novelODS Chapter 3 Tavern and Intelligence
Chapter 3 Tavern and Intelligence
After coming down from the small room by the enchanting table, Chen Mo realized he was starving.
He was so stunned by the star map and the upgrade that he didn't even notice the signals his body was sending. Now that the excitement had worn off, hunger pounced on him like a wild beast that had been lying in wait, tearing him to shreds.
My stomach is cramping. My hands are trembling. My legs feel like they're made of lead.
The slight increase in vitality brought by the upgrade seems to have been completely offset by this damned hunger.
Holding onto the stair railing, Chen Mo slowly made his way down the stairs, one thought swirling in his mind—
eat.
We must eat immediately.
What tasks, soul stones, and money—all of that has to wait until we've filled our stomachs.
He stumbled out the door, and the cold wind seemed to sober him up a bit. Evening came quickly in Dugu City; the sky had already darkened, and dim lights began to appear in the windows along the streets.
He remembered the direction of the blinking giant rat. For a veteran Skyrim player who liked to switch to survival mode, figuring out where the "nearest supply point" was was a survival instinct that took precedence over anything else.
However, the current Dugu City seemed to be much larger than in the game, and it took Chen Mo a lot of effort to figure out his direction.
Walking down the stone steps and through two alleys, the sign for the giant rat restaurant suddenly came into view.
The wooden sign with a grinning rat painted on it swayed gently in the wind, and a warm orange light shone through the crack in the door. You could faintly hear noisy voices and...music coming from inside.
Chen Mo quickened his pace and pushed open the heavy wooden door.
A warm feeling wafted over me.
The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, casting an orange-red glow on the walls, making the entire space bright and inviting. Guests sat in twos and threes; some were talking and laughing loudly, some were drinking, and a few were gathered around the bar, listening to a woman in a grey-brown robe playing the piano and singing.
Chen Mo stood in the doorway, letting the cold wind blow in from behind, causing the flames in the fireplace to flicker. Several patrons turned to look at him with displeasure, so he quickly closed the door and found an empty seat against the wall.
The music continued to flow.
The woman sat on a high stool next to the bar, holding a uniquely designed lute. She had rare long white hair that shimmered silver in the firelight, and her features were so delicate that she didn't seem like a Nord, but rather resembled an elf in Chen Mo's memory.
But she didn't have the pointed ears of an elf.
"Brightonians?" Chen Mo guessed.
Her voice was soft and gentle; she was singing a song Chen Mo had never heard before.
"Deep in the pine forest where snow is falling,
The campfire has burned out.
Traveler, have you heard?
An echo from ancient times?
The wind comes from the north.
It brings a cold message—
The day the throne falls,
The old gods will also awaken…
The song stopped there. The bard gently plucked the strings, playing a soothing interlude, and then continued singing:
"The hound chases the shadow."
The wolves whispered in the moonlight.
O traveler, have you seen it?
Footprints in the darkness?
Blood seeped from the cracks in the stone.
The ancient altar was dyed red.
The Queen's sleeping place
The dead will also awaken…
Chen Mo was somewhat stunned.
The lyrics of this song... sound a bit creepy?
But he didn't have time to think about it. A young girl wearing an apron came over with a tray in her hand and asked him what he wanted to order.
Chen Mo glanced at the menu—which was actually just a wooden board hanging on the wall with a few lines of text written in chalk. He could barely recognize a few words:
Vegetable soup... 10 copper coins
Roasted mutton... 50 copper coins
Bread...5 copper coins
Potato stew with meat... 35 copper coins
Mead... 30 copper coins
Chen Mo felt his pockets. He had found some money in the house when he came out, about twenty gold coins in total.
"Stewed potatoes and meat," he said, "with mead and bread."
The girl nodded, turned and left.
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, listening to the surrounding noise, and suddenly felt a strange sense of peace.
Taverns are truly magical places. No matter the world or the era, taverns are always the most central hubs of information and the places where human connection is strongest. Some are discussing the recent fish prices, others are complaining about the high taxes, and a few soldiers in Imperial uniforms are drinking something in a corner, occasionally bursting into laughter.
The bard had changed the song; this time it was a light and cheerful tune, sounding like a love ballad, but Chen Mo wasn't interested in listening.
His food has arrived.
The stewed potatoes and meat were served in a rough earthenware bowl. The broth was thick, with large chunks of meat and tender potatoes, a layer of oil floating on top, and steaming hot. The bread was dark brown, hard enough to kill someone, but when broken open, it had a simple, wheaty aroma.
Chen Mo ignored the heat and picked up the wooden spoon to eat.
He almost cried after taking the first bite.
It wasn't because it tasted good—it was because of that feeling of "finally coming back to life." The warm soup flowed into my stomach, the hunger slowly dissipated like the receding tide, my hands stopped shaking, and my legs regained their strength.
He buried his head in his food for a while, and only after his most urgent hunger was suppressed did he slow down and begin to listen to the conversations of the people around him.
Over at the bar, several men dressed in coarse cloth shirts were drinking and chatting. One of them, a man with a large beard, spoke clearly through the noise:
"...I heard that Ulfric's attack sent the High King crashing down from the sky!"
“Dragon's Roar? That’s no joke,” another man chimed in. “The power of the ancient Nords, legend says it can shatter city walls. Toig is a valiant warrior, but how can he possibly contend with a dragon's roar?”
"What resistance? He didn't even have time to resist!" The bearded man slammed his fist on the table. "Ulfric stood in the doorway, let out a roar, and Toig flew out. Then he walked over and, in front of everyone, with that broken sword—"
He made a downward chopping motion.
"--it's over."
Some sighed, some shook their heads, and some muttered something under their breath.
Chen Mo slowed down his chewing.
Ulfric, Gladiator's Roar, High King Toyg.
These keywords pierced his consciousness like needles.
He certainly knew this history—the spark that ignited the civil war in Skyrim: Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloaks, killed High King Torig in a legitimate gladiatorial contest, enraging the Empire and plunging Skyrim into division.
But the key lies in—
There are no dragons.
These people talked about Ulfric killing the High King with a dragon's roar, about the situation in Skyrim, about the conflict between the Empire and the Stormcloaks. But they didn't talk about dragons. They didn't talk about the behemoths that fell from the sky, about the destroyed villages, or about Alduin's resurrection.
Chen Mo swallowed the last bite of potato and casually interjected:
"I really wonder what a dragon's roar is like. It must be incredibly powerful. It's a pity I've never seen a dragon before. I'd love to see one someday."
Chen Mo spoke very naturally, as if he were an ordinary person casually expressing his feelings.
There was an inexplicable moment of silence at the table.