Chapter 40: Magic? Magic

The freckle-faced boy left a good impression on Fang Zhen.

The boy might be poor, but he was polite and kind.

"You, come here," Fang Zhen said, pointing at the boy.

Having just received a favor from Fang Zhen, the boy was very obedient. He immediately walked over and asked, "Are you calling me, sir?"

"Yes. What’s your name?" Fang Zhen asked.

"My name is Leon, sir," Leon replied.

"Is your eyesight good, Leon? I mean, how well can you see?" Fang Zhen asked.

"My eyesight is good. You could even say it’s excellent," Leon replied.

"And are you an honest person?" Fang Zhen asked.

Leon’s face flushed. "Sir, are you suggesting I’m dishonest?"

"I never lie. I’m an honest person."

Fang Zhen nodded.

"I’m not questioning your honesty. Now, look at the top of that hill over there—the one that leads to what you call the Dark Forest."

"Tell me what you see. Is there anything unusual?" Fang Zhen asked.

Fang Zhen pointed toward the distant hill.

’He could see the white Light Gate on the hill perfectly. From this distance, it looked like a single white firefly, incredibly eye-catching.’

’If Leon’s eyesight was really that good, it was impossible for him not to see it.’

Leon listened and began to observe the hill carefully.

"It’s just a hill. Nothing else is out of the ordinary. I’ve seen it hundreds and hundreds of times," Leon said.

’Leon said "hundreds" twice. It made Fang Zhen think that Leon probably didn’t have a concept for "thousand," maybe because such a number was too large for the townspeople.’

"No white... thing?" Fang Zhen asked.

"No, it’s just the hill I’ve always seen. That’s the entrance to the Dark Forest," Leon replied.

Hearing this, Fang Zhen’s tense heart finally relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

’It looked like his second theory was correct.’

’The people of Redstone Town couldn’t see the white Light Gate; it was only visible to him.’

’That means Fast-legged Ethan probably can’t just barge into my living room.’

"Good," Fang Zhen continued. "Is there an inn or a tavern in town?"

"Yes, sir. Just keep following this road. It’s the largest two-story building in the second row back. It’s both an inn and a tavern," Leon replied.

"Good." Fang Zhen was satisfied. He took another Copper Coin from his pocket, opened his palm, and showed it to Leon.

"Take this Copper Coin. I want you to stand here and watch the hill at the entrance to the Dark Forest. The moment that ’fast-leg’ appears on the hill on his way back, go to the tavern in town and get me." Fang Zhen placed the Copper Coin in Leon’s hand.

Leon’s eyes lit up, and he accepted the Copper Coin excitedly.

"Yes, sir!"

Fang Zhen turned his head to look at Town Mayor Ande.

"It’s foolish to just stand here and wait. I’m going to the inn to get situated. Once the ’fast-leg’ returns and verifies what I’ve said, come find me at the inn," Fang Zhen told him.

Upon hearing this, Town Mayor Ande subconsciously replied, "Yes, my lord."

Fang Zhen smiled faintly.

’He could sense that, subconsciously, Ande still saw him as an important figure.’

’Perhaps it was the sense of power that came from his tall and sturdy build—rare in this world—combined with his weapon, his aura, and the way he spoke.’

After settling these matters, Fang Zhen shot a cold glance at Rex.

After their gazes met for a moment, Rex actually shivered. His eyes darted away, not daring to maintain contact with Fang Ze’s gaze.

Fang Zhen snorted.

’This real-life dungeon is already high-risk, and this Rex character almost increased the difficulty for me and made me lose reputation in Redstone Town.’

’Hmph. I have more important things to do now, so I don’t have time to deal with you. When I get the chance, I’ll make Rex pay a price. He needs to be taught a lesson, at the very least.’

’From Rex’s perspective, his suspicion wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Fang Zhen could understand that.’

’However, understanding didn’t mean agreeing, nor did it mean accepting it.’

’Fang Zhen just felt that Rex harbored a hint of malice toward him.’

’It was just his intuition—he had no particular reason for it, but the feeling was very real.’

’He felt there must be a reason for it, but he didn’t have time to investigate it now.’

As Fang Zhen walked forward, the crowd instinctively parted, clearing a path.

Fang Zhen had handled the reputation crisis successfully. There were no longer any questioning voices from the crowd of onlookers, and a large portion of them now looked at Fang Ze with renewed reverence.

Only Rex watched Fang Zhen’s retreating back with a venomous look in his eyes.

"PAH!" After a moment, Rex spat on the ground, then turned and quickly walked off in another direction.

Carrying his long spear, Fang Zhen headed for the inn and tavern Leon had mentioned.

After walking for less than three minutes, Fang Zhen found the establishment.

The town itself wasn’t large, with only one main street and a very simple layout.

Fang Zhen found the place with ease.

Moreover, Fang Zhen discovered he could read the writing of this world.

Like the spoken language, it was an unfamiliar script, yet Fang Zhen was simply able to understand it.

’In reality, he was still using Chinese characters and comprehension. The amazing thing was that even though his mind used Chinese as its core for thought and recognition, he could still directly understand the foreign script.’

"The Redstone Family," Fang Zhen read aloud.

"Heh, as everyone knows, taverns and inns are good places to gather intelligence," Fang Zhen said with a smile.

He was partly joking, but also partly serious.

’In reality, there was a solid internal logic to gathering information in taverns and inns.’

’This Nameless World clearly had a medieval level of productivity. This destined most of its inhabitants to have narrow horizons; they would never leave their own small plot of land their entire lives. Being able to go to a neighboring village or town was considered traveling far and seeing the world.’

