The tavern was sparsely populated.
The few people still there had yet to sober up.
The bartender and servers had begun cleaning up the night's mess, occasionally urging the hungover patrons to leave. Clearly, they knew each other well. The customers took no offense, and even their grumbling was mostly good-natured.
So when Qin Ran appeared, he looked completely out of place.
After a brief look around to get a general sense of his surroundings, Qin Ran headed briskly out of the tavern without lingering.
But as he passed the entrance, he couldn't help stopping.
Wanted posters covered the wall beside the tavern. Every face on them looked vicious, except...
The one in the very center, with the highest bounty.
"Herbert?!"
Qin Ran froze.
He studied the face and name on the poster for several seconds, confirming that the wanted man was indeed Herbert-the man he had to protect for this dungeon world's main quest.
"This is trouble!"
Qin Ran muttered under his breath.
It wasn't just that the man he had to protect had become the most wanted criminal, attracting mercenaries, bounty hunters, and the like. To evade them, Herbert would surely hide himself so well that even Qin Ran, his protector, would struggle to find him.
Qin Ran never doubted Herbert's intelligence.
Coupled with the experience his age afforded him, Qin Ran was certain Herbert could find an exceptionally well-hidden refuge.
Yet the man was still in danger.
And that danger had already begun threatening his life.
The main quest had made that perfectly clear.
"I have to find him faster!"
With that, Qin Ran hurried out of the tavern.
With better sources available, he had no desire to question a bartender and servers exhausted from working all night.
After all, he couldn't be sure how much truthful