Lex spent a surprising number of hours visiting the shops on Bakers street. He thought he'd just pop in, introduce himself and the tavern, and invite the shopkeepers for a drink afterwards. But most shopkeepers started to chat with him, often exclaiming he was so young to be able to open up a tavern. They were friendly enough, and the offer for free drinks made them even friendlier.
By the time he visited the fourth store, upon noticing the excitement for free drinks, he wondered if he should add a home drop off service for his customers once they were done. It was definitely something he would look into.
Finally, he approached the last store, which happened to also be his immediate neighbor - a bakery. Walking into the store filled with the smell of fresh bread, Lex could not be happier at his tavern's location. Most of the shelves seemed to be empty, with only a few rolls of bread and some pastries left. Either this was a very popular or unpopular shop.
"Hey hey, welcome friend," exclaimed a particularly jolly man from behind the counter. "Welcome to Bakers street bakery." The man chuckled as he said the name. Something told Lex he did that often.
"Clever name," replied Lex with a smirk.
"Ah yeah, the wife dared me just when I opened up the shop. I was going to call it Dino's bakery, after myself but, well, a dare is a dare."
"Should have just gone for Bakers bakery directly."
"Hah! That would have been a blast. But, well, it's done now."
"Well met, Dino," said Lex as he reached over to shake the man's hand. "My name is Lex, I just opened up a tavern right next door. You should come on over after you're done. Drinks are free the first day, in celebration of the opening."
"Free? Well now brother, free is the magic word. I'll be sure to drop by. Better yet, I'll bring the wife too. Ain't no reason she can't enjoy a free drink as well."
"I'll be glad to have you. Spread the word if you can, otherwise people won't even know that there's a tavern here."
"Will do brother."
With the exchange complete, Lex exited the shop, breathing a sigh of relief. Fortunately, while Dino was friendly, he was not chatty. That had been his quickest visit yet.
He returned to the tavern to find Big Ben finally awake and sitting at the bar, looking much weaker. His cheeks had gone in noticeably and his once tight shirt hung loose. That, however, did not seem to be his concern - if he had noticed at all - as he was moaning about how his date tonight would be ruined.
"Has the constable already come and questioned you?" Lex asked, surprised that he was still here.
"No, of course not. When the murder happened, I just ran as fast as I could. When I couldn't run anymore, and stopped for breath, I looked up and saw your tavern. I've been here since. The constable probably has no idea I'm even here."
Lex was dumbstruck for a moment. If all the witnesses in the case were like this, it was no wonder the murderer hadn't been caught yet.
"I have an idea," Lex said. "Why don't you tell the girl you were going to see that you witnessed a murder, and you're distraught? That way, she can come here to console you. At the same time, I'll call the constable. When she hears the story of how you survived, I'm sure she'll be impressed."
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"Yeah? Do you think so?" he asked, looking at Lex like a messiah.
"Either way, you need to tell someone what you saw. Otherwise, what if the murderer ruins another date for you?"
Big Ben was convinced, though Lex was seriously beginning to wonder how the big lug had made it through life. Lex told Rick to go find a constable, and bring them to the bar.
In the meanwhile, Lex had Roan pour Big Ben something to revitalize him. He also looked at the relatively empty tavern and couldn't wait for people to start coming in. He checked the time and discovered it was only 3 pm. The perpetual daylight was very disorienting, and Lex still wasn't used to it, as it was almost impossible to tell what time of day it was by the sol-light.
But just because the tavern was empty didn't mean there wasn't anything to do. Lex had Roan start cooking up some finger food for when the rush started. Since there was no kitchen staff, all the food they would serve would need to be prepared in advance, and would require Lex and Rick to serve. A day of serving food at a tavern. Just thinking about it made Lex impatient to hire his staff.
*****
Noman Butt dragged his exhausted body out of the recovery room. Never in his life had he felt so good and terrible at the same time. He felt good, because he had been fully healed. He felt terrible, because unbeknownst to him, during his pursuit, he had been poisoned. It took him weeks in the recovery pod for his body to completely become immune to the poison, and the entire time he was in pain.
If there was one thing to celebrate, it was that his funds never ran out. When he finally woke up after he first passed out, he was informed by Nurse Jubilation about how much treatment was costing him, and how his family was being charged directly for his expenses.
