Chapter 151: 99

Chapter 99: Exploring the Mountains and Seas

Watching the interaction between Erwin and Mackney from the side, both Lucidy and John couldn't help but think to themselves that their father was still far more adept in business negotiations than they were.

Both John and Lucidy felt like they had benefitted immensely from hearing the conversation between Erwin and Mackney.

In contrast, Onean was feeling very disinterested, to the point that she was even getting a little sleepy. She was too familiar with Erwin, to the extent that she knew exactly what he was going to say and which direction this conversation was going to take, so she was bored from the very beginning.

After turning to his two sons, the benevolent smile on Mackney's face immediately faded, and he put on a displeased expression as he scolded, "What are you two just standing there for? Hurry up and take our guests on a tour of Tellier! Do I have to tell you to do everything? Oh, and don't forget to take my twin-head qilin for a walk while you're at it."

Erwin was rather amused to hear this. It was truly befitting of a tycoon like him to own an exotic pet like a twin-head qilin. He had heard about this creature from the owner of the tailor shop back in Belama, and this was a good opportunity to see exactly what it was.

The twin-head qilin was a magic beast that was entirely enveloped in azure flames, and as several guards in tight-fitting robes pulled it out of its cage, even Erwin was startled to the point of taking half a step backward. The twin-head qilin was twice as tall as the average adult human, and it opened both of its mouths at once to let loose a thunderous roar. Its azure eyes were glistening two pairs of glowing sapphires, presenting a fearsome sight to behold, and the fury in those eyes indicated that it clearly wanted nothing more than to devour all of the people around it whole.

The memories of the battles that he had endured against magic beasts in the Terarody Mountain Ranges began to surface in Erwin's mind at the sight of the twin-head qilin.

Its two massive heads were constantly thrashing from side to side, looking as if they could struggle free from the black metal restraints around its necks at any moment. The two necklace-like metal restraints were connected to chains with links as thick as an adult human male's thigh, and three to four guards were holding onto each chain for dear life. Erwin was naturally aware that the black light radiating from the restraints and the chains was coming from magic runes. Otherwise, there was no way that such a formidable magic beast could've been restrained by manpower alone.

All of a sudden, two guards let loose a pair of crossbow arrows that had been dipped in poison. The dark green arrowheads plunged into the azure flames before piercing into the twin-head qilin's body, and the magic beast immediately became far more subdued and docile.

Only then did the servants of the Farody Family dare to fit on the attachments that connected the carriage to the twin-head qilin.

"That magic potion being used is extremely potent," Onean murmured as she inspected the pair of poisonous crossbows with furrowed brows.

Erwin naturally heard what she was saying, but he didn't say anything in response.

"Hopefully that didn't startle the two of you," John said as he approached Erwin and Onean with a smile before inviting them into the carriage.

"Of course not," Lucidy interjected as he took a disdainful glance at John. "Are you not aware that our two esteemed guests are both extremely powerful magicians? How could they possibly be fearful of a mere magic beast? Please, come with me."

Lucidy got into the carriage first, establishing his dominance as the elder brother, then extended a hand forward, habitually offering it to the woman behind him.

However, Onean didn't give him the opportunity for physical contact as she picked up the hem of her own dress with a faint smile before getting into the carriage without his assistance.

Thus, Lucidy was left with his hand outstretched in a rather awkward position.

Meanwhile, John was pursing his lips vigorously in order to suppress his own amusement.

After that, Erwin made an inviting hand gesture, indicating for John to step into the carriage, but John was determined to abide by formalities and insisted that Erwin entered the carriage first.

Thus, Erwin could only climb into the carriage with a resigned smile before taking a seat beside Onean.

At the same time, he made a mental note of the physical gap that Lucidy and John were intentionally keeping between one another as they sat in the carriage.

...

During the carriage ride, the four of them chatted casually with one another, with John introducing to Erwin the customs and traditions of Tellier, while Lucidy seemed far more interested in making small talk with Onean. Erwin was naturally aware of Lucidy's intentions, but he pretended to be oblivious and remained indifferent to Lucidy's advances.

Under the instruction of the guards, who were also serving as coach drivers, the twin-head qilin drew the carriage to the entrance of a luxurious pub. The rare magic beast drew a great deal of attention from passersby on the streets, and of course, there were also many women who were frightened into fleeing by the sight of the fearsome-looking magic beast.

