Not a Lion, a Kun

Time always slips away unnoticed...

Especially in the real world when reading game novels.

[Innocent World], Pato City, Dawn

Cole, who had barely slept a wink, left the Black Wheat Inn early and arrived at a small tavern in the city called 'Rotten Rose'. The gentleman had told him that this was the place.

This place was quite famous in Pato City, not just because 'Rotten Rose' was almost always open, operating 24 hours a day, but more because its nature was so unique that it could definitely be called the black sheep of taverns.

It didn't have high-proof spirits. The elegant and refreshing drinks it offered were more like 'flower dew' than wine. There might have been a little alcohol mixed in, but even the most ignorant farmer wouldn't spend three copper coins on a 'drink' that was weak, didn't make you pee, didn't warm you up, didn't give you courage, and didn't make you dizzy or flushed.

It didn't have sexy and hot waitresses, only a flower spirit proprietress who was also a waitress, bartender, and receptionist. Although she looked pretty good, her figure wasn't very curvy, and her talent for magic wasn't very high, which was enough to make many people keep their distance.

And the most important thing was that, although Rotten Rose was open 24 hours a day, it didn't serve any drinks after sunset, didn't allow loud noises, and didn't allow anyone to sit at the bar. If you wanted to stay overnight, you could make do in one of the small cubicles on the second floor, but of course, you had to pay.

So, despite its fame, the popularity here had always been low. Almost no one patronized it on weekdays, but Cole was very familiar with this place because Rona… liked to come here for a drink and some snacks when she was alive, often sitting for an entire afternoon.

Whether it was Cole or Lada, as pursuers, or Ai, as her best friend, they had all come here to find her. When they had time, they would sit down and take a break.

But now… Rona was dead… Lada was also dead… and Ai, who had escaped death, was likely hiding inside…

Cole, who had also cheated death, stood in front of Rotten Rose and felt like he was in another world.

But he finally calmed himself down, pushed aside the strings of immortal flower petals that served as a curtain, and slowly walked in. He said softly to the flower spirit owner, who was wiping the tables alone in the hall, "Hello, I'm looking for…"

"Second floor, first room." Ms. White Rose, who looked no more than twenty years old, pointed to the stairs and said absentmindedly, "Take some food with you."

As soon as she finished speaking, a plate of snacks on the bar floated up and slowly flew to Cole.

"Thank you." Cole bowed slightly to the flower spirit, who had already turned her back to him, picked up the plate and hurried upstairs. The gentleman hadn't lied to him. It seemed that Ai was indeed here. He had so many things he wanted to ask her!

As soon as he pushed open the door, Cole saw a petite figure trembling and taking a few steps back. Then, after staring at him for a long time, she let out a painful sob and rushed over, crashing directly into his arms and crying uncontrollably.

"Cole!" Ai grabbed his front, and crystal tears streamed down the girl's face like a broken string of pearls. Her thin shoulders were still trembling, as if she hadn't woken up from the nightmare. She sobbed softly, "Lada… sniff… he's dead… in front of… me… sob sob sob… he had a chance to escape… to escape… I couldn't save him! I couldn't save him, Cole!!"

Feeling the girl's body trembling with fear and self-blame in his arms, Cole, who was also suffering from inner torment, finally calmed down a little. He gently patted Ai's back, helped her to a chair, turned around and closed the door, then turned back and asked in a low voice, "Tell me, Ai, tell me everything you know… please!"

"It's Dave…" Ai raised her head, her eyes, which hadn't closed all night, were full of blood and fear. She trembled, "He attacked Lada… then he released his lance, drew his longsword, and rushed towards me… it hurt… it hurt so much…"

It took Ai, who was still in shock, more than ten minutes to explain the situation clearly. The general content was that on the road of the three people's escape, Dave, who had been lagging behind by half a step, suddenly attacked Lada, who was carrying Ai. That blow, which far exceeded ordinary power, could even penetrate both of them at the same time, but Lada had done everything he could to throw the priestess on his shoulder out of the way the moment he was attacked, but he was killed on the spot because his heart was pierced.

