The acrid smell of cheap tobacco and watered-down alcohol assaulted Alex and Nadia’s nostrils as they entered the pub.
The rather noisy building quickly quieted down as the inhabitants threw their gaze at the door.
Feeling the lingering gazes of a few, neither of them bothered to react to it as they casually walked over to the counter.
Slowly but surely, the noise returned and with it, a most terrible musical experience as the lady that sang on stage to the beat of the instrumentalists did not realize the terrible state of her larynx, resulting in her emitting the most terrifying sounds in the name of singing.
Of course, based on how everyone was doing their things, few seemed to mind the cacophony of sounds masquerading as music.
Making their way over, Nadia took her seat while Alex called the attention of the bartender.
The man, a youth with brown hair and light black skin, wore an apron and a hairnet over his bushy hair.
His brown irises caught Alex’s figure as he remarked. "Welcome to Millie’s. What can I get for you and the beautiful lady?"
He spoke with a rather calm and quite intriguing tone that grabbed Nadia’s attention albeit briefly.
If anything, he seemed quite good at socializing.
Alex revealed a smile as he replied. "Farm Malt."
"Ah, good stuff." The bartender remarked before adding. "I presume you are from the countryside then?"
"How did you know?" Alex asked back, feigning mild surprise.
"Farm Malt is a favorite for those coming from that part of the Empire. Of course, cities close by also take it so I reckon even if you aren’t a country chap, you’d come from a place close by." The bartender replied, obviously quite proud of his deduction.
He stole a glance at Nadia but seeing how uninterested she was, he turned his attention back to Alex.
Alex nodded. "You are correct."
Before he added. "I was born in a village in the countryside, Townsend was what they called it."
"Townsend. Quite intriguing." The bartender replied exaggeratedly before stealing a glance in Nadia’s direction.
Then with a sly grin, he added. "You must be quite lucky then to have such a beautiful lady as your companion tonight. Judging from her dress sense..."
He trailed off as he addressed Nadia. "You come from Emet, no?"
Nadia revealed a smile but nothing more as she turned away.
The bartender sighed before meeting Alex’s gaze which seemed to be mocking him.
’Am I overthinking things?’
Shaking the thought from his head, he quickly brought two cups of Farm Malt for Alex and after he turned to serve another customer, Alex called him back once he was done.
"Any problems?" The bartender asked, noting Alex’s empty cup while also noticing Nadia’s barely touched own.
Alex nodded as he gestured for him to come closer. "I and my lady over here were informed that we could get some information from here. Was wondering if you know anything about that?"
The bartender glanced at Alex and noting his serious expression couldn’t help but frown.
"Hmm." Scrutinizing Alex further, The bartender muttered. "I think you are in the wrong place, please leave."
"I see. I guess I was a bit too upfront in my approach but then again, I don’t have time to waste on this." With that said, Alex glanced at Nadia whose eyes were already glowing a bright red shade.
Before the bartender could make a sound, Nadia muttered softly.
The bartender paused for a moment before his senses returned to him.
His former apprehension gone, he leaned into Alex before whispering something in his ear.
Once he was done, he casually pulled away and returned to do his job.
Alex had a warm smile on his visage as he gave Nadia a thumbs up.
Truly, the world of mysticism served to make mundane life easier.
She revealed a subtle smile as she felt glad knowing she had helped quite a lot in their endeavors.
After struggling to finish the cup of Farm Malt to no avail, Alex helped Nadia with the cup before they quickly made their way out of the establishment and strode over to the back which was mostly covered by trash.
Apart from the trash though, a metal door with space enough for the eyes sat quietly with its sides already rusting.
Alex strode over and after knocking thrice, two fast and the last slow, he waited with Nadia beside him.
It didn’t take long before they heard footsteps and then the hatch was opened, revealing a set of dark eyes.
The eyes leaped from Nadia to Alex and then moved back to Nadia, lingering on for quite a bit before a voice came.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
Alex flashed a smile. "We are foreigners. We’d like to speak with your chairman.
"We need information on the city."
"..." The man didn’t immediately respond, his eyes still on Nadia before he replied. "Give me a few minutes."
With that, he quickly left with the muffled rushing of his footsteps echoing just slightly.
"This is quite complicated," Nadia muttered in exasperation.
Alex nodded. "I agree but then again it’s worth it. We can’t get the information ourselves since it would take too long. Going through such channels ensures we get what we want."
"There would surely be a few problems."
Nadia trailed off as the footsteps returned and then with a loud sound, the locks to the metal door were unlocked and the door swung open to reveal a burly man with a musket and an ax with a scar across his left eye.
"Come in, the boss wants to see you." The burly man said.
Alex nodded. "Please lead the way."
The burly man turned and after ensuring Alex and Nadia had entered, closed and replaced the locks on the metal door.
Then, he began to make his way down the dimly lit hallway with Alex and Nadia following closely behind.