CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 57: THE WANDERING BARDS IN THE TAVERN

Lame Aliusan led his men in and out of various taverns. Following Elder Rostellum’s orders, he temporarily served as the "guardian" of Guru Mountain. Although Black Mountain had previously handled this duty, he wasn’t representing them now. Instead, he represented the guardhouse of Gaga County, or on a grander scale, the Liuli City Court of Guards.

Ever since those Alchemists arrived on Guru Mountain, the mountain itself had quieted down, but the area at its foot had become much more restless. Initially, those driven down from the mountain were too timid to cause trouble. However, after a day, they discovered that as long as they didn’t provoke those strange newcomers, everything was business as usual.

So, these dubious Treasure Hunters resumed their boisterous behavior in the taverns. They drank heavily, gorged on meat, and shouted loudly, even resorting to brawls when conversations turned sour.

The taverns were running low on alcohol. Ale merchants from the county, driving horse and ox carts, delivered barrel after barrel of inferior ale to Guru Mountain. Expensive wines weren’t popular here; the Treasure Hunters found them too bothersome to drink and no tastier than ale.

Aliusan limped into a crowded tavern. Treasure Hunters were seated or standing around the few tables. Those acting as Wandering Bards were seated, singing, dancing, and chatting animatedly. The listeners stood, holding their drinks, leaning on tables, or draping arms over others’ shoulders, their expressions varied, clearly captivated by the bards’ tales.

Aliusan grimaced, ordered a glass of fruit wine from the tavern owner, and leaned against a wall in a corner, as there were no spare stools. He listened to these Wandering Bards rambling through a collection of jumbled stories, mostly revolving around heroes, treasures, power, and secret techniques. Though these tales were old hat, the crowd never tired of them. Of course, when boredom set in, they’d switch to talking about women to pass the time...

Seeing these Treasure Hunters of varying appearances, often lost in drink, Aliusan’s heart filled with regret. All those glittering gold coins, just slipping away! Most of that gold ended up in the pockets of the ale merchants, a smaller portion stayed with the taverns, and only the tiniest fraction went to Black Mountain. This pittance was Black Mountain’s reward for maintaining order in the taverns. Whenever Treasure Hunters caused trouble or brawled, Black Mountain members would be the ones to throw the instigators out the tavern door. This was a new rule on Guru Mountain; every tavern paid Black Mountain a protection fee, more or less, to ensure any provocative troublemakers were immediately tossed into the water trough outside.

However, the money the ale merchants pocketed was far more than what Black Mountain earned through blood, sweat, and tears, and it seemed so much easier to come by.

Thinking of the ale merchants’ gleeful faces as they bit into their gold coins, Aliusan mulled over whether he should ask Elder Rostellum for a piece of the merchant guilds’ business. The tavern and inn trade was out of his reach, but there was still a significant opening in the brothel business.

Seeing the Treasure Hunters drool when they discussed women made Aliusan realize the sheer scale of potential profit. The substantial income from brothels would not only improve the Black Mountain brothers’ circumstances but also alleviate some unnecessary worries for the villagers in Guru Village. For instance, Madam Lori from the general store could face less harassment each day (perhaps she’d even thank him for it someday), and certain under-the-table dealings in the village could be brought out into the open.

At this thought, Aliusan felt like a true genius.

Aliusan unknowingly began humming a tune. The future was bright. Perhaps Black Mountain could even become the largest merchant organization in Gaga County. Then, when people saw him, they wouldn’t just perfunctorily call him ’Boss’ but would respectfully address him as ’President’... This way of life was far better than the daydreaming of these Treasure Hunters. Look at what lowly deeds they engage in: veteran Treasure Hunters wildly boasting to newcomers, or seasoned charlatans peddling ’experience’ to rookies dreaming of striking it rich. This bunch is nothing more than swindlers, ignoramuses, fools, daydreamers, and megalomaniacs... they’ll never amount to anything.

"I’m telling you, those strange people in Lubin Tavern are definitely not Alchemists," the scruffy-bearded Treasure Hunter declared, playing the part of a Wandering Bard convincingly. Aside from lacking a harp and having a somewhat shabby appearance, his techniques for creating sensation and suspense were no worse than those of a professional Wandering Bard.

"How can that be? Those guys are clearly Alchemists! Didn’t you see their Exchange Beast?" someone invariably challenged the bard’s story.

"PITTER-PATTER. They arrived quietly, like light rain tapping on leaves, making no other sound. RUSTLE, RUSTLE. Their footsteps entering Lubin Tavern were like the winter wind stirring fallen leaves. SWISH! They immediately gathered. With their silent, nimble movements, what on earth are they planning?" Aliusan wanted to laugh as he listened, wondering where these fellows had picked up such theatrics.

"What on earth are they planning?" A Wandering Bard couldn’t tell a good story without someone to play along.

"They are the evil-slaying warriors of the Empire, demons who walk the world! No one can stop their advance, and no one can escape their tracking gaze!"

"But what on earth are they here to do?"

"This Guru Mountain, not too big, not too small, its rare treasures are often found by monsters. The evil-slaying warriors, the demons who walk the world, are determined to sort this out. Catch monsters, get treasures—that’s their brilliant plan!"

"Oh, so you mean they’re also here treasure hunting."

"Yes, yes, yes! They’re definitely after big treasures. We might even be lucky enough to see a White Cloud Fruit!" The scruffy-bearded Wandering Bard dropped his singing tone and resumed speaking normally.

"You’ve said so much, but you still haven’t proven they aren’t Alchemists."

"They’re demons! Have you ever seen an Alchemist turn someone’s mouth into the shape of a duck’s bill?"

"Maybe they’re Wizards."

"I think they’re like Dark Wizards, using all sorts of frightening and strange Secret Spells. Proper Alchemists or Wizards would never study such haphazard magic."

Aliusan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. These people were embellishing things, describing the Alchemists from the Alchemy Workshop as demons and warriors; it was utterly comical. Yet, ironically, some people loved such absurdities, and so the scruffy-bearded man’s cup was repeatedly refilled by others.

Aliusan knew, of course, that the peculiar group in Lubin Tavern were Alchemists from the Alchemy Workshop. However, he was under Elder Rostellum’s strict orders not to reveal their affiliation with the Imperial Alchemy Workshop. So, after hearing these Wandering Bards spout nonsense, he actually felt Elder Rostellum’s order was rather unnecessary. With this crowd in the tavern, even if you told them to their faces that those strange fellows were great Alchemists from the Imperial Alchemy Workshop, they wouldn’t believe you. They’d much rather believe the nonsense spouted by these imitation Wandering Bards.

"Quick, tell us about Guru Mountain! We’re new here and eager to go up."

"Like I said, Guru Mountain isn’t especially large, nor is it particularly small. Don’t just look at its outward appearance and think you can reach the summit in a day. Once you actually start climbing, you’ll find yourself having to spend the night on the mountain before you know it."

"So, remember to bring extra clothes. If you don’t have any, you can rent some from me." Business opportunities were everywhere in this world; everyone had their own little schemes.

Newcomers were always intensely interested in these minor details about Guru Mountain. They were terrified of missing any piece of information, convinced that overlooking a single cue would mean losing a chance to get rich.

"Trying to find any game on Guru Mountain is harder than climbing to the heavens."

"That’s right. The birds, beasts, fish, and insects have probably all been taken over by those monsters. Make sure to pack plenty of rations before you head up."

"Basically, you won’t catch a single bird once you’re on the mountain. You can forget about getting rich by hunting beasts."

The arrival of the greenhorns enlivened the tavern’s atmosphere. These Treasure Hunters came full of dreams, only to encounter obstacles at every turn. The mix of emotions during this process wasn’t something that could be easily described in a few words.

"Forget White Cloud Fruit; I haven’t even seen a wild berry."

"Guru Mountain looks vast, but no matter how much you climb, you only seem to reach Dawn Peak. Once you leave Dawn Peak, you lose all sense of direction. You can’t figure out how to get to another peak and just end up walking back down the mountain."

Aliusan was hearing many of these fantastic tales for the first time. Of course, he couldn’t tell how much was exaggeration and how much was truth. So, he took a sip of his wine and continued to listen; these Wandering Bards certainly had a lot of stories.

"Many people are now trying to carve new paths on Dawn Peak to reach other peaks. This has made Dawn Peak a mess of intersecting trails. If you’re not careful, you can end up on a dead-end path, unable to go up or down, forced to use a Mail Bird to call for help."

"From what you’re all saying, it sounds like there’s no way to get rich here."

The newcomers were intimidated by these veterans’ tales.

"If you’re set on finding something like White Cloud Fruit, then yes, Guru Mountain won’t make you rich."

"But didn’t you say hunting beasts is no good either? That the mountain can’t support a group of Hunters?"

"That’s indeed the truth. We’ve been around for quite some time..."

This question had always bothered Aliusan. The peculiar state of Dawn Peak was old news in Guru Village; many attributed this strangeness to an unconfirmed monster on the mountain. There were no signs of life on Dawn Peak, yet Treasure Hunters still flocked there in droves. The side businesses from going up the mountain, like guiding, could only support a few people. Even the larger Black Mountain group only had about twenty-odd members. Could it be that the throngs of other people rushing up the mountain were really all fools?

"There are some small profits to be made, enough to avoid starving on the mountain."

"Oh? What are they? What are they?" The newcomers’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Selling stones. Some people are willing to buy stones from Dawn Peak."