Ch19
Evening came and the group was still celebrating. Some patrons of the establishment were unhappy because of their loud voices, but they didn't dare complain. Jason and the few Second Level Body Strengthening cultivators in the group were famous in the village. No one dared to cause them trouble. However, there were exceptions…
An old man with a thin figure and a long white beard walked towards their table with a walking stick in his hand. Following behind him were two workers of the Mystic Cloud Inn. These two were the guards of the establishment with cultivation bases at the Second Level of Body Strengthening. They were capable individuals, but they acted respectfully in the presence of the old man.
Jason and the others noticed these people so they stopped their chattering.
When Jason saw the old man, he immediately sobered up and quickly rose to his feet. "Good evening, Elder Wilcon!"
Kevin and the other hunters also stood up to greet the old man.
Mark was dumbfounded when he saw this scene. He didn't want to be conspicuous so he also stood up and lowered his head. 'Who is this old man? Even Sir Jason seems to be afraid of him…' He had never seen Jason react like this. Even when they faced the Black Scaled Boar, Jason still managed to remain calm.
The old man whom they called Elder Wilcon smiled kindly at them. "Relax. I only came here to congratulate you guys. I heard from Victor that you managed to eliminate the Black Scaled Boar that was lately causing a lot of problems for the travelers and hunters."
Jason smiled nervously as he said. "We were only lucky. The Black Scaled Boar was just newly promoted to Spider-Grade Third Level so it's comparatively weaker than mystical beasts of the same level. Furthermore, there were fifty of us so it's already a given that we would be able to take it down."
The old man chuckled at his words. "Stop being humble. The Black Scaled Boar is among the toughest creatures to kill because of its hard scales. You guys managed to kill it which means that your group is quite capable."
Jason merely smiled in response, but he couldn't hide the pride in his face.
The old man stroked his beard as he continued. "Since you did the village a great service, everything is on me today, but don't cause too much noise since the guests will sleep soon."
The eyes of the hunters lit up upon hearing this, but Jason seemed to be hesitant. "How could we do tha-"
Before he could say anything more, the old man raised his hand and said. "I insist."
Seeing this, he knew that he couldn't decline him so Jason could only agree. "Thank you so much, Elder Wilcon!" He bowed his head respectfully.
"Good! Remember not to make too much noise, okay?" The old man smiled gently.
"Yes, Elder Wilcon!"
The old man was pleased by their response. He exchanged a few more words with them before he left with the two guards of the establishment.
Looking at him leave, Jason heaved a sigh of relief.
"Max, who is that old man?" Mark asked in a whispering voice.
Max knew that he wasn't from the village so he answered. "That is Elder Wilcon, the manager of this branch of the Mystic Cloud Inn. I heard from my father that Elder Wilcon is already a Fifth Level Body Strengthening cultivator. He is the strongest cultivator in Greenwood Village!"
Mark raised his eyebrows in surprise. He learned a few details from Max's words. First, the Mystic Cloud Inn seemed to have an impressive background. Second was the strength of the old man. Lastly, it was the power structure of Greenwood Village.
Initially, he thought that Elder Victor was the strongest in the village. He never thought that a much stronger individual actually existed.
Mark wanted to ask more about the Mystic Cloud Inn and the old man, but he refrained from mentioning it. He was afraid that the old man might be secretly listening to their conversation.
The group continued their celebration for two more hours before Jason told everyone to return to their homes.
"We should go home now, but you guys should return in groups of three or more." Jason said in a stern voice. His face was red after drinking a lot of alcohol, but he was still sober.
"Yes, sir!" The hunters agreed. They were also worried that the Iron Fist Gang would attack them so going in groups would be safer.
"Wolf, where are you headed to?" Max asked while looking at Mark.
"I don't have a house here so I'll probably stay in the inn." Mark replied.
"I see. In that case, we'll leave first. You can come see me at Freddy's Weapon Shop." Max smiled as he patted Mark's shoulder.
When Mark heard the shop's name, he felt that it was familiar, but he was too drunk to think about it deeply. He just nodded his head. "Alright. You guys take care."
"Rest well, kid!"
"Good night, Wolf!"
Everyone bid each other farewell before they left the establishment.
After they left, Mark headed to the reception.
The blonde-haired girl was no longer there. 'Her shift must have ended.' He thought to himself.
"Hello, sir! How may I help you?" The person who greeted him was a black-haired girl who seemed to be in her early twenties. Earlier, she saw Mark together with Jason and the other veteran hunters so she was extra respectful to him.
Mark smiled at the girl. "I'd like to stay for a week." He had nowhere else to go and he was too drunk to look for a cheaper place.
The black-haired girl nodded and said. "Normally, it will cost you 50 Orbes to stay for a day in our rooms, but Elder Wilcon said that if someone in your group decides to stay, they will receive a 50% discount."
Mark was pleasantly surprised. A week of stay would have cost him 350 Orbes. With the 50% discount, he could save 175 Orbes!
'What a generous old man!' He thought in his heart as he recalled the image of the kind elderly gentleman.
"Please convey my thanks to Elder Wilcon." Mark said as he handed his payment to the receptionist.
The receptionist smiled at him. "I will." She then handed him the key to his room.
Mark took the key and headed upstairs. He then entered his room and sat in a lotus position on top of the bed.
He wanted to know if he could still cultivate in his current state.
To his surprise, he could feel that Qi was being absorbed by his body, which meant that being drunk didn't have a huge effect on his cultivation. He didn't know if this was a perk of being a player or if everyone was the same.
Before he started his cultivation, he decided to check his stats.
Player IGN: Wolf of the Grassland
Cultivation: Body Strengthening First Level
Physique: Mortal
Qi: 42/100
Wealth: 2088 Orbes
Vitality: 1.7
Endurance: 3.7
Strength: 2.1
Stamina: 1.7
Speed: 1.5
Spirit: 2.9
Cold Resistance: 0.3
Heat Resistance: 0.3
Damage: 1.7
Mark grinned when he saw his wealth. "I should visit the weapon shop tomorrow to buy some equipment."
While mentioning this, he suddenly recalled something. 'Hold on… Max told me earlier to look for him at Freddy's Weapon Shop. Is he connected to the owner of the shop?'
A moment later, Mark resumed his cultivation.
+ 1 Qi
+ 1 Qi
+ 1 Qi