Chapter 25 Restaurant
The Golden Anchor Restaurant was indeed a very popular restaurant recently, especially among civilians. Its owner was the leader of the great Golden Anchor Mercenary Group and a high-ranking Apostle Warrior who had once slain the notorious Sea Wolf Pirates nearby. So, despite the mixed crowd at the restaurant, no one dared to cause trouble inside.
In the spacious stone house, small round wooden tables were crowded together. The waitress was holding a bottle of cheap beer that was enough to drown her head, circling between the tables like a menacing seagull amid the noisy crowd.
With a bang, a large glass of light yellow watered-down beer was slammed onto the table, splashing the beer into the sauce of the grilled fish fillet with potatoes. However, the diners paid no attention to this at all. They were excitedly discussing loudly the major news that had occurred in front of the Sheriff's Office this morning.
"I must say you're at a loss if you didn't see it yourself!" cried a burly, bearded man. "I was sharpening my wedge when my Luna pulled me over—and guess what I saw?"
"Oh, don't keep us in suspense, Joseph!" another man, also with a big beard, but bigger, echoed in the same voice, shouting back: "Everybody heard the damn thing, the leader of the Boots was taken to jail this morning!"
Because most of the nearby sheriffs wore shiny black leather boots, the "leather boot guy" became a reference in conversation.
The audience cheered, and one person cursed with gritted teeth, "Good! That greedy fat guy should have been thrown in there long ago! If we cut open his stomach, who knows how much fat would flow out!"
Bearded Joseph was unhappy about having his speakership taken away from him. He slammed the table, splashing more beer. "That's nothing! I watched the whole thing from the second floor, and even saw Mr. Miller with my own eyes. During the Dawn Celebration, there were so many onlookers that you couldn't even see a single hair on Mr. Miller's head. Now, I can even count the gems on his robe!"
At this moment, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him. They asked about the Cardinal's figure, the appearance of his robes, the size of the gem on his scepter, and whether he could really summon the sun with a wave of his hand... In short, Joseph was frantically dealing with it, and he became more and more elated: "That's why I say you are at a big loss - except for Mr. Miller, I have to say that Professor Brody is also great. Although he has an aristocratic, feminine face, what he said was really - ah, I can't put it into words, but after hearing it, I also want to jump off the building and punch that guy in leather boots!"
Another thinner man took over the conversation. He claimed to be a bard who had also been among the crowd watching the entire event this morning. This little-known bard excitedly declared that Mr. Brody's legendary experience had brought him endless inspiration. At that moment, he had received a kiss from the goddess of art, Miugana, and would surely compose an immortal masterpiece that would be sung throughout the continent of Ambrose.
Then the other party played the lyre and sang a newly composed passage on the spot - to be honest, it was really not good.
The bustle of the restaurant did not affect the person sitting in the corner. He was wearing a gray, patched cloak that covered half of his face, and half-worn gloves on his hands. Except for his pale chin and wrists, there was almost no skin exposed.
There were many people dressed like this in Huiqiao Port, most of them were mercenaries, pirates or mysterious people who did not want to reveal their identities. No one cared, as long as they did not bring the outside world's troubles into this always noisy restaurant. Even the waitress who served the dishes did not even look at him. Instead, the mysterious man silently wiped up the soup that was spilled by the waitress's rude behavior.
No one knew that a smiling voice was softly falling into the ears of the gray-robed man.
"It seems we won't hear any news about the 'Dragon's Nest Treasure' for a while."
"People on Yuwei Street marched and demonstrated, and the Chief of Public Security was arrested on the spot" is the most explosive headline news at the moment.
The other party teased him with a smile: "How does it feel to hear your name mentioned by the bard, Professor?"
"It would rhyme better if 'bright' was changed to 'bright light'." Another person who was busy stuffing potatoes into his mouth - this was almost the most normal meal he had eaten in recent days - commented very calmly after hearing this.
The God's Favored One was amused again, and Nova didn't even know what was so funny about his words. He glanced at the person beside him—it was difficult. The confusion spell was still working. The other person's presence was now ridiculously low, like an NPC in the background. If you looked away, he would disappear completely, and his figure and appearance would be forgotten forever.
"As long as I show my face, we won't be able to get any information - and how can we eat with our face completely covered?" The other party said gently and rejected Nova's suggestion of disguise.
They were standing at the end of the alley, next to a child who was chasing a hen but was standing there in a daze after accidentally seeing the face of the God's Blessed One. Nova had to admit that the narcissistic proposal made sense.
