That morning, Lex read the materials Bison had given him at the hotel, learning about the people he would be visiting next.
After lunch, he went to Halls Street, registered, and joined the Horse Riding Club, beginning to expand his social network in Tingen.
Originally, he had also wanted to go to the divination club, because he knew that Klein offered divination services there at a very cheap price, which was undoubtedly a channel to contact him.
Now, of course, he didn't dare to go; not only did he not dare, but he also had to avoid it, lest he run into Klein and inadvertently enter his 'story'.
After leaving the Horse Riding Club, Lex went to the private hospital and received the news that Lanci's condition was improving, which finally made him breathe a sigh of relief.
At the hospital, through Kyle, he learned the exact location of the Elk Tavern.
So, that evening, he went back to his room early, changed into his Hunter 'Duke' disguise, and headed straight for the Elk Tavern.
The Elk Tavern was located in the southern district of Tingen City, where the streets were wide, there were few pedestrians, and it was quiet and peaceful.
The Elk Tavern's scale and class were clearly much higher than the Evil Dragon Bar; Lex pushed open the door and found the bar lively but not noisy.
Moreover, the patrons in the bar were all well-dressed, with quite a few young gentlemen in formal attire gathered together, chatting merrily.
Although the iron mask on Lex's face drew strange looks from nearby drinkers, they didn't delve deeper, their gaze not lingering on Lex for too long, as if they were accustomed to an occasional strange patron or two in the bar.
Lex came to the bar, and the Bartender looked at him and said, "You're probably not here to drink, are you?"
Very direct!
Lex nodded slightly, his voice low: "I am a Hunter, the kind that earns bounties.
I heard that you can find work here?"
The Bartender with a mustache nodded: "Wait a moment."
He left for a while, and when he returned, he said to Lex: "See the room with the deer head hanging on the door? Go in, someone will receive you."
Lex searched around the tavern for a bit and quickly found the door the Bartender had mentioned.
He nodded, pulled down his hat, bypassed the tavern's main hall, and discreetly approached the door with the deer head hanging above it.
He knocked on the door and heard someone inside say, "Come in."
Lex pushed open the door; inside was a VIP room with a wine cabinet, sofas, and a bar.
The light was dim, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
On a high stool next to the bar sat a casually dressed man: a white shirt, dark vest, and matching trousers.
He had gentle features, short dark brown hair, light blue eyes, a carefully trimmed beard, and a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
He seemed like an easygoing person.
"Come in," the man said with a smile.
He seemed to be the only one in the room, but Lex knew there was another person hidden behind the door.
Although the other party concealed himself very well, unfortunately, a Hunter's senses are very keen.
Even with the waves of sound from the main hall outside the door, Lex could still hear his heartbeat and smell him.
However, Lex still walked in.
The moment he entered the door, the lights in the room suddenly went out, as if an invisible pair of scissors had 'cut' the light away.
At the same time, the door behind him closed with a 'bang'.
Concurrently, Lex caught the muffled sound of wind and felt a rush of heat rapidly approaching him.
Relying on the information gathered by his senses, a series of images appeared in Lex's mind.
A tall, strong man was pouncing from behind, his powerful arms outstretched, intending to give him a warm 'hug'.
As for hugs, especially with a man, Lex truly had no interest.
He suddenly ducked, rolled sideways, and came to the other's side.
Lex swept out a leg, and by feel, hit the inside bend of the other's knee.
A muffled grunt sounded in the dark room, and the ground thumped.
The man was already kneeling on one knee.
He was about to get up when he suddenly felt a hard object pressing against his head, and immediately dared not make any rash moves.
By touch, he knew it was the muzzle of a gun.
And there were two!
At this moment, the lights in the room came back on.
Only then did Lex clearly see that the man who attacked him was powerfully built, not much smaller than Gru.
He was now half-kneeling on the ground, his head pressed by his Golden Revolver and Blood Praise, with his hands raised in surrender.
Applause broke out.
The man sitting next to the bar clapped and said, "That's incredible, it only took 5 seconds—no, 3 seconds! It only took 3 seconds to subdue our 'Gatekeeper'."
"Congratulations, sir, you have passed the test, and on behalf of the Elk Tavern, I welcome you to our Hunter Club."
As soon as he finished speaking, a door in the depths of the VIP room opened, revealing another hall outside.
Lex spun his revolvers and neatly returned them to their holsters.
The man waved his hand, motioning the Gatekeeper to stand aside, then introduced himself: "I am the manager of the tavern, Eiros.
May I ask, what should I call you?"
"Duke."
"Alright, Mr. Duke," Eiros beckoned, "Please follow me, allow me to briefly introduce you to some aspects of our club."
Lex followed him into the hall behind the door; it was a spacious area with sofas and tables casually arranged.
There weren't many people in the hall, only four or five, some alone, some sitting together, conversing in low voices.
Even when Eiros brought Lex in, no one turned to look.
Eiros smiled and introduced: "Our club provides a platform for all Hunters to exchange information, commissions, and accept tasks."
"One point needs to be declared first: we don't care about a Hunter's true identity, where you come from, or what you do in Tingen."
"But every Hunter must obey the laws of the kingdom, even if only superficially.
Once you violate them and become wanted, our club will not hesitate to disassociate itself and will actively provide your intelligence leads to the authorities."
Lex nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with this club rule.
Eiros pointed to the bar at the back of the hall: "Over there, you can consult with Mr. Parker about recent missions and choose those you are interested in completing."
"By the way, to serve Hunters more efficiently, the club has established a Rank system for everyone.
For example, you, Mr. Duke, having just joined, are at the lowest Rank, Rank 9."
"We will adjust your Rank based on the efficiency and frequency of your mission completions.
And at Rank 7 or higher, you can enjoy the free services the club provides to everyone."
"Additionally, if you wish to conduct transactions, you can inquire with Mr. Parker.
We have a trading house specifically open to all Hunters, charging only a very low service fee."
Finally, Eiros pointed to a message board on a wall to the left of the hall: "If you need to recruit collaborators, you can leave a message there."
"Leave your requirements, contact information, as well as remuneration, settlement method, etc.
If someone accepts, they will contact you."
"Alright, that's the basic situation of our club.
Now, you can wander around freely."
After speaking, Eiros bowed slightly and backed out of the hall, closing the door.