The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 173 Northern Copper Furnace (6k6k)

Tang Qi had given it some thought.

What should be the antonym of 'anger'?
He initially thought it was 'sadness'.

But if that were the case, how could the word 'grief and indignation' possibly exist in this world?
He believes that 'anger' should be a primal emotion, an extreme feeling of dissatisfaction due to the failure to achieve a goal.

That corresponds to another extreme—

Extreme indifference to the goal.

An extreme calm.

Tang Qi only experienced the feeling of "nothing matters" in one specific situation.

Sage Mode.

As it turned out, he was right.

The extreme calm and boredom, coupled with the soul-searching questions he felt, instantly pulled him away from the barbarian who gained power through anger.

However, Tang Qi did not intend to thank Shyvana for giving him the opportunity to test the Mind Blade.

As she snapped out of her calm reflection and hurriedly urged Houk to leave the tavern.

Tang Qi suddenly cursed:

"Look how ridiculous you are, trying to run away with your tail between your legs?"

Under the taunting effect of the verbal abuse, Shyvana, despite knowing it was a provocation, still felt a surge of anger.

Amidst the throbbing pain in her brain, she instinctively lunged towards Tang Qi.

"What happened to you!?"

But the shouts outside the tavern forced her to stop:
"Damn it!"

This guy still managed to hold us back!

This was not the development she had anticipated.

She never prepares a backup plan.

In a panic, she hurriedly took out a badge from her bag, but the badge was only half-revealed and had not yet been noticed by everyone.

The captain of the guard strode forward, grasped her wrist, and whispered:
"Put it down, and don't let them know who sent you!"

"I--"

"Shut up, I'll handle it."

The captain of the guard frowned, glancing past Shyvana and then at Tang Qi, who was observing everything behind her:

"Hey, my friend. It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

He walked forward until he reached Tang Qi's side.

Looking around at the tavern, now a scene of utter chaos, the captain of the guard sighed, patted Tang Qi on the shoulder, and gave a gentle smile:

"These two are my relatives, from the countryside. They might be a bit reckless in their behavior—I'll compensate the tavern for the damages. Could you please do me the favor and pretend this never happened?"

Seeing him lie without batting an eye, Tang Qi couldn't help but laugh:
"Of course, friend. But are you sure you want to acknowledge two orcs as relatives?"

Seeing Tang Qi's knowing look, the captain of the guard couldn't help but spit inwardly:
"Damn it, I knew these brainless orcs couldn't possibly hide themselves!"

"They hid well, but I just happened to have seen them before."

"Oh, I almost forgot, you're from Xingmei Town."

The captain of the guard sighed and winked at Tang Qi.

“I admit, these guys trampled on some people’s homes. But not ours, right?”

As your friend, I advise you to let bygones be bygones, whatever conflicts you had with them before.

We are not 'priests of the Holy City', so there's no need for us to be so kind.

You're a smart person; you should know what I mean.

"Who's protecting them?"

"For your own good, don't ask anything."

They were all intelligent people, which made it impossible for Tang Qi to get more information from them.

The captain of the guard waved to him.
“I will take them away under the pretext of escorting them, but you’d better not reveal their identities.”

"of course."

Tang Qi had no intention of offending his friend.

This would make the tavern a little safer.

The captain of the guard enjoyed talking to intelligent people, and out of a strange sense of kinship, he thoughtfully offered this reminder:

"But if you ask me, you'd better leave Longjincheng as soon as possible."

"why?"

"You're being watched."

The captain of the guard shrugged.

"A big shot you can't afford to offend."

"There are just too many people I can't afford to offend."

"But fortunately, this is Longjin City, not the Southern Great Wall. So the big shots here don't like fighting and killing; instead, they always prefer to do things according to the rules."

So leaving here is a good thing for you and for those around you.

The captain of the guard looked around, especially at the floorboards that had been chiseled open by an axe.
"If you want them to live peacefully."

"Is this considered a threat?" Tang Qi blinked.

"Of course not. It's a threat to an enemy, but to a friend—it's called advice."

As the captain of the guard spoke, he tossed Tang Qi a bag of coins.

"Compensation."

He then directed the men in black robes to put shackles on the two orcs and drive them toward Dragon Gold City.

Catherine then hurriedly returned to the lobby, circling around Don Qidi:

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Tang Qi handed the money pouch to the girl, feeling that the compensation seemed a bit excessive.

"I am fine."

"Are they... the orcs from Starplum Town?"

"You guessed it?"

"Although I haven't met them, if it were someone else, they probably wouldn't make you feel so pressured."

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief, "But it's good that you're alright."

They tacitly agreed not to mention the black snake.

It's not that it's unimportant.

Instead, frequently mentioning the past will only leave people lingering in prolonged sadness.

People always have to look forward.

During a brief moment of contemplation, Tang Qi suddenly said:
"The shop got vandalized today, so at least we can take a break now, right?"

