Chapter 37: Tavern

When the female knight’s icy gaze turned toward him, Mu Xuan realized that everyone around him had already lined up behind his back, and he’d been pushed to the very front.

Was this female knight really that intimidating?

Mu Xuan looked at the female knight, scratching his head a bit awkwardly.

Why did it feel like this female knight was even harder to deal with than those two guards…

“Where are you from, and what’s your purpose in entering the city?”

The female knight sized Mu Xuan up, her expression betraying nothing. Since Mu Xuan’s face was unfamiliar, and his attire didn’t look like that of a city dweller, the female knight changed her question.

“I’m from the village of Karamanlis, here to purchase some supplies.”

Mu Xuan answered straightforwardly.

Mu Xuan was sure the female knight had no idea whether or not a village named Karamanlis actually existed. This world was vast. Even though people with extraordinary powers existed, it was impossible for them to know every village in the area. What’s more, with how sprawling the world was and how remote some places could be, remembering so many locations was simply impossible.

Even if someone did record the names of every village and town, no one would be idle enough to actually look up the records to check them one by one. That would be a waste of time and effort for nothing in return.

“What’s your position in Karamanlis?” As expected, the female knight didn’t doubt the village’s existence, but judging by Mu Xuan’s attire, she asked about his identity.

The clothes Mu Xuan wore didn’t look like anything an ordinary person could afford.

“Milady, I am Lord Ron’s steward.”

In response to the female knight’s question, Mu Xuan answered naturally. Who cared if this person existed or not? Making up something simple on the spot was easy enough.

Surely she wouldn’t actually send someone to investigate, would she?

The female knight didn’t reply right away. Her eyes scanned Mu Xuan over and over, as if trying to memorize his appearance.

“Go on in.” After a long moment, the female knight finally spoke.

He hadn’t brought anything with him, and the only item he thought useful—his scepter—had been restricted by the rules here, so he couldn’t bring it in.

The female knight probably realized he couldn’t be hiding anything dangerous.

Thinking this, Mu Xuan nodded and walked toward the gate. But after just a few steps, the female knight called out to stop him.

“Wait…”

Mu Xuan’s footsteps paused, and he instantly grew alert.

Did he break some rule?

“You… seem familiar…”

The female knight’s words came hesitantly, and after those few words, she fell silent.

!?

Mu Xuan turned his head cautiously and saw that the female knight had already turned away, no longer looking in his direction. He couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief.

It seemed he hadn’t broken any rules.

Still, the female knight’s reaction was a bit odd. Why did she say he seemed familiar?

Too little information—no way to tell. Mu Xuan simply made a mental note of the female knight and quickly walked into the city.

From the outside, the town didn’t look small—definitely the size of a medium-sized town. Looking in, people bustled everywhere, and it was lively.

But the moment Mu Xuan entered, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. It was lifeless—nothing like the vibrant scene seen from outside.

Clearly, there were many people on the street, with crowds in front of every stall and shop, yet the whole city seemed as if someone had pressed a mute button—there wasn’t a single sound.

Mu Xuan frowned, not daring to make a sound.

It was strange. Even though everyone made the expected movements, mouthed the words, and reacted to each other, not a single sound came out. It was as if they were communicating in some way he couldn’t perceive.

No speaking allowed inside the city.

Mu Xuan accepted this fact and took note of it.

The rules weren’t clear. All the rules still needed to be deduced by himself. In short, all strange phenomena needed to be summed up and analyzed.

After pausing in place to think for a moment, Mu Xuan followed the street farther inward. Since he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t ask for directions, so he just picked a road at random.

In Mu Xuan’s mind, the important places in the city were the city lord’s mansion, a possible mage tower, and the cathedral of the Church of Light.

Generally speaking, the power center of a town consisted of these three forces. The real core was the city lord’s mansion, while the mage tower and church played more stabilizing and supporting roles.

Mu Xuan walked with the flow of people down the street. He was curious about the surrounding alleys but had no intention of recklessly venturing into them.

Such alleys were not only left over from the city’s construction process, but also influenced by human factors. Whether in novels or his previous life, alleys like these were always products of the gray areas.

That meant, compared to the open city, these places hidden in darkness had rules that were even harder to predict—and even more dangerous.

Wait!

Mu Xuan’s eyes swept around, and at last he noticed something different.

In a secluded corner stood a tavern, lit by a dim, yellowish lantern.

In many novels, taverns were indispensable. Intelligence gathering, bounties, team formation, trading—all of these took place in taverns, and sometimes you’d even run into a bard performing for tips.

And a tavern could be set in the open or in the shadows.

But since this one was out in the open, Mu Xuan saw no reason not to go in. After all, he didn’t know the way around anyway, so he might as well check it out. Of course, he still had to stay alert.

Pushing through the crowd, Mu Xuan headed straight for the tavern.

Compared to the bustling throngs outside, the tavern was especially deserted, with only a few burly men holding up mugs and drinking themselves into a stupor.

Just reaching the entrance, Mu Xuan was greeted by the pungent smell of alcohol.

He only frowned briefly and then walked in. He didn’t love drinking, but that didn’t mean he had a particular aversion to it. What’s more, the dwarves were famous for their love of drink—sooner or later, he’d have to deal with alcohol.

“Burp—”

As soon as he stepped inside, Mu Xuan was stunned.

Compared to the deathly silent, suffocating atmosphere outside, the inside of the tavern actually made him relax. That world that had been terrifyingly silent suddenly regained sound.

Even if it was just a drunkard letting out a loud burp, it made Mu Xuan pause in surprise.

“Don’t say… hic…”

“That pack of filthy dogs… If I hadn’t been there…”

“Lenzel and the others… hic… would have been finished there…”

Listening to the burly man in the corner, bragging about himself in broken sentences between hiccups, Mu Xuan could finally be certain: people could speak in this place.

“Don’t boast… hic…”

“I heard it was the kid from the Kara family who saved you all… hic…”

Mu Xuan listened to the two chatting and hesitated about whether to approach them, but the barkeeper at the counter spoke up first: “Sir, may I get you something?”

“Uh…”

The barkeeper’s question made Mu Xuan a little embarrassed.

He hadn’t come here to order a drink… and most importantly, he didn’t have any money…

“I’ll have a ‘dish’…” It was one of the items listed on the menu at the counter, priced at two silver coins.

But at Mu Xuan’s words, the barkeeper shot him a strange look, and the people around him also turned to look at him because of his request for a “dish.”

!?

What’s going on?

Just as Mu Xuan was wondering if he’d broken some rule, someone suddenly slapped the table and burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Brother, you must be from out of town, right?”