Chapter 16: 15

Paladin was in trouble. He had been walking for almost ten days. His supplies and food had run out. He eventually reached the edge of the endless forest and saw a bustling town not far away. Barely able to keep his tired eyelids open, Paladin listened to the faint noise coming from the town with a relieved smile on his face. He muttered, "Oh, Enos! I swear I'll never go back into that forest. That's not a place ordinary people should go!"

Paladin, who had no prior experience living in the forest, had endured a great deal during these few days. Because he was afraid of being discovered by others, he didn't dare to light a fire. In the middle of the night, he ate the raw meat of the roe deer he hunted while enduring the stench. He dug up the wet soil and drank muddy water. In the middle of the night, he was almost bitten to death by fist-sized mosquitos! It was simply a nightmare!

While smiling, Paladin's previously exhausted body suddenly became fully energized. He let loose and ran to the town that looked like heaven in his eyes. He knew that with the gold coins the priest had, he could eat well, dress warmly, and sleep well here.

The town was different from Paladin's expectations. The street he was walking on was so crowded that everyone could barely see his priest's robe. The pedestrians on the road ignored him with an expression Paladin was familiar with. Apparently, this pattern was very common here. Observing the passers-by, Paladin noticed that, with the exception of a few shopkeepers and travelers, the town was mostly filled with warriors wearing various armor, long swords on their waists, and shields on their backs.

The armor had a faint blood stain on it. That was what happened if it wasn't cleaned after being stained with blood. In addition, Paladin also saw rangers clad in leather armor, armed with crossbows and daggers. These people were either in small groups or alone. Some of them were also carrying the bodies of dead monsters that had one or two fangs and sharp claws. They went to and fro on the street.

Paladin knew that these people were either mercenaries attracted by the forest's battleship profits and state subsidies, wandering bards, or travelers. It was natural. After all, there were many ferocious and dangerous monsters lurking in the depths of the forest that bordered the Duchy of Kasmi, the Kingdom of Aixinzhe, and the Kingdom of Nubia.

The monsters were not only powerful and fast, but some of them could also use magic! The magical beasts, in particular, were capable of forming magical crystals within their bodies. The magic crystals were crystals that were used by battleships to absorb and store magic elements. The more powerful the magic beast, the better the magic crystal it produced. The higher the quality, the higher the price on the market. According to Paladin's knowledge, a piece of fire element magic crystal produced by a fire-swallowing snake could be sold for five gold coins.

Five gold coins were enough to feed and clothe a normal family for a year! It was easy to imagine how huge the profits were. The Duchy of Kasmi saw an opportunity to profit and built walls around the forest's borders, stationed heavy guards inside a few large cities and dozens of towns, and allowed these mercenaries to come inside to sell their hunting spoils.

The Duchy of Kasmi collected a hefty 60% tax on spoils and regular hunting license fees. As a result, many poachers crossed the city wall because of their unwillingness to pay taxes. However, aside from being hanged, Paladin had never heard of the poachers who could be rescued. When he was thinking about this, Paladin stopped walking. In front of him was a picture of a tavern with a sword stuck in a tree.

"The Forest’s Sword Tavern?" Paladin muttered to himself. Suddenly, he noticed that he needed to take a rest. He swallowed deeply and subconsciously touched the bulging gold coins in his pocket. Paladin finally pushed the jingling wooden door open with one hand and walked straight inside.

"Hmm…."

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Paladin immediately covered his mouth and nose after entering the tavern due to the pungent smell of alcohol and some strange stench he smelled inside. He began to look at the people who were inside the tavern.

Groups of bare-chested and/or fully armored mercenaries with pitiful-looking girls in their arms, busy squandering their rewards and drinking ale. There was a traveler who might’ve arrived after a long journey. He had no intention of paying attention to other people. His attention was completely focused on filling his stomach with the barbecue on the table. The knife and fork in his hand moved so quickly that they left afterimages.

Two tall drunk men were fighting like there were no other people inside the tavern. A small group of soldiers wearing expensive armor were sitting on the side. They ignored the fighters and chatted with each other about women, money, and their lord. The tall and thin middle-aged man was humming nice but rude songs while playing the organ. Most likely, he was a bard.

An elderly man with a bloated stomach sat at the counter, pouring rum while wallowing in boredom. He appeared to be the boss. To him, the cloudy rum in front of him was more interesting than these people. The tavern was filled with songs, shouts, fights, and laughter. Nobody noticed or cared about the distraught young man at all.

Paladin checked everyone out. When he was about to step forward, his eyes suddenly narrowed for a moment. All because of the man in a black robe seated at the edge of the tavern. The thing that caught his attention wasn’t the person, but the two hundred and sixty fiery red magic elements coiled around this person. It looked as evident as a torch in the night from Paladin's point of view.

That man was a magician. Furthermore, the fully-armored warrior sitting next to the magician also had more than 20 earthy yellow elements hovering around him. Before Paladin had the chance to analyze why the man who seemed to be a warrior could also use magic, the black-robed man who had been motionless all this time suddenly raised his head which was covered with a black hood. He might’ve sensed Paladin's gaze. A pair of profound and wise eyes locked on him right away. Paladin turned his head and walked straight to the counter, pretending to be in a hurry.

The three others who were sitting in the same seat as the black-robed magician followed his gaze and spotted Paladin. One of the women, who was wearing tight leather armor and armed with a bow and knife, immediately whispered, "O'Neil, what's that man’s deal?"

Next to the woman who appeared to be a ranger, a drunken male soldier who was clad in fine armor said with his tongue out, "Liriel, he’s just one of the poor travelers who visit this tavern hundreds of times a day. Or should I say, ‘Have you taken a fancy to this boy?’”

"Orkney! Watch your words! Her fiancé is still sitting here!" A handsome red-haired boy, who had two short knives hanging on his waist, heard what Orkney said. After teasing her, he quickly retorted and revealed himself to be Liriel's fiancé.

At this time, the sorcerer O'Neil, who was covered in black robes, kept his head down again. If it weren't for the long black hair that was exposed under the hood, his slightly hoarse voice would make people mistake him for an old man. He said, "That man was wearing the clothes of a priest. He should be a clergyman who is going to be a priest at the church. Just now, the moment he looked over, I felt that my connection with magic became a little loose…. It feels strange, I've never felt like this."

Liriel, the ranger, lightly shook her wine glass when she heard this. While helplessly smiling, she said, "My respected Master O'Neil, although I don't know magic, you are so careful and say things like this from time to time. I really can't stand the personality of intelligent people."

On the contrary, Orkney, the soldier—who was still smiling and slightly tipsy—set his glass down. Suddenly, the signs of inebriation on his face vanished. He turned his head to look at Paladin with an extremely serious expression.

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