke came all the way here to bring you three pieces of good leather. Aren't you embarrassed to let him work for nothing? "Louise rolled her eyes at Old Hope with a look of disdain.
Old Hope returned to Lollister's table resentfully. He took out seven gold coins from his purse and placed them on the table. "I didn't bring any silver coins …"
One gold coin was worth twenty silver coins, and Old Hope still had to pay four silver coins.
Lollister waved his hand generously. "Forget it."
Looking at Old Hope's back as he left in a hurry with the leather, Louise was very unhappy. "Why are you being so generous? That old bastard got lucky. Four silver coins is enough for him to eat ten good meals."
Lollister laughed. "What's wrong? Did Old Hope offend you?"
Louise immediately flared up. "That old bastard, he's a miser. He takes advantage of the maids in the tavern every day, but he never tips them … He can drink a glass of ale that costs five coppers for an entire afternoon, and he doesn't even shit when he occupies the seats …"
Ugh, the tavern's maids were meant to be taken advantage of by the customers. It wasn't a big deal for them to flirt, touch their breasts, and pat their buttocks for a bit of oil. However, customers who didn't tip and still took advantage of the maids were hated by everyone. They were the most unwelcome kind of people.
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