The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 30 Two Ways to Escape

"Found an open space, let's set up camp!"

Tang Qi patted his head, which was being shaken around on the muddy dirt road in the forest, to even out his brain matter.

The truck carrying the 'prisoner' had no roof, allowing the chilly fog to soak into his clothes, making him increasingly damp and sticky.

He tried to wipe the water off his body, but the shackles prevented him from moving.

However, by the light of day, he could vaguely discern that four days and nights had passed since the start of the Star Plum Town campaign.

Sixteen hours.

It should be nighttime both inside and outside the forest.

The shouts woke Kuru, and when it realized it was being taken to Dragon Gold City, it sobbed for a while.

"Friends, let's go home..."

This was the first time it had been away from the burrow for so long, and during this time it lost the long staff that had kept it company while it slept, which made it feel unwell.

As the culprit behind Xingmei's theft, Tang Qi believes that Kulu's guilt will not be light.

Furthermore, Long Jincheng's court might not grant a dog-headed man human rights.

He was worried about Kulu's future.

As the mercenaries set up their tents one after another, Tang Qi, who had been hungry all day, felt his stomach rumbling.

He looked at Steward Huss, who was sitting by the campfire in the camp, quietly taking out steak and red wine, and was elegantly preparing dinner for Master Merard.

He even put a pat of butter and rosemary on the frying pan.

Those are probably fresh ingredients that have been preserved with anti-corrosion magic.

Those wicked nobles.

“Merciful Master Merard, you wouldn’t want to see us sinners starve to death on the road before we are even tried, would you?”

Hearing Tang Qi's call, Melard leisurely walked over before the meal was ready:

“The message Catherine sent through someone said that I am ‘that friend’—which friend does she mean?”

Tang Qi blinked.

This shrewd proprietress, by giving me these instructions before leaving, was probably looking for a way to exonerate herself...

Before leaving the tavern, they had some discussions about 'orientation'.

The information gleaned from this is that the friend Catherine mentioned—

Melard, at least, doesn't like women.

Considering these two points, the answer is already obvious.

He instinctively tightened his grip on the hook, revealing a fawning smile:

"She once said that businessmen are always shrewd and calculating, which makes it difficult for her to accept favors without thinking about what she has to give in return."

But one of her friends was tolerant and kind, often allowing her to set aside personal gain and loss.

Tang Qi was making things up.

But Melard was very satisfied with the answer.

Catherine had never used the word 'friend' in front of him.

But her attitude has always been friendly—

It seems she's already considering marrying him.

This made him feel a little better after enduring the hardships of sleeping outdoors.
"That does sound like something she would say."

So, poet, how are your musical skills?

"You can verify it yourself now."

Tang Qi finally had a chance to express his demands, shaking his somewhat stiff hands.
"Just give me a short period of freedom."

"Master Huss, bring his lyre and remove his cangue."

Huss pushed up his glasses, somewhat worried: "Young Master, I'm afraid..."

Merad frowned: "He's just an unarmed bard. With so many people around, what are we afraid of him doing?"

Huss had no choice but to comply.

Tang Qi, freed from his restraints, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had made a good first impression on this person in charge, which made it easy for him to flatter him.

This is very important.

These arrogant nobles, unlike the drunkard in the Golden Oak, wouldn't give him a chance to change his reputation.

"I hope you can sing some good pieces." Melard actually had high hopes.

"As you wish."

Tang Qi remained silent for a while, trying to guess Melard's preferences.

Next, I tried to find some less offensive phrases and put them together into lyrics.

Finally, add a random court tune.

This is how to make ready-made meals:
I once indulged in power and lust, and succumbed to fame and fortune.
They never showed any pity for the beauty of those women;
But why is my heart so desolate, unable to find meaning in life?

Because there's a secret I never tell anyone—

A figure wanders in my dreams.

That person was so intelligent, quick-witted, cute, and clever.
I just want to be each other's only one.

But God, can you hear my weeping?
"Fuck him. Why is he my brother?"

Tang Qi's singing voice was gentle, like a whispered prayer to a deity.

Merad's eyes widened, his heart seemed to be filled with turbulent waves, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

That expression of surprise and joy was like that of a believer in the truth, who was scorned as a heretic and hung on a fire stand.

Just when he thought he possessed the only truth and was about to die alone with his faith, he discovered that another heretic had suddenly appeared beside him.

At this point, more than the agony of impending death, he was grateful that he had never been fighting alone.

"So you are too—"

"Ah no, this poem, 'Confession,' was written when I was traveling in the Terran Empire. I heard about a nobleman's unrequited love, and that inspired me to create it."

Tang Qi shook his head, quickly disassociating himself from the song.

All he needs to do is state his position to win Melard's favor.

We must not go any further, lest we lose the hook.

Melard's disappointment was palpable.

In Longjincheng, gay relationships are not actually considered a niche orientation.

However, as the sole heir of the family, his father, Lord Mel, still needed him to bear him an heir.

As a result, Merad was unable to express his true needs to his father.

Catherine was the only one who knew this secret; the girl had heard him pour out his troubles when he was drunk.

Upon learning that the tavern owner was occasionally troubled by her father's covetousness, Merard proposed a deal—

He asked his father to let him marry Catherine in exchange for a stable life for her.

Meanwhile, Catherine intends to marry him after he comes of age, as a cover for him to find true love.

Now, with less than a year until he comes of age, he asked his father to remind Catherine of the deal under the pretext of going on vacation to the estate.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have stepped into this increasingly eerie Dawn and Dusk Forest.

Regardless of whether the poet did it intentionally or by accident.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity:
“You are far superior to the artists my father hired.”

Perhaps after we arrive in Dragon Gold City, I can give you a chance to atone for your sins.

"Thank you for your kindness."

"Hus, give him back his package. I don't want him to starve to death on the way."

The imposing steward, somewhat disdainfully, put on silk gloves, removed Tang Qi's tattered bundle, and tossed it at his feet. Finally, he simply threw the gloves on the ground as well.

"It smells like something that's poor and rancid."

Tang Qi didn't care.

In fact, he knew very well that the difference between humans and goblins was not much different from the difference between nobles and commoners.

The former is differentiated by race.

The latter is alienated because of their status.

The nobles of Longjincheng do not yet hold real power; their status is more of a symbol, and this attitude is not yet obvious.

But when they arrived at the Terran Empire...

In the eyes of the nobility, slaves and livestock were both resources of equal value.

The people are only slightly more noble than them.

Although the shackles are still on, he has regained a certain degree of freedom.

At the same time, it also served as a way out for himself in Longjincheng.

"Thanks to Catherine's reminder."

Thinking of this, Tang Qi quickly emptied his backpack.

Then it was discovered that the backpack was also carrying a weight that didn't belong to it—

There was a bulge, like a short stick, in a lining that looked like it had been sewn recently.

Upon removing the temporary stitches, a forearm-length iron chisel was found quietly nestled in the interlayer.

Those are tools used to chisel open wine barrels.

Before delivering the package, Ambly left two sentences—

We cannot judge a book by its cover.

'Mellar is the friend she was talking about.'

If someone is unaware of the facts, they would likely mistakenly interpret them as a long, continuous sentence.

But Tang Qi understood that these were two sentences he and Catherine had said at different times.

This also represents the two possible escape routes that Catherine has prepared—

The former implies that this double-layered chisel might be surprisingly effective when he has no other choice.

The latter refers to Melard's preferences. If used properly, it might be a way to escape punishment.

Tang Qi hid the chisel back in his bag, muttering to himself involuntarily:

"At least it can be used for self-defense."

If we have the chance to meet again, I'll thank her properly then.

(End of this chapter)