Bear School Astartes

Dandelion undoubtedly, did not notice the ’slightly’ off expressions of the two friends behind him.

Before Geralt discreetly pulled at the corner of his tight-fitting shirt, the poet had already walked with a lively step into the tavern.

”Hello, everyone! Wishing you joy and good health!” Dandelion said loudly as he walked through the wooden door, with the lute echoing a resonant sound, the strings leaping joyfully under his thumb.

”I, Master Dandelion—the most renowned poet on this land—graces your crude establishment, tavern owner! He wishes for a drink! Can you appreciate the great honor I bestow upon you, you old miser?”

”Seems like he’s quite familiar with the owner.” Lann and Geralt could only follow behind, the young man whispering to White Wolf. ”Maybe things won’t get too ugly?”

Geralt looked back at Lann expressionlessly.

He could tell the young man’s tone behind him was akin to a wishful thinking in an awkward situation.

Commonly known as: dreaming.

”I fully appreciate this honor, Master Dandelion.”

The tavern owner lazily leaned out from behind the counter, speaking listlessly.

”Nice to see you, Master. I’m genuinely pleased to see you keeping your promise, for you did say you’d come today to settle the tab with us. But I was blind, and somehow thought you were just boasting like before. I truly feel ashamed for that.”

”Let this shame torment your heart well, dear owner.”

Dandelion introduced himself as if announcing an actor’s entrance, extending his other hand holding the lute backward.

”Because my two loyal friends will be ooohhh...”

Finally, as the pipe dream shattered and the certainty of things sliding into irretrievable territory arose, Lann directly reached out and yanked the cherry-red collar, pulling Dandelion over.

The tall young man held down the shoulders of the poet in his thirties, lowering his voice.

”Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you, dear Dandelion.”

”Hmm? Oh, it doesn’t matter, Lann. I believe everyone should have their privacy. If you don’t want to share something with me, I won’t press you.”

”I agree with you in principle, but this matter seems necessary to ’share’.”

”I’ll be blunt.” Geralt also quietly inserted himself into the conversation.

He looked at Dandelion with a mischievous expression and continued, ”Your plan to have this tycoon pay your alcohol bill isn’t going to work, Dandelion. At least not right now.”

”Lann is nearly broke.”

”WHAT!?”

Dandelion exclaimed uncontrollably as if he’d seen a Demon Spirit, his eyes looking at Lann as wide as saucers.

Still, the reputable stature of an actor, poet, and singer was quite strong, especially in such unexpected situations.

Dandelion quickly seized the opportunity of his uncontrolled loud voice and continued.

”Oh, I can’t accept this! Guys!”

”Do you know what a great person this respected owner is? Are you heartless enough to let him suffer from inner shame? I’m truly ashamed of you!”

Acting as if he were at odds with Geralt and Lann, Dandelion walked to the counter with a look of righteous indignation.

”Please don’t feel ashamed for your earlier misunderstanding, dear man. I can certainly come back another time to settle the debt. Let’s agree on that.”

”But before clearing the tab, please get us a private booth.”

Geralt, unwillingly, moved closer to Lann, reached past Dandelion, and placed a few Novigrad kroner coins on the counter.

If Lann’s assets were properly managed, he could rise back to the peak and fortune.

As a hardworking Demon Hunter, for him to exchange money with Lann just to get a booth, felt painful indeed.

The tavern owner looked at Dandelion and Geralt with a suspicious eye.

But in the end, under the poet’s smooth talk, they were given a private booth inside the tavern, along with the famous fried fish combo.

The purchasing power of Novigrad kroner is among the more sturdy ones.

Especially after the northern and southern war, this neutral free city becomes even more precious, a good place for assets in the continent, so recently the exchange rate between kroner and Oren even appreciated.

”There aren’t many people in the tavern now, we don’t really need a booth.”

Having paid the money, Geralt still nagged.

While Dandelion and Lann had already learned to turn a blind eye to it.

”It’s still too early for the regulars at ’Spear Cave.’ The workers are still repairing the Divine Hall, and the foreman has to be with them. Come, try this fried fish, the essence is in the pepper sauce that comes with it.”

Dandelion, serving as a regular, introduced the tavern while skillfully dealing with the fried fish combo.

Freshly caught market fish can be bought at Novigrad’s fish market, they are cheap. After all, it’s near the sea and the river.

The combo also includes a bowl of tomato cream soup, wheat bread, and a bowl of sauerkraut.

Dandelion, eating bread dipped in tomato cream soup, looked at Lann and asked.

