The dim lights in the Salamander Tavern create a warm atmosphere, but it is not so dark that it is disturbing.

Smoking kerosene lamps hung from the ceiling, and at the end of the bar, the flames danced merrily.

It was used as a temporary stage.

At this time, a slender half-elf was playing on a dulcimer.

He moved his fingers like flying, hitting the metal strings with a small wooden hammer, playing a melodious tune.

A palm-sized salamander lay on top of the fireplace, watching the performer.

Because of its dark orange scales with golden luster, people call it: red gold.

It is the mascot of this pub.

When the door of the tavern opened with a bang, flames suddenly jumped out from the scales of the little lizard. It neighed and disappeared into the shadows at an extremely fast speed.

A black leather boot stepped on the steps at the door of the tavern first, splashing dust mixed with yellow sand.

A stranger in a black cloak walked in from the falling night.

The stranger stared at the crowd with his eyes that were as bright as obsidian blocks hidden in his hood, making the drinkers involuntarily quiet down and become a little nervous.

The stranger shrugged off his dusty cloak and threw it carelessly to a wooden hook on the wall. The cloak hung on it and swung a few times, while the yellow sand covering the surface flowed down the folds.

This is a handsome half-elf man. His facial contours are three-dimensional and deep, with sharp edges and corners, revealing strong lines like a knife or an axe, yet without losing the softness of the elves.

The tailoring of his clothes is elegant and decent, showing that he is more like a boy from a wealthy family. It can be seen that this outfit was once famous, but now the style of shirt and breeches has long been out of date.

The tavern owner, who was dark-skinned, skinny and lame on one leg, put down what he was doing, raised his head, and looked at the guests with his cloudy eyes.

He noticed that the half-elf's finely made linen shirt had some rust-colored stains and a few scarlet stains that looked like blood stains left not long ago.

The tavern owner's pupils shrank suddenly, he put down the pipe in his hand, and said in a low voice: "Would you like something, dear guest?"

"Let's have a beer." The half-elf said calmly and walked harmlessly towards the bar.

Seeing this, the drinkers breathed a sigh of relief, and as the benches scraped against the floor with a screeching sound, the hustle and bustle of the past gradually returned.

"Grandpa Balerius!" At this moment, a boy about ten years old rushed into the tavern and shouted in a high-pitched child's voice.

Many customers turned their heads and looked at the intruder curiously.

"Levis!" shouted the old tavern owner, frowning his thick brown eyebrows in confusion, "what the hell, come here, boy!"

The boy with long unkempt hair quickly ran to the side of the tavern owner who was called grandpa, panting.

"Grandpa, we saw a big dragon beast at the gate of our town." The little boy said excitedly, "Uncle Borg said, this is from the flying ghost city deep in the desert, and it is a bride.

It was brought to our Mokou Town. Now I really want to go to the Rock Bunker in the town. Can you take me there?"

"Tomorrow morning, Levis, it's already dark now, and I'm very, very busy." The old tavern owner looked apologetically at the half-elf who was waiting patiently, and said to the boy.

"But I heard that the bride is going to marry..."

"I said, not now!" the tavern owner interrupted, with a stern expression on his wrinkled face.

The half-elf standing aside had been watching this scene with interest.

At this time, he stepped in, "Your grandpa is right, little guy, I have a gadget that can make you forget these worries."

He stretched out his right hand, moved his long and nimble fingers, and three balls of light appeared above the boy's head.

Levis took a breath of surprise and carefully stretched his hands towards the shining spheres.

"Throw them up gently and they will fall like snowflakes." The half-elf wizard said with a smile.

This wonderful spell immediately fascinated the boy. He followed the bouncing magic balls and walked obediently to an uninhabited corner.

"Aha, young people are easily satisfied."

The old tavern owner sighed, and when the half-elf wizard turned to face him, a fleeting sharp edge flashed across his cloudy eyes.

The old man stared into the other person's deep eyes, "What's your name, kind wizard?"

"My name is Brian." The half-elf wizard looked at the tavern owner, his eyes moving from the thick callus on the old man's right palm to his lame left leg, and said to him in intriguing words:

"Perhaps one day I will need your skills, learned Balerius, and I hope to have your help then."

Balerius blinked, avoiding the strange wizard's scorching gaze, and said subconsciously, "Of course, I am willing to serve you."

Brian smiled and stopped talking.

When the waitress came to the bar and brought him a glass of fizzy beer, he greeted again: "Bring another one for your boss, I'll treat you."

This girl is not beautiful, but she has graceful curves and a pair of mischievous smiling eyes, and her small turned nose adds a bit of playfulness to her face.

As Brian placed a gold coin on the bar, she gave him a friendly wink, drawing his attention back to the stage.

He found that the current performer was indeed worthy of his attention. His voice was sweet and pure, and the harp engraved with complex patterns in his arms marked him as a senior bard.

This half-elf poet has come a long way, Brian thought.

Because he saw the dark purple coat and rose-colored breeches reflecting the light blond hair, clearly showing that this young man was a foreigner.

After all, the residents of Mokou Town usually dress more simply.

"Behold, praise Mystra!"

A dark-skinned wanderer among the wine tables took the initiative to greet Brian, "A wizard, simply sent here by God! Come and moisten your throat with us?"

Brian followed the sound and found that in addition to a wanderer as thin as a monkey, there was also a warrior wearing black armor and a sword hanging from his waist sitting at the table.

This human warrior is tall, with bronze skin and shoulder-length black short hair that complement each other perfectly.

He nodded slightly and walked over holding the beer glass.

"Sit, sit."

The wanderer greeted sincerely and pointed to an empty chair next to him in a flattering manner, "My name is Tuka. I am an admirer of the Wizarding Brotherhood. What kind of luck do I have that I can sit with you, sir?"

"My name is Brian, from the Kingdom of Cormyr." Brian sat down, pondered for a moment, and introduced himself.

He had just returned to the surface from the Dark Territory. Before capturing Mokou Town, he had to understand the specific power division of this border town in detail. This was the purpose of his coming here.

"Isn't this Cormyr's territory?" the warrior beside the rogue muttered softly.

"Lando!" scolded the rogue, who shrugged with disapproval.

"Mr. Brian, it seems that wealth brings us together. Our team welcomes all people with special skills, including noble wizards like you."

The rogue looked at Brian and said: "In fact, just yesterday, we lost a very talented fellow wizard. He died in an... accident. We are here tonight.

Just to mourn his passing."

"Accident?" Brian looked at the wanderer with interest.

He found that these two guys were very strong, especially the warrior in armor, who was conservatively estimated to be at the fourth-order paragon level.

"He was standing among us, and an indescribably terrifying monster emerged. Then he bravely walked in front of us..."

"It seems we retreated, right?" The warrior named Lando interrupted abruptly, with an expression as if he was about to insert a dagger into the rogue's brain.

"Sigh... I don't know how I can help in that situation." The rogue coughed dryly, secretly poked his companion's armor, and then deliberately lowered his voice and said to Brian:

"However, your noble wizard, please rest assured. I am not calling you here to invite you to take risks with us. In fact, I want to invite you to join us in participating in three days' time. Miss Natalie from the City of Shadows and

A wedding held by the son of our Lord Graer, the lord of Mokou Town."

"Miss Natasha from the City of Shadows?" The half-elf bard walked off the stage and sat over with a glass of wine, smiling:
Chapter completed!