The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 152 Falsification and Truth (10,000 words, please subscribe and vote)
The sewer pipes were dim and hazy.

Dawn is approaching.

The drowsy snoring gradually drowned out the noise and laughter.

A beer glass, overflowing with hops, bumped against Black Panther's shoulder.

The man's eyes were vacant; it was clear he was trying his best to stay sober and avoid swaying uncontrollably in his drunken state.

But it looks like a live fish about to be slaughtered on a chopping board.

Soon it will be too late to struggle.

Just like myself.

"I've taken a fancy to a girl."

The man said,
"Fuck you, awesome!"

"Go to hell, you've already said that to everyone in the tavern, [Little Peyton]."

I'll give you the same answer—you should go to the school, not just watch!

The black panther patted the man's cheek with its paw, nearly drawing blood.

But nobody cares about that.

Payton shook his head:

"I won't go, I can't go—if I go, it won't be love anymore."

"Bullshit! Love is only about sex, even a tortoise knows that!"

"I can sleep with her, I can sleep with her anytime! As long as you pay me—I have plenty of money!"

The man shook his head dazedly, then finally looked directly at the black panther, as if he were saying something very firm.
"But if I pay, it's a transaction! If I don't pay, it's pursuing her! Do you understand? I've got my eye on her—I'm going to pursue her! Do you understand!?"

"I get it, I get it! 'Bringing the public carriage to your own home,' is that right? Don't worry, I'll definitely be a customer at your place from now on!"

"Fuck you, I'm serious! She's different, I can tell she's different! I've made up my mind, after one more heist, I'll take her out of the store—"

"Are you fucking insane?!"

Black Panther kicked him to the ground, waking up the drowsy drunks and causing a commotion.

But he didn't care, and instead grabbed little Payton's clothes and said:
"Don't you dare say those kinds of flag-planting things again."

"Mind your own business, you son of a bitch. She wants to open a flower shop? I'll buy her the seeds and the shop! Hehe, then I'll quit and have her babies every day—no, I mean a whole brood!"

Nolan, who was leaning over the other end of the bar, laughed loudly:

"In the end, isn't it just about changing from one-time consumption to paying for long-term benefits?"

"You don't understand, you all don't understand—"

"Before you buy a 'public carriage,' check how many cents you have in your pocket, okay? Do you know how expensive the shops in Longjincheng are?"

Black Panther chuckled, and the joke actually sobered him up a bit.

"Hey, I've got my sights set—it's a fat sheep fresh out of college, knows nothing, but is loaded with money."

"Slaughter this fat sheep, snatch everything from her, and you can easily sell it for a good price on the black market!"

"He's fantasizing again, imagining himself becoming rich overnight, leaving the gang, marrying a horse-drawn carriage, and reaching the pinnacle of life?"

"Just you wait and see! Don't be jealous of the big deal I made!"

Watching young Payton tilt his head back and walk out of the leaky sewer pipe, which was inevitably drafty due to the stolen manhole cover, Nolan and Black Panther exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh:
Do you think he can do it?

Who knows? But I wish him success—

After all, no one will feel sorry for people like us when we die in the dungeon.

In his drowsy state, the black panther looked back at the drafty exit, where the faint light of dawn shone through the threshold.
"After spending so much time in the sewers, who wouldn't want to see the light of day?"

Nolan's sarcasm lingered in his ears:

"Does he deserve it? Do you deserve it? Do I deserve it? You fucking don't actually think you're doing something righteous, do you? We're robbing people—robbing people for Long Jincheng, but that's still robbery!"
How many people have died at our hands? Do you still want to see the light?
Have you asked them if they want to see the light of day?
Ha, wake up—

"Wake up..."

"Wake up!"

A slap landed on Black Panther's face, causing his dark cheek to swell.

He opened his eyes in a daze and saw the headless knight who had knocked him to the ground and was now pulling him back to his senses:

"I'm not fucking dead yet?"

"If you're so eager to die, my advice is to wait until you've answered my questions and then jump off a cliff."

His gaze was drawn to the source of the voice. He saw that it was a bard, and he grinned maliciously, about to vomit on Tang Qi, but Chen Xi slapped him to the ground first.

