Opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral in Moscow, there was a famous tavern.
It was famous because, about a year ago, the Moscow Prince had sent troops to clear the place for a meal, and the owner even hinted that Lord Rostislav of Red City frequently invited his chef to cook for him ever since.
That was the tavern owner's claim, and Rostislav Palace made no response, so everyone subconsciously assumed that what the tavern owner said was true.
This instantly transformed the tavern's sales; a tavern where even the Prince came to dine must have something commendable about it.
A continuous stream of customers brought a continuous stream of money, and with money, the owner could upgrade his old establishment, as only by doing so could he accommodate more guests and earn more gold and silver.
Thus, this once ordinary tavern was completely transformed, its area doubled, and two more floors were built upstairs to entertain more distinguished guests.
This tavern is now the best commoners' tavern near Saint Sophia Cathedral, and it also provides rooms for wealthy nobles and merchants, with decor and service that will not cause them any discomfort, so many wealthy merchants and nobles in Moscow like to spend money here.
In addition, many wealthy pilgrims also stay here; many of them are already regular customers of this establishment, and now that it is more prosperous, they naturally visit more often.
The owner was still the same uncle from back then, but he has now retired and only sits at the counter to handle accounts.
It seems that the Moscow Prince's visit and the subsequent influx of customers consumed too much of his energy; the owner was unwilling to continue, and his son has now taken over most of the duties.
This young man is quick-witted, daring to change and innovate, and doing a good job; he will surely make this tavern even more prosperous.
However, the tavern's prosperity factors are not limited to the Prince's influence; if its quality were not excellent, it naturally could not have achieved such a surge.
Its excellent quality and service are the key to its prosperity, and no guest will regret tasting the mellow beer here.
Consequently, the reputation of this beer grew, and many outsiders who came to this place would specifically come here to taste the mellow beer, which also made the tavern more prosperous; the dining hall on the ground floor was always crowded, with people from all walks of life present.
The tavern operators are very clever; they never inquire about these people's affairs; these people are just customers, and this has made the tavern the most favored place for some people to gather and discuss privately.
During this period, this tavern has become even more prosperous; Rostislav's return brought a large influx of people, among whom were many wealthy merchants and nobles, and their best lodging choice was, of course, this tavern opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral.
On this day, Dier, the officer of the Rostov Camp, walked into the dining hall of this famous Moscow tavern.
As he entered, various sounds poured into Dier's ears: drinking, chewing, singing... a symphony of sounds exploded in his ears.
The officer of the Standing Army involuntarily rubbed his ears; this place was still so noisy.
A flustered tavern boy ran past him with food and beer; every bench was filled with customers, and it was now lunchtime, with everyone dining.
The officer of the Rostov Camp went straight to the counter, where the waiter subconsciously said to him, "Welcome to Torun Tavern, what would you like to order, a meal or a room?"
"You must be new here, young man." Dier didn't answer him, "Get Old Torun, I need to talk to him."
"I'm very sorry, the boss he…"
"Haha, it's you, old friend."
Old Tosh, who had appeared from nowhere, pushed the tavern boy aside and stood before Dier with a beaming smile.
"He's a newcomer, hasn't been here long, it's perfectly normal he doesn't know you. You're a magnanimous man, don't take this to heart."
"I wouldn't go so far as to take revenge on a tavern boy for such a small matter." Dier shrugged, glancing at the young man, "Alright, which room?"
"Still there, 2nd floor, room 08, he's waiting for you there." Old Tosh pointed to the staircase.
"Thanks." Dier merely dropped that one sentence, then quickly ascended the stairs.
"Boss, who was that…?"
After Dier left, the waiter cautiously asked the boss; although the tavern is now run by the boss's son, everyone still subconsciously calls him boss.
The boy still hadn't figured out what had happened, and he only spoke half of his question before seeing the boss's signaling look and quickly shutting up.
"Dier, from the Rostov Camp."
Old Tosh merely uttered a name, but it instantly unsettled the boy.
"Dier, isn't that the person everyone's been talking about recently? I heard many merchants and nobles plan to make him their son-in-law."
"That's him, that's the man himself. Dier only has an old father at home, so taking him as a son-in-law is no different from having a son, that's why these people are so enthusiastic."
