I'm really not a dragon.

The tavern lobby,

Urd sipped his wine, his gaze falling on the monarch who was strolling over.

He silently gripped the short sword at his waist; a well-trained warrior knew how to unleash his physical potential in just a few seconds.

That's an ability called "Tides of Movement".

Just as the monarch was about to approach

"Mr. Ould!"

The monarch stopped, his voice sounding somewhat confused. His cold silver eyes fell on the person drinking and playing drinking games. "I don't know what grudge I have against you that you have to treat me this way, but for some beings, the heart and neck are not fatal wounds."

"Furthermore, your child possesses a tender yet intelligent mind, but his soul belongs to the devil. I think this is probably every father's regret!"

Veins bulged on Urd's face as he stared intently at the monarch, his eyes blazing with fury.

Urd held his companion down.

Silently watching the monarch's figure blend into the crowd and leave the tavern.

The dwarf at the table looked bewildered, unaware of what had happened.

Su En saw everything, and he brought out two glasses of water and placed them on the table.

Suen asked, puzzled, "Uld, you don't mean to kill him!"

This is his tavern.

Urd took a sip of water and said with a gloomy expression, "I just wanted to catch him. Suen, you're overestimating me."

He sighed and began to explain what had happened.

"I've recently been investigating Duke Belin at the request of Duke Dillard, but all four of my spies have gone missing."

The only grassroots marshal in the Flame Fist Mercenary Group.

Urd desperately needed support, and with Duke Dillard extending an olive branch, he had no reason not to accept.

However, this olive branch turned out to be a bit tricky!

"You suspect him?"

"Yes, on the surface, the monarch is Belle's lover, but who knows what the real situation is? Did you hear his footsteps, and that strange voice of his..."

Suen shook her head.

According to the system's description, the monarch is probably a mind flayer, a creature with exceptionally strong mental power.

As described in Varo's Monster Guide, these monsters are characterized by an octopus-like head and a series of tentacles on their chin; ordinary mind flayers have four, while exceptional individuals of their race have six. They feed on brains, with the brains of intelligent races being the best, but they also consume the brains of beasts.

But for mind flayers, eating the brains of wild beasts is like eating vegetables; their bodily functions deteriorate with each bite, eventually turning them into nothing more than wild beasts.

This is why they infiltrate human society, using their innate psychic abilities to control humans and search for food.

"According to the message passed by the Dark Spy before its disappearance, Duchess Belin seems to have close ties with an organization called the Knights of the Shield."

As Urd spoke, he still looked resentfully in the direction where the monarch had disappeared, "If the few of us had worked together to stop him, we could definitely have extracted information about the Knights of the Shield from him! But I didn't expect him to know about Will!"

Ould has always publicly claimed that Will is his nephew.

Only those closest to each other can discern clues from their appearance and demeanor.

The dwarf's astonishing wisdom gradually gained the upper hand. He tapped the table, "Idiot, you've probably forgotten there's a spell called Mind Detection, which allows the caster to read your brain!"

Urd's eyes widened immediately.

So, his memories have just been read by the monarch! That guy who seemed to be a mind sorcerer was lying to him!

Just as Urd was about to get up, someone pressed down on his shoulder. Suen shook his head. "This guy has powerful backers, and he's quite strong himself!"

"I see!"

Apparently, becoming a marshal had inflated Uld's confidence. "Have you forgotten what our Flame Fist Mercenary Group is best at?"

"Entrapment!"

"Forehead?"

Uld patted Suen on the shoulder, "That mysterious guy, he's not having an easy time today unless he spills some beans!"

Suen wanted to try to persuade him further, but seeing the eagerness on Urd's face, it seemed pointless to say anything more.

Capturing the monarch is not only Urd's task, but also crucial to the monarch's future.

Marshal Flame Fist's struggle is for the sole position of Grand Duke Flame Fist, aiming to become one of the city's four most powerful dukes.

None of the three marshals could give up this opportunity. They also understood that if they failed, their fate as competitors would not be pleasant!

Urd was caught in the vortex of power, and he had no way to extricate himself.

Actually, Suen is the same.

Soon after, there will be an election for parliament.

Baldur's Gate never gives anyone a chance to stop. It's like a glass mountain. If you want to climb it, you have to keep going for a moment. Otherwise, if you're even a step behind, someone will grab your ankle, drag you down, and plunge you into the abyss.

