"Boss lady, here to turn in a task!" Feld pushed open the wooden door of the Heif Tavern and announced loudly.
However, as soon as he entered, he sensed something was amiss.
The tavern was divided into two groups of people.
On the right side sat the regular customers of the tavern, including the bearded man, whom Feld often saw here.
On the left side sat a group of men with crab tattoos, clearly members of the Crab Gang. Their leader, Sains, sat right at the bar, nursing his injured arm with a bandage wrapped around it, a reminder of the arm Feld had torn off with his pliers.
The atmosphere in the tavern was unusually tense and quiet, quite different from its usual lively atmosphere.
Feld's smile disappeared instantly, his face expressionless as he surveyed the scene with a hostile glare.
"What's this? The Crab Gang expanding their territory to this area?" Feld strode into the tavern, hands in his pockets, his gaze unkindly fixed on the Crab Gang members.
Immediately, the Crab Gang members shook their heads repeatedly, pointing towards their leader.
Sains, who was drinking, smiled, albeit with a hint of fear. "It's a misunderstanding, big brother. We're not here to expand our territory."
"I see." Feld's expression instantly changed to one of genial innocence as he walked over and sat beside Sains. "So, you're here to invite me for a drink then?"
Feld put his arm around Sains's shoulder, appearing quite intimate. However, Sains instinctively shrunk his neck back. The imposing presence of this big guy was too overwhelming for him, and the pain from his severed arm, inflicted by Feld, still lingered as if it had happened just yesterday.
Seeing Feld's smiling face, Sains immediately said to Evelyn, "Quick, bring the best wine for my brother here!"
Rolling her eyes, Evelyn turned and poured a glass of wine for Feld.
Feld nodded in satisfaction, then tilted his head, gesturing towards a hungry-looking kitten nearby.
Sains, being smooth as ever, immediately said, "And bring the best milk and some fish treats for my brother here!"
And just like that, after a few words, over a hundred gold coins were spent.
Sains felt the pinch. Ever since Feld swindled him out of thirty thousand gold coins, he was left with just a few pieces of silver. The entire gang was living hand to mouth, especially after Feld "seized" an entire street of the market. There was even a question as to whether the gang still had over a hundred members.
"Alright, spill it. What's the matter?" After taking a sip of his drink, Feld finally spoke, tossing a cigarette to Sains and lighting one for himself.
That's how mercenaries were. Yesterday's enemy might be today's comrade. Of course, today's comrade might be tomorrow's adversary, fighting to the death for some common goal.
It all depended on the situation, and adaptability was key.
Taking the cigar out of his mouth, Sains lit the cigarette Feld had given him and took a drag before saying with a bitter smile, "Brother, I really admire you."
"You have such strong abilities at such a young age. I'm definitely no match for you."
Feld didn't respond, just smiled at him.
He knew Sains was buttering him up, probably for his own protection.
He was here on behalf of the patron behind him, who likely held considerable influence in the inner city.
As expected, seeing Feld's lack of response, Sains stopped beating around the bush and said, "To be honest, brother, our boss wants to meet you."
"Your boss? Who is he, and is he someone with clout?" Feld asked casually.
"He is, absolutely!" Sains said, "He heard about the fight between you and me..."
Feld raised an eyebrow.
Sains quickly corrected himself, "He heard that you gave me a beating. There aren't many people in the outer city with that kind of strength, so he admires you and hopes to be friends with you."
Feld chuckled.
Just as he suspected.
The boss behind Sains was definitely a prominent figure in the inner city. Sains was just a lackey in his hands, managing the assets in the outer city for him.
Although the assets in the outer city only accounted for less than a tenth of Heidu's, the population in the outer city made up eighty percent of Heidu's total population. This raised a crucial issue—stability.
Some scraps had to be thrown out of the inner city to feed the outer city's common folk. Otherwise, if the common folk rebelled, the inner city would suffer.
When the empire came to investigate, the first to be killed would be those so-called big shots.
Therefore, in a sense, these gangs are just a means for the big shots in Heidu to maintain stability, much like law enforcement officers.
