stjorthotic Chapter 35 Brave Ones Bar
Chapter 35 Brave Ones Bar
The next morning, the absence of the sunlight streaming into the bedroom at daybreak made Evan feel a little uncomfortable. Backlund's climate was unpredictable, with frequent rain; yesterday it was sunny, but today it was drizzling, making Evan feel like he was getting moldy.
Evan took a quick shower, changed into some clothes he had brought from Tingen, and went downstairs to eat. However, he was surprised to learn from the cleaning maid that Robert had already gone to work early.
"So Robert goes to the Capitol's restaurant every morning for lunch, doesn't come back for lunch, and only comes back for dinner on a few occasions in the evenings?"
Sitting at a table that could accommodate ten people, Evan broke off a piece of bread, put it in his mouth, and ate while talking to a tall, imposing, square-faced, and upright middle-aged man who looked like a statue. This man was the villa's butler, Walker.
Their family has served Count Akhova for generations, for at least two hundred years, as has the case of Butler Barker, who guards the Count's mansion in Tingen.
"Yes, Mr. Evan, Mr. Robert puts his mind and energy into his work every day, so he is extremely busy."
Evan took a sip of milk, then continued to inquire:
"I have a question for you. It's common knowledge that my brother has been chosen by the Earl to be the next Earl of Akhova, but why hasn't Robert received a knighthood yet?"
A baron is a title that lasts for life, just like a knight. It is usually held by the second son of a nobleman who cannot inherit the title, or by someone who has made great contributions on the battlefield but is not entitled to a fief.
Walker's expression finally changed, and his eyes flickered slightly, as if he was quite displeased with the matter.
"Mr. Robert made great contributions in the war to capture Bailang City in the South Continent and win the Bailang Crown for the Kingdom. He should have been made a knight, but Mr. Robert was of noble character and declined the title to his deputy on the grounds that he would become the heir of Earl Ahova."
Last year, based on the Earl's application, Mr. Robert should have been knighted by His Majesty the King. However, several members of the Horn family, who are actually closer in blood to the Earl, suddenly sued both the Earl and Mr. Robert, arguing that the title should be inherited by the closer blood relative according to the kingdom's laws. This matter is still unresolved.
Although Butler Walker spoke slowly, Evan could tell that he had a bias towards the matter; he clearly supported Robert, the successor chosen by the old earl, rather than anyone else.
Evan, however, sensed something was amiss. Why did they have to cause trouble now of all times?
Moreover, it has been public knowledge for several years that the old count wanted Robert to be his successor. The old count should have made a lot of preparations in advance. How could he not have appeased potential troublemakers in advance?
The old count was also a well-known nobleman in Rune. Without someone supporting him, no one else would dare to cause trouble.
Considering what Robert did last year, it becomes clear who was backing those troublemakers.
"Although Duke Negan may not have orchestrated this, he was definitely the one who fueled it behind the scenes; no one else had that much power."
Hmph, I was initially a little sorry for you, since you unintentionally blocked someone's way and were inexplicably killed. Now it seems you deserve to die!
Although Evan suspected that Duke Negan might be involved in this matter, he did not intend to do anything, because he believed that the matter would be resolved naturally.
Even though Duke Nigan was the secular representative of the Church of Storms in the Kingdom of Rune, he couldn't stop the murderous intent of an angel king who happened to be passing by.
That's an enhanced version of 008! Duke Negan is probably the first ordinary person that Adam personally targeted and pushed to be killed.
At the same time, Evan also marveled at the original owner's carelessness and Robert's love for his younger brother.
This matter was so important, yet the original owner of this body was completely unaware of it. This made Evan sigh, no wonder the original owner had fallen for the Soul Society witch's honey trap so easily.
After finishing breakfast, Evan told the housekeeper Walker that he wouldn't be having lunch and then left the villa, heading towards the subway station following his memories of yesterday.
Today he needs to familiarize himself with the entire environment of Backlund, which will be his main activity location for some time to come.
He also wanted to get to know some people in advance and expand his network in Backlund, which would be essential for him to gather materials and intelligence in the future.
Evan first arrived at the Backlund Bridge district, which was also mainly inhabited by the poor, but the living standards were higher than those in the East District. At least each floor of the buildings had a public washroom, which was much better than the East District. It was basically the same level as Iron Cross Street where Klein lived before he moved.
Evan easily rented a room because people here are prone to falling back into poverty. If the economic situation is even slightly bad, or if a worker is slightly injured or sick and loses work for half a week, they will not be able to afford to rent a room here.