Tang Qi, too lazy to waste words with him, took out several portraits, unfolded them in front of Black Panther, and asked directly:
"Do you know them? If you don't, you can go jump off a cliff."

"Know him my ass!"

Black Panther was about to sneer when he caught sight of Payton's portrait and froze for a moment.

Tang Qi noticed this hesitation:
“Once you know them, things will be easier. Come on, write down the names and information of their relatives, friends, or anyone related to them on a piece of paper. Then I will choose to spare your life, and you can choose to jump off a cliff or do whatever you want.”

Black Panther snorted coldly: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then kill them, and use the dead to communicate."

Hope stared blankly at Tang Qi, her confused gaze seeming to ask, 'Where do we have dead people talking?' and—'How do you, as the murderer, use dead people talking to the victim?'

But obviously, whether or not this spell exists is not important.

It's more important to make the other person think you're talented.

Black Panther panicked for no apparent reason, and as Tang Qi's curved blade was about to reach his neck, his straight back finally bent:
"Okay, okay, I'll talk, I'll talk—"

Many people think they are not afraid of death.

But when death actually comes, one realizes one's own ignorance.

Not to mention, Black Panther never wanted to die.

He just felt that being stubborn would make him seem more important and make the other party hold out for a higher price.

He was just a bandit who followed orders and was responsible for robbing and plundering, not some desperate criminal:

"I only know one—Little Payton, we used to drink together in the sewers."

"Very good, then you've at least gotten to know the most crucial one."

Seeing that the other person was pointing at the 'flesh worm' who had first flirted with Catherine that night, Tang Qi handed the paper and pen to Black Panther.
"Can you write common language? Names, addresses, and relationship networks are all written in this notebook."

"I don't know what you're talking about. At most, I know that he was involved with a prostitute."

"That suits his style."

Tang Qi was not surprised.

Write it down.

"What's the point of having me write this?"

"Where does all this nonsense come from."

"I will not allow you to do anything that threatens him..."

"How can a group of robbers have so much friendship?"

After Tang Qi finished speaking, he immediately realized that his statement was biased.

"The robbers do seem to care a lot about these things. But why would I threaten a dead man?"

"He's dead!?" Black Panther exclaimed in surprise.

"You didn't know he was dead?" Tang Qi was equally surprised.

He couldn't tell how much of the black panther's furry face was genuine.

But if no one knows about this "flesh worm" named Little Peyton, or even the death of his accomplice, then the assassin who killed him that night should have nothing to do with the Red Scarf Gang.

Tang Qi couldn't be sure, yet he felt that Black Panther wouldn't lie to him about something like this:
"So it really was the council lord who discovered Iu and made the first move?"

Regardless, we've set a goal, so this trip to the dungeon was worthwhile.

As for how to deal with Parliament afterwards...

Why target Parliament?

Once you've confirmed that your "Guide" is selling well, why don't you just pack your bags and run away?

If it were just an underground gang, I could still be somewhat willing to compete, since it concerned the interests of [Golden Oak].

But if it's the entire Longjin City—

The tavern depends on Long Jincheng for its livelihood, so if they can't afford to offend him, they should just stay away.

No matter how big the council's hand is, can it reach the entire lord alliance?
He had always planned to travel to various places and write the "Guide," so leaving Longjincheng was only a matter of time.

After running away, he can still write a book called "Traveling the Continent with a Little Dragon," which will still infuriate those lords who covet Iu.

Having figured this out, Tang Qi had a clear goal and waved his hand:
"Alright, now all you have to do is hand over all your valuables and tell me the shortcut to leave this cave—"

Is it faster to go deeper, or to turn back and climb the mountain the same way?

And then it's none of your business.

Black Panther's lips twitched.

He now understood the stifling feeling of those adventurers whose treasure he had robbed every day.

But curiosity compelled him to ask:
"Wait, how do you know Little Peyton is dead? He was bragging to us in the sewers just two days ago that he was about to slaughter a fat sheep—"

"I killed him."

Did he steal your goods?

Black Panther didn't think so, otherwise this person wouldn't have needed to carry around a portrait of Little Payton and ask around.