Heh, for other people this might be a large sum, but for his family it was akin to peanuts. Even if they were deducting it from his personal pocket money, he would have enough to survive for years here.
Now what he needed to do was relax, and recover. The Clark Kent glasses ensured that his identity remained hidden while he was here. With his new anonymity, he'd be free of the people finding trouble for him.
"Oh Juliet, I love you with all my heart. I could die for you!" someone exclaimed within Noman's earshot.
He turned to look at the couple, and before the girl could reply, Noman said, "He's lying."
The duo was startled, but before they could ask any questions, he moved on. Yes, he was finally free from all troubles, and a lifetime's worth of experience hiding his unique power ensured that no one would bother him again.
It took 20 minutes for Rick to find a constable and come back, though he didn't really bother explaining the situation to them. Using a series of grunts and sighs, the perpetually tired worker somehow got the constable to follow him.
The moment he realized he was being brought to a tavern, the constable groaned as well, for he was almost entirely certain that he had to deal with the result of a brawl. What awaited him, instead, was the massive Ben, covered in dry blood, being fawned over by his girlfriend. She had instantly noticed the man's weakened state, and directly attributed it to the trauma he suffered, and began coddling the eight foot man like a baby. The girlfriend, Betty, stood at 7 feet and eight inches herself, so her presence was no joke. The dichotomy of a massive woman, her arms rippling with muscles, babying an even larger man was, however, quite funny.
Despite Ben's best efforts to be interrogated right in the tavern, the constable who happened to know the couple eventually convinced them to follow him back to the constable's office.
The tavern was pretty quiet after that, until at exactly 5:30 pm, when Roland entered the Midnight Tavern, followed closely by a group of other kids. Considering their job, they were relatively well dressed, with no obvious tears or holes in their clothes, and even they themselves were clean enough to tell they had showered sometime within the last few days.
Perhaps it was just a stereotype that kids doing jobs in small towns such as this were all homeless orphans. Maybe they were just doing extra work to help around the house.
"We successfully passed out all the fliers you gave us, specifically, 712 of them, each to a separate individual. At 10 fliers per copper coin, that's 71 coppers."
Lex smiled at the kids and asked, "are you sure you wouldn't rather just eat here for a week?"
"Money is money man, don't renege on our deal. You can't bully us just because we're young entrepreneurs."
All the kids behind Roland firmly nodded their heads, looking at Lex fiercely.
Lex chuckled and pulled out a silver coin, worth 100 copper coins, and handed it to Roland. "Well, good job. Here, you can keep the change. I'll keep an eye out, and if I get a lot of customers who got your fliers, I'll contact you again."
Rolands eyes shone as he grabbed the coin, but he managed to keep his voice steady.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"Why don't you and your friends grab a table? Since stuff's free the first day, let me treat you to something."
"Eh... we're kids - no I mean, young entrepreneurs," he said, hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I'll only serve you tea. It'll be good for you."
The kids exchanged a few looks and in the end decided that it would be in poor business spirit to turn down the irresistible offer of 'free'!
Lex had a few plates of french fries, along with sweet iced tea sent over in mugs for the kids. Unlike the sugar water that was iced tea back on Earth, this one was made using the leaves of a spirit plant. Not only would it be refreshing, it would nourish their bodies and heal any injuries they have. It was a tea with very mild effects, perfect for non-cultivators.
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The entry of Roland seemed to be some kind of trigger, as after the kids sat down, small groups started pouring in. Many of them were holding the fliers that had been passed out, but even more of them came asking about the free drinks.
This is when Lex turned on his charm. With a grin on his face that made it seem like he was having the most fun in the world, and a tray in his hand that was never empty of drinks, Lex began welcoming all his guests. First it was only a few, but quickly the tavern started to fill up with sailors and workers who'd gotten free from work.
As soon as a crowd started to develop, Lex took the sitting kids to one of the private rooms, and allowed them to finish up their snacks at their own pace.
But with that, he returned to the main hall, and began serving everyone who dared enter the crowded room. By 7 pm, there was no longer any room in the tavern hall, and Lex began to carry drinks outside so that guests could at least get something to drink even if they didn't stay.
He knew that most of the people who came today wouldn't end up becoming regular customers, but at least this way his tavern would become the talk of the town overnight.
