The God of Jesters
Chapter 490 - 8.01.3 Information gathering.

Chapter 490: 8.01.3 Information gathering.

The Bartender’s guild, a medium that connected the light and dark sides of Rudrain, and the place that Rosso had found out about after a bit of financial struggle on his end. Though the one he could find was only the simplest one.

Although its name the Yellow Dragon Bar, sounded grand, the decorations and entrance requirements were something he couldn’t afford unless he burned through money. Rosso still made up his mind.

Not everyone can be like Heroth, who easily enters and exits an even higher level of establishment, whose cover was that of a simple and cheap bar.

However, instead of the little beer in front of him, Rosso was still thinking about the man he had seen not too long ago. "The man looked weak, barely adept... so why?" He recalled the face of the jolly old man.

The man sang some odd songs and ignored everyone while walking down the streets. He appeared as a drunk commoner and nothing more. ’Then why... why did I feel the dread?’ This was an odd emotion for him, and he wanted to find the cause of it.

Worry, pain, and frustration, all of these were allowed. But fear, no, he can’t afford to get scared. Fear will weaken him, making it harder to achieve his goal. ’I can’t.’ So he thought about finding an answer soon.

"What would you like to drink lad?" The Bartender asked and Rosso just made odd gestures on the bar counter while making some tapping noise. Which was the answer enough for the bartender. "If you can’t think of much, try the menu." The Bartender handed him a piece of paper that showed the price of multiple drinks and their prices. However, this was the exclusive menu only available to the chosen few. Meaning even those who enter would barely be able to afford it.

Of course, this menu was not about alcohol or side dishes.

"Calamari, Danteil Sherry 55 and chilly cheese poppers."

In simpler terms, looking for a person, information on the city and its aspects, and Information on foreigners. All the items on the menu correlate to the kind of requirement a person has. What kind of services they are looking for and the like?

There were even assassination contracts, smuggling, and thievery if you have enough money. However if one were to wonder what the most famous combo was, it would be just what Rosso ordered. "Would you prefer to eat on the counter, or a private booth?"

"The latter would suffice, and if you find someone looking for some companionship, then please send them to me... I don’t want to be lonely this night."

The bartender nodded, leading Rosso to a private bar before a young lady entered the room as well.

However, instead of serving Rosso, she put down a bill before asking. "Before we can proceed, I wish to know if Sir can afford the information."

"The payment depends on the information no? Why are you asking it so early?"

"Well sir is new here, so we can’t ascertain if you have the capital to afford our services, so just as an assurance, we want to make sure. Though if possible don’t treat this as an offense." The lady maintained a neutral expression, neither servile nor haughty.

Which was somewhat surprising to Rosso. Mind you, he worked among butchers, his clothes were simple casual ones. If not for flashing money before entering this place, he wouldn’t even be allowed in it.

So what does this mean? ’These people are better than the ones in Durum.’ Rosso came to this conclusion as he nodded his head in understanding and showed the girl a coin. "Purple Iron coin, each coin 10 grams and this one is not the only one."

Purple Iron, is a magical alloy usually used in artifact creation by mages due to its high mana conductivity. Even the creations of Wilhelm Faust, the mage armors depend on this material to keep afloat. And its price.

It was thousands of Dirium for a single gram of this alloy. So the coin in Rosso’s hand can be considered to be equal to tens of thousands of Dirium. Money is enough to buy a house in Durum, though in Rudrain, you can only use this money to rent a place for a year at most.

But that alone goes to show how powerful this single coin was.

Even the girl, who currently sat in front of Rosso won’t be able to earn this much in a year. "Then sir, who do you wish to find?"

"A scholar who likes to explore dangerous places. He looks old, around 70 years of age, though his true age is much higher. As for the defining features, I would say the black monocle and brown suspenders. I wonder if a person of such description has ever appeared in this city. And if he did, I wish to know his location or at least the direction he left the city..."

This old scholar was the only one who could save his creator, and from what he had known of him from the knowledge imparted by his creator. This old scholar owed something to him, so there was a high chance that he might help his master.

"This, these descriptions are a bit too shallow, there are thousands in the city with this description on looks alone, as for their interest, we have to look deeper to find the answer."

"Meaning you can’t give me anything for now?"

"No, but come back a week later, and we will have the answer." Though a bit disappointed, Rosso had somewhat expected this. So he directly went to ask the other two questions. "I wish to know all the taboos of the city, what they do and don’t, and what areas can be considered dangerous." Although Rosso had a copy of such knowledge in his mind, that knowledge was decades old and there had been a great shift of powers since then.

Many things changed along with many Taboo’s.

One primary example is the disappearance of Libraries from the city.

Few exist now, all under the strict control of noble families. What happened here and why this happened? Rosso doesn’t know, nor does he dare to fight out the truth in the open. He was not arrogant even with all the strength he had. One should never get complacent. One should be aware of one’s limits. These are the core tenets of what his creator taught him.

"This information, it alone can cost you a coin of Purple Iron, are you sure?" Her words did cause some struggle on Rosso’s face, this money was hard to come by. It’s not every day you find a bunch of mages carrying something so useful. And it’s not every day those mages tried to mess with you.

"Yes..." He pushed the coin to the girl who happily took it before saying. Although this money was hard to come by, he could always leave the city and loot some poor mages once again.

" As for the third request of yours, we can do it for free depending on the difficulty." the girl spoke with a smile. This much money just for some measly information was truly a godsend opportunity for her bar. It’s not every day that such a big customer comes here. And if they wish to make it so that this customer keeps using their services, then they have to show some goodwill on their end as well.

"Then I am going to save some money." Rosso made a bright smile, a false smile as he didn’t even understand the meaning of a smile. To him, this smile was made under the directives of his creator. A small smile at a perfect time can convey many things to your opponent and make their guard down.

"I wish to know every single member of Radiant Order that has arrived in the city for the past year. And I wish to learn their time of arrival. and pinpoint the dates as well."

Hearing such an odd request, a troubled expression appeared on the girl’s face. "This." She found this request truly troublesome. So she sighed and nodded. "Sorry for this, but I don’t think we can do this one for free, though as you are a big customer, we will turn the first request free. As for the price of the current request, it should be 11 grams of Purple Iron."

"Oh... this means you have the answer right here?’

******

The Moment Rosso stepped out of the Yellow Dragon Bar, he had already burned the little booklet he obtained from the bar.

The only thing he did receive from the bar was the information on the city, as for the remaining two, it would take him a week before he obtained it. Meaning he was free for a week at least.

’The water of this city is too deep.’ He turned and looked at the bar, before leaving the place altogether.

Using the services of Bartender’s Guild was a two-edged sword. From the simple fact that he approached the bar, he had exposed himself to the city. Which is dangerous in itself. But he had to do this if he wished to fulfill the wishes of his creator.

’Though the first two requests are simple and don’t stand out. The very fact that I requested information on Radiant Order would probably cause some commotion in the guild... Radiant order is too powerful, no one wishes to afford a giant like that.’

’So there is a low chance, the Bartender’s guild might inform them of my request.’