"He came to my tavern, harassed my friends, and then caused a ruckus with a few thugs. Am I supposed to keep him around for the Double Moon Feast?"

"Teasing your friend? You know that 'horse-drawn carriage' guy?"

Tang Qi frowned and placed the curved blade against his neck:

"Think things through before you speak."

"No, I mean—uh, what's her name again? Ruth, yes, that should be it. Miss Ruth."

Tang Qi blinked:

"Who the hell is that?" "A horse-drawn carriage—no, I mean, women in the service industry who earn their living through physical labor."

Tang Qi realized that they didn't seem to be talking about the same person:

"What does this have to do with Ruth?"

"Little Payton's sweetheart just said the other day that she would use the money she earned to buy her a flower shop—"

"Using a public vehicle for personal purposes is one thing, but to even try to steal a private car? Well then, I'll kill him, do you have a problem with that?"

"That guy is completely focused on Ruth, how could he possibly be flirting with your friend?"

"Am I crazy? Why would I go through all that trouble to find your Red Turban Gang just to lie to you?"

Tang Qi sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I don't need to lie, do I? I'm just stating a fact that everyone knows. If you don't believe me, you can ask Nolan—well, he's dead."

Why don't you ask the drunkard in the sewers? We often get together to drink, and back then nobody wore masks, so everyone knew he had a dream of buying the public carriage!

Driven by this dream, he even stopped going to brothels, spending all his time thinking about saving money.

Having said all that, Tang Qi didn't believe Black Panther was lying:

"Perhaps he changed his mind."

"He's not that kind of person."

"Do you know him well?"

"We are in cahoots."

"Do you know that Nolan likes men?"

"what?"

"You see, you don't know."

Hope whispered in Tang Qi's ear, somewhat puzzled:
"Then how do you know?"

"I do not know either."

"Huh?" This time, both Black Panther and Hope hesitated.

Tang Qi spread his hands and said:

"Therefore, such personal privacy—especially the privacy of the dead—is something that cannot be disproven. There's no point in dwelling on it."

Even if he remained faithful to that horse-drawn carriage, the fact remains that he harassed Catherine that night.

"excuse me."

Hope suddenly stepped in front of the two men, glancing first at Tang Qi, then at Black Panther.

"Is it possible that what you both said is true, but there was a mistake in the middle?"

"What do you mean?" Tang Qi tapped the blade of the scimitar with some impatience.

“I’m thinking about whether it’s possible that Little Peyton did indeed prey on that fat sheep in order to buy Ms. Ruth’s flower shop, but something went wrong along the way, such as being subjected to some kind of spell—like [suggestion], a very common spell, right?”

He was under the influence of magic and went to your lover's tavern, attempting to seduce her.

"What's the purpose?"

Tang Qi did not quite agree with this statement.

"I can't figure out why the spellcaster did this."

"It's targeting you—didn't you choose to confront the Red Scarf Gang directly to investigate the mastermind behind it all? Maybe the spellcaster who implied them is the same group of people who're causing you trouble?"

The more Hope pondered, the more she felt she had discovered the truth.

How did you realize someone was targeting you?

"Someone tried to assassinate me that night."

"See! The answer is obvious—"

For some vested interest, a spellcaster uses the [Suggestion] spell to instruct Little Payton to provoke you and test your abilities.

After they died at your hands, they realized that wasn't enough to threaten you, so they sent an assassin to kill you... well, that makes sense.

"Where's the logic in that? Do you think they're villains from a novel produced in 'The Ballad of the Bard'?"

The demon, in order to defeat the adventurers, arranged for his minions to be sent to their deaths one by one? He even sent loads of magical items right in front of me?

Tang Qi scoffed.

If the council's mind is so simple, then the destruction of Dragon Gold City may not even be two and a half years away.

Upon reflection, he realized that he had obtained a bag of gold coins, several bottles of potions, the [Exploration Wand], and the [Mind Shield Ring] from the Red Scarf Gang.

He obtained a [Manta Cloak] from the assassin that night.

