Chapter 135: Good News

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Guided by Zilei, the two of us entered a tavern on the main street to the east of Xuan Frost City—“First-Class Fragrance”!

Compared to the bustling and crowded city streets, First-Class Fragrance was not only spacious but also remarkably quiet. Outside noise could not penetrate inside, and the elegant booths were separated by screens so that even if customers spoke loudly next to one another, conversations remained completely private. It was the perfect refuge.

As soon as I sat down, I instantly felt a fondness for this place.

Though the system shamelessly deducted one gold coin from my backpack the moment I sat, the decor was truly exquisite—serene and refined, with a faint calming fragrance in the air that naturally relaxed one’s mind. Just sitting here felt like a treat… That one gold coin was well worth it!

Zilei seemed to be a frequent visitor here; he casually picked up a menu from the elegant small table. Soon, a rosy-lipped, white-toothed young girl in her prime arrived beside us, asking politely and softly what we wished to order.

The virtual waitress was stunningly beautiful; even Zilei was visibly impressed. Smiling, he quickly ordered a bottle of wheat beer and the tavern’s signature wine—“Crimson Snow.”

He also ordered several small dishes to accompany the drinks, then slid the menu over to me:

“This is your first time here, so today’s on me. Next time, remember to treat me twice! Haha, I won’t let you off easy then!”

“Heh, fair enough,” I replied without hesitation, ordering the same wheat beer and Crimson Snow.

Just as I finished speaking, Zilei suddenly revealed a subtle, inscrutable smile but remained silent, quietly watching the waitress as if she were performing a magic trick, producing two amber-hued beers and two jade-white small porcelain bottles.

Then came several small dishes to accompany the drinks.

After placing everything on the table, the waitress said softly, “Enjoy your meal,” and left our booth.

Without a word, I reached for the warm jade-white porcelain wine bottle…

Seconds later, a painful scream erupted from the booth: “Wah! So spicy! Huff! Huff!!”

The waitress hurried over at the sound, setting down two glasses of water…

“Gulp! Gulp!”

I gulped down two large glasses of water and quickly stuffed some of the dishes into my mouth. The burning sensation in my mouth eased only slightly, but I was still speaking amid waves of heat:

“Phew! Brother Zilei, you… huff… are too cruel! You didn’t even warn me! Cough, this is burning me alive!”

Zilei sipped his wine in small sips, wearing a sly expression, clearly pleased with his mischievous success. I regretted it bitterly in my heart…

“Crimson Snow… Crimson Snow… the reason it’s famous here is because it can burn the snow red. Its ‘fiery kick’ is legendary. Twenty gold coins wasted like this, and you still dare to blame me... hehe.”

Zilei’s words only made the fire inside me burn hotter, with no outlet for my frustration…

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“So, while we still have some time, I want to tell you a few things…”

Suddenly, Zilei changed the subject.

“Go ahead,” I replied.

I had already suspected that Zilei’s eagerness to drink with me today meant he had something to discuss, so I quickly responded.

“I want to clarify in advance: these are just my personal thoughts and suggestions, unrelated to our guild.”

Zilei looked serious. I nodded blankly.

“And then?”

“Then, well…” Zilei rolled his eyes.

“First, another matter. It should be good news for you…”

Good news? I loved good news. My expression immediately turned attentive.

“The Supreme Mercenary Guild has cleared up their misunderstanding about you. From now on, in Xuan Frost City, you won’t be harassed or attacked by the Supreme Mercenary Guild anymore. This was personally confirmed by the Supreme Commander…”

Hearing this, I immediately furrowed my brow: “Could it be Sister Whisper…”

“No, it wasn’t her. Our guild leader wasn’t involved either, nor anyone from our guild. You know the leader of the Dragon Flame Mercenaries, right?”

“Yes. He was the one who helped me kill four Dark Legion members last time.”

“Tch, don’t brag about that in front of me… With your Gale Suit, your strength isn’t much weaker than theirs. After all, those Dark Legion guys were just small fry, and you had seven people on your side,” Zilei mercilessly tried to deflate my confidence. “In a fair one-on-one fight, you’d be in trouble.”

I gave a bitter smile. That was true. Even my previous success relied on information from Dr. Ye and catching the Dark Legion archers completely off guard.

But that was in the past. Now, one-on-one against the Dark Legion small fry, I could still win steadily…

I didn’t try to explain to Zilei, because these things only prove themselves through action!

I was still curious why the Supreme Mercenary Guild suddenly stopped hunting me… Had the prodigal returned? When did he gain such favor with the Supreme Commander?

Upon asking, Zilei chuckled and explained:

“The prodigal certainly didn’t gain that much favor, but he’s very shrewd! He knows the Supreme Commander cares a lot about our guild leader, so he deliberately leaked that your first- and second-tier gear came from the Whisper Mercenary Guild! Let the Supreme Commander guess and think for himself… As a result, the Supreme Commander came to me today, asking if I knew you… and if your gear was supplied by us.”

“How did you answer him?”

Zilei smiled: “Heh, what else could I say? I just told him, ‘I know this scavenger Kirin, but you guys seem to think he’s with the Dragon Wolf Knights. Why are you asking if he’s from our Whisper Guild?’”

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Upon hearing that, I made a strange face, utterly unable to imagine the Supreme Commander’s reaction to such an ambiguous answer…

Sure enough!

Zilei said the Supreme Commander suspected hidden meaning in his words and pressed further about the gear, mentioning some Dragon Flame people claimed Kirin’s gear came from Whisper. He asked if that was true.

Hearing this, I once again wore a perplexed expression, curious about what strange reply Zilei would use this time.

As expected, Zilei was cunning to the extreme.

He didn’t mention that the gear was exchanged for Kodo Beast magic stones. Instead, he pretended seriously and said Kirin’s gear looked “familiar.” He admitted he had indeed sought two such sets but had given them to the Whisper guild leader. Whether she sold or gifted them to others, he didn’t know, and then told the Supreme Commander to ask Whisper directly.

The Supreme Commander didn’t dare to inquire…

Thanks to Zilei’s deliberate misdirection, Kirin effectively became a secret member of the Whisper Mercenary Guild, yet he was still wanted by the Dragon Wolf Knights.

Such an “obvious” fact, if revealed openly to Whisper, could strain their relations further, especially since Whisper hadn’t taken the initiative to explain.

Fortunately, things didn’t deteriorate seriously, and Kirin didn’t suffer from the misunderstanding. The Supreme Commander soon publicly announced the misunderstanding with Kirin was cleared up.

…

Learning that the Supreme Mercenary Guild voluntarily called off their pursuit, I immediately relaxed.

But I hadn’t forgotten the threats from the Dragon Wolf Knights and the Dark Legion… Just as I was thanking Zilei, he suddenly smiled mysteriously:

“Heh, don’t be too quick to thank me. There’s more good news to tell you!”

My eyes lit up instantly as Zilei continued:

“You want to do your third-tier promotion quest, right? Tomorrow, the Dragon Wolf Knights and Dark Legion won’t have time to bother you. Take this chance and hurry up with the quest!”

His words brought an even bigger smile to my face:

Ha! Everything I could hope for! I’d been worried about how to slip past the watchful eyes of the three major mercenary guilds to leave the city for my promotion. Now, with the Supreme Guild lifting their ‘attention’ and the Dragon Wolf and Dark Legion seemingly preoccupied with something big… truly, fortune favors me!

Once I reach third tier…

Once I get third-tier gear, the Dragon Wolf Knights and Dark Legion will have to be more cautious if they want to hunt me down again!

A third-tier archer-warrior won’t be as passive as at second tier!