He also made sure to pay special attention in case anyone became rowdy. Brawls and tavern fights were a common occurrence, or so he assumed, but Lex had no intentions of tolerating fights in his establishment.
Lex saw hundreds of different faces, and people came and went faster than he could keep track. It was only due to the system that he was able to monitor the situation.
By 8 pm he had served so many people that even his guests were amazed, and someone by the name of Dirty Rye started a bet for what time the tavern would run out of drinks. One of the sailors brought out a harmonica and took to the stage while another two started dancing.
One man, a hauler at the docks, tried to sing along to the tune, but he was so bad that he was quickly pulled down from stage, accompanied by uproarious laughter.
Dino the baker dropped by along with his wife, a plump woman who worked as a school teacher. She knew half the crowd in the tavern by name, and the other half by their kids' names. After cracking a few jokes, the couple gave Lex a welcome basket full of fresh muffins as a welcome to the street before leaving.
By 9 pm, the tavern was booming with jovial energy and laughter. At 9:01 pm there was pin drop silence, as a carriage arrived in front of the tavern, its presence announced by a trumpet that cut through the noise and froze everyone in their seats.
The opal white carriage, pulled by a single Brown feathered Fantasy Lion, stopped directly in front of the tavern. The driver disembarked from the carriage in proper form and stepped in front of the door and opened it. During this entire process he neither looked at the venue nor deigned to study the surrounding crowd. His gaze was strictly focused only on the ground.
From the carriage stepped forth a handsome young man, his fair skin dazzling under the night time sol-light. He had a soft smile on his face, as if he was enjoying life, and eyes full of curiosity.
"My ship just arrived at the dock and I heard say that someone was giving out free drinks," the man said softly, as if to explain his arrival. Yet no one said or did everything, and all eyes were still stuck on him. The man let out a defeated sigh, and shook his head, as if he was all too familiar with such a scene.
"I told you to let me walk here and blend in. Now look, you've caused a scene."
"It is their honor to be in your presence," responded someone from the carriage, his visage strangely hidden from view. "If you are dissatisfied with the reaction, then get back in the carriage and let's leave. These people will not be comfortable with a lord among them."
The young man passed his gaze over the crowd one more time, as if confirming the other man's statement, and indeed everyone had frozen expressions, filled with panic and confusion.
What he did not know was that the person accompanying him was secretly exposing everyone in the tavern to his aura. He was not suppressing anyone, as the signs of that would be easily identified, but just his aura of an immortal was enough to have the whole tavern in fear for days to come. The man's plan worked - almost.
While everyone else was frozen, Lex took out a tray and put a mug and a glass on it. In the mug he poured the cheapest drink in his tavern: Dimmelon juice, and in the glass he poured the most expensive drink he had: Sunset Wine. Of course, it was only the most expensive drink not including the ones in his wine cellar.
Then, Lex picked up the tray and casually walked towards the carriage. In truth, it only seemed it was casual, and in actuality he was under a lot of pressure. But it was only because the immortal was not actually targeting him with the aura that Lex could even think, let alone move. After all, he'd already experienced how the coercion from the Kraven stopped even his thoughts, let alone actions.
"Indeed, there are free drinks, though only for tonight," he said, and brought the tray before the man. "In celebration of the opening of my tavern."
The man was first startled at Lex's demeanor, and then he grinned widely. Without saying a single word he grabbed the mug and chugged it down. He expected that he would have to force himself to drink, for he did not know what to expect from such aโฆ mediocre level establishment. Yet whatever he drank was genuinely amazing, strengthening his resolve.
In a brute life fashion he allowed the drink to spill from the mug down his face, and once he was finished he wiped it clean with a sleeve.
"Well if it's a celebration, then we must also celebrate," the young man declared. "You can go on without me, because I for one cannot turn down my host's hospitality."
The man in the carriage only let out a deep sigh, after which the driver closed the carriage door, got back in his seat and drove it away.
Now free from the aura, the crowd in the tavern had begun to murmur, and they all watched the young man with fear. A good number of them silently slipped away, but most of them remained.
"The name is Pvarti," the young man said with excitement as he looked around the tavern. It was his first time in such a place.
"What was that drink you poured? It was excellent! I dare day even my brother would like it."