Then Dave attacked Ai with a black longsword that he didn't know where he had hidden. The priestess, who had exhausted her magic power, naturally had no chance against a knight, and was quickly stabbed in the abdomen, seriously injured and on the verge of death.

But Dave, who was just about to make a final blow, suddenly stopped moving. After a long time, he murmured something in a low voice, and then left the dying Ai behind and left quickly…

After a while, the gentleman appeared. He first helped Ai bandage her wounds simply, fed her some very effective magic potions, and then used a few slaps to force the girl, who couldn't even speak clearly, to calm down before asking her what had just happened.

Then he gave Ai some money (thanks again to the generous Medi) and told her to sneak back to Pato City as quickly as possible to find a secluded place where she could rest and recuperate while waiting for news.

Finally, after Ai stated that she planned to go to the Rotten Rose Tavern, the man left quickly.

"Then you sneaked back to the city and haven't left Rotten Rose since then?" Cole asked softly, "You're very scared, aren't you…"

Ai nodded vigorously, then shook her head, and said hesitantly, "Before I left there, I took some time to bury Lada. The doctrine says… only in this way will the dead rest in peace…"

"Is that so?" Cole sighed, then shook his head and said, "No, even so, Lada won't rest in peace. I know his bad temper too well, so we must…"

He glanced at Ai, who was still trembling, tilted his head to the side, and didn't continue.

"Avenge them…" Ai took the initiative to continue, staring at Cole's profile, and said in her voice that had been hoarse from crying, "We must avenge them, right?"

After saying that, the girl slowly collapsed. If Cole hadn't caught her with his quick eyes and hands, she would have almost fallen to the ground.

"Eat something, and then rest." Cole carried Ai, who was so weak that she almost fainted, to the bed, put the plate full of snacks in front of her, and said in a low voice, "We will take revenge, we definitely will! That gentleman… he will help us…"

"Is that so?" Ai, who didn't look at the food on the plate, just smiled happily with a pale face, "If it can really be done, I swear in the name of the Holy Church that I am willing to pay any price to follow that person…"

"Ai?!" Cole's eyes widened.

"Anyway, I originally had nothing, and my parents who gave birth to me and raised me are also dead." Ai. Fanye, who had just lost her relatives half a year ago, picked up a snack, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "I only have my own life left, and a few of you companions. As a result, my life was saved by the 'gentleman' you mentioned. If he can also help my companions take revenge…"

"No need to say anymore, I understand, get some rest."

"Mm…"

At the same time

Pato City, 'Brass' General Store

"Buying what?" The bald Dwarf, who was picking his nose in front of the shelf, greeted today's first customer with little enthusiasm.

Mo Tan looked around casually and replied casually, "A lamp."

"What kind of lamp?" The Dwarf raised his eyebrows, "Wall-mounted or portable? Or one for confessing to a young lady?"

Mo Tan shrugged at it, "One that can't see anything."

The Dwarf reluctantly stood up, walked to the counter that was about the same height as him, and turned his head to ask, "Who are you?"

"The darkest place is under the lamp." Mo Tan smiled.

"Come here." The other party beckoned and leaned his body slightly to the side.

Revealing a very inconspicuous secret passage.

Mo Tan gave an exaggerated salute, then walked down the secret passage leading to the underground, while the bald Dwarf boss walked to the door and looked around, then closed the store door and turned back to go down the secret passage.

Here was a small stronghold of the Thieves' Guild in Pato City, an information exchange point for internal personnel only, and the owner of the grocery store was the person in charge here.

At the end of the passage was a rather large space, surrounded by tall wooden shelves, neatly stacked with a large number of files, record crystals, stationery, and some iron boxes that seemed to have a high degree of confidentiality.

"What is it? What do you want?" The Dwarf went straight to the point.

"Information on Medi. Le, a former priest of the Holy Light Union." Mo Tan didn't waste any words and turned around, saying, "By the way, he already changed his profession to a necromancer seven years ago."

