Inside the tavern, a small private room was enclosed by red-painted pine boards. The space was cramped and dimly lit. In the center stood an oak square table, with a few wooden chairs pushed against the walls. A single oil lamp flickered ominously, casting weak light that made the place feel suspicious.
The flickering light illuminated a few other items on the table: two bottles of malt beer, a bottle of wine, and two wide-mouthed glasses frothing with white foam.
There was also a small conical crystal ornament, which pulsed with a faint blue glow, even dimmer than the lamp's flame.
image [https://i.ibb.co/cvTvw5S/7e942b5e-b803-4311-bb74-98b727ff4083.webp]
Stella glanced around and recognized it as a soundproofing magical artifact. When activated, it could create a soundproof barrier, ensuring that no noise could escape into the outside air. By twisting the brass knob on the crystal, one could freely adjust the barrier's range—an excellent tool for home use, travel, or secret discussions.
The suspicious private room was not empty. In the corner, a burly man sat with his head lowered on a wooden chair, a brown newsboy cap pulled low over his forehead, obscuring his features.
Upon seeing Yaso enter with four strangers, the man hunched down even lower.
"They're all friends," Yaso said to the big man, then gestured for Barrett and the others to join him. "We were just having a drink together."
The four adventurers cautiously took their seats. At that moment, the hulking man lifted his head, revealing a gentle smile. The adventurers suddenly recognized his face—it was "Iron Blood Hand," Deus Lefia!
Just that afternoon, they had been fighting fiercely in the gladiatorial arena, fighting to the death, and now they were sitting together for drinks?
The four adventurers were stunned, especially Barrett, who felt as if he had just eaten ten pounds of dung beetle. After a moment of thought, he pieced together the events and helplessly asked, "Was this all arranged by Old Tony?"
"Exactly!" Yaso grinned widely. "You've heard of the High-tier Adventurer Conference in the capital, right? The Adventurer's Guild sent me a message, I gave it a shot, and accidentally secured a promotion spot for Fridrensa, which brought me to the capital.
"Then he got the promotion spot for Welsh. According to the event rules, I was supposed to face him, so we figured since one of us had to lose, and the bettors thought I had the better odds, I might as well throw the match.
"I bet on myself to lose, and Deus bet on himself to win. We both made 120 gold coins." Yaso chuckled proudly, slapping a bulging cloth bag on the table. The delightful sound of clinking metal was unmistakable—it was full of gold coins.
While the casino had rules against players betting on themselves, a seasoned adventurer could easily find clever ways around the regulations with disguises, fake names, and other tricks.
Barrett sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands again. EeDeChi often babbled about strange philosophies, but one thing she was right about: gambling truly ruins lives; the stakes were just too high!
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"Don't be down, my friend. Let me make it up to you." Yaso counted out about twenty gold coins from the bag, stacking them on the table and pushing them toward Barrett.
"Forget it." Barrett pushed the coins back to him. "This is money you earned through your own cunning. I can't take it."
Yaso shrugged and pocketed the gold coins. He pointed at the burly man sitting beside him. "Let me introduce you to my teammate, Deus Lefia. He's a mithril-level adventurer, an all-around warrior, nicknamed Iron Blood Hand."
He glanced at the three people next to Barrett and laughed, "You're captain again? Luckily, there's no Mistwood here, or you'd have no chance to 'feed' them to the wolves."
Just as Barrett was about to explain, EeDeChi straightened her face, adopting a serious demeanor. "I'm the captain, EeDeChi, orichalcum-level adventurer."
"Oh," Yaso's eyes darted, glancing at Barrett as he extended his hand to shake EeDeChi's.
"Sean Tachya, platinum-level, archer and ranger."
"Stella Famillion, silver-level, professional cleric."
Sean and Stella introduced themselves as well. This was a customary practice among adventurers—stating their ranks and specialties helped in efficiently assigning roles and coordinating during tense exploration and combat situations.
They no longer concealed their Baharuth accents, feeling a sense of relief. Given Yaso and Deus's shameless demeanor, they were undoubtedly seasoned adventurers. In this line of work, as long as you hadn't committed any serious taboos or legal offenses, most people wouldn't care about your nationality.
Yaso discreetly glanced at Stella. "It seems your team's configuration isn't particularly balanced."
"Famillion, isn't that a noble surname from Baharuth?" Deus, who had been silent, spoke up, his accent slightly rolled and quite different from that of the Re-Estize people.
"Just a bankrupt, fallen noble family," Stella replied, surprised. "Are you from Kotel Province in Baharuth? I remember your profile from the arena; you were a warrior from Welsh of the Re-Estize."
Deus nodded, switching to a more neutral accent. "Yes, but I haven't been home in ten years. Learning the accents of different regions is one of the skills required to become an elite adventurer."
Barrett was taken aback to learn he was from Baharuth. Remembering the audience that had come all the way from Welsh to cheer for their "hometown" fighter, celebrating Deus's victories, he felt a mix of irony and anger. How easily could ordinary people's national pride be manipulated?
Deus continued, "Tomorrow, I'll be facing Brain. I'll only use half my strength, deliberately losing to advance him. You can bet on me losing." He chuckled heartily. "But most people will likely bet against me, so you probably won't win much."
"Everything's so shady," EeDeChi scoffed. "Old Tony has arranged the matches so clearly; Brain becoming the Warrior Captain is practically a done deal."
Yaso noticed EeDeChi's dissatisfaction with the Adventurer's Guild's shady dealings and waved his hand. "It's not quite like that. In fact, the nobles use methods that are pretty similar to ours. They have money and power, sending their own enforcers and mercenaries to take part in the tournaments, easily securing spots for high-ranking fighters.
"After the chaos, Schroeve Dahlsen from the Waverly family emerged. He ranks just below Brain and is a formidable opponent! We can't stop him at all. Three orichalcum-level adventurers who fought him were seriously injured, and one was killed. I suspect his strength has already reached adamantite-level, or even surpassed it!"
"Schroeve?" Barrett asked, puzzled. "Where did this guy come from? I've never heard of him before."
"He's actually the alias of the Baharuth warrior known as the 'Lord of Death'—Slam Daguerre," Yaso said, his expression serious. "When you were in Baharuth, you should have seen his brother's face on the wanted posters—the 'Lord of Despair,' Clovis Daguerre."
Barrett and EeDeChi exchanged a knowing glance. They hadn't just seen Clovis's picture; they had encountered him in person.
On that dark, stormy night, 'Lord of Despair' Clovis Daguerre had led a group of assassins to attack them, but afterward… EeDeChi had taken half of Clovis's life with a single blow, while Barrett had claimed the other half.
Now, Barrett wore Clovis's "Bracers of the Expedition Master" on his wrist. After days of getting used to them, he had adapted to the weight and the power they provided.
He had thought the incident would fade away with Clovis's death, but when Yaso mentioned Clovis's name, Barrett felt the weight of the silver bracers on his arm again, stirring a sense of unease within him.