"A Magni, thank you."

Soon after, in the sparsely populated tavern hall of the Wind Eagle Tavern, a gray-robed magician quietly pushed open the door to the lower cellar, and then sat quietly on the side of the bar under the gaze of several drinkers: "The wine money is owed first, and I will give it later." ”

"No credit." Standing behind the bar, wiping his glasses, Paul replied calmly, "If you want to drink, you have to pay." ”

"Okay, okay." So the gray-robed magician waved his hand vigorously: "My companion should be back in a while, and she still has a few gold coins on her......"

"Your companion didn't act with you?" Getting a little closer, a drinker sitting on the other side of the bar asked in a low voice, "Aren't you usually two people together?" ”

"She's still fighting far away."

His eyes looked up and down the drinker Zhou in front of him for a while, and Duan Qing then recognized the man who had appeared that night and looked more familiar with Locke: "But I should be able to come back in a while." ”

"Then how did you get back?" Glancing at the entrance of the cellar that the other party had just walked up, the middle-aged man showed a puzzled expression on his face: "Did you come back from the bed?" ”

"You don't care about that." Duan Qing, who had withdrawn his gaze, turned his head and perfunctory the topic in casual words: "I just want to have a glass of wine right now and take a good rest...... Hey, Paul, wouldn't you like a drink? ”

“…… There is only one glass of ale at most. Paul, wiping his glass, raised his eyelids: "This is the cheapest wine." ”

"Okay, a glass of ale."

Slapped the greasy table in front of him hard, Duan Qing's face showed a disdainful expression, and the fingers that he originally wanted to erect were then retracted in the unkind eyes of the surrounding drinkers: "I don't know where you got so much leisure time, soak in this tavern every day......

"If you're not satisfied with the environment, you can go to the Adventurer's Tavern, or the Adventurer's Guild." The man sitting next to him then said in a low voice: "The result of trying to provoke and make trouble is not as simple as Locke who let you go that night. ”

"Speaking of which, you seem to know Locke well." Duan Qing, who was holding his hands in front of the table, tilted his head: "What's your name?" ”

"Peter, Rydward Peter."

Retracting his previous ferocious attitude, the middle-aged man in a felt hat and a shabby leather robe replied with a smile, "It's a blacksmith who frequents this place. ”

"Fortunately."

Taking back the big glass of ale that Paul handed over to him, Duan Qing gestured in the direction where Peter was: "It looks like you are familiar with the bartender here." ”

"It's not the bartender, it's the tavern owner." Taking off the felt hat from his head, Peter pointed with a loose finger in the direction of Paul, who was not responding in front of him: "Don't look at him as a talker, he's one of the most popular tavern owners in Tanzanian City." ”

"If he can get me a better wine, then I will admit that this is the best tavern in Tanzania." Duan Qing, who let out a few laughs, then raised the wine glass full of ale in his hand: "But...... For the sake of his presence in taking us in, I'll think you're the best tavern here. ”

"It's certainly the best tavern in town, because here you can enjoy not only the best wine in the Empire, but even the best food in the Empire." Nodding, Peter looked around the tavern: "And...... First-hand information inside and outside the Empire. ”

"Places like taverns have always been a gathering place for intelligence, because you can always meet all kinds of people from all over the world."

His voice gradually became low, and Duan Qing then withdrew the smile on his face: "You, and I, an adventurer...... We're all part of these people, right? ”

"Then it depends on what good information you have to sell me now." The middle-aged man who claimed to be a blacksmith grinned at himself: "If the price is good, don't say it's ale...... Even if it's a good roland, I can treat you to a drink. ”

“…… Oh? ”

His eyes narrowed slightly, and Duan Qing glanced towards the door of the cellar behind this person: "I just invited someone else to drink a glass of wine, but the final result doesn't seem to be as good as I imagined." ”

"What do you mean?"

"But it's okay, it's been more than a day or two since you've been squatting here."

Retracting his deep expression, Duan Qing then beckoned to the other party: "Then I'll ...... Tell you about a shocking event. ”

"The Crook outpost has just been attacked." He raised his palm, blocking the gap between Peter, who was listening, and his mouth: "Maybe it's fallen now." ”

"Hey, you can't talk nonsense."

Looking left and right at the surrounding environment, Peter's eyes became sharper: "You must know that this is a period of martial law, if you want to spread rumors and make trouble......"

"How could I lie to you, I'm a serious magician and alchemist." After taking a big sip of the ale again, Duan Qing said with a mysterious expression: "If you really don't believe it, then wait a little longer, I believe that soon, the news will come back." ”

“…… Okay, so I'll take your word for now. Peter raised his eyebrows: "But...... Who attacked the Outpost of Crook, and why? ”

"You ask me, I ask who to go." Duan Qing, who was still holding the wine glass, widened his eyes when he heard this: "I still want to know who those people are." ”

"Aren't you an eyewitness?" Peter's body leaned forward a little in the direction where Duan Qing was: "You're just a hearsay?" ”

"Who said I was—well, I did listen to other people."

The words that wanted to clarify stopped in mid-air, and Duan Qing, who was hesitant, then blocked his helpless tone back with a wine glass: "There are at least a dozen attackers, and there is at least one powerful archer in the middle, hmm...... If you use the adventurer level to evaluate, you must have at least an A level. ”

"From what I know about the Crook outpost, these people can't even touch the edge of the outpost." With a look of doubt in his eyes, Peter nodded with his finger on the bar in front of Duan Qing: "They are all great imperial soldiers, how can they be easily defeated by a mere adventurer-level guy......"

"You're looking down on us adventurers."

