Tavern

Chapter 35: Tavern

To be honest.

Han Dong had made a slight miscalculation in this incident with the precinct.

The reason Han Dong deliberately frightened the offenders in the detention cells was precisely to indirectly prove that he was a 'Returner.'

However, he hadn't expected to run into the Black Knight who had escorted him yesterday.

This was a high-ranking official.

Having successfully obtained a graduation certificate from the Royal Knights Academy and being selected into the Black Rose Knights, one of the 'Twelve Knight Orders,' his strength and status were far superior to Han Dong's as a Knight-Errant, and far superior to the local precinct chief.

Under Barton Fogus's questioning, information about the 'Faceless Head' might be leaked, depending on Han Dong's ability to respond.

The subsequent conversation did not take place on the street teeming with rats and insects and flowing sewage.

He got back on the mechanical black horse.

He followed Knight Barton to the adjacent Gana Commoner District.

Although it was one of the four major commoner districts, its public order, environment, and architectural layout were far superior to the Samael District... ranking first among the four commoner districts.

The Hammer and Fire Tavern

The black horse stopped in front of the unique tavern.

The tavern's exterior walls were constructed of black iron, with complex metal pipes embedded on the surface, and a cylindrical smokestack from the rear kitchen.

If not for a few burly, bearded men reeking of alcohol walking out of the main entrance, Han Dong would have mistaken it for a blacksmith's shop.

A cloth covered the horse's metallic body, and it was parked in the stable behind the tavern, attended by a dedicated caretaker.

Barton Fogus, emerging from the stable, removed his seemingly heavy black iron armor and changed into a simple shirt with an outer lining and a leather vest.

The noble majesty that the knight had originally exuded vanished completely.

At this moment, Barton Fogus had completely blended into the commoner area, and strangers could not identify his true identity.

"You can just call me Barton here; no need for formal titles."

"Okay!"

"Come with me, let's sit in the tavern."

Pushing open the black iron tavern door, most of the patrons inside were dressed simply, with bald heads, large ears, protruding bellies, and large mugs of ale in hand.

As they walked towards the bar, a voice with a thick local accent called out:

"Old friend Barton, long time no see!

I thought you had gone 'upstairs' and forgotten about me... I was afraid your reputation might scare away my customers, so I've reserved a private room for you in the back."

The speaker was the tavern owner, a man with a thick goatee.

"Old John, business is still booming."

Old John leaned in and whispered, "How could it not be? This tavern once hosted a noble and powerful Black Rose Knight! Look, your portrait is displayed all around, and there's even a metal model of you on the bar counter.

Haha, don't mind me using you for advertising in private."

"Feel free... I don't have much time for this outing. Take us to the private room."

"Alright."

Old John was enthusiastic and bold. On the way to the private room, he asked the slender Han Dong, "What does this frail-looking friend do? He's not your follower, is he?"

"He's a Knight-Errant who has just become a 'Returner.' He's from a commoner background like me, but from the Samael District."

"Samael District?"

Han Dong replied with a smile, "Yes... My name is Valen Nicholas."

Old John scrutinized Han Dong from head to toe, then stroked his beard and burst into laughter.

"Haha, my old eyes can't tell much, but it's really great that you could climb out of the lowest district, Samael!

Young man... you absolutely must try my signature drink today – the Hammer Spirit. As long as your body can handle it, I, Old John, will consider you my friend!

From now on, all your drinks here will be 40% off."

"Heh, I'll give it a try..."

Han Dong truly didn't believe his body could handle much. It would be troublesome if he got too drunk and suffered liver failure later.

Inside the enclosed black iron private room, it could be considered luxurious.

Animal fur carpet, Deer antler decorations, Kerosene lamps.

Two extra-large glasses of Hammer Spirit were personally delivered by Old John.

The high-concentration malt liquor was served in a massive hammer-shaped container… Just looking at it made Han Dong feel uncomfortable.

Along with it came local specialties like pepper pork sausage and fried cod strips, delicious bar snacks.

"Old John, my friend and I need to discuss some private matters."

"Understood… Just mention my name if you need anything."

The door was locked.

After a simple meal and drinks, the conversation returned to the main topic.

"It's rare to see a 'Returner' in the commoner district. I'm personally very curious about how you managed it… I had planned to look up your past through local archives.

Since we've met by chance, I'll just ask you directly.

Could you privately tell me about your abilities? After all, once you reach the Academy, there will be specialists to question you. I can do some 'undercover work' for you in advance."

This statement revealed Barton's stance, seemingly siding with Han Dong… However, Han Dong remained guarded.

"Well, actually, before entering Destiny Space, I learned a little bit of Occultism through self-study."

"Self-study?" Barton was skeptical. "You didn't receive any formal education, did you?"

"My mother taught me to read… My constitution was always poor, so I couldn't go out and work. I was idle at home with nothing to do… so I thought I'd read to pass the time.

By chance, I found that the scrap yard not too far from my home had a lot of discarded books flowing down, and they were very cheap.

I could find books like 'A Brief Discussion on the Development of Modern Occultism,' 'An Overview of Mysticism,' 'Astrological Theories,' and so on.

I also tried to make rubbings of arcane texts and draw magic circles on rough paper… About a year ago, one day while reading late into the night, I fell asleep after putting down my book and had a very strange dream.

I can't quite recall the specific details of the dream, but I vaguely remember it being chaotic, like various fragments pieced together.

When I woke up, there was a ball of 'energy' in my brain."

After this explanation, Barton Fogus went from complete disbelief to cautious belief.

Han Dong continued, "By touching someone with my palm, I can issue instructions at a mental level. The influence isn't very significant; it can't change a person's core beliefs, only implant a subconscious suggestion.

This technique allowed me to smoothly interact with key figures during 'Destiny Events' and quickly build relationships.

Subsequently, the allocation of Destiny Points allowed me to become more proficient with this technique.

Earlier, at the security precinct, I quickly planted 'Fear Seeds' in those people's minds through touch. They looked at me as if I were a demon, scared out of their wits.

That's roughly the situation."

At the same time.

In the Samael District, at Han Dong's residence.

A stealth operative clad in a dark, shadowy robe was secretly searching his room.

During the search, they discovered a large number of old books related to [Occultism], covered in notes. They also found several crudely drawn magic circles in a drawer.

Two days prior, Nicholas's room hadn't contained any of these books.

All of this was arranged by Han Dong, who had his sister Nina handle it. These old, discarded books were easy to find in recycling centers and could be bought for a small sum.

Han Dong had been considering how to conceal the matter of the Faceless Head.

Since it was related to Occultism, he decided to create the facade of a 'self-taught prodigy.' Han Dong was now a Mysticism Apprentice, and as long as his story matched the situation in his room, even if higher-ups investigated, they would find it difficult to uncover the real issue.