Chapter 2016: He Is A Good Man

“Bobby, how about we grab a drink tonight?” a mature middle-aged official said as he tapped on Bobby’s shoulder at the Ministry of Defense.

“Lord Lucien.” Bobby was a little shocked to see him as the other party was the deputy manager of the Ministry of Defense, and was someone with legitimate power.

He happened to be at home on a leave due to health reasons on the day the orcs and elves were attacked, so he managed to evade the calamity.

“Relax, let’s get a couple of drinks. After Hector’s gone, there aren’t many here who know how to drink,” Lucien said with a sad smile.

Hector was that senior of Bobby’s. Lord Lucien had drunk with them on a few occasions, and was on good terms with Bobby’s senior.

Bobby nodded, and said, “Sure. I happened to discover a new tavern at Romo Street yesterday. Their wine was the best I’ve ever tasted. I’ll bring you there to have a try.”

“Oh, there’s even a new tavern at Romo Street?” Lucien was rather surprised. The street had been getting rather desolate for the past few years, and he had not gone there to drink in a long time.

“I also went there by chance last night, and entered the tavern because of the fragrance of the wine. It was indeed a good wine that is hard to come by,” Bobby said.

“Sure. Let’s try it out.” Lucien nodded.

The two boarded Lucien’s horse-drawn carriage, and went straight to Saipan Tavern.

“Here it is.” Bobby opened the door for Lucien.

“Here?” Lucien looked at the tavern. It looked very ordinary from the outside.

“Yes.” Bobby nodded.

“Let’s check it out.” Lucien alighted the horse-drawn carriage. He wanted to have a drink.

Although he managed to avoid the changes that happened in the Ministry of Defense over these few days due to his illness, he lost many colleagues and friends. Moreover, the people started to become paranoid, and it also affected his mood.

Hector was his colleague of more than 30 years, and they were in the same batch entering the ministry. They had been drinking together frequently all these years, and he did not expect Hector to pass away so suddenly. That was indeed very difficult for him to accept.

When he walked out from the Ministry of Defense today, and chanced upon Bobby, he invited Bobby to have a drink in memory of Hector since he knew that Bobby had been drinking often with Hector. He also had a few drinks with Bobby on certain occasions, and found that they could get along rather well.

This tavern was rather quiet, or rather desolate, which was a very stark contrast to the noise and crowd in the tavern right across the street.

Bobby pushed open the door to the tavern, and there were no customers at all indeed. There was only the owner of the tavern cleaning the wine glasses behind the bar counter.

Mag looked up and recognized Bobby straight away. From Bobby’s humble attitude, Mag could tell right away that the middle-aged man that came in after Bobby was way higher in rank.

On top of that, Mag could recognize Lucien very quickly. He was a deputy manager in the Ministry of Defense, and his impression was rather positive in Alex’s memories.

This was someone who held the real power in the Ministry of Defense, the kind who knew many core secrets.

“Welcome,” Mag said with a smile.

Lucien looked around this new tavern. The renovation was not lavish, but was comfortable enough. The warm yellow light from the oil lamp made one feel very comfortable. On top of that, the tavern was very warm, giving one the urge to take off their thick jacket upon entering.

The owner was a young man in his thirties. He looked average, and there was nothing unique about his features. He was probably the kind that would be overlooked if you threw him into a crowd. However, he looked rather kind and friendly.

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A new tavern, a young owner, and only two customers. This made Lucien’s expectations drop right to the bottom. It seemed like Bobby’s taste was a far cry from that of Hector.

“Sir, let’s take a seat there.” Bobby brought Lucien to a seat near the door. He could tell the change in Lucien’s expression, but he was not flustered. This tavern might look ordinary, but that was because the wine was not served yet.

“What would you like?” Mag asked with a smile.

“Sir, I had Maotai yesterday. Why don’t we try a bottle of that today?” Bobby asked Lucien.

“Sure.” Lucien nodded. He looked at the simple list of alcohol at the bar counter. There were only two types of alcohol: Maotai and whiskey, for 2,000 copper coins each. The price was rather high.

Other than these two types of alcohol, there were also three side dishes to go with the drinks. The prices were way lower compared to the drinks.

This drinks menu was rather pathetic.

Lucien even started questioning the speed at which Bobby’s taste dropped since Hector passed away.

“A bottle of Maotai and all three side dishes,” Bobby told Mag.

“Alright, please hold on for a moment.” Mag nodded. He turned to enter the kitchen, and came out with the three dishes and a bottle of Maotai soon.

Lucien’s gaze was attracted to the three side dishes at first. They were a plate of peanuts, the most common side dish in taverns. However, taverns would usually give the peanuts out for free, while this tavern sold it as a side dish.

The other two plates were the pig ears salad and pig tongue salad. The names of the side dishes alone made Lucien lose his appetite. He even found them disgusting.

However, when the dishes were served, the pig ears and tongue, which were sliced thinly, were covered with a layer of chili oil. The fragrance wafted over, and it actually made Lucien swallow his saliva.

Bobby had already opened up the bottle of Maotai adeptly. He opened up the red cloth, and he pulled out the cork.

The fragrance of the wine that was sealed in the bottle wafted out immediately.

“This fragrance?!” Lucien quickly turned over to look. He was rather shocked at the bottle of wine in Bobby’s hands. The rich fragrance was so enticing.

Bobby poured the wine into a cup. The clear alcohol swirled a little in the crystal glass.

“Please.” Bobby placed the glass gently in front of Lucien with both hands.

Lucien inched closer to take a whiff. He was still in disbelief. He looked at Bobby, and asked, “This wine… What is it?”

“Maotai. It should be a type of grain wine,” Bobby said.

“Just the smell of it, and I can tell that it’s a good wine. Such a pity that Hector won’t be able to try it.” Lucien sighed gently, and took a sip of the wine.

The wine was fine and silky, refreshing and sweet. It was so smooth as it flowed through his teeth and into his throat.

Lucien was not a heavy drinker, but he had tried many good alcohols. However, even those that were presented in the palace did not shock him as much as this wine.

The fragrance of the wine was intoxicating. In an instant, Lucien seemed to have gone back to the days when he just entered the Ministry of Defense. He was young and ambitious. He wanted to do great things. In a flash, decades passed… but nothing was the same.

After a very long time, Lucien opened his eyes. There were tears in his eyes. He finished the remaining wine in his glass in a shot.

Bobby glanced at Lucien, and did not speak. He also chugged the wine in his glass down, and silently refilled Lucien’s glass.

“He was a good man. It’s such a pity that he left just like that.. This is too sudden,” Lucien said softly as he looked at the filled glass in front of him.