Chapter 1412: Old Bones

The crowd turned silent.

They didn’t understand the words, but it was immediately clear to them that Nilrem was not speaking nonsense. The language he used had structure. It flowed naturally, with rules and intent, unlike random sounds or fabricated speech.

Puzzlement spread across their faces. Some even started to frown, while others leaned closer, as if proximity alone might grant them comprehension. Then came the realization.

If he could speak the language of Yen-Lu...

Then perhaps his stories weren’t just outrageous tales after all. And this shocked them!

Meanwhile, the portly merchant, who had been a target of Nilrem’s diss, had his mouth wide open. He had been conducting business with some merchant unions in the east of Yen-Lu for over a decade. Although he couldn’t properly speak their language, he knew just enough for basic communication.

So when he heard Nilrem speak one of their dialects so fluently, he knew that the old man was the real deal. And when he finally realized that the man had just disrespected him in front of the whole tavern, he was livid.

"Why, you!" He shot to his feet and swung his fist at Nilrem. "Who are you calling ugly—"

But before another word could escape his lips, or his fist could reach the elderly man, his eyes suddenly rolled back, and he slumped forward on the table. He was instantly put to sleep.

"Ah, looks like Master Gill has had too much to drink," Kharbeena’s sweet voice echoed in the stunned silence.

Snap!

She snapped her fingers, ordering her staff to escort the merchant out of the tavern. All the patrons knew that the owner had just cast a spell on the man. This was a common occurrence, so they weren’t that surprised.

But after confirming that Nilrem’s tales could very likely be true, judging by Gill’s response, they grew even more interested.

"Old man, tell us more about your travels!"

"What are the powerful factions of Yen-Lu like?"

"No, forget that! How is the trade culture in that continent?"

"I heard they’re martial arts fanatics! Is that true?"

"I’ve heard rumors of old men flying on swords! Have you seen them?"

Nilrem laughed jovially. "Of course, ladies and gentlemen! It will be my pleasure to answer all your questions."

Inwardly, however, Adam carefully measured everyone’s reaction.

The tavern owner is a Mana Liquefaction Magus, I see.

Most of the customers inside seem to have a favorable impression of me now. But those two sitting at opposite corners of the tavern...

Hmm, they’re likely sent by the ruling class of Amberfall. Anna’s father, maybe?

I noticed them making eye contact on exactly two occasions. It was very subtle, but... heh, you can’t hide such things from someone like me.

They’re definitely together!

I believe they’ll be observing my every move for a couple of days, at least. Only then will someone from the upper echelon approach me.

This is fine. If I take the initiative to approach them, they’ll mark me as a highly suspicious individual. They probably already have.

Given the relation between the Haynam Empire and the Sovereign Union, I’m not surprised.

This is going to be slightly troublesome, but no matter. It’s precisely why I chose this persona. A weaker identity would not have granted me an audience with Anna’s family.

It’s the same for a Mana Core-identity. They would have been too wary of me otherwise.

I’ll see how things go...

Hopefully, I can gather clues about the Twilight Brotherhood. They’ve been secretly supporting the Sovereign Union for years.

But it’ll be tricky to infiltrate the organization, given that the higher-ups are basically the Cult’s dogs.

Thinking of the Cult spies in the Brotherhood, his pale blue eyes flashed with a cold light for a brief moment before he quickly replaced them with a drunken gleam.

For the next couple of hours, Adam kept the tavern thoroughly entertained. Under the crowd’s astonished gazes, he told stories, joked freely, and drank without pause, eventually finishing an entire barrel of wine — courtesy of the ugly merchant — on his own.

By the end of it, the tavern was roaring with laughter, and his presence had become the center of the night.

At last, past midnight, Nilrem rose to his feet and prepared to leave. He approached Kharbeena, who was sitting behind the bar counter and calculating the day’s expenses, and said with a smile:

"Young Lady, might you tell me where I could find a good place to stay for the night?"

Kharbeena was startled. "You’re quite learned, mister. I didn’t expect you to know our language."

Nilrem chuckled. "I learned Whimsyre in my youth. Besides, someone very close to me also happens to be a gnome."

"You are an interesting man." Kharbeena’s brows were arched in surprise.

Her eyes flashed with hints of mischief as she asked, "Are you looking for a place to rest? Or something more... spicy?"

Nilrem’s lips twitched. "These old bones desperately need some rest."

The gnome chuckled. "I see, I see. You should head to the market district then. There are many inns there, and I’m sure you’ll get a lot of source material for your book. The market district is, considered by many, the heart of Amberfall."

"Is that so?" Nilrem was intrigued. "Very well!"

He then took out a small leather pouch from his inner robes. "How much do I owe you?"

"The two barrels of wine will be deducted from Master Gill. And after the seventeen mugs of ale and two plates of dinner..." Kharbeen began. "The total comes up to twenty-five silver pieces."

"Ahem!" Nilrem awkwardly coughed.

The gnome frowned. "Don’t tell me... you don’t have money?"

"Oh, no, no." Nilrem quickly waved his hand. "I’ve got money, alright."

Of course, he had money. Not a lot, but enough to last a week, maybe. He had stolen it from the two unsuspecting Magi aboard the merchant vessel, after all.

"It’s just..."

Nilrem adjusted his robes a little, thinking to himself:

Dragonshit! No matter which face I wear, I don’t think this is something I can ever get rid of...

Nilrem displayed a brilliant smile. "It’s just that I’ve got a very important question I need you to answer."

Kharbeena cast a dubious glance towards the elderly man. "What?"

With the same happy smile etched across his aged face, Nilrem shamelessly asked:

"Do you offer discounts?"