"It won't make a difference. I'll ask David and Holtz to go to the Friendship House and ask Chuck to move a couple of tables and chairs. But you, don't you need to rest for a bit?"

Seeing that she had no intention of closing up shop no matter what, Tang Qi could only sigh:

"It's just a minor incident, it doesn't affect anything."

The appearance of the orcs only made him more curious about the truth.
I'll try to be back tonight.

As he spoke, he began to take a step.

"Tang Qi."

Just as he was about to leave, Catherine suddenly called out.

When he turned around, the first thing he saw was her hands nervously clutching her dress:

"Well, um, what I wanted to say was—"

be safe."

Tang Qi raised an eyebrow and raised his hands as if to swear:
"I'm really not going to sleep."

"I'm talking about personal safety!!!"

Catherine stomped her foot and stormed back into the kitchen.

Tang Qi then realized that he had misunderstood, coughed twice, and quickly left.

As he approached the street corner, he bumped into Chuck, who was looking towards the pub.

Upon seeing Tang Qi, the halfling first waved, then trotted over, grinning smugly:
"Ha, based on my years of experience leading the way, I could tell right away that those two guys were up to no good—thankfully I didn't let them stay at the [Friendly House], or my inn would have been in big trouble."

"So now it's the Golden Oak that's suffering."

Tang Qi joked,
How do you plan to compensate me?

Chuck was a little embarrassed, but he still took out the "Guide" from his pocket and looked at Tang Qi:

"I've been promoting your book these past few days, don't be so formal!"

"Isn't it because you can profit from the price difference?"

"It won't interfere with either of them."

"Don't be ridiculous. I need to go to the Shenjing District first, which isn't on the way to the commercial area. I'll write down a list, and you can buy these things for me, then I'll forgive you."

Tang Qi casually took out paper and pen from the package, scribbled for a while, and then handed them to Chuck.

"Why would you buy this thing? Will going to the deep well make you rich overnight?"

Chuck pointed to the list with some surprise.

"I don't have that much money."

Tang Qi took out a bulging money bag, which contained a large amount of gold coins harvested from the [Dragon's Treasure Vault].
“It’s not all gold coins from Longjin City inside; you’ll need to exchange them at the bank. Anyway, after you buy these, you can pay me back any extras you have, and I’ll pay for the shortfall in advance. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”

Seeing that the bag of gold coins was almost as big as his head, Chuck sighed with envy:

"In Dragon Gold City, only adventurers can become rich overnight—hmm, maybe I should expand into new businesses too."

However, fighting in dungeons is too dangerous. It's better to choose a class that helps others scout ahead or pick locks..."

He was about to ask Tang Qi what kind of job he was more suited for when he realized that Tang Qi had already left in a hurry.

"His back view looks like a 'snake-chicken beast that has spotted danger,' why is he in such a hurry?"

Chuck didn't understand Tang Qi's sense of urgency.

It is the result of a confluence of various reasons.

For example, go to the mage academy as soon as possible to find the [Star].

It's like quickly arriving at a deep well to sell shells—

"【Northern Bronze Furnace】, that giant snail shell quest, shouldn't it have been posted by the owner here?"

Tang Qi stared at a conspicuous equipment store located in a street in the Shenjing District, muttering to himself.

"A dwarven blacksmith? He's still someone you can trust."

The shop's design, much like its name, was shaped like a bronze furnace, with a low doorway—a style often seen even among the dwarves of Dragongold City.

"This is a rare opportunity for tall people to bend over."

He remembered that's what the gravel said.

It is worth noting that a prominent notice was posted next to the door—

Dogs and those who purchase the "Guide" are not allowed inside.

“I wrote the guide, but I never bought it, so I can get in.”

Tang Qi hummed and bent down to step through the door.

The shop itself is not as cramped as its entrance suggests. On one side of the wall, armor of different races is displayed, ranging from leather armor to plate armor.

What do you need?

Dwarves always have deep, resonant voices.

Following the sound, Tang Qi saw an empty display case.

"Where the hell are you looking?"

Looking down, he noticed a burly dwarf with a bald head and thick beard tied into bunches, holding a blacksmith's hammer, looking as if he wanted to smash it into Tang Qi's knees.

Maybe he should grow a rooster-like hairstyle so that he can be spotted.

Since it was a transaction, Tang Qi didn't say that:
"I'm here to sell shells."

"A giant snail's shell? I've made it clear, I only want the complete shell—don't try to fool me with a pile of scraps!"

"It is indeed a complete carapace."

Tang Qi walked to an open space and placed the colorful carapace in front of him.

"It's just the shell of a flail snail."

The dwarf shopkeeper's pupils contracted slightly, and a booming voice, like that of a bronze bell, resounded throughout the entire shop:
"How can it be!?"

(End of this chapter)