Qin Ran fell asleep.
For the first time in years, he slept deeply.
There was no pressure, no goal, only sound sleep.
The instant he woke, his body instinctively stretched. Only after finishing the movement did Qin Ran suddenly realize something was wrong.
He looked suspiciously at Rachel, who was still wiping a glass, and instinctively opened the system notification panel.
[Player has consumed Osiris's Brew...]
That was the only entry.
But it was enough. He remembered drinking [Orangeglow Solant], not [Osiris's Brew].
"Rachel, just now, I..."
"I grabbed the wrong one. That was what I had prepared for Lawless-I was going to punish him a little, and you got caught in the crossfire!"
Rachel answered bluntly.
Then she handed Qin Ran a contract scroll.
"You're friends with that guy, so I suppose there's nothing wrong with you taking his punishment for him, but I don't want him pestering me... so consider this my apology!"
"A follower contract. You happen to need one, don't you?"
After that, Rachel stopped paying attention to Qin Ran and focused on mixing the drink in her hands.
Qin Ran accepted the follower contract. His instincts told him Rachel was hiding something else from him, but he could find no further evidence.
Everything in his attribute panel was normal. Nothing had changed.
Her explanation was reasonable enough, too. Veteran players all knew about the situation between Rachel and Lawless, and the compensation in his hands was real.
As for asking someone else?
Qin Ran glanced around the empty tavern.
At some point, the few people who had still been there had all disappeared.
Seeing that Rachel clearly had no desire to talk, Qin Ran used the [Follower Contract], chose to sign it with the Fire Crow Soldier, and left the tavern.
Outside,