The Dwarf didn't show any strange expression, just nodded, "I think there will indeed be some people who are interested in this matter."

If the information was true, at least some relevant people from the Holy Light Union or many other necromancers would be interested.

"I feel the same way." Mo Tan echoed, then said seriously, "I need all the information on a person named Dave. Sager, who is in his second year at Pading Knight Academy, the more detailed the better. I also need some basic thief equipment, plus a practical shadow technique training manual. The kind from Pading Academy will do. I know you definitely have it here."

The other party immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, "Impossible, that's too unfair. You need to know that not many people would be interested in a certain priest who disappeared seven years ago, even if he studied some forbidden knowledge."

"Is that so?" Mo Tan smiled noncommittally, "Then there's nothing to talk about, bye."

After saying that, he raised his leg to leave.

"Wait!" Sure enough, the other party was silent for a moment before calling out to him, "You can't take those materials away, and I really can't get the Pading Academy training manual here."

Mo Tan sneered, "It's okay if I can't take the materials, and the training manual doesn't matter. Just hand-copy all the techniques that an apprentice-level thief can master for me, and get a set of better-quality poisons."

The information officer of the Pato City Thieves' Guild, the high-level thief Baud. Black Shovel, got anxious when he heard this, "What kind of bullshit request is that!"

"As far as I know, Mr. Medi. Le's research on necromancy has begun to bear fruit in the past seven years." Mo Tan said calmly, "And he is quite accomplished in soul studies, specializing in knowledge about the resurrection of the dead."

Baud shuddered immediately, widening his eyes and asking, "Did he succeed?"

"No, he failed, and he may not be able to succeed even if you give him another ten years." Mo Tan said with a wicked smile, "In the end, he's still a pretty useless old man."

Baud almost fainted, gritting his teeth and saying, "Then why are you talking so much nonsense! This information is still worthless!"

"How could it be~" Mo Tan whistled, "Did you have to 'hear' that last sentence I added? Are you saying that the Thieves' Guild's intelligence is now so simple that it's almost... uh... I'm sorry, stupid?"

Baud didn't speak. He originally thought that this frail-looking young man (which was also the truth) just accidentally knew some information and wanted to sell it for a good price, but he didn't expect this guy to have such a big appetite when he came, and then he bargained a little, and as a result...

He realized that calling him a lion's big mouth was really underestimating this kid. Looking at his appearance of raising the price on the spot, this guy was simply a Kun!

[Should I scare him?]

Baud had just thought of this when he noticed that the other party's expression suddenly became very playful...

"This boss." Mo Tan politely extended his right hand to Baud, and said softly, "You and I both know that someone as 'unfamiliar' as I am can find this place, I must have asked someone. The number of people who know I'm coming is at least one, and at most countless, so those threats that everyone knows are nonsense... there's no need to say them again, right?"

Honestly, Baud felt that if he were twenty or thirty years younger, he would definitely... probably still be unable to do anything to this kid...

So he had to shake hands with Mo Tan perfunctorily, and said with a stinky face, "Deal."

He turned around and went to rummage for things on the surrounding shelves.

Damn it, why are these shelves so high...

Two hours later

Mo Tan sat at a low table in the secret room of the grocery store (a space reserved using some techniques during construction), looking at a thin stack of materials in front of him, as well as a black leather bag filled with vials and a few pages of handwritten paper beside him, smiling especially happily.

Seriously, if Baud had the opportunity to meet the stall owners in the vegetable market near Mo Tan's house, he would definitely have a lot of common topics to talk about with those working people.

For example—

'I met a Kun today!'

'Hehe, get used to it. There's a Kun who comes to our place every now and then to play whale swallowing. It's a blessing to let him take it away at cost price.'

'Cost price?! See that silly fatty next door? He was chatted into a daze that day and gave away two pounds of tenderloin for free...'

"@#￥%*&..."

Chapter 23: End

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