Chapter 110: The Tavern

Ronnie grew anxious when Xius refused to believe him. In his present condition, he could not even run.

“Is the Black Sea Desert far from here?” Xius asked. After hearing Ronnie’s explanation, he was beginning to believe him.

“Just cross that mountain. We’ll only reach the edge of the Black Sea Desert, though. My home is there!” Ronnie said as he forced himself to stand despite the pain. Lexi carefully supported him from the side.

“Let’s go!” Xius said, seeing that Ronnie was able to move.

“You’re coming back with us?” Ronnie asked, startled and hesitant. Xius had saved them, but Ronnie had no idea what he intended to do.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Xius did not want to waste words on him. He had to reach the Black Sea Desert as quickly as possible and find Gejiale.

“No, no, of course not. We’ll leave right away!” Ronnie hurriedly agreed when he saw that Xius was becoming annoyed. He felt that if he refused, this strange man might kill him in some bizarre way.

When Lexi heard that Ronnie wanted to return, she said nothing. The siblings supported each other as they slowly made their way forward.

Xius followed unhurriedly behind them, watching their backs without the slightest concern. They were only ordinary people; they could not cause him any trouble.

Because of Ronnie’s injuries, it was nearly dark by the time Xius finally reached the tavern the siblings had mentioned.

“Greatsword Tavern!” Xius read aloud, standing at the entrance and looking at the few large, weathered characters above the door.

Ronnie paid him no attention and pushed open the door. The instant he did, the entire tavern fell silent.

“Well, if it isn’t you, boy! Where have you been today? That old fellow Dabe was frantic!” A middle-aged man who was clearly drunk recognized Ronnie at once and came forward to slap him on the back.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Ronnie glared resentfully at the man. He was already injured, and the heavy slap had made him feel even worse.

“Ronnie, where did you run off to today?” When Ronnie’s father came out and saw his children, he quickly pulled them to his side.

Seeing that the family was discussing their own affairs, the people nearby did not interfere. They simply returned to their drinks.

“What happened? You’re injured!” The moment Dabe saw Ronnie’s condition, he knew that something must have gone wrong during the long time the two had been away.

“Well... I’ll tell you later. We were rescued by someone. He’s outside and may come in soon. My sister and I will go find something to eat first.” With that, Ronnie led Lexi behind the curtain and into the kitchen in search of food.

“I never expected there to be a town in a place like this!” Xius stood outside, studying his surroundings.

After crossing the mountain, Xius had found himself facing an immense sea of sand. His first impression was one of desolation. He had never imagined that anyone could live in such a place.

Standing outside, Xius picked up a handful of sand from the ground. Along with ordinary grains, he found a considerable number of extremely fine black crystals mixed within it.

He had the chip scan them, but there was no record of them in its database. Perhaps they were the reason the place was called the Black Sea Desert.

After observing the area for a while, Xius entered the tavern. The desert nights were bitterly cold, and fine grains of sand kept blowing against his face. He decided to examine the Black Sea Desert more carefully the following day.

As soon as he entered the tavern, a mixture of smells rushed toward him—alcohol, sweat, and countless other odors blended into an unpleasant stench.

Xius had opened the door quietly, and with the tavern already filled with noise, no one noticed him come in.

Dabe, however, having heard Ronnie’s words, had been watching the entrance and was waiting for Xius to appear.

Xius looked around the tavern alone and saw that it was fairly crowded. Considering the weather outside, that was only natural.

“Were you the one who saved my son?” Dabe asked as he walked through the crowd and came up behind Xius.

“Beep! Unnamed: Strength: 3.12. Agility: 2.67. Constitution: 2.87. Mental Power: 6.27. Condition: Healthy. Rank: Second-Level Wizard Apprentice!”

“Hm?” When he heard the chip’s voice, Xius turned around sharply and saw Dabe smiling broadly.

“And you are?” Xius studied the portly man before him. He already knew that the second-level apprentice identified by the chip was Dabe.

“Ah, I am—I’m Ronnie’s father. I heard that someone rescued them, so I came over to ask about it!” Dabe met Xius’s eyes and paused slightly before quickly explaining himself.

“There are so many people here. How did you know I was the one who saved them?” Xius had not expected to encounter a wizard apprentice in such a remote place. Judging by Dabe’s appearance, the man had not yet discovered his identity.

“There are only so many people in this town. After living here for so many years, everyone knows one another. So the moment you walked in, I noticed you.” As he spoke, Dabe secretly studied Xius’s eyes.

“Do you have anything to eat?” Xius did not pursue the matter further. He had come here merely out of curiosity.

“Yes, yes, of course. You’ve only just arrived, haven’t you? If you don’t mind, you can stay here with me for now!” Dabe gestured invitingly and led Xius upstairs.

“I’ll have someone bring you some food shortly. You can rest first.” Dabe had just brought Xius to an upstairs room when someone called for him. After giving Xius a few instructions, he hurried downstairs.

Xius examined the furnishings. A small amount of sand had blown into the room, suggesting that it had been unoccupied for quite some time. The blankets and other bedding, however, were quite new, so they were probably cleaned at regular intervals.

After sitting down, Xius began wondering how he could find Gejiale. The map only indicated the location of the Black Sea Desert and contained no further information. This left him somewhat exasperated. The Black Sea Desert was enormous; finding someone there would take far more than a little while.

“Where could Gejiale be?” Xius tapped his knuckles against the table, pondering how he might locate him.

“Um... My father asked me to bring you some food.” Ronnie stood at the doorway, looking at Xius timidly.

After eating something, Ronnie looked much better than before. Noel’s kick had not injured him as severely as it had first appeared.

“Hmm.” When Xius saw Ronnie standing at his door with food in his hands, he knew Dabe had sent him.

“Um, thank you for saving my sister and me today.” After Xius accepted the food and began eating in small bites, Ronnie stood before him and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

“Do you know your father’s identity?” Xius had no interest in Ronnie’s thanks. He was more curious about Dabe’s identity.

“My father’s identity?” Ronnie was caught off guard by the sudden question. As far as he knew, his father was simply an ordinary man who ran a tavern.

“Never mind.” From Ronnie’s reaction, Xius could tell that Dabe had kept the matter hidden and had not told either of his children.

“Do you know whether anything strange has happened in the Black Sea Desert?” Xius intended to ask indirectly and see whether Ronnie had heard anything about Gejiale.

“Well... I don’t know that either.” Ronnie scratched his head awkwardly. Xius had asked him two questions, and he had been unable to answer either one. Of course, he did not think Xius was making fun of him.

“I usually stay in the tavern and learn brewing from my father. Besides, my eyesight isn’t very good.” Ronnie explained himself to Xius, while also taking another look at Xius’s eyes.

“But if you want to find out anything, you should spend more time downstairs. Everyone who drinks there is a resident of the town. Nothing can escape their notice!” Ronnie also told Xius the best way to gather information.

“Hmm.” Xius had been planning to do precisely that. After all, the more people there were in a place, the more sources of information there would be.

“Is your mother an elf?” Xius remembered Lexi and asked Ronnie, who had been studying him from the side.

“She probably is. I’ve never seen her. My sister and I have lived here ever since we were old enough to remember, and I have very little memory of our mother.” As Ronnie looked at Xius, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

He wanted Xius to teach him the killing technique he had used during the day—the method by which one could kill an enemy from a place the enemy could not see. Ronnie had been unable to understand it at all on the journey back.