The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 116 The Publicity Expert (Please Subscribe!)
"Publicity expert..."

Tang Qi repeated some words, as if he had received the message.

In reality, it's about letting them filter out of your mind, leaving nothing behind.

The headache after a hangover felt like being pierced by an awl.

He tried to recall what had happened last night, but his fragmented memories contained only the shame of being drunk and lying on the ground, looking up at a dwarf, and his bladder so full that he had run to the toilet countless times.

Oh right, and there's also the competition to see who can pee the farthest from the edge of the lawn.

By the moonlight, he could vaguely see that there seemed to be a reason why dwarves were called short people.

"But I will never drink with dwarves in my life."

He felt dizzy and saw double images before his eyes, and his calves felt a little unsteady, so he couldn't help but pat his head.

Tang Qi appeared to be in a daze, seemingly unable to communicate.

Chuck stared at the huge, dried-up barrel on the table, speechless, and walked back to the kitchen.

When I came out again, I was holding a few needle-shaped, bluish-green leaves in my hand. The leaves were covered with dewdrops, so they had obviously just been washed.

Chuck patted Tang Qi's cheek, making him mechanically open his mouth, then shoved the leaf into his mouth and shook his jaw, forcing him to chew repeatedly.
"Peppermint leaves can help you sober up and also help you rinse your mouth and clear away the smell of alcohol."

The leaves in its mouth seemed different from what I remembered; it was probably some special variety.

First, there was a cool, stinging sensation on his tongue. Then, chewing it felt like holding an ice ball in his mouth. Finally, his entire tongue was frozen. The cold air filled his nasal cavity and brain through his throat, pulling Tang Qi back to his senses.

"Aww... I think I can't feel my tongue anymore!"

To pronounce a complete word, in addition to the vibration of the vocal cords, it also requires the coordinated operation of the lips and tongue.

After his tongue was 'frozen', Tang Qi clearly lost this ability.

Fortunately, Chuck was able to judge the content from the tone of voice:
"You guys actually drank 50 liters of beer?"

【Off-water dark beer】is cheap enough, and due to the strategy of low profit and high volume, the alcohol content of this beer is not very high.

However, 50 liters is still a bit excessive.

Tang Qi recalled the latter half of the night when he blacked out, and how he had only drunk a few glasses of wine before losing consciousness.

Dwarves are natural drinkers; their robust physique and well-developed sweat glands cause alcohol in their bodies to evaporate quickly, making dark beer no different from drinking water for them.

Thinking of this, Tang Qi nodded and said firmly:
“Of course, 50 liters is no problem at all for the two of us.”

He didn't intend to let Chuck continue asking questions, so he quickly changed the subject.
"So who exactly is this 'publicity expert' you're talking about?"

"Here, go out and see for yourself."

Following the direction of Chuck's finger, Tang Qi rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out of the hotel.

It seemed to drizzle in the latter half of the night, making the weather somewhat damp and chilly, which was a welcome change for the hot summer day.

The air carried a faint scent of grass after the rain, but it was quickly masked by the sharp, minty aroma that assaulted the palate.

Tang Qi spotted the 'propaganda experts' running around on the street at a glance.

After all, these children, who looked no more than 12 years old and were holding newspapers and shouting everywhere, were a sight he hadn't seen in the past two days.

"No one is more suitable as a medium for propaganda than these newsboys."

Residences, restaurants, docks... you can see them in almost any corner of Longjin City.

The newspapers in their hands represented the latest news available in Longjincheng, and as they wandered the streets and alleys, they could often overhear some secret gossip.

Of course, its authenticity cannot be guaranteed.

Most importantly, these children mostly come from the orphanage in "Refugee Lane," a slum in the Shenjing district.

This means they have a place to exchange information and summarize findings.

Most of the time, building good relationships with them will yield some positive results.

Otherwise, how do you think I managed to stay so well-informed?

"Will Longjincheng also have slums?"

“Every glamorous city has some neglected corners.”

Longjincheng's prosperity relies on its high consumer spending power, which is not something every citizen can afford.

At least for the [Deep Well Area], this is the case, as the area is often affected by the surge of the dungeon, causing tremors, ground collapses, or direct confrontation with the dungeon and even some adventurers.

The work in this area is generally very hard, and the 'big spenders' there are mostly quite stingy.

For example, some adventurers would ask them to help carry supplies or act as logistics for their deep dives into dungeons—the rewards were often very meager, like scraps from under their fingernails.

In short, it's already quite difficult to maintain even the most basic daily expenses after paying taxes on one's salary.

Chuck spread his hands, explaining the basic situation of Long Jincheng to Tang Qi.

“Shenjing and the docks are both poor neighborhoods with little profit to be made. They can’t compare to the gentry in the commercial district or even the upper city, and they won’t care about these vagrants.”

