Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1054, page 09.1053: 'Seeking pleasure'

"cheers."

Having just escaped death, Horatio clearly didn't share Poniatowski's enthusiasm.

As he raised his glass, his blue eyes continued to scan every corner of his surroundings with vigilance.

brush!
Just then, a small, black figure darted over his head like a ghost and landed silently on a thick beam above the hall. It then disappeared into the shadows, its feline eyes, which gleamed in the darkness, warily observing its surroundings.

That's Yoyo.

As Horatio's newly chosen bodyguard, this is the first proper job she has been officially assigned since living on the warship.

Horatio also equipped her with a modified precision laser pistol, suitable for silently eliminating threats at close range with enhanced laser bullets.

At this moment, the catgirl also changed into a blue vest and white shirt of a naval warrant officer as a symbol of professional and technical personnel—although no one usually cares what she wears, as long as it's not the captain's uniform—of course, she can't wear Horatio's clothes either.

She was extremely dedicated and enthusiastic about her job, meticulously checking every possible hiding place for Horatio's "dark rats".

Seeing that Youyou was in place, Horatio felt a little relieved.

He refocused his attention on the ambient sounds around him, listening to the conversations and drunken boasts of the people around him, while taking a sip of his ale.

The moment it entered his mouth, a rich, complex flavor—a blend of caramelized aroma, fermented malt, and rye bread—exploded in his mouth.

The flavor is similar to kvass, but richer and more intense.

He even seriously suspects that this iconic beverage might share some common origin on these two planets, which are separated by countless light-years.

The cool liquor slid down his throat, the dense bubbles stimulating his taste buds, making it almost impossible for him to stop.

Once you stop, the cool and refreshing sensation quickly fades, replaced by a slightly bitter, caramelized taste.

To fully savor the rich aroma of malt, he almost instinctively drank the rest of the liquor in his glass in one gulp.

"Hmm, very strong, cough burp..." He raised his hand to block a strong gust of air rising in his throat. "Indeed impressive." He commented, looking at the empty glass.

Poniatovsky, sitting opposite him, had already finished his glass of beer. It was a whole pint of ale! The two of them drank it all down in one easy gulp.

Horatio felt a little unsatisfied, and at the same time immediately figured out the little trick behind the female boss's generosity in giving away the first glass of ale.

“‘Iced beer is heavenly, room temperature beer is like horse urine.’” Poniato-Wski saw through his thoughts and explained with a smile, “This is the simplest and most sincere evaluation of this beer by us Pola Belle people.”

Once you start drinking it, you've opened Pandora's box. The tavern owner isn't worried at all about you not getting a refill, and a refill means…” He gestured with his fingers with an exaggerated expression, making a classic money-rubbing motion.

"But don't worry about that, it's on me today! As long as your stomach can still hold it, drink as much as you want! Just remember what you said when you came, 'No getting drunk.'" He smiled jokingly and shrugged.

"Hmph." Horatio slammed the heavy oak goblet onto the wooden table with a thud. The exhilarating feeling of drinking cool ale after escaping death did indeed dispel the long-standing gloom in his heart.

"You underestimate the drinking capacity of our Imperial Navy. On warships, we drink like water, but we still manage to kill countless heretics, traitors, and those damned aliens."

"The second round is here." The female boss's laughter rang out as she brought out two glasses of clear, water-like liquor with sparkling ice cubes floating on top.

This beer is pure and clear, without a trace of impurity, a stark contrast to the previous glass of jet-black ale.

But as soon as it was placed in front of Horatio, an extremely strong and pure aroma of alcohol wafted up. "Studzionchi rectified vodka. Only the most skilled master distillers in Studzionchi can master this unique distillation method. Vodka purified through this extreme distillation is rare and precious, but it is absolutely the crystallization of the most ingenious craftsmanship of the distillers! You will never find such pure spirit anywhere else."

After saying that, the female boss took out an old-fashioned lighter from her apron pocket and struck it with a "click" on the rim of one of the wine glasses.

call!
A pool of eerie blue flame, as beautiful as will-o'-the-wisp, instantly ignited intensely on the wine glass.

Poniatovsky took a deep breath, blew out the flame, then closed his eyes, inhaled deeply the rising aroma of the liquor, and exclaimed sincerely, "Ah... pure enough."

Then, he looked at Horatio with great interest: "So, my brother, dare to take on the challenge?"

call!
Without a word, Horatio blew out the flame on the rim of his glass as well. He picked up the heavy glass, which seemed to be filled with liquid flames.

Goo-dong, goo-dong.

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he tilted his head back and took a large gulp of water.

This action instantly silenced the noisy and bustling bar lobby. Everyone who was drinking, playing drinking games, and boasting stopped what they were doing and stared at Horry Shaw with astonishment, even as if he were a monster.

"Wait……"

Even Poniatovsky and the tavern owner in front of him looked at the man who downed an entire glass of "Fiery Wine" with the same astonished eyes.

"Phew—that feels good!" Horatio let out a long sigh, his breath still carrying the hot smell of alcohol. "I feel like I'm really alive again. It feels so good to be alive." He smiled, placed the empty glass on the table, and said to the stunned female boss, "Another one, please, thank you."

"By the God-Emperor..." The female boss and Poniatovsky were both stunned, looking at Horatio who remained unfazed, and muttered to themselves.

“Uh…” Poniatowski hesitated, then said with an awkward laugh, “My brother, this… this can’t be drunk in one gulp.”

"How many is this?" The tavern owner snapped out of her daze, held up three fingers, and waved them in front of him.

“Three,” Horatio answered calmly, a healthy blush rising slightly on his face.

"You...you have withstood the test of Dionysus!" The female boss's eyes instantly filled with solemn respect. "You are not the first person to bet on drinking it all in one gulp, but you are the first warrior who can still speak after drinking it all in one gulp!"

"Say no more, Warrior! Tonight, it's on the house! I'll pour you another drink right now!"

"Warrior! Warrior!" The entire tavern erupted in cheers, half congratulating and half jeering, their jubilation making it seem as if they were the ones who had gotten a free meal.

Of course, some people also noticed Horatio's flushed face—people at the next table were whispering among themselves, wondering what they were planning as they watched the well-dressed Horatio and Poniatovsky.

Soon, one of them stood up and walked toward them. He wasn't from Polaberia, because he didn't have the distinctive horse ears that the locals had.

"Hey! Buddy, you're having a great time drinking, wanna have some fun?" he asked tentatively, licking his greasy lips.

"Hey, stop your tricks and stay away from us! We're not interested." Poniatovsky didn't find this shifty-looking fellow offensive at first glance. Having frequented the Broken Wheel Tavern for many years, he was familiar with the various scheming individuals found there.

"For example?" Horatio glanced at Poniatowski and asked with a wink.

“I have a silver coin here, and my brothers and I are just looking for some fun to pass the time.”

He took out a silver coin with a bird's claw on it, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Horatio: "Want to play a game of dice? If you win, it's yours. If you lose, I hope you have enough money to play today. Of course, I'm sure a gentleman as respectable as you has plenty of capital to come here for fun."

(End of this chapter)