When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 908: Chapter 278: Son of Baron Beyard

Heiburg district, “The Weight of Knowledge” tavern.

A bard with a pair of eight-character sideburns was playing the lute, singing the sultry and vibrant “Port District Tune,” rarely heard inland.

A dwarf dressed as a gnome and a dancing girl were performing a silent play next to him, dancing comical yet provocative dances, eliciting laughter and cheers from the crowd.

“Have you heard?”

Someone was boasting: “There was an incident in the outer sea yesterday!”

“You idiot, don’t tell me it’s that big sea monster?”

Clearly, there were other well-informed individuals who didn’t want the former to garner all the attention.

The man, drunk, slurred his vulgar response: “As if nobody else knew that!”

“What’s so special about a sea monster,” an old fisherman couldn’t help but laugh, “those lords at the Spirit Summoning Tower used to pay for information on sea monsters! Report one location and get three Gold Coins. I made eighty Gold Coins in one month!”

“Give it a rest, Old John!”

Someone cursed: “The fact that the lords didn’t bother you afterwards shows their generosity! You damn reported the same sea monster dozens of times, as if nobody knew.”

“It’s precisely because the lords are fair and generous that they deserve more mention!”

Old John shouted back, his face flushed: “That way everyone is willing to work for the lords—”

“Did you go for the drug testing? It’s twenty Gold Coins a time.”

“I, I didn’t go… I’m old now, let the young ones make the money.”

As Old John finished speaking, his words provoked a wave of laughter from the people.

At this moment, next to a piano on the second floor, a dark-haired woman with glasses, intellectual and mature, also heard the commotion and teasingly said to the pretty little maid next to her, “It seems that was quite a commotion.”

“—Yes, quite a commotion. I have some special intelligence on the matter too…”

Suddenly, a young man with slicked-back hair, incongruous with the bar’s atmosphere, politely approached: “Ladies, if you’re interested in that matter, why don’t we step next door? It’s too noisy here, not the right environment for a discussion.”

Aleister, going by the name Beyard, was intrigued and turned to look at the young man.

At first, she thought she had encountered an informant. It was only after he spoke that she realized she was being hit on.

A truly rare experience… And it’s strange, the appearance in Aiwass form should be more outstanding than in Beyard form, and yet no beauty has hit on me? Is it because the customs in Avalon are still too conservative?

“So, you’re quite knowledgeable?” Aleister asked with a smile.

“Naturally.”

As if encouraged, the young man’s spirits lifted.

He placed his right hand respectfully on his chest, bowed slightly and introduced himself: “Allow me to introduce myself— I am the son of Baron Bayard. Landon Vines von Bayard.”

“…Baron Bayard?”

Aleister paused briefly and replied, “Is there an estate named Bayard in Stibnite?”

She had not planned to engage with him, but upon hearing his name, decided to change her decision.

“There will be soon!”

The self-proclaimed Landon replied cheerfully, pride evident: “My father has been granted the title of baron, and now has a piece of land – as for whether there was one before, I really don’t know.”

“You’re not from Stibnite?”

Aleister raised an eyebrow, asking.

“Yes! You’re very perceptive, miss.”

The young man nodded earnestly and sat down beside Aleister, inching forward slightly.

During this process, his arm pressed on the piano keys, causing an unpleasantly loud noise that drew the attention of others. However, he was polite enough, as he kept a distance of about a palm’s breadth between their knees and did not approach any closer: “Our family comes from Iris Flower, and we’ve only recently arrived in Stibnite… may I have the honor to know your name?”

“—I’m back, young miss.”

Just then, a stern voice sounded.

Landon looked up in surprise and was startled—before him appeared a stern-faced, modestly yet luxuriously dressed middle-aged man who had arrived unnoticed behind him.

He paid no attention to Landon as if he didn’t exist.

Instead, he bowed slightly to the dark-haired young lady by the piano: “I’ve obtained the item.”

“Then let’s go,” Aleister said with a light laugh.

Landon immediately realized that the beautiful young lady he had tried to chat up was not a commoner.

But like himself—perhaps even a noble of higher standing.

