Li Qiuchen had always been a gentleman.
He even swore before the Earth Goddess—to walk the path of benevolence and never kill.
So he generally wouldn’t hit girls, and this time was just a joke.
Really, it was just a joke.
“Squad Four, it was only a joke. Isn’t it a bit of an overreaction to hide inside the Destruction Armor?”
Li Qiuchen tried to reason.
“Li Zichen, even though I’ve lost all my magic now, a fist the size of a sandbag landing on you isn’t a joke. You’d better think twice.”
Jocelyn, clad in black heavy armor, waved her steel fist, the warning clear as day.
“See, you’re getting worked up again. Everyone’s just joking around. I’m just a little worried that we have nothing on us. Next month, we might end up sleeping on the street.”
Li Qiuchen sat down with a sigh, all anger gone.
“There’s no need to worry about that. I’ve already talked with the tavern owner. I’ll help in the kitchen, and you’ll help Naili move barrels and tables, and serve drinks at the front. Besides covering the rent, we’ll each get forty Tack in pocket money every month.”
Jocelyn sat on the floor as well.
Forty Tack—enough to buy four mugs of beer.
Li Qiuchen couldn’t help but recall the poverty after he first arrived here.
Before meeting Belinda, he was so broke that he had to beg to survive.
“Does it include meals?”
Li Qiuchen asked the key question.
“No. So we still need to find odd jobs to fill our stomachs.”
Jocelyn explained.
Li Qiuchen sprawled on the bed with arms wide.
Downstairs, the place was abuzz as people surrounded the horse corpse, sucked dry by a “Vampire”, speculating noisily.
He had no interest in finding out more.
Vampires wouldn’t touch horse blood unless forced by grave injuries or desperation.
With so many people in town, how could it be that only a horse was left bloodless in the street?
Now, there were two things more urgent than vampires for him to deal with—the problem of food, and the nightmare that would return tonight.
There was no magic flowing within him now, so to resist those three maniacs, he could only rely on the Magic Array.
He quickly sorted through his thoughts and settled on a plan.
“I need a Blue Crystal. Squad Four, is there an Alchemical Materials Shop in town that sells magic materials?”
Li Qiuchen asked cautiously.
“Why don’t you just ask for a Wanda Plaza while you’re at it?”
Jocelyn seemed quite dissatisfied with Li Qiuchen’s wild ideas.
“This is just a small town. Aside from the Baron’s castle, there isn’t even a three-story building here. Alchemy materials? You want to turn stones into gold?”
“I need to construct the Fool’s Food Ritual, which requires a Blue Crystal.”
Li Qiuchen explained.
Jocelyn sat up, struggling to recall information about the Fool’s Food.
“Oh, the scroll you bought at a high price back when we ventured into the Dream Forest Secret Realm. The one that could end a dream. Didn’t you say it was stupid?”
Fool’s Food—a bizarre, low-tier Magic Array.
It allowed the user to obtain a small piece of cake coated in Lizard Venom within a dream.
Upon eating it, you would die in the dream, thus escaping the nightmare until you naturally woke up.
This array was created by a Goblin Magician who had crossed the Dream Forest Secret Realm.
The workshop owner praised him to the heavens and back.
Li Qiuchen had to painfully spend three Gold Tack to buy this scroll, and after reading it, he was so mad he grabbed Belinda to go burn down the Arcane Workshop (stopped by Reina).
Reina, however, thought the magic had a clever design.
Li Qiuchen slapped the scroll onto the table.
“What idiot would use this kind of array? Eating poison in a dream—isn’t that itself a nightmare? And even after eating the poison, you can’t exit the dream, just keep sleeping.”
“For some people who need sleep, maybe it’s a good solution?”
Reina insisted.
“Obviously, Sleep Spell is a better choice.”
Li Qiuchen threw the scroll heavily out the window.
His former disdain had now become a resounding slap to his own face.
“It’s stupid, but it works well.”
Li Qiuchen had to admit.
That Goblin Magician truly understood the meaning of nightmares, using reality to counter reality.
With just a little Blue Crystal magic and simple Inscription Patterns, it could insert a scene of poisoning into the dream, pressing the stop button on the entire nightmare.
“Hey! You two temp workers upstairs! Get down here and get to work!”
The innkeeper, Tide, stood at the foot of the stairs, belly out, shouting irritably.
“Yes, boss! We’re coming right away!”
Jocelyn shouted back, taking off her armor as she spoke to Li Qiuchen.
“You’re at the front desk, so you can ask around about Blue Crystals.”
Li Qiuchen nodded.
As she removed her armor, he silently punched her in the back.
But Jocelyn seemed to have eyes on the back of her head, leaping away to dodge.
“See, still holding a grudge.”
Jocelyn darted down the stairs.
“Let me punch you once—just once.”
Li Qiuchen gave chase, but she made a small leap and escaped into the kitchen.
He was stopped by Tide, who tossed a ragged apron into his hands.
“First, wipe the tables. Then help Naili move the barrel of beer behind the counter.”
“Yes, boss.”
Li Qiuchen gave a dependable smile, quickly put on the apron, grabbed a cloth, and began his work as a temp.
He knew that sincerity was the best magic for making a good impression.
The tavern tables reeked of the rich aroma of Malt Beer mixed with the stench of vomit—a blend that made you uncomfortable but not enough to retch.
Li Qiuchen carefully wiped down every table.
But as the water dried, the strange smell returned, making him question whether he’d cleaned anything at all.
Fortunately, Naili had already brought over a mop and broom, urging him to move on to cleaning the floor.
How to describe the tavern’s floor?
It was full of history and a challenge to create.
A Mage would first use a Stone Shattering Spell to break the floor tiles into an unsightly mess, then cast an aging spell to rapidly decay the surface, turning it into piles of crumbling stone dust.
Finally, they would use a binding spell to coat the broken stones with a thin membrane of oil and alcohol, giving it a slight sheen.
Even more amazing was that eight long tables stood firmly in the crumbled pits, surprisingly stable.
Naili warned Li Qiuchen to be careful while sweeping—not to damage the membrane, or else a pile of stone dust would rise and ruin the floor.
It was no easy task.
This was a hundred times harder than making an Arcane Compass or inscribing patterns.
Li Qiuchen started to admire Naili.
With such precise control, she was no less skilled than any Mage.
Sweating from exertion, he finally finished cleaning the floor and laid down fresh rushes to absorb the odor.
He had just straightened up, barely able to catch his breath, when Naili called him over to help move beer barrels, already having finished washing all the wooden cups.
Last night, watching Naili carry a half-barrel of beer with ease made it seem effortless.
But now, carrying it himself, Li Qiuchen realized just how heavy it really was.
Placing the Malt Beer under the counter, Li Qiuchen felt dizzy.
Naili patted his shoulder.
“Brother Qiuchen, maybe you should rest in the back?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Li Qiuchen forced a dependable smile.
The hard labor was almost done—so the rest should be easy, right?
Completely wrong!
The kitchen sent out platters of stew, cheese, and cold cuts, placing them at the front to tempt customers.
For a hungry Li Qiuchen, the aroma was pure torture.
As the sun climbed, the tavern’s first customers arrived.
Local craftsmen, merchants, and apprentices.
For them, a mug of malty beer was the best way to start a new day.
With the shouts of the crowd, Naili and Li Qiuchen dashed around, serving beer from the counter to tables and collecting Copper Coins.
Li Qiuchen had to weave between long tables and throngs of people, all while holding several heavy mugs.
“Good day, here’s your ale. Please enjoy.”
Li Qiuchen kept smiling, though his face was strained.
The good news was that, as a Mage, he quickly learned from Naili how to use a Carved Tally Stick—similar to the system at the Alchemical Materials Shop, but with symbols for food and drink.