"Dimmelon juice. Technically speaking, it's just the juice of the Dimmelon fruit. It just so happens that the fruit is alcoholic in nature, so it needs no fermentation to be served."
In the entire bar only Pvarti and Lex were talking and the rest were watching, at most whispering amongst themselves.
The situation was not ideal, and Lex had only just begun to think of ways to dissolve the awkwardness when a familiar voice yelled across the street.
"BARKEEP POUR THE DRINKS, I'M GETTING MARRIED!"
Before anyone could even wonder who had yelled, a shirtless giant burst in, holding a similarly giant woman in a dress.
Big Ben and his fiance were grinning ear to ear, and paid no heed to the unusual silence in the tavern.
Before Lex could reply, Pvarti grabbed the tray from his hand and brought it to Big Ben.
"Congratulations brother," he said as he gave Big Ben a slap on his back. "Here, have this."
Without thinking Big Ben grabbed the drink, and before Lex could utter a warning, gulled it down in one go.
"Ah thatโฆ was for Nascent realm cultivators and above," Lex said, awkwardly.
"What?" Big Ben asked, unsure of what Lex meant. The next moment his eyes rolled up, and he fell back on the floor, unconscious.
The tavern burst into laughter, Ben's fiance included. Before the situation could change again, Lex quickly started passing out drinks again while Rick carried Ben to a room once again. He had poured Sunset Wine intending to pass it to the person in the carriage, but the person never gave Lex the opportunity.
Lex turned to look at Roan and asked him if Ben would be okay. After scratching his head a moment, all he could say was "probably."
The night was long and bright, and the brightness did not help the hundreds of sleeping guests in and around his tavern. Lex scratched his head as he looked around him and began to wonder if he took the free drink thing too far.
He himself was not a big drinker and had little experience with the habits of sailors. On top of that, he did not account for the fact that a higher cultivation allowed his guests to drink even more. Logically speaking, he definitely should have run out of drinks considering how much was drank last night.
Yet with the unlimited supply of the system it never happened, and so it was in the later part of the night when Lex abruptly noticed that the noise in the tavern had been dropping. By the time he picked up on what was happening and told Roan to stop giving out drinks, it was too late.
Fortunately, the chances of an accident happening were low to none. This was because the drinks served at his tavern induced intoxication not through alcohol, but through the drinks' spiritual properties. The person drinking would fall asleep if they drank too much so that their body could better absorb all the nutrients and nurturing energies within the drink.
Big Ben, for example, would likely have a breakthrough in his cultivation. Whenever he woke up, that is.
This was more or less the version of his statement that Lex prepared for when the constables eventually came to investigate why there were so many people asleep around his tavern.
Lex, Rick and Roan made sure everyone was alright, turned them on their sides and put down blankets, butโฆ that was more or less all they could do. Even Pvarti was well and truly hammered, though he had the good sense to rent a room instead of passing out on the ground.
Eventually, though, the constables never came. At 6 am, as if clockwork, everyone started waking up. Those that didn't wake would be roused by the people beside them and, after cracking a few jokes about having a 'breakfast' drink, they started making their way back. Though, it needed to be emphasized that it was only a 'joke' because Lex firmly confirmed that the free drinks were over now.
Just like that, his first day as a tavern day owner ended without any major accidents, and just a few tiny accidents.
He ended up spending around 250,000MP yesterday, despite the fact that most drinks were actually very cheap. But it was worth it, because that was the fastest way to spread word about his tavern. Now came the hard part, of slowly developing a reputation amongst actual guests, as well as hiring the appropriate staff.
He told many people yesterday he was looking to hire, so word should definitely spread. But that was a matter that could not be rushed.
Now though, he finally had time to rest. Unfortunately for him, he did not intend on getting any sleep. He entered the tavern's backyard and began cultivating in the Meditation room. He did not forget how his professor told him that cultivating the true path was actually slower, let alone Regal Embrace which should be even harder. He could not afford to slack off.
He only cultivated for a few hours though before stopping. This was both because he needed to pace himself, and because there were a few guests at the tavern who seemed to be waiting for him.
Although being a tavern owner did not necessitate him to be as presentable as the standard he kept for the Inn, he still took time to freshen up before exiting.
Two people were sitting and waiting for him at the bar, one massive and anxious lady and another young looking man in extremely formal attire.
