Archer's Adventure Manual

Chapter 173 The Noisy Tavern

reality.

"Boom!" Lightning struck, knocking a furry squirrel down.

Loran used a flesh sacrifice, offering the squirrel to the Eye of Flesh as a task that needed to be submitted periodically.

The flesh-and-blood eye in the spiritual world was stunned when it saw what Loran had offered as a sacrifice.

"Kid, what did you sacrifice to me? A squirrel? Are you kidding me? I gave you such immense physical strength, and you just hunted a squirrel?"

Loran's mind was filled with the Eye of Flesh's rant.

Loran simply shrugged. "As long as the targets are met, it's fine. You didn't say it had to be any particular kind of meat..."

The Eye of Flesh and Blood fell silent.

Just then, the lively Brian caught a butterfly and happily showed off his achievement to Lorraine.

Loran's eyes lit up, and she decisively sacrificed the butterfly, which boosted her sales even further.

The journey to Rockfall was not something that could be completed in a day or two. Loran stopped to rest temporarily in a small village along the way.

This area is also under the jurisdiction of Plassen, but since they are scattered in such places now, information from the Plassen capital will not be transmitted so quickly.

Furthermore, as long as Loran doesn't go to places with high information flow like the Adventurers' Guild, he should be fine.

However, Brian's fierce appearance naturally prevented him from entering the village, so Loran asked the Eye of Flesh and Blood for a method to shrink his wings, allowing Brian to retract his outstretched flesh and blood wings.

The man and his dog entered the village naturally.

After a little inquiry, I learned that the village was called Senwo Village, and it was governed by several fief knights, all of whom were meritorious members of the Knights Order in the former capital of Plassen.

The village's main business is hunting, because the surrounding resources are relatively abundant, and many precious animals roam the area. The fur, bones, and flesh of these animals are all very valuable.

It has also become a popular rest stop on the way to Rockfall Town.

Many adventurers heading to Rockfall Town pass through here, using it as a rest stop along the way.

Loran and Brian first went to a general store and casually sold some of the furs and skulls they had hunted along the way in exchange for some silver coins.

The man and his dog then entered a fairly lively local tavern.

The moment you push open the door, you're hit by a wave of heat from the aroma of ale, roasted meat, and sweat. This tavern isn't exactly fancy; a few simple oil lamps hang overhead, their wicks flickering, making the room alternately bright and dark. The bare walls are adorned with dried deer heads, monster pelts, and other simple decorations.

At this moment, a leisurely bard is playing his lute, allowing adventurers to unwind from the day's fatigue.

Loran is now quite well-off. He might have thought that barbecue was a bit expensive before, but now he believes that eating well every meal is the most important thing.

Loran found a wooden table in the corner and sat down. Brian lazily lay down at his feet, glancing around every now and then, and then yawning sleepily.

"What's wrong? You're not going to chat with the adventurers like before?" Loran asked curiously.

Brian's ears drooped twice. "Tired."

Loran raised his hand to beckon the tavern waiter, his voice low, "Two orders of roasted wild boar, a glass of ale, and a piece of dark bread."

A freckled young man replied briskly, "Yes, sir, coming right away!"

After sitting for a while, the noise from the next table drifted over. Three adventurers who looked quite experienced were huddled together, clutching half-eaten pieces of roasted meat, discussing: "The situation in Rockfall Town is getting worse and worse. I heard the monsters there are all very strange..."

"Have you ever heard of goblins with dog-headed human heads...?"

"What's this! A hunter who escaped said he thought he saw something with a bear's head and a human body!"

"Does such a monster really exist? If it really looks like that, how does it move? Wouldn't it have to drag its body to the ground?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know, but that's what the hunter said, you know, the guy who was all red-faced from drinking."

The adventurers looked over and saw a hunter drinking and bragging non-stop, seemingly living a life of debauchery.

"Tch, that's unreliable. I'd like to go and see for myself if it's really as amazing as they say."

"But it's always good to be careful. We're there to get money, not to risk our lives."