Old Tosh picked up a beer glass and carefully wiped it while continuing to talk to the waiter.
"More dignitaries come here than you imagine, young man, watch and learn."
"Then boss, why are you so familiar with him?"
The boy recalled the familiarity between the boss and Dier just now; it was clearly the kind of interaction only old acquaintances would have.
"Why, you ask… That's a good question."
The boss paused his glass-wiping action, then continued wiping.
"Before coming to Moscow, he and I were from the same village. His father and I were neighbors, and I even fought under his father. Later, his family bought my land, so I took that money to the city to open a tavern. The old connections were maintained, and this tavern owed a lot to his connections back then; otherwise, I really couldn't have gotten it. That's why I'm so familiar with him."
Listening to the boss's words, the boy was stunned for a moment; he had always thought the boss had no connections with people in the court, but he turned out to be someone with connections as well.
On the other side, Dier arrived at a private room according to the room number, and inside the room was none other than his old friend, Domnar Pence, the heir and son-in-law of the Captain of the Guard.
The Gael had a table full of good wine and food in front of him, and the Gael was currently performing his specialty—poetry.
"Clotted blood binds bone and hemp,
Broken banners prop up leaf-head flowers.
Cannot hide the wild demon's cries,
Cannot stop the wandering pig's chaotic rooting."
"Why so sad? There's no need to use such a poem as a greeting, and it's rare to see you write such a poem."
Waving away the tavern boy, Dier sat in front of his old friend and naturally poured himself some wine.
"I wrote this poem two years ago during a peasant suppression. At that time, a young man in our Bodyguard Unit was disobedient and didn't wear a helmet, so a peasant's stone opened a hole in his head. That's why I wrote this poem."
Domnar spoke of the poem's origin, and Dier just listened intently, because he knew his old friend wouldn't be melancholic for no reason; he was certainly setting the stage for the emotional outpouring to come.
"That young man should have had a bright future, but unfortunately, he died like that. But now I feel that my current situation is similar to his."
As expected, Domnar started, and Dier didn't indulge him at all, immediately laughing and cursing.
"You're nothing like him, who can do anything to you, Gvaran? Tell me, which noble is making trouble for you now?"
Dier had guarded the city walls with Domnar for several years; he knew exactly what this guy was about to say just by the way he moved.
"Who else could it be? Of course, it's Lord Yang. It's so annoying; I've already recorded everything that needed to be recorded as requested, but he says my records aren't complete enough. Damn it, I'm really fed up. Now I have to do it according to his requirements again, and he didn't even give clear instructions at the time. This person is truly a bastard."
Hearing Domnar say this, Dier immediately realized what he was talking about; as the officer of the Rostov Camp, he had already heard about this matter.
Ever since Yan Vishatich returned to Moscow, he summoned Domnar to inquire about the task he had assigned him, which was the investigation of pagan activities in the countryside. Yan had entrusted this matter to Domnar before leaving Northeast Rus'.
As for the result, Dier happened to hear Yan's roar that day; he was walking towards his camp at the time, and speaking of it, he happened to see Lord Leo and Lord Anwar walking by, it was rare to see those two together.
"I didn't tell you to record things like widows having affairs, or sorcerers defiling little girls, or two families in the east of the village fighting today. I told you to look for signs of pagan activity. Do you not have eyes, you scoundrel?"
The final outcome was Domnar apologizing while fleeing in disarray.
Upon hearing this, Domnar merely angrily poured himself a glass of wine; thinking of that matter still made him furious. Since marrying Lord Gvaran's daughter, when had he ever suffered such indignation?
"That guy is really too much, relying on his relationship with the Prince to act so recklessly. I am Lord Rostislav's Bodyguard Unit, not his, Yan's!"
However, despite saying so, Domnar still knew in his heart that Yan's behavior was also because his own promotion back then was largely due to Yan's recommendation. Just for this favor of recommendation, it was fine for Yan to scold him, but it was too humiliating, with so many people watching!
Dier could only smile at this; he really couldn't and dared not comment on matters related to the central authority, so he could only join in the laughter here.
However, in the end, he decided to say a few words for Yan, as Dier himself knew why Yan was like this.
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