By the time the sun had climbed high and Rulvis City had returned to its daytime bustle, Hathaway and Lin Xingyun were already seated in the dining room, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

After elegantly sipping the last of her juice, Hathaway dabbed the moisture from her lips with a napkin. Then she turned to Lin Xingyun beside her and asked softly,

“Xingyun, do you have any plans for today?”

“Plans?” Caught off guard, Lin Xingyun froze for a moment. Then he set down the little spoon he’d been using for dessert and fell into thought.

He soon came up with an idea.

“I’m thinking of checking out the lively parts of the city center,” Lin Xingyun replied with a smile, meeting Hathaway’s gaze. “I only arrived in Rulvis a couple of days ago, so there’s still a lot around here I don’t know about.”

They both knew exactly what he meant by “around here.”

Hathaway smiled without saying a word, merely nodding to show she’d heard him.

The two of them had tactfully avoided mentioning what happened in the carriage last night all morning. Otherwise, there was no way breakfast would’ve been this peaceful.

Lin Xingyun could tell Hathaway seemed to be going out today, judging by how much more conservatively she was dressed. Her white, form-fitting dress had a touch of the sacred about it, and the high heels accentuated her stunning figure. She seemed like a completely different person from the woman he’d seen last night.

He knew very well that if they were home alone together, Hathaway would never dress like this. The Witch was constantly thinking up ways to tempt him. She was dangerous.

Worse still, Hathaway seemed to have found Lin Xingyun’s weak spot...

“Are you going out today?”

“Mm-hmm.” Hathaway lounged against her chair with lazy composure. One hand rested across her lower abdomen, supporting her soft breasts, while the other toyed with the purple hair spilling over her shoulder. Her perfect long legs rested at an angle, and her whole bearing gave off the air of a gracious, sophisticated young lady. She had a charm all her own.

“If all goes well, Baron Jack will leave Rulvis today. I need to squeeze a little more information out of him before he goes and get every last bit of use out of him.”

“Besides, there should still be another one of Joyce’s pawns in Rulvis City. I know what he’s like. He never puts all his eggs in one basket. I wouldn’t believe it if someone told me he’d sent only Baron Jack to deal with me.”

“Just be careful, then. You’re the one who won’t let me help,” Lin Xingyun said with a shrug, teasing her. Then he popped the rest of the cake on his plate into his mouth and savored how it melted away on his tongue.

“They’re just small fry. Why would I make our esteemed king go to the trouble?” Hathaway joked back. Then she stood and went over to the serving cart, where she picked up a small box.

Inside lay a finely crafted black magic crystal card, adorned with diamonds that must’ve cost a fortune. It felt nice to run a finger over, and it practically screamed prestige and money. Hathaway placed it in Lin Xingyun’s hand as naturally as could be.

“There’s only a little spending money on it. If you need to, you can use this card to borrow money from any bank in the Weius Kingdom.”

Hathaway came up behind Lin Xingyun and rested a delicate hand on his shoulder. Bending down, she whispered softly in his ear, “I’m yours now, so naturally, all this is yours too. Don’t think too much about it, okay?”

Lin Xingyun looked at the magic crystal card in his hand, feeling both amused and helpless. Why did this feel so familiar?

—It was like he’d been kept by a rich woman.

Lin Xingyun had been about to refuse. But then he looked at the food on the table, glanced up at the absurdly huge dining room, and finally looked down at his empty pockets. In the end, he accepted the card without a shred of guilt. He even found himself thinking that from now on, life would be simple, unadorned, and boring.

Mm. He didn’t have to work hard anymore...

Once Lin Xingyun had accepted her little gift, Hathaway had no reason to stay. She still had to go and deal with Baron Jack, and if she waited much longer, he might slip away.

So Hathaway gave Lin Xingyun a sweet smile and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

But when she was almost at the door, Hathaway stopped and looked back at Lin Xingyun once more. A hint of mischief glimmered in her sapphire-blue eyes. “Oh, right, Xingyun.”

“I’m not just going out to see Baron Jack today. I have something even more important to do.”

“For example, ordering a new batch of... ‘clo~thes.’”

Hathaway put special emphasis on the word “clothes.” Lin Xingyun knew exactly what she meant.

Faced with Hathaway’s bold, domineering flirtation, Lin Xingyun felt that sooner or later, he was doomed.

Catching the surprise and faint anticipation in Lin Xingyun’s eyes, Hathaway left him with nothing but a string of laughter as sweet as a songbird’s, then gracefully clicked out of the dining room in her heels.

Lin Xingyun had once wondered why the protagonists in anime always got up to something after being transported to another world instead of staying in one place and enjoying a quiet life.

It wasn’t until he crossed over himself that he found the answer:

—Staying home all the time was just too dull.

It was like drinking too much plain water. Every now and then, you wanted something else to change things up.

The sights of another world, its many races, magical wonders, miracles from the heavens... These were things you could only find in another world. It’d be a real shame not to see them with your own eyes.

So, for his first stop as he officially began his life in another world, Lin Xingyun chose a place where stories were always happening, and where the owner would eagerly call out your card’s rarity when they saw you opening a pack:

—The biggest Hearthstone... no, mercenary tavern in Rulvis City.

The Bedrock Tavern was the largest tavern in Rulvis City, and the most comfortably furnished. It also served as a mercenary job board. Whether you wanted to escort a merchant caravan or explore some ruins, find a lost pet or catch a thief, you could find jobs of almost any difficulty here. You could post them here, too.

