Imperial Crown.

Chapter 29: Nightlife in Goldshire (Part )
“Oh, oh, oh.” Looking at his own appearance in the bronze mirror, Raven smiled and spread out his palms: “My skills haven’t deteriorated yet.”

He changed into the clothes he wore when he was hanging out in Mon'en City.

He wore a tight and neat brown linen shirt with tight cuffs and a slightly open collar, loose white linen trousers and black shiny leather shoes. He looked quite casual and uninhibited.

A layer of ointment was applied to the hair in front of the head and the long hair was tied into a short ponytail. The most ingenious thing was the small shadow applied with carbon powder on the root of the nose, which made the originally sharp face much softer.

If they met for the first time, no one would have connected him with the Baron.

"The little bees are about to start collecting honey!"

Raven kicked the door open lightly and quietly slipped out of the back door of the government hall with cheerful steps.

The sun has completely set, and the number of pedestrians on "Central Street" where the Government Affairs Hall is located has gradually decreased, but "Tavern Street" has ushered in its most lively time.

Tavern Street is also called "Mercenary Road", but its original name is "Quarry District" because it is close to the Eagle Mountain Quarry and is originally a gathering place for quarry miners.

Later, the Mercenary Guild opened a branch here, and many mercenaries flowed in and out.

Whether they are mercenaries or miners, they are all wealthy people, and they always think about spending their money after a hard day's work.

Taverns of all sizes flourished on this street. In a street just 200 meters long, there were more than 40 taverns!

Now is the time to drink, and the streets are full of wealthy drinkers. Those wearing leather armor are mostly mercenaries and adventurers, while those wearing dirty coarse clothes are probably miners.

There were also many people wearing neat linen clothes, obviously working as helpers in various shops in Shemgold Town.

"It's so lively!" Raven exclaimed sincerely amid the surging crowd.

Traffic is a source of money, and in order to compete for customers, taverns are using all their tricks.

Some people put some fancy tricks on their signs. They either make them extremely large, with a three-meter-high shop front or a five-meter-high sign, which can be clearly seen from a long distance; some people embed various wine bottles and jars on the sign, so that one can see at a glance that there are all kinds of wine inside; some people use magic to make their signs glow with colorful lights in the dark.

Some places put the kitchen at the door, and the chef cooks on a stone stove, frying bacon in an iron pan and baking bread in the oven. The aroma of meat and wheat wafts around, whetting the appetite. The chef, sweating profusely from the heat, tilts his head back and takes a sip of beer. It's so refreshing just to look at it, you can't help but go in and have a couple of sips.

Some taverns simply have waitresses standing at the door wearing flirty and revealing clothes. The girls will also play cards and dice in their hands. Obviously, there is not only wine, but also many entertainment activities.

In addition, there were many women in scantily clad clothes leaning against the entrances and exits of the alleys. The cloth on their bodies was not enough to make a vest, and could only barely cover their vaguely visible vital parts.

They strike a pose for every man who passes by, and if anyone looks over, they puff out their chests and lift their thighs to highlight their "selling points" as much as possible.

"Sir, don't just look at me. For only twenty copper coins, you can play with my beautiful breasts."

"Hey, honey, don't go away. For just ten coppers, I can make you feel great~"

"Hey~ those mercenary brothers, come and take a look, I have many sisters, real sisters~"

Raven has seen this kind of rhetoric to attract customers many times. The age difference between these so-called sisters may be greater than that between mother and daughter.

In the past, Raven might have rushed in, thrown a handful of copper coins, and made a big mess, but now, this kind of vulgar woman is not to his eyes.

Now that you're here, let's drink first!

Raven chose a tavern called "Mare Banner" and walked in. The familiar smell hit him in the face - the smell of alcohol, meat, sweat, foot odor, and cheap powder mixed together, enough to make people fall over.

Along with the smell came all kinds of sounds, the sounds of drinking, bragging, quarrels, and the screams of a maid being spanked on the butt, followed by the sound of a slap in the face.

Like a fish jumping back into water, Raven walked to the counter with ease and slapped two coins on it: "A glass of beer!"

Boom!
The heavy oak goblet landed on the greasy bar, and Raven picked it up and drank it all.

That’s right, it’s the horse urine smell that’s unique to this low-quality beer!
"Ah~ so cool!"

On a hot summer day, is there anything more soothing than a glass of bubbly beer?

"Two more cups!" Raven slapped four copper coins on the counter.