”So you’re really... on the verge of bankruptcy?”

His face, even while chewing, visibly showed an incredible expression.

”That was Valerian Steel business! Were you conned? So much money! You wouldn’t spend it all your life!”

”I don’t quite understand how profitable Valerian Steel is, but when Valerian Commerce Association offered prices to poets and singers for promotions, the prices offered were indeed quite high.”

”The jobs I get have probably been passed around three or four times, with plenty of kickbacks eaten up along the way, and even then, after finishing, I still lived off it for half a month.”

”Oh, well, in the future, if you want to take jobs from the Valerian Commerce Association, you can talk to me, and I’ll get you ones that haven’t been passed around.”

Lann first scratched his head and chuckled, but then his smile turned a bit bitter.

”Of course, if you just want to ’spend’ the money, you probably can’t, but if you invest that endless supply in a business, you can definitely lose it all.”

Instantly, Dandelion, who was stuffing fried fish into his mouth, looked at Lann sympathetically.

He was quite famous, naturally having met a lot of nobles and big merchants.

If one were to judge the abilities of these people’s children, they would generally be at an average level.

If they live a peaceful life of spending money, eating and waiting for death, an uneventful ’painful’ life like that, they could probably live well for several generations.

But humans are strange creatures; once they’re free from worries about food and drink, and after they’ve tired of many entertainment projects, they pursue self-fulfillment.

Then entrepreneurship begins, and soon after, the money that could have lasted several peaceful generations is swept away by the market, sometimes even leaving debts.

Rong Buqiu nimbly jumped onto a chair, looked at his boss with comforting eyes, patted his boss’s shoulder earnestly, and simultaneously pushed his own fried fish meal towards Lann.

”Don’t worry, meow! Boss! In the future, I can go fishing for our meals! We can also work together to earn money, meow!”

Lann quickly pushed Rong Buqiu’s meal back in front of the little cat.

”It’s not that bad, Rong Buqiu, really, it’s not that bad!”

Lann patted the Three-Floral Kitten on the head and pressed it back onto the chair.

”So that’s the story...”

Lann scratched his head and explained his current situation to Dandelion.

After hearing it all, Dandelion relaxed.

If Lann had really gone bankrupt, he would instead avoid everything related to that topic. But now, this guy simply had a cash flow gap, which had already been patched up.

This is considered bankruptcy?

He had a lot in common with Geralt in this aspect, so now he could safely mock Lann.

”It’s not that I’m saying this, Lann.”

Dandelion earnestly spoke to the young Demon Hunter across the table.

”You’re still so young, so energetic. Why would you think of handling a bankruptcy alone?”

”I know, you’ve had a good time in Airetusa, with those female warlocks looking at you like hungry wolves eyeing a bone, and moreover, you have shares in Valerian Steel.”

”But given that, you should rely more on that certain...?”

Dandelion paused halfway, looking at Geralt beside him for help.

”Marguerite Lox Andelie,” Geralt said calmly. The two had been old friends for over a decade, understanding each other perfectly. ”Dean Airetusa.”

”Right! That noble lady.”

Dandelion said indignantly.

”You’ve given your precious youth, so what’s wrong with accepting a little support?”

”Just like me, although most of the time I still rely on my art to live, I won’t refuse the gifts that noblewomen force on me!”

Finally, the experienced Master Dan solemnly advised.

”You know me; my masculine charm is abundant. But one of life’s important principles is: don’t keep up airs in times of trouble. Who doesn’t have tough times?”

”Don’t be like Geralt; he and Yennefer’s situation seems like it’s going to be a few decades to get sorted.”

Geralt remained silent but discreetly pulled the bowl of sauerkraut from Dandelion’s meal in front of himself.

”I really find your advice quite insightful.”

Lann said to Dandelion with shrugged shoulders.

”But unfortunately, this advice came too late. I’ve already maintained a stance, and now I have to focus on reality and think of solutions.”

”So that’s why you’re looking for Dudu?”

Only then did Dandelion understand why Lann came looking for the ’business-savvy Shapeshifter.’

But as he figured it out, his expression turned peculiar.

Lann noticed the change in Dandelion’s expression and had a foreboding feeling.

”I guess... you have something to tell me?”

Geralt also looked up from his plate.

Dandelion chuckled awkwardly and then went silent.

”It’s just...how to say it...”

”Dudu is also almost bankrupt, and he’s currently hiding from debtors.”

”Then I guess...” Lann felt his eyelid twitching. ”Is there also your involvement in this?”

Dandelion said nothing and nearly buried his head in his soup bowl.