"How do you know?" Richard didn’t deny his objective and looked at the bartender with curiosity, wondering how he had seen through his thoughts.
The bartender didn’t imdiately answer, instead deliberately keeping him in suspense. He put down the rag he was vigorously using to wipe the counter, turned around, and took a large wooden mug from the shelf. He filled it with a frothy beer from a keg on the side. With a thud, he placed it heavily on the bar counter and slid it toward Richard.
"Buy a beer and I’ll tell you the answer," the bartender said with a condition.
Richard blinked and asked, "How much is the beer?"
"Three copper coins a mug, guaranteed delicious," the bartender smiled, his gray eyes full of sincerity and eager salesmanship.
Richard glanced at the beer in the wooden mug and saw that beneath the white foam, the liquid was a murky yellow. Small fragnts floated up and down in the liquid, unsure whether they were sawdust or impurities added accidentally during the brewing process.
Three copper coins for a large mug of beer was indeed cheap, but in a way, it also indicated that the beer wasn’t going to be that good. As a researcher, he was sowhat resistant to alcohol because it affected rationality. He barely touched it during his ti in the Blue Lion Kingdom, preferring water in his daily life, and he certainly wouldn’t make an exception now.
After pondering for a second, Richard lightly pushed the mug away, flipped his hand, and slapped a silver coin onto the table, saying to the bartender, "I can buy the beer; this silver coin is for it, but I won’t drink it. I never liked alcohol. You can dispose of it for ."
The bartender wasn’t too surprised by Richard’s words, as if he was used to it, and asked calmly, "So, should I drink it for you?"
"Sure."
"Alright then," the bartender agreed in a drawn-out tone, pulling the wooden mug toward himself from the counter. He took a deep breath and lifted it to his lips, gulping it down.
"Gulp! Gulp!"
The frothy yellowish liquid quickly flowed into the bartender’s mouth, and his facial expression gradually beca twisted, eventually even showing so pain.
"Bang!"
After about ten seconds, the bartender finished the beer in one go, heavily slamd the mug on the counter, bared his teeth, and cursed, "Damn... it tastes horrible!"
Richard: "..." Speechless, he couldn’t help thinking that it was the bartender who had just sincerely claid it was "absolutely delicious."
As if sensing Richard’s silent criticism, the bartender wiped his tongue vigorously with the rag, spat out several mouthfuls, then looked over with so resignation, "Ah, I know you’re cursing in your heart. But really, it’s not my fault. I was forced to offer it.
My boss brews this beer himself; it’s awful and doesn’t sell at all, but he insists I sell a barrel a day. What can I do?"
"Actually, if it tastes really bad, you could pour it out. There’s no need to drink it yourself, as I’ve already paid," Richard said, looking at the bartender.
"No, no, no." The bartender shook his head vigorously, eyes wide, clearly not understanding, "How can you waste it! Although this beer does taste a bit bad, it’s still beer and can’t be wasted. No matter how bad it tastes, I have to drink it."
Richard: "..."
"Alright," the bartender waved his hand, not wanting to continue discussing this topic, and said, "Let’s talk about the Tangka Wizard’s tomb then."
"That’s precisely what I wanted to ask," Richard replied, a serious expression on his face. "How did you know that’s what I was asking about just now?"
"It’s very simple," the bartender’s mouth curled up, speaking with a hint of pride, "because you’re not the first to ask this, and you certainly won’t be the last."
"Huh?"
With a deep breath, the bartender explained, "Let tell you, everyone knows that after the Legendary Wizard Tangka passed away, he was buried near the White Valley area, and the tomb built in the garden is definitely fake.
So, for a long ti, people have been coming here to look for the Tangka Wizard’s real tomb, hoping to find the treasure buried with it. I’ve grown accustod to it. Whenever I see strangers from out of town, I can guess that eighty percent of them are here for that purpose.
Speaking of which, there was a whole group here last night trying to find the Tangka Wizard’s tomb. They rested in this tavern and, on my recomndation, bought several mugs of the beer my boss brews—though they only took a sip before demanding to change drinks, which left a strong impression on ."
"I see..." Richard said after listening to the bartender. "By the way, where exactly is the Tangka Wizard’s tomb that so many people are searching for?"
"That I don’t know," the bartender shrugged. "I’m just a bartender here, trying to sell my boss’s beer that doesn’t sell. How would I know such things? But I can tell you that many people go searching in that large area of mountains to the west. If the Tangka Wizard’s tomb is really nearby, it surely must be in that region."
"To the west? The mountains?" Richard thought over the bartender’s words for a few seconds.
"Thank you." The next mont, he nodded without any fuss and turned to leave.
"No problem!" The bartender shouted loudly after Richard’s departing figure, "If you really want to thank , buy another mug of beer! You don’t have to pay a silver coin this ti; just the original price of three copper coins. If you find whatever treasure from the Tangka Wizard’s tomb, co back and buy another beer then."
Richard: "..." He quickened his pace as he exited the tavern.
...
After leaving the tavern, Richard quickly headed to the western mountains ntioned by the bartender, considered the most complex area in White Valley.
Standing at the top of a small hill at the edge of the mountains, Richard pondered the bartender’s words, his eyes slightly narrowed.
The bartender said that people have always co here seeking the Tangka Wizard’s tomb, indicating there are many clues pointing to this area, suggesting a higher chance of finding the tomb here--maybe he didn’t need to go to Black Nail Town.
Then again, the fact that people have been searching for so long implies that no one has ever truly found it. Even if Tangka’s tomb is really here, it must be very well hidden and hard to find.
But, hard to find or not, he had to search.
After all, having co this far, he must give it a try.
Taking a deep breath, Richard’s thought activated, and Free Energy Elents within him surged out rapidly, his eyes flashing with a ghostly blue glow.
The Eye of Gaze fully opened.
The entire world started to change in his vision, with the soil underfoot and the trees around him losing color, becoming transparent, transforming into threads neatly aligned.
Richard treading forward, swiftly surveying his surroundings while consuming vast amounts of Free Energy Elents, scanning the surface soil of the mountains.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Richard moved swiftly, as ti passed quickly.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
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