The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 121 Confidence (Please Subscribe)

Catherine vaguely remembered that when her mother was still alive, she would often tell her stories about places outside of Starpine Town.

This often made her feel that her mother was a traveler, as if she had traveled to every corner of the world.

It wasn't until she grew up that she realized the person who brought these stories to her mother was actually a bastard father who abandoned his wife and children.

But as a seasoned adventurer, he had indeed encountered all sorts of characters and stories, leading Catherine to acknowledge some of his insightful observations.

"The adventurer circle is like a pond. Of course, you can see those upright and elegant 'swans' on the surface. The existence of these guys always makes you feel admiring and fantasizing about becoming like them."

But actually, they are just conspicuous enough that you overlook the many more nameless 'little fish' hiding in the water, the slippery 'loaches' darting through the mud, and the 'lice' that just hop around in the dark corners..."

If the "flesh worm" mentioned earlier could be considered a 'lice,' just one look at it is enough to make one feel irritated and disgusted.

The accomplice in front of him was like a slippery eel.

They crawled through the muddy ground, waiting for their chance to strike, never missing an opportunity to gain profit.

"Get lost! Don't you have any shame at all? No wonder you guys are teammates and can even piss in the same pot!"

But not everyone can tolerate this kind of loophole-exploiting behavior.

There are always a few drunk adventurers who, fueled by alcohol, can't help but slam their fists on the table and say what's on their minds.

"Shut up!"

One of the 'loaches' roared, trying to drown out the adventurers' resentment.

"I won't shut up, what can you do about it—"

"Boom!"

A short blade, tightly bound with a red scarf, was stuck in the wine table in front of the adventurer.
"Before you think you can pretend to be a 'coat,' you should first think twice about whether you have the ability."

In addition to their chainmail, the city guards of Longjin City also wear a black robe over their shoulders, which can cover their entire backs, and the guard's insignia is embroidered on it.

The guard captain Tang Qi had met earlier was wearing a white robe.

Because white robes are easily soiled and need to be washed frequently, they actually highlight his status within the guard.

"Damn, the Red Scarf Gang?"

The adventurer muttered a couple of things, then sat back down in his seat and shut his mouth.

This is a 'small fish'.

They swim quietly in the pond, sometimes dreaming of shining as brightly as the swans, and try to achieve that goal.

But more often than not, the gap between reality and reality inevitably makes people restrain their courage, silently sink into the water, and repeat the same routine day after day.

After all, they still wanted to live, and they weren't about to provoke a notorious gang of 'loaches' for the sake of a stranger.

Being targeted by a loach is a terrible feeling. Even if you don't die, it's enough to make someone lose their appetite for ten days.

The 'loaches' looked at Catherine, their smiles growing even wider:
"You've hurt him quite badly; it'll probably take him some time to recover."

We were planning to search for the Dragon's Treasury, and this is really delaying our progress deeper into the dungeon—”

The implication is that they are demanding compensation.

The price doesn't look cheap.

"If you have any eyes, you can see that he provoked us first. Of course, if you insist that all the responsibility lies with me, I'm afraid I can only ask you to leave here with your accomplices."

Even if the other side has more people, you must not let them overwhelm you in terms of momentum; you must let the troublemakers see that you have the strength to back them up.

Even if you don't have it, pretend you do.

This way, they will have some reservations, weigh the pros and cons, and consider whether it is worthwhile to launch an attack.

Sure enough, upon seeing Catherine, he not only showed no fear but also retorted.

The group of accomplices exchanged glances, inevitably beginning to ponder why she hadn't shown any fear.

Does he have some kind of background or special abilities?
The tone also softened somewhat:

"Maybe he was wrong first, but you can't expect us to find another teammate at the last minute, can you?"

Considering the time wasted and the treatment costs, we won't deliberately overcharge you; 100 gold is a fairly reasonable price.

"Sorry, you won't get a single gold coin."

"Don't rush into a decision, boss lady."

The 'loaches' were practically pressed against the bar counter. One of them pulled out the short blade stuck in the table, tossed it into the air, and caught it safely in his hand.

"You know, cheap Star Plum Wine is hard to find, so we hope this tavern can continue to operate well."

But many things are not up to us, right?

After all, it's normal to encounter unexpected events when you're running a business in Longjincheng.

For example, a nameless corpse might suddenly appear lying in front of the door, or a drunkard might smash tables and chairs...

Oh, right, those helpers should probably be careful on their way home at night, since it's impossible to see everything clearly with the naked eye when it's dark.

But there's no need to be overly afraid. Just pay some medical expenses—consider it making friends. The Red Scarf Gang will take care of everything for you.

