On this particular day, the entire Hailan No. 11 was filled with a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

  Don’t be fooled by the fact that it was just a mug of rum worth eight silver coins—this free rum brought the simplest and most fulfilling joy to these mercenaries.

  Normally, most mercenaries could only afford to drink rye beer, so when someone was generous enough to treat them to rum, they were beyond delighted!

  Delighted to the point of exhilaration!

  One mug was not enough—after the first, they had to pay for the second themselves. But they didn’t care. What mattered was the excitement of the moment!

  As a result, even before noon, quite a few mercenaries were already drunk.

  Some even got so carried away that they jumped onto the tables, holding hands and breaking into a lively tap dance.

  A bearded man raised his mug, belting out a song at the top of his lungs. And truth be told, his rough voice had a certain charm to it.

  The tavern’s musicians, who usually slacked off, were now happily strumming their harps and beating their drums in accompaniment. Many mercenaries joined in, singing along with the bearded man.

  "Oh, happy Gorlan, swinging his sword, sailing his ship, Drinking his rum, singing his song amidst the ocean waves~ He says, hey! Brother! I ain’t no sailor, nor a pirate, I’m just an old mercenary who loves his drink! Hey, mate on the ship ahead, got any booze to spare me?"

  The song "Gorlan: The Sea's Old Mercenary" echoed throughout the tavern. It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, nor was it particularly pleasant to the ears—just a simple and catchy drinking song. But its infectious melody soon had Caius humming along unconsciously.

  "Kid, this drink is on me!" The slightly tipsy bearded man raised his mug and slung an arm around Caius’s shoulders with a hearty laugh.

  "Cheers!"

  Naturally, Caius didn’t refuse. He took the mug handed to him by Yvlan and clinked it against the bearded man’s.

  "Cheers!"

  "Ah—now that hits the spot!"

  "Haven’t seen a rookie this well-suited to being a mercenary in a long time!"

  "Lads, shouldn’t we toast him?"

  "Damn right!" The mercenaries roared with laughter, raising their mugs high.

  Look at this treatment—if you’re willing to spend, you’ll be treated like royalty!

  Mercenaries were never stingy when it came to toasting the one footing the bill!

  After downing several mugs in succession, Caius’s face took on a slight flush.

  The mugs here were massive, more like small barrels. The bottom alone was the size of a fist, and each held over a liter of alcohol.

  Still, despite the slight flush, Caius didn’t even feel tipsy. One of the perks of his giant-blooded physique was his monstrous alcohol tolerance!

  Of course, he wasn’t about to show that off—after all, tipsy mercenaries were the most entertaining mercenaries.

  At times like these, they spoke their minds, especially when faced with a generous benefactor.

  They were more than willing to share information.

  That was one of the reasons Caius had treated the entire tavern!

  The other reason? Simply because it felt good.

  This was his first time celebrating since returning to the mercenary life. Without his former comrades to raise a toast with, he might as well celebrate with the entire tavern of mercenaries.

  After all, what was five or six hundred gold coins? Caius didn’t even bat an eye at such an amount.

  As he strolled around the tavern, clinking mugs and exchanging banter, he picked up quite a few tidbits of information.

  Some were broad—like the rivalries between gangs in Ocean City and the scheming among chambers of commerce.

  Some were more practical—such as which magic potion and weapon shops offered the best value, which chamber of commerce had posted a series of quests, which mercenary groups were best left undisturbed, and the characteristics and personalities of various gang leaders.

  For just a few hundred gold coins, Caius gained a rapid understanding of Ocean City, this wild and untamed metropolis.

  If he had tried to gather this information on his own, he might have spent far less money—but the time cost would have been astronomical.

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  And to Caius, money was important, but there were many things ranked above it.

  Fame, joy, tobacco—among them, time was at the top of the list.

  After all, the time spent gathering intelligence could instead be used to complete missions and earn who knows how many five-hundred-gold rewards.

  By the time he had made his rounds, noon had arrived. Some mercenaries were already passed out drunk, while others, still riding the buzz, continued their boisterous chatter, filling the tavern with noise.

  Caius rather enjoyed this atmosphere.

  He made his way to the counter and ordered some food. Yvlan brought his meal to him, along with the now much lighter coin pouch.

  "That’s a total of 531 gold and 2 silver," Yvlan said.

  "You’re really generous, huh?"

  "Generosity wins friends," Caius chuckled and turned to the mercenaries. "Ain’t that right, lads?"

  "Damn right!" the mercenaries cheered in response.

  Yvlan couldn’t help but smile. This big guy was quite to her liking.

  She leaned in slightly and whispered, "One big gesture is enough. Do it too often, and people will start thinking you’re an easy mark."

  "Of course, I know," Caius nodded before digging into his meal.

  He understood all too well.

  Just like with Holan—if he had accepted Holan’s initial offer outright, she would have felt like she got a steal. But by negotiating the price down himself, he let Holan know that he was willingly letting her have the deal.

  That made the favor all the more significant.

  People often lived by their feelings, and the indirect benefits of a good impression far outweighed a mere few hundred gold coins.

  He was good at navigating these nuances, and his focus wasn’t limited to the gold right in front of him.

  Making money?

  To Caius, there was nothing easier in the world. That was how confident he was.