And now, with Feld appearing in the Outer City, it's clear that Sains can't control him. So, those big shots have only two choices: either to recruit him or to eliminate him.
Obviously, they chose the former.
Everyone is smart, and Feld previously lied, claiming to have connections with the Lord of Grilac City, which also contributed to their hesitation.
Unless they also have connections, they have no way to investigate.
But compared to Grilac City, Heidu is like a first-tier city compared to an obscure small town, there's no comparison. So, the likelihood of these so-called big shots being able to prove Feld is lying is low.
They don't want to take that risk.
In the end, they could only choose the former option.
So, sometimes, lies can indeed bring many benefits, which is why many people like to lie.
However, lies always come with a cost.
Unless... you can turn the lie into reality.
Feld is confident in this. With his increasing strength, it's only a matter of time.
So, he nodded. "Go on, I'm listening."
Seeing Feld didn't immediately refuse, Sains also breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he smiled obsequiously and said, "The meeting place is the best tavern in the Inner City—the Steel Fist Tavern!"
"That's not a place just anyone can enter. Only you, big brother, have the qualifications to go in."
"Well, that's impressive," Feld chuckled, took a sip of his drink, and asked, "What's your boss's name?"
"Raymond Eng, a prominent figure in Heidu, also known as Iron Fist!" Sains replied promptly.
"Half of the mercenaries in the inner city are under his command!"
"To be honest, I learned my skills from him. He also has an iron arm, but much more powerful than mine."
"It's said that when he was young, he killed a ground dragon with that iron arm!"
Ground dragons, even when fully grown, are at least platinum level creatures. When he was young... conservatively estimating, this Iron Fist is very likely a mithril level powerhouse now.
Feld pondered for a moment.
With his current strength, he could easily handle creatures up to platinum level. The Giant lineage gave him that confidence. But if it's a mithril level opponent, he'd have to weigh his options.
Fortunately, after being promoted to gold, the Giant inheritance he unlocked gave him a gift, something very useful. This card was enough to give him the confidence to face mithril level powerhouses—if he couldn't beat them, at least he could run away.
So, he nodded. "Alright, I got it. I'll go find him later."
"Great, I'm sure the boss will be very pleased. He's looking forward to meeting an outstanding mercenary like you!"
"Then, I hope my brother will take care of me more in the future."
Watching Sains's ingratiating face, Feld chuckled. "Sure thing."
Sains's attitude was probably so obsequious because he was afraid that if Feld came, his boss would kick him out and replace him with Feld. At that time, even if he didn't die, he'd be skinned alive.
So, he had to mend his relationship with Feld now. That way, even if he were kicked out in the end, Feld wouldn't kill him.
It's a smart move, no wonder he became the boss.
Unfortunately, he probably got too comfortable, then encountered Feld, this monster, and then he fell.
"I won't disturb you anymore, brother," Sains said with a smile, getting ready to leave.
"Wait a minute." Suddenly, Feld's voice came, and Sains swallowed hard, quickly turning back, "Is there anything else, brother? If there's anything, just tell me. I promise to handle it for you!"
Feld chuckled at his survival instinct.
"It's nothing major. I just wanted to ask if there are any good blacksmith shops in the Inner City. I've never been inside, so I'm not sure," Feld said.
Hearing this, Sains breathed a sigh of relief, then thought for a moment and said, "Oren's Forge. It's the best blacksmith shop in all of Heidu. The owner is a dwarf named Oren."
"As you know, dwarves are the best at forging on the entire continent!"
Feld nodded. As a blacksmith, he certainly knew.
Oren... that name sounds like someone who knows how to forge!
"But the owner of that blacksmith shop has a terrible temper, and his works are very expensive, extremely expensive. Even a dagger starts at thirty thousand gold. If you want to buy weapons, I suggest another blacksmith shop..."
"No need. Just this one. Tell me the address," Feld said.
He wasn't going to buy weapons from the blacksmith shop, but to make them.
He promised Hilda specialized weapons, and that wasn't just an offhand comment.
