Chapter 731: Chapter 731 – Thorn Tavern
Bloodlines brought power, but at the same time, they also gave people abnormality. People who obtained power through bloodlines would also look different from ordinary people. This was very normal.
After all, fundamentally speaking, people with bloodlines and ordinary people were two completely different species. Although both of them were in human form, they undoubtedly maintained completely different appearances.
Therefore, it was easy to determine if they were n.o.ble or not in this world, and it was enough to see if they had any characteristics that were different from ordinary people.
Chen Heng disguised well in this regard. Initially, Chen Heng looked strange to ordinary people. However, after fine-tuning with a spell, he no longer had such characteristics. His current appearance was still handsome, with black hair and black eyes. He looked just like the natives of this world, and there was not much difference.
From his look, other than being handsome, there was nothing special about him. Even if Alice stood before him, she probably wouldn’t be able to recognize him. This was because Chen Heng was not only disguising his appearance but also the aura of his bloodline.
After entering the town from the outside world, Chen Heng looked around before walking in. Then, his figure suddenly paused as he felt an unusual feeling.
‘This place…’
His body paused, and his face revealed a curious expression. He had already felt the unusualness of this place. An invisible force shrouded this nameless town compared to other places. That force was very obscure, and those who had not reached a certain level would be unable to detect it.
Chen Heng estimated that if he wanted to detect this invisible force, he would need at least an Eighth Rank existence to come and sense it carefully. If there were some omissions, he might have missed them if he didn’t pay attention. Similarly, he wouldn’t be able to sense it.
This was truly a good fellow. The Eighth Rank was already at the legendary level. Naturally, therefore, the level of the King’s Council rose instantly in Chen Heng’s heart.
The King’s Council’s power was as extraordinary as Chen Heng had thought to set up such a barrier.
‘This is getting more and more interesting.’ Chen Heng’s heart was filled with antic.i.p.ation.
With such strength, the power of the King’s Council would not be inferior to the royal family of any empire. However, their reputation was not obvious on the surface, and they had been quietly hiding behind the scenes.
‘What exactly were they scheming for?’ This thought flashed through Chen Heng’s mind as he continued to walk forward.
Surprisingly, even though this small town looked ordinary, the roads were unexpectedly in good condition. In addition, the buildings were neat and didn’t look like a remote town.
Chen Heng walked silently as he reached here, memorizing the small town’s terrain in his mind.
Then, he walked into an area— Thorn Tavern.
“How may I a.s.sist you?” A voice sounded from the front as he walked into the tavern.
Chen Heng saw a young girl dressed in simple clothes. She had long red hair and freckles on her face. She looked delicate and pretty, considered acceptable in such a small place.
She looked at Chen Heng with a slightly nervous expression. Chen Heng carefully sensed her but did not feel anything unusual from her. A very ordinary little girl. Perhaps her ancestor once had some meager bloodline?
“h.e.l.lo.” Chen Heng quickly revealed a smile.
He looked gentle and well-mannered, “Please arrange a room and prepare dinner for me.”
“Okay.” The young girl’s face immediately turned red after being stared at by Chen Heng’s gentle gaze and hearing his words.
“Wendy, hurry up and get to work!” In the distance, the tavern owner shouted.
“Coming.” The young girl quickly went forward and continued her tasks.
Chen Heng looked around casually. The tavern owner was a burly middle-aged man. He wore a loose robe, and his black hair was a little fluffy, making him look bald. He was busy cutting meat. It seemed that he was also the tavern chef.
The guests around were chatting. There were men and women, and there seemed to be some foreign adventurers. Chen Heng listened to their conversation for a while but did not get any interesting information. Most of them were ordinary people.
Occasionally, some people would look at Chen Heng, curious about this strange, handsome man. Chen Heng would return a polite and gentle smile. Then, he followed Wendy, who came in a hurry, upstairs and arrived at his room.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting.” Wendy looked at Chen Heng and sincerely apologized.
“It’s okay.” Chen Heng shook his head, and his smile did not change. “I can see that you guys are very busy here. So it’s normal that you didn’t come over for a while.” His tone was very gentle.
Yet, along with his actions, an inexplicable charm made people can’t help but pay attention to him.
“Thank you for your understanding.” Looking at Chen Heng, Wendy was inexplicably a little nervous, and her heart began to beat faster, “This town is very remote. Why did you think of coming here?”
“Nothing special.” Chen Heng smiled and said, “I occasionally learned the name of this town from a friend. He praised the scenery of this town and suggested that I come over to take a look. So I came. Have you always lived in this town?” Chen Heng asked as he looked at Wendy before him.
“Yes.” Wendy nodded and said, “I was an orphan since I was young, and my boss adopted me. I have been working here for more than ten years.”
“I can tell that you are strong.” Chen Heng nodded with some admiration.
“I’m just used to it.” Wendy shook her head.
After hesitating, she said, “I grew up in this small town. I think I’d be happy to take you around if you need anything.”
“That would be great.” Chen Heng glanced at her and said with a smile, “It’s my honor.”
As they spoke, they arrived at Chen Heng’s room. She gently handed the room key to Chen Heng and left with a shy face.
An invitation between a man and a woman would be considered a date in the conservative culture of this world. As she went downstairs, waves of friendly laughter and Wendy’s stammering explanation sounded. Chen Heng smiled as he heard these words but didn’t pay much attention to them. Instead, he silently took the key in his hand and opened the door.
