Streamwood Town

The Giant's Slumber Inn

"Hey~ Did you guys hear? Count Havent issued a decree to establish the North Territory Guard and is currently recruiting soldiers."

"Heard it, heard it! My cousin is a stable hand at the Baiman City barracks. That big battle a week ago, tsk tsk tsk, it was truly thrilling."

A young man with a hunting bow slung over his back held a wooden wine cup, one foot propped on a stool, and spoke animatedly.

"According to my cousin, that war was incredibly brutal. Baiman City was almost breached. When my cousin was helping the defenders move defensive supplies, he glanced down. Guess what happened."

As evening approached, the inn was crowded. Almost everyone in the establishment looked over. A few impatient patrons began to urge him on.

"What happened? Hurry up and tell us."

"Hey, Vance, you son of a bitch, why are you stopping there?"

However, Vance didn't continue despite the curses. Instead, he finished the wine at the bottom of his cup and smacked his lips, savoring the taste.

"Damn it, Baki! Baki! Get this son of a bitch another drink, it's on me."

Vance took the wine Baki handed him and took a big gulp. He then remembered to thank the innkeeper, Loggins. Amidst the crowd's curses, he slowly continued:

"After my cousin put down the supplies, he peeked through a gap in the battlements and was so scared he almost peed his pants. Oh my heavens, my cousin said there were so many ghouls outside the city that they were endless, at least a hundred thousand. Tsk tsk tsk tsk, his legs went weak. Those ghouls looked truly terrifying; arrows didn't even faze them."

"Nonsense! If your cousin's legs went weak, how could he see arrows hitting ghouls? Besides, a hundred thousand? Our Streamwood Town only has a few thousand people. You really dare to say a hundred thousand!"

Hearing someone question him, Vance's face instantly turned red. He turned to see who the son of a bitch was.

"Abby! You know nothing, you loser who can't even beat a wolf. What do you know? My cousin is a stable hand in the Baiman City barracks. He was on the city wall at the time."

The young man, wearing a yellowish-brown robe, heard Vance's insult and threw down his wine cup, ready to argue with him.

However, the audience, eager to hear the story, clearly didn't want the two of them to ruin their pleasant evening with a fight. Under the pulls of the innkeeper and others, Abby angrily sat down.

Havent, clad in worn leather armor, sat in a small corner of the inn. After several days of arduous travel, he had finally arrived at the town his teacher had mentioned. It was one of the closest towns in the North Territory to Fort Province.

Streamwood Town was famous for its convenient waterways and abundant timber, attracting many merchants and adventurers. At the same time, the Hogal Mountains, not far from Streamwood Town, were home to a large number of magical beasts and medicinal herbs, making the local economy exceptionally prosperous.

The harsh winds and sand of the North Territory had coated Havent's fair skin with dust. Coupled with his equally plain leather armor, even his closest acquaintance wouldn't recognize this young man as the heir of the Hailan Territory in the North Territory.

Havent ate the stew heartily, occasionally dipping bread into the broth and bringing it to his mouth. He smiled as Vance, who had started speaking again, recounted the tale. This guy really had a knack for storytelling.

"Alright, alright, listen to me continue. I'm telling you, later my cousin came down from the city wall, and just as he was about to have a drink to calm himself, he heard gasps from the knights on the wall. He looked up and saw a dragon flying over. The dragon smashed into the tower on the city wall, and many knights and soldiers fell from the wall at that moment. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been hit by the flying debris."

Excited, Vance stood on the table, gesturing wildly.

"I'm telling you, my cousin said that dragon was at least a hundred meters long."

As he spoke, he held his hands flat and moved them back and forth, indicating its immense length.

"Tch~ You say a hundred meters, so it's a hundred meters? The bards who come to the inn say dragons are at most a few dozen meters long. Where would you find a dragon that big?"

Vance turned and saw that it was Abby again, undermining him. He was instantly furious and pointed at Abby, cursing.

"That was what my cousin saw with his own eyes, not some story made up by those freeloading bards! You bastard, if you cause any more trouble, I'll knock your teeth out!"

Seeing that Vance was genuinely angry, Abby immediately retracted his neck. Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he felt a burning sensation and, still a bit indignant, muttered softly.

"What's so great about it? That's your cousin, not you. What's there to be proud of?"

Vance, who had intended to continue his story and get a few more drinks, saw Abby muttering something again and immediately shouted.

"You damn guy, what are you saying now? What are you saying?"

Abby saw Vance jump off the table and walk towards him, quickly trying to escape. However, the onlookers who wanted to see some excitement didn't want to miss out. They egged him on.

"Hey! Vance, he's saying you're bragging. Your cousin is a stable hand in the Baiman City barracks, not you."

After several drinks, Vance was already a bit disoriented. Hearing others say that, his anger instantly ignited his chest, and he threw the wine cup directly at Abby.

Abby, eager to escape, didn't notice the commotion behind him. The wine cup hit the back of Abby's head directly. Abby let out a scream and collapsed on the ground.

Vance, stumbling, walked over and straddled Abby, about to strike him. However, Abby, whose scalp had been broken, felt the blood on the back of his head. His fighting spirit was ignited, and he flipped over, throwing the drunken Vance off him.

The two began to fight in the inn's open space, trading punches. The surrounding crowd instantly forgot about the story and gathered around them, cheering.

"Oh! Damn it, Vance, throw a punch! Hit him, hit him! If you win, I'll buy all your drinks for the week!"

"Little Abby, hit him, hit him! Let him know how strong you are! If you beat Vance, Gina might go on a date with you."

Havent, sitting in the small corner, had finally finished five loaves of bread, a large bowl of stew, and a large bowl of creamy mushroom soup. He patted his belly with satisfaction, watching the two fighting. It felt so good to be full.

Soon, guards came in and separated the two, escorting them out of the inn with their arms twisted. After the innkeeper gifted the guards a few bottles of wine, he called his staff to clean up the tables and chairs that the two had messed up during their fight. Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the patrons returned to their seats and continued their previous chatter.

Havent, after a moment of rest, stood up and walked towards the innkeeper.

"Damn it, little Abby, when those two sober up tomorrow, go and collect the repair fees. Damn it, it's never peaceful here."

Seeing Havent approach, he waved his hand, signaling his staff to get busy. Old Soger had a good impression of this young man who could eat so much and was so generous.

"Oh, my esteemed guest, was the meal satisfactory? Do you require any further services?"

Havent let out a burp and smiled at the innkeeper.

"It was delicious, innkeeper. Do you have bathing facilities here? I could really use a hot bath right now."

Innkeeper Old Soger looked Havent up and down and smiled knowingly.

"Of course, my esteemed guest. We also have skilled female attendants who can serve you."