Coincidentally, due to the defeat of the Kingdom of Rune in the southern continent, import and export trade was affected, the number of people in Backlund fell into abject poverty, and more and more people moved away to the eastern district.
Instead of signing a rental agreement with the landlord, Evan sought out people who had signed rental agreements with the landlord but were about to be forced to move out.
Evan made an agreement with them to rent their house for more than half the rent, on the condition that they could not notify the landlord that they had changed tenants, and that they would remember to pay the rent to the landlord every week.
Evan did this not out of kindness, or rather, not entirely out of kindness, but to minimize the possibility of someone finding out about the safe house.
Because of the Church of the True God's all-out purge, gatherings of wild extraordinary beings often took place in the East District and near Backlund Bridge, so Evan also needed a place where he could change clothes and disguise himself.
Of course, sometimes ordinary people are intimidated by power but not by virtue, so Evan used his wallet again to impersonate a police officer's badge to scare the family before letting them leave. Otherwise, Evan was really afraid that they would run away with almost half a year's rent.
Losing a little money is nothing, but if the landlord comes knocking because they haven't received the rent, all of Evan's previous arrangements will be for nothing.
After disguising himself inside the safe house, Evan looked in the mirror at his reflection, dressed in blue work clothes and wearing a baseball cap. He felt that his stunning good looks had been barely concealed. Then, he carried an iron cudgel out the door.
After walking a few streets, Evan arrived at Iron Gate Street in the same district and saw the somewhat deserted bar in the distance.
Although most of the bars here are open 24 hours a day, it is obvious that very few people come here to drink during the day, and there are no gangsters standing guard outside.
Upon entering the bar, as expected, there were hardly any customers. Trash from the previous night's revelry was scattered everywhere, and the air reeked of vomit, making Evan feel nauseous.
Meanwhile, several maids who looked rough-skinned, appearing to be in their fifties, and a few short boys were cleaning the large bar and washing the floor, while the bartender at the bar was lazily wiping the glasses.
Evan sat down in front of the bartender and said:
"A glass of South Wales beer."
"5 pence."
Evan took out the coins he had prepared in advance and placed them in front of the bartender.
To be honest, it's been almost half a month since I transmigrated to this world, and it was only today that I saw what a penny looked like, and also learned that 1 pound equals 20 sulphurs and 1 sulphur equals 12 pence.
Although he knew about this inhuman conversion method from reading "Lord of Mysteries," Evan had no concept of it. This almost made the newsstand owner's eyes pop out when he tried to exchange a pound for pennies, causing a huge misunderstanding.
After taking a sip of beer, Evan found it to be better than he had imagined. It was crisp and refreshing, bittersweet with a hint of malt, and had a slightly sweet aftertaste. Evan found it even more enjoyable than drinking precious red wine, as refreshing as having a barbecue on Earth at night.
He took another big gulp, which dispelled some of the heat from his body. Backlund, which had been gloomy and rainy before, was now sunny again, and Evan had started to sweat a little.
Setting down his glass, Evan glanced around, and without looking directly at the bartender, casually asked:
"Where is Kaspars Kanlinen? I need to speak with him!"
The bartender, who was wiping the glasses, stopped what he was doing and scrutinized Evan as he picked up his glass again. After a while, the bartender said, "I'll go ask him for you."
After a while, a middle-aged man with a large, gaping scar on his face followed the bartender to Evan and asked directly:
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?"
Evan didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a 10-sol note, placed it on the bar counter, pushed it towards the bartender, and said:
"Thank you for your hard work, this is a tip."
The bartender had never seen such a large tip before, but he didn't dare to reach for it. Instead, he looked at Kaspasso Kanlinin. Only after Kaspasso Kanlinin nodded did he dare to reach for the tip and considerately led the other people who were still cleaning the bar away.
"I've just arrived in this new environment and need to attend some gatherings of extraordinary individuals to collect some things, so I'm hoping to find some connections with you."
As he spoke, Evan extended his right hand, and a fireball appeared on it.
Seeing the fireball in Evan's hand, Kaspars Kanlinen's tense body relaxed.
"I can ask around for you, but I can't guarantee success."
Evan smiled mockingly and looked at the person in front of him, saying:
"For the organizers of the Extraordinary Gathering, every unofficial Extraordinary represents a new channel, so how could they possibly turn them away?"
Don't worry, if you succeed, I won't treat you unfairly. Consider this a deposit!
As he spoke, Evan placed a 10-pound note bearing the image of Augustus I, the Founder of the Nation, on the bar counter.