One-Eyed Monster

Lame Aliusan led his men in and out of various taverns. Following Elder Rostellum’s orders, he temporarily served as the "guardian" of Guru Mountain. Although Black Mountain had previously handled this duty, he wasn’t representing them now. Instead, he represented the guardhouse of Gaga County, or on a grander scale, the Liuli City Court of Guards.

Ever since those Alchemists arrived on Guru Mountain, the mountain itself had quieted down, but the area at its foot had become much more restless. Initially, those driven down from the mountain were too timid to cause trouble. However, after a day, they discovered that as long as they didn’t provoke those strange newcomers, everything was business as usual.

So, these dubious Treasure Hunters resumed their boisterous behavior in the taverns. They drank heavily, gorged on meat, and shouted loudly, even resorting to brawls when conversations turned sour.

The taverns were running low on alcohol. Ale merchants from the county, driving horse and ox carts, delivered barrel after barrel of inferior ale to Guru Mountain. Expensive wines weren’t popular here; the Treasure Hunters found them too bothersome to drink and no tastier than ale.

Aliusan limped into a crowded tavern. Treasure Hunters were seated or standing around the few tables. Those acting as Wandering Bards were seated, singing, dancing, and chatting animatedly. The listeners stood, holding their drinks, leaning on tables, or draping arms over others’ shoulders, their expressions varied, clearly captivated by the bards’ tales.

Aliusan grimaced, ordered a glass of fruit wine from the tavern owner, and leaned against a wall in a corner, as there were no spare stools. He listened to these Wandering Bards rambling through a collection of jumbled stories, mostly revolving around heroes, treasures, power, and secret techniques. Though these tales were old hat, the crowd never tired of them. Of course, when boredom set in, they’d switch to talking about women to pass the time...

Seeing these Treasure Hunters of varying appearances, often lost in drink, Aliusan’s heart filled with regret. All those glittering gold coins, just slipping away! Most of that gold ended up in the pockets of the ale merchants, a smaller portion stayed with the taverns, and only the tiniest fraction went to Black Mountain. This pittance was Black Mountain’s reward for maintaining order in the taverns. Whenever Treasure Hunters caused trouble or brawled, Black Mountain members would be the ones to throw the instigators out the tavern door. This was a new rule on Guru Mountain; every tavern paid Black Mountain a protection fee, more or less, to ensure any provocative troublemakers were immediately tossed into the water trough outside.

However, the money the ale merchants pocketed was far more than what Black Mountain earned through blood, sweat, and tears, and it seemed so much easier to come by.

Thinking of the ale merchants’ gleeful faces as they bit into their gold coins, Aliusan mulled over whether he should ask Elder Rostellum for a piece of the merchant guilds’ business. The tavern and inn trade was out of his reach, but there was still a significant opening in the brothel business.

Seeing the Treasure Hunters drool when they discussed women made Aliusan realize the sheer scale of potential profit. The substantial income from brothels would not only improve the Black Mountain brothers’ circumstances but also alleviate some unnecessary worries for the villagers in Guru Village. For instance, Madam Lori from the general store could face less harassment each day (perhaps she’d even thank him for it someday), and certain under-the-table dealings in the village could be brought out into the open.

At this thought, Aliusan felt like a true genius.

Aliusan unknowingly began humming a tune. The future was bright. Perhaps Black Mountain could even become the largest merchant organization in Gaga County. Then, when people saw him, they wouldn’t just perfunctorily call him ’Boss’ but would respectfully address him as ’President’... This way of life was far better than the daydreaming of these Treasure Hunters. Look at what lowly deeds they engage in: veteran Treasure Hunters wildly boasting to newcomers, or seasoned charlatans peddling ’experience’ to rookies dreaming of striking it rich. This bunch is nothing more than swindlers, ignoramuses, fools, daydreamers, and megalomaniacs... they’ll never amount to anything.