No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Before long, a short, stout middle-aged man with an unfriendly expression, a large belly, and rolled-up sleeves approached, carrying a kettle.

"I'm saying, even if the water is free, you can't just drink water all the time, can you?"

At first, the shop owner was very enthusiastic. Even though the two of them didn't order anything, he didn't refuse to serve them. After learning that they were waiting for someone, he thoughtfully brought them two glasses of water.

The two kept getting their cups refilled, and even complained that the shop owner was taking too long to refill them and that the wait was too troublesome, so they asked him to change their small cups to the large ones. Because of this, every time the shop owner appeared, his expression would become more and more unpleasant, eventually leading to the way it is now.

It can only be said that his ability to be responsive to every request is truly a testament to the high level of professionalism he has cultivated over many years of running a business.

"Shouldn't we get some free drinks while waiting for someone?" Jiang Shu said listlessly. "Expensive things are meant to be ordered after the person arrives. Didn't I tell you that? Don't worry, I'll make you a fortune."

The shop owner secretly pursed his lips, not believing it, but still added water to their cups.

"But will the person you're waiting for really come?"

"Is your inn the only one in Lies Town called Traveller's Inn?" Strawberry Milkshake asked.

The shop owner nodded.

"Then that's it, she told us she was planning to stay here."

"Really? I'm just worried that you've been deceived. You've only known that friend for a few days, right? If you ask me, maybe she's a poet of lies, and she'll never actually come here."

After pouring the water, the shop owner casually reminded him:

"As you know, there are many 'lying poets' in this city. You never know when you might run into one. They are a very, very bad bunch. Even though the Royal Court and the major guilds have imposed restrictions on them, they still occasionally pop up to do evil. It's really terrifying."

He clearly didn't know that he was facing two utterly wicked poets in his eyes, so he didn't hold back at all when he started to speak.

Upon hearing the shop owner's complaints, the strawberry milkshake was momentarily speechless.

This differs somewhat from the version they heard.

Jiang Shu was also taken aback. He looked up and asked in confusion, "We are from out of town and don't know much about Lie Town. We've never actually met the Lie Poets. Are they really without any redeeming qualities?"

"Powerful? If that counts." The shopkeeper shook his head. "But like the dragons in fairy tales, even if they are incredibly powerful, what use are they if they are inherently evil? I really don't know what their purpose is. Is it just because this continent is called the Land of Lies?"

Jiang Shu and the strawberry milkshake looked at each other in bewilderment.

The shop owner seemed unaware that although the poets of lies made a living by deception, they had actually been objectively helping to maintain peace on the mainland.

what's the situation?

After checking the time, the shop owner continued, "Anyway, I'll be closing in about three hours. You can stay as long as you like before then, since we don't have many customers today. But after that time, I think I'll have to ask you to leave. However, if you want to stay at the shop, that's another story, and you're welcome to do so."

Jiang Shu couldn't help but praise, "You're a really nice person."

The shop owner rolled his eyes: "If you really think I'm a nice person, why not order some food? That way, I won't have poured you so much water for nothing."

Jiang Shu smiled and said, "I'll definitely do it next time."

"Really..." The shop owner shook his head and left.

After he left, Jiang Shu's smile immediately vanished.

"His understanding... seems to differ somewhat from Moore's." Strawberry Milkshake was puzzled: "The temple has anti-magic stones, so Moore couldn't have lied to us, and this shopkeeper has no reason to lie to us either. Where is the problem?"

"I don't know." Jiang Shu shook her head.

He genuinely didn't know.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Shu guessed, "It's also possible that the shop owner is just an ordinary person, so his understanding of the 'Poet of Lies' is very limited. He's not lying, he just doesn't know those things either?"

"How about..." Strawberry Milkshake looked at the others in the hotel lobby, "we ask?"

“I think it’s a good idea.” Jiang Shu nodded.

So the two went their separate ways, each striking up a conversation with someone in the hotel who seemed easy to talk to.

After a period of time.

The two met again.

"It seems they have no idea that the Liar Poets can deal with monsters and natural disasters; they only know that they are very powerful," Strawberry Milkshake said with a strange expression.

"It's the same on my end."

Jiang Shu also found it strange:

“I also found out some things more than you. In their understanding, whenever a difficult monster or natural disaster appears, it is the Royal Court that takes the lead and the major guilds work together to solve it. The Poet of Lies has no presence in this process.”

On several occasions, the actions of the "lying poets" were led by many ordinary people, and it is said that the royal court paid a great price for their help.

In their eyes, poets who lied were a bunch of greedy creatures who only took in money and never gave it back, so they had absolutely no goodwill towards them.

"Hmm...this is quite different from what we've known so far." Strawberry Milkshake suddenly felt that the waters of Lie Town were perhaps a little too deep.

Jiang Shu's feeling was even more intuitive than hers.

He has never hesitated to assume the worst about others.

If Moore was standing on the side of the Liar Poet and unconsciously whitewashed some of the Liar Poet's evil deeds, or even simply ignored them to avoid detection by the Anti-Magic Stone, that would be understandable.

But why do people only see the evil deeds of the poet of lies and not know that the poet of lies also has a good side?

What exactly caused such a huge difference in perception?

This goes beyond a matter of perspective, because some things cannot be easily fooled or concealed. If only one or two people are unaware of the whole picture, it can be attributed to a lack of information. But if it becomes a generally accepted fact, then it becomes quite intriguing.

