The two stepped into the Big Skewer Tavern; it was as rowdy as ever.
Traces of last night’s conflict were still visible, though two of the tables had been replaced with new ones.
A few adventurers were whispering among themselves.
As Bai Xuan walked in, several curious gazes swept over him, a few of them carrying a different, more pointed meaning.
Behind the bar, the girl with the ponytail was wiping down glasses.
When she looked up and saw Bai Xuan, her eyes widened slightly before she quickly lowered her head again.
Bai Xuan and Barend squeezed into a scarred wooden table in the corner.
As soon as the dwarf sat down, he called out in a booming voice, “Boss! Two Battleaxe Steaks, make sure they’ve still got some gristle! And two bottles of ‘Dwarven Flame,’ the strongest batch you’ve got!”
“Skip the liquor for me. I’ll take a cup of Berry Leaf Tea,” Bai Xuan interjected, his voice calm.
Barend turned his head, his thick eyebrows shooting up. “Tea? Kid, coming to a tavern and not drinking is like entering a forge without lighting a fire! It’s pointless!”
“Alcohol dulls the blade and numbs judgment.”
Bai Xuan looked at the dwarf with a meaningful gaze. “In a place like this, it’s better to keep a clear head.”
He thought back to the boaster from last night who had been incapacitated by Harvey in a single blow, leaving the floor covered in blood and shattered teeth.
Barend muttered a few unintelligible dwarven slang words, likely complaining about the many finicky habits of spellcasters, but he didn’t push the issue.
“Fine, fine, have it your way. Boss, add a cup of leaf-water!”
Soon, the wooden mugs and ceramic cups were brought out together.
The one serving the drinks was the ponytail girl.
She placed the liquor in front of Barend.
Then, she gently pushed the hot tea, which wafted a faint berry aroma, toward Bai Xuan’s hand and whispered, “Your tea.”
Her gaze flickered over Bai Xuan’s face before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Barend stared at the liquor, then grinned, revealing a set of sturdy teeth as he picked up the wooden mug—which was nearly as large as his head—with both hands.
He took a deep breath of the alcoholic fumes, a satisfied grunt rumbling in his throat, before eagerly tilting his head back to drink.
Bai Xuan watched as the dwarf practically buried his face in the mug, his Adam’s apple bobbing rhythmically as he gulped it down. In just three or four seconds, the massive mug of liquor was empty.
Barend let out a long “Hah—” as he exhaled a breath of hot air scented with malt. His complexion remained normal, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
“Refreshing!” He wiped the foam from his beard with a large hand and turned back toward the counter to shout, “Three more! No, five!”
Bai Xuan picked up his warm teacup and blew on it gently.
“Mr. Barend,” he began, waiting until the dwarf was halfway through his second mug.
“How much do you know about the Glay Dungeon near the town? I’ve heard things have been unsettled there lately.”
Barend set down his mug, his eyelids fluttering as a hint of drunkenness began to surface.
“The Glay Dungeon? I know all about it!”
He propped his elbows on the table. “That’s a fine place, it is!”
“Legend says that long ago, a glorious empire called Glay offended something unknown, and the entire place sank underground overnight!”
“Over the years, it turned into this multi-layered dungeon. It’s stuffed with lingering grudges and monsters that didn’t quite die back then, and... hehe, the good stuff the empire left behind.”
“Multi-layered?” Bai Xuan caught the keyword. “How many floors are there?”
Barend’s eyes wandered as he took another swig.
Then, he lowered his voice, as if afraid the walls might overhear. “According to the scholar-lords’ research... there are at least this many.”
He held up five thick, stubby fingers and flipped them over. “Fifty floors and counting! The further down you go, the more savage the monsters get.”
“I hear the Silver Heart adventuring party in town is only operating around the seventh floor. Even there, they risk losing people—losing an arm or a leg is considered a lucky escape.”
Fifty floors.
An underground labyrinth reaching over fifty floors deep held immense danger and potentially even greater value.
“What’s at the very bottom?” he asked.
Barend’s gaze turned peculiar, a mixture of greed and a trace of fear.
“Who knows! Some say the treasury of the Glay Empire is buried there, with mountains of gold and magic equipment piled up like firewood. It’s filthy rich.”
“Others say there’s no treasure at all. They say the empire angered something and was dragged into the core of the earth to suppress it. That thing is sleeping at the very bottom! If it ever wakes up...”
He made a gesture of the earth shaking and took another heavy swig. “Whatever! If the sky falls, the tall ones can hold it up!”
“The fanatics at the Church, those lords in the city wearing silk, and that person who was welcomed into the Inner Town with such fanfare a few days ago... if a disaster truly strikes, they’ll be the ones with the headache!”
He spoke with a facade of brashness, but Bai Xuan caught another layer of meaning.
“That big figure who arrived in the Inner Town a few days ago—are they here for the dungeon too?”
Barend chuckled, exhaling alcoholic fumes. “Why else? To enjoy the scenery in this backwater? For a high noble of that caliber, the crumbs that fall from their fingers are enough for an ordinary person to risk several lifetimes for.”
“They’ve either caught the scent of treasure and want the biggest slice of the cake,”
“Or... they think the lid on whatever’s down there is about to pop, and they’ve come to help nail it shut.”
Just then, the girl arrived with the massive, sizzling Battleaxe Steaks and several more mugs of liquor.
Barend’s attention was instantly captured by the meat.
He grabbed his steak knife and lunged at the meat like a warrior charging into battle, eating with gusto.
Bai Xuan ate slowly. The meat was indeed tough yet juicy, carrying a rugged, smoky flavor.
After several mugs of liquor and half a steak, a distinct flush finally appeared on Barend’s dark face, and his eyes began to wander.
Bai Xuan felt the time was right.
He wiped the corner of his mouth and asked casually, “It seems your issue with Master Mora is more than just a common disagreement. You grew up together and were partners in battle—what kind of difference could there be that you can’t sit down and talk through?”
Barend’s hands stopped mid-cut.
He stared at the juices seeping onto his plate for several seconds, the flush on his face deepening.
Yet the drunken haze in his eyes seemed to be pierced by the question.
He raised his mug, took another massive gulp, and set it down heavily, the wooden base hitting the table with a thud.
That final large gulp proved too much, and he slumped onto the table, his voice low. “Kid... some paths aren’t decided just by talking about where to go.”
He looked up slightly, his gaze hazy within his deep-set sockets as he looked at Bai Xuan. “The paths we chose... were different.”
Bai Xuan heard the helplessness in his voice and knew that pressing further would be useless.
He tried a different angle. “Perhaps paths aren’t always destined to be parallel.”
“Maybe one day, there will be a branch valuable enough to bring them together.”
Barend’s eyes grew even more dazed, completely anesthetized by the alcohol, his words slurring:
“...You kid, you’ve got quite a lot of twists and turns in that head of yours... haha... hic...”
Barend seemed unwilling to mention it again.
He mumbled sleepily, “...That treasure of Ancient Glay... there’s some truth to it, hic... when the time comes... we’ll team up... and go have a look.”
Rate on N.U.
