A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 77 Selvi

"arrive."

Before the Chocobo lay a bleak forest, at the end of which rose a towering city wall. Since they hadn't passed the toll booth, they were still within the city limits of Eastwell. But around them were only a few scattered, old, low-lying houses, relics from before the golden age of Ashwell, long deserted.

Ankua untied the leash on the Chocobo, led it into the forest, patted the thick feathers on the bird's back, and let it go find water by itself.

As the weather warmed up, the Chocobos, which had not yet had time to molt, looked a little listless.

".The expert you mentioned lives in a place like this?"

Quinn, who had taken off his arcanist robe, got out of the car. He was wearing an old shirt he bought at the market. His whole demeanor changed from that of a mysterious arcanist to that of a down-and-out artist who had no money to cut his hair.

"Haven't you been here before?"

Ankuya walked towards the city wall in the forest, saying as he walked, "Not many people know the entrance on this side. I'll show you the way once, and you can come on your own later."

Quinn followed behind and found that the place where Ankua was stepping was indeed a forest path, but because no one had walked on it for a long time, the road was full of fallen leaves.

"Isn't that the city wall ahead? When have I been here before? Uh."

After lifting a bunch of branches that blocked his view, Quinn was stunned in vain.

An old wooden door swayed gently in the forest, with a string of rusty but clean copper bells hanging on the lintel. Ankuya pushed the door open as if he was returning to his own home, and the copper bells rang out a crisp sound.

Next to the wooden door, only the "Wine" part of the neon sign that read "Derma Bar" remained lit. Sewell's metallic, murky air, wrapped in the aroma of whiskey, drifted out from inside. Ankuya poked his head out and asked Quinn, "What are you doing standing there? Come in."

Quinn subconsciously took a step back, the divination scene flashing through his mind like a kaleidoscope, his eyes wary as he looked around: "No?! Why did you come to the Dema Bar——"

"This is our destination, why are you pulling out your gun?"

Ankuya realized something was wrong and came out and closed the door.

"What happened?"

Quinn hesitated for a moment and said, "It seems there's a clergyman from the Holy See in here."

"?"

Ankuya was a little stunned. He thought for a moment and shook his head decisively:

"The bar owner is a follower of the Returning Tree Cult, but he's not very devout. Was he drunk the last time you came over and was talking about the Church of Light?"

"Don't take it seriously. There are no clergymen from the Holy See in the city of Eswell."

A hint of doubt flashed in Quinn's eyes. Isn't it today?

".Really?"

"No."

"Aqua, go in and explore a little. I'll help you set up your gun at the door."

Quinn knew very well that he couldn't just stay in such a dangerous place, otherwise he would be easily defeated.

".Forget it, being cautious is a good thing." Ankuya walked in unhappily.

Two minutes later, he returned with a half-eaten sandwich in his left hand.

"The boss got drunk last night and there was no one to mix drinks, so the pub has been closed until now. There's not a single customer inside. Come in."

Ankuya chewed his sandwich and added calmly, "You know, this tavern is safer than the academy."

"Is it."

After much hesitation, Quinn finally chose to believe Ankua.

He cocked Mista's hammer, and it seemed that the death predicted would not happen today.

If he didn't want to increase his strength and take the combat potion as soon as possible, he would probably turn around and go back to the academy immediately.

Before entering the room, Quinn made up his mind that if the woman in the divination appeared - even if he was just seen from a distance, he would run away. If the other party chased him, he would have Ankuya to block him, as well as the snake scales given to him by He Mo.

The interior of the Dema Bar remained the same, with rows of expensive liquors casually placed on the wine cabinet like daily necessities. The old leather pads of the high stools were showing yellowish-brown sponges, and it was almost as if one could see the drunkards sitting on them staggering away as they left.

The dim light of the cloudy day filtered in from the window on the side of Sewell, with tiny dust particles floating in the halo. At the end of the bar stood a vinyl record player, its copper crank and trumpet-shaped cylinder polished to a gleaming shine. The needle rotated slowly on the record, playing a saxophone solo jazz.

The walnut body, the retro yet sophisticated workmanship, and the pure and natural tone are so stylish. This kind of sound should appear in a sunset restaurant on the west coast of France, not in this shabby pub with peeling paint on the walls.

Unlike the last time I came, the lonely and drunk boss was sitting at the bar, as if he had just woken up, eating a large plate of sandwiches with a glass of water.

As he got closer, Quinn smelled a strong odor of alcohol—no, it was just pure alcohol—wafting from the glass of "clear water." "Kid, is this the one who wants to be a Transcendent?"

The boss picked his nose with his little finger while eating. He was wearing flip-flops, beach shorts, and a greasy white shirt. He looked just like the sloppy guy Quinn remembered.