Sains and the members of the Crab Gang left, while Feld remained seated, drinking and looking at the address written by Sains.
"The handwriting is really ugly, I can't even make out what he wrote," Feld couldn't help but comment.
"Let me see," Evelyn said, taking the piece of paper from Feld and looking at it. She said, "The handwriting is indeed ugly, but I know this place. It's..."
Evelyn told Feld the address, and Feld nodded, making a mental note.
"So, are you really going to meet this Iron Fist?" Evelyn asked as she looked at him.
"Why not? He seems to be a powerful intermediary, so I naturally have to make contact," Feld said matter-of-factly.
"Aren't you afraid that he might be luring you there to harm you?" Evelyn couldn't help but ask.
"Heh, someone who can hold a prominent position wouldn't do such a foolish thing. If he dares to do so, I promise to make him regret ever coming into this world," Feld said nonchalantly.
Evelyn couldn't help but roll her eyes. This big guy's courage knows no bounds. But that's also what Evelyn admires most about him—the kind of confidence that can't be learned.
"Oh, almost forgot, here's the task completion," Feld said, taking out a small bag of task coins and handing it to Evelyn. Evelyn looked at it and then picked up a platinum task coin, saying, "Did you complete the platinum-level task?"
"Yeah," Feld nodded. "I managed to find the corpse of a Crystal Demon Snake."
"Evelyn:..."
Seeing Evelyn's incredulous expression, Feld just smiled and didn't explain. Anyway, the task was completed, and the materials were already submitted to the client. He also received the task coins from the client, so that's the fact.
Evelyn didn't dwell on it too much, just amazed at Feld's efficiency. He said he'd do it within ten days, but it took less than three days in total.
What a monster.
"Since you handed over the task materials to that Holan mentor and she only posted the task without leaving a prepayment, do you... ask her for a commission?" Evelyn asked.
Feld glanced at her, seeing how concerned she was, and then nodded.
"Of course, look," Feld took out the formation disk given to him by Holan, saying, "It's worth tens of thousands. So, I went and exchanged it for this."
"A thousand-kilometer teleportation formation disk?!" Evelyn took it, curious to play with it. "This thing isn't cheap, and money can't even buy it."
"Of course, do you believe me now? I'm just friends with her, and I get exactly what commission I deserve," Feld said with a sneer.
Evelyn laughed, then returned the formation disk to Feld with a smug look on her face. "I don't believe you."
She said that, but she had a smile on her face, and her footsteps were much lighter. She even took the initiative to ask Feld, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? We have fresh Giant Claw Crabs today. Do you want a serving? I'll treat you."
"Really, the Giant Claw Crab Deluxe Set isn't cheap, it's over three hundred gold per serving," Evelyn said.
"You helped me improve the tavern rating, so inviting you to eat Giant Claw Crabs is nothing," Evelyn lifted her chin slightly. "How about it? If you don't want it, I'll release the order, and many people want to eat it and have to line up."
"Sure, why not?" Feld grinned.
In no time, the fragrant Giant Claw Crabs were served.
Wow, the crab shell alone had a diameter of over a meter, and the claws were thicker than Qiqi's waist. The plate for the Giant Claw Crabs was large enough to fit two Qiqis lying down, and there was also a large pile of seafood side dishes.
This was the deluxe set, meant for twelve people.
Feld and Qiqi enjoyed the meal, their mouths greasy and satisfied.
The mercenaries in the tavern were all envious. Even Big Beard couldn't help but come over and shamelessly ask Feld for a crab leg to satisfy his craving.
Feld didn't mind sharing, anyway, he couldn't finish such a large Giant Claw Crab alone. So, he called over the landlady, Big Beard, and his teammates to join in.
While eating and chatting happily, Feld and the members of Big Beard's team became good friends, making plans to do missions together in the future.
Of course, it was highly unlikely, Feld's rate of growth was something they couldn't catch up to, after all. They were not on the same level.
But Feld didn't mind making a few friends along this difficult and long road—friends with whom he could chat, drink, and boast.