Since Yue Rin had a lot to do today, without wasting time she dressed, and headed to the tavern as usual.
Every moment she wasn't on her way to the Rogue Alliance Pavilion was a moment lowering her chances of getting a spot for the secret realm. Yet she still hesitated, half-hoping that if she delayed long enough, all the spots would be gone and she could call it 'fate' instead of her own cowardice.
So this was what people meant when they said: if you can't choose between two things, flip a coin. While it's in the air, you'll realize what you truly want.
Right now, her coin was still spinning.
As usual, once she arrived, she took her favorite table. This time she ordered rice with chicken and, of course, orange juice, then perked her ears for anything worth hearing.
* * * *
Half her plate was gone and she still hadn't caught anything useful. Just idle chatter and drunks babbling.
Just as Yue Rin was resigning herself to a boring visit, a staff member stepped into the middle of the tavern, wearing the expression of someone about to announce something important.
"Everyone! May I please take a moment of your time!"
They practically had to shout over the clatter of bowls and the hum of conversation. A few other staff members moved around, urging customers to quiet down. After a moment, the noise dipped enough for the announcement to carry.
"If you've been a regular customer here, you already know we sometimes invite bards and storytellers to entertain our customers."
Right. They did that from time to time.
But the music never hooked her. It couldn't compare to what Earth had, and most of the stories were the same kind of escapism too. A farmer or worker suffering through life, something depressing happens, then he awakens as a cultivator, finds an ancient manual, becomes powerful, and jade beauties line up at his door.
Same formula. Different world.
"But this time is different." The staff member's expression turned proud. "We are honored to announce that a direct disciple of the Verdant Pine Sect, Scholar Qiu Wen, will be visiting our humble tavern tomorrow morning to tell a story."
…
…
Qiu Wen?
For a few breaths, the tavern went unnaturally quiet.
Then everyone erupted at once.
"Did I hear that right? Qiu Wen? That Qiu Wen?"
"Are my ears deceiving me?"
"Miss, you aren't joking, are you?"
"A renowned cultivator coming down the mountain just to mingle with us mortals. He truly is the Verdant Pine Sect's prodigy!"
"I have to tell my friend. Qiu Wen is his idol!"
Most people looked like they'd just been told an immortal was eating at the next table. Yue Rin couldn't even blame them.
She was so shocked she forgot to chew properly, swallowed too fast, and nearly choked. She had to drown it down with orange juice just to breathe again.
Qiu Wen.
One of the Verdant Pine Sect's direct disciples, meaning an elder had personally taken him under their wing. In the entire Dawning Vale Kingdom, there weren't many names that carried weight wherever you went.
His was one of them.
Not because he was the strongest, or the most terrifying genius, but because his fame reached far beyond cultivation circles. He was the one who introduced the idea of public libraries and funded them across the kingdom, including the Central Library in the capital. And he hadn't just thrown money around either. He'd contributed knowledge. Real knowledge.
One of his most famous works was {First Leaf Primer}. If not for that book, Yue Rin wouldn't have even known she was an awakened person, let alone learned the basics of cultivation without crippling herself.
And it wasn't only that. Manuals. Techniques. Arts. The kind of things people guarded like starving wolves. Somehow, he still found ways to place pieces of them into the public's hands.
Even the techniques she'd relied on these past few years, {Needle-Line Draw}, {Falling-Leaf Step}, {Bark-Skin Guard}, were attributed to him. She'd even heard they were stripped-down versions of Verdant Pine Sect introductory techniques, and that Qiu Wen had knelt before his master's door for seven days and nights in the dead of winter just to gain permission to share them publicly.
You need to undrstand, this world doesn't hand out knowledge for free.
Education is expensive, and most sects would rather see outsiders rot than share a single page. A library that held not only mortal books but cultivation books as well was almost unbelievable. Sometimes Yue Rin even wondered if he was a transmigrator too.
Of course, mortals still had to pay one silver coin to enter the Central Library's first floor. But for the amount of information inside, that price was fair. In other, smaller cities, the libraries were even cheaper.
And an average farmer's yearly earnings were around twenty-two silver coins. It wasn't something to spend casually, but it wasn't a death sentence either.
For families who wanted their children literate, it was worth it.
Because of that, the kingdom's literacy rose slowly, year after year. People from other kingdoms even came here just to study. Yue Rin had heard rumors that even the Lianhua Kingdom to the east had started building libraries of their own because of it.
And for rogue cultivators, those who awakened late and couldn't join a sect, Qiu Wen was nothing short of a godsend.
A friendly reminder: don't speak ill of him. If the wrong person heard you, especially a rogue cultivator, you might end up getting your teeth rearranged in some dark alley.
So yes… Yue Rin wasn't sure how the tavern manager would handle the crowd tomorrow.
Of course she was attending too. If she could get him to write his name on her sword scabbard, she'd be bragging about it until the day she died.
But that was tomorrow.
For now, she forced herself to stop daydreaming, finished her meal, and finally headed toward the Rogue Alliance Pavilion.
* * * *
Before she even reached the entrance, she could hear tthe noises spilling into the street.
Unusual.
For a moment, Yue Rin thought it was something about the secret realm stirring people up.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, and immediately understood why.
"I just heard from my friend. Qiu Wen is coming down to the Twin Peaks tavern to tell a story!"
"Qiu Wen? Are you sure? When?"
"Tomorrow morning, right after sunrise!"
As the two men kept talking, another man with a shield strapped to his leg and a greatsword on his back strode over, drawn in by the name.
"I heard you say Qiu Wen. What about him?"
The two men looked up at him, a little intimidated by the weapon alone, but one still answered.
"They say Qiu Wen will be coming down the mountain to tell a story."
