Black Pearl Tavern was one of the biggest taverns located in the Bazaar District. It was frequented by locals, foreigners, and sometimes even wealthy merchants themselves.
Now, it was important to know that affluent traders cared a lot about their reputation. Thus, they refrained from going to places that would seem beneath their status quo. But despite that, why would some of these merchants still visit the Black Pearl frequently?
The answer was simple. It was because the Black Pearl produced one of the best local wines in the county!
Adam, Edward, and Lisa entered the tavern and were surprised to find that even though it was morning, the place was still packed. The moment they entered, a very unpleasant smell of alcohol, sweat, and some more alcohol assaulted their nostrils.
Edward and Lisa instinctively grimaced, but Adam faintly smiled and spoke with reminiscence, "Hah… it's been a while since I've come to a place like this."
Lisa asked in displeasure, "Been a while? You mean you used to frequent places like this even as a child?"
"Hahaha." Adam didn't mind Lisa's tone and waved his hand. "Ah, it's not what you think. Taverns like these were the perfect place for kids like me to find some odd jobs, ya know?"
Listening to Adam, both Lisa and Edward had complicated expressions on their faces. Come to think about it, they didn't know anything about Adam's background. All they knew was that he was an orphan.
"Anyway, let's find a place to sit." Adam walked ahead, looking for an empty table. Edward and Lisa silently followed.
The Black Pearl consisted of two floors. The bottom one was packed, so the trio could only make their way up. Fortunately, they were able to find a window-side table on the top floor.
Not even a minute had passed when a young woman in her twenties, approached them with a bright smile. She was wearing a beige skirt that dropped past her knees, a white tunic top, and a brown vest over it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Her top few buttons were unbuttoned, revealing her ample cleavage. Both Adam and Edward were unable to look away from this glorious sight.
"Welcome to the Black Pearl! What would y'all like to order?" The server asked brightly.
However, Adam and Edward were lost as their gazes landed on the mesmerizing twin peaks and went deeper into the heavenly valley between them. If one looked closer, it would appear that the two teenagers were slightly drooling.
The server didn't mind this at all, instead, she was giggling coquettishly and flaunting her exposed skin even more.
Seeing her teammates' indecent behavior, veins started to pop on Lisa's forehead. She kicked both of them in their shins underneath the table, causing them to snap out of their stupor.
Both their faces turned red from sheer embarrassment after realizing what they'd done. Edward simply looked down, his face redder than a tomato and steam coming out from the top of his head.
Adam awkwardly spoke, "Ahem! We'll get something light to eat."
The server tilted her head and asked, "Something light, eh? What about herrings? Those little fellas found by the coast are very delicious if I say so myself. They're also very light on the stomach."
"Y-Yes, we'll get that," Adam replied while trying his best to not look at the server's cleavage.
"Alrighty!" The server smiled. "Herrings taste best with bread and cheese. I'll get that for you lot as well. Is that okay?"
"Sure." Adam nodded.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"And anything to drink?"
"Yes!" Adam's eyes glowed with expectation. "I've heard great things about Caldera. I'd like to get a bottle of that."
"Great, I'll be back with your order in a jiffy!" The server turned around and went toward the kitchen.
"So you really came here for the wine, huh?" Edward spoke with narrowed eyes. He tried to shift the attention to Adam so that Lisa wouldn't talk about his earlier action of ogling the server.
And he had succeeded. Lisa was now angrily staring at Adam, but the latter skillfully shifted her attention to the more important topic at hand.
"Now, there are two ways that I can think of for us to gather intel. First, it is to patiently listen to the conversations of the people around us and hope that we're able to find what we're looking for." Adam spoke with a straight face.
"Second, we buy information from someone working at the tavern. But it's totally up to them whether they would want to sell us the information or not. After all, we're outsiders and whatnot," he added seriously.
"Adam," Lisa spoke in an icy tone.
"Y-Yes?" Adam gulped.
"I know that you know spells from the School of Enchantment. So enchant that bartender over there and get this over with." She coldly smiled.
"O-Of course! Hehe… W-Why didn't I think of that?" Adam replied while a drop of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. Sometimes, he found Lisa very scary.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})A few minutes later, the trio saw the server approaching them while carrying a tray full of food and wine. Seeing her come, Lisa glared at Adam.
Adam could only shake his head and sigh. "What a buzzkill… Can't even let me enjoy some wine in peace."
The next moment, his face turned solemn and he began weaving a series of complicated hand signs underneath the table. Fortunately, this spell that he was using didn't require any model or material components, making it one of the few covert Rank 1 spells.
"Here's your food and drinks. Enjoy!" The server gently kept the tray on the table with a bright smile. Then she turned around and prepared to leave.
"Excuse me, miss?" Adam called out to her.
"Yes?" The server turned to look at the youth. "Is there something else you'd… like to… order…"
When the server's gaze met Adam's, her pupils dilated for a moment and then returned to normal. However, now when she looked at him, she felt as if the youth in front of her was the most trustworthy person she'd ever met.
Almost as if he was the greatest confidant one could ever ask for in life. She felt that no matter what happened, Adam would always have her back and that all her secrets were safe with him.
Her attitude instantly changed! If earlier she displayed artificial professionalism, now it was genuine trust and friendliness.
"How can I help you?~" The server beamed.
Adam's lips curled up into a smirk. "Let's have a chat, shall we?"
Rank 1 Spell: Charm!
What transpired next, made Edward's and Lisa's backs drenched in a layer of cold sweat. This was the first time they saw a spell from the School of Enchantment being cast, and it left them feeling terrified.
