Chapter 818: Chapter 816: The Strange Shambala Town
When Richard arrived in Shambala Town, it was mid-morning, quite different from the bustling atmosphere of the evening, but logically the streets should still have been busy.
However, as Richard walked into Shambala Town, he found the streets eerily quiet, not a soul in sight, deserted like a ghost town.
Richard, puzzled, stepped toward a tavern on the street, intending to gather some information.
But when he reached the front of the tavern, he found the door and windows tightly shut. He tried pushing the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Using the Eye of Gaze, he saw that a thick and long stick was propping up the door from inside.
What a strange thing!
A tavern not actively seeking patrons is one thing, but why would it prevent potential customers from entering?
Richard raised an eyebrow; unwilling to waste time investigating slowly, he extended his hand, a spell discharged, causing the entire tavern door to quake. Forcing the stick to pop off with a “snap,” the door swung open and he walked in.
That startled everyone inside the tavern.
As Richard stepped inside, he saw the patrons filling the tavern stand up in unison, looking at him with a mix of caution and panic.
A few people were particularly agitated, grabbing the stools they were sitting on, ready to hurl them at him.
Others grabbed bottles of liquor from the tables, raising them overhead to charge, preparing to use them as missiles for attack. However, they miscalculated the amount of beer left in the bottles, and with a “whoosh,” foamy barley beer poured over their heads, running down their necks, soaking them thoroughly.
The scene froze for about three-fifths of a second, just enough time for the remaining beer to fully drain out.
Three-fifths of a second later, the bartender peered over from behind the counter, waved his hands signaling everyone to sit down, reassuring them, “Everyone, don’t panic. The one who came in is not a monster or a demon, but a human… um, a living human.”
The people in the tavern let out a long sigh upon hearing the bartender. They exchanged glances and returned to their seats.
Back at their seats, slightly embarrassed by their earlier fuss, they returned to their previous state by the third second—those drinking resumed drinking, and those chatting resumed chatting. The hushed voices of conversation drifted to Richard’s ears.
“Scared me to death, I thought those monsters had stormed into town.”
“Me too, I was so scared I almost fainted. But thankfully, it was a misunderstanding. Seriously, if this keeps up, I won’t even dare step out of my house.”
“Tch, you’re nothing, I’m already planning to move.”
“Move? Damn, where do you plan on moving? Aren’t you going to work? What will you eat or drink?”
“Who cares about that, saving my own life is more important. With the little money I’ve saved, I should manage for a while. Once it runs out, then I’ll think about other things…”
Richard glanced at the two people talking, his eyes passing over a drunkard in the corner, then walking towards the counter, he prepared to ask the bartender some questions.
Before speaking, Richard flicked a finger of his right hand lightly, and with a light “whoosh,” a silver coin seemed to appear out of thin air. The coin spun several times in the air before falling and was then pressed onto the counter in front of the bartender by Richard, but he did not let go.
Seeing Richard’s action, the bartender’s eyes lit up. Before Richard could speak, he beat him to it, asking with interest, “Are you from out of town?”
Richard heard this, was slightly stunned, blinked and said, “You could say that, how did you guess?”
“Easy.” The bartender said a bit showily, “I know most people in this town, even if I can’t name them, I’d recognize the faces. But you’re an exception, so naturally, you’re from out of town. Of course, another obvious reason is that people here mostly use copper coins. If they use silver coins, they would intentionally trim them down to save money. Someone straightforward enough to use a full silver coin like you can only be from out of town.”
After a pause, the bartender asked, “Let me guess your business here, no surprise, you’re here to buy ores, right?”
Richard thought for a moment, and in a certain sense, that was his purpose, so he vaguely said, “Sort of.”
“Well, then you’re out of luck.” The bartender sighed, looking at Richard with some pity, “You came at the wrong time, should’ve come a month earlier.”
“Why do you say that?” Richard asked.
The bartender shrugged, “Need I explain? You should’ve seen it on the streets outside, the current Shambala Town…”
As he spoke, he intentionally lowered his voice, “The current Shambala Town… isn’t quite normal!”
“Not quite normal? I’m curious to know, just what does not quite normal mean.” Richard looked at the bartender and said, “If you can tell me the truth, then the silver coin under my hand is your reward.”
“A very worthwhile deal.” The bartender marveled, then slightly leaned forward, looking at Richard, tentatively speaking, “By the way, someone like you who can casually use a silver coin to buy any information that anyone would know must be wealthy, probably a noble, or a rich merchant.
So I suppose, if I’m willing to tell you everything I know and answer all of your queries in exchange for two silver coins instead of one, you wouldn’t be upset, right?”
“Hmm.” Richard glanced deeply at the bartender.
He could see that the bartender was about seventeen or eighteen years old, not very tall, just over five feet, with a few freckles on his face, and his looks were below average. But his eyes were bright, constantly moving in the eye sockets, appearing shrewd and slightly roguish. Such a person might not have extensive knowledge, but he understood human interactions well and knew how to maximize his own benefits.
After observing for a few seconds, Richard thought for a moment, chuckled softly and said, “If you can really deliver and satisfy me, I can give you three silver coins.”
“Then it’s settled.” The bartender raised an eyebrow and said, “Feel free to ask questions. Or maybe I should first explain in detail what’s been happening in Shambala lately before you ask questions?”
“In that case, let’s start from more than half a month ago…” The bartender began his quick narration.
The bartender’s ability to organize his narration was strong, making his description vivid yet concise, drawing one into the scene. Like an excellent novelist, he took only a dozen minutes to detail the recent events in Shambala to Richard.
Only then did Richard understand the current situation in Shambala Town.