Cabo Town

When the first rays of morning sunlight spilled across the land, Cabo Town's rooftops were coated in gold. The air was still faintly cool, yet people were already beginning to fill the streets...

"Creak..." The owner of Cabo Town's only tavern was cleaning up the mess left behind by a night of revelry when the tavern door was suddenly pushed open.

The tavern owner looked toward the entrance in surprise. The tavern usually did not slowly start getting customers until after noon. Who would come this early in the morning...?

Beyond the wooden door stood three sturdy figures. They wore leather vests over their upper bodies and combat trousers below. Their rocklike muscles were sharply defined, stretching their vests taut. The youth at the forefront was very young, only seventeen or eighteen at most. His handsome face was etched with resolute lines, while his star-like eyes could make anyone who looked into them unable to resist sinking into their depths. Morning light fell upon the three of them, as though draping them in a layer of golden radiance.

When the leading youth saw her, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly on the right, revealing an exceptionally charming smile. Though she had run this tavern for more than a decade and seen all kinds of men, the owner's heart still skipped two beats. "Oh my, you three are early. Please, come in, come in."

Ye Luo looked around the tavern of this foreign world. It was not large, but it was not particularly small either, covering more than a hundred square meters and built mainly from wood. Several lamps of some unknown fuel hung along the walls, providing pitiful illumination and making the entire tavern appear dim and yellowish.

At the moment, the tavern was empty except for them and the owner. Ye Luo walked inside and smiled faintly. "We've just arrived here, so we don't know much about this place..." As he spoke, Ye Luo placed several coins on the table. These bronze- and silver-colored coins had been taken from the warriors of the Blazing Mercenary Corps. He did not know their purchasing power, so when he placed them down, he carefully watched the owner's expression.

The woman, who looked to be in her thirties and still possessed considerable charm, widened her eyes the moment she saw the silver coins. Ye Luo immediately had a rough idea of their value. "Bring us one serving of every specialty dish you have... and of course, don't forget the good wine."

The woman looked at Ye Luo in surprise, immediately pegging him as some young master from a great family who had just come out to gain experience. Such people were often lavish with their money, but cared greatly about face. Serve them well, and the rewards would be plentiful. Serve them poorly, and trouble would not be far behind...

"Young master, even if you ordered every delicacy in our tavern, it wouldn't cost nearly this much..." The owner tactfully took three silver coins from the pile. "Three silver coins will be enough. As for the rest..."

"Consider the rest a tip for the beautiful tavern owner who'll be serving us..." Ye Luo leaned forward until he was only a fist's distance from her stunning face. They could even feel each other's breath.

The tavern owner's heart jolted, but Ye Luo promptly leaned back and smiled at her.

"Then... I thank you three. Please, have a seat, have a seat..."

The food of this world was vastly different from that of Earth. While ingredients were important for Earth's cuisine, the key lay in seasonings and cooking techniques. Things were completely different here. Simple, rough grilling, frying, and roasting, combined with all kinds of meat ten times more delicious than anything on Earth, allowed Ye Luo to thoroughly enjoy a different kind of cuisine.

After eating and drinking his fill, Ye Luo wiped his mouth and smiled at the tavern owner behind the counter. "Madam, we've just arrived in Cabo Town. I heard there's a small mineral vein here. We'd like to buy some ore to forge weapons. Do you know where we should go to purchase it?"

The tavern owner immediately replied, "There is indeed a mineral vein at the edge of town, but Baron Floy has monopolized it all by himself. Their ore isn't sold to outsiders. Once mined, it's transported directly to Morton City, where their merchant partners forge it into all kinds of weapons. That's why they don't sell it externally..."

However, Ye Luo shook his head. "Beautiful tavern owner, they don't sell it now because they haven't been offered a price that would make them agree, isn't that right?"

Remembering Ye Luo's lavish spending, the tavern owner immediately smiled and nodded. "Of course. If it's you, young master, I don't think Baron Floy would refuse this business..."

"Thank you, madam. The meal was excellent." Ye Luo smiled as he led Ye Yi and Ye Meng out of the tavern, heading toward the center of town. According to the tavern owner, the most luxurious building there was Baron Floy's residence.

By now, there were more people in the streets. Cabo Town was not particularly large, but its population exceeded thirty thousand. People came and went along the streets, making the town quite lively.

When Ye Luo reached the center of town, he finally understood why the tavern owner had been so confident that they could find Baron Floy's residence...

Amid the bustling shops, three main roads—two running north to south and one east to west—separated an enormous central area from the market district. A bronze gate more than ten meters wide was large enough for three carriages to pass through side by side. Four warriors carrying weapons at their waists stood on either side of the gate. Their sturdy muscles and fierce gazes seemed to warn everyone not to cause trouble here.

"Hey, brat, what are you looking at? This is Lord Baron's residence. Get lost!"

Ye Luo and the other two had stood before the gate for no more than three seconds before the guards drove them away.

A glittering gold coin suddenly bounced continuously in Ye Luo's hand. "I originally wanted to discuss some business with Lord Floy, but the dogs he keeps at his gate are too fierce. I think we should forget it. Ye Meng, Ye Yi, let's go. I only hope Floy won't regret it later... He's raised the wrong dogs..."

The guards' faces immediately darkened with anger. Yet when they saw the gold coin bouncing in Ye Luo's hand, they did not dare speak rashly again. One gold coin was worth a thousand silver coins, or a million bronze coins. Even if they worked for Floy, they would not earn a single gold coin in a year!

"Young master, my brother failed to recognize your greatness and offended you. Locke, why aren't you apologizing to this young master?" The oldest of the four warriors looked at Ye Luo with a flattering smile, repeatedly signaling to the younger man who had just tried to drive them away.

Locke's face turned bright red. Though unwilling, he had no choice but to bow. "Young master, I'm sorry. I failed to recognize your greatness..."

"Young master, you've come at just the right time. Lord Floy has just returned. I'll go inform him right away. Please wait a moment..."

The older warrior was quite tactful. He immediately moved past the matter and redirected Ye Luo's group toward the purpose of their visit. Ye Luo nodded. The warrior quickly went inside, then emerged a short while later and nodded to Ye Luo. "Our lord is resting after returning, but the steward is here. Young master, please come in..."