Chapter 120: Field's Prestige

The Seafoam Tavern.

Evelyn leaned against the bar, feeling gloomy.

Field hadn't returned for almost two days, and his absence left her feeling empty inside.

The tavern had become even more lively recently, with yesterday's crowd bursting at the seams. This was all thanks to Field's influence, which had elevated the Seafoam Tavern to a four-star rating, instantly making it renowned. It was the only four-star mercenary tavern in the Outer City!

Even in the Inner City, there was only one five-star Steel Tavern, with the other two being four-star establishments.

As for Sains's Crab Tavern, in order to please Field, Sains had willingly transferred the tavern to Evelyn after getting Raymond's approval. The contract was signed, and the Mercenary Guild had also approved it.

With this, both mercenary taverns in the Outer City belonged to Evelyn. Evelyn had transformed from a small tavern proprietress into a prominent figure in Seadust City.

In fact, her reputation in the Outer City was even higher than that of Raymond and other tavern proprietors in the Inner City.

Many mercenaries and bounty hunters had heard about the formidable and beautiful intermediary-cum-tavern owner and had come to the Seafoam Tavern because of her.

As a result, the tavern had been bustling with activity for the past few days, and Evelyn had to hire more staff.

She had initially been overjoyed by this development and had wanted to share the good news with Field, perhaps even invite him for a drink in the evening. However, with Field being absent for two days and nights, her elation had been somewhat dampened.

Just then, the tavern door was pushed open. Perhaps due to the increased foot traffic over the past few days, the door had been opening and closing frequently, causing some structural strain.

Now, both wooden doors swung open and then crashed onto the wooden floor with a loud thud. The noise reverberated throughout the tavern, instantly silencing the room as everyone turned to look at the entrance.

Evelyn furrowed her brow. Having not seen Field for the past two days and having been approached by some new mercenaries and bounty hunters, she was already feeling irritable.

Seeing the broken door, she was about to curse instinctively. However, when she saw the figure standing at the doorway, the curse words died on her lips, replaced by a look of pleasant surprise.

"Oh, this..." Field raised his hand, looking somewhat embarrassed. He had simply been in a good mood and had exerted a bit more force than usual, inadvertently causing the door to break.

"Sorry about the door. Carry on, everyone." With that, the tavern resumed its lively atmosphere. Many people recognized Field, and some even raised their glasses to toast him.

Field had become a star attraction at the Seafoam Tavern. Though these mercenaries didn't have much connection with him, they could proudly declare, "What's an Inner City mercenary compared to our Seafoam Tavern's hero?

Those folks in the Inner City better pay their respects when they see him!" However, just as the atmosphere was picking up again, another figure followed Field into the tavern, and once again, the entire room fell silent.

This time, the silence was so profound that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the golden figure in the doorway, their hearts screaming silently, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, I've seen a living angel!"

Hilda glanced around, feeling somewhat curious.

Why were all these people staring at her?

But soon she realized why and couldn't help but lift her chin slightly, her proud demeanor showing once again, as she glanced at Field.

Everyone else thought she was beautiful, so why didn't this Field guy think so, and why did he keep teasing her?

Field paid no attention to the group of mercenaries and led Hilda to the bar.

"Boss lady, bring us the deluxe seafood combo. I haven't had your cooking in two days, and life's been feeling a bit dull without it!"

"Ah... Oh!" Evelyn finally snapped out of her daze, tearing her gaze away from Hilda's flawless face and looking at Field, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

The incident with Holland had already put immense pressure on her, and now...

It wasn't just pressure she felt; it was inferiority, inadequacy, a sense of being incomparable.

Her gaze dimmed slightly, but there was also a hint of reluctance.

Nevertheless, she suppressed her emotions and served up the sumptuous seafood combo for Field.

The seafood combo was substantial, enough for Field, Hilda, and even Qiqi to feast on.

"Give it a try. This is made by the best proprietress in Seadust City," Field grinned.

"It's even tastier than the restaurant you mentioned."

"Really? Then I must give it a try!" Hilda sat beside Field, eagerly picking up her utensils.

As she tasted a piece of crab meat drizzled with butter, Hilda quickly wore a blissful smile.

It was truly delicious!

And her expression, coupled with the sound of others swallowing saliva around her, further emphasized the beauty of the moment.

Indeed... it was magnificent...

Field was about to start eating as well when a small hand lightly tapped his arm.

Field looked up and met Evelyn's gaze.

Evelyn tilted her head slightly. "Come with me," she said.

Field: "?"

He glanced at Hilda and immediately understood what was going on, feeling somewhat helpless but nodding and standing up.

"You two go ahead and eat. I'll go take care of a mission," Field said.

"Okay!" Qiqi nodded with a mouthful of fish.

"Alright." Hilda didn't think much of it and nodded, her swaying feet revealing her satisfaction with the meal.

Following Evelyn to the empty reception room, Field was met with her intense gaze.

"Who is she?" Evelyn asked.

"Hilda, my friend," Field replied.

"You have... such a beautiful friend?" Evelyn bit her lip.

But Field took a step forward, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Evelyn stepped back, grabbing his hand, her eyes showing a hint of stubbornness.

"If I can have the most beautiful proprietress in Seadust City, why can't I have a beautiful friend?" Field chuckled.

Hearing Field's words, Evelyn's grip loosened slightly.

Taking the opportunity, Field bypassed her hand and pulled her into his embrace.