"Battle Hall?" Onean took a glance at the name of the pub, and her anticipation toward the food being served there immediately abated significantly. In her eyes, it was very unlikely that a pub with such a vulgar name would have any dishes that would be appealing to her. Of course, the main factor determining how enjoyable the meal was going to be was the company that she was in. If it were only her and Erwin, then she naturally wouldn't care what type of restaurant they dined at. Even if it were only a small and dilapidated establishment, she would still be able to enjoy a fine meal. However, with the presence of the Farody Brothers constantly souring her mood, it was not so easy to enjoy the upcoming meal.

However, this turned out to be one of the rare occasions where Onean was incorrect. Despite the pub's vulgar name, the food being served was exceptionally delicious. It was around the stroke of noon at the moment, and there was already not even a single empty seat in the establishment. Furthermore, the red wine being served in the pub were all specially supplied by the Farody Family, which meant that some of the wines being served were ones that couldn't be bought through conventional means. Of course, given how business-minded Mackney was, there was no doubt that the Farody Family held shares in this establishment.

"Ah, to what do we owe this honor, young masters?" The manager of the pub had a very keen eye, and he immediately spotted the two Farody Brothers before greeting them with a warm smile.

"We've brought a couple of esteemed guests with us today," Lucidy replied with a smile, then introduced Erwin and Onean to the pub manager.

"Oh, so you're Mr. Erwin! I've heard many stories about you," the pub manager exclaimed.

John hurriedly put his index finger to his lips in a quieting gesture, and the manager hurriedly fell silent while making an apologetic gesture. John then took a displeased glance at the manager, but of course, he was doing all of this for show for Erwin to see. In reality, the one that he was truly displeased toward was his own brother.

John knew that at a time like this, it was best to try and avoid trouble as much as possible. This was not the time for news of Erwin's arrival in Tellier to be made aware to others. After all, the two sides had only established a verbal agreement, and it was yet to be seen whether there were going to be any changes in the future.

"You've heard about me?" Erwin asked as he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Lucidy smiled as he explained in the manager's stead, "Your 'Believer' mural has become very renowned, even in the city of Tellier."

Erwin nodded with a slightly surprised expression upon hearing this. Unbeknownst to him, Lucidy had played a pivotal role in how popular Erwin's name had become in Tellier in such a short time. Erwin merely thought that it was either Chahan or the Universal Church that had spread the news, following which word had gradually traveled to Tellier.

"On top of that, you're also the leader of the Universal Church Freedom Army," John added with a smile.

An enlightened look appeared on Erwin's face upon hearing this. Indeed, given his new identity, it wasn't all that surprising that the people of Tellier had heard of him.

"Take us to the booth on the third floor. There are some matters that we need to discuss," John instructed as he turned to the manager.

The manager immediately did as he was told, leading the four of them to the staircase.

Despite their attempt at secrecy, it was simply inevitable for some people to draw the attention of others.

Erwin and Onean, particularly Onean, were perfect examples of this.

Her gorgeous silver hair, cold golden eyes, and incredible beauty immediately drew the attention of countless men from the moment she set foot in the pub.

The rowdy restaurant instantly became a lot quieter, and almost everyone had turned to the bottom of the staircase, where Onean was standing.

Even a pair of traveling poets who were engaged in a heated argument with one another temporarily set their differences aside to stare at Onean as well.

Behind the two traveling poets was a portly merchant, and he had also spotted the gorgeous couple trailing along behind the Farody Brothers, upon which he immediately cast an inquisitive look toward the pub manager, who was accompanying the group.

The manager responded by giving the man a look that said: "I'll explain things to you a bit later".

The portly merchant was none other than the owner of the pub, Shane Jojo. As it turned out, the pub manager was only responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the pub, but the one who truly had business dealings with the Farody Family was Shane.

All of a sudden, one of the two traveling poets suddenly rushed toward the group, waving vigorously as he did so, then positioned himself directly in front of Onean. "Hold on a second! Don't you remember me, fair maiden?"

Onean took a half-step backward at the sight of the approaching poet. She naturally wasn't afraid of this man, but she didn't know whether he was going to try and shamelessly grab her hand or do something along those lines.

Erwin took a close glance at the unexpected intruder, following which a hint of recognition appeared in his eyes. "You're that traveling poet from Belama, right?"