The bartender was a pretty young girl in her twenties, with distinct features and sharp contours. Her flaxen hair was braided and piled on her head, giving her a bit of Sophie Marceau's charm.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her well-proportioned body was dressed in a gray coarse cloth dress, which was the most common style of the era. Her waist was tightly bound with a belt, which also squeezed the two buns of bread into round and full shapes, almost colliding with them to squeeze into people's eyes.

Sweat soaked her cheeks and chest, revealing an oily luster, and her ups and downs were enough to attract people's attention.

As she bent over and pushed two wine glasses in front of Raven, the deep cleavage caught her eye, and under the dim light of the oil lamp, even the bright buttons on the steering wheel were faintly visible.

Raven finally understood why this pub with a strange name and an unattractive facade had such good business.

In a tavern street full of vulgar women, this woman really stands out.

"Hey, beauty, let's be friends?" Raven had a smile on his face.

With the pleasant vibration of metal, a silver arc passed through the air and landed in the spacious bosom of the woman. The cold stimulation made her skin goosebumps. Her originally cold eyes immediately burst into fiery passion: "Petit, you can call me Petit, what about you?"

"Well...you can call me Wen Rui." Raven leaned forward slightly and smelled the strong and attractive hormones emanating from her: "Can I call you Petini?"

In the Keynes Empire, adding the word "Ni" after a name is a nickname for women, usually used by elders to address little girls.

Patty covered her nose with her hand and chuckled: "You look younger than me."

"But I must be older than anyone you've ever met." Raven lowered his voice: "Who knows, maybe you'll call me 'Dad' by then!"

"Oh, I've seen a lot of braggarts, but no one is as natural as you." Patty had a smile on her face, but her body was still nailed to the spot.

A silver coin could buy her a smile, but it was not enough for her to do more.

"Then why don't you try it yourself?" Raven pressed a silver coin in her palm and pulled the soft hand into his arms.

"Hey, that black-haired boy! What are you doing!?" A rough shout was heard, and Patty suddenly pulled her hand back.

Raven looked back and saw a muscular middle-aged man sitting not far behind him, glaring at him.

"Haha, Old Jones has stopped another attempt to molest her daughter! Is this the first guy who's tried to take advantage of Patty this week?"

"This is the third one. Every foreigner who comes here will suffer a loss."

"But that boy looks like he's about to succeed. This is the first time I've seen someone be able to hold Patty's hand."

The discussions of these people have already provided enough information. In fact, even if not, Raven knows what is going on.

It is nothing more than using one's own daughter as a living signboard to seduce lustful drinkers, making people think they can succeed, and thus obtain a large amount of tips.

Human nature is sometimes so despicable that the more you can't get something, the more you want it, and you are very reluctant to let others get it first.

If it goes well, just relying on this girl, the pub's business will be good for more than ten years.

When in Mon'en City, Raven was one of the many men who saw that he couldn't eat, but now he doesn't intend to suffer this loss again: "Are you the owner of this tavern?"

"Of course!" Old Jones showed off his muscular deltoid muscles. "I'm a veteran of Mon'en City! I've chopped off three heads with my own hands, so you'd better stay quiet."

Raven opened the Eye of Truth and scanned the people present. No matter if they were mercenaries or miners, none of them possessed extraordinary powers, and they didn't even have enchanted equipment.

The corner of his mouth pulled up a smile: "But I paid two silver coins and six copper coins. The wine in Mon'en City is not that expensive."

"Mong'en City is Mun'en City. This is the price of wine in our Shining Gold Town." Old Jones opened his mouth and showed a mouthful of yellow teeth, and smiled rudely: "Drink if you can, and get out if you can't afford it!"

Having run the tavern for many years, Old Jones could tell at a glance that Raven was not a local, so of course he wanted to rip him off.

Petty still had a good impression of this handsome and wealthy man. Not wanting to see him suffer, she whispered, "My father has a bad temper. You'd better leave quickly!"

Raven opened his palm towards Petty: "Give me back those two silver coins first."

His eyes slid to Petty's chest and he smiled gently: "Or, let me take out the first silver coin myself."

boom!
Old Jones slammed his fist on the table so hard that the wine glass flew up into the air. "If you dare to talk nonsense again, boy, I will strip you naked and throw you out!"

Raven said frivolously, "Then you can try it."

Seeing the two people confronting each other, the drinkers immediately started to make a fuss for the sake of fun.

"Old Jones, have you become soft because of your age? Go and beat him up! If you don't knock out his two front teeth, how are you going to run this tavern in the future?"

"That kid named Wen Rui, stop talking, get started! Take her out!"