Evelyn was thus encircled by his embrace.

She made a symbolic struggle before resting her head against his chest, looking up at him with a mixture of unease and affection.

"Field, don't lie to me, okay?" she said.

"I promise you, she and I are really just friends," Field said earnestly.

Well, they were currently just friends.

So he wasn't lying.

They were more than ordinary friends, though; they were very close, the kind of female friend known as a confidante.

"Really?" Evelyn asked.

"Really. If you don't believe me, you can ask her now," Field nodded, appearing honest and straightforward.

Seeing this, Evelyn finally smiled slightly.

"I trust you."

"Hehe," Field chuckled, his large hands becoming restless.

Evelyn bit her lip but didn't stop him.

Instead, she looked at him and asked, "How did you two meet?"

"It was during that platinum-level mission Holland gave me. I met her in the Novakrath Forest and saved her life, so we became friends," Field said truthfully.

"She seems... extraordinary," Evelyn remarked.

"She is indeed. She has quite a background and knows Lord Mayor Mel," Field said.

"Remember that token from last time? It was given to me by Lord Mayor Mel as a favor to her."

Then, Field lifted her delicate chin, bringing their faces close together.

"But she's different from you," he said.

"How so?" Evelyn asked.

"Our hearts are closer," Field said with a mischievous smile, glancing downwards.

Evelyn was taken aback, only then noticing that her chest was pressed against Field's torso.

Her cheeks grew even hotter, but Field didn't give her a chance to maintain her composure. He suddenly lifted her chin and kissed her lips.

"Mmm... Hmm~"

Evelyn's eyes gradually grew hazy, and her hands also wrapped around his neck as she tiptoed slightly, responding to him.

The kiss was deep.

Finally, the proprietress couldn't hold back anymore, releasing his lips and panting slightly, her hands also grabbing Field's explorative hands.

"We still... have to attend to your friend, don't get carried away," Evelyn scolded Field with a glare, but her demeanor carried a hint of allure that left Field feeling utterly tantalized.

What a fiery woman~

A moment later, Field emerged from the room, and Evelyn followed suit. The two of them looked the same as when they entered—except for the large bag of coins in Field's hands.

Well, he did indeed manage to complete the task on the side.

However, as he emerged, Field noticed Hilda sitting at her table, her expression somewhat aloof, while a handsome man sat beside her at the bar, seemingly engaged in conversation.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't drink," Hilda said calmly.

But the man persisted, striking what he thought was a charming pose and saying, "How can you come to a tavern and not drink? This one's on me, no need to be polite!"

The surrounding mercenaries looked on with anticipation, as they had noticed Field approaching.

"Bro, please don't disturb my friend's meal," Field said with a grin.

Seeing Field, Hilda seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

If it weren't for the fear of causing trouble for Field, she would have used magic to send this annoying fellow flying long ago.

But the man turned to Field with a smile. "Don't say that, buddy. I'm just inviting this beautiful lady for a drink. If you want one too, that's fine."

With that, he turned to Evelyn. "Boss lady, another round of fine rum for this gentleman here."

At that moment, everyone looked at the man with pity in their eyes.

Field looked at Evelyn, and Evelyn looked helpless. "Newcomer, nine-star gold rank, trying to make a name for himself here."

Speaking of nine-star gold rank, the man even proudly lifted his chin towards Field.

You see, outside the city of Seadust, there were only a few platinum ranks, and they could be counted on one hand. So being a nine-star gold rank was already quite impressive.

Field chuckled and then sat down.

The man thought that Field, upon hearing that he was a high-level gold rank, wouldn't dare to confront him, so he straightened his collar and prepared to continue chatting with Hilda.

He didn't notice that the tavern had quieted down once again.

Next moment, Field's voice rang out.

"Get some people and throw this guy out."

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of figures stood up in unison and began to converge towards them.

Field calmly took the rum handed to him by Evelyn, not even looking back, his voice calm: "Don't kill him, just beat him half to death."

"Got it, boss!" the group of people chuckled and began to rub their hands eagerly.

Don't forget, the Crab Tavern had already merged with the Seafall Tavern.

To please Field, Seafall's boss, Sains, often brought his brothers to the Seafall Tavern for drinks. At this moment, this place was almost becoming the new gathering place for the Crab Gang.

There were seven to eight hundred people present, with two to three hundred of them sporting the crab tattoo. Just a moment ago, Sains had even raised his glass to Field from the second floor.

At this moment, Hilda's eyes sparkled, truly experiencing what it meant to command the attention of everyone present.

The guy who was a nine-star gold rank finally realized that he had kicked the iron plate. He hurriedly said, "I... I just wanted to invite for a drink, I didn't do anything..."

Everyone looked at Field, and Field waved his hand, indicating to continue.

Then, the guy was in trouble.

Although a nine-star gold rank was indeed not weak, when facing hundreds of people, he was quickly engulfed by the crowd.

The sounds of fighting and cries of pain came from behind, but Field stuffed his mouth full of crab meat, his face filled with contentment. "This is so delicious~"

A moment later, the guy was knocked unconscious and thrown out like a dead dog through the side door.

Not only was he stripped down to his underwear, but everything else was also taken from him. Even his storage ring was pilfered by some Crab Gang lackey.

The prominent word was "pathetic."

Watching this scene, Hilda couldn't help but laugh and cover her mouth. "I finally understand the madness here."

"It's quite interesting," Field agreed with a grin.