Chapter 60 Invitation

Compared to Rivervale Town, whose bustle and prosperity far exceeded that of an ordinary settlement, Kalanfor felt almost quiet.

There were fewer pedestrians.

Fewer shops.

Even the buildings along the streets were more spread out.

The difference was especially obvious when Xia Nan looked at the number of adventurers.

In Rivervale Town, adventurers seemed to be everywhere.

Here, they made up perhaps three out of every ten people.

Sometimes only two.

And Kalanfor was already the human settlement with the highest concentration of adventurers in the surrounding region, aside from Rivervale Town itself.

That surprised Xia Nan.

Since transmigrating, he had spent nearly all his time traveling between Rivervale Town and the Misty Forest.

He had never really had a proper point of comparison.

Only now did he realize that adventurers were nowhere near as common in this world as he had assumed.

The caravan entered Kalanfor and made its way to an inn on the western side of town.

Once rooms had been assigned, Jeff kept his promise.

The caravan leader immediately treated everyone to a generous lunch.

To be honest, the food was only average.

It could not compare with the deluxe set meal at the White Chickadee Tavern.

It might not even have been as good as Alton’s stew.

Still, Xia Nan was not paying.

That improved the flavor considerably.

Overall, he was perfectly satisfied.

There was one obvious difference from the meals they had eaten on the road.

Alcohol.

Plenty of it.

During the journey, they had mostly been drinking water and broth.

Now, cups and bottles covered the table.

Unfortunately, the job was not finished yet.

For safety’s sake, Xia Nan did not join the other adventurers in drinking freely.

He only had a few cups.

Enough to enjoy the taste.

With his constitution sitting at 8, those few drinks had about as much effect on him as water.

So while he had not drunk his fill, at least he had eaten enough.

After the meal, Xia Nan remained seated at the table and considered his options.

Go upstairs and take a nap?

Or, since it was still early, find somewhere quiet outside town and get in some combat-technique practice?

A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Xia Nan turned.

Alton stood beside him, staring with large, expectant eyes.

“Staying in the inn is way too boring. Let’s go find something fun!”

As a lightfoot halfling who dreamed of traveling, Alton had been born curious.

Keeping him in one place for too long was practically impossible.

And since he wanted to become a bard, every new town gave him another excuse to go searching for local songs, stories, rumors, and strange little pieces of folklore.

After several days on the road and one battle fought side by side, Xia Nan and Alton could at least be called acquaintances now.

Perhaps even friends, in a loose sense.

So Alton had come to invite him directly.

Xia Nan did not agree immediately.

“Something fun?”

He looked at the halfling.

“Where?”

Apparently, Alton already had a destination in mind.

He reached into his waist pouch and pulled out the copper coin engraved with the profile of the Goddess of Fortune.

Pinching it between two fingers, he flicked it into the air.

“I heard there’s a tavern near the inn called the Bagful of Gold.”

The coin spun.

“Apparently it’s pretty interesting.”

“The Bagful of Gold?”

Xia Nan frowned.

He had heard a few adventurers mention that place during lunch.

And from what they had said, he had a pretty good idea what kind of business it ran.

Gambling.

No thanks.

Nine gamblers out of ten walked away poorer.

Xia Nan had risked his life over and over to scrape together his current savings.

He was not about to throw that money away for entertainment.

He opened his mouth to refuse.

Then his gaze fell on Alton’s hand.

The copper coin rose.

Fell.

Rose again.

Spinning endlessly through the air.

Xia Nan paused.

A thought occurred to him.

His eyes brightened.

“Uh…”

He changed his answer.

“Sure. Taking a look can’t hurt.”

…

The two of them were full of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, they did not even make it out of the inn before something stopped them.

Jeff was standing near the entrance, talking to a broad-shouldered blond man.

When he spotted Xia Nan and Alton approaching, he smiled and waved them over.

“What timing. I was planning to introduce him to you later, but since you’re both here…”

Jeff shifted aside and gestured toward the man.

“This is Ingram. Best sheriff in Kalanfor, and an old friend of mine.”

“Oh, come now, that’s far too much praise!”

Ingram immediately waved both hands in denial.

“I’m just an ordinary townsman. I’m nowhere near as impressive as he makes me sound.”

Xia Nan gave the man a quick once-over.

Golden hair, long enough to reach his ears, had been combed neatly into place.

His features were sharp and well-defined, and he was undeniably handsome.

He wore a clean, well-maintained suit of standard armor.

A metal flanged mace hung at his waist, polished and clearly cared for.

Jeff turned to Ingram.

“These two were adventurers guarding my caravan on this trip. They’re both extremely capable. Without them, I might not be standing here in one piece.”

Ingram’s expression immediately warmed.

He nodded to Xia Nan and Alton.

“Oh? Then I really should thank you.”

A grin appeared on his face.

“Otherwise, Brother Jeff might never get the chance to repay that meal he owes me.”

“Ha! You brat, you still remember that?”

Now that the caravan had safely escaped the dangerous wilderness, Jeff was obviously in an excellent mood.

He laughed and slapped Ingram on the shoulder.

His broad palm struck the metal plate with a dull clang.

Ingram did not mind at all.

He simply laughed back.

The two clearly had known each other for years.

Since Xia Nan and Alton had only happened to run into them, neither wanted to interrupt their reunion.

They exchanged a few polite words, said goodbye, and headed outside.

Even after passing through the door, they could still faintly hear Jeff and Ingram talking behind them.

“Come on! I’m free today. Let me treat you to something good!”

“Heh, no need, Brother Jeff. I was joking.”

“We’ve known each other this long and you’re still being polite? Come on!”

“Really, there’s no need. I’ve already eaten.”

“I might believe anyone else saying that, but you? Everyone knows you won’t rest until your work is done.”

“I’ll go home and cook something simple. Just enough to fill my stomach. There’s really no need to waste money.”

“Don’t worry about that. This time I came…”

…

…

The sky outside had darkened.

Heavy gray-black clouds piled silently across the heavens.

A damp, chilly wind swept around the street corner and sent several crumpled scraps of paper rolling along the road.

Xia Nan looked left.

Then right.

The street was quiet.

His gaze finally settled on the building in front of them.

A money pouch had been painted on the sign.

The doors were shut.

The Bagful of Gold.

“This is it?”

Beside him, Alton rose onto his toes.

For the last time, he tossed his lucky coin into the air.

The copper piece spun.

Dropped.

His hand snapped shut around it.

Then he tucked the coin carefully into a hidden layer of his clothes.

“Yep!”

Alton grinned.

“Let’s go in.”

He walked straight to the entrance and pushed open the door.

The chill of the street vanished instantly.

Warm air washed over them, along with the soft glow of lamps and flickering firelight from the hearth.

Then came the noise.

Dice cups rattling.

Voices shouting.

Laughter.

Curses.

And beneath it all, buried deep inside the uproar, something hotter than the hearth itself.

The frenzy and madness born from human desire.