"Hey, I bet ten pennies that this kid can't last ten seconds against old Jones!"

Old Jones was not overwhelmed by the booing. Fighting was common in taverns, but it would be bad if the tables, chairs and benches were broken. These were all accumulated by him using Petty's beauty, and he was reluctant to waste them.

Old Jones snorted a breath of alcohol and flexed his arm muscles. "Boy, let's arm wrestle. If you beat me, you can take two silver coins away! If you lose, you take off all your clothes and get out!"

"Oh no, that won't work," Raven said, waving his right index finger.

Old Jones said disdainfully: "If you don't dare, go home and drink milk!"

Raven smiled and shook his head: "Those two silver coins were originally mine, why should I gamble with you?"

As he said this, he looked at Patty's chest and said, "If I win, I want her to strip naked too."

"Don't go too far, kid!" Old Jones's face was as gloomy as a dark cloud. Raven mocked, "Why, you don't have confidence in your muscular body?"

"Bullshit!" Old Jones rubbed his wrist and put his arm on the table with a thump. "Go out naked later. You'll cry someday. There are more guys on this street who like women than just men!"

Raven stood up, stretching his shoulders, and walked over to sit down opposite old Jones, also putting his arms on the table.

His physique was quite robust, but not as good as old Jones's, as his wrists were twice as thick.

This made the drinkers present not even want to place a bet - the gap between the two was too big, and no one thought Raven could win.

At this time, someone had already volunteered to act as a referee. He walked to the table and waved his arms: "Three, two, one!"

"start!"

Click, bang, clang!
The dim light on the greasy tabletop was shattered, an arm was pressed down tightly on it, and the wine glass jumped up and fell to the ground.

A clean and decisive victory.

The pub was completely silent.

Because the person who was pressed down on the table was not Raven, but old Jones!
His arm was red and shiny, like a giant sausage. The mercenaries present knew that this was because his muscles were severely strained and became congested and swollen!

"Old Jones... actually lost so completely!?"

Most of the drinkers present were locals, and they were well aware of Old Jones's strength.

Although he is over fifty years old, he has barbarian blood and is as strong as any Nord boy. Even now, he can carry an 80-kilogram pig without blushing or panting, and a 30-kilogram wine barrel is like a light balloon in his hand.

In the twenty years since the opening of Mare Banner, the only defeat old Jones suffered was five years ago when he faced a knight from Snow Maple Territory. After that, his wife stopped showing up and it was Patty who stood behind the counter.

"Is this guy... an extraordinary person?"

Listening to everyone's discussions, Raven flexed his wrist and smiled with satisfaction.

The power gain brought by absorbing the magic core far exceeded his expectations. It was an all-round strengthening of bones, fascia, nerves and muscles. Even if it was not as good as a first-level knight, the gap would not be too big.

This only used two magic cores.

Old Jones roared, "He is not extraordinary. I underestimated him! Pompey, I will hire you now. Drive him away. I will give you five silver coins each!"

The mercenary whose name was called did not take action immediately. Raven's performance was too amazing. He would not take the risk for such a small amount of money.

"Greedy vampire, okay, you win, ten silver coins! Plus unlimited beer for a week!" Old Jones quoted a price that made his heart bleed.

In the corner, a team of four mercenaries stood up from their seats, picked up their weapons, and walked up with ill intentions.

These four men were all wearing leather armor, with long swords or scimitars hanging on their waists. They seemed to be moving around casually, but they had completely blocked all of Raven's retreat routes.

It's obvious that he's an experienced old mercenary.

"Hey, kid." Pompey was a middle-aged man with fleshy eyes. He looked at Raven sinisterly and weighed the sharp steel sword in his hand. "As the old saying of the empire says, a wise man knows when to retreat."

"You don't look like a fool, so you should know that fighting with four mercenaries in a small room for a woman is not a wise choice."

Raven leaned against the bar and smiled softly, "Have you ever heard another saying? A wise man doesn't stand in a building that is about to collapse."

Pompey's eyes darkened slightly: "Friend, since you understand, why don't you leave now? This will be good for you and for us."

"Because it's not me who is in danger, but you." Raven sighed, grabbed a wine jug on the bar and poured himself a glass.

Pompey smiled conceitedly: "It seems that you still don't understand who you are facing. I, Pompey, am the captain of the E+ level team of the Mercenary Guild. I once led the team to kill a first-level monster."

“Even if you are truly a first-level transcendent, what can you do to us when you are unarmed? You don’t have the fur and claws of a monster.”

