After venturing a few blocks from the site of the fire, Linnaeus entered a small tavern called 'The Laughing Cow', a relatively popular location despite its small size. This wasn't due to their food and alcohol being especially delicious or inexpensive, but due to the fact that the Proprietor only employed women who weren't afraid to show a bit of skin in order to loosen their customer's coin purses.
Eliza wasn't fond of Linnaeus' choice of location, but, as such places were often the best locations to gather information, he insisted they enter. Though this required they pay a fee before entry, the fact several bodyguards were posted around the premises guaranteed a certain level of privacy.
After securing a booth that allowed them to see the entrance, everyone placed their drink orders with the relatively buxom waitress, a woman with small horns, drooping ears, and a cow-like tail.
Seeing the woman's outfit, which showed off her ample bosom, Eliza couldn't help but glower a bit. Fortunately, she kept her comments to herself, waiting until the woman had gone to take the order of another table before muttering, \"Stupid Kyrie woman...\" in a hushed tone.
The Kyrie were a self-proclaimed warrior tribe that, in spite of their claims, were more often found on farms than battlefields. They had a high affinity with nature, and, though their men were often large, muscular individuals, their women were relatively popular for their short statures, gentle dispositions, and well-endowed, perpetually lactating, breasts. This last quality made them exceptionally popular as wet nurses, to the point that even Eliza's Governess, the woman who had educated her, was also a Kyrie woman.
Though it wasn't really necessary, Linnaeus reminded Eliza, \"We are here to gather information. It will become troublesome if you offend the staff members, so try to withhold such remarks...I'll be approaching the bar and see if I can't loosen the Proprietor's lips. Emilia will keep an eye on the door for anyone suspicious. I won't be gone long.\"
Eliza was briefly tempted to follow Linnaeus to the bar, but, understanding he wanted to try and gather information on his own, she obediently remained. Though she was skilled at negotiating prices, her looks provided her very little benefits when it came to raw information gathering. Thus, while it was more than a little annoying, she decided to leave things to the inordinately cute and unassuming Linnaeus...
Unaware of what Eliza was thinking, Linnaeus made his way over to the bar, his eyes scanning the other guests before settling on the 260cm tall wall of muscle wearing a traditional barkeep outfit. Like many of the barmaids and waitresses present, he was also a member Kyrie tribe, possessing great physical strength, large curved horns, and a short beard that connected seamlessly into his mane-like hair.
Seeing Linnaeus approach, the man threw crooked an eyebrow at him, asking, \"What can I get for you, young lady?\"
Though he knew some races had difficulties distinguishing the gender of other tribes, it took a fair amount of willpower for Linnaeus to avoid glaring back at the mountain-like man. Fortunately, he had never been the type to let his emotions show on his face, allowing him to appear calm on the outside as he plainly stated, \"I may not be a wall of muscle, but I'm still a man...\"
Hearing Linnaeus' words, the barkeep issued an awkward laugh, finishing up wiping down the glass in hand before saying, \"Sorry about that, lad. Now, tell me, what can I get for you? If it isn't top-shelf, I'll pour you something light, free of charge.\"
Though the most expensive liquor was often kept locked away under the bar, there were often many pricey alcohols visible on the various shelves lining the back wall. As you went down the line and moved to lower shelves, the prices gradually decreased, but, if you were just looking to whet your palette, they also served cheap mead on tap.
Accepting the man's gesture of goodwill, Linnaeus asked for a plain glass of mead before taking a seat at the bar. He wasn't particularly fond of drinking, but, as it was a chance to build rapport with the barkeep, refusing wasn't really an option.
After taking a few large gulps, much to the amusement of the Kyrie barkeep, Linnaeus placed the glass back on the counter, wiping away the excess from the edges of his mouth before saying, \"I want to purchase some information.\"
As it wasn't uncommon for people to come into his establishment for the same purpose, the man wasn't surprised by Linnaeus' words. Instead, he eyed the other customers at the bar, making sure none of them were trying to flag him down, before answering, \"Sure. If it's just local rumors, I'll be glad to share for the price of a few mugs. If you're looking for anything more sensitive, you'll have to go in the back. That'll cost you a bit, though, as my girls ain't so keen on sharing secrets without proper compensation.\"
Linnaeus knew the man was basically telling him to rent a private room with one of the barmaids, a rather common service among businesses that brokered information on the side. Unfortunately, while this would have been a viable option if he was alone, the presence of Eliza and Emilia made it a lot more difficult.
After ordering another drink, leaving his previous glass half-full, Linnaeus asked, \"Hear anything interesting about the first that started a few blocks over? I heard a woman from the Guild started the blaze...\"
Hearing Linnaeus' words, the man stroked his beard for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face as he muttered, \"Oh? I wonder where you heard a rumor like that? The information circling in the markets tells a very different story.\"
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In truth, Linnaeus hadn't heard anything about the fire being related to the Guild, but, after seeing the three groups investigating the area, he had a hunch they were involved. Unfortunately, while it seemed like the barkeep knew something, based on the look in his eye, the price of a single glass of mead didn't seem to cover the cost.
Since it would hurt his position to slowly increase the offer, Linnaeus pulled out a small gemstone, equating to precisely 100 Soul Kindling. This wasn't an exceptional amount, but it was enough to earn a small smile from the barkeep, causing him to pull out a small pad of receipt paper, writing a few quick scribbles before handing Linnaeus a small bottle of whiskey.
