Chapter 713: Forbidden
The youth draped in a trench coat were naturally Reiger and Liz who had traveled all the way to Sinclair.
This was their third day entering the Neutral Zone.
That is to say, they had traveled through the desert for two full days before finally arriving at Sinclair, located on an oasis.
Along the way, various incidents had delayed them considerably.
The Neutral Zone, seemingly a deserted wilderness, actually harbored dangers far greater than those in the Mepros Territory.
In these two days, Reiger and Liz had encountered more than one sandstorm, almost losing their way in the desert.
The desert also concealed many magical creatures, some buried in the sand, others flying in the sky, which hindered Reiger, even as he carried Liz at full speed.
Reiger and Liz also passed through an ancient battlefield where a group of people from the Kingdom of Ginas and the Leiblu Kingdom were clashing. Both sides seemed to lack the proper military equipment, but no one really knew the truth.
At that time, Liz’s extraordinary appearance attracted the attention of these people and she was drawn into the skirmish, ultimately causing Reiger to personally enter the fray and slaughter many, staining himself with plenty of blood.
Therefore, after arriving in Sinclair, they donned trench coats, firstly to conceal their appearances and avoid unnecessary trouble, and secondly because they truly needed to protect against the wind and sand, as their bodies were indeed quite dusty.
In this manner, they arrived in Sinclair just two hours ago and entered this famous Neutral City.
The reason Reiger brought Liz to the Sunset Tavern was entirely due to some information they had gathered along the way.
When Reiger asked some passersby about how to obtain as much internal information as possible in Sinclair, they almost unanimously told him to visit the Sunset Tavern.
The Sunset Tavern had quite a reputation in Sinclair, with a strong backing, and many common folk knew it catered to both the high and low, thereby suggesting to Reiger that when in doubt, one should spend some time here and difficult problems would be resolved.
However, they also warned Reiger that ordinary people couldn’t just enter the Sunset Tavern, as its patrons were either brutish mercenaries or lawless underground workers, with even some renowned Swordsmen appearing daily. If one wasn’t careful, it was all too easy to attract unwanted attention.
Reiger, of course, didn’t mind such things and immediately took Liz there, hoping to gather information about the ancient ruins recently unearthed near Sinclair and plan their next steps.
However, it now seemed that this matter was not going to be easy to resolve.
"That makes sense,"
Reiger picked up the Snake Blood Wine that had just been served, thinking quietly to himself.
"If it were that easy to get information about the ruins, then the Franzer family wouldn’t be so clueless either."
According to Yuri, both the Kingdom of Ginas and the Leiblu Kingdom had sent people to Sinclair to survey the ancient ruins. Afterward, both kingdoms shied away from this topic, with even King Hemulinp reluctant to mention it.
The City Lord of Sinclair had also blocked news about the ruins, forbidding anyone from approaching them.
Although it was unclear exactly what had transpired, from the current circumstances, it seemed that the existence of the ruins involved some secrets that simply couldn’t be spread or mentioned casually.
"Given this, the matter here in Sinclair really might be taboo,"
Thinking thus, Reiger unconsciously sipped the wine, which resembled red wine in color but emitted a strong scent of blood.
This single sip made Reiger feel as if he had swallowed a chunk of ice with a ball of fire frozen inside. The ice around the fire seemed to melt the moment it rolled down his throat, causing the ball of fire to burn fiercely at his throat, yielding a painfully sore sensation.
"Is this the Magic Wine made from the blood of the Two-tailed Snake Monster?"
Reiger couldn’t help but shift his focus, feeling the wine surge into his stomach like fire, his face even flush with a slight rosy color.
The wine continued to seep into various parts of his body after reaching his stomach, gradually permeating his organs, blood, and muscles, and making Reiger feel a slight itch all over his skin.
"It really does nourish the body, slowly enhancing physical abilities, doesn’t it?"
Reiger couldn’t help but exclaim.
Although the effects were minor, and even took too long to manifest, this Snake Blood Wine was truly worthy of being called Magic Wine. If an ordinary person could withstand the power of this drink, it would probably greatly improve their physical condition.
If one could drink this Magic Wine regularly, it might even strengthen the body and prolong life.
"Unfortunately, one cup costs a hundred Gold Coins, which ordinary people can’t afford."
Reiger began to sip slowly, prompting more murmurs from those around him who witnessed this scene.
