You Ditched an R-Rank, Now That I’m an SSR, You Wanna Cry? Chapter 74

Xia Yuan looked up at the tavern's name and thought to himself that the owner's ambitions were quite grand.

Achieving peace in this world? That would be incredibly difficult.

As soon as they pushed open the tavern door, four beautiful young women dressed in maid outfits stood respectfully on either side, speaking in unison:

"Welcome..."

"...to the World Peace Tavern!"

One of the beaming maid waitresses guided them inside. "Please, follow me..."

Having maid waitresses in a tavern was a rare sight indeed...

Xia Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, instinctively sizing up these four pretty maid girls.

However, he quickly noticed something peculiar.

The one leading them in wore a perpetually brilliant smile, brimming with joy.

As for the other three...

One was full of anger, fierce and menacing, as if someone owed her eight million.

One looked deeply sorrowful, her eyes constantly brimming with tears, though it was unclear what she loved so profoundly.

The last one was simply delighted, covering her mouth as she giggled at the group, as if recalling something very amusing...

"Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Happiness?"

Xia Yuan caught the essential element, finding it quite interesting. "Do the maid waitresses in your tavern have character roleplay?"

The leading maid waitress, Joy, turned back with a smile. "Mm, that's right. Every server in our tavern has their corresponding character persona. By the way, my name is Xi, Joy!"

She said cheerfully, "This guest is truly observant..."

Luo Ziyan rolled her eyes. "Making a fuss over nothing. Xia Yuan, you really need to see more of the world."

Xia Yuan stroked his chin, the corners of his mouth lifting as he casually praised,

"Your acting skills must be excellent then. It looks completely authentic..."

The tavern had many customers, yet the noise level wasn't overwhelming.

Patrons at every table sipped their drinks while chatting softly with their companions, a scene of harmony.

Besides humans, there were many Contracted Spirits of other races.

Elves, beastmen, undead...

Soothing light music played, putting people at ease.

The tavern's interior environment and decor felt natural and unforced, both ancient and mysterious.

The group arrived at an empty table in a corner and sat down.

Luo Ziyan expertly began ordering drinks, even specifying that they wanted the tavern owner's personally crafted special blends.

Since Xia Yuan and Mo Shiyu were first-timers with no experience, she ordered for them as well.

"This place isn't super popular in the Spirit Tamer City That Never Sleeps, but it's a hidden gem."

"Not many have discovered it yet. I only found it by chance myself!"

Luo Ziyan said with a grin.

Xia Yuan sprawled out in a starfish pose on the tavern seat, happily observing his surroundings, squeezing Mo Shiyu to the side in the process. She wore an expression of suppressed fury, not daring to speak up.

"The atmosphere here really is nice. It has a kind of magical power that can calm the mind."

Xia Yuan offered rare praise.

Luo Ziyan was instantly overjoyed, even happier than the Joy maid. "Haha, Xia Yuan, I didn't expect you to have such good taste."

Xia Yuan: "I meant actual magical power. Because I'm usually quite restless; it's hard for me to settle down."

Mo Shiyu forcefully carved out some space for herself, not forgetting to add a quip, "Yes, he has child-like hyperactivity."

Xia Yuan was about to properly 'educate' Fatty Yu again when a customer at the next table caught his attention.

Sitting opposite was a skeleton Contracted Spirit in a pink suit.

The identifier above its head read: "B-rank, Level 30."

At that moment, it was elegantly raising a wine glass, sniffing it at the tip of its nasal cavity, then taking a small sip.

The wine flowed out from its hollow mouth, trickling all over its ribcage, before finally dripping onto the floor...

Yet this skeleton, whose body fundamentally couldn't hold any liquid, wore an expression of pure enjoyment, muttering to itself, "Mmm, the owner's mixology skills have improved recently. Fragrant, mellow, and delicious, truly leaving a rich and lasting aftertaste..."

Seeing this, Xia Yuan immediately couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing, pounding the table with his hand:

"Pfft hahaha... Look across the way! There's a skeleton Contracted Spirit drinking too!"

"Interesting, fascinating, absolutely hilarious!"

Luo Ziyan and Mo Shiyu looked over and also nearly lost their composure.

The scene was simply too comical.

Every time the skeleton drank a bit of wine, it leaked a bit, completely unable to retain it...

The liquid just ran down its entire skeletal frame before dripping to the floor.