Ankuya nodded and sat down next to the boss. He had no objection to being called "kid".

"Selvi, help him pick a sequence."

The boss glanced at Quinn sideways.

"My physique is okay, but I'm a little thin."

Quinn was very surprised. How could he tell that?

After taking the Useless Man potion, the physical enhancement was truly reflected in the muscles. Although the muscle mass and physique did not change much, the body became very toned, and the lines of each muscle were sharp.

But because his physique was not noticeable because it was covered by his shirt and trousers, only Quinn's neck and a small part of his wrist were exposed, and he didn't deliberately exert any force to flex his muscles, how could one tell that he had trained his body?

It seems that this middle-aged bald man is the master that Ankuya mentioned.

Quinn greeted politely: "Hello, my name is Quinn, last time."

"You came to me last time and got a guarantee card, right? I've seen you before."

There was a flash of surprise in Quinn's eyes. Weren't you drunk and sleeping last time?

The boss said angrily, "You spent 150 pounds in Broom Lane. Remember to pay the bill before the end of the month. I can't make 150 pounds in this shabby pub in half a year."

"Don't worry about that." Quinn was speechless. It wasn't because his boss was pressing him to pay the bill, but he didn't look poor at all. Although he was dressed shabbily, the record player on the table was worth nearly a hundred gold pounds, not to mention the fine wines covering the wall.

The bill for the Clock Tower was really a problem. His monthly salary was only 42 gold pounds. Even if Amamiya Ningning went against her conscience and maxed out her performance bonus, it would only be 62 gold pounds, which was not enough to pay for the clothing expenses.

Quinn decided to take things one step at a time. Money wasn't a big worry for him right now. The academy still owed him compensation, and he could steal the Star Flower and sell it to Golden Wind. If all else failed, he could borrow from Amamiya Ningning. The little witch was incredibly wealthy.

“Mom! Mom!” the boss screamed at the top of his lungs, “Where’s my sword? Where did you put it?!”

The old lady's voice came from upstairs:
"Isn't it always placed under the bar—"

"I can't find it—" The boss didn't budge from his high stool. He just peeked twice symbolically before giving up and shouting, "It's gone!"

Quinn was stunned when he saw a beautiful old lady coming down from upstairs, a flour-covered rolling pin in her hand. She scolded him as she walked over, "You're sixty-nine years old, and you're still acting like a child. You want me to collect everything for you. Aren't you blind? Just put things away after you use them."

What a strong sense of déjà vu. These two turned out to be mother and son?
The boss looked impatient: "The kid is here, can you give me some face? I need more later."

"Hey, Ankuya?!" The old lady turned her head in surprise and squinted her eyes. She seemed to have severe presbyopia, and Ankuya had to take the initiative to move closer before she could find him.

The old lady reached out and touched the side of Ankuya's face, as if she was kneading a bun.

"Oh, kid, why haven't you come to see your grandma Selvi for over a month? You've become so skinny from hunger. Stay for dinner tonight! I'll ask Xiao Gu to get a suckling pig and roast it—"

Ankuya was about to be twisted into a dough stick. It was the first time Quinn saw him so well-behaved.

"Well, I have work tonight."

"What do you mean by work or not? I'm going to complain to your principal! Working is such a bummer! My handsome little boy is so exhausted."

"mom--"

The boss said unhappily, "I'm busy with business. Can't you see there are customers here?"

Mrs. Selvi then noticed Quinn standing nearby. She took a closer look and said with a smile, "Oh, young man, you're here again? Then you two can chat slowly. I'll go upstairs to make the Kuta buns. Ankuya, remember to stay for dinner tonight."

Kuta buns?

Quinn had seen it on the menu of Grindelwald's canteen. It was a specialty delicacy from the heart of the Western Continent: lizard meat and green onions were stuffed into the dough, then baked in the oven until crispy. It was very popular among students from the Western Continent.

Considering that the last time I came to the Dema Tavern, all I saw were drinkers from the Western Continent, could it be that the boss and his mother are from the Western Continent?
After the old lady went upstairs, the boss stood up and bent over to grope for something behind the bar. His big belly was propped up on the table, making him look abnormally fat, but his limbs were not fat. This belly was purely caused by drinking.

He picked up a black object that looked like a fire poker and threw it to Quinn.

"then."

The two were not far apart, and Quinn thought he could easily catch the "stick" thrown at him, but then he let out a "fuck" and quickly added a second hand. He used the strength of his waist to stabilize his body and was almost knocked down.

What the hell is this thing so heavy? He has to use both hands to hold it steady, it must weigh at least a hundred pounds.

Quinn looked closely and found that it was actually a sword.

(End of this chapter)