In the center of Schafflund, there was a tavern called 'Forest Trout'. The owner of the tavern was an ordinary middle-aged man, but the ale sold there tasted really good and attracted a lot of regular customers.
Most of them were local workmen, who worked six days a week, and could come back to town on Sundays to relax; workmen from the mines, stinking of sweat, invariably boisterous, and without exception, rude and loud, heedless of what other people thought of them, commenting in small groups on the figure of some waitress.
If any of the waitresses in the tavern gave them a flirtatious look, they would definitely be booed.
But there were a few youths drinking in the corner of the tavern, looking at them from the corner of their eyes while discussing their own matters. Most of them were born here, their parents were workers in the mines, and so were they. But the restlessness and restlessness of youths made them unwilling to spend the rest of their lives in this place. They discussed with each other and decided to leave this place and explore the outside world.
But they were born in this town, and the furthest they went was the nearby forest. At most, they could only guess what the outside world was like from the words of the adventurers outside.
The youths discussed for a while and just as they were about to set a time, they heard a cold snort coming from beside them. The young people were slightly startled and turned their heads guiltily. They saw an old dwarf sitting at another table not far away.
Just like in most fantasy stories, this old dwarf had a conspicuous big nose and a long beard that reached below his waist. His hair was braided and tied with an iron ring, and his arms and legs were very thick and strong. But his skin wasn't the healthy reddish-brown of the Hill Dwarves. Instead, it was a light gray color.
The young man's expression changed when he saw the dwarf. This old man was called Odum, and they didn't know where he came from. However, it was said that he was very capable and had gotten a job as a steward for the chief of this place.
But his temper was really bad. He was stubborn and inflexible, and he never gave anyone a good face. His situation wasn't very good either. He was often seen drinking alone. Even though Dwarves loved to drink, they rarely drank alone.
Unlike this old dwarf, his temper would get worse after drinking, and he would keep a straight face and ignore everyone.
Furthermore, this fellow was extremely arrogant and looked down on everyone. Someone had once heard him speak ill of the scribe. However, this old dwarf was so angry that he even dared to scold the king, so this matter didn't attract much attention.
When the young man saw that it was him, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. "Old Odum, so you're here." One of the more quick-witted ones quickly said in a friendly tone.
The old dwarf glanced at the young people and asked, "What's wrong? Are we bothering you?"
"No, no." The person who reacted quickly immediately said, "How could that be? We want to treat you to a drink, but …"
The old dwarf snorted and said, "Who cares about your stupid business? But let me remind you, young man, the outside world is not so simple. Be careful not to bump your head and come back bleeding."
The few youngsters immediately felt as if they had been granted amnesty. They stammered in response, and then went to pay the bill in a hustle and bustle, and hurriedly left through the front door.
When they left, they couldn't help but curse their bad luck. Why did they meet this old man? Fortunately, he didn't have a good relationship with most of the people in town, or else he would have run over and told their parents, and they would probably be beaten up badly.
The old dwarf shook his head as he watched the young people leave. The outside world was not that easy to explore, but the young people were hot-blooded, so he did not care about these things. Just as the old dwarf was about to lower his head and drink some wine, he was startled. He saw three men and four women walking in from outside the inn.
In fact, when Brando opened the door and entered, everyone's eyes lit up.
What a beautiful girl.
Metisha was a pure-blooded Silver Elf royalty, and her beauty was self-evident. Although her body hadn't fully matured, and she had a delicate temperament, she attracted the attention of others.
Roman and Scarlet were not to be outdone either. The merchant girl always had a unique temperament that made people want to take a second look at her, and her pair of dark eyes played an important role.
Moreover, her hands were placed on the leather bag in front of her chest, and the way she looked around made people have a good impression of her.
Scarlet's amber eyes were like burning flames that attracted people's attention. When the girl entered the bar, she couldn't help but frown slightly. The tip of her eyebrows raised, and there was a dangerous aura about her that kept people away.
The Lightning Spear was disassembled into three parts and tied to her back. The girl raised her head slightly, letting her long red ponytail hang behind her back. She looked around with a vigilant expression.
However, the one who caused a commotion among the guests was Jutta, who didn't stand out as much in terms of appearance. The female mercenary group leader's tall and voluptuous figure caused everyone to subconsciously whistle when she entered the hall. A few gazes even landed on the group leader's towering chest.
Jutta didn't mind and only snorted coldly.
Brando couldn't help but chuckle.
He had often seen such a scene in fantastical stories. It could even be said that the various inns were one of the most important places in such stories. Adventurers discussed their plans in low voices, rude guests played drinking games, and the sound of flirting with the barmaids could be heard.
