Five Elements Continent, the western part of the South Fire Empire, Li Fire City.
In the South Fire Empire, Li Fire City can only be considered a medium-sized city, but it is incredibly prosperous in all aspects. There are merely a minimal two thousand troops stationed here, yet the city's security is exceptional. The broad and clean streets are paved with a distinctive dark red granite, a feature unique to the South Fire Empire. This type of stone lends an aesthetic value to the streets and also ensures their durability. Provided there is no intentional damage, use for a few hundreds of years poses no problem.
Time had currently wound its way to dusk, with the setting sun leaving a gorgeous evening glow on the horizon. Li Fire City became increasingly tranquil and at ease. People, after a not so busy day's work, have begun their rest time. Various entertainment venues meant for evenings have thus begun to liven up too.
Burning Passion, is one of the most famous bars in Li Fire City, located next to the main road in the prime location. Its main color scheme mirrors the majority of the buildings in Li Fire City, primarily red but more vivid. Its impressive two-storey construction is not its greatest selling point; what attracts the customers more is the bar's outdoor square.
The outdoor square is nearly five hundred square meters in area. In the center is a circular bar with a diameter of ten meters, where the most renowned bartenders from Burning Passion Bar will prepare drinks for the guests every evening. Even on rainy days, it never lacks customers. The awning that could be swiftly extended to cover the entire outdoor area is sufficient to tackle this.
There are no winters in the South Fire Empire, so nights here are never lonely.
At this time, Burning Passion's bartenders had already taken their positions, and the number of guests in the open-air square gradually increased. For them, this was their busiest moment of the day.
An old man dressed in a red robe walked into the open-air square. The moment he stepped into the square, a server immediately welcomed him with a smile on his face and led him to the center of the open-air square, the spot that was closest to the center of the bar. The ten tables around the central bar are not accessible to ordinary guests, all reserved for the bar's VIPs. Without a doubt, this red-robed old man was one of them. Moreover, his seat was right opposite the street, at the premier table.
The old man in the red robe had short white hair, a bulbous nose, small eyes, and was not tall. No matter how you look at him, he seemed unremarkable. But the faint red glow in his small eyes occasionally flickered with an enchanting power.
"Elder Yang, the usual?" A middle-aged man dressed in formal attire came over, bowing slightly to the red-robed old man. Only the guests at the VIP table were entitled to personal treatment from the bar owner.
Yang Elder helplessly replied, "Apart from your specialty Burning Passion Cocktail that tastes somewhat unique, there isn't anything else here that can attract me."
The owner gave a faint smile, saying, "Please wait a moment." He turned around and snapped his fingers at the oldest bartender behind the central bar. The bartender understood instantly, taking out a clean crystal liquor pot, promptly getting started with his first task of the day, which also happened to be the most crucial one every day.
Soon, various kinds of liquor were poured into the liquor pot in order, filtration mesh was placed in, and the lid was covered. The liquor pot suddenly launched into an ebullient dance in the bartender's hands.
As the liquor pot was made of transparent white crystal, one could clearly see the color of the liquor inside during the mixing process. Under the bartender's swift and skilled shaking, the color of red liquor in the pot fluttered up and down like a cluster of flames, looking very spectacular. When the flame finally calmed down in the bartender's hands, the pot's lid somehow had already been opened. The bartender poured the dark red liquor into a martini glass, flicked it on the side lamp, and instantly a pale red flame ignited atop the liquor with the aromatic and slightly spicy scent of alcohol floating around.
The expert demeanor of the Burning Passion Bar's senior bartender, and the aroma of the Burning Passion Cocktail immediately earned applause and smiles from the guests nearby. Yang Elder was no exception; he nodded at the bartender. When his gaze fell on the glass of wine, a look of impatience emerged in his small eyes.
Soon, this beautiful wine was served in front of Yang Elder. He took the glass directly from the server, took a sip without giving a thought to the flame burning in the liquor, gave a long sigh, and praised before the bar owner, "Good, the taste of Burning Passion is indeed impressive. After drinking it for five years, it still satisfies me, an old drunkard. No wonder your business thrives so much."
The bar owner responded respectfully with a smile, "As long as you're satisfied."
However, at this moment, a discordant voice suddenly sounded from one side, "Is this also considered good wine? Just rubbish." Although this voice was not loud and rather weak and hoarse, it did not cover the haughty tone in his words.
"Hmm?" The bar owner and Yang Elder almost instantly turned towards the direction where the voice was coming from. They saw a small, skinny beggar dressed in rags squatting not far away from the table, his gaze focused on the Burning Passion Cocktail, with a look of contempt in his not-so-bright eyes.
The bar owner furrowed his brows, gazing sternly at a server not far away. The server then noticed the existence of the beggar boy, hurriedly ran over and apologized, "Sorry, boss, I didn't see him come in."
The bar owner waved his hand, indicating the server to quickly drag the beggar out so as not to affect his business. Facing Yang Elder, he didn't want to appear too dominant.
The boy stood up on his own. His face was dirty, his body thin, looking just like an eleven or twelve years old boy. His messy hair seemed unwashed for many days, and his body emanated some unpleasant smells.
The server, disgusted, went to drag him out. But Yang Elder relieved him by saying, "Wait a moment." Without needing the bar owner to signal, the server immediately retracted his hand, looking at Yang Elder confusedly.
Yang Elder looked at the beggar boy, "Little boy, did you just say that this Burning Passion is not good? I wonder where you've seen better wine, tell us about it." Pursuing good wine might be referred to as one of his biggest interests in life.
Quickly, the bar owner added, "Elder Yang, he's just a small beggar; he wouldn't know anything. Don't let him disrupt your pleasure of enjoying wine." People in South Fire Empire loved drinking, therefore the wine industry was extremely competitive. The bar owner legitimately feared that the beggar boy would mention some better wine from another bar in the city, which might lure away this honorable guest. It must be noted, Elder Yang coming here daily to have drinks went beyond the issue of how much income that brought.