Chapter 135: Noble Games

When Rayan walked into the "King's Footprint" tavern with Sola, a storyteller singer, red-faced from drinking, slumped beneath a high platform like mud, clutching a detuned five-string guitar, humming a vulgar court tune. Rayan listened briefly; the lyrics described a heartbroken lion fucking a bird into a phoenix—very obscene, yet very veiled. Naturally, the lion represented the Lion King of the Stonerock Kingdom, and the phoenix symbolized the Phoenix Lady of the Firebird family.

Above the high platform over the storyteller singer's head, two tavern girls clad in nothing but thin veils were entwined in rhythm with the singer's tune. One of them wore a crooked crown, while the other had a pink ribbon tied around her neck.

As Rayan looked up at them, the tavern girl playing the phoenix just happened to spread her legs wide open to the patrons below, deliberately exposing her meticulously groomed secret garden.

Immediately, the tavern erupted into a powerful mix of whistles and applause, followed by a flurry of copper coins and silver being thrown onto the platform—every patron's eyes bulged with excitement, their blood rushing to their eyeballs, and one diner, unable to contain himself, stared intently at the wanton tavern girls above while slipping his hand inside his trousers...

"Is this really a tavern? How is it so different from the Ravenstorm Inn?" Sola asked cautiously from behind Rayan.

"Yes," Rayan answered calmly, "This is a real tavern."

The tavern was filled with smoky air and the smell of alcohol; the loud laughter of the rough patrons nearly lifted the roof off. One drunken patron even picked up a tavern girl, tore open her bodice, and buried his head between her bouncing breasts, playfully manipulating them. The tavern girl angrily pounded on the guest until he stuffed a gold coin into her hand, at which point her face broke into a spring-like smile.

The walls of the tavern also had bounty missions posted. Rayan only glanced at them briefly, not having time to look closely before a group of idle tavern girls surrounded him. Seeing Rayan's appearance and attire, they fluttered around him like flies to a sweet cake, primping and pushing up their breasts, hoping to win the favor of this noble guest.

As more tavern girls gathered and their actions grew bolder, Rayan couldn't help but frown and turned to Sola, saying, "Get them away from me."

Sola stepped in front of Rayan, her finger immediately igniting an orange, bright flame. She swiped it powerfully in front of the tavern girls and bellowed, "Scram!"

The searing heat instantly drove back the soliciting tavern girls, frightening them into losing their composure and screaming as they ran off.

All eyes in the tavern then focused on Rayan and Sola. Many patrons instinctively stood up to defend themselves, moving their hands from the ample hips of the tavern girls to the weapons they carried. But when they saw the gold-edged crest on Rayan's clothing, they all sat down obediently, their heads bowed, not daring to look directly, and even the nearby tavern girls no longer dared to embrace them.

A short and fat tavern owner hurriedly ran out, wiping the greasy sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand while bowing deeply to Rayan, "I had no idea Your Excellency would grace our humble establishment. We failed to greet you from afar, please forgive us!"

His words were as theatrical as a play on the high platform, and his bow was extremely exaggerated, clearly unaccustomed to dealing with nobility in such settings. After all, their lowly tavern was typically a place for commoners to entertain themselves, and it was virtually impossible for nobility to visit under normal circumstances.

Such a vulgar place would not even be visited by the lowest ranks of nobility, fearing it would tarnish their reputation. In reality, the nobles' modes of entertainment involved organizing various kinds of gatherings, some of which were private parties that could be even more lascivious than a tavern.

Rayan also realized that his presence did not suit such a modest tavern, but since he was there, it was now awkward to just turn around and leave.

"It's too quiet here now..."

His voice was as cold as steel, and his gaze towards the tavern owner was even colder, "It's so quiet, it feels more like we're in a graveyard burying the dead rather than in a tavern."

The tavern owner involuntarily gasped for air, his lungs aching, until he suddenly snapped back to reality. He quickly turned and kicked the storyteller singer, "Sing! Damn it, sing! Bring the atmosphere back to life—make it feel like a tavern!"

The storyteller singer immediately began to play and sing loudly, and the two naked tavern girls on the high platform started to dance to the music, and the patrons stiffly raised their glasses, clinking them together.

The tavern owner turned his head to smile obsequiously while wiping the sweat sliding off his forehead. "Your Excellency, look, now it's a tavern."