It would be perfect if there was a poet.
With such unrealistic thoughts in mind, Brando turned around. The owner of the bar was already waiting for him. He was just an ordinary middle-aged man, but from the looks of it, he could already see the hierarchy of the group.
When the men, whose lower body dictated their thoughts, looked at the women, the middle-aged man paid more attention to the details of the temperament that exuded from Brando's group. Although the two angelic attendants behind the young men had picturesque features, the middle-aged man's gaze didn't linger on them for long.
As the owner of this crowded bar, he had long been trained to see people differently from the average person.
Especially the confidence of a modern person in Brando. He was very similar to the descendants of nobles who were born in prominent families and had received good education since young. Therefore, the middle-aged man could tell the young man apart from the others at a glance.
"This is a noble young master!" The owner of the bar thought. He forced a smile on his face and unconsciously spoke in a more respectful tone, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Brando looked up and saw a wooden board with the types of wine for sale hanging in front of the wine rack. He pointed at the most expensive wine on the board and ordered a glass. Of course, Brando wasn't interested in the wine. He was just putting on an act.
Other than Metisha, the other ladies ordered a fruit wine that was slightly sweet and slightly sour. Spirits didn't need to eat, so the Silver Fairy Princess just stood quietly behind them. Scarlet noticed her and whispered, "Can't you eat?"
Metisha was taken aback and shook her head, "It's just not necessary."
"Then let's try it." The girl fiddled with her long ponytail, "If we don't order anything here, we'll be too conspicuous."
"No," Roman's voice cut in and said seriously, "A real lady won't eat anything in a messy place like this!"
Scarlet saw the merchant girl holding a glass of fruit wine with both hands and rolled her eyes, "Aren't you drinking too?" She asked in annoyance.
"I'm not a lady to begin with." Roman widened her eyes and answered matter-of-factly.
When Medissa heard the conversation between the two, she could only chuckle to herself.
As for the two angelic attendants, they ignored the chatter of the girls and followed behind Brando expressionlessly. This allowed the middle-aged man to confirm who was the female companion and who was the attendant. He looked at the few of them and asked with the keen eyes of a businessman.
"Are you from the outside?"
Scarlet stopped and raised her eyebrows alertly.
Brando knew that there was nothing to hide. Although these people were not local, they had seen a lot of people in the town. They might know all the locals in the town, so deliberately hiding it would only make them suspicious. He simply nodded.
"Let's try our luck."
Brando didn't tell the truth.
The middle-aged man thought that they might be the children of a noble who left home to play. This kind of person was not uncommon in Erouine, but they were usually the descendants of nobles with a certain amount of family background.
"So you're going into the forest, do you need a guide?" He thought for a moment and asked.
"The service is very good." Brando thought that the glass of the most expensive wine in his hand was effective. A place like this was a place where information was circulated, and the owner often sold information on the side. However, most of the information was based on hearsay, and there was no way to determine whether it was true or false. The only good thing was that the price was also included in the cost of the wine.
I won't charge you an extra cent.
Brando ordered the most expensive wine in the restaurant, and the middle-aged man was naturally very attentive.
However, Brando still shook his head: "I don't need a guide, but I want to ask what's the situation in the forest."
"The town's surroundings are not dangerous, but you will encounter wild beasts and possibly monsters if you go deep into the forest." The middle-aged man replied: "Also, there's a mining area to the north. If you go that way, you might encounter patrols from the mining area. It won't be good if you're caught as someone with bad intentions."
As if afraid that the young man would not know the immensity of heaven and earth, he hurriedly added: "Although this is Tónigel's territory, the owner of the mining area is actually Count Randner."
"Oh," Brendel said.
He lowered his head and took a sip of the wine. The spicy taste went straight from his tongue to his throat, and then back into his nose. The young man almost coughed violently. Brando frowned. He was not a good drinker, and it was not a wise choice to pretend to be like this.
With great difficulty, he suppressed the taste in his mouth. He had already made up his mind not to touch this thing in the slightest. At the same time, he raised his head and asked in a roundabout manner, "Since that's the case, what places should I avoid?"
"Don't go north," the innkeeper replied: "As long as you don't go north, there won't be any trouble."
"But if I don't go north, how will I find the legendary open-air silver mine?" Brando purposely frowned.
The middle-aged man glanced at him and thought: 'As expected, he's here for this.'
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation (PS. Recently, there have been Doomsday Cult followers roaming the book review section again.)
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