Shining Tavern (Please Follow Up)

Shining Tavern (Please Follow Up)

Smoke-like white vapor rose. Levi stomped, and his whole body erupted in an instant!

He turned into an arrow loosed from the string, his Knight Longsword piercing through the void.

Golden Cross Slash! Vibration Power!

Thud!

The burly man holding the knife instantly felt the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open on his weapon hand. A violent tremor came through, almost making him throw the knife away.

"This is... a Pre-Knight!"

"You're a Pre-Knight too!"

"How is that possible? How could there be such a young Pre-Knight in a remote place like this?"

The burly man could hardly believe it. Though the youth was powerfully built, one could tell from that face that he was not old, seventeen or eighteen at most.

A Pre-Knight this young was either the disciple of a great noble, with abundant resources, or someone truly gifted by nature.

"Aren't you one too? Scared?" Levi grinned.

With a backhanded slash, this strike directly shattered the burly man's already inferior, rust-covered woodcutter's blade. The edge snapped apart.

The burly man stared at the half blade, completely dumbfounded.

In that brief daze, Levi's sword had already pierced through the burly man's simple cloth armor, plunged into his chest, and churned it to pieces.

Then Levi drew his sword and stood tall. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The other bandits had not expected Levi to take down their boss so quickly. They had all seen the boss's strength for themselves. Before this, under the boss's lead, they had successfully carried out several waves of robberies. Though they had all been small-scale attacks aimed at poor commoners who had little worth stealing to begin with, the boss had already left an invincible impression in their hearts.

So when the boss decided to establish the Wild Grass Gang and set his mind on developing in this area, they had all agreed without hesitation.

But now, the boss's corpse was already lying in the melted snow. They panicked and began to scatter like birds and beasts.

Naturally, Levi would not let them go. Since they dared to rob him, they had to be ready to die.

After a few arrows, all those who fled were struck and killed, collapsing into the snow. Those still alive saw that running away was impossible, so they all prostrated themselves where they were and began begging Levi for forgiveness.

"Lord Knight, don't kill us. We're all ordinary people. We just wanted to scrape together a meal."

"I didn't want to kill you. I only wanted to rob the dry rations on your back to fill my stomach, really. Heavenly Father above, please believe me!"

"You can't kill me. I still have a blind wife at home who needs me to support her. I'm begging you!"

They spoke over one another, their eyes revealing an incredibly intense yearning to live, as if the teenage youth before them was a terrifying god of death.

"Go," Levi said calmly, his gaze flickering.

"Thank you, you're a good man."

"We won't dare do it again."

These people were alarmed and uncertain, but in the end, they turned and began to run.

Levi watched them with an icy gaze and began to draw his bow.

On the snow, Levi found some dry firewood, piled the thirteen corpses together, and used flint to light a raging fire.

"Let the flames warm your world after death."

Levi muttered to himself, his tone gentle and calm.

Among these thirteen bandits, the youngest was about his age, still a child.

Levi believed that most of what they had said before they died had been true. Under extreme terror, it was hard for people to tell lies.

However, what did that have to do with Levi?

If he had not possessed strength, then the one whose corpse was destroyed to erase all traces might have been him.

These people had fallen into banditry perhaps for all kinds of reasons. Most importantly, it was created by this chaotic, dark age.

But there was only one reason they died: they wanted to harm Levi.

In the end, after Levi harvested a dozen or so silver coins from these paupers, he continued on his way.

Before long, he arrived at Icewind City.

From far away, he saw the silver-white giant city standing majestically among the mountains, as well as the most eye-catching pure-white Holy Radiance Church in the center of the city, which had a hint of Gothic style.

"Not bad at all. Compared with Flower City in my father's Tulip Territory, it doesn't lose out. Flower City is exquisite and gorgeous, while this Icewind City is majestic and grand, with an obvious northern style."

After showing his pass, Levi entered the city very smoothly.

Compared with his own cold and deserted Blackwater Valley, whose total population was only about a thousand,

Icewind City was far too lively. According to incomplete official statistics,

Just the number of people permanently residing in Icewind City alone reached a hundred thousand.

Adding some unregistered residents, traveling merchants, and Travelers, Icewind City's population was only higher, not lower.

Of course, this could not be compared with modern cities of his previous life that easily had populations in the millions or tens of millions, but compared with the early European Middle Ages at a similar level of productive development, it was still far ahead.

But that was understandable. After all, the area of this Emerald Kingdom was many times larger than Europe's.

Levi did not delay. Carrying his luggage, he went directly to the largest merchant guild in Icewind City: the Emerald Merchant Guild.

Being able to bear the name Emerald, this merchant guild was naturally not simple. Behind it were the shadows of the Royal Family as well as several grand dukes, such as the Black Mountain Duke.

If one wanted to buy into the Emerald Merchant Guild, one had to at least hold the title of Count.

So this was a super merchant guild jointly established by great nobles, one that had practically monopolized every trade and industry in the Emerald Kingdom.

The one in Icewind City was only a branch. Its headquarters was located in Emerald Royal City.

Levi felt the heavy Gold Coins in his chest pocket, and his heart settled a little. He had several hundred Gold Coins on him now, so he could be considered rich.

"Hello, may I ask if you have Ambergris?" Levi asked.

He was not worried about being recognized. He was merely an insignificant little lord from the Northern Territory. This era itself had no internet, and he had not made any name for himself. Who would know him?

When the merchant guild's staff heard the question was about Ambergris, he knew this customer before him was rich, and most likely a knight cultivating a Breathing Technique. He had long since gotten used to it.

"Apologies, sir, we do not have Ambergris in the shop right now. If you... hey, don't leave. You can take a look at other things."

Levi's figure had already vanished onto the main street.

"Good thing I'd already mentally prepared myself. If even the Emerald Merchant Guild doesn't have Ambergris, then in all Icewind City, there's only one place that might have it. If they don't have it there either, then I'll just go home and grind slowly. At worst, I'll spend a little more time."

Levi casually bought a White Wolf Mask from a gift shop. After putting it on, he twisted and turned through the streets and alleys. At last, amid waves of melodious Harp Sound, playful Whistle Sound, mixed with the drinking and laughter of men, he arrived before a warm little tavern. The tavern's dim yellow light glowed in the evening. Through the window, he could see the stove inside burning fiercely, while on the Wooden Board at the entrance to the tavern was written:

"Shining Tavern."

"Today's entrance ticket: Lion King Spirit."

"Come, come, come, my friend. Drink this cup of Lion King Spirit. May your future shine like the Lionheart Knight!"

At the entrance of the little tavern stood a Burly Man. Everyone who went in had to pay one Gold Coin to buy a cup of sky-high-priced Lion King Spirit, then drink it down, using this to prove the visitor's wealth and courage.

Because this Shining Tavern was a tavern on the surface, but in secret, it was an underground trading market.

Commonly known as: Black Market.

...divider...

Especially important: this book has entered its first round of PK recommendations. The follow-up reads over the next week will determine whether this book can advance in the PK. If it fails to advance, this book will be thrown into the cold palace, and basically there will be no exposure channels ever again, which will also declare this book's death. I'm begging everyone, please be sure to follow up. Finally, thank you to Xi Yuan for the 100 coin tip.