Loran took a sip of the freshly delivered ale, and the image of the "Dog Head Forest" came to mind.

Even though he is a survivor of Rockfall, he still can't understand how those creatures, who possess several monster characteristics, came to be.

In the dream, Loran did try to look for similar cases, but found that even the library of the Plassen Magic Academy did not have any relevant records.

Loran has never forgotten the existence of the Sequence Church. He has now come into contact with the evil god and the mysterious Dream God Cult. What about the Sequence Church from hundreds of years ago?

It's not impossible that they might make a comeback.

The current chaos in the Plassen region can only be interpreted as the worst possible scenario.

Lorraine tore off a piece of roasted wild boar and held it to Brian's mouth. The roasted meat was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy. Brian immediately wolfed it down, his mouth glistening with oil.

The bard's lute changed tune, from a lighthearted folk song to a somber melody, the lyrics of which went, "Shadows devour the village, bones litter the hills, the knight's sword is rusted, the adventurers are ready to go..."

The noisy tavern gradually quieted down, and the adventurers' expressions varied.

Some simply appreciated the rhythm of the melody, while others were reminded of some unpleasant events.

The drunken, red-faced hunter stopped his commotion upon hearing the melody, a hint of sadness appearing in his hazy, intoxicated eyes...

Only the numbing effect of alcohol could allow him to temporarily forget his trauma; he lacked the courage to confront the terrible shadows.

The tavern's environment was not good, in fact, it was quite bad. The strange smells on the adventurers and in the tavern made people feel uncomfortable and stuffy.

But Loran, leaning back in his chair, didn't care. He quietly closed his eyes to rest and recover his energy, while also listening to the tunes sung by the bards.

As the sky gradually darkened, the tavern grew increasingly lively, and the small tavern was soon filled with customers.

There were still some seats left for solo adventurers, and Loran's small square table happened to have just one such seat.

A man wearing a bearskin coat walked into the tavern. He was almost as tall as Noah and stood out from the crowd.

He glanced at the seats in the tavern and finally chose the one opposite Loran.

Loran slightly opened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her.

"Hello young man, may I sit here?" The rough-looking man asked politely when he saw Loran open his eyes.

Loran said nonchalantly, "Sit down, there are no seats around, and it's hard to find a place at night."

"Thanks." The man rubbed his hands together, sat down, and placed his rather heavy backpack on the ground.

Brian glanced at it with some curiosity, relaxed a little, and then continued to pretend to sleep.

The man ordered a large glass of beer, tilted his head back and gulped down half of it, wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and let out a long breath.

"I've been traveling for three days, and this is all I've been craving." He slammed the cup down on the table with a dull thud.

Loran continued to close his eyes and rest, ignoring the noises made by the man in front of him.

The man then took out a piece of dried meat wrapped in oilcloth from his pocket, tore off a small strip, hesitated for a moment, and handed it under the table.

"Hey bro, wanna have some?"

Brian, who was pretending to be asleep, opened one eye, looked for two seconds, opened his mouth and caught it instantly, then started munching on it.

"This meat smells delicious!" Brian thought to himself, silently labeling the man in front of him as a "good guy."

"Your dog is quite sturdy." The man grinned, his gaze lingering on Brian's physique for a moment. "The hunters around Rockfall like to keep these big dogs. They can help drag the game, and if they encounter smaller animals, they can even help with the hunt."

Brian, who was munching on jerky, was slightly taken aback. As a top student in the canine world, he was already proficient in and able to use human language.

It could understand what the person in front of it was saying, which reminded it of a figure with graying hair... except that the stout figure was already far away.

The bard's music drifted over, and as Brian listened to the slightly melancholic melody, fragments of memories began to surface in his mind.

It suddenly understood why adventurers liked to hear such a sound... and why some people would shed tears after hearing it.

Loran, somewhat curious, suddenly asked, "Are you from Rockfall Town?"

"I was born there and grew up there." The man chewed on some dried meat. "Many years ago, my parents spent all their savings to send me to Plassen to become a knight, but I injured my leg during the assessment and failed to be selected as a trainee knight."

