The Highest Bounty

Chapter 210: Encountering Roland

The tavern was called Old George. It looked old from the outside, and it gave people a nostalgic vibe.

It was midday, the tavern had just opened, and Gu Ding was the first guest.

The tavern owner was an old man named George, with short silver hair and silver stubble. He had a warm smile. “What do you want, young man?”

“Milca, thank you!” Gu Ding grinned back as the tavern reminded him of Rose Tavern. Auntie Roastbeef’s Rose Tavern also had the same nostalgic vibe.

“Good boy, minors should follow your example, drink more nutritious drinks, and take less alcohol.” Old George smiled as he made Gu Ding’s drink.

Before Gu Ding’s milca was served, another man came in through the door. He was a middle-aged man who looked about forty years old, with short, white hair. He had a rough, unshaven face, with a long scar running down his right eye, which was all white–no one knew whether he could see. He was tall, about two meters or so, and with his face, he looked quite intimidating.

“This man is a demigod. Be careful.” Neptune whispered in Gu Ding’s ear.

The middle-aged man walked straight to the barstool on Gu Ding’s right and sat down. “I’ll have a limu, boss!”

“Coming right up.” Old George said and served Gu Ding his milca.

The middle-aged man’s eyes fell on Gu Ding. “Milca, what a healthy drink. There aren’t many young people who don’t drink alcohol these days.”

“Uncle, the limu you want is very healthy too, isn’t it just limu juice?” Gu Ding took a sip of milca and turned around to reply.

“Drinking more juice is good for your skin,” The middle-aged man said and pressed his left cheek with a finger. “Look at how elastic it is. Can you tell that I am over four thousand years old?”

“You look about forty, uncle.” Gu Ding took a good look and answered.

“See, I look a thousand times younger than I am, so that means the juice is working.” The middle-aged man gave out his bizarre theory. In fact, when one reaches demigod level, their flesh and blood would begin to shift toward the energy body, and they stop aging as a result.

The theory was bizarre, but looking at the way the conversation was going, the man did not seem as stand-offish as he looked.

“Milca contains a lot of calcium and protein. With your petite body, you really ought to drink more.” The middle-aged man’s limu was also done. He took his glass and gave Gu Ding a wave. “However, most children your age prefer alcoholic drinks, right?”

“My constitution is a little unique, I can’t consume alcoholic beverages.” Gu Ding shook his head. “You can’t drink alcohol too?”

“I used to like it very much. Then, I once drank too much and got into a fight with someone. Did you notice the scar on my face?” The middle-aged man turned his face, pointed to the long scar on his right face that was more than ten centimeters. “I got it from that incident, and because of that, I also lost my right eye. I haven’t touched alcohol since.”

“Sorry.” Gu Ding did not realize that he had accidentally touched a sore spot.

“Actually, I have always been grateful to the person who gave me the scar.” The middle-aged uncle smiled and shook his head. He did not seem to mind mentioning it. “I was really young then, certainly not as young as you are now. I was in my twenties–young and reckless. I did a lot of stupid things as I was talented. Every day, I did not cultivate properly. I would only eat, drink, and have fun. I’d go berserk every time I drank. After I got this scar, I began to cultivate crazily, travel around, and challenge all kinds of powerhouses. That’s how I became the person I am today. In the beginning, I kept it for revenge, but slowly, I began to see it as a warning, telling me what to do and what not to do, making me a better person.”

“Did you ever meet the man who scarred you, uncle?” Gu Ding could understand his change of heart, but he still wanted to know how it turned out.

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment after hearing this question. He nodded after a long time. “Yes, it took me years to find him. I still lost when I went to challenge him. I cultivated harder after that and challenged him again every time my strength improved. It lasted until I reached demigod level, and when I challenged him again, I won. However, by that time, my hatred of him had already dissipated.”

“After that, we became very good friends. It wasn’t until three hundred years ago, when he died of old age, that he told me he was actually my birth father… I then understood why he accepted my challenges unconditionally, over and over again. He did not even move away from the planet because of the inconvenience I caused him. It was also then that I remembered that sometimes when we talked, he would occasionally bring up the subject of father and son. He asked me if I hated my parents as I am an orphan. He also asked me what I wanted my father to be…”

The middle-aged man’s words also got Gu Ding lost in thought. Speaking of fathers, he only remembered Dad who had raised him, he had no memory of his biological parents. After hearing this story, Gu Ding began to consider a question he had never considered before — who were his birth parents?

“I don’t know why I can’t stop talking so much. Maybe I’m just old, you’ll like to nag as you get older.” The middle-aged man downed the limu juice in one gulp. “Boss, I’ll have another one.”

Gu Ding also finished his milca. “Me too, boss!”

“I kept talking about my story. What about you? I don’t think you’re local. Probrand locals have slightly reddish skin.”

“My name is Gu Ding, I’m an Interstellar Pirate, and I’m just stopping by on this planet. My hometown is in Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation. I’m just like you, an orphan since childhood.” The shopkeeper served them their two non-alcoholic drinks while they spoke. Gu Ding raised his glass and laughed.

“Roland, Interstellar Loner.” The middle-aged man also raised his glass. “To the orphans!”

“You’re a Loner, Uncle?” It was not Gu Ding’s first time meeting a Loner, but when he heard it, the first thing he thought about was getting him on his crew. “Would you be interested in joining our pirate crew?”

“Join a pirate crew?” Roland raised his eyebrows as if he was considering something. “Actually, I look forward to the life of an Interstellar Pirate. It’s more fun to be together than to be alone but not now. A demigods’ life span is only five thousand years, and I am now more than four thousand years old. I must reach god level before my time runs out. That’s why I’ve been traveling, looking for a breakthrough point. I’ll think about it when I’ve entered god level.”

Gu Ding was happy that he did not reject him directly. “Leave me your contact number then. Let’s keep in touch.”

Roland did not refuse the request and gave Gu Ding his contact number.

“Uncle, since you stopped by this planet, is it because there’s a chance for you to break through here?” Gu Ding could not help asking.

“No. It’s just because my spaceship broke down and it’s an old limited edition. Some of the materials are more difficult to get and need to be customized, so I’m stuck here.” Roland shook his head and looked at Gu Ding’s empty glass. “Do you want more?”

“No, I came here after lunch. One glass is enough.” Gu Ding shook his head.

“I’ll pick up the tab for two, boss.” Roland tapped his finger on the table.

“Thanks, Uncle! I’ll treat you tomorrow afternoon!” Gu Ding grinned. He and Roland had a lot in common. The two of them became friends over two drinks. The establishment of friendship between two men was often so simple.

“If you say so, I’ll pick the most expensive one tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll think about what I’ll drink tomorrow.”

After they left the tavern, they went their separate ways.

Once Roland was out of sight, Neptune asked, “Gu Ding, do you know who that was?”

“Is he famous?” Gu Ding thought the name Roland did ring a bell.

Neptune projected Roland’s information.

Grand Duke: Roland

Title: The Man Closest To God

Gender: Male

Age: 4243

Gene Level: Demigod

Strongest Combat Effectiveness: Unknown

Special Abilities: Unknown

Other Abilities: Possesses the fencing to kill gods

Intro: The only demigod level powerhouse in Faye Cosmic Nation who was made Grand Duke by the Federal Government. Owns unique fencing, killed a Lower Ranking Deity in one strike with demigod powers. According to some unofficial information, he’s also a 5-star monster. In the Cosmic Sea, he’s number eight on the Demigod Monster Ranking.

“The title Grand Duke is only given to one person in the entire Cosmic Nation, and that’s the most powerful demigod. Before Elizabeth was promoted to god level, he was seemingly the most powerful person in Faye Cosmic Nation and the most promising one to break through to god level.” Neptune then added. “If it wasn’t for the opportunity you gave Elizabeth, he would still be the strongest powerhouse in Faye Cosmic Nation. How dare you ask him to join us…”

Gu Ding grinned. “I almost succeeded, but that’s ok, we’ll get another chance.”

“I think he must have heard of your name because it’s been so popular lately. However, he probably didn’t think much of it, so he didn’t seem surprised when you said you were Gu Ding and is an Interstellar Pirate. That’s normal. Demi-powerhouses are usually so focused on getting to god level that they don’t have much time to think about anything else.” Neptune found what had just happened a little strange. “When he told us his name, I thought he just happened to have the same name, so I looked him up at once and found out that he was the legendary Grand Duke Roland.”

“Is it hard to break through to god level? Can we help?” Gu Ding could not help asking.

“There are a lot of factors that influence whether or not you can reach god level. For example, Elizabeth who you met earlier and Roland who you met today, are the top beings among the demigods. They’ve met all the requirements to break through to god level, they merely lack an opportunity. In this case, there is no way they can rely on external help, only personal luck. Generally, once someone reaches their level, the odds of breaking through are more than 90%. It’s just a matter of time. However, some who are very unlucky may not find such opportunities until they die, but such situations are very rare.” Neptune’s explanation made Gu Ding feel a little helpless, and Neptune quickly added, “Monster powerhouses like Roland often have good luck. Personally, I don’t think he’ll have problems making a breakthrough.”

Once out of the tavern, Gu Ding, under Neptune’s guidance, headed for the medicinal materials store…