The Rose Tavern was the most popular tavern in the Red-Light District.
Aunt Rousi was the landlady of the tavern, standing two meters tall with a body as robust as a water tank, and a face full of stubble. Shaving her legs and beard were the first and second things she did every morning after getting up. Not only did she look like a burly middle-aged man, but her voice also sounded like that of a burly middle-aged man.
In reality, she was indeed a woman, and in her youth, she had been a stunning beauty who even owned her own pirate group. Her current appearance, it was rumored, was due to accidentally entering a forbidden ancient civilization site and being stung by the legendary Male Demon Bee. The resulting male hormones generated within her each day were twenty times that of a normal man, turning her into a real man's man.
After such a change occurred, she disbanded her pirate group and came to the Sea Blue Star with a few loyal subordinates to open this tavern. The once-famous Rose Pirate Group had turned into the Rose Tavern.
Nobody knew how true the story was, but Guding could never associate the fierce Aunt Rousi with the terrifying, bounty-hunted, legendary beauty pirate from the tales.
Guding's part-time job every evening was to wait tables in the tavern and serve dishes to customers. However, most people came here just to drink, and not many ordered food, so he was idle most of the time.
The tavern was packed again, just like usual, when he pushed the door open.
"Guding, you're late again today. The boss lady isn't in a good mood..." The bartender at the counter lowered his voice, winking at Guding.
"In my memory, she's never been in a good mood." Guding shrugged helplessly and headed straight to the kitchen.
Passing by the restroom, he saw the door half ajar, glanced inside, and saw Aunt Rousi lifting her skirt with one hand and shaving her leg with a razor.
"Never seen a woman shaving her legs?" Aunt Rousi raised an eyebrow and then slammed the restroom door shut.
Even though the tavern was packed that evening, like usual, not many ordered food. Guding served a few dishes and then sat idle. Seeing an empty seat at the bar, he sat down, "A glass of Milka."
"Right away!" The bartender, named Bartender, was small and slim, about the same height as fifteen-year-old Guding. However, his bartending skills were excellent, and at least half the regular customers came back because of him.
"You like Milka too?" At that moment, a young man on Guding's right turned and smiled. The young man looked to be in his early twenties, with a face that didn't resemble a pirate's at all but rather that of a noble youth.
In fact, Milka was a non-alcoholic drink, a mix of dairy and juice, dismissively ignored even by female interstellar pirates. Guding had an allergic reaction to alcohol, and even a small sip of Bincks, with less than 10% alcohol, could knock him out, leaving him snoring.
"You don't look like an interstellar pirate," Guding's gaze swept over the young man's wineglass, pausing momentarily on the sea blue gemstone ring adorning his left middle finger. He silently felt sorry for the man. In a place like the Red-Light District, one critical rule was to keep wealth out of sight, or you wouldn't even know who had robbed you. Noble youths often made this mistake, getting robbed of wealth was minor; getting robbed of anything more was likely. Even worse, they could end up being killed.
"You're not the first to say that," the "Noble Youth" replied with a faint smile, taking a gentle sip from his glass with one hand.
Several groups in the tavern had silently targeted this young man.
A glass of the creamy white and purple-hued Milka was quickly handed over, and Guding downed it in one gulp, "Another round!"
"Judging by your age, you're still in school, aren't you?" the "Noble Youth" engaged warmly.
"Yeah, studying at the Basic Military Academy on Sea Blue Star, about to graduate." Guding nodded. The young man in front of him didn't have the typical arrogance of nobles, which made Guding hesitate about whether to warn him to leave this troubled place quickly.
"Oh, a military academy..." The "Noble Youth" nodded with a smile, a fleeting glint of chill in his eyes that went unnoticed. But the chill wasn't directed at Guding; it seemed a natural reaction upon hearing the words "military academy." He concealed it well before continuing, "Do you plan to enlist in the army?"
"No, I want to be an interstellar pirate." Guding gave his answer almost without thought.
The "Noble Youth" was momentarily taken aback before laughing, "Being an interstellar pirate isn't easy. Not only do you have to dodge the Federation Army, but you'll also be pursued by bounty hunters, and there's infighting among pirates. Join the Federation Army, and you'll never have to worry about food and drink your entire life, isn't that better?"
"The Federation Army has too many rules; I still think interstellar piracy is more suited for me," Guding shook his head.
"In that case, which pirate group would you want to join? Our pirate group isn't bad; would you consider it?" The "Noble Youth" didn't disclose the name of the pirate group he belonged to.
"Thanks for your offer, but I want to build my own pirate group." Guding firmly refused.
"Is that so?" The "Noble Youth" didn't look disappointed but patted Guding on the shoulder, "In that case, you'd better find some reliable partners. No matter how powerful you are alone, your strength is limited."
The tavern was clamorous, but something eerie was going on in another area of the Red-Light District.
On a quiet street, a dead woman pinned to the wall by a black rod suddenly came back to life. After gasping for breath, she pulled the black rod from her chest with effort and threw it to the side. Brushing back her long hair with one hand, a small black object, the size of a pinky, appeared between her fingers. A look of relief crossed her face as she placed the object into her ear.
Within the tavern, the "Noble Youth"'s wristwatch began to flash suddenly, indicating someone was requesting a call. The Noble Youth inserted an earpiece before pressing the answer button.
"Boss, the mission failed. The item was still snatched by someone, unknown what faction it was. I played dead to escape, even losing my Smart Watch," a clear female voice transmitted into the "Noble Youth"'s ear.
"I understand, withdraw. Sea Blue Star is no longer a place we can stay," the "Noble Youth" spoke these words audibly, his voice reaching everyone in the room.
After ending the call, the "Noble Youth" tossed down two Star Coins and turned to leave.
"Hey, I'm Guding. What's your name?" Guding called out to his back.
"The Judge of Pirates—Koude Brad." The "Noble Youth" paused, slightly turning his head, "I have a feeling we'll meet again."
The lively tavern fell into silence the instant the "Noble Youth" revealed his name.
(Second day of posting, just realized I forgot something important. I haven't asked for votes~~ Yes, clicks, collections, recommendations, and all support I can plead for, I'm rolling on the ground shamelessly asking for~~)