Raven raised his head and drank a glass of wine: "So?"

"Pompey, if you don't do it, I won't give you any money!" Old Jones had been helped up by someone and was sitting on a chair with a cold sweat on his forehead: "Kick him out, anything is fine as long as he's not dead!"

A trace of helplessness flashed across Pompey's face. Mercenaries also needed to use their brains. He didn't want to solve everything through violence, but ten silver coins per person was a considerable income.

"Since you refuse to give in, I apologize."

With a clang, the long sword in his hand was already unsheathed! The other three mercenaries also showed their weapons.

"Guys, stop it...!"

Pompey originally wanted to say "Come on," but the second half of the sentence was distorted so distorted that it seemed like an embarrassing farce.

A dark crossbow appeared in Raven's hand at some point, and it was aimed at Pompey's forehead.

At a distance of only three meters, there was no possibility of failure, and even less possibility of dodging.

Looking at the enchanted crossbow arrow flashing with dark green light, a little cold sweat flowed down Pompey's temples. He raised the corners of his mouth and said in disbelief: "Space equipment!?"

One stone can cause a thousand waves!

"Space equipment, what is that?"

"It's something that can hold a lot of things. It looks like a shoulder bag, but it can hold a fat pig!"

"Wow, then, then this thing must be worth several gold coins, right?"

"Then you can only buy a few carts of sacks. The worst space equipment will cost more than a thousand gold coins!"

Pompey regretted it deeply at this moment. Why did he wade into such muddy water just for ten silver coins? How could he afford to offend a man who carried space equipment with him?

"My friend, it's all a misunderstanding! Let me go this time, and we can go our separate ways!"

Raven shook his head and smiled: "If I don't have space equipment, will you let me go?"

"But it's not impossible to compromise. You guys, strip him naked!"

Pompey's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands and walked towards Petty.

Raven's crossbow was pointed at his forehead, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Where are you going?"

"Didn't you say that we should take off her clothes?" Pompey asked.

"It's Old Jones, not Petey. Are you deaf?" Raven scolded with a smile: "How rascal do you have to be to make a girl strip naked in public?"

Pompey was speechless. Didn’t you want to take off my clothes before?
But the situation is stronger than the person, so just take it off, it’s not yours to take off anyway.

"Wait, what are you doing? No, stop, stop it--" Old Jones screamed like a girl who was violated, but he was already injured, how could he be a match for four mercenaries as fierce as wolves and tigers?
When the last bit of rag was torn, the whole tavern fell into an eerie silence.

"puff……"

I don't know who laughed first, but then the whole pub was filled with laughter.

"Lord of Light, what is that? An earthworm? I never thought that such a big person could have such a small thing."

"You are ignorant, aren't you? There is no way an earthworm can be that short. If it were you, I would call this thing a pacifier."

"Pacifier... Ha! You are really knowledgeable. But 'Pacifier' old Jones does sound much better than 'Iron Arm' old Jones."

For a moment, the sound of "pacifier" echoed in the pub.

Old Jones's face turned from white to red, from red to purple, and from purple to black. His eyes rolled up and he fainted.

Raven smiled, turned around and opened his hands to Patty: "Give it to me."

"Ah...ah?" Patty was completely stunned by what had happened before.

"You don't really want me to get it myself?" Raven blinked maliciously.

"No, no..." Only then did Petty understand what Raven meant, and quickly took out two silver coins and handed them to Raven.

"Try to find a good job for yourself. You won't be able to get married if you keep following such an unreliable father!" After putting the two silver coins back into his pocket, Raven turned around and left the tavern.

Although Raven talked sweet words, he didn't really want to do anything to Petty, because he knew too well the lives of the lower-class citizens in this world.

As long as he succeeds today, Petty will be reduced from a living signboard of the tavern to a snack that everyone can taste.

Then within two months, she will become one of the street prostitutes. None of this will be changed by her own will. This fucked up world is full of malice towards everyone.

Raven wasn't such a jerk as to ruin a girl's life just for the sake of pleasure, and he had better options.

Fine wine and beautiful women have always been inseparable. In addition to streetwalkers, Tavern Street also has more high-end entertainment venues, such as the Pink Mansion.

On the signboard polished with magic crystal fragments, there is a foot wearing high heels, and under the heel, there is a pair of underwear that is so soft that it is somewhat deformed.

A hint of anticipation appeared on Raven's face. He had never been to such a high-end club before.

I don't know, what are the ways to play?
……

(End of this chapter)