Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Tavern
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Honestly speaking,
Han Dong was caught somewhat off guard with this incident at the Municipal Security Division.
He deliberately terrified the lawbreakers in the underground cell. His objective, of course, was to indirectly affirm that he is the ‘Returner’.
But he didn’t expect to run into the Black Knight who escorted him yesterday.
This man is a senior official.
Having successfully graduated from the National Royal Academy of Knights and selected into the Black Rose Knight Squad, one of the ‘Twelve Knight
Regiments’, his strength and status are far superior to Han Dong who is just an Apprentice Knight. He’s even higher than the local sheriff.
In the face of Barton Fogs’ interrogations,
The ‘Faceless One’s Skull’ information might be exposed, depending on Han Dong’s response.
The subsequent dialogue didn’t take place in the frenzied, dirty streets. Once again, he rode on the mechanical black horse,
Accompanying Knight Barton to the neighboring Ghana Civilian Area.
Despite being one of the four major civilian areas, the security, environment, and architectural layout here are far better than the Samay Area… ranking it first among the four major civilian areas.
Hammer and Fire Pub
The black horse stops before a uniquely styled pub.
The iron material of the pub’s outer wall structure, the complicated metal pipes embedded on the surface, plus a cylindrical chimney at the back of the kitchen.
If it weren’t for a few drunk, bearded men walking out of the doorway, Han Dong might have mistaken this place for a blacksmith’s shop.
Hiding the metal body of the horse under a cloth, it is parked at a stable behind the Pub, supervised by a specialist.
Barton Fogs, who emerged from the stable, took off his seemingly heavy black iron armor and dressed in a simple off-white shirt and a leather vest.
The noble majesty emanated by the knight dissolved away.
At this moment, Barton Fogs completely blended into the civilian area, making it impossible for strangers to identify his true identity. “Just call me Barton here, there’s no need for formal courtesy.”
“Alright!”
“Let’s go sit in the Pub.”
Pushing open the black iron door of the pub, most of the people inside are simply dressed, bald, big-bellied men holding large cups of malt liquor.
On the way to the bar, a voice with a thick accent drifts over:
“Old pal Barton, long time no see!
I thought you went ‘above’ and forgot about this place… I was afraid your big name would scare off my customers, so I kept a private room for you at the back. ”
The speaker is the pub owner with a thick goatee.
“Old John, your business is still booming.”
Old John leaned in and whispered:
“Wouldn’t it be? My pub once housed a noble and powerful knight of the Black Rose! Look around, your portraits are all over the place, and there’s even a metal model of you on the bar.
Heh, I privately used you for advertising, hope you don’t mind.”
“Feel free to… I won’t be out for long this time, take us to the private room.”
“Sure.”
Old John is a warm and hearty person. On the way to the private room, he asked the thin Han Dong: “What does this frail friend of yours do? He’s not your hired hand, is he?”
“He’s an Apprentice Knight who has just become a ‘Returner’, like me, comes from a civilian background but is from Samay Area.”
“Samay Area?”
Han Dong smiled and replied, “Yes… my name is Valen Nicholas.”
Old John looked Han Dong up and down, then suddenly burst into laughter while stroking his beard.
“Haha, my old eyes can’t see much, but you being able to crawl out from the lowest Samay Area, that’s truly something!
Young man… You have to try the signature drink here, Hammering Wine today.
As long as your body can take it, you’ve got a friend in me, Old John!”
“From now on, if you come to drink here, I’ll give you a forty percent discount.”
“Hehe, we’ll see…
Han Dong doubted that his body could handle much, fearing the possibility of liver failure if he drank too much later.
The confined black iron compartment was considered a luxurious private room.
A carpet made of animal fur,
Decorations made of deer antlers,
An oil lamp.
Two large cups of Hammering Wine were personally delivered by Old John.
The high-concentration malt liquor stored in a massive hammer-shaped container… Just staring at the cup of wine made Han Dong’s body feel uncomfortable.
There were also specialties of the house such as pepper pork sausage, fried cod strips, and other delicious dishes to accompany the alcohol. “Old John, my friend and I have some private matters to discuss.”
“Understood…if you need anything just call my name.”
The door was locked.
After a simple round of eating and drinking, they returned to the main topic of discussion.
“It is rare for a ‘Returner’ to appear in the civilian area. I was personally curious about how you managed to do it… I originally planned to learn about your past from local archives.
Since we happened to meet, I might as well ask you in person.
Can you privately share with me about your ability? After all, there will be dedicated personnel asking about it once you’re inside the academy, I can help you manage your ‘secrecy work’ in advance.”
This sentence expressed Barton’s attitude and it seemed that he stood with Han Dong… still, Han Dong remained reserved.
“Hmm, actually before I entered the Fate Space, I self-studied a bit of Mysticism.”
“Self-study?” Barton was skeptical, “You haven’t received any formal education, have you?”
“My literacy was taught by my mother… I was born with a weak body, unable to do any heavy work, in the house all day with nothing to do… so I thought I might as well read to pass the time.
By chance, I found that there were many waste books flowing down from a junkyard not far from home at a very low price.
I found all kinds of books like ‘Discussion on the Development of Modern
Mysterious Studies’, ‘Mysterious Overview’, ‘Astrological Theory’ and so on.
I tried to print my own secret texts, draw magic arrays on parchment… about a year ago, after reading deep into the night, I had a very strange dream after falling asleep.
I can’t remember the specifics of the dream, I just vaguely remember that it was very chaotic, similar to all kinds of fragments pieced together.
When I woke up, there was a bundle of ‘energy’ in my brain.”
Upon hearing this, Barton Fogs went from complete disbelief to somewhat skepticism.
Han Dong continued to explain, “Through the touch of my palm, I can initiate a consciousness-level instruction to the target. Its effect is not big, it can’t change a person’s concept, only implant a subconscious idea.
This kind of technique allowed me to establish relationships quickly with characters involved in ‘Fate events’.
Subsequently, the allocation of Fate Points made me more familiar with this technique.
Earlier at the security bureau, I ‘planted’ Fear Seeds quickly in their minds through touch. They were scared shitless when they saw me, as if they had seen a demon.
“That’s pretty much the situation.”
At the same time,
In Han Dong’s home in Samay Area.
A sneak wearing a shadow cloak was secretly inspecting his room.
During the search, a large number of old books involving [Mysticism] were found, which were filled with notes, and several roughly-drawn magic arrays were found in him drawer.
Two days ago, there were no such books in Nicholas’s room at all.
All of it was what Han Dong had instructed his sister Nina to do. These old waste books could be easily found in certain recycling stations; they could be bought for a small amount of money.
Han Dong had been considering how to conceal the matter about the Faceless Skull.
Since it was related to Mysticism, he created a false image of a ‘self-taught’ talent… now, Han Dong had become a Mysterious Apprentice. As long as his explanation matched the situation in the room, even if someone on top wanted to investigate, it would be difficult for them to discover the real issue..