Chapter 82: The Inn Master, Returning Home

Despite the wonders of the night scene of Ivanov, it didn't take long for Marius to arrive at the tavern he now called home, the tables within the dining hall now bustling with activity as locals and new faces sat and idled away. Now, the sounds of chatting and eating with laughter filling the entirety of the Fallen Star Inn.

Marius entered casually while making his way towards the stairs, his appearance drew quite a few eyes, some of whom he noticed him from the Seeker's Union Drilling Trials, but as if he didn't care his eyes flashed as he looked at a few new faces, giving off a strong presence. 

One was a bulky man with a bald head and bushy red hair, his hairy chest visible from a loose shirt with no sleeves, showing his bulging arms. He sat in a corner with his arms crossed and eyes closed while leaning back against his chair.

The second was an ordinary-looking female made with short green hair, her skirt reaching way up her knees, pulling a few eyes entirely from the men that sat at various corners.

Lastly, a strange white-haired old man sat lazily at the counter, wearing what seemed like a worn-out mage robe. He held a wooden cane that rested on his shoulders as he looked to be supervising Liola's work.

'Oh, this inn keeps getting more interesting, new tough guys here and there, you'd think this is the retirement hall for the Seeker Union or something.' Marius thought to himself while chuckling inwardly.

Marius felt a few hostile intents; his eyes vaguely shifted towards those areas of the room, picking out a few ordinary-looking faces.

'Tsk, such amateurs,' Marius thought, thinking that if these guys were true assassins, they wouldn't have been discovered so easily.

Despite his thoughts, however, he didn't continue to pay them anymore mind. Right now, he had higher priorities, and that was the meet his lovely wife and kids.

Liola, who was being worked like a horse, wiped the sweat from her flustered forehead; she was about to handle another talk but soon noticed Marius. "Sir Ed..." Lion made to say as her eyes brightened, but as if recalling something, she covered her mouth and glanced at the old man behind her.

The old man seemed as if he had no care in the world, but his eyes soon turned to her as he spoke, "Kiddo, continue with your work; if you meet that quota, then I'll consider your request."

Liola felt joy at those words; she looked at him like an innocent child and asked, "Inn Master Jen, do you really mean it?"

"Hoho, when have I ever lied to you?" Inn Master Jen replied with a light laugh.

Liola felt better now; after being worked so hard since the morning, she finally felt that it was worth it. Right now, she was only missing a few more to meet that quota; she didn't dare t dally anymore as she sped off to handle more work.

By this time, Marius had already vanished up the stairs, Inn Master Jen cast a casual glance around the inn, but as he did, he saw quite a few shady characters amidst the crowd of idle guests.

Some having deeply suppressed auras and rich killing intent; it was clear that each of them was from separate forces. They each stared at the stairway in silence, but one by one, as if in agreement they slowly and non-obstructively left the inn.

"Hoho, well now, it appears that these new tenants are quite the troublemakers, offending so many already having just come into town." Inn Master Jen murmured with curiosity in his eyes.

Suddenly, he cast a look to the side, noticing that the formerly large-bodied man with a red beard had now unknowingly stood at his side. In fact, other than him, the ordinary-looking female made with her loose attire also stood nearby.

Not being startled in the slightest, Inn Master Jen casually asked, "Bryner, what do you think of him?"

Bryner, who stood with eyes closed, turned his head towards Inn Master Jen's position and spoke, "Master, I can say that he's quite good; I felt a burning spirit within him, a clear sign that he's at the door to an upgrade in strength. It probably won't be long before he reaches a decent stage."

Inn Master Jen nodded at this as he spoke to the female, "And you, Lina?"

Lina made a strange smile as she replied, "Master, I think that if those from the Alvaria Military, Knight Order, or the Holy Church finds out about him, they might try to recruit him in a frenzy. His age doesn't seem that old either, yet it won't take long for him to climb to our stage despite his current level. I feel that we reach out to him..."

Bryner, who listened, took this chance to add his two cents, "Lina is right, but from the look of that guy, I think he's more of the type to be independent."

Lina hesitated a bit before nodding; she felt the same as well; Inn Master Jen smiled at this as he spoke, "Hoho, who amongst us isn't? It's fine; you guys find him interesting, and I'm also quite fond of him. Let's do this; I'll watch him for a bit more before making a choice. When I do, both of you can reach out to him, even if strong, there are times when you'll need a helping hand, a lone warrior won't find it easy to survive the politics of this world."

Both Bryner and Lina nodded as they turned and went back to their locations; Inn Master Jen also returned to his normal demeanor, leaning back with his eyes closed; the only difference was a strange smile on his face and his thoughts flowing in a direction which no one really knows.

Unaware of the scene downstairs, Marius, who now moved in the upper halls, soon arrived at his room door; he opened with the key, pushing the door as he spoke, "My dear wife and kids, look who's home."

The door soon after opened with an audible creak, revealing a bright and cozy scene as if welcoming him home