"What a great memory you have!" The traveling poet extended a quick bow toward Erwin, then immediately refocused his gaze onto Onean.

"You know him?" John asked as he turned to Erwin and Onean, clearly very taken aback by the traveling poet's abrupt intrusion.

As for Lucidy, he was looking on with a disdainful expression. He had always looked down on these traveling artists and poets, and the traveling poet certainly wasn't helping his own case by intruding in such an abrupt manner. If he had dared to try and establish physical contact with Onean, Lucidy would've drawn his sword on the spot.

"We had a chance meeting a while ago," Erwin explained with a smile.

The other traveling poet, who was standing next to Shane, was looking on with a derisive expression as he sneered, "Stop trying to suck up to them, Yuho! You may be able to swindle a few girls from rural villages, but your tricks aren't going to work here! It's clear that these are extremely important people, how could they possibly know who you are? Are you so afraid to face me in this poetry battle that you're already trying to back out?"

"You think I'd be scared of the trash that you spout out of your mouth?" Yuho turned to the other traveling poet with a disdainful expression. "Come on then, Chinba, if you're so confident, then let me see what you've got!"

"Poetry battle?" Erwin was quite intrigued to hear this. He had never witnessed such an event before, and he decided to stop and watch in order to satisfy his own curiosity.

Onean turned around to look at Erwin, and a resigned smile appeared on her face.

She knew that Erwin was somewhat of an expert when it came to poetry, but a poetry battle between this pair of traveling poets was most likely going to disappoint him. After all, she had already witnessed Yuho's poetry skills, or lack thereof, back in Belama.

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"Shane, tell everyone the subject of the poetry battle again," Yuho said as he turned to Shane with a fawning smile. "I was worried that the customers who came later wouldn't have heard it."

"You're clearly just stalling for time to delay your inevitable defeat!" Chinba scoffed as he glared at Yuho with a disdainful expression.

In contrast, Shane was a lot more amicable, and he smiled as he said, "Both of you have proclaimed that you've traveled the world and seen all of its scenery. Hence, the subject of this poetry battle will be scenery. There must be mountains, bodies of water, and wind described in your poems."

"Mountains, bodies of water, and wind..." Yuho took a moment to consider the topic before giving a nod to indicate that he was ready.

"Are you sure you don't need me to deliver my poem first?" Chinba asked with a mocking sneer. "That way, you'll have a bit more time to think."

"How about you shut up and listen?" Yuho snapped, then commenced his poem.

"Ah, flowing water of the stream, ahead of you lies the sea."

Erwin and Onean both burst into laughter upon hearing the poem commencing with the word "ah". Both of them were thinking that this was the exact same tone that Yuho had used back in Belama. In fact, Erwin was even beginning to suspect that Yuho had only memorized a single poem, and was only swapping out some of the keywords to adapt to the situation as required.

"Night and day, the sound of departing footsteps resonates within the lonely heart."

So he does have other verses up his sleeve, after all, Erwin thought to himself with an amused expression upon hearing this.

"Ah, my heart yearns for the wind that spreads my sails.

I vow to go and see the ocean that is filled with the tears of lovers.

The passing scenery of my life resemble the receding mountains on the two opposing shores.

Much like my youth, receding and fading away like the tide."

This method of expressing emotions through scenery was very commonly employed among traveling poets, so this was a rather predictable twist for the patrons of the pub who frequently listened to the work of traveling poets. To further compound his woes, Yuho's voice wasn't very suited to evoking imagery through his description of scenery, so the delivery of the poem was rather lackluster. Having said that, overall, this could be considered to be a middling poem that was neither good or bad.

A derisive sneer appeared on Chinba's face after hearing Yuho's poem. "That's all you've got?"

"Go on then! Let's see what you've got," Yuho challenged. His conviction was beginning to waver slightly as Chinba had seemed to be supremely confident this entire time, so he could only use bravado to conceal his unease.

Chinba paid no heed to Yuho as he cleared his throat, then began:

"The fierce wind passed over the mountain and the sea in pursuit of its own voice,

While I roam over the entire world on foot just to search for you.

My shadow is cast down onto my path, hoping to ignite a lamp as bright as your eyes.

You are like the stars, like the sea,

While I wish to be an immovable mountain that rests beside the sea,

Watching the stars enter the sea and the wind pursue the moon."

