Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Rules of the Mercenaries
The Haven Inn was bustling with lively atmosphere that day.
Despite being just a glass of rum costing eight silver coins, this complimentary rum brought the simplest and most fulfilling joy to these mercenaries.
Usually, most mercenaries would only splurge on rye beer, so having someone offer rum made them ecstatic!
Ecstatic to the point of getting carried away!
One glass wasn't enough, and for the second glass, they had to pay out of their own pockets, but they didn't mind. What they wanted was the lively atmosphere!
As a result, even before noon, many mercenaries were already tipsy. Some even got drunk and started dancing on the tables, joining hands to perform a jig.
The bearded man raised his glass and sang at the top of his lungs, his coarse voice oddly charming.
The musicians in the tavern, who usually played poorly, were now happily playing their instruments, accompanying the singing. Many mercenaries and the bearded man sang along.
"Happy old mercenary Gorlang, with sword in hand, sailing on the sea's waves, drinking and singing along~"
"He says, hey! Brothers!"
"I'm not a sailor, nor a pirate, I'm just an old mercenary who loves to drink!"
"Hey, shipmate ahead, got any booze to share with me~"
The universally known song "Old Mercenary Gorlang at Sea" echoed in the tavern. It wasn't artistic or particularly melodious, just a simple folksong, but its catchy tune had Field humming along in no time.
"Kid, this drink's for you!" the slightly tipsy bearded man came over to Field, slinging his arm around Field's shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Cheers!"
Field naturally accepted, taking the glass passed to him by Evelyn and clinking it with the bearded man's.
"Cheers!"
"Ah, good stuff!"
"It's been a while since I've seen a newcomer so suitable to be a mercenary!"
"Shouldn't we toast to him, lads?"
"Absolutely!!!" All the mercenaries raised their glasses with enthusiasm.
Look at this treatment, spend money and you'll have it!
Mercenaries never skimped on toasting the whole house!
After a few rounds of drinks, Field's face began to blush slightly.
The cups here were huge, almost like small barrels, with the bottom of the cup being the size of a fist, and each cup containing over a liter of liquor.
Although he was starting to feel the effects a bit, Field hadn't even reached the tipsy stage yet. One of the benefits of his giant physique was his terrifying alcohol tolerance!
Of course, he wouldn't push it. Tipsy mercenaries were the most lovable mercenaries, as they were their true selves, especially when faced with someone who treated them to drinks. They would willingly share their information.
This was one of the reasons why Field treated the whole house!
And another reason... was because it felt good.
This could be considered Field's first celebration since returning to the mercenary life. Without his former teammates to celebrate with, he invited the whole tavern of mercenaries instead.
After all, it was only five or six hundred gold coins; Field didn't care much about that amount of money.
Later, Field walked between the tables with his drink, clinking glasses and chatting with the mercenaries.
Although mercenaries liked to boast and some of what they said couldn't be taken seriously, these men who had traveled far and wide had seen a lot. Despite the exaggerations, Field was already familiar with their ways and knew how to discern useful information from them.
And during this process, he managed to gather some information.
Some of it was general, like the hostile relationships between factions in Haven, or the deceitful dealings among merchant guilds.
More practical information included which magic potion shop and weapon store offered the best value for money, which merchant guilds issued series of tasks, which mercenary group was best not to provoke, the characteristics of various factions, and who the leaders of these factions were, including their personalities and more.
After a round of drinks, Field had gained a rough understanding of Haven, the wild city.
If Field were to figure things out on his own, perhaps it wouldn't have cost him as much money, but it would have consumed far more time.
For Field, money was important, but there were many things that ranked higher than money.
Like reputation, happiness, tobacco, and time, which ranked among the top priorities.
After all, with so much time spent gathering information, Field could have completed many tasks and earned countless five hundred gold coin bounties.
By the time he finished his rounds, it was already noon, and many mercenaries in the tavern had already passed out drunk. However, there were still more who were loudly conversing, fueled by the alcohol, creating a raucous atmosphere.
Field rather enjoyed this atmosphere.
Afterwards, Field ordered some food at the counter, and Evelyn brought the food to Field's table, along with the money pouch from earlier.
It had shrunk considerably.
"Total is 531 gold and 2 silver," Evelyn said.
"You're quite generous," Field remarked.
"Generosity makes friends," Field chuckled, then turned to the mercenaries and said, "Right, guys?"
"Absolutely!" the mercenaries responded enthusiastically.
Evelyn couldn't help but smile. This big guy suited her taste.
Therefore, she reminded him in a low voice, "One time is enough to win people over, being too generous might make you seem like a fool."
"Of course, I know," Field nodded, then dug into his food heartily.
He was well aware of this.
Just like that time with Holland, if he had agreed to her offer outright, she would have felt like she got a steal. But if he had actively negotiated, Holland would have known that he was willing to let her have the upper hand.
