Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 455: Gathering Information
The small milk cakes were round and chewy, with a texture similar to QQ jelly from his previous life. The two Xi Wei had just eaten weren’t only milky but also had a filling.
He savored the taste again.
The previous scene kept replaying in his mind.
He could never have imagined the Silly Dragon’s scale was quite substantial, even though it wasn’t particularly large.
The world is truly wonderful…
“Don’t let desire break your will!”
Xi Wei softly admonished himself.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again.
The world immediately became tranquil. His slightly heated brain also cooled down instantly. This was the ability of the Champion Heart, allowing him to control his emotions freely and keeping the knight in an absolutely calm state to make better decisions. If the developer of the Champion Heart, the pioneer knight, knew Xi Wei was using the Champion Heart’s characteristics in this way, they would likely crawl out of their coffin to kill Xi Wei.
He glanced at the time. It was past five in the afternoon. Dinner was usually around eight in the evening, so in the next three hours, no one should disturb him. Xi Wei took a deep breath and, with the System’s help, re-established the connection. He carefully observed what was happening on the “Nobody Does Human Things” side.
…
…
Meanwhile, in Pine City.
“Nobody Does Human Things” had been wandering around Pine City for the entire afternoon. Whenever he encountered someone suspicious, he would use his superb conversational skills to strike up a conversation. Even if he couldn’t find any clues, he could search for hidden missions using this method.
Currently, besides the main quest, Uncle Glent from the east of the city had invited him to his home for a party. The uncle thought he was handsome and wanted to introduce his daughter to him. The widow Klina had invited him to help fix her magic lamp, and after the job was done, she offered to have afternoon tea with him privately. However, “Nobody Does Human Things” had rejected all these hidden missions.
Other members of the Elite Squad were also scattered throughout Pine City, searching for clues. In addition to them, players who had acquired Dragon mounts were also arriving one after another. This made the once somewhat deserted streets of Pine City instantly lively.
Many of Pine City’s residents seized the opportunity to sell some of the materials they had accumulated. These newly arrived professionals were indeed very generous, buying all sorts of monster materials in bulk, without even haggling. Sometimes, they were even overjoyed, saying they had sold them too cheaply. The native residents had no idea about the players’ living conditions. Missions worth five copper coins and the outrageously high consumption in parts of Winter City’s foreign market had already smoothed out their sharp edges and gradually changed their values. Money was only useful when spent; anything not spent would eventually become the King of Winter’s.
Now, “Nobody Does Human Things” had locked onto one suspicious individual. He was sitting in a tavern, his entire body hidden in a cloak. The surroundings were noisy, with clinking glasses and the smoke from cheap cigarettes almost enveloping the entire tavern in a faint mist. He could hear most of the mercenaries and adventurers here discussing the suddenly arrived rich players. “Nobody Does Human Things” listened for a while and then stopped paying attention to them.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on a tavern girl. This was the person he found somewhat suspicious. Her “headlights” were truly impressive! She walked like an earthquake, wearing a low-cut dress, wealthy and generous, with a deep cleavage specifically for collecting tips. Her “taillights” swayed from side to side, making “Nobody Does Human Things” want to draw his Dwarf’s firearm and shoot her dead.
Why was he paying such close attention to this woman? Of course, it wasn’t because of her “headlights” and “taillights.” “Nobody Does Human Things” was not such a superficial person. What he truly cared about were this tavern girl’s unusual demeanor and some details that ordinary people wouldn’t notice. For example, when customers were chatting, especially when discussing the large number of adventurers who had appeared in Pine City, this barmaid would always pause for a moment, pretending to casually lean over to straighten her dress that had been rumpled by customers, exposing her deep cleavage. Or she would accidentally drop something and squat down to pick it up, displaying her slender, snake-like waist.
“Nobody Does Human Things” had discerning eyes. He could tell at a glance that this woman was not honest. Her seemingly ordinary actions were actually very similar to someone eavesdropping for information. So, when the barmaid approached him, “Nobody Does Human Things” initiated contact.
“Nobody Does Human Things”: “Hello.”
The barmaid glanced at “Nobody Does Human Things,” who was almost entirely concealed by his cloak, with surprise. She could tell he wasn’t a good person. But out of professional courtesy, she flashed a charming smile and elegantly swayed her waist. She softly said, “Hello, honored guest. Would you like to order some wine? I recommend our ‘Grand King’ or ‘Blizzard.’ Both are rare fine wines. The ‘Grand King’ is the one I mainly promote. If you are willing to buy five cups, tonight I am yours.”
“Nobody Does Human Things” twitched the corner of his mouth. He knew that “Grand King.” It was a legitimate strong liquor on the Cain Continent, perhaps comparable to Vokert. Five cups would get anyone drunk. What else could one do at night besides sleep?
“Beautiful lady, may I ask you a few questions? If your answers satisfy me, I’ll gladly order a cup of ‘Grand King’ to have some fun~”
One cup of “Grand King” cost 10 gold coins. This price could be said to be outrageously high. Most adventurers would absolutely refuse to buy it; only the leaders of some powerful mercenary groups would occasionally have a small drink.
“Nobody Does Human Things'” reply caused a hint of surprise to flash in the barmaid’s eyes. Just asking a few questions could lead to selling a cup of the expensive “Grand King.” This undoubtedly indicated that this secretive, strange person was very wealthy. Wealth, in turn, could imply considerable strength.
“You may ask.”
“Miss, what do you think of the recent influx of adventurers into Pine City?” “Nobody Does Human Things” asked with a slight smile, carefully choosing his words.
“What do I think? The appearance of these adventurers is, of course, a good thing. The more people there are, the better the tavern’s business, and the more opportunities I have to sell wine.”
The barmaid’s words were perfectly normal, and “Nobody Does Human Things” could find no flaws. So, he delved slightly deeper: “I heard that some equipment was lost from the Pine City warehouse, equipment that was issued by His Majesty the King. Do you think it’s possible that these adventurers stole it?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about.” The barmaid smiled slightly and shrugged.
“Nobody Does Human Things” also smiled and then dropped a Tier 2 Magic Core into the barmaid’s cleavage. According to the market price in Pine City, a Tier 2 Magic Core was worth about 12 gold coins, just enough to pay for the wine.
“One cup of ‘Grand King’.”
“Please wait a moment.” The barmaid winked at “Nobody Does Human Things” and turned to leave. Her “taillights” seemed to deliberately sway towards “Nobody Does Human Things.”
There was nothing wrong with this barmaid. Her HP bar had remained green (friendly) the entire time, indicating that she had never harbored any hostility towards him. But what was interesting was that after he asked two questions, in a noisy corner of the bustling tavern, a red HP bar suddenly appeared. He hadn’t intentionally lowered his voice when speaking. The first question was very normal, but the second question touched upon something sensitive, and he hadn’t expected someone to react so immediately.