’In such a world, those who could afford to stay in an inn were naturally travelers. No matter where they came from or what their identity or profession, they would inherently have more knowledge and experience than others.’

’Gathering news at an inn was a choice with very sound internal logic.’

The same went for the tavern.

Fang Zhen didn’t dare to underestimate this Redstone Town dungeon in the slightest. After all, he needed to clear it in one life, and his life was no child’s play.

’As the art of war says, if you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’

’The more information he could gather, the greater his chances of success would be.’

With this thought in mind, Fang Zhen pushed open the door to ’The Redstone Family’.

As the tavern’s solid, textured wooden door was pushed open, Fang Zhen felt a wave of warm air rush out, carrying the smell of meat and a rather pungent beverage.

Fang Zhen scanned the room and saw that the tavern wasn’t large. The overall layout was a T-shaped room.

There were seven or eight solid wood tables inside. Each could seat four people, or five or six if the patrons were small and squeezed in.

The tavern wasn’t empty; five tables were occupied. Fang Zhen glanced at their clothing. A few looked like townspeople, but he couldn’t tell where the others were from.

Inside the tavern was an open counter. Behind it was plenty of food: large loaves of bread, something like a baked potato sprinkled with minced meat, and hanging hams, from which the scent of meat wafted.

Behind the counter was a woman in her fifties. She wore a gray cotton blouse of fairly good quality, though it was a bit old. She had on a headscarf and an apron, and she was at the counter preparing a plate of meat.

There were no pretty waitresses in the tavern. It seemed the woman handled everything herself; it was a small, individually-owned business.

As soon as Fang Zhen entered the tavern, several pairs of eyes turned toward him.

This was perfectly normal. Fang Zhen’s clothes were completely different from everyone else’s, he was carrying weapons including a long spear, and he had a backpack. In this world, he appeared exceptionally tall and powerfully built.

Fang Zhen suddenly realized that here in Redstone Town, he wasn’t just an out-of-towner—he was a foreigner.

For some reason, the thought struck him as funny, and he felt the urge to laugh.

Fang Zhen paid the stares no mind. No one in the tavern looked like they could put up a better fight than him, so there wasn’t much of a threat.

Of course, Fang Zhen didn’t let his guard down. He remained vigilant, maintaining a steady pace as he approached the woman at the open counter.

"What do you have for good food and drink?" Fang Zhen asked.

The woman replied immediately, "For food, we have ham, cheese, goat meat, smoked pork leg, squash, and fruit."

"We only have three kinds of drink: home-brewed beer, raspberry wine, and Ruska Wine."

"The Ruska Wine is a local specialty. Five Copper Ropes a glass," the woman said. She wasn’t afraid of Fang Zhen, likely being used to travelers.

Fang Zhen didn’t get any translated meaning for the word "Ruska." He guessed it was a transliterated proper noun without any specific definition.

’As for "Copper Rope," it probably just means Copper Coin,’ he thought.

Fang Zhen nodded. "I’ll have a glass of Ruska Wine, then."

He then took five Copper Coins from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

"Alright, find a table and have a seat. I’ll bring it right over," the woman said, immediately scooping up the Copper Coins.

Fang Zhen walked to an empty table and sat down. He set his backpack on the floor and laid his spear on the long bench beside him, where he could grab it instantly for a fight.

He felt much lighter after taking off the backpack.

He scanned the tavern again, then unzipped his waist pouch. He took out two Silver Coins and zipped it back up.

Fang Zhen put one Silver Coin back in his pocket, took the other one, and deliberately tapped it on the table.

The clear clink of the Silver Coin against the wood instantly drew several gazes.

Fang Zhen smiled. ’That’s the effect I was going for.’

Fang Zhen suddenly slapped the tabletop three times, the sound drawing the attention of every customer in the tavern.

Not at all embarrassed by the focused attention, Fang Zhen announced loudly and openly:

"Everyone, do you see this coin in my hand?"

"I need someone with knowledge of this area to tell me about Redstone Town. Preferably information about the mines and any evil creatures nearby. The more detailed and accurate, the better."

"If you want this coin in my hand, and a drink on me, come and share some useful information."

"As long as the information is accurate and insightful, this coin is yours."

As he spoke, he tapped the Silver Coin on the table again. The impact and vibration created a rather pleasant, faint hum.

The tavern fell silent for a moment.

"I think I can help." A few seconds later, a man who had been eating alone at a nearby table stood up and walked over to Fang Zhen.

"Sir, I believe I might be able to earn that coin in your hand," the man said, stopping in front of Fang Zhen’s table.

Fang Zhen sized him up.

The man was in his thirties, his hair shaved nearly to the scalp. His clothes seemed designed for long journeys, with a cloak and features to keep out the dust, but he still looked weary from travel. His weathered face made him look older than his actual age.

The man bowed slightly before Fang Zhen’s table and said, "I am Max, a merchant. I should be able to answer your questions and earn that coin."

"Sit." Fang Zhen nodded, holding the Silver Coin down with his finger.

"What do you know about Redstone Town and its surroundings?" Fang Zhen asked.

Max sat down opposite Fang Zhen. "Oh, Redstone Town is not in a good state right now. The paths in the Dark Forest to the south have goblin bandits, the entrance to the Baron Territory to the north is blockaded, and the Redstone Town Mine has been taken over by a Dogman Tribe. The miners have lost their income, so times are tough."

"They say," Max said, his expression turning mysterious as he lowered his voice, "they say that among the Kobolds occupying the Redstone Town Mine, there’s a leader who can use... Magic."

"Magic?" Hearing this word, Fang Zhen’s eyes suddenly lit up.