The weight of these personal interactions was much heavier.
People, to a large extent, lived by their feelings, and the indirect benefits of good feelings far outweighed a mere few hundred gold coins.
He was adept at controlling these details and his vision extended beyond the immediate sight of gold coins.
"By the way, I heard you took down a wolf demon?" Evelyn suddenly asked.
"Wow, Madam Boss, your information is really up-to-date," Field said casually while eating, showing no signs of surprise.
After all, Evelyn could be considered half an information broker, so it was normal for her to have well-informed contacts.
"It was Eli's man who told me. He asked me to thank you," Evelyn said.
"Who?" Field asked.
"The owner of the magic potion shop who commissioned you to escort the potions," Evelyn replied.
"I see. So besides verbal thanks, is there any material appreciation?" Field asked.
"You're quite cheeky!" Evelyn rolled her eyes at him. Like Holland, even when beautiful women rolled their eyes, they still looked beautiful. So Field was actually looking forward to the sight of Hilda, who was beyond beautiful, rolling her eyes at him.
"Eli asked me to tell you that if you ever come to his shop, he'll give you the biggest discount," Evelyn continued.
"Well, that's great!" Field nodded with a smile, then remembered something and asked, "So, do I qualify for the Silver-tier Mercenary promotion task now?"
"Of course. Do you want it arranged now?"
"Yes, the sooner, the better. I need to reach Gold-tier within a month."
"Alright, just wait here," Evelyn nodded and went to find a task for Field.
Just then, Qiqi, who had terminated her employment with Mr. Eli, also arrived at the tavern. It was her first time entering such a place.
And seeing a petite and cute cat-girl entering a tavern full of burly men was evidently a rare sight.
So when Qiqi pushed open the door and walked in, many pairs of eyes immediately locked onto her.
Qiqi suddenly felt a bit tense. The gazes of these people were so scary...
A group of drunken men seeing a cute cat-girl, one could imagine what would go through their minds.
Of course, many people weren't fond of orcs in this land. Therefore, most mercenaries just looked, some whistled, and some verbally teased.
"Hey, little girl, did you get lost? This place doesn't sell milk, you know!"
"Hahaha!"
Qiqi felt a bit scared and instinctively reached for the short sword at her waist, taking a couple of steps back.
"Hey, still just a little kitty. Does Uncle need to take you home?" the drunken man said lewdly as he approached Qiqi, and three other mercenaries surrounded her, blocking her path, their faces filled with sinister intent.
Other mercenaries looked on coldly, some shook their heads.
These guys from Klarhan, once they got drunk, they couldn't control themselves. They had been kicked out by the landlady countless times for such behavior, but they never learned.
So they all had an attitude of watching the show.
But before Evelyn could get angry and intervene, a massive figure appeared behind Klarhan, and a big hand rested on his shoulder.
"Brother, this is my cat," Field said.
The drunken Klarhan turned his head and saw Field's friendly smile, and sneered, spitting on the ground.
"Yours? So what?" Klarhan said disdainfully.
"A Brass-tier mercenary. Do you think I'd give you face just because you bought me a drink?" Field continued, ignoring Klarhan's disrespectful attitude.
"Get lost, or I won't mind teaching you the rules here!"
With that, without giving Klarhan any regard, Field turned away and was about to continue flirting with Qiqi.
Field chuckled. If you just spoke nicely, I wouldn't have any problem with you. But unfortunately, arrogant mercenaries always had to pay a price, unless they had the ability to support their arrogance.
Everyone waited.
Everyone watched.
So Field didn't disappoint anyone.
With a loud bang, the entire tavern shook.
Klarhan's scruffy face was smashed into the wooden table, and he crashed through it, then crashed into the wooden floor, half of his face embedded in the wood.
Embedded by Field.
Field still had a gentle smile on his face, but his slightly narrowed eyes gleamed with chilling ferocity.
"The rules of the mercenaries are written in blood."
"I don't need your face, but I need your teeth to decorate the floor."
With that, before Klarhan could struggle to get up, Field kicked him hard in the stomach. He flew out like a shrimp bent over, hitting the tavern's wall with a crackling sound.
"Madam, I'll cover the damages," Field said without looking back, then picked up a large cup the size of a liter from the table and walked towards Klarhan.
Clearly, he had no intention of stopping. The decisiveness and ruthlessness in his actions made everyone suddenly realize — this newcomer was a tough character...
What surprised everyone even more was that Klarhan, an eight-star Silver-tier mercenary, was as fragile as a child in Field's hands.
"No killing allowed," Evelyn reminded, but did not stop him, evidently allowing Field's actions.
Field grinned, revealing his white teeth, and his once amiable smile became somewhat ferocious.
"Don't worry, I'm not a murderer."
"I'm just curious if a person's mouth can fit this cup."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone