At a determined pace, the young tamer headed toward that kind of a saloon, trying to figure out if there was a place outside to tie up his horse. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed the wooden statue above the square's fountain, now clearly visible from another perspective.
A mighty man held in his hands a large halberd, the lower end of which rested on the ground. He had long hair, carved with precision in wood, and a long beard, so thick that it was closed in a braid that hung down to the center of his chest.
Behind him, a demon was sublimely crafted, surely the work of an expert sculptor. A fiery phoenix had its wings open and its jaws turned towards the sky, as if, behind the man, it was dynamically taking flight.
Yoichi did not dwell much on the details, feeling he was being watched. He continued walking towards the saloon and pondering what he had just seen. Wasn't the phoenix the Oracle of Tatsui Nishiyama, Emperor Shinzo's father? He thought, summarily recalling a story by Ryutaro.
Outside the saloon, built on a raised wooden floor accessible by a little staircase, there was no handhold to tie Ichiro down. Dejected, Yoichi called his demon back inside the Demon Tooth, trying to be as quiet as possible.
In addition to the group of women and two men watching him from the doorway, other people were leaning out of the windows on the other side of the square, intent on prying at the newcomer. As if he were reliving the sensations he had felt in Blackborough, Grimbrook seemed a place not accustomed to welcoming new travelers often.
Despite being in a strategic location for those traveling north, time seemed to stand still in that small wooden village. An inscription that looked as if it had been hand-carved with the tip of a knife had been written into the spot where the sign of that place was previously attached.
The square shape of the sign, a different color than the weathered exterior walls was still clearly visible and framed the inscription 'Tavern', written in different sized letters and the letter 'M' later changed to an 'N'.
"Hello!" Yoichi smilingly spoke, bowing his head towards the two men perched next to the entrance like two vultures. Unbelievably, even though from their faces those two men looked very unfriendly, one of them grabbed the visor of his straw hat with his hand, lowering it slightly and returning the greeting.
So they understand my language... this place is a bit creepy, Yoichi reflected. He continued to mask his perplexity with a carefree smile.
The doors of the saloon opened like a book as the young tamer passed by, placing Ichiro's Demon Tooth inside his backpack. When his hand touched the bag containing the gold coins, his stomach growled with hunger.
What better way to spend his guild money than on a hot meal? He thought, approaching the counter like a hungry traveler.
A stout, almost giant man, his shoulders broad enough to take up nearly a third of the counter, turned to his unexpected guest. In his large hands, the empty beer mug he was polishing looked like a sakè shot glass.
As if he were at home, Yoichi sat on one of the creaky bar stools on that counter. Next to him, on both the right and the left, three other men looked at him suspiciously, sipping their beers even though it was morning.
"Hello, everyone. Hello, innkeeper," Yoichi greeted, resting his hands on the counter and his feet on the bottom of the old bar stool. Behind him, four tables were scattered around the small tavern.
Three of them were occupied by groups of men intent on playing cards or strange board games, not too different from modern chess.
"Could I have a cold beer and something to munch on, too? I've been traveling all night and need to get my strength back," Yoichi politely asked, showing everyone that he had no fear or shyness.
"Sure, your beer will be right up," the giant man behind the counter replied. His mouth was hidden by a pair of large black mustaches, under which his lower lip emphasized his pronounced jaw.
On the innkeeper's bald head, a single tuft of thin, twisted hair like a baby's gave him a rather ridiculous appearance. So ridiculous that Yoichi had to hold back a laugh by grimacing and pretending to stretch.
"It's been months since I've had any visitors," the innkeeper continued, grabbing a clean mug and beginning to tap fresh beer from a barrel. "Tell me, boy. Are you by any chance one of the Emperor's men?" he inquired.
Before answering, Yoichi paused for a moment to think. What the innkeeper had just asked him was an obvious trick question: if these people haven't had any visitors in a long time, and none of them ever destroyed Tatsui Nishiyama's statue, perhaps they remained loyal to the old emperor, he pondered.
As a result, if I told them that I was working for the current Emperor of Tentochu, I don't think they would like my presence here very much - continuing to thought about those details, Yoichi noticed that the man sitting on the counter a couple of chairs away from him had a large dagger stuck in his belt.
"No, don't let the armor fool you. I am a warrior of the Nightblades, a guild of Goldhaven, but I have nothing to do with Emperor Nishiyama. I'm actually from Bronzeforest. That's where I live," Yoichi smiled, looking calm and introducing himself to everyone present.
"Good, then I can avoid poisoning your breakfast" the mustachioed man smiled, turning to Yoichi and forcefully slamming the mug full of beer in front of him.
*boom* - not expecting such a sudden noise, Yoichi jerked from his chair. For a few seconds, the young warrior fell into an awkward silence, not knowing whether to be happier or more scared.
"Hahaha!" chuckled the innkeeper, joking with his guest and serving him his cold beer in that extravagant way.
"Welcome, boy," the man with the dagger sitting at the bar exclaimed.
"Yeah, welcome."
"Good morning, stranger!"
"Hey, what's up, lad?"
One by one, after Yoichi had announced that he had nothing to do with Shinzo Nishiyama, the patrons of the tavern greeted him warmly, welcoming him to Grimbrook.
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