The waiter standing nearby was dumbfounded, clearly witnessing a "Lizardman hatchling" eating at the table for the first ti.
Even goblins... couldn't be this savage, right?!
But considering that next door was the Academic State, where mages had all sorts of bizarre familiars and pets, he didn't say much.
He didn't even realize that the creature wagging its tail before him was not a Lizardman at all, but a noble Giant Dragon.
Sarah cradled the warm mug of ale, sipping it gently.
The spicy liquid slid down her throat, bringing a bit of warmth to her chilly body and causing a faint blush on her fair cheeks.
Luo Yan looked at his two contented companions and smiled faintly, then turned to the bartender, chatting casually as if unintentionally.
"Business seems good, buddy. I rember passing by here last ti during the Academic State's winter recruitnt, and this street wasn't as lively then."
Though the bartender did not recognize the gentleman before him, he recognized the generous silver coin in the man's hand and was happy to chat with him.
"Of course! The Eagle Rock Territory isn't what it used to be. Not only do young n and won heading to the Academic State pass through here, but adventurers from Dragon Watch City flock here too. They're the real spenders... Saint Sis above, our business has never been this thriving!"
"Seems like your lord is quite capable," Luo Yan said with a smile, tasting the ale.
"Lord? Haha, are you referring to Sir Richter? That gentleman... is truly a top-notch smart guy." The bartender's eyes were sowhat ambiguous.
The words sounded like complints but carried a hint of sarcasm.
Luo Yan couldn't help but feel curious, so he asked another question.
"Oh? How exactly?"
For a silver coin, any hesitation in the bartender's heart vanished, and he spoke freely.
"In all kinds of ways! That gentleman excels at ssing up everything he wants to handle. For instance, he wants to manage the undead, and they run rampant. He wants his tenant farrs to be well-fed, and everyone ends up hungry alongside the stray dogs at his doorstep. Of course... occasionally his misaligned brain does sothing sensible. For example, he disdained the won in the camp as indecent, worried they would taint Prince's eyes, so he brought soldiers to take them all to the dungeon for an education."
"That does sound like a good deed."
"A good deed? If he sees it through to the end, it certainly would be great! But he clearly didn't figure out how to follow through, so it all ended up unresolved. His subordinates, seeing the lord lost interest, released the won again."
"Keeping them locked up isn't a solution; you have to feed them too." Luo Yan intended to say that this was also good, but seeing Taufu's suppressed laughter, he decided not to let her choke.
The bartender grinned, seeming to agree with his statent.
"Exactly, you still have to find a place to bury them if you kill them, and who would kill soone over such trivial matters? They have their own families too. Perhaps so drunkard and a bunch of hungry kids are waiting for them to send money ho. He waves a hand and chops off a head, and the living would have to head to Dragon Watch City to mourn. He's indeed a fool, but his subordinates are not foolish; everyone just wants to survive, perhaps seek wealth, but only he would carry out deadly deeds."
"But what does that have to do with your booming business?"
"It has a lot to do with it!"
The bartender's words carried a subtle trace of disdain.
"Didn't I say? He's good at ssing up everything he wants to manage, and it just so happens... this ti he ssed up just right."
He lowered his voice, and the smile on his face grew mysterious.
"After the soldiers' tutoring, the business of those won didn't dry up but instead thrived under the guise of 'Nun's Confessions'! A 'confession' costs only 390 copper coins, and 'explaining doctrine' is a bit pricier, but 10 silver coins are still enough. Most won't spend it, but for those rcenaries who feast and revel every day, it's just a few als worth! And once they are willing to spend on this, they won't skimp on other things too!"
Finally, the "Dragon God" understood, and the pig's trotters fell from her mouth into the plate, looking greatly shocked.
Forr allies had degenerated to this extent!
This is... such profanity!
Of course, she wasn't lanting the forr allies but rather delighted to find she's not the most absurd in this race to the bottom.
Luo Yan didn't find anything strange, rely tasted the ale, speaking in a casual tone to voice Taufu's thoughts.
"It's very profane... Does the Church not care?"
The grin on the bartender's face beca more straightforward.
"The Church? Here? Haha... sir, you must be joking, when do priests from the Holy City co here? As for the lord's own priests, it's easy to bribe these money-hungry folks; they might even co here themselves to 'pray.'
"Sounds a bit unbelievable; the priests I know are quite decent." Luo Yan chuckled nonchalantly, thinking of the Pope he had encountered a few tis in the Holy City.
To be fair, that old man was quite noble, even a bit naive; at least he hadn't seen a worldly side of him yet.
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