Twelve Guests

Lin Qi stared at the door for three seconds, then pressed the computer screen down, leaving only a half-finger-wide gap through which light shone.

There was a knock on the door three more times.

"Boss."

The man in the floral shirt spoke with the same familiar tone as in the morning, typical of East Blue drinkers.

"We brought some new friends and would like to have a few more drinks."

Lin Qi glanced at the system notification.

[Current stealth level: S]

[It is recommended to maintain the behavior patterns of ordinary residents.]

Lin Qi rubbed his face, trying to shake off the drowsiness and tension, and dragged his slippers toward the door.

"Coming, coming, what's with the rush in broad daylight?"

He unlatched the door and pushed it open.

There were twelve people standing outside the door.

The man in the floral shirt stood at the front, while the eleven people behind him were scattered naturally. Two were looking at the sea, three were looking at the intersection, and a few were looking into the Tavern.

They were dressed like travelers, fishermen, merchants, and porters.

But their position completely blocked any escape route from the Tavern entrance.

Lin Qi yawned.

"Hey, forming a group?"

The man in the floral shirt smiled.

"Boss, your wine is excellent, so we brought our friends along."

Lin Qi stepped aside to open the door.

"Okay, come in. Let's make this clear first, no credit."

Twelve people entered the Tavern.

The wooden floorboards creaked softly underfoot.

Lin Qi went back behind the bar and started getting glasses.

What would you like to drink?

The man in the floral shirt sat in his original spot.

"Ale, twelve glasses."

"Are you guys going to drink this whole bucket dry?"

The boss can't bear to part with it.

"I'm willing to pay, as long as I get the money."

Lin Qi poured the wine while glancing at them out of the corner of his eye.

A person sitting by the window slipped a tiny Den Den Mushi (a type of Den Den Mushi) into their sleeve.

Another person near the back door didn't sit down; they stood loosely, but their toes were always pointing towards the crack in the door.

The man in the floral shirt raised his wine glass.

"Boss, Sky Screen just gave another notification, did you see it?"

Lin Qi pushed the seventh glass of wine towards them.

"I see it. Nefertari is some kind of node. It sounds pretty high-level."

Do you know the Nefertari Family?

"The Alabasta royal family, everyone knows them."

Did you know they were one of the twenty kingdoms?

Lin Qi looked up at him.

"Since Sky Screen has already said this much, you could probably guess what's going on, right?"

The man in the floral shirt took a sip of his drink.

"The boss reacted quickly."

"The Tavern owner isn't keeping up with the news; how can he chat with the customers?"

A man wearing Straw Hat spoke up from the corner.

"Boss, do you think the person behind the Sky Screen might be in the East Blue?"

Lin Qi paused for a moment on the barrel handle, then continued pouring wine into the glass.

Why do you all like to ask this?

The man in the floral shirt said with a smile.

Others have asked this too.

Didn't you ask that this morning?

A few people in the Tavern laughed.

The man in the floral shirt smiled too.

So what do you think now?

Lin Qi placed the last glass of ale on the bar.

What I think is unimportant.

Tell me about it.

Lin Qi picked up his cup and took a sip.

"If I were the one behind the Sky Screen, I definitely wouldn't stay in the East Blue."

The man in the floral shirt's eyes flickered.

"Why."

Lin Qi looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Because the whole world is looking for him."

"In a place like the East Blue, there are many naval branches and the villages are small. If someone buys two extra barrels of wine, it can spread across half the island."

"If someone truly had the ability to uncover the identities of the Five Elders and Imu, would they be hiding in a place like this waiting to be investigated?"

The man in the floral shirt tapped his fingers twice on the rim of the glass.

That makes sense.

Lin Qi continued.

"If I were him, I'd hide on some monster ship in the New World, or even on Sky Island or underwater—who could find me then?"

"The man by the window asked."

"You just said, what if I'm the person behind the Sky Screen?"

Lin Qi looked at him.

"To give you an example."

That person said.

The boss's immersion in the role was very natural.

Lin Qi draped the rag over his shoulder.

"Isn't this how you guys chat?"

"If I were the Pirate King, I'd bury the treasure under my own outhouse."

"If I were Fleet Admiral, I'd raise salaries first."

That's called bragging, not empathy.

The man in the floral shirt laughed.

"The boss is very interesting."

Even if it's interesting, it doesn't mean you can get a free meal.

The man in the floral shirt took a few Beli out of his pocket and placed them on the bar.

Lin Qi glanced at it.

"Too many."

"As a tip."

"Then keep asking, I love hearing about tips."

Several people laughed again.

But half of the laughter was fake.

Lin Qi could tell.

He couldn't hear it in the morning.

You can hear it now.

The system notification was still flashing red light through the gaps in the computer screen.

The man in the floral shirt put down his wine glass.

"Boss, what do you think Sky Screen will ask in the next episode?"

Lin Qi wiped the table with a rag.

"The list of the 20 countries, I suppose."

"What if I let you set the questions?"

Lin Qi paused for a moment.

The computer behind the bar has no sound.

But Lin Qi felt a burning sensation on his back from the screen.

He looked up at the man in the floral shirt.

That's a strange question.

The man in the floral shirt shrugged.

"Casual conversation."

Lin Qi threw the rag into the basin of water.