Leaving aside the assassin for now, since he could sense the threat he was facing—

If Anbi hadn't tackled him and left a row of teeth marks, he probably would have died from a flying knife hidden in the shadows after his poetic inspiration had run out.

However, implying that the Red Turban Gang's villains were provoking him was a negative outcome from any perspective.

He couldn't possibly believe that the council was a bunch of good-for-nothings who thought that sending a few thugs would be enough to take care of an adventurer like him who had discovered Iu in the Dawn Forest, could he?

Even a little white pig isn't this stupid!

Rather than targeting oneself, this act of actively giving away equipment is more like—

"A gift?"

Tang Qi shook his head, also thinking it was unlikely.

Having just arrived in a new place, unfamiliar with both people and people, what do I have that deserves to be given a gift?

Who would go to such lengths and go through such a roundabout way to fund their own cause?
"Damn it, I'm starting to believe this nonsense more and more."

Ultimately, what kind of person Payton is is something that cannot be disproven...

Tang Qi shook his head, trying to banish the thought from his mind, but suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Wait, who said it can't be disproven!?"

Black Panther and Hope, watching Tang Qi talking to himself, felt that he seemed to be living in his own world.

So he watched as Tang Qi pulled out a thick notebook with a purple cover, a notebook that Hope had never seen before.

He then sat down on the floor and began writing something to himself—

"Just because others can't disprove it doesn't mean I can't."

Tang Qi realized that he possessed the only true treasure in the world—

Previously, he only had one 'opening chapter': being assassinated.

He couldn't possibly deduce the ending of the entire 'story' directly from the 'log' by looking at an opening that had no follow-up.

A story consists of a beginning, development, climax, and conclusion.

Only by experiencing the 'process' can one infer the 'ending'.

Now, through his investigation, he is gradually getting closer to the truth of the story, and everything is just waiting for an 'ending'.

He could simply follow the example of his previous account of the mushroom story and use the [logo] to disprove it!
After all, due to a wrong judgment at the time, the contents of the logs disappeared one by one!

[...So the Red Scarf Gang that night were actually influenced by 'suggestion' or some other magical effect, which led them to choose to harass Catherine.]

As Tang Qi wrote this sentence, he suddenly felt his breathing become heavy.

Time seemed to drag on, and Tang Qi waited patiently for the moment when those handwritings would disappear from the logbook—

No!

"They were really affected!?"

Immediately afterwards, he recorded his guess about the intention in his log:

[Because the other party wants to deliver these 'robbed' magical items into my hands...]

No!

The writing hasn't faded yet!

Based on this deduction, I have to realize that the 'mastermind' behind all this seems to come from two different camps.

One was plotting to harm me, while the other was secretly providing financial assistance.

But who is doing this? What is their purpose in doing so...?

I believe this is inextricably linked to the existence of 'Iu'.

Tang Qi opened the last page of the log again, and the two targets that came into view were [Ruins and Dragon Eggs] and [Orcs and Dragon Gold City].

He placed his final landing point on the 'dragon egg':
"Finally, I've found the connection."

Having sorted out his thoughts, Tang Qi suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a giant, woven net.

Perhaps, even before stepping into Longjin City, all his actions had already been observed by others.

So, what kind of being is it that can observe itself in the Dawn and Dusk Forest from a great distance in Dragon Gold City?

What methods were used?
"The Arcane Eye, is it?"

This fourth-circle spell can summon an invisible magical eye that floats in the air, and there is no distance limit between it and the caster. It is a means used by many casters to secretly observe the outside world...

"Wait, eyes?"

Tang Qi's eyes lit up.
"A construct's eyeball appeared alongside both Merard and the orc, and their origin was—"

"【Duchess】?"

He quickly looked at the dawn:
"You mean the 'eyes' next to Merad are related to the Golden Kingdom, right?"

Chenxi realized that Tang Qi seemed to have discovered the key, and affirmed:

"At least it was a technique that existed at that time."

Tang Qi turned around and linked [Golden Kingdom and Dawn] with his previous two objectives.

His breathing became easier, as if he were personally parting layers of thick clouds.

Tang Qi understood:

"The truth is getting closer and closer to me."

(End of this chapter)