The Demon Blade Princess also glanced back. Among those present, only she could maintain a completely expressionless face at this sight.

It wasn't just Xia Yuan's group who noticed this bizarre scene; patrons at other tables were also struggling to hold back laughter.

It really was drinking... but drinking into nothingness!

They were also seeing a skeleton Contracted Spirit drink for the first time. Gotta say, it really was damn elegant!

Noticing the pink skeleton looking over.

Xia Yuan took a deep breath, stopped laughing, and with a serious face, began scolding Luo Ziyan and Mo Shiyu, who were still trying not to laugh:

"What's wrong with you two?"

"Where are your manners!"

"He's being so elegant, what right do you have to laugh at him? Are you discriminating?"

Luo Ziyan and Mo Shiyu were full of question marks.

You were the one laughing the loudest!!!

At that moment, a white-haired, kind-faced old man in a tailcoat walked over, carrying various drinks.

As he placed the drinks on the table, he greeted Luo Ziyan with a warm smile:

"Young lady Ziyan is here again?"

"You look even more beautiful than yesterday. Are these two your friends?"

Seeing the owner, Luo Ziyan was also very happy. "That's right! Boss, your business is getting better and better. Ah... looks like I might need to make reservations from now on!"

The tavern owner chuckled. "It's all thanks to the blessings of regular customers like you. As for reservations, even if we're fully booked, I'll always save a table for young lady Ziyan."

After all the owner's special blends were on the table, Xia Yuan and Mo Shiyu, on Luo Ziyan's enthusiastic recommendation, began to taste them.

It must be said, the flavor was excellent.

Xia Yuan couldn't help but have a few more glasses. His gaze shifted to the Level 100 tavern owner, and he clicked his tongue twice. "The Imperial Capital really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Besides mixing great drinks, this owner seems pretty strong too..."

The Demon Blade Princess looked at him. "You feel that too?"

Xia Yuan smacked his lips. "Yeah. He looks old, but his vitality is strong, his life force is vigorous like a young man..."

Luo Ziyan laughed heartily. "The boss is an old Contracted Spirit who retired from the front lines. He's hidden his rank; he might even be an SR!"

The four of them drank and chatted.

Xia Yuan noticed the skeleton Contracted Spirit at the opposite table was always alone.

He kept feeling a sense of incongruity from the other party. So, picking up his drink, he stood up and walked over. "Drinking alone? Mind if I join you for a few?"

The skeleton in the pink suit was slightly surprised, gesturing for him to sit. "Leaving behind three such beautiful young ladies to drink with a skeleton like me... don't you think that's a waste of time?"

Xia Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down and raising his glass to clink with the other's.

"Because I think you have a lot of style, Uncle Skeleton. And I'm also very curious, can you actually taste the wine?"

The skeleton Contracted Spirit laughed heartily. "To be honest, no."

Xia Yuan: "So it's just an act?"

The skeleton answered somewhat philosophically:

"Actually, drinking wine is about drinking the emotion. Although I'm of the undead race, I still have emotions."

"I also have joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness..."

After hearing this, Xia Yuan also laughed. "The Contracted Spirits in the Imperial Capital are really interesting. Feels like everyone lives life to the fullest!"

As the two were chatting.

The maid waitress with the sorrowful face walked over. "Guest, our owner is free now and would like to invite you to continue discussing business..."

The skeleton Contracted Spirit stood up. "Excuse me for a moment..."

Xia Yuan: "Please."

Xia Yuan watched as it followed the tavern owner into the inner room, finally understanding where the sense of incongruity came from...

At his current stage, he could easily sense the strength of other Contracted Spirits...

No matter how well it was hidden, if it was sufficiently powerful, it would involuntarily emit some intangible aura.

Of course, seeing through it wasn't easy.

Unless one was equally strong, or stronger!

This skeleton Contracted Spirit appeared to be B-rank, Level 30 on the surface, but that clearly didn't match the aura it was emitting.

That's why Xia Yuan felt the incongruity.

The tavern owner was different. The owner's level was even higher, emitting almost no discernible aura, like a master who had returned to a state of simplicity.

He didn't seem like a Level 100 Contracted Spirit at all...

"The Contracted Spirits in the Imperial Capital really are more and more full of life..."

Xia Yuan couldn't help but sigh.

To be honest, he kind of wanted to drag these two onto the Contracted Spirit Arena and beat them to death. He wondered how many reward points that would earn...