Rose Tavern was the most happening tavern in the entire Red Light District.
The proprietor of Rose Tavern was Auntie Rose. She was two meters tall, her waist was as stout as a barrel, and half of her face was covered in stubble. Shaving her mustache and shaving her leg hair were the first and the second things she did every morning. Not only did she look like a burly middle-aged man, but she also sounded like one.
Even so, she was genuinely a woman. Not only that, she was a beautiful woman when she was younger. It was rumored that she stumbled into a forbidden ancient civilization site and was bitten by the legendary Incubus Wasp. It caused her body to produce twenty times the testosterone compared to normal males, which explained her current appearance.
After this incident, she disbanded her crew of space pirates and moved to Cerule with several former crewmates who insisted on sticking around. She opened a tavern in this Red Light District, and the formerly notorious Rose Crew became the popular Rose Tavern.
No one could verify the authenticity of this story, though Gu Ding could never look at Auntie Rose and think of her as the same person as a beauteous female pirate with a huge bounty attached to her head.
Every night, Gu Ding worked part-time as a waiter in the tavern. He was responsible for serving cooked dishes to the customers, though most people in the tavern only ordered drinks. Most of the time, he was idle.
The tavern was crowded as usual when he clocked into work.
"You're late again, Gu Ding. The boss is in a bad mood today…" the bartender at the counter winked and spoke to Gu Ding in a low voice.
"Tell me something new. I've never seen her in a good mood." Gu Ding shook his head and walked toward the kitchen.
As he passed by the washrooms, he peeked into a cubicle whose door was ajar. He saw Auntie Rose lifting her skirt with one hand and using a razor to shave her legs with the other.
"Never seen a woman shaving her legs?" Auntie Rose lifted her head, then slammed the cubicle door shut.
Business was booming that night, though not many people ordered dishes from the kitchen.
Gu Ding had nothing else to do after serving several plates. He sat down on the only empty seat at the bar counter. "One milca, please."
"Coming right up!" The name of the bartender at the counter was Martini. He was small-built and was about the same height as fifteen-year-old Gu Ding. His mixing skills were impeccable and was one of the main reasons why the tavern had so many repeat customers. (TN: The original Chinese text had the bartender's name as 'Bar Tender'.)
"You like milca too?" A young man sitting to the right of Gu Ding turned to look at him with a smiling face. He looked like he was only a little more than twenty years old. His handsome face did not carry him as a space pirate, but rather the scion of a noble family.
Milca was a non-alcoholic drink made by mixing milk and fruit juice. None of the space pirates, even the female ones, bothered with this drink. Gu Ding had an allergy to alcohol. Even a small sip of binks, which contained less than 10% alcohol, could immediately knock him out.
"You don't look like a space pirate," Gu Ding's gaze shifted from the wine glass in the young man's hand and stopped at the sapphire-colored gem that he wore on his left hand. He offered silent condolences to this young man. The first rule of the Red Light District was that one should not flaunt their wealth. Otherwise, you only had yourself to blame when something went missing.
He had seen his fair share of noble-born youths making this mistake. Being robbed was the least of their troubles. If they were unlucky, they might be raped or even killed.
"You're not the first one to say so," the 'noble youth' smiled faintly and sipped from his wineglass.
In the tavern, several people already had their eyes on this youth.
A glass of white and pale purple milca was quickly presented in front of Gu Ding. He drained the contents of the glass in one single gulp. "Another one!"
"You look young. Still in school?" The 'noble youth' initiated the small talk.
"Yup. I'm in the Cerulean Military Academy, and I'm in the final year of Basic Training." Gu Ding nodded. The noble youth in front of him was not as haughty as he expected. This made him wonder if he should advise him to quickly leave this lawless place.
"Oh, the Military Academy…" the 'noble youth' nodded. A flash of coldness appeared in his eyes and quickly disappeared, unnoticed by anyone. However, that flash of coldness was not aimed at Gu Ding, but rather a reflex action when he heard the words 'Military Academy'. He immediately regained his composure, then continued asking, "So, you plan to join the Federation Army when you graduate?"
"No, I want to be a space pirate," Gu Ding replied without any hesitation.
The 'noble youth' was taken aback for a moment but smiled immediately after. "It's a hard life being a space pirate. You'll be hounded by the Federation Army and bounty hunters alike. There might even be infighting among pirate crews. If you join the Federation Army though, you won't have to worry about your next meal for the rest of your life. Isn't that wonderful?"
"The Federation Army has too many rules. I think I'm more suited to be a space pirate." Gu Ding shook his head.
"If that's the case, which pirate crew do you plan to join? Our crew isn't too bad. How about giving it some thought?" The 'noble youth' did not divulge the name of the pirate crew he was in.
"Thanks for the invitation, but I'm thinking of starting my own," Gu Ding replied resolutely.
"Is that so." The 'noble youth' did not look too disappointed but rather clapped Gu Ding's shoulder. "Then you'll have to find some reliable mates. No matter how powerful you may be, you're still only an individual."
Somewhere else in the Red Light District, something weird was happening.
On a quiet, deserted street, the female corpse that was pinned on the wall by a long black rod suddenly awakened. She gasped for air, then pulled with all her might the black rod impaled through her chest. She tossed the rod aside, and as her fingers ran through her long hair, a black object the size of her pinky appeared between two fingers.
She looked a little relieved as she inserted the object into her ear.
In the tavern, the noble youth's wristwatch started blinking. The sign of an incoming call. The noble youth inserted an earpiece and picked up the call.
"Boss, mission failed. That thing was snatched by someone. I'm still not clear about which crew he belongs to. I feigned death to save my life, and even my intelligent wristwatch was snatched." A female voice spoke into the noble youth's ear.
"Understood. Let's evacuate. We can't stay at Cerule for too long." The 'noble youth' spoke clearly when he said this. Everyone in the tavern could hear him.
After ending the call, the noble youth tossed two Star Credits on the counter, then turned to leave.
"Hey, my name is Gu Ding. How about you?" Gu Ding asked the noble youth before he left.
"Kohld Blood, of the Punishers." The noble youth stopped in his tracks and turned around. "I have a hunch that we will be meeting again soon."
After the noble youth declared his identity, the bustling tavern immediately sunk into dead silence.