But he still couldn’t let it go. Because the other’s charm truly captivated his heart… It wasn’t just because of their noble appearance and demeanor, but also he felt an inexplicable, indescribable sense of closeness coming from somewhere.

He had been pressed for marriage at home for a long time, and now he had finally met the one he was willing to give everything for, “the one with whom he felt a connection”!

Thanks to the thick skin of the Irisflower People, Landon bounced back to his feet, quickly adjusted his bow tie, and asked softly once more, “May I ask…?”

“—Aleister Crowley. Until we meet again… ‘Mr. Beyard.'”

She casually dropped her name and turned to leave.

And after the group had left, Landon remained standing there. His face felt hot, perhaps from the other’s charm, or perhaps from his own embarrassment.

He felt a pang of loss—Landon always felt that she looked somewhat familiar and kind. Perhaps it would have been better if he had said just that. He said to himself inwardly.

At that moment, he overheard the boisterous clamor coming from below, which further aggravated his already irritable mood. Were he not waiting for a friend here, he would probably have stormed off by now.

“—I’m telling you!”

The loud-mouthed man shouted again: “You have no idea who took out that Sea Monster! This is absolutely top-secret information!”

“Who was it?”

“Who, do tell us. Don’t say it’s some Spirit Summoning Tower’s master or Royal Alchemist or something like that.”

“It’s Miss Crowley! Named Aleister Crowley, a beautiful girl with black hair!”

The man yelled at the top of his voice: “She’s also a daughter of the Crowley family!”

Upon hearing this, Landon was struck as if by lightning!

Pictures of Aleister’s face and hair color from a moment ago flashed through his mind, and he immediately realized something—

Was that the Earl Crowley’s daughter just now?

He instantly felt a strong sense of shame for boasting about his father’s newly acquired title.

“What have I done…”

He staggered over to get a glass of butterbeer, sat down with a sense of defeat, and took a sip, only to immediately frown at the unmitigated bitterness, his facial features tensing up.

Yet, that bitter pain felt like an intoxicating self-punishment at this moment. He found himself somewhat enamored with it.

“Sorry, I’m late…”

When his friend arrived, they got quite a shock: “Landon, don’t you not drink?”

“I’ve done something foolish, Janet!”

In an instant, Landon threw his arms around his female friend, crying his eyes out: “I’m so embarrassed!”

Janet Plateau quickly patted his head, comforting him: “It’s okay, it’s okay… What exactly happened, tell me in detail?”

The choice between ethical duties of comforting a friend and those of a journalist inadvertently led her towards the latter—after all, Landon was someone with strong emotions, generally speaking, not much in need of comfort. He always managed to forget those unpleasant events on his own.

“I met a beautiful woman, her name is Aleister Crowley…”

Landon had barely begun his sentence when he saw a look of fear on his friend’s face.

On the other side.

Aleister sighed with some regret: “Never thought the Beyard family was still going on…”

“After all, it was after ‘your’ disappearance that the Beyard Group eventually faded away.”

Honey Badger spoke hauntingly: “It seems they even sewed ‘your’ name into it, turning it into a middle name.”

To this day, she wasn’t quite sure whether Aleister was truly the Baroness Beyard. Therefore, every time she referred to “you,” she emphasized the word to indicate its speculative nature.

“Let’s not worry about that for now, we’ll meet again if we’re meant to.”

Aleister shook her head, “We’ve reached the location of our headquarters?”

Hawkeye would change their base regularly, and this bar was a contact point for the assassins. Since it wasn’t the actual location for issuing missions, it was relatively safer… somewhat like a “web publisher,” which meant less risk.

“Yeah, we’re about there…”

Honey Badger expressed her complicated feelings: “Do we head straight there now?”

“There’s no rush,” Aleister asked softly, “have you been to Star Antimony?”

“I’ve been here a few times when I was younger, but not in recent decades.”

“Do you know where the White Dove Opera House is? Take me there first.”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

Aleister said with a smile, looking up at the overcast sky: “Of course, we should probably buy an umbrella first. I recommend a black one.”

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