Two hours later.
Aux and Mystogan stopped outside the target town.
They entered the town disguised as ordinary residents.
This small town was clearly not as prosperous as Magnolia.
The permanent population was also not large.
There were only a handful of pubs, those places where all sorts of people gather, but fewer shops were better.
This way, various people would converge.
It would be easier to find clues and investigate Evil Demon Claws.
"How do we investigate?"
Mystogan's voice came from beneath the cloth covering his face.
Aux's scalp tingled at his attire.
Wouldn't such a person entering a pub immediately be viewed with suspicion?
Especially the Magic Staff on his back.
It was like telling the whole world, 'I am a Mage from a legitimate Guild.'
How could members of a Dark Guild possibly reveal their tracks?
"You go search the surroundings; perhaps Evil Demon Claws is in the nearby forest. I'll go to the pub to gather information. We'll meet back here after sunset," Aux instructed.
Mystogan nodded, then turned and left the town with his Magic Staff on his back.
Watching him leave, Aux pondered for two seconds, hid his Magic Staff in an alley, rubbed his face, and then turned to enter the pub.
Creak~
The pub's main door, having been unmaintained for years, let out a piercing sound as he pushed it open.
The interior of the pub was dimly lit.
A strong smell of alcohol and foul odors assailed his nostrils, almost making him vomit.
His arrival attracted the attention of the Drunkards.
Aux scanned the group of fierce-looking men, all with various strange tattoos, and walked expressionlessly to the counter.
He slammed a bag of money on the table. "Give me a barrel of wine to try first. If it's not good, I'll smash your shop…"
That bag of money immediately made many Drunkards eye him greedily.
The principle of 'don't flaunt your wealth' is the same in any world.
"Rest assured, boss, our wine is specially made. Many officials and nobles passing through stop to have a few drinks," the pub owner immediately said with a smile.
Looking at this person's attire and the generous way he paid, he was probably another noble lord.
As long as he served this gentleman well.
He would earn several months' worth of profit for his pub and wouldn't have to constantly chase these Drunkards for payment.
Saying this, he quickly brought out good wine.
Aux subtly scanned the pub; eighty percent of the Drunkards were looking at him with greedy eyes.
There might very well be members of Evil Demon Claws among them.
"Good wine!"
Aux took a sip of wine, and as soon as he swallowed, he exaggeratedly shouted, as if truly captivated by the fine drink.
"Boss, you're not from around here, are you? It's not bragging, but all the wine within ten miles is supplied by us. Many merchants buy here and then sell it in other cities, each one earning so much money their hands cramp from counting," the pub owner boasted.
His words, both direct and implied, were meant to encourage Aux to buy some wine to sell elsewhere.
"Good idea," Aux said thoughtfully, then frowned with concern. "But the road after leaving town isn't easy to travel. I heard there are Dark Guild Mages robbing people nearby."
At these words, many people in the pub stopped drinking, looking around with various expressions.
"How could that be?" the pub owner quickly said. "Those are just false rumors."
This owner is suspicious!
Aux made a judgment in his heart. He answered his concerns so casually and easily.
He probably already had a prepared excuse.
Of course, it was also possible that he genuinely didn't know about the Evil Demon Claws Guild operating nearby.
But as a pub owner, how could he not have heard even a shred of inside information?
It seemed it would be difficult to get any information about Evil Demon Claws.
"Then I'll order a few barrels of wine tomorrow to take with me. Since you, boss, say it's very safe nearby, I'll definitely trust you," Aux replied.
He then stayed in the pub for a while, swaying as he left, slowly heading towards a less crowded area.
After lingering for a long time, he arrived in a secluded alley.
In a blink of an eye.
His previously almost-drunk body steadied, and Aux turned to look at the five people blocking the alley entrance.
"Who are you, gentlemen, and why are you following me?" Aux asked.
The five men sneered and approached.
Some drew daggers from their waistbands, while others pulled out crude iron rods.
"Kid, your vigilance is good, but since you've run into us brothers, just consider yourself unlucky!"
"Which noble lord dares to go out alone? Looks like we'll have to let you feel the wrath of the common folk."
"Why waste words with him? The kid has a nice face; maybe someone will like that, hehehe…"
"Hand over all your money, and we might leave you with two breaths."
"Let's finish this quickly; I'm still waiting for my drinking money."
The five Drunkards continued to approach.
Aux retreated a few more meters, and when he could retreat no further, he knew it was time to end it.
"Addition: Slowness!"
"Addition: Truth!"
"Addition: Pain!"
[Ding! Detected the use of Enchantment Magic. Infinite Addition has been upgraded to: Slowness, Truth, Pain Lv. MAX.]
He raised his palm.
Aux used Enchantment Magic on the five, and it was three Addition attributes at once.
"Ah ah ah…" "Ugh… so painful…" "It's killing me…"
The faces of the several Drunkards turned pale.
They experienced unprecedented pain throughout their bodies, each one screaming and howling.
And because their bodies were in a state of Slowness.
Every time they tried to express their pain with screams, it was extremely difficult.
The veins on their necks bulged high.
The mental anguish made them want to die immediately, but now they found it difficult even to commit suicide.
Horrific!
Their screams were earth-shattering, like the roars of vengeful spirits.
The torment was relentless.
"What a pity, the system's upgrade is at your threshold. You want to faint from pain, but it doesn't reach that level. I was worried that the highest level of pain would kill you," Aux muttered to himself.
Intense pain can also kill people.
Logically, the pain after the system upgrade should have killed them quickly.
But they hadn't reached that point.
It seemed that because the Addition was 'Pain,' it was determined that the affected person would only feel pain, not reach the point of 'death.'
Approximately ten minutes later.
The sensation of pain disappeared, but the other two effects continued.
At this moment, the five Drunkardss were drenched in sweat, sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Do you know Evil Demon Claws?" Aux asked.
The five Drunkards truly didn't want to answer, but for some reason, their mouths were incredibly disobedient:
"They are a Dark Guild!" "They are scoundrels!" "Shameless fellows."
The several men confessed slowly.
These words were their heartfelt thoughts, a truth that could not be hidden no matter what.
"Tell me what you know about them."
Indeed!
The Drunkards in the pub definitely knew about Evil Demon Claws; perhaps the owner even had secrets.
"Evil Demon Claws has informants in the pub."
"The pub owner often tricks foreign guests into buying his wine and then taking his recommended routes."
"The pub owner pays protection money every month."
"They are all in on it…"
"Anyone who follows the pub owner's routes gets all their belongings stolen by members of Evil Demon Claws, including women!"
It took a few minutes to piece together their extracted words and finally organize them.
These words completely shocked Aux; he truly hadn't expected such deep dealings involved.