There's another point that Jiang Shu is very concerned about.

Besides the people he had just met and Moore, he had also learned about the Liar Poet from Windsor.

She gave yet another version.

That version seems to be more comprehensive and specific, pointing out both the downsides of the "lying poet" and objectively explaining its advantages.

Almost all of them contain parts that match what Moore or the shopkeeper said.

But if you think about it carefully, Windsor only runs a small shop in a remote place, far smaller than the Traveler's Inn where Jiang Shu is now. The people from all walks of life she comes into contact with, and her knowledge and experience, are no match for those of the travelers in Lies Town.

So...where did she find out all this?

Thinking this, Jiang Shu said to the strawberry milkshake, "I suddenly feel that I can understand why those people put up a magic-suppressing stone in the Temple of Lies. I also urgently need a safe place where I can be sure that what I hear is the truth."

“To be honest,” Strawberry Milkshake sighed, “I can hardly tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore. Everyone says something different. I really don’t know what kind of life those ‘lying poets’ lead.”

Just then, Jiang Shu suddenly saw something and frowned slightly.

"Is that Windsor?"

Following his gaze, Strawberry Milkshake immediately spotted Windsor.

"It's her." She was quite certain, while teasing Jiang Shu, "What's wrong with you? You've known her longer than I have, but you don't remember her as well as I do? You're lucky to be friends with her."

Jiang Shu simply shook his head: "Of course I can recognize her. The reason I'm not sure is that I don't know why there's an old man next to her."

"Ok?"

Let's take a look at the strawberry milkshake again.

There was indeed a man closely following Windsor.

Windsor was hanging her head, looking very frustrated.

Chapter 106 Jiang Shu is a Business Genius

Strictly speaking, he wasn't really an old man, just a middle-aged man.

He had a beard, a serious expression, and a tall, strong build.

Windsor wasn't short, only half a head shorter than Jiang Shu, but the man was a full head taller than her and a whole size bigger than her plump figure.

This made Windsor look rather petite.

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with old men at all.

So I don't quite understand why Jiang Shu would describe the strawberry milkshake that way.

"That...is she her friend?" Strawberry Milkshake pondered, "But why does she look so wronged?"

Jiang Shu narrowed his eyes.

He didn't connect the dots to anything else.

Because Windsor was already his shape, it was unlikely that there was any unspeakable relationship between them, a point he was confident of.

He was just worried that this seemingly intimidating man might end up becoming a problem for him.

After surveying the layout of the inn and confirming the escape route, Jiang Shu finally felt a little relieved.

"Anyway, say hello," Jiang Shu said.

Strawberry Milkshake nodded, leaned half her body out of the window, waved and shouted to Windsor, "Miss Windsor, we're here!"

"Huh?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Windsor instinctively raised her head.

The frustration on my body vanished instantly.

It's you!

The man beside her suddenly turned cold.

But seeing that Windsor ignored him and walked quickly toward the hotel, he could only put on a sullen face and follow.

Seeing this, Strawberry Milkshake confirmed her suspicions: "It seems they're not friends, but rather people with ill intentions."

"It's alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way." Jiang Shu appeared very calm.

However, Strawberry Milkshake noticed that one of his legs was slightly curled up, as if he was ready to run away at any moment.

But in the end, she didn't bring it up.

In the blink of an eye, Windsor had arrived in front of the two of them.

"Have you finished your business?" Windsor's face still held that familiar, warm smile.

"Hmm...I guess so."

I didn't know where to begin with the strawberry milkshake, so I could only nod reluctantly.

"It ended quite early, and he said he was coming to find you right away, but you weren't there. We also didn't know which herbal medicine workshop you went to, so we could only wait for you here."

Windsor then realized that they hadn't just arrived, but had been waiting there for a long time.

So she immediately said apologetically, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I was delayed for so long because of some things. You haven't eaten yet, have you? What would you like to eat? I'll treat you as an apology for waiting so long."

"Ah... I wasn't blaming you," Strawberry Milkshake explained somewhat awkwardly.

“I know, but I feel really bad about it,” Windsor said with a smile. “Please give me a chance to apologize.”

“This…” Strawberry Milkshake looked at Jiang Shu.

After all, it was Jiang Shu who came to see Windsor, saying it was related to the assessment. But when she asked what exactly it was about, Jiang Shu wouldn't say, only saying that she wouldn't understand and that it would be too complicated to explain.

Therefore, the decision-making power naturally rests with him.

However, when she looked at Jiang Shu, she realized that Jiang Shu was staring at the tall man and looking him up and down.

And that man was also looking him up and down with the same gaze.

In fact, Jiang Shu, who is usually low-key, would never scrutinize others so rudely. It was just that he was annoyed by the man staring at him as soon as he entered the room, so he retaliated in the same way.

He opened his eyes first!

It was only then that Windsor finally remembered that she had forgotten something important.

"Ah... I'm so sorry, I'm so happy to see you all, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is my father."

Upon hearing this, Strawberry Milkshake looked at the man with some curiosity.

Hmm... Looking closely, Windsor's features do resemble the man's somewhat, and the man also has blond hair. However, there are too many blond people in Liestown, and the man looks relatively young, so I hadn't thought of it at all just now.

Jiang Shu was also taken aback, and her scrutinizing gaze suddenly turned to surprise.

"You still have a father?"

After a moment of silence.

"It wasn't you..."

"Huh?"

"Tsk..."

The three of them simultaneously displayed different expressions.