Chapter 211: Forced to Become a Big Shot
It was after nine o’clock at night when the group left the tavern.
The tavern’s wooden sign swayed gently in the wind. Light spilled from the doorway, carrying with it the stench of ale and the sound of laughter. By the roadside were several puddles of vomit from an unknown source, now in a semi-solid, semi-liquid state.
By Lu Wei’s rough estimate, he had drunk at least four liters… which was the equivalent of twelve cans from his previous life.
That might not sound like much, but the beer in this world was much stronger than in his past life.
So when he stepped out of the tavern and the night wind hit his face, his feet immediately began to stagger uncontrollably.
Bai Ya, on the other hand, was still as sober as a judge, her rosy cheeks filled with worry.
“I told you to drink less. Let me help you…”
“No need!”
It was shameful enough that he couldn’t outdrink a woman. If he needed her support to walk, it would be an utter humiliation.
Lu Wei refused indignantly and turned to look at Marcus and his three companions.
“Brother Marcus, don’t forget what we agreed on!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning!”
Marcus had one arm draped over Andrew’s shoulder. He drunkenly slapped his chest. “I pro—HIC—promise I won’t be late!”
Lu Wei waved goodbye. “Good! We’ll be on our way then!”
“Hic, see you tomorrow!”
Waving back, his face flushed red, Marcus watched him and Bai Ya walk away with a foolish grin.
But maybe his eyes were deceiving him, because after the two had walked a dozen or so meters, he thought he saw Lu Wei’s steps suddenly become steady.
Huh?
‘What was going on? Was Brother Lu Wei not drunk?’
‘Or was his Power just too great? Even if his mind was hazy, could he maintain his balance through sheer physical instinct?’
‘The Dusk Shadow Association is just as I thought, truly unfathomable!’
“Alright, you all head back too. Andrew can just walk me back to the inn.”
A moment later, Marcus looked away and mumbled a few words to Urzha and Geluo.
Then the four of them parted ways, each staggering off into the night in a different direction.
And so, a cheerful gathering came to an end.
Everyone had a great time, except for Bai Ya.
Especially Marcus, who was now overcome with excitement.
Because he was now 100 percent certain that Lu Wei was a member of the Dusk Shadow Association.
‘Maybe I should go to Kalin Port again after a while.’
‘I failed the promotion assessment three times before. It must be because I don’t have any connections.’
‘But if Brother Lu Wei can write me a letter of recommendation, I’m sure I’ll pass.’
As he thought about this, Marcus’s steps became even more unsteady, and a look of longing appeared on his face.
Although he always talked about how “the meaning of life isn’t how you live, but how you die.”
Judging by the current situation, he hadn’t completely given up yet.
At least when it came to becoming a Professional, he still had the same intense obsession as most other Adventurers.
‘So, it really does pay to do good deeds.’
‘If I hadn’t told Brother Lu Wei where those Giant Spider corpses were back then, I probably wouldn’t have been able to… huh?’
‘Something doesn’t seem right.’
‘Speaking of which, if Brother Lu Wei is from the Dusk Shadow Association, why was he so poor back then? Why would he even care about a few Giant Spider Silk Glands?’
‘Forget it. There’s probably some reason I don’t know about.’
‘Hic~’
The question flashed through his mind like a shooting star, only to be quickly swallowed by his drunkenness.
With a drunken hiccup, Marcus quickly cast the fleeting doubt aside and began mumbling to Andrew, bragging about his own “foresight.”
Not long after they left, a tall, thin man in Ordinary clothes also walked out of the tavern.
Standing outside, he first glanced left and right.
Then, he pulled down his hood, lowered his head, and hurried off in the direction of the Silver Moon Corridor.
“If you can’t hold your liquor, you should drink less. It’s not like anyone was forcing you.”
“You can’t just drink without restraint because someone else is paying…”
On the bumpy country road.