"Alright, Urd, if you run into trouble, why not ask the rats for help!"

"mouse?"

Urd was somewhat puzzled, but said nothing. As he got up to leave, Urd's personal guard followed him out of the tavern.

Looking at Lao Hei's retreating figure, Su En had a feeling that things weren't that simple.

The first day the tavern opened was uneventful.

They couldn't see the true value of the artifact.

However, this did not prevent them from becoming somewhat curious about the description of Aurelia.

"Every adventure is carried out under Bahamut's watchful eye! Really?"

Aurelia raised the Bahamut emblem in her hand and kissed it. "In the name of Bahamut, I have kept my word. Anyone who breaks the contract will be cursed by the scales."

Another adventurer asked with great interest, "Any adventure quests available?"

Aurelia pointed to the wooden board behind her, on which was a line of small print.

"Searching for the creator of Tasha's maniacal laughter."

"Reward: 200 Dragon Gold Coins and a Rare-grade Dagger."

A group of adventurers looked troubled.

The rewards for the adventure mission are very generous. After accepting this mission, I won't need to consider taking on any more missions for the next six months.

But who Tasha is? There's absolutely no information about that.

Tasks that seem simple but offer generous rewards may actually be fraught with hidden traps.

On the first day at the tavern, no one accepted the quest to find Tasha.

On the contrary, several Baldur's Gate merchants, high-ranking officers of the Flamefist, and paladins were very interested in this mission mode and left behind their own adventure missions.

Baldur's Gate is in ruins and there are many opportunities to make money, but the more chaotic the situation, the more theft, robbery, and even murder occur.

The sky gradually darkened.

After the funeral, the curfew at Baldur's Gate was lifted.

During the day, the tavern is mostly frequented by diners, while at night it's mostly frequented by drinkers.

Oily fried chicken paired with chilled wheat juice, plus the cool sea breeze blowing through the Baldur's Gate.

A person exhausted after a long day can instantly go from hell to heaven.

If that's all there is to it, it can only be called an ordinary tavern.

Suen stood at the doorway with his arms crossed, like a gatekeeper, glancing at Artorias. The elegant sorcerer turned his head as if he had a thorn in his side and looked at Suen.

Suen nodded expressionlessly and coughed softly.

Inside the tavern, several halflings, drawn by the coughing, turned to look at Sun and Artorias. A cold glint flashed in their intelligent, round, black-rimmed glasses.

The half-bodied people gripped their pens and paper tightly, eagerly anticipating every move the two would make next.

Artorias stood up shakily and walked towards Suen.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, took a deep breath, and resolutely said, "Hey bro, what's your best set meal here?!"

Suen forced a stiff smile. "Suen's secret-recipe fried chicken, paired with Sea Breeze beer!"

"Bro, I'd like an order of your secret-recipe fried chicken! I wish I had a physique like yours."

The barbarian raised his arm, showing off his well-defined muscles. "Of course! You just have to keep eating the secret-recipe fried chicken. Eat the secret-recipe fried chicken, and you'll grow big muscles."

The halfling reporters scribbled notes rapidly, "During my twelve hours at the Dragon's Gourmet Tavern, I was shocked twelve times..."

Suen went to the kitchen and gave a live demonstration.

"First, add cooking oil, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry. Add twenty-eight kinds of spices, sprinkle with dried fenugreek leaves, and then add the fried chicken."

"Now, let's add the cream; it will make it look more presentable."

Artorias, adopting an eager tone, asked, "What kind of cream is it!"

Suen said with a serious expression, "It's Amur cream."

Artorias was shocked and screamed, "It's the incomparably noble Amur Cream! Ordinary cream would be ashamed and melt in its presence!"

"You're absolutely right." Suen picked up the plate and handed over fried chicken drizzled with gravy and beer.

"It's so hot, won't it damage my scales?"

"A truly respectable chef would never hurt a customer's scales," Suen said, pointing to the fried chicken. "It costs ten copper coins, and even if you only have five, I can still sell it to you."

"But you can't waste it, remember that!"

"Eat only what you need to fill your stomach, and don't let delicacies go to waste in the ditch."

The halfling reporters scribbled notes rapidly on paper.