A group of newsboys who lived in the slums and frequently traveled the streets and alleys of Longjin City, bringing the latest news.

Having them promote the tavern should spread the word about the Golden Oak and the cheap plum wine in a short time, attracting the first batch of customers.

"However, let Catherine handle the advertising costs; I'm not good at that."

It's hard to say what the cost would be, especially since they are a group of orphans.

Giving too little hurts my heart, giving too much hurts my wallet.

If it were Catherine, she could certainly offer them a satisfactory price. While he was pondering this, a little girl with brown braids and freckles noticed his unfamiliar face and waved a stack of newspapers at him.
"Sir, would you like a copy of the *Ring City Weekly*?"

Without advanced technology as a foundation, it would be difficult to retrieve, publish, and process information about the entire city within a single day.

A one-week publication cycle would be just right.

For example, the newspaper that Kulu painstakingly read the night before last was the "Ring City Weekly" from several months ago.

Seeing the freckled girl approach him, Tang Qi couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Is there any noteworthy news from Longjincheng recently?"

"Of course, for example, the recent rumors about orcs, the 'Land Ownership System' promoted by the council, and the high-priced bounties in the dungeons—"

Oh right, there was also a newly published, urgent news item last night about the "Star Plum Tycoon" and the orcs.

This has already piqued Tang Qi's interest:

"How much is it?"

"Five copper coins per set!"

Considering that the newspaper is not cheap, but it publishes current hot news, which is enough to attract the attention of busybodies, it should not have any trouble selling.

After all, it would take up the girl's time to earn money, so after thinking it over, Tang Qi handed her a gold coin.
"I'd like to ask, do you sometimes take on publicity work?"

What Chuck could think of, others could certainly think of as well.

So much so that it can hardly be considered a secret business.

The girl answered truthfully:
"Occasionally, when a new store opens, they'll ask us to help promote it."

“Coincidentally, we are planning to open a tavern in Dragon Tail Pass, and we may need you to do some of the same work.”

"Sir, opening a tavern in Dragon Gold City is not a wise move."

Perhaps it's the harsh living conditions at the bottom of society that force these children to mature so quickly, which makes the little girl analyze her predicament like a shrewd shrewd shrewd person with a deep understanding of street life.

"Including Longwei Pass, there are more than ten named taverns, with an average of two competing with each other in each district."

There are only so many drinkers; it's difficult to take market share away from them.

Tang Qi found it interesting.

Is it really possible that there are poor people in this world who would turn down money?
So he asked:

"But why are you telling me all this?"

After all, the store's revenue has nothing to do with you.

Why not just do some simple promotional work and take the money directly?

The little girl hesitated and couldn't bring herself to say it.

Chuck patted her head; the two of them were actually the same height.

But that didn't stop him from comforting her:
"Jasmine, don't worry, this gentleman is a good guy."

Actually, because of his role as a "commoner hero," the little girl inexplicably felt that Tang Qi looked somewhat familiar.

So after a moment of silence, he nodded and answered:
"It's better to tell you the result in advance than to blame us for the lack of customers and then get the thugs from the Red Scarf Gang to beat us up."

Clearly, they've encountered this kind of thing many times before.

Tang Qi didn't intend to rub salt in their wounds, but instead explained:

“But I’m certain that this won’t happen; I mean, it’s impossible for there to be no customers.”

"How can it be."

"What if I told you that this is a tavern located in a haunted house, selling 'Star Plum Wine' at extremely low market prices?"

"A haunted house? The one by the lake?"

Clearly, the rumors about the houses on the mushrooms' heads have been circulating for quite some time.

“That’s right. After that, there will be no more mourning and wailing from that room, but instead, appropriate music will be played.”

"This is a 'gimmick'."

Jasmine nodded.

"But how cheap can Xingmei wine be? You can't possibly sell wine at a loss. It will never be lower than the cost price of [Xingmei Tycoon]... That's already unaffordable for many people."

"But we are a tavern from Xingmei Town, with our own independent brewing techniques. In Xingmei Town, a glass of Xingmei wine costs only 2 copper coins, which is less than the price of a newspaper in your hand."

Even if the price were raised in Longjincheng, it would still be far cheaper than plum wine available on the market.

"Star Plum Town? Is it the territory of the [Star Plum Tycoon]?"

"of course."

"So, you escaped from the Dawn Forest right under the noses of the orcs?"

"Yes, it took 21 days."

Seeing her becoming increasingly agitated, Tang Qi assumed that her story of 'escaping from the orcs' was too bizarre.

But Jasmine's next words pulled him back to reality from his speculation:

"Have you seen my brother?"

(End of this chapter)