?Despite the early hour, the Black Leaf Tavern near the harbor was bustling with activity.
This establishment was a weathered building with a sign depicting a frothy ale mug hanging crookedly above its entrance.
Inside the tavern, the air was thick with the scent of sweat, alcohol, and the salty breeze from the ocean that wafted in every time someone opened the door.
Humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes sat shoulder to shoulder, sharing an early morning drink.
At one table, a pair of humans and another pair of dwarves were locked in a heated argument about who the most beautiful courtesan in The Velvet Dreams was.
On a nearby table, a group of elves were gracefully drinking from a goblet of wine. They were conversing quietly, ridiculing the group nearby for arguing over a harlot.
A group of gnomes sat at the stools by the bar where the grizzled bartender, a middle-aged dwarf with a long, braided beard, was serving them drinks with his skillful hands.
Behind the bartender was a shelf filled with a wide variety of alcohol bottles, ranging from ales made by humans to dwarven whiskey.
In the midst of this rowdy scene, the tavern keeper's dog went around the tables, accepting pats from the customers.
At a certain table in the corner of the tavern, Adam sat with a wide grin on his face as he looked around and nodded from time to time. "Hahaha, you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning!"
"Here, here!"
"That's the spirit, young man!"
"Another round of drinks!"
The patrons sitting around him cheered enthusiastically when they heard Adam's words.
Meanwhile, Hudson, who was sitting across from the youth, glanced at him incredulously, "Is this the type of place you like to visit early in the morning?"
Adam glanced at him and chuckled, "Ah, this place… it feels like home."
The next moment, he grabbed the gourd hanging from his waist, uncorked it, and took a large swig.
He wiped his mouth and glanced at the wine gourd like it was his lover. "You know, there's a magic in wine that no Magus can produce." He then looked at Hudson and asked, "Want some?"
Hudson's lips twitched. "No, thanks."
As he gazed at Adam madly drinking from the gourd, he couldn't help but speak up, "As a Magus, you shouldn't indulge in alcohol so much. It dulls your senses."
Adam glanced at the middle-aged man and winked. "Don't worry, I got that all covered."
This guy… Hudson didn't know what to say.
He was even beginning to question if the youth sitting in front of him was truly a right fit for the Twilight Brotherhood.
But for someone of Warden Berger's caliber to have sponsored him to the Council… There must be something that he sees in Adam that I don't.
From the conversation that he'd just now had with the youth, Hudson had surmised a couple of things.
Firstly, to him, Adam appeared to be a pragmatic and somewhat detached individual. His primary focus was the pursuit of knowledge, indicating a deep intellectual curiosity.
Secondly, his attitude toward helping others revealed to Hudson a sense of cynicism. This led him to believe that Adam is actually a selfish Magus, prioritizing his own goals and interests over other things.
And lastly, but most importantly, he was an alcoholic.
Hudson had met many Magi who liked to drink wine, but not nearly as much as Adam.
Since the time the youth had landed in Acryon, the people that Hudson had sent to spy over him had almost always found him sipping on wine.
This caused Hudson to have a deeper understanding of Adam's character.
He couldn't help but think to himself, Is he reliant on alcohol because of stress or maybe some past traumas? Does he drink to numb himself from the world's problems?
While he was deep in thought, Adam suddenly glanced at him and smirked, "Don't think too much. I drink because I like it."
Hudson's pupils constricted. Did he just… read my thoughts?!
Adam waved his hand. "Your facial expressions are just too obvious. Relax a little."
Before Hudson could come up with a reply, a black-haired young man approached their table. He stood before Hudson and respectfully bowed, "Good morning, Lord Carr."
He then looked at Adam and bowed. "And a very good morning to you as well, Lord Magus."
Adam nodded with a friendly smile. On the inside, he was wondering, A Rank 1 Magus? Could he be an Acolyte?
The bottom of the Twilight Brotherhood's hierarchical ladder consisted of Rank 1 Magi, also known as Acolytes.
Their main goal was simply to deepen their magical studies and help around with miscellaneous works. They were barely given any dangerous missions to complete.
"This here is Duncan, a promising young Magus from our organization," Hudson introduced the young man.
Adam stretched out his hand and smiled, "Pleasure to meet you, Duncan. I'm Adam."
"Greetings, Lord Magus!" Duncan shook Adam's hand with both hands. "It's an honor to meet you."
After that, Duncan took his seat beside Hudson.
Adam glanced at the two and asked, "So what is it that I have to do? Warden Berger did mention that you guys were going to give me some kind of stupid test."
Hudson's eyes twitched. Stupid test?
He then glanced at Duncan and gestured. "Hand it to him."
"Yes, my lord," Hudson respectfully replied before handing a rolled-up parchment paper to Adam.
The youth grabbed the paper and unfurled it. He leisurely glanced at the contents inside while sipping from his wine gourd.
But the more he read, the more his expression darkened. After having read all the details inside, he kept away the paper inside his earring.
He glanced at Hudson with a disgusted expression. "So this is the guy you want me to deal with?"
Hudson nodded. "Indeed."
Adam was silent for a while before responding, "What about the person supporting him? Surely, there must be someone powerful behind him for him to keep doing what he's doing for so long. How am I to deal with that?"
"You don't need to worry about the Magus supporting him," Hudson assured, "we'll take care of that."
"Hmm." Adam stroked his chin in thought. "And how exactly do you want me to deal with this filthy bastard?"
Hudson's lips curled up into a faint smile.
"How you deal with him is also a test."
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