"—Eat only to fill your stomach, don't let delicacies go to waste in the ditch. True food is closely related to the dignity of the customers... I began to reflect... A huge feeling of emotion and respect welled up in my heart—I saw the true nature of Dragon and Gourmet Tavern."

The night ended quickly.

Freelance writers are those who contribute articles to the Baldur's Gate Daily. Only a few of them are true scholars; the rest are people who have mastered writing skills and have some idea of ​​making a living from it.

They'll write anything as long as you pay them.

As the tavern neared closing time, the writers accepted their appearance fees from Suen and dispersed one by one. Soon after, articles about the gourmet Artorias's twelve astonishing experiences in a single day at the Dragon and Gourmet Tavern would appear in various forms before the public's eyes.

"Thank you, Yilin!"

Su En clasped his hands together.

This tactic is still too advanced.

"Why me!" Artorias said irritably.

The thought of his name appearing in the newspaper tomorrow made him feel terrible.

"Because your name is the Mouser!"

Suen said quietly.

Artorias's voice suddenly lowered. "Well, it's like this, there's a reason for it. Some people with ulterior motives mistakenly believe that I have some strange connection with the Slave Shepherds. The most famous spell of the Conjuration School is to summon creatures from various worlds."

"Because you want to run for city councilor!"

Suen said quietly.

Artorias lowered his voice even further, "It's definitely a misunderstanding. How could I possibly want to run for city councilor... Well, my mentors think I'm a good-for-nothing and have decided to send me to that godforsaken place, Cormier."

"Cormier?"

Suen thought for a moment, and information about the Forest Kingdom and the Purple Dragon Kingdom popped into his mind. "As far as I know, the Cormir Kingdom seems pretty good?"

It's at least safer than Baldur's Gate.

"But I don't want to leave here!" Artorias said dejectedly. "I have some things left here!"

"What is it?"

"childhood."

"puff!"

Artorias's expression froze instantly, and he said coldly, "Are you laughing?!"

"No!" Su En tightened her lips and shook her head. "I'm professionally trained, I don't usually smile."

Artorias sighed. "I know you can't understand, and many people can't understand, that I lost something precious in my childhood. I vaguely knew it existed, yet I forgot it. Now I can feel it getting closer and closer! It's calling to me! No matter where I go, because of the emptiness within me, that thing will find me sooner or later!"

The middle-aged monk sat slumped on the table, looking as if he had lost his soul.

"Tsk tsk!"

Aurelia glanced over. "Closed for the day, Suen. Get that bastard out of here!"

Seeing Alleria's ruthlessness, Artorias gritted his teeth, took out a money pouch from his pocket, and threw it on the table.

"Your Excellency Suen, the reason I came here is that I hope someone can help me find my lost childhood!"

Aurelia reacted even faster, the holy symbol in her hand radiating spiritual light. The next second, Aurelia sat down at the table, her fair hand closing the money bag. "At least five hundred dragon coins."

Suen's eyes lit up immediately. Five hundred dragon gold coins were equivalent to five praises of high morality!

Artorias looked at the two men and pointed to his own head.

"I have a spell that can allow people to enter my memories and find what I've lost! Whether you find it or not, these five hundred dragon coins are yours! How about it?"

Su En frowned and remained silent. Five hundred gold coins seemed a bit too easy. No, could there be a trap?

He glanced at Aurelia, who smiled and said, "Sign the contract!"

into the night,

Suen scrutinized the contents of the contract with meticulous care, and even drank a bottle of potion specifically designed to enhance intelligence.

"It seems there's nothing wrong with the contract. Artorias, why did you specifically target me?"

"You are the only person I have ever seen who has broken free from the devil's contract. One of the prerequisites for the school of sorcery is a sufficiently powerful soul. You were able to break free from Raphael's Campion contract, so your soul may be far stronger than mine, or at least no weaker than mine. That's why I let you into my memories."

Artorias chanted a spell and drew a rune on Sun's forehead.

The two lay on the ground, and Aurelia tied their hair together.

A strong wave of dizziness washed over her, and Su En closed her eyes.

[Special Area Discovered: Wuguang Carnival]

[The three witches, symbolizing the past, present, and future, secretly control this place. It is a paradise for children, and also their final resting place.]