My Magical Card Tavern

The bespectacled man's smile was forced.

"I'm an adult, but I've never drunk alcohol. My teachers at the magic academy said that drinking alcohol during the apprenticeship period is harmful to meditation."

"Which magic academy are you from?" Jeanne asked.

The bespectacled man replied, "The Silver Star National Magic Academy of the Silver Star Province in the Northern United Kingdom."

Ginnell put down his beer glass and gestured for them to sit wherever they liked.

"The Silver Star Province of the Northern Union, I remember your astrology is very famous there."

"So you've come from Mirkwood, right?"

"Silver Star Province is named after a fallen silver star, and the entrance to the Dark Forest is located in the center of the giant crater created by that star."

"Another academic argument is that the star absorbed a large amount of light energy, which is why the Dark Forest is so dark."

Not only the bespectacled man, but also the steel brush and the young swordsman were stunned.

Is the tavern owner from their Silver Star province?

Once you leave the province, who would care how the entrance to an underground city was formed!

Gianna shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I know about this because a customer of mine once studied astrology with you."

Steel Brush and the young swordsman exchanged a glance, then picked up their beer mugs and downed them in one gulp.

Yes, the best beer flavor ever, like creamy foam smoothly covering liquid gold, with a pure and powerful wheat aroma that delivers a satisfying taste impact.

There was no added water, and the wooden wine cups and iron hoops showed no signs of dirt or strange smell. My hands were dry and not greasy.

It's a feature that only high-end pubs, which they can't afford to go to during the off-season, have.

The man with glasses was very excited.

"Mr. Genelec, may I ask you some questions?"

Ginnell immediately raised his hand.

"Hold on, it's the pub's rule to give you a free beer. If there's a problem or any extra requests, you'll have to pay a price."

"These are the rules of the safe zone, and also the rules of the tavern."

"Don't tell me that learning all magical knowledge at your magic academy is free."

The steel brush immediately set its sights on the beer in front of the employer.

What did the employer just say? That drinking alcohol would affect a mage apprentice's meditation at that stage, right?

The young swordsman also set his sights on the employer's beer, thinking that he had drunk it too quickly and hadn't tasted it properly.

The bespectacled man immediately sat up straight.

"I hired two professional adventurers to enter the dungeon this time because they found Stardust Soil, which is one of the theoretical bases for Mr. Genelec's claim that falling stars created the dungeon."

Ginnell raised his hand to interrupt.

"So you're telling me you don't have any dungeon resources right now, and you might not even have much money left, right?"

The bespectacled man nodded silently.

That's absolutely true.

"Then there's nothing more to say. You can sit here for a while, play some games, and wait for that big skeleton to leave."

Ginnell's tone was flat.

"The presence of the tavern does attract some strange things; that giant skeleton shouldn't have been in your area."

Steel Brush raised his hand: "Dear tavern owner, I'd like to know what kind of mini-game you're referring to."

Ginnell's eyes lit up, and he magically produced a thick stack of cards, displaying skillful shuffling techniques with both hands.

"Want to play cards? If you play cards, then we're friends."

Young swordsman: ?

"Playing cards in a tavern? That's really a way of life."

The taverns he and Steel Brush frequented were all about dice games—simple, direct, and easy to elicit emotional responses.

Winning makes you happy and you can splurge; losing inspires your work enthusiasm.

After all, I can't let myself starve to death.

Ginnell gave a strange smile.

"How could that be? This isn't an ordinary card."

"Adventurers like you, to use a bard's words, are like sprouts that can't bear the weight of a raindrop; you probably haven't even mastered many techniques."

"If you want to play cards in a tavern, skill is your hand."

The bespectacled man was taken aback.

"Is it a special item produced by the alchemy workshop, or a magical item?"

"Wait, I don't have the money to pay for your answer."

The alchemy workshop produces universally applicable items, and in principle, the alchemy masters from various ethnic groups rack their brains to expand their customer base.

The prerequisite for using magical items is magic power, which goes without saying.

Ginnell smiled.

"This issue is outside the scope of paying a price; you can understand it as a characteristic of the safe zone."

"I remember the safe zone in the Dark Forest is a dry area, and the moisture you carry will seep into the soil. Adventurers need to clear away that soil and expand the dry area as much as possible."

"Although it's called a safe zone, it can actually be seen as a strange phenomenon in the underground city that is not popular with the local residents."

The bespectacled man took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"You know so much..."

"So, the ability to record techniques on cards is also one of the tavern's features?"

Ginnell took out a card and placed it on the table.

"Yes, but it's not just that."

"This is a card, but it can also be a book."

Ginnell made a flipping motion, and the cards on the table turned into a book cover, producing a rustling sound as Ginnell moved.

The young swordsman and the steel brush stared wide-eyed, rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

trick?

No, it seems like the cards have turned into a pocket book!

[Two-Star Card: Fireball]

[Description: Deals fire damage to enemies upon release]

[Note: Fireball, fireball, and more fireball!]

Learning methods...

The bespectacled man was taken aback.

Ginnell immediately closed the card, and when he picked it up again, the pocketbook had transformed back into a simple card, spinning continuously between his fingertips.

"If you keep watching, it will be paid content, but you can watch your own content if you have it."

The bespectacled man glanced at the two adventurers he had hired.

The steel brush revealed a shrewd smile.

"Sir, how about this beer for me?"

The young swordsman grew anxious.

"Steelbow, don't you have any of the compassion and mercy expected of a shield warrior?!"

Steel brush retorted.

"You're talking about shield warriors who received proper church training, I'm not!"

The bespectacled man said decisively.

"Mr. Ginell, please bring my employee two beers."

"Two drinks per person!"

Ginnell's smile immediately turned warm.

"Two silver coins, thank you for your patronage."

The steel brush was shocked.

"So cheap?"

This price would be considered high in the city, enough to warrant an investigation by the United Kingdom's tax authorities.

But this is an underground city, and compared to those adventure merchants or fellow adventurers whose prices start at five times the original price, the prices in the tavern are incredibly reasonable.

Ginnell placed the beer on the table.

"Honest business practices are the tavern's rule."

Without hesitation, Steel Brush slammed his hand on the table and mimicked Ginell's gesture of turning the pages.

A flash of iron-gray light appeared, and the magical card that had appeared transformed back into the cover of a book, which was then flipped open with a steel brush.

[One-Star Card: Shield Block Charge]

[Description: Charges forward, the effect is determined in real time based on the difference in strength between the two parties]