So the professor forced himself to recall the other person's appearance - this was a new and interesting game. He had never been so familiar with every inch of bones and muscles of that beautiful face - and then tried to match the blurry face with the model named Azuka.obj in his memory.
"...Professor." Then he heard the other party sigh softly: "Is there something on my face?"
"No." The black-haired young man continued to stuff fish into his mouth while staring at the other person without any concealment - no one could blush under such a gaze, instead it reminded people of the relationship between a scalpel and a frog with its limbs nailed by long needles, a dentist and an opened tooth cavity, and a coroner and a disemboweled corpse.
Azuka looked at him for a moment, then decided to continue with her lunch as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, the man's interest faded quickly—he always reminded her of a cat, with its eyes, temperament, and the neurotic nature of cats—and soon he turned his attention to the other people in the restaurant.
"Pay attention to those people. They are mercenaries and look suspicious." He tapped his finger lightly. "I need to observe them more closely."
The distance is too far and myopia cannot see many details clearly.
The professor pointed to another corner of the restaurant, occupied by a group of silent and vigilant people, who were now watching the noisy crowd in the center of the restaurant. The first one was a burly man with a thick neck like a bison and short, stiff hair like the mane of a gray donkey.
A warrior.
Compared to a sorcerer, the definition of a warrior is more vague. If an ordinary person with good physical fitness is willing to pay three silver coins to be assessed, he may be able to be rated as a low-level waiter.
Warriors' training methods are mostly purely physical, or in other words, the pursuit of self-strength. Most people, while lingering in the servant class, become at best ordinary people with great strength, speed, and fighting skills. Only a very few can break through the invisible barrier, using their physical strength to mobilize the power of ideas and step into the world of apostles. Only then can warriors be qualified to compete with sorcerers.
A warrior's perception is very sharp, and he almost instantly realized that someone was looking at him - and it was an uncomfortable gaze, as if peeling back his skin and digging out his marrow. The man turned his head sharply and glanced around the restaurant fiercely, but didn't see anyone suspicious.
"Captain, what's wrong?" his companion asked nervously.
The other party didn't say anything, but just made a gesture in an inconspicuous place.
——If someone is following you, be careful.
Xita is the leader of the Black Whale Mercenary Group. Graybridge Harbor, the westernmost point of the Silver Iris Empire, is a frequent stopover for merchant ships during the hurricane-free season, seeking respite. The traffic is mixed, and disputes are inevitable. Consequently, Graybridge Harbor is overrun with mercenary organizations, some undertaking legitimate missions, others cold-blooded and brutal outlaws. The Black Whale Mercenary Group represents a mix of both—or, rather, everything is determined by price.
Sita is an ambitious man who wants nothing more than to make a fortune and leave his impoverished hometown. Recently, by chance, he got a piece of astonishing news. Sensing his chance, Sita, for the first time, was even more cautious and deliberately got drunk in a restaurant, then fabricated a story and revealed the secret of the "Dragon's Nest Treasure."
Damn "Dragon's Nest Treasure." Dragons do love shiny metal, sure, but only a giant dragon, camped near a human kingdom in ancient times, could possibly amass a nest full of gold and jewels. The dragons near Graybridge Harbor were small and medium-sized, their "treasures" little more than a sailor's knife or scraped iron. Finding a noble's lost silver spoon would be a pleasant surprise.
But rumors are unfounded. Everyone loves to hear the legendary tales told by bards, imagining that one day they might be the protagonist in a heroic epic. Soon, rumors of the "Dragon's Nest Treasure" spread throughout the already small Huiqiao Port, embellished with tales of legend.
The mercenaries finished their drinks and left the restaurant. The waitress grumbled as she cleaned up the mess on the table. The gray-robed man who had been sitting in the corner had also left at some point, leaving only two plates on the table.
Wait, she began to doubt her memory. Did the other party order two meals before? That person seemed quite thin, but she didn't expect him to be such a big eater.
The streets of Huiqiao Port were like a spider web, each of which was extremely narrow and crowded. The mercenaries dispersed and soon disappeared into the alleys.
Deep in the dark alleys, homeless people, wanted criminals, and black market traders often roamed here. Sita, who was alone, stopped in his tracks, sneered, and drew a gleaming battle axe from his waist.
"Get out of here!" he yelled. "I heard the rat scurrying around a while ago, but I didn't expect it to be so bold as to follow me!"
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