Protection money is a common practice among gangs.

For some gangs that value their reputation, this fee might just be the reason they fulfill their obligation to 'protect' them.

But it's best not to expect to solve everything once and for all with this fee.

Handing over this money might put an end to this matter today.

However, this also effectively grants these gang members the right to act as "rats gnawing on the load-bearing pillars" in the tavern in the future.

As the loaches' laughter echoed, the drunkards' clamor gradually subsided, and the entire tavern fell silent, save for the mushrooms' mournful, worried tunes. Catherine's choice would depend on their attitude towards this tavern—

Both taverns in Longwei Pass had paid this 'protection fee' and have now become places where gang members frequently visit and cause trouble.

Perhaps the common people have no other choice, but at least the adventurers have the right to refuse to get drunk in such a disturbing environment.

"When you decide to back down your bottom line, you have to be prepared to keep backing down."

"What?" The mudskippers couldn't hear Catherine's murmur.

"Sorry, you won't get a single gold coin."

Like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, Catherine's decision resonated deeply.

The 'little fish' appreciated her decision, but did not cheer for it.

After all, very few people can provoke the Red Turban Gang and emerge unscathed.

"When you try to project confidence, you'd better pray that you actually have confidence."

The loaches grinned maliciously, but did not immediately make things difficult for Catherine.

It would be too undignified to make things difficult for them in person. With so many eyes watching, if we really attract the attention of the "robes," we'll inevitably have to pay some fines, which would be a losing proposition.

"But little girl, Dragon Tail Pass is very dangerous. Be careful not to run into any man-eating beasts."

The loaches picked up their companions and prepared to leave.

But then a light and cheerful song rang in their ears:

"Tonight we'll all gather at Golden Oak, and we should be able to drink and chat without missing a beat."

Please suppress your anger; we don't need to be so serious!

The music was so abrupt that it did nothing to ease the tense atmosphere; instead, it drew everyone's attention, making them all look at the musician who emerged from the kitchen.

Tang Qi approached the group of loaches that hadn't left, while improvising a rap-like ballad:

"Hey, my friends, do you still remember my singing voice?"

The loaches looked at each other, puzzled: "Is he greeting us?"

"He looks familiar. I think I've seen him in some tavern before."

"I also feel like I've seen it somewhere before, and I have a pretty good impression of it."

"There's a sense of familiarity, like I have a friend who looks a lot like him?"

"Could it be someone familiar to [Flesh Worm]?"

Although the five loaches had no recollection of where they had seen him before, a strange sense of affection suddenly welled up in their hearts.

Seeing how friendly the other person was, they couldn't help but stop in their tracks.

Tang Qi slung the lute behind his back, a pink glint of light flashing in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the mudfish carrying the [Flesh Worm] on his shoulder, and then wrapped his arm around his shoulder:
"Old friend, you haven't forgotten me, have you? Do you remember, you ordered a milk tea back then..."

"Huh? Milk tea? Is that true?"

The sense of intimacy grew stronger.

As we enter middle age, memories of our youth often become blurred.

In that hazy memory, I think I once shared a cup of milk tea with this old friend in front of me...

"Have you forgotten? Damn it—"

As Mudfish tried to gather his thoughts and recall Tang Qi, a black scimitar had already slit his throat.

When the splattered blood landed on half of Tang Qi's face, the mudfish finally clutched its bleeding neck and remembered—

I've never drunk milk tea in my life.

"He just forgot about milk tea, is it really worth going to such lengths?!"

The other four loaches had no idea that Tang Qi would use a knife to injure someone.

They thought this poet, whom they found so kind, had really come to catch up with them!

Tang Qi had already made his plans. The black scimitar in his hand, under the bright lights, resembled a cunning and treacherous venomous snake, and in an instant, it pierced the throat of another person.

The scimitar was so sharp that it cut through his neck bone without any obstruction. A thin line of blood was easily drawn out by his 'snake kiss,' tracing a crimson path in the air before landing on the blade of the third 'loach'—

With a clang, a spark flew.

Without warning, the mushrooms' music became intense and exhilarating.

The opponent's sword blade was actually severed!

In terms of ordinary craftsmanship, the longsword is far more resilient than the scimitar, which is known for its slenderness and elusiveness.

The current result can only confirm one fact—

"This isn't an ordinary scimitar!?"

Some of the more observant little fish exclaimed in surprise.
"Magical weapons are quite rare..."

Catherine, who witnessed all of this, suddenly recalled her bastard father's excuse—

Strictly speaking, Tang Qi doesn't seem to be a 'swan'.

He was neither as noble as a priest nor as upright.

But what does it matter?

She felt that was fine.

(End of this chapter)