Based on the man's behavior, Linnaeus could tell he wasn't willing to openly discuss the matter, indicating there were likely people from the three groups keeping an eye on the local businesses. This, alone, was an important piece of information, causing him to return a small nod to the Kyrie man as he accepted the bottle and returned to his table.
Before Eliza could ask how things had gone, Linnaeus shook his head slightly, stopping her words until he sat down and said, \"There didn't have the drink we were looking for. Do you think this will do as a substitute...?\"
Though it took her a moment, Eliza was able to realize what Linnaeus was trying to say after Emilia lightly nudged her before answering, \"I don't know. Maybe we should search a few more places to see if they have what we need?\"
Seeing how quick Emilia was to realize his intentions, Linnaeus couldn't help but smile slightly as he shook his head and answered, \"It's already getting pretty late. We should find a place to stay before everything fills up. There is time to finish our drinks, but we shouldn't stay too long.\"
Understanding that Linnaeus was basically telling them the place was being watched, Eliza gave a small nod before finishing her non-alcoholic drink. She had promised to watch her intake earlier that same day, so, while she had been tempted to order something much stronger, she settled on a somewhat bitter apple cider instead.
Once everyone had finished their drinks, Linnaeus was the first to rise from the table, tossing a tip to their waitress in passing. Then, once they were finally outside, he waited until they had traveled a full block before pulling out the slip handed to him by the barkeep. He had glanced at it earlier, but, as there was a chance someone had been spying on him, he elected not to read and discuss it while they were still inside.
Though it appeared to be gibberish, understanding the context behind the words was enough for Linnaeus to understand that, according to actual rumor, the Guild was proactively concealing the reason behind the fire. Other than that, the only other information on the receipt were the words, 'Orcus Merchant' and 'Anti-Magic King'.
After memorizing the contents of the receipt, Linnaeus shredded it into tiny pieces, ensuring it was impossible to reassemble and read. Then, turning to his Party, he explained, \"I don't think this has anything to do with the person pursuing me, at least not directly. It seems like the Guild came into conflict with a group of Merchants containing a member of the Orcus tribe. Considering how they look...I can't imagine there are too many successful Orcus Merchants. If we can find one who has the [Anti-Magic King] Blessing, we'll be able to determine the original cause of the fire...\"
Hearing Linnaeus' words, Eliza frowned slightly, saying, \"That's well and good, but it doesn't do much to alleviate our current problem. Investigating the people behind the fire might not have anything to do with the people targetting you. If we continue looking into things that aren't our business, we'll just draw more attention to ourselves.\"
Though he understood Eliza's concerns, Linnaeus released a small sigh as he explained, \"Even if it isn't directly related, we know the fire involves the Guild. Based on how Renka was behaving this morning and this afternoon, I have a hunch she was directly involved. From what I know, all of the Guild personnel stay within the same residential district. Since Renka seems to work shifts in the morning and afternoon, her being anywhere near our Inn during the time of the fire indicates she would have been there on official business. This could have nothing to do with us, but I can't rest easy until I know for certain that is the case...\"
As Linnaeus' words were rather convincing, Eliza couldn't help but frown as she muttered, \"I knew that bitch was up to no good...why don't we just move to another district?\"
Shaking his head, Linnaeus explained, \"Renka wouldn't have needed to investigate us personally. The Guild has personnel specifically assigned to gather information and conduct investigations so she must have been there for another reason. If she was the one who got into a fight, we need to find out their identity and why they were skulking around our Inn. Given the circumstances, there is a fair chance Renka was there to protect us...\"
Hearing Linnaeus' final statement, Eliza's frown deepened as she asked, \"Why would she go out of her way to try and protect our Party? You don't think...\"
Before Eliza could finish, Linnaeus shook his head, saying, \"I don't think she has any feelings for me, at least, not in the way you're thinking. If I had to guess, it would be our Potentiate status that is garnering us so much attention. Even when I went to investigate Debtees, the brokers seemed to pay a lot of attention to my Potentiate status. There are also various laws in place to protect the rights of Potentiates. While this could just be the result of an arrangement between Tenebrae and those in power, I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to it...\"
To prove his point, Linnaeus pulled out two pieces of paper, one listing the Quest given to them by Renka, the other pulled from the Quest Board. As for the difference, Renka had tasked them to collect 10 mandibles that were 30cm, or greater, in length. The other Quest, however, only listed mandibles that were between 20~25cm, with a bonus offered for any over 30cm in length.
Seeing the two Quests, realization donned on Eliza, causing her to ask, \"Are you saying that Potentiates have a better drop rate for valuable items..?\" in a very quiet whisper.
Though he had various thoughts on the matter, Linnaeus felt this was the only real answer that could explain everything that had happened to them. Even the previous ambush, it seemed that the other party was intending to forcibly recruit and make use of them, despite the fact it would have been much easier just to kill and rob their corpses.
Linnaeus had always felt there was something strange about that encounter, so, from the time they had set out from Central City, he had been observing how others treated them. Renka was just the most obvious indicator that something was up, so, if it turned out she had actually been in the area to deter others from trying to approach them, it would greatly increase the leverage they had in future negotiations...