  Just then, Yvlan asked, "By the way, I heard you took down a Wolf Demon?"

  "Oh? The boss lady sure has sharp ears," Caius remarked between bites, though he wasn’t surprised.

  After all, Yvlan was practically half a broker. Middlemen like her dabbled in information trade, so it was only natural for her to be well-informed.

  Anyone who ran a mercenary tavern wasn’t an ordinary person.

  "Eli sent someone to tell me. He wanted me to thank you," Yvlan said.

  "Who?" Caius asked.

  "The magic potion shop owner who hired you for that escort job."

  "Ah, I see. So, besides a verbal thank-you, is there any material gratitude?" Caius inquired.

  "You’re really shameless!" Yvlan rolled her eyes.

  Just like Holan—beautiful women even made eye-rolling look good.

  “Eli asked me to tell you that if you ever visit his shop, he'll give you the biggest discount possible,” said Yvlan.

  “That sounds great!” Caius chuckled and nodded. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, “So, do I qualify to take the Silver-ranked mercenary promotion task now?”

  “Of course. Do you want to take it now?”

  “Yes, the sooner, the better. I need to reach Gold rank within a month.”

  “Alright, wait here.” Yvlan nodded and turned to find a task for Caius.

  Just then, Kiki, who had severed her employment with Eli, arrived at the tavern. It was her first time entering such a place.

  A petite and adorable catgirl stepping into a tavern full of burly men was certainly an unusual sight.

  So, when Kiki pushed open the door and walked in, many pairs of eyes immediately fixed on her.

  Kiki's fur bristled slightly.

  The way these people were looking at her was terrifying, meow...

  It wasn’t hard to guess what was on the minds of a bunch of drunken men when they saw a small and cute catgirl.

  Of course, not everyone was interested in beastfolk. On this continent, beastfolk were often discriminated against.

  Most mercenaries merely stared at her without taking action, though some whistled and made teasing remarks.

  “Hey, little girl, are you lost?”

  “We don’t serve milk here!”

  “Hahaha!”

  Kiki grew nervous and instinctively wanted to leave. But when she spotted the broad back of a familiar figure sitting at the bar, she mustered up her courage and walked further in.

  Before she could call out to Caius, a tall and thin man stepped in front of her.

  His clothes were disheveled, his face flushed red—clearly drunk. The way he looked at Kiki was filled with vile desire.

  It was the same mercenary who had earlier mocked Caius’s task, calling it an old lady’s tooth-hunting errand.

  “Heh heh, little kitty, are you lost? Want uncle here to take you home?”

  A dangerous aura emanated from the drunkard, making Kiki instinctively reach for the dagger at her waist while taking two steps back.

  “Oh? A little wildcat, huh? Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson~”

  He leered as he took a step forward, and three other mercenaries moved in as well, blocking Kiki’s escape. Their faces bore wicked grins.

  Other mercenaries merely watched. Some shook their heads knowingly.

  They were all too familiar with this scene. Whenever Kalan and his gang got drunk, they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. They’d been thrown out by the tavern owner countless times for similar behavior, yet they never learned their lesson.

  Most of the bystanders were simply waiting to see how this would unfold.

  But before Yvlan could step in to stop them, a towering figure appeared behind Kalan, placing a large hand on his shoulder.

  “Buddy, she’s mine.”

  The drunken Kalan turned his head slightly and sneered when he saw Caius’s simple, honest-looking smile. He spat on the ground.

  “Yours? So what?”

  “You’re just a Brass-ranked mercenary. You think buying a drink entitles you to my respect?”

  “Get lost, or I’ll teach you the rules of this place!”

  He dismissed Caius entirely and turned back to continue harassing Kiki.

  Caius grinned. If the man had chosen his words more wisely, he might have gotten away unscathed. Unfortunately, arrogant mercenaries always had to pay the price—unless they had the strength to back it up.

  Everyone watched, waiting to see what would happen next.

  And Caius did not disappoint them.

  With a thunderous crash, the entire tavern trembled.

  Kalan’s scruffy, unshaven face was smashed straight through a wooden table and embedded deep into the floorboards, leaving half his face stuck there.

  Caius had slammed him down with one powerful motion.

  Yet, Caius still wore his characteristic simple, honest smile. The only difference was the chilling glint in his slightly narrowed eyes.

  “The rules of mercenaries are written in blood.”

  “I don’t need your so-called respect. But I do need your teeth to decorate the floor.”

  Before Kalan could struggle to rise, Caius delivered a ruthless kick to his stomach. The man curled up like a shrimp and was sent flying, crashing into the tavern wall with a resounding crack.

  “Boss lady, put the damages on my tab,” Caius said without turning around. He then picked up a massive one-liter beer mug and walked toward Kalan.

  It was clear that he had no intention of stopping. The decisiveness and ferocity of his actions made everyone in the room suddenly realize—this newcomer was not to be trifled with.

  Even more shocking was that Kalan, a Silver-ranked eight-star mercenary, had been as fragile as a child in Caius’s hands.

  “No killing,” Yvlan reminded him, though she made no move to intervene. It was evident she approved of Caius’s actions.

  Caius grinned, revealing his white teeth. His smile twisted into something sinister.

  “Relax, I’m not a murderer.”

  “I’m just curious—can a human mouth fit around this beer mug?