"If I were to set a question, I would ask: Of the twenty kingdoms that created the World Government, which one didn't later become Celestial Dragons?"

"Why."

"Because this is the simplest, and also the most ruthless."

Lin Qi picked up the cup and took a sip.

"So simple even a child could understand it."

"So ruthless that the World Government can't pretend not to hear it."

The man in the floral shirt didn't say anything.

The Den Den Mushi) in the sleeve of the person by the window stirred.

Lin Qi saw it.

He also saw that the person at the back door had changed the direction of their toes.

The man in the floral shirt finished his drink.

"Boss, you really should become a newspaper editor."

"No, I'm afraid of being captured by the World Government."

Upon hearing this, the air in the Tavern seemed to lighten slightly, then become heavy again.

The man in the floral shirt stared at Lin Qi.

Why are we afraid of being arrested by the World Government?

Lin Qi pointed to the sky.

"Didn't you look at the Sky Screen?"

"Now, whoever tells the truth is doomed."

"Being a newspaper editor is a job where if you do it well, you end up in jail; if you do it poorly, you get yelled at by the readers."

"I'll still sell the bar."

The man in the floral shirt nodded slowly.

That makes sense.

Lin Qi took the empty cup back.

"Want some more?"

"One more round."

"Pay first."

The man in the floral shirt pushed the money over.

"Boss, do you have a backyard here?"

Lin Qi looked at him.

"Yes, I have."

"Could I borrow this room for a moment? A friend of mine would like to use it."

Lin Qi pointed to the side door.

"The outhouse is on the left side of the backyard, don't go to the wrong one. The wine cellar is on the right; if you slip and fall in there, you won't be compensated."

The man near the back door stood up.

"I'll go."

Lin Qi watched him walk towards the side door, still muttering to himself.

"You should have gone before drinking, what a hassle."

The man pushed open the side door and entered the backyard.

A new notification popped up in the gap of the system screen.

[Tracking Den Den Mushi is attempting to mark building structures.]

Lin Qi placed the wine glass into the basin of water and moved his fingers in the water a couple of times.

The foam on the water's surface obscured his hands.

He pressed a button under the bar.

Next to the Cellar entrance in the Tavern's backyard, the cork of an empty wine barrel came loose on its own.

It contained half a barrel of high-proof liquor.

The man who went to the backyard had just taken the Den Den Mushi out of his sleeve when the cork of the sake barrel popped open, and sake gushed out of the barrel, splashing all over him.

The man paused for a moment.

Lin Qi called from behind the bar.

"Hey, don't touch the wine barrels in the backyard, they've been leaking for days."

A man's voice, barely containing his anger, came from the backyard.

"Knew."

The man in the floral shirt glanced at Lin Qi.

Lin Qi shrugged.

"Old bucket, cheap stuff, don't make me pay for the clothes."

The man in the floral shirt smiled.

"Won't."

When the man from the backyard returned, he reeked of alcohol, and the Den Den Mushi in his sleeve had retracted into its shell and was no longer moving.

Lin Qi set out the second round of drinks.

The system notification turned into small green text.

Location attempt failed.

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief, but his face still looked like he hadn't woken up yet.

Sky Screen countdown outside the window reached three hours and thirty-two minutes.

The man in the floral shirt stood up.

"Boss, we should go."

"Let's go now, we haven't finished our drinks yet."

"Take away."

"Cups are not allowed."

The man in the floral shirt finished his drink in one gulp, and the others followed suit, putting down their glasses.

The twelve people walked out one after another.

The man in the floral shirt was the last to leave the house.

He paused at the doorway and turned to look at Lin Qi.

"Boss, you'll watch the next episode of Sky Screen, right?"

Lin Qi leaned against the bar.

"Of course, I'm waiting to brag to my guests."

The man in the floral shirt nodded.

"I hope to hear your analysis again."

"Just bring the money."

The door closed.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lin Qi stood behind the bar, his smile slowly fading.

He walked to the computer and turned on the screen.

A new notification pops up on the system interface.

[Updated Suspicion Assessment of Peripheral Units of the World Government Intelligence System]

[Target Lin Qi: 61% chance of being an ordinary resident]

[39% probability of needing review]

Lin Qi looked at the line of text.

"Only sixty-one."

He sat down and placed his fingers on the keyboard.

The title editing box is still there.

He glanced out the window.

The countdown in the sky is still ticking.

Three hours and twenty-nine minutes.

Lin Qi moved the cursor to the first question and pressed confirm.

[The issue has been locked]

[The next roundup will begin after the countdown ends]

At the same time, three blocks away from the Tavern.

The man in the floral shirt squeezed into a rented fishing gear warehouse and pushed his companion, whose sleeves were half-soaked, aside.

"Report."

The woman by the window picked up Den Den Mushi).

"In the East Blue Foosha Village area, the target is the owner of Tavern No. 314. His performance is still within the average range, but his judgment of the question's logic is too close to the actual style of the Sky Screen."

There was static on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

"Suggestion."

The man in the floral shirt looked towards the Tavern.

"Keep an observation period."

"Monitor his reaction when the next phase of the Sky Screen opens."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

"Approve."

Outside the warehouse, the golden countdown continues its relentless march in the sky.

Three hours and twenty-eight minutes.