As if he was already a little drunk, Duan Qing waved his wine glass and shouted, and then as if he remembered something, his side face showed a more mysterious expression: "Of course, those bastards didn't use any legitimate means to get in." ”

"Oh? What means? ”

"Boss! Have a great cocktail! ”

didn't answer the other party's words immediately, Duan Qing, who straightened up, retracted the constipated expression that he had been whispering at the same time, and then shouted at Paul in front of him, while knocking on the bar in front of him like the other party: "It's your turn." ”

“…… This cup I please. ”

Adding a sentence in the direction of Paul's departure, Peter, who understood in his heart, then leaned closer to Duan Qing's side again: "Now you can talk about it." ”

"They poisoned a group of soldiers at the back door of the outpost, and an adventurer who almost discovered their secrets." Duan Qing, who was turning his wine glass, pouted and replied, "On the premise of losing the opportunity and the protection of the outpost, it is logical that such a result will appear. ”

"Poison?" Peter's gaze became much more surprised: "Is this okay?" How did they do it? Infiltrated the storage room of an imperial outpost or infiltrated the barracks? Didn't anyone find out? ”

"I don't know about that, after all, I'm also a ...... Ahem, listener. ”

Reaching out and bringing the red wine that Paul had concocted later to him, Duan Qing, who was half-raised in the air with one hand, looked at the liquid in the cup like blood with eyes flashing inexplicably: "But I can be sure that it is ......"

"They should have infiltrated it by pretending to be Imperials."

***********************************

"What? Disguise? ”

On the night of January 16, 796 New Calendar, in the city lord's mansion of Tanzania City in the Free World, the city lord of Romria, who had just taken off his coat, stared at a certain city guard who had just entered the hall to deliver a message with a surprised expression, and only after a while continued his action of wanting to sit down: "Is anyone disguised as an imperial soldier?" ”

"No, it's a bartender in the tavern."

Bowing his head slightly, the city guard replied in a low voice: "According to the news from Lord Luxer, the tavern bartender in the outpost had a personnel change half a month ago, and an old bartender who had worked there for a long time was replaced by a new bartender who suddenly appeared. ”

"The later incident of collective poisoning of the garrison soldiers should have been caused by this person." Speaking of this, his voice became much softer: "At least thirty percent of the outpost soldiers have been poisoned, and the means are ...... It must have been poisoned in the wine. ”

“…… Hum. ”

Sitting in his seat and pondering for a long time, the expression of the city lord of Rumlia gradually became gloomy: "You actually used such a method...... Didn't the soldiers in the military, who thought so highly of themselves, notice anything wrong? ”

"No, they even welcomed the new bartender." The voice of the city guard who reported became more and more strange: "I heard that ......"

"The kind of wine he makes seems to be very popular here in the province of Santeleus."

The same voice then appeared in a shadowy corner on the corner of Robert Street as the night wind continued to blow over the ancient city of Tanzania, where a certain gray-robed magician who was connecting with a certain lazy Imperial soldier also lowered his robe, revealing several bottles of potion hanging from his robe: "I don't know how you made this name popular...... This is obviously made with a variety of herbs, and it can also be called a cocktail? ”

“…… How did you get it? John Corner, who was holding the helmet, widened his eyes: "Difficult, did you do it?" ”

"How can I speak, this is a masterpiece of being an alchemist." Angrily taking the robe back, Duan Qing then reached out and took out one of the bottles of colorful potion: "I tried to restore this cocktail that is popular in the city, and there are indeed one or two ingredients in it that I am very interested in, if they can be mixed with the Purli Grass...... Hmph, hehehe......"

"So there's something wrong with this wine?"

I felt a little chilling from the laughter of the other party, and John's face became a little gloomy: "Damn, I calculated everything, and finally I actually planted a ...... in this kind of place"

"Rest assured, there shouldn't be any problems with drinking this one alone." Duan Qing also wiped his nose: "But ...... Can you find out where this wine comes from? ”

"The only thing I know is that this wine is a new type of wine introduced by adventurers." John shook his head slowly: "But who started selling it first, and who invented this wine......"

"Well, I'm just offering a way to follow leads."

Waving his hand slightly, Duan Qing turned to throw the colorful potion bottle in his hand into the other party's arms: "The rest can help you...... For Locke's sake, I'll give you this bottle. ”

"Take this sample and go find a few violet magicians." He turned and walked towards the end of the street, "With this information, you will probably be able to research an antidote to that toxin." ”

“…… Aren't you also an alchemist? ”

With these words, Duan Qing stopped his steps of wanting to leave, and John's voice returned to his previous casualness: "Why don't you make the antidote directly?" ”

"Of course I can detoxify it, in fact...... I've already saved someone. ”

Looking back at the figure of the imperial soldier with a side face, Duan Qing smiled slightly: "But the way I saved people is a little ...... In particular, it's not just anyone who can copy it. ”

“……”

"Don't be curious about alchemy."

Turning his head again, Duan Qing beckoned in the direction behind him: "Alchemy is a profound science that is comparable to magic, there are as many rules and laws in it as there are stars in the sky, if you don't have enough strength and courage, it's better for you not to know these terrible knowledge." ”

“…… Where are you going? John, who looked at the gray-robed mantle gradually moving away, involuntarily asked, "Do you still want to go to that outpost?" ”

"Don't worry, since that guy is alive, the security of the outpost shouldn't be a problem."

The footsteps became farther and farther away as the words spoke, and Duan Qing's voice finally disappeared into the crowd on the street along with his direction towards the north gate of the city: "But I still have to go, at least I should go to meet it, otherwise it will ......"

"If you are hated by some women, I am afraid that you will not be able to get rid of it for the rest of your life."