Bai Ya was still muttering away when the blurry silhouette of the small wooden cabin came into view.
She carried Hess on her back, a kerosene lamp in her left hand, and her right hand was tightly gripping the corner of Lu Wei’s shirt. She had been nagging him the entire way, her tone more “worried” than “exasperated” than “complaining.”
Lu Wei, however, paid her no mind, simply trudging along with his head down.
Although the [Feather of Balance] allowed him to walk steadily while “tipsy,” it couldn’t actually sober him up.
So right now, all he wanted to do was go back and sleep.
“Alright, alright, I already told you I’m not drunk.”
When they were about ten meters from the cabin, Lu Wei finally lost his patience and interrupted her:
“So what if you can hold your liquor better than me? It’s nothing to be smug about.”
“Huh? I’m not being smug.”
Bai Ya paused, looking wronged. “I just think getting drunk will get in the way of things, and it’s not good for your body either.”
“But it’s very good for the mood.”
Lu Wei shot her a sideways glance. “I have to think about so many things every day. I’m under so much stress. What’s wrong with relaxing a little?”
“Is that so…”
Bai Ya stared at him blankly, then after a moment, she asked with sudden seriousness:
“Then what kind of stress are you under? Can you tell me?”
“Maybe I can help you share the burden a little?”
“…”
The clear moonlight, like frost, fell quietly on Bai Ya’s upturned face, outlining her soft features.
The night wind stirred her long hair, and those eyes that Lu Wei had deemed “pretty but not very smart” were now filled with concern and sincerity.
Lu Wei’s steps faltered. He turned to look at her and, after a few seconds, muttered with feigned disdain:
“I don’t need it. Just don’t cause trouble for me.”
“Okay! I promise!”
Bai Ya immediately raised her hand as if taking an oath. “I’ll try my best to cause you less trouble in the future!”
“Hm? Just ‘try’?”
“Well, I am a little dumb, after all, so it’s hard to make a firm promise…”
“You’re certainly self-aware.”
“I’ve always been this way. If you’re dumb, you have to accept that you’re dumb.”
“But didn’t you always refuse to admit you were dumb before?”
“Yeah, but you said it yesterday. ‘Dumb’ is a general term, and it also includes having slow reactions…”
The path meandered on, and the river by the roadside flowed past silent fields and sleeping houses.
Talking as they went, the two pushed open the gate and entered the front yard.
Lu Wei went straight to the well to wash his face, then returned to the bedroom, planning to go right to sleep.
Bai Ya, however, first ran to the backyard to check that the donkey was still there, then ran back to tell him:
“You rest for a bit. I’m going to Aryan’s place to buy some hangover relief powder.”
“Wait, what are you buying that stuff for?”
“For you to take, of course.”
“No need. It was just a few liters of beer. Don’t go to all that trouble.”
“Oh, no, you have to. It’s better if you have some.”
Bai Ya was very insistent, quoting a classic authority: “When my dad was alive, he always took some after drinking, or else he’d have a headache the next morning.”
“Anyway, don’t fall asleep yet, okay? I’ll be right back!”
As she spoke, she was already running out of the yard. Before her voice had faded, she had disappeared with the kerosene lamp.
Lu Wei stared blankly at the small, bobbing light on the path and shook his head helplessly.
‘Jeez, even if she had to buy the medicine, why didn’t she just buy it on the way back?’
‘All she had to do was take a small detour. She wouldn’t have had to run all the way back like this.’
‘She really is dumb.’
A moment later, Lu Wei curled his lip, looked away, and splashed his face with well water again. Then he pulled the comatose Hess from his bag and returned to the bedroom.
Placing the latter under his head, he thought about the Dusk Shadow Association. He had originally planned to wait for Bai Ya to return.
But as he thought, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Soon, with a quiet mutter to himself, he fell asleep.
“‘Guess I’ll add three more points…’”
Meanwhile, in the Silver Moon Corridor.