A strong wooden fragrance emitted from the floor as he entered the room. It was a unique fragrance from wood. Chen Heng looked at the corner of the room. There were a few pieces of wood there, and it should be some kind of wood with a unique fragrance.
The furnis.h.i.+ngs around were neat. It was obvious that they had put in a lot of effort. Although the conditions were limited, they still did their best.
“Not bad.” Chen Heng smiled as he looked at the furnis.h.i.+ngs in the room.
Then, he put the things in his hands down and began resting. He was still waiting. Chen Heng did not come to this tavern randomly. He came according to the address given by Charlie.
Charlie’s letter to Chen Heng clearly stated the contact address and time. The address provided was this th.o.r.n.y tavern, and the time was late at night. According to the other party, as long as they followed the other party’s instructions, they would be able to contact their people at this fearful tavern in the late night.
However, based on the current situation, there was nothing strange about this tavern itself. From the tavern owner to Wendy, the people here were also very normal. There was nothing unusual about them. They were not extraordinary people, just ordinary people.
Everything seemed very ordinary. Perhaps this area could be so hidden because of this ordinary place. That was why the King’s Council could hide for many years and never expose themselves.
Various thoughts flashed through Chen Heng’s mind before he silently closed his eyes. Numerous symbols were continuously interweaving and combining in his mind. The Silver Moon bloodline within his body was still throbbing, but it was suppressed by Chen Heng and was quietly concealed.
Time slowly pa.s.sed. The Silver Moon covered the earth as the sky outside gradually became dark, and only then did Chen Heng silently open his eyes. He opened the window, walked to the balcony, and looked at the scenery outside.
Unlike the hustle and bustle of the day, the town appeared quiet at night. This was because the tavern had long been closed, and many customers were resting, while some had already left and did not stay in this area.
This quiet scene seemed very normal for ordinary people. In an era of scarce entertainment, humans would always fall asleep early. After all, if one wanted to move around at night, they would have to pay a large amount of unnecessary costs to light the lamps.
However, Chen Heng could feel that something was wrong. During the day, everything was normal here. However, an inexplicable power entrenched in the tavern at night and worked in this area. Inexplicable drowsiness emerged from Chen Heng’s body, causing him to lose his strength and feel weak gradually. If it were an ordinary person, one would probably be unable to resist and fall into a deep sleep. However, to Chen Heng, this feeling was nothing.
Instead, the faint silver moonlight shone on Chen Heng’s body, causing a new power to continuously surge in his body as if it was replenis.h.i.+ng his strength. A feeling of power arose spontaneously, quickly dispelling the feeling of weakness that had risen earlier. Chen Heng looked around and strode out.
The time set by the King’s Council had already arrived, which was also time for him to move. Walking out of the room, he could hear breathing sounds coming from other rooms. The others had already fallen asleep. Even those who were originally unable to sleep had probably fallen into a deep sleep under that strange, irresistible force just now.
Chen Heng looked at this scene and had some thoughts. From the looks of it, this group of people was much more cautious than he had imagined. Under normal circ.u.mstances, even if some powerhouses accidentally came to this place, they would probably be unable to discover or detect anything abnormal if they were not investigating at the exact time and place.
Chen Heng could not help but feel some antic.i.p.ation in his heart. At this point, his expectations for this King’s Council were increasing, hoping he would not be disappointed.
Walking down the stairs, Chen Heng came to the tavern hall. Under normal circ.u.mstances, this place should already be pitch black. Typical taverns would not be open at night, as just the cost of the night alone was unbearable.
However, to Chen Heng’s surprise, the tavern lobby was still bright, with candles lit all around. Someone was even standing at the reception desk. It was the figure of a girl.
“Wendy?” Chen Heng frowned and asked.
The person standing before him was none other than the girl during the day. She was standing there, wearing the same clothes as she did during the day. She seemed slightly surprised when she heard Chen Heng’s voice.
Chen Heng suddenly paused when he looked at her. She still looked the same as she did during the day, with faint freckles and a smile. However, she seemed to be much quieter compared to during the day. There also seemed to be other colors in her eyes.
“You...” Looking at the girl’s appearance, Chen Heng secretly frowned and was about to say something.
He sensed an unusual aura from the girl. It was completely different from during the day. However, he was sure that the girl before him was still the same person and had not been replaced by anyone. So then, where did this feeling come from?
“Keepsake.” She turned around, looked at Chen Heng, and said faintly in a cold voice, completely different from the warmth and nervousness she had during the day. She seemed to have changed into a different person.
Chen Heng’s gaze was fixed on the girl. Then, after looking at her for a long time, he stretched out his hand and took something out from his bosom. It was an exquisitely made envelope with a letter and a mark inside. The letter was the one that Chen Heng had received earlier. It was a message and the mark given by the other party.
Wendy looked calm. She silently reached out, took the letter from Chen Heng’s hand, and carefully examined it for a while.
“Yes, it is indeed our mark.” She put the letter away and then looked at Chen Heng before her. “It seems that His Highness Alan likes our gift very much.”
Chen Heng remained silent. After a long while, he said, “Where is the girl during the day?”
“The girl during the day?” Wendy was stunned for a moment, then reacted and revealed a stiff smile on her face, “You mean Wendy? She was the consciousness that was later born in this body. She was one of my children. Usually, she would be in charge of this body’s actions. I would only appear on very rare occasions. It seems that you two get along well.”
She was silent for a moment as if she recalled the memories of this body. Then, she smiled and said, “Oh, she seems to have a good impression of you. You can try having some fun with her if you want.”