"Hey, hey!" A greeting roused Fulen and the other two from their thoughts. Kvedo cupped his hands to form a small megaphone, waking his companions, a clear smile on his face as he looked at his three friends.
Having seen luxurious venues before, Karl was only slightly surprised and quickly reacted, saying, "Alright, stop howling. Hurry up and take us in."
Kvedo blinked twice, said nothing, then turned and led his companions to the entrance of the tavern, intending to walk straight in. However, the guard at the Door unceremoniously blocked their way with his spear. Kvedo could only stop, looking at the expressionless guard, and said with a smile, "Brother, how many times have you seen me? Can't you just let me in without that pass?"
The guard was clad in thick armor from head to toe, and a muffled sound, like steel rubbing, came from within the iron can: "No."
Kvedo scratched his face twice and could only reach inside his clothes to pull out a colorful card, which was clearly the so-called pass. The guard, however, did not take the pass. Instead, he pulled out a booklet with his left hand, forcefully flipped through it with one hand, then glanced at the card twice and said, "Please enter."
The spear held across his body was quickly raised. Kvedo put away the colorful card. Although it was a fleeting glance, Fulen still clearly saw a colorful figure on the so-called pass. While Fulen couldn't be sure who it was, he felt it was Kvedo, though Kvedo on this card was slightly distorted.
Kvedo made a grimace, his right hand weakly waving forward, saying, "Let's go."
After pushing Open the Door, the inside of the tavern was unexpectedly crowded, with the usual noise of a tavern, but without the various foul smells and curses in different dialects found in places like the Flame-Axe Tavern.
In the middle of the tavern was a passage without tables, leading to a huge bar. At both ends of the passage, closer to the bar, were tables for drinking, while most of the other tables were surrounded by people. Fulen couldn't clearly see the items on the tables from afar.
Kvedo began to explain everything here with a strangely familiar tone: "Saiji, the Old Man's tavern, strictly speaking, shouldn't be considered a tavern. It should be a place masquerading as a tavern," Kvedo paused, "a casino. Many people have gambled away the rest of their lives here. Our government doesn't strictly crack down on casinos; they just added taxes. Clearly, that's not enough."
"However, compared to other casinos, Saiji, the Old Man at least doesn't make it so bloody. He prohibits those who owe the casino money from gambling and forces them to work. Many people worked for thirty or forty years to pay off their debts. Saiji, the Old Man has only run this tavern for a little over forty years," Kvedo continued, his tone not as lighthearted as usual.
Soon, Kvedo led Fulen and the others closer to the bar, then Kvedo spoke to an elderly man with white hair and beard: "Saiji, the Old Man, long time no see."
The elderly man appeared to be over seventy, but his every movement showed no signs of aging. Seeing Kvedo greet him, he quickly replied, "Kvedo, it hasn't been too long, has it? Didn't you buy something two weeks ago and said something was coming soon? What was coming soon?"
Kvedo gave two awkward laughs and said, "Hey, Saiji, the Old Man, you're truly still sharp as a blade. But why are you using your skills to eavesdrop on young people's conversations?"
Saiji, the Old Man stroked his hair, which was white but still thick, and said, "I wouldn't be that bored, but you, you're an exception. I, your old man, always like to pay attention to special people."
Kvedo's smile was a bit unnatural, but he quickly recovered and said, "What kind of special person am I? You, old man, are the special one. Alright, let me introduce my companions."
Saying that, Kvedo pointed to Erich, Fulen, and Karl in turn, saying, "This is Erich, this is Fulen, and this is Karl. They are my 'companions.' Please allow me to introduce them to others." Kvedo emphasized the word 'companions.'
Saiji, the Old Man understood the unspoken meaning and said, "Alright, you can introduce them to the others first. Oh, you came at a very good time today; the gathering is about to begin. You can take them for a walk first, then bring them to the gathering at 4:30. After the gathering, come to me for the card; I also need time." After speaking, Saiji, the Old Man looked intently at Fulen, Erich, and Karl, then waved his hand and turned to leave.
Kvedo, accustomed to it, said to the bartender, "Four south wales beers."
The bartender next to Saiji, the Old Man, who was habitually wiping glasses, took out four glass cups after hearing Kvedo's words, poured south wales beer into each, and handed them to Kvedo. After taking the beers, Kvedo distributed three to his companions, took a sip of his own, and then led the three of them away from the bar.
Fulen took a sip of south wales beer. Although it couldn't compare to the Aurmir wine he had tasted yesterday, it wasn't bad. The south wales beer was on the lighter side, and while its alcohol content was not small, it could be easily drunk like water, without a noticeable astringent taste, which suited Fulen's palate.
Kvedo led the three of them to a staircase that many people couldn't find. He smiled at the three behind him, then without a word, walked down the stairs, reaching the entrance of the basement. The basement entrance was very dim, lit only by a single candle.
At this entrance, there was also an armored guard, but he didn't look at Kvedo with the same indifference as the guard at the main Door. Instead, he lifted his facial armor and said, "Hey, Kvedo, did you bring newcomers to the Beyonder world? Hehe, that's great; the bigger the Extraordinary Bazaar, the better."
Clearly, Kvedo was very familiar with this guard, and Kvedo also walked familiarly to the guard's side and said, "Hey, Karret, long time no see. You still haven't become a captain of the guards. I've seen you as a guard for two or three years now."
The guard said with a bitter face, "Alas, becoming a captain of the guards is impossible. Our captain is too strong; I wouldn't dare to aspire to be a guard captain like him. Being a small guard is enough, with a decent salary and simple work, that's enough."
Kvedo patted the guard's armor, listening to the pleasant clanking sound, and said, "Still so hard, your armor seems even thicker than the army's armor. I won't invite you for a drink now; next time you're on leave, let's drink together."
Karret clearly felt excited when he heard about drinking, but remembering his duty, he could only suppress his desire to drink and said, "Okay, next time we'll drink and chat."
With that, Karret opened the basement Door. After Kvedo waved goodbye to Karret, he led Fulen and the others into the Extraordinary Bazaar.