Loran then noticed that his posture was a little off, with his right leg leaning outwards.

"So you didn't go back?"

The man didn't answer immediately, but picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"I didn't want to disappoint my parents, so I stayed in Plasson, renting a cheap house, wanting to be a free adventurer and make my parents proud, but... I kept failing."

"I'm not afraid to admit it, but I almost died in the wild a few days ago. Our team ran into a tough opponent and got trapped in a valley. Luckily, we found another exit, otherwise we might have starved to death there."

Loran looked at the man who was quite talkative and asked curiously, "Then you heard about what happened in Rockfall and wanted to go back to help."

"That's right, my parents... are still waiting for me." The corners of the man's mouth curled up slightly, like a smile.

But it wasn't a smile; it was just that the corner of his mouth twitched due to inertia, and the curve only lasted for a moment before collapsing.

His lips parted slightly, then closed again, as if he wanted to say something more, but he didn't say anything.

Loran noticed that the man's hand holding the dried meat was trembling slightly, and he could see through the man's thoughts. Loran could completely understand his feelings.

"Many experienced adventurers have already gone to Rockfall Town. Everything will be fine. Don't worry. Just like you said, they are all still waiting for you," Loran comforted him.

"Yes, they're still waiting for me." The man nodded earnestly.

Loran glanced at the man; his face was etched with fatigue, and his eyes betrayed his weariness. Heaven knows how long this fellow had been traveling...

"Take a rest. You look exhausted. Alcohol won't energize you. I'm heading to Rockfall Town tomorrow anyway, so I can go with you," Loran said with a slight smile.

Now that Loran has gained some power, he doesn't mind helping this man who has left his hometown.

The man waved his hand, "Forget it, young man, Falling Rock Town is too dangerous."

"I also have a friend trapped in Rockfall Town, and I'm a Black Iron-level adventurer. If it were the two of us, we might be able to solve the troubles in Rockfall Town better."

"Iron-level?!" The man was taken aback, not expecting that the young man in front of him, who was so much younger than him, would actually be an Iron-level adventurer.

"In that case, thank you very much. Let's work together to rescue the person we want to protect. My name is Barton."

"Garen." Loran reached out his hand.

Barton managed to drift off to sleep under the influence of alcohol. When people are tired, it's easy to fall asleep even in noisy environments. The two of them fell asleep in the tavern.

This often happens to drunk people in taverns, which are places where all sorts of people mingle.

A sneaky-looking person, taking advantage of Loran and the other person being fast asleep, stealthily approached them, his little hand unconsciously reaching for the backpack that Barton had brought.

Little did he know, a hunting dog pretending to be asleep had already set its sights on him.

Just as the thief was about to touch the backpack, a sharp pain shot through him. The thief's face turned bright red instantly. He wanted to shout but was afraid of alerting Loran and the other person.

He looked over with an exaggerated expression and found a pair of bright green eyes staring intently at him, while his hand was bitten by a mouth full of sharp teeth!

"You damn dog!" The thief bared his teeth and tried to kick Brian, but Brian added a little force, and the thief instantly collapsed to the ground.

Brian was very satisfied with the strength he had controlled. After torturing the thief for a while, he got bored and released him.

From then on, no one dared to have any wicked thoughts about this place at night.

Dream.

Loran continued making various dream cans with the dream cans in hand. This time, he made a new discovery. It seemed to be a dream about Napoleon the Great.

You should know that in Corbett's store, Napoleon the Great's "Unthinkable Sword" canned food was sold as a store treasure.

It can be said that anything related to Napoleon the Great is a rare and precious item!

Loran decisively began to study the dream, but discovered some rather strange things.

In the dream, Napoleon the Great displayed his sword skills, with countless flying swords appearing behind him. He then darted forward, slaying hordes of monsters.

The sky was filled with gold; it was truly breathtaking.

More importantly, Lorraine also heard Napoleon the Great say, "Behold my Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!"

"This sentence... was actually spoken in Chinese."