Only a single wall lamp was lit in the parlor, its light barely illuminating the room. Heavy velvet curtains completely blocked the moonlight, making the atmosphere even more eerie and strange.
Her hands suddenly clenched into fists. Freya stared at the man before her in disbelief, a rare tremor in her usually calm voice:
“Is what you’re saying true?”
“Esteemed lady, every word I say is the truth!”
Across from her, the tall, thin man quickly bowed his head, his right hand pressed to his chest. “I swear to the gods, everything is what I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. There is not the slightest exaggeration or falsehood!”
“The entire tavern was indeed raising a toast to the Dusk Shadow Association.”
“And the first to raise his glass was Mr. Lu Wei, the man you tasked me with following, along with another man around forty years old.”
“Because I was positioned far from them, and the tavern was noisy, I didn’t completely hear their prior conversation.”
“But I can confirm that they were indeed discussing matters related to the Dusk Shadow Association.”
His right hand remained pressed to his chest, and he kept his head bowed as he spoke, signifying his utmost respect for Freya and his commitment to the truth of every word.
And Freya knew very well that it was impossible for him to be deceiving her.
After all, if things were truly as the man said, then there would be at least dozens of “witnesses” tonight, making it very easy to verify the truth.
“I understand. You may go.”
After an unknown amount of time, the shock on Freya’s face gradually faded, and she became calm once more.
The man immediately bowed and exited the room. As the door closed softly behind him, the parlor once again fell into a dead silence.
Gante stood in the center of the room, secretly glancing at the pensive Freya. He opened his mouth several times but didn’t dare to make a sound.
‘To be honest, I’m now 50% convinced that Lu Wei is a member of the Dusk Shadow Association.’
‘Otherwise, I can’t imagine anyone would dare to discuss the Dusk Shadow Association in such a public place.’
‘And to even fucking raise a toast to them.’
Of course, “toasting” represents a “blessing,” so there was nothing inherently wrong with the act itself.
If nothing else, at least in Gante’s opinion, if one day the cry “A toast to Gante!” suddenly rang out in a tavern, he would feel his life had been worthwhile.
But the problem was, he was he, and the Dusk Shadow Association was the Dusk Shadow Association…
*Phew…*
As he thought about it, Gante suddenly breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief.
Because he remembered the confrontation with Lu Wei at the Dome Pillar a few days ago.
‘That was too close.’
‘If I hadn’t held back then, I’d probably be six feet under by now…’
“Captain, I’m back!”
“You… huh?”
Back at the cabin, Bai Ya’s voice abruptly cut off as she hurriedly pushed open the door, holding a small packet of powder.
The main bedroom door was open, so she immediately saw the sleeping Lu Wei and the “white pillow” under his head.
‘Honestly! Didn’t he promise to wait for me to get back!’
‘And he’s using Hess as a pillow again!’
Glaring at the dark figure on the bed, she muttered to herself for a moment before preparing to wake Lu Wei up.
No matter what, he had to take the hangover relief powder.
Otherwise, all her effort would have been for nothing.
“Captain, wake up. Take the medicine first…”
Walking into the bedroom and standing by the bed, Bai Ya gently pushed Lu Wei’s shoulder.
But he didn’t stir at all, simply rolling over to face away from her and continuing to sleep.
“Captain, are you pretending to be asleep?”
Bai Ya pursed her lips and walked around to the other side, leaning down to get a closer look.
As a result, she didn’t notice that a lock of her hair had slipped over her shoulder, coincidentally dangling right in front of Lu Wei’s nose.
“…”
His nose tickled, Lu Wei frowned and finally, groggily, opened his eyes.
And in the next second, his eyes met Bai Ya’s, who was now only ten centimeters away from him.
“…Holy shit!”
Two seconds later, Lu Wei shot up, his eyes wide as he demanded:
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to take advantage of me while I’m sleeping?!”
“…”
Bai Ya: ????