For tabs, he could record amounts directly on the stick, split it, hand the thinner half to the customer, and hang the thicker half up.
Back and forth, his feet barely touched the floor.
It wasn’t until around two in the afternoon that he finally got a moment’s rest.
By then, Li Qiuchen was numb, the smile on his face frozen like a mask.
Farmers, still dusty from their fields, gathered to drink beer and chat leisurely; idlers claimed a table and rambled at anyone who’d listen.
“Are you alright?”
Naili looked at him with concern.
“I…I’m fine. Can I sit for a bit?”
Li Qiuchen asked.
“Of course. Here, sit here…”
Naili tried to pull out a chair from behind the counter.
But when she turned, she saw the Northern Frontier boy already slumped against the counter, sitting on the floor, quietly watching the distant, rowdy diners.
In his eyes, besides exhaustion, there seemed to be a hint of…relief?
Why relief?
Naili didn’t understand, and turned away to check the tap on the beer barrel.
Jocelyn came out of the kitchen with a tray—roast meat, a bowl of thick stew, and a large mug of fresh beer.
“Did you ask about the Blue Crystal?”
Jocelyn asked.
Li Qiuchen blinked, taking the tray.
“Completely forgot.”
“How was the work?”
Jocelyn folded her arms and looked at Li Qiuchen, who was wolfing down the food.
“Uh, tiring…but…”
Li Qiuchen forced down the tough meat.
“It felt solid.”
“Why?”
“In the past, I always fought to defeat the Demon King, always struggling between life and death. It seems I’ve never done anything just for the sake of living. Listening to people around me talk about daily trivialities, not about adventures, materials, or bounties… it’s a strange feeling.”
Li Qiuchen stirred the unappealing stew and took a spoonful.
“Squad Four, we really defeated the Demon King. The Last Dark Dynasty…”
Li Qiuchen’s eyes were misty from the hot stew as he tried to steady his breathing.
“It’s over. Everyone knows.”
Thirty years ago, after the Demon King crawled out of the Abyss, the continent was plunged into terror.
Heaven’s light was blocked, Hell’s order shattered.
The Dead Spirits were devoured by the Demon King City on the horizon, their rotting husks wandering the wilds as Monsters.
The earth dried and cracked, countless lives twisted into bloodthirsty creatures by Demon Blood.
Strife and wails became the only music left.
Thus, people called the era after the Demon King’s arrival the “Last Dark Dynasty.”
But now, that era was over!
Everyone’s faces shone with the happiness of surviving disaster, and even Li Qiuchen was infected by it.
Everything was meaningful.
Even if unknown to others, it was still meaningful.
For the countless ordinary people living here, it was extraordinary.
Jocelyn smiled softly.
“I know. You were bound to do it.”
She glanced at the entrance to ensure the boss was still in the kitchen, then quietly placed two pieces of creamy bread onto Li Qiuchen and Naili’s trays.
“Big sister Jocelyn…”
Naili was shocked.
This bread wasn’t cheap.
“Shh, eat quickly.”
Jocelyn patted Li Qiuchen’s shoulder and turned away.
“Big sister Jocelyn is so nice.”
Naili couldn’t help but sigh.
Li Qiuchen felt a bit ashamed.
Earlier that morning, he suspected Jocelyn had eaten all the bread herself.
How could a true companion do such a thing?
Even though they often joked and teased each other, their trust was unshakable.
A heavy sense of guilt weighed in his heart.
It lasted until he carried his tray into the kitchen, where Jocelyn lounged by the stove, leisurely enjoying a basket of top-quality creamy bread with unlimited fresh beer.
Rage began to burn.
“JO—CE—LYN!”
Li Qiuchen’s roar nearly shook the entire kitchen.
Jocelyn didn’t even look up, grabbed the bread basket, and bolted for the door, with Li Qiuchen in hot pursuit.