Chapter 255: Chapter 249, Drunkard Swindler_l
Translator: 549690339
Standing in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, Fang Hao looked at the respectful servant.
His timing couldn’t have been worse, Rebecca had actually gone to a banquet.
Well, people in this era didn’t have mobile phones to keep them occupied, and there wasn’t much else to entertain them at night.
Nobles tended to host a lot of banquets and dances.
“Will she be back tonight?” Fang Hao asked again.
If everything could be settled tonight, he could return to his own territory in the morning, making full use of his time.
“Sir, I’m not sure when the lady will return. You might want to stay the night in the city. Maybe the lady will send someone to notify you tomorrow.” The servant maintained a polite smile.
It seemed impossible to see Rebecca tonight.
Even if she returned, it would be late at night, and the chances of her seeing him would be slim.
“All right, please pass along a message when the City Lord’s wife returns, Fang Hao courteously said.
“Yes, sir.”
With Anjia, he left the City Lord’s Mansion. The sky had already turned dark.
A few residents were returning home, making the streets somewhat desolate.
“So, where are we headed next?” Anjia curiously asked.
The journey had been quite taxing.
“We’ll sit for a while at the tavern.”
“All right.”
The two came to the tavern and walked straight in.
A wave of alcohol and noise hit them in the face.
“Here again, what’ll you have?” The tavern owner came over.
It seemed that he had some impression of the two.
“Beer, meatballs, and a plate of smoked meat,” Fang Hao casually ordered.
“All right, just a moment.”
Wiping his hands, the tavern owner went to the kitchen to prepare the food.
Fang Hao’s gaze fell on the notice board nearby.
On the notice board, besides the typical residents’ bounties, there was a map hanging.
The last time he came, there were no maps because the Lyss City army was hunting down bandits along the road.
He seemed to be in luck today.
[Map: Mountain Fortress]
[Category: Single-page Map]
(Description: Map drawn by an adventurer, recording the Mountain Fortress’s route and terrain)
“interested in the map? It’s three gold coins. You can take your team and test your luck,” the tavern owner said, bringing the beer to them.
The snacks they ordered from the kitchen also slowly arrived.
“Only one map?”
“This one was brought in yesterday. Maps of some bandit hideouts were cleaned out by the Lyss Army,” the tavern owner replied.
“That’s good. With the bandits cleared, it’ll be safer for the residents and traveling merchants.”
Lyss City’s management was far stricter than that of Pruell City.
Pruell City did not have much of a solution for the bandits and wasn’t keen on dealing with them.
They tended to leave the matter to mercenaries.
On the other hand, Lyss would do a clean sweep each year, controlling the number of bandits.
This was beneficial for the residents and the nearby subsidiary villages.
The tavern owner gave a faint smile and said, “Bandits are like rats. They run, when you chase them and bite when you turn your back. That’s just how it is.” “That’s true. I’ll take the map, and I’ll pay you when I settle the bill.”
“No rush, enjoy your meal.”
After the tavern owner handed the map to Fang Hao, he went off to attend to other customers.
Fang Hao and Anjia chatted quietly while eating their dinner.
“Based on this scar alone, doesn’t it deserve a drink on your part?
Not far from their table, a shabby drunkard was speaking loudly.
“Give it up, Hodge. Last time you said it was a vampire bite, now it’s turned into a scar from a knife wound,” a co-drinker sarcastically asked, while others watched the fun.
Hodge came everyday, telling strange and peculiar stories or bragging about himself.
Everyone knew these were all fabrications, but it was just the cost of a drink, so they usually played along.
But today, Hodge had been sitting in the tavern for too long, and no one was willing to keep buying drinks for him anymore.
“It’s because I had too much to drink. I have contributed to mankind. Without us, the vampires would have wreaked havoc, sucked the blood of the living by now,” Hodge grumbled, as if he was the one who was wronged.
“Oh, stop. Lookatyou….”
Fang Hao watched the bickering men in front of him and recognized the bedraggled Old Hodge.
The last time he came with Anjia, this bleary-eyed old drunk was boasting about how he had killed vampires and created a type of arrow that was extremely useful for killing vampires.
However, judging from the attitudes of others, it seemed that Old Hodge was merely an old drunk who was good at boasting.
Unexpectedly, he met him again this time, still tipsy and staggering, shouting loudly.
“Get him a drink, put it on my tab,” said Fang Hao.
Following Fang Hao’s gaze, the innkeeper handed a beer to Hodge and brought it over.
Not far away, Hodge took the beer and looked at the young man who bought him a drink.
He staggered over.
“Kid, have we met before?” Hodge reeked of alcohol, which even masked his body odor.
“We met once before when you were telling your story about getting bitten by a vampire,” said Fang Hao with a smile.
“Right-right, are you interested in my story? I can show you my wound.
Hodge unbuttoned his collar and exposed his shoulder.
Fang Hao gave a wry smile, “Last time you said it was your arm.
“Right-right, it was my arm.”
“Your left arm.”
“Right-right, left arm.” Hodge rolled up his left sleeve again, paused for a moment and said, “Kid, do you doubt what I said?
“It doesn’t matter, it’s just a story, the truth doesn’t really matter.
“But it’s not a story. Those monsters who have abandoned their beliefs have already forgotten that they were humans once, who knows how many they have killed,” said Hodge, sitting next to Fang Hao and drinking heavily.
“They once were humans?”
“Who knows, I’ve never seen the real Blood Clan. Those who we kill and those that kill us, are all transformed monsters.”
This reminded Fang Hao of the ‘Twilight Reveler’ he learned from the stories. They themselves were humans, but treated becoming part of the Blood Clan as their goal.
“So, it’s true that you kill vampires?”
“Of course it’s true! How do you think I got this wound?
“You modified arrows that can effectively kill vampires?”
“Yes, the blood of those guys has changed, and they are extraordinarily sensitive to silver, just like those… cough, cough! You two are still young, you shouldn’t listen to this stuff.” Hodge stopped speaking.
“Do you have a blueprint? Let me see.”
Hearing Fang Hao asking for the blueprint, Old Hodge was stunned once again. He had not expected that this kid knew his stuff and knew how to use blueprints to verify the authenticity of his stories.
He patted his chest and said: “I do have it, I designed and improved it myself. I just worry you won’t recognize its value.”
“Where is the blueprint?”
“I didn’t bring it. I’ll give it to you next time.” Hodge pushed his beer glass towards the innkeeper, “Bring another round, put it on his tab.”
The two argued about the blueprint for quite some time.
“Buuurp! Kid, you’re alright. Next time you come, I’ll bring the blueprint for you so you can learn something.” Then, belching, he staggered away.
Fang Hao watched him walk away.
It seemed that he had indeed met a fraudster who had conned several rounds out of him.
“Should I go out and beat him up?” Anjia glanced at the empty street through the window.
If she went out now and found a quiet place, no one would know who was beating whom.
“Forget it. It’s just a few drinks.”
After settling the bill with the innkeeper, Fang Hao ordered some smoked meat to put in his storage space and returned to his inn room to rest.
The following morning.
The sunlight streamed in through the window, waking Fang Hao up.
He used his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight and sat up.
Knock, knock, knock!
From outside the door came the voice of an inn attendant.
“Mr. Fang Hao, we received a message from the City Lord’s Mansion. They request your presence.”
It seemed Rebecca wanted to see him.
“Alright, I got it.”