"What? Qiu Wen? The Qiu Wen?" The man's eyes widened. "When and where?"
"Twin Peaks tavern. Tomorrow morning."
The big man immediately hooked an arm around the speaker's shoulders like they were long-lost brothers.
"Hahaha! So you're a fan too, right?"
"Yes! Especially after hearing his backstory!"
Listening further quickly became pointless. They sounded like fans who'd just learned their idol was coming to the city. Which, in a way, was exactly what this was.
Looking around, it seemed the news had already spread through the Pavilion.
Honestly impressive.
Then again… the Rogue Alliance had its own ways of moving information.
For a moment, Yue Rin tried to imagine what Qiu Wen looked like. Tall? Handsome? Like some protagonist from Earth's novels?
Ahem. Dangerous territory.
She cleared her throat silently and forced herself to focus, letting her gaze sweep the building instead.
The Rogue Alliance Pavilion looked like one of those fantasy guild halls she'd seen in anime. Multiple reception desks with employees behind them, tables and chairs scattered around, and two boards mounted on the walls. An official notices board on the left, and a public board on the right.
The difference was how it operated.
If you were a client and needed something done, you didn't have to post a request and pray someone picked it up. You could pay the Pavilion directly, and they would assign a suitable cultivator, usually by the next day, depending on how many workers were available. It cost more, but at least you weren't gambling on luck.
And if you were a cultivator looking to earn spirit stones, you could sign in for a work schedule, choosing how many days it would be. The Pavilion would then assign missions each day. Gathering herbs, escorting someone, hunting a beast, delivering a message, handling minor disputes, and so on. The minimum sign-in time was three days, and once you signed, you had to show up at the specified time to receive your mission list for the day.
Of course, the public board still existed. A messy wall of 'quests', advertisements, and desperate requests. Cheaper, looser, more freedom, and far more unpredictable.
So why didn't everyone just use that and skip the Pavilion's system?
Three simple reasons: time, reliability, and danger.
With the public board, nothing was guaranteed. A client could post a request and wait all week, only for no one to take it, or for the wrong kind of person to take it. And for cultivators, that 'freedom' had a price. The pay was often worse, the risks were higher, and there was no Pavilion backing you when things went sideways. If you took the wrong job from the wrong person, you didn't just lose money.
You could lose your life.
It was more complicated than that, but if Yue Rin thought too deeply this early in the day, she'd end up with a headache.
Instead, she went to see what was posted.
{Pavilion Board - Official Announcements}
[Verdant Pine Secret Realm Opening]
(With the opening of the secret realm approaching, the Pavilion has secured a limited number of entry spots for rogue cultivators. Purchase at the reception desk. First come, first served.)
[Warning: Token Fraud]
(Forged entry tokens have appeared in the capital. Only tokens issued and sealed at the Pavilion reception desks are valid. Do not buy tokens through private deals.)
[Notice: Pavilion Rules]
(No fighting, duels, or private grudges within Pavilion grounds. Violators will be expelled and blacklisted.)
[Notice: Registration Requirement]
(All spot purchases require a name and Qi imprint verification. Attempts to register under false identities will be refused.)
[Caution: Secret Realm Conduct]
(The Pavilion does not mediate disputes that happened inside the secret realm. Enter at your own risk. If you cannot accept loss, do not enter.)
[Service: Witness Seals]
(The Pavilion provides witness seals for written agreements (teams, trades, escorts). Apply at reception. Fees apply.)
[Notice: Curfew]
(The Pavilion closes at midnight. Loitering after closing will be treated as trespassing.)
{Public Board - Advertisements, Requests & Recruiting}
[Recruiting: Secret Realm Team]
(Need 2-3 companions for Verdant Pine Secret Realm. Must already have an entry token. Qi Foundation 6th layer+ preferred. No reckless fighting. Share info, split fairly. Meet tomorrow after midday at the Pavilion west corridor.)
[Selling: Talismans]
(Defensive talismans, light-step talismans, and more. Freshly drawn, clean seals, limited stock. Available at Central Market, east lane, blue canopy stall.)
[Buying: Spirit Herbs]
(Buying fresh common-grade spirit herbs, any tier. Fair price. No stolen goods. Buying at Central Market, herb stalls by the stone well.)
[Trade: Pills for Beast Materials]
(Trading mid-tier common recovery pills for fresh spirit-beast materials: hides, fangs, bones. Especially Ironback Boar tusks and hide, and Greyclaw Wolf fangs. Clean cut only. No rot, no old blood-stink. Trading at Central Market, butcher row, third stall from the corner.)
[Hiring: Short Escort]
(Need escort to the north market tomorrow. Short distance. Just need someone who looks scary enough.)
(Pay: 80 copper. If trouble actually shows up and you handle it, +20 copper.)
[Wanted: Secret Realm Information]
(Paying for reliable info on hazards and routes inside Verdant Pine Secret Realm. No rumors. Ask for "hot and bitter" at the tea stand outside the Pavilion at dusk.)
(Pay: 30 copper for usable notes, 80 copper for a clear sketch map. Bonus: 1 spirit stone if the information is true, paid when I come back out.)
[Looking For: Alchemist]
(Need someone to refine a batch of common pills. Payment negotiable. Leave a note at Apothecary Street, second alley on the right, under the red lantern.)
(Pay: 1 spirit stone for the batch (materials provided). If yield is poor, we renegotiate.)
[Seeking: Matchmaker Help]
(Respectable man, steady income, no gambling, no concubines, and only mild debt. Looking for someone to introduce a wife. Serious inquiries only.)
(Pay: 1 silver for a proper introduction. If it somehow works out, +5 silver. Yes, I'm serious.)
After scanning the postings and finding nothing worth her time, Yue Rin stopped lingering and headed straight for an open reception desk.