One-Eyed Monster

Upon hearing the strange man say such words, Igor suddenly felt a wave of nausea in his stomach.

Could it be the meat he just ate...

A surge of discomfort came over him; he felt the meat he had just eaten was not only tough but also had a sour taste—a taste that was strangely familiar—and Igor was immediately nauseated.

Igor pretended to retch, unable to accept the thought of what he had just consumed...

Hahaha...

Suddenly, the entire tavern erupted in laughter. Even though there were only four or five people, the laughter was loud, loud enough to hurt his ears.

Igor was startled by the laughter, and his previously unsettled stomach returned to its normal state.

He quietly observed these people, wanting to understand why they were laughing so heartily. Thus, he began to closely observe the group.

The strange man across from him was laughing so hard he was rocking back and forth, while the two burly men who had been staring at him earlier were pounding on the table in laughter. Even the indifferent old man turned his head to chuckle continuously.

What’s so funny, Igor couldn’t fathom. His stomach began to feel uneasy again, the expressions of these people causing spasms.

”Hahaha, he really thought he was going to vomit...”

”Crazy, your bluffing skills are getting better!”

”Haha, what a hilarious newcomer...”

Except for the old man, the other patrons were loudly mocking Igor, which made Igor feel very uncomfortable.

Igor stared at the strange man in front of him, refusing to believe that this man had been fooling him the entire time.

But now the strange man was crazily slapping the table, laughing heartily, much like a drunkard.

Igor helplessly glanced at the tavern owner, the most expressionless person in the room. The tavern owner shook his head and sighed, evidently lamenting a prank.

This made Igor a little angry. He was new here, but that was no reason to be treated this way. He had never provoked anyone, so why was he being teased like this!

Igor felt this was intolerable, but he suddenly remembered the strange man’s earlier words.

This is the Mist Capital; not everyone can enter.

A run-down town called the Imperial Capital must have a reason. Igor had not yet considered this thoroughly. Now, he needed to carefully observe what was really going on in this town.

With this thought, Igor no longer worried about the ridicule.

Because compared to retaliating against their prank, he had more important things to focus on.

Their laughter would eventually stop, so let them laugh for now.

Igor shrugged, choosing not to eat the roasted meat nor touch the plate of nuts, but he was interested in the bottle of wine.

Glug glug, Igor picked up the wine bottle in front of the strange man, poured a glass, and drank deeply.

This action made the mocking ones stop their laughter because they did not expect the young man to be so composed.

They had hoped the young man would become enraged and furious at their ridicule, but the young man did not lash out.

”This wine pairs well with my nuts,” the strange man said to the calm Igor.

Igor shrugged, signaling that he wouldn’t believe anything the man said now.

This indifferent demeanor slightly embarrassed the strange man, who glanced around to see that the people who previously laughed at the young man were watching them with interest.

”Everything I say to you is true.”

Igor shrugged again.

”I’m here to help you, not to mock you!”

Igor still shrugged, having no other response for the eccentric.

”Everything I do is for your benefit!”

Igor suddenly sprayed every drop of wine from his mouth, catching the strange man off guard, who kept wiping his face.

”Hahaha...” The crowd began to laugh again, more exaggeratedly than before.

”Now, we’re even!” The strange man said instead of getting angry.

This left Igor quite surprised; this strange man was truly peculiar!

While the two fur-clad men continued laughing, the old man had already pulled back his smile, his expression serious as if he had discovered something unusual.

A bang was heard as the tavern door was suddenly kicked open, revealing a group of bandits armed with curved knives.

The tavern owner sighed upon seeing these people, then stepped aside. This was nothing new to him; his lack of expression traced back to witnessing far too many such incidents early on.

He wasn’t the tavern owner before, just a small bartender. The previous owner had been kicked for intervening in something and couldn’t endure...

Though things weren’t chaotic yet, seeing the patrons’ reactions, he knew trouble was brewing again!

Standing aside was the best choice.

Igor watched the scene quietly, surprised at this unexpected twist. He had no intention of causing trouble and wouldn’t actively stand up for justice.

Moreover, the current situation was unclear!

”You said there’s something rare here, is it true?” The speaker was the thug who kicked the door open, a bearded man carrying a curved knife, followed by five or six others.

These people were dressed in fur, clearly allied with the two who had been watching Igor.

”Boss, yes, there’s something rare!” The two fur-clad brutes stood up, evidently having leaked the information.

Igor was baffled; he hadn’t seen them convey any message—it was peculiar!

”Boss, the rare item is right beside the drunkard!” One pointed at Igor.

Igor finally understood; the rare item referred to him. Could these fur-clad men really be traffickers!

Igor looked at the drunken one—the strange man—now understanding why the man consistently claimed he hadn’t deceived him...

Everything taking place was extremely odd, making Igor feel incredulous.

This dilapidated town, why was it like this, what was its secret, who were these people, why were they in this tavern—these were issues Igor needed to ponder...