"I've never liked noisy places," Rayan's expression darkened even more.

The tavern owner's face drained of color, and the few strands of hair hanging damply from his wet head made him look somewhat crazed, like a cornered rabbit. But he dared not bite back, just kept wiping his sweat, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before he managed to speak, "Your, Your Excellency, what exactly would you like—"

Rayan, with a grim face, said to the greasy-faced tavern owner, "Get us a quiet private room, and bring out every dish you have."

The tavern owner's heart almost shattered; he had not expected that a "private room" could solve all the problems. Once he confirmed that this quirky noble lord was indeed here to eat, he hurriedly nodded, "A private room! We have one! Please, Your Excellency, follow me—"

Saying so, the tavern owner, with his short and chubby body, wobbled ahead to lead the way.

A drunken tavern girl took the opportunity to throw herself at Rayan, boasting she could satisfy all men with her mouth. Before Sola could intervene, Rayan unceremoniously pushed her into the arms of a patron who had just had his hand in his trousers.

The tavern owner nervously laughed and led Rayan and Sola into the private room.

"Your Excellency, please wait a moment. I've already instructed the kitchen to halt all other preparations and focus solely on cooking for you. Is there anything else you require in the meantime?"

The tavern owner began to promote enthusiastically, "We have the softest-breasted tavern girls in all of Stonerock City, the one who was performing as the phoenix on the high platform is one of them. Normally, she only performs and doesn't service the patrons, but if Your Excellency wishes, I could have her dance a number just for you."

"No need," Rayan said coldly, pulling a shining coin from Sola's pouch. "I'd like to inquire about some information."

The tavern owner's eyes immediately lit up with greed, his nodding and bowing even more exaggerated. "Your Excellency, just ask away, it's free, really free..."

"Rules must be followed," Rayan said unhurriedly. "I'm paying you, and if the information you give me is wrong or false, then I'll have a reason to kill you."

The tavern owner gasped and immediately fell to his knees, trembling, "I'm just a small tavern owner, even if you gave me ten thousand guts, I wouldn't dare to feed you false information!"

"It's good that you understand that, now get up and talk," Rayan motioned for the "King's Footprint" tavern owner to stand.

"No, no, I'd rather stay kneeling; it feels more secure!" The tavern owner was already drenched in sweat, soaked through, and even if he stood up, the heavy sweat would overwhelm him.

Rayan was indifferent to the tavern owner's decision, continuing with his own topic, "I'm quite interested in the Firebird family's arena competition. Tell me everything you know."

The tavern owner's lips quivered, "Your Excellency, the competition is an event organized within the noble hierarchy, so I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do. But since you've asked, I'll tell everything I know. Please, don't be angry if something is incorrect..."

Rayan nodded, "Just speak freely."

The tavern owner wiped his sweaty, fat arms, steadied himself, and then said, "The competition is determined by martial prowess, and the victor is crowned as a War God, with naturally rich prizes. Although it's organized by the nobility, the real Gold-edged nobles wouldn't risk themselves; they send representatives to fight for glory while they bet from the stands."

He wiped his sweat again and continued, "The winning noble not only gains a vast fortune but also the rights to host the next competition. You see, this right essentially ranks one's noble seat, forcing other nobles to bow down to them."

Rayan frowned slightly, "So, you're saying the Firebird family won the last tournament?"

If that were the case, the Firebird family was more powerful than he had imagined.

"The Firebird family?" The tavern owner first glanced at Rayan's noble crest, ensuring Rayan wasn't any noble from the Stonerock Kingdom, then lifted his greasy eyelids, smiling obsequiously, "Your Excellency, you may not know, but the Firebird family has only risen recently due to the connections of the Phoenix Lady. They are a decent Gold-edged family, but compared to the old nobility in Stonerock City, they still fall short. The reason they got to host this competition is entirely due to the help of the Second Prince—His Highness, the Second Prince, was the last War God. The Lion King handed over this honor to the Firebird family, giving them the chance to organize the tournament."

Hearing this, Rayan smiled faintly, murmuring, "Cunning lions. The young lion tries so hard, yet his father never acknowledges his identity. This honor seems full of love, but the true hardship is probably only known to the young lion and the phoenix themselves. The struggle for power, that is the real game of nobility."