"Big Ben is still sleeping," the giant lady, Betty, said. "He always wakes up on time for work. Is he going to be okay?"
"Yes yes, I assure you," Lex said in a soothing voice. "He will be fine, but he will probably sleep for a few more days. He drank a glass of Sunset Wine, which is not something he can easily absorb at his cultivation level. Once he is done absorbing all the spirit energy, he will naturally wake up, and he'll be feeling better than ever."
Betty let out a sigh of relief, although she was still a little worried about how this would affect his work. People at their level couldn't just take unannounced holidays.
"You have Sunset Wine in this place?" asked the young man with a hint of surprise. Lex immediately recognized the voice - it belonged to the person who accompanied Pvarti to the tavern but didn't get off. This person was an immortal.
"Yes, I keep a bottle onhand incase I get a guest with a moreโฆ demanding pallet," replied Lex. At the same time, he used a function of the system he dearly missed. He scanned the person sitting in front of him.
Name: Bertram Noel
Age: 876
Sex: Male
Cultivation Details: Earth Immortal
Species: Human
Remarks: He reeks of prestige. Will be offended if he is not upcharged for services rendered.
"Would you like some?" Lex asked. "I originally poured the glass yesterday for you."
"You were able to recognize me?" Bertream asked, intrigued even further. "Sure, pour me a glass. I want to see if you have the authentic article."
"I recognized your voice," Lex said, as he signaled Roan to pour. "As a tavern owner, I need to be good at recognizing people."
Betty wasn't the least bit interested in their conversation, and went back to Ben. Since the fellow had collapsed during the free drinks period, Lex decided not to charge him for a room until he eventually woke up. After all, it would help him build relations in this town, and Lex wasn't really desperately in need of the rent.
Roan poured a glass of Sunset wine for Bertram, and left the bottle on the table. A single glass of this wine cost 20,000 MP since it was targeted towards Nascent realm cultivators.
The young man showed a pleasant expression as he lifted the glass and smelled. His attitude was much better than Lex expected based on his behavior the previous day. Still, he only thought that and didn't say it. He was not in the mood to test his formations against an immortal on the second day of having a tavern.
"It's the real deal," he said, then looked at Lex as if reanalyzing the man. "It's not easy to get a bottle like this. I'm impressed."
"Thank you. I hoped I'd be able to satisfy an important guest when I got it, I suppose I was able to fulfill that criteria. Let me take this opportune moment to introduce myself. My name is Lex, and this is my humble tavern."
"Well Lex, your 'humble tavern' has impressed me."
"Are you waiting for Pvarti? It seemed like you weren't too happy about him coming here last night," Lex said, as he sipped some tea from a mug Roan passed to him.
Lex had selected an entire menu of drinks that would aid him in his cultivation, and had explained their uses to Roan. As someone with plenty of experience managing a bar, he knew best when to give Lex what for the greatest effects.
Bertram chuckled as he poured himself another glass and said, "Do you think this is the first time he's done something like this? Or did it seem like this was a novel experience for him? The truth is, it's definitely not. He's just using any excuse possible to delay our trip home for he knows how much trouble he's in."
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Les smiled weakly and did not continue to ask. It was good to be friendly towards people in positions of power, but it definitely wasn't a good thing to pry into their lives. Before he could change the subject though, the man in question finally arrived, his appearance befitting someone who just came from a brawl.
"I've done no such thing, and I'm avoiding no one. In fact, let's go home directly. I'm not afraid," he declared, his voice still as full of energy as last night.
"Lex, this is a fine tavern. I'll be sure to tell my father about it, and get him to waive your taxes or something. Keep your stock of Dimmelon juice from falling, I'll definitely be back for some more."
Then, like a protagonist from a show, Pvarti marched out of the tavern, making a grand exit. Bertram rolled his eyes as he paid for the bottle of Sunset Wine and took it with him.
Silence once again returned to the tavern, and Lex was about to return to his cultivation, but his neighbor Dino made a sudden appearance, followed by a few girls.
"Lex I remember you saying you were looking to hire for your tavern, so I brought you some applicants."
Behind him, three identical looking girls stepped in, looking around curiously. They were triplets, so Lex had a feeling he would have to hire all of them or none of them.