Shut up, malevolent dragon! I don’t want to have any more children with you V1C186

Chapter 186: Crossing this Mountain

In the evening, Leon and his two companions arrived at the bar where Victor performed.

The bar was not upscale, with a mix of customers, mostly from the lower classes of the empire. They didn’t all come here just to drink; there were deals, bounties, underground fights, and even drug deals going on.

Of course, compared to the bosses involved in gambling, drugs, and other illegal activities with the backing of the imperial family that Teg and the others had taken care of before, this place was relatively restrained. At least they didn’t openly flaunt their criminal activities.

Leon and Rebecca entered the bar while Teg stayed outside to keep watch.

Wanted posters with Teg’s face were plastered all over the empire’s streets, and the bounty on his head was tempting enough that there might be a few desperados in this very bar willing to risk everything for it. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better for their master to remain out of sight.

As soon as they stepped inside, the noisy, boisterous atmosphere assaulted Leon’s ears. The hallway leading to the dance floor was packed with people.

Seductively dressed women, holding cheap cigarettes between their fingers, filled the air with smoke. As Leon passed by, one of them blew a puff of smoke gently into his face.

Even prostitutes trying to solicit customers were doing their business right at the entrance.

Leon didn’t want to engage with her and continued walking towards the inside.

“Hey handsome, where’s the fire? Why don’t you chat with me? I’ve got something fun here—”

Snap!

Rebecca pulled out her pistol and pointed it at the woman’s chin.

The woman shut her mouth embarrassedly and silently retreated to the side. The others in the corridor also tactfully made way for Leon and Rebecca.

In an instant, the crowd thinned out.

Rebecca holstered her gun and walked to Leon’s side, lowering her voice, “We’re not regulars here. Those people at the entrance are here to ‘inspect’ newcomers. If you don’t assert yourself, it’ll be difficult to move around here.”

Leon understood the unspoken rules Rebecca mentioned; surviving in the gray areas of life required a certain mindset.

What he didn’t understand was why Victor, after leaving the Dragon Slaughter Corps, ended up working in such a decadent and dark place. Did he willingly embrace this lifestyle, or was there another reason?

Despite being the perpetual second-in-command, Victor had his own principles and resilience. He always gave his all and held himself to high standards. Someone like him didn’t seem like they belonged in a place like this.

It seemed he would have to wait until he found Victor to get some answers.

Leon and Rebecca crossed the dance floor and arrived at the bar.

“What can I get you two?” the bartender greeted them.

“A glass of water,” Leon replied. He had a poor tolerance for alcohol, and besides, they weren’t here to drink tonight.

“I’ll have a Black Moon,” Rebecca said. She used to drink often and knew all the peculiar names of the drinks. She claimed her aim got better after drinking, though it was hard to tell if that was true.

The bartender glanced at the petite Rebecca and said, “We don’t serve alcohol to kids.”

Leon, who was about to suggest she switch to juice, swallowed his words.

He then subtly shifted his position to avoid getting blood splattered on him later.

If Leon’s Achilles’ heel was his family, then Rebecca’s was her age.

“I’m an adult! Open your dog eyes wide and look carefully, I am an adult!”

The loli girl stood on the bar chair, hands on the table. If the bartender dared to say another word, Leon had no doubt Rebecca would pull out her gun.

Luckily, the bartender was savvy enough to nod obediently. “Alright, Black Moon, coming right up.”

“Hold on! I changed my mind, I’ll also have a glass of water.”

“OK, two glasses of water.”

Rebecca sat back down, arms crossed, glaring at the bartender’s back. “This is why I hate all bartenders in the world.”

Leon shook his head, smiling, not saying anything, and began observing the crowd.

Moments later, the lights in the bar suddenly dimmed, leaving only a spotlight shining on the stage.

In that spotlight, a tall, thin man sat on a bar stool, holding a simple guitar in his arms. He was dressed modestly, with a slightly weathered face and shoulder-length hair.

But as soon as he appeared, he drew cheers from the men and women on the dance floor.

“Victor! Victor! Victor!”

“Victor, I want to hear you sing ‘By the River’!”

“You sang ‘By the River’ yesterday, today we want ‘Evening Breeze’!”

“…!”

They cheered Victor’s name and requested the songs they wanted to hear.

Leon sat by the bar, looking across the entire dance floor at his former deputy, Victor. Compared to Rebecca, Victor had changed drastically. He used to have short hair and seemed much livelier than he did now.

“How did he end up like this?” Leon muttered to himself.

“Artists, they’re all like this,” Rebecca said, sipping her water through a straw.

When the people in the dance floor quieted down a bit, Victor took off the pendant hanging from his chest.

It was a guitar pick.

But unlike typical cheap picks, Victor’s pick was exquisitely ivory-white and finely crafted, standing out under the lights.

Gently strumming the guitar strings, Victor began to sing.

His singing was impressive, even by the standards of this bar, it was top-notch.

Leon remembered back when they were in the Dragon Slaughter Corps, every night Victor would sing a couple of songs by the campfire.

Because of this, he had accumulated quite a few admirers, though not as many as Leon.

“The perpetual second-in-command” was like a curse, following Victor closely in every aspect.

No matter how hard he tried, Leon seemed like an insurmountable obstacle, blocking his path.

Coincidentally, from the conversation of nearby patrons, Leon learned that the song Victor was singing now was called “Crossing this Mountain.”

But Leon never felt like he was Victor’s obstacle or anything like that.

In Leon’s eyes, Victor was a very reliable deputy and vice-captain—

At least, that’s what Leon had always thought until he was framed in the Silver Dragon Battle.

And now, who could emerge unscathed from the vortex of this imperial conspiracy?

Leon withdrew his thoughts and quietly waited for Victor to finish singing.

After all, as a popular resident singer, one song wouldn’t satisfy the audience present.

For the next hour, Victor serenaded the crowd with numerous classic tunes, some of which he had sung during their time in the Dragon Slaughter Corps.

Even Leon, who claimed to lack any artistic sensibility, found himself thoroughly enjoying the music, stirring up many memories from his past.

Meanwhile, the twin-tailed girl next to him was already nodding off.

Leon glanced at her and snapped his fingers crisply next to her ear.

Startled awake, Rebecca exclaimed, “Ah! Who, who’s shooting?!”

“Wake up, go backstage and find Victor.”

“Oh, okay!”

The two of them made their way around the dance floor and headed to the backstage area.

There were many rooms backstage, but fortunately, each room had the name of a bar staff member on it.

They found Victor’s room and knocked on the door.

“The performance for tonight is over. Come back tomorrow,” Victor’s voice came from inside.

“Hey, big shot, now that you’re such a celebrity, you don’t even want to see your old teammates?” Rebecca called out from outside the door.

After her words, they heard footsteps approaching from inside.

The door creaked open, revealing a thin, weathered man standing there. He lowered his gaze to the petite girl standing at the door, two heads shorter than him.

“Rebecca, what are you doing here?”

“Just here to support the big star.”

“Don’t joke around. You must have something to tell me if you came looking for me.”

Rebecca shrugged. “Indeed, there is something, but it’s not about me, it’s about him.”

With that, Rebecca reached out and pulled the man behind the door out into the open.

Victor looked up and was immediately dumbfounded.