The tavern’s outer walls were built from dark stone blocks and rose several stories high. Warm yellow light spilled from its windows.

It was only early morning, yet the sounds of shouting and horseplay inside carried all the way out into the street. That was how busy the tavern was.

Lin Xingyun pushed open the door and went inside.

The first floor of the Bedrock Tavern was incredibly spacious. You could fit a hundred or two people in there without it feeling crowded.

Wooden tables and chairs filled the room. Some of the tables were enormous, clearly meant for large mercenary groups to celebrate or make a racket together.

Several magic crystal lamps hung from the ceiling. Their warm light drove away the chill and gave the whole tavern the welcoming, safe feeling of home.

A round bar stood in the center of the tavern, with bottles of liquor lining the shelves behind it. Quite a few mercenaries sat around it, chatting. They carried the weathered air of people who’d seen their share of hardship—a quality you wouldn’t find in ordinary folk.

The floorboards creaked under Lin Xingyun’s feet as he made his way to the bar. He picked an empty stool, rested his elbow on the smooth, gleaming counter, and looked around with interest.

For someone who’d just arrived, the scene here was pretty fascinating.

Everything before him was more or less what Lin Xingyun had imagined. Laughter, joking, and cursing filled the air. It was the kind of place where you could easily let your guard down, get to know people, and join in the lively atmosphere.

“First time at the Bedrock Tavern, young man?”

Lin Xingyun’s attention had been caught by a pair of people playing cards in the distance when he heard the bartender beside him. He turned toward the voice.

The bartender was a young woman with faint freckles and short, flaxen hair. Her smile was warm and friendly, and she radiated youthful energy.

Of course, she couldn’t hold a candle to Hathaway.

“It’s not that you’re unwelcome, young man. You just don’t look like you’re from Rulvis, so I got curious,” the bartender hurried to explain, worried Lin Xingyun might take it the wrong way. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Yeah, this is my first time here... I’ll have a cold beer.” Lin Xingyun smiled.

When you didn’t know what to order, beer really was the safest choice.

“Sure thing. Just a moment~”

A little while later, the bartender set a full glass of beer in front of Lin Xingyun. The foam was still fizzing on top, making it hard to resist downing the whole thing in one go.

“Since it’s your first time here, this one’s on me.” The bartender generously comped Lin Xingyun’s drink, then sat down across from him and propped her chin in her hands. “I’m Nina, the manager of this tavern. What about you, young man?”

“Just call me Lin. I only arrived in Rulvis recently.” Lin Xingyun was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected such a young woman to be the manager of this tavern. “You’re really in charge here, Nina?”

“That’s right. Surprised?” Nina’s dimples grew even more pronounced at the astonishment on Lin Xingyun’s face. She even gestured to herself. “I may look young, but I’ve been working at the tavern for years. I know exactly how to deal with all the troublemakers.”

“And I’m not just the manager here—I’m also in charge of the mercenary center. If there’s anything you need help with, just come find me. I’ll recommend the right person for the job!” Nina gave a couple of proud little huffs. Her straightforward, sincere manner made her easy to like.

“Though there’s nothing I can do about the prices~ They’re fixed, after all. I can give you a friends-and-family discount at most, Lin.”

—Nina really was very “direct.”

While Nina and Lin Xingyun were chatting back and forth, a bald man suddenly emerged from the crowd and headed straight for the bar. As he walked, he looked over his shoulder and called out with a laugh, “Nina, get me something strong! I’m not going home until I get those bastards who don’t believe me dead drunk!”

“Coming right up!” Nina called back. Then she winked at Lin Xingyun and lowered her voice with a mischievous smile. “I’ll go get Nick set up. He’s the leader of a big mercenary group, one of the best-known in all of Rulvis. I bet his men just called him out for bragging again, and now he’s embarrassed and furious.”

“Nina, are you talking behind my back to outsiders again? Ha!” Nick’s hearty laughter rang out. “I told those brats that someone made Frodo look like a fool in public last night. And they just wouldn’t believe me! They kept saying no one in Rulvis would dare mess with that spoiled young master.”

Lin Xingyun’s expression turned a little strange.

The person Nick was talking about... that was probably him.

“Why would I make something like that up? There were plenty of people at Baron Jack’s party last night. They must’ve seen it too. It’s only a matter of time before the whole city hears about it. Hmph, I can’t wait to see their faces when they do.”

Nick casually pulled out the stool beside Lin Xingyun and sat down as if they were old friends. He rubbed his bald head, then turned and gave Lin Xingyun a friendly smile.

Lin Xingyun suddenly felt as if the whole tavern had gotten a little brighter.

Reflection. Yeah, just a reflection...

“You look familiar, young man. Are you new—”

“Huh—?!”

The moment Nick got a good look at Lin Xingyun’s face, his words cut off as abruptly as a speaker losing power. His eyes went wide, and he stared at Lin Xingyun as if he’d seen a ghost, tongue-tied.

Nina had just come over carrying several glasses. She froze on the spot, too. She’d never imagined that Nick, who could face high-level monsters without so much as blinking, would one day make a face like that. It was an eye-opening sight.

The next second, Nick’s ear-splitting cry drew the attention of the entire tavern. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison:

“Why is it you? What are you doing here?!”