"Master,"
Liz had been paying attention to their surroundings and noticed that the atmosphere hadn’t recovered, with people continually pointing and whispering about them, making her feel somewhat uneasy.
"What’s wrong with them?"
Liz still felt uncomfortable.
Being surrounded by a bunch of outlaws, the young princess felt incredibly unsafe, like a delicious lamb thrown into a pack of wolves.
"Ignore them," Reiger advised without even glancing around, continuing to drink his wine, "They are observing us now, trying to figure out where we come from, and perhaps some are harboring ill intentions. The more you can’t help but pay attention to them, the more likely they are to come and cause us trouble."
"So, just ignore them."
Although Reiger did not speak very loudly, he didn’t exactly restrain himself either.
At least, the customers at the nearby tables could definitely hear his words.
Those people began to eye Reiger and Liz with sinister intent, causing Liz’s body to tense up.
At that moment, a person sitting alone without any companions spoke up.
"You don’t need to be nervous, these guys won’t dare to lay a hand on you."
The speaker was one of the few women in the tavern.
Like the surrounding mercenaries, she was fully armed, a sword at her side, and not bad-looking at all. If Liz and Yuri could be rated a 9.9, then this woman, who looked to be about twenty-five, could score an eight.
Unfortunately, although her appearance wasn’t bad, there was an air of crudeness in her tone and movements. Her skin was also somewhat dark; rather than a battle-hardened mercenary woman, she seemed more like a domineering female bandit.
This female bandit wasn’t shy at all, seemed right at home, and, noticing that she had caught Liz’s attention, gave a toothy grin.
"I don’t know what you girls can handle, but that companion of yours could nonchalantly order a glass of Snake Blood Wine and drink it one gulp after another without being affected at all, quite the tough person, who would dare to mess with you guys?"
That waiter had mentioned that Snake Blood Wine could knock down a skilled Swordsman with a single glass—it was a magical liquor that ordinary people couldn’t handle, as it might even scorch their throats.
And what happened?
Reiger not only ordered it but also drank it calmly in front of everyone, completely unaffected.
Isn’t that enough to say something?
"Judging by your voice, you seem rather young?" The woman turned her gaze to Reiger and said bluntly, "To be able to drink Snake Blood Wine like water at such a young age, I like men like you."
"How about it, little guy? Want to come up to my room and have some fun?"
Her tone turned seductive, causing many onlookers to cast envious glances at Reiger.
Only Liz, upon hearing her words, displayed a look of confusion.
"There are rooms upstairs that can bring happiness?" the little princess exclaimed both in confusion and admiration. "What an amazing room, is it some precious magical artifact?"
Upon her words, the people in the tavern first exchanged looks, then burst into hearty laughter.
"What, she’s just a chick?"
"Is there still such an innocent chick in this world?"
"Quite rare indeed."
Many people began to joke around, their looks at Liz growing hotter.
The woman couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, speaking to Liz.
"Sister wasn’t talking about that kind of thing, well, you’ll understand later, if not, just ask that companion of yours," the woman chuckled. "You have such a nice figure, you must be a rare beauty. I’m sure your companion would be very willing to teach you about fun things."
"Is that so?" the little princess immediately turned to Reiger and said, "Master, would you teach me?"
"Ah, this..."
Reiger suddenly didn’t know what to say.
As the laughter around them grew more unbridled, and a malevolent atmosphere quickly spread, Reiger’s brow furrowed deeply.
"Click..."
The next moment, Reiger subtly pushed on the handle of the black blade at his waist, revealing a small section of the blade, letting a soft sound resonate around.
"......!"
In that instant, a chill ran through everyone in the tavern.
They felt targeted, and alarms were going off in their minds.
Now, everyone’s look at Reiger changed once again, filled with wariness and fear.
The woman’s expression changed too, her eyes shining as she stared at Reiger.
"Let’s go, Liz."
Reiger uttered coldly, stood up and left.
"Ah!"
Liz hadn’t expected Reiger to suddenly leave and cried out in surprise before quickly following him.
The people in the tavern watched the two leave, then quickly became noisy again.
"Who is that guy?"
"So scary..."
"Looks like we have a tough new arrival in Sinclair."
"Pass the word, let our people avoid causing trouble outside recently."
In such discussions, some people quietly left the tavern, following Reiger and Liz.