The subjects of "you" and "I" in the poem are constructed in a way that gives them a very ambiguous relationship. It could be interpreted as love between a man and a woman, or it could also be interpreted as one's stubborn pursuit of a goal or dream.

In particular, the final sentence had been delivered with just the right amount of volume and emotion, and many of the watching bystanders couldn't help but applaud and cheer at the conclusion of the poem.

Even Erwin couldn't help but nod in approval, having been quite impressed by what he had just heard.

"I've only heard that you're an exceptional artist, could it be that you're also well-versed in the art of poetry?" John asked as he turned to Erwin with a smile.

Erwin shook his head with a smile, but he made his way directly over to Shane.

Onean shook her head with a resigned smile upon seeing this.

"I'm also a poet who's passing through the area. Can I deliver a poem as well?" Erwin asked with a warm smile.

Shane was rather surprised to have suddenly been approached by such a handsome young man, and the crowd of bystanders was becoming even more excited upon seeing this.

This was a guest of the Farody Brothers, so he had to be an important figure. However, he was voluntarily lowering himself to the same level as these traveling poets to compete with them, and that was a very interesting turn of events.

Yuho had only witnessed Erwin's art, and he had no idea that Erwin was also a poet. However, in his eyes, the vast majority of nobles were complete amateurs when it came to art and poetry, so he didn't think that Erwin would be able to come up with anything better than his poem. Hence, he wasn't opposed to seeing Erwin getting involved in this poetry battle. As for how he had detected the fact that Erwin and Onean were nobles, that was simply a matter of experience. Having traveled the world for so many years and seen so many people of all types of different descriptions, he had developed a sharp eye for people, and he could immediately tell if someone was a noble, a wealthy merchant, or a commoner. Hence, even though he had tried to pursue Onean back in Belama, he already knew that his attempt to win her heart would be futile. However, he was not someone who was willing to accept his fate, so he still decided to act on his urges.

As for Chinba, he was also not opposed to the prospect of a new contender entering the poetry battle. However, he had absolute confidence that no one would be able to deliver a better poem than his on this day.

"If these two don't mind, then I certainly have no objection, either," Shane said with a smile. "In any case, everyone here will be judging the poetry battle."

Erwin nodded in response, then confirmed, "The subject is scener, right?"

Shane nodded in confirmation.

"Alright, then my poem will be called 'Exploring the Mountains and Seas'."

It's a lonesome endeavor exploring the mountains and seas, with only the sound of the waves for company.

Chaos reigns in the world around me, but that very world is mine for the taking whenever I please.

Countless heroes vie for the mountaintop, while I alone watch with amusement outside the mountain.

Riches, renown, and power await, but I'd rather drink my days away.

...

Everyone fell completely silent in the wake of Erwin's delivery.

Even Onean, who was aware that Erwin was well-versed in the art of poetry, was stunned after hearing Erwin's poem.

The delivery of the poem had been nothing short of incredible, and despite its brief length, it painted an extremely vivid story.

This was the same young man with whom she had fled from their home on an airship, but having undergone a process of accelerated growth and maturation, his mental state and insights on the world were very difficult for the average person to fathom. Despite his ambitions, he was able to transcend beyond everything and display a level of remarkable level of perspective for someone of his age.

Erwin's assessment of the world was that chaos was about to reign supreme, but amid the chaos, he was confident in his ability to rise to supremacy on a whim.

Countless heroes were vying to reach the mountaintop, while he had already ascended to the summit before departing, having already achieved all there was to achieve. As for the final verse of the poem, that was just a piece of self-deprecation from Erwin. At the very least, that was what Onean interpreted it to be.

As it turned out, one's life experiences were integral to the poems that they could produce.

No one in this entire pub would've been able to deliver the same poem with the same effect as Erwin as no one had been through what he had experienced.

Someone capable of altering the power of space and time was naturally capable of seeing through the secular world.

No matter how proud or arrogant he was, no one in this world could understand him, just like no one could fully interpret his poem.

However, it didn't matter whether they understood him and the poem or not, everyone present was still stunned by what they had just heard.

The stunned silence seemed to last for an eternity, and Shane was the first one to return to his senses before breaking the silence. "Who are you?"

"I am Erwin Friar," Erwin replied with a smile.

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