As Fulen felt a mix of trepidation and curiosity, his actions were more decisive than his thoughts. After pushing open the Door to what he considered a new world, Fulen didn't immediately observe everything inside the bar. Instead, he pretended to be a regular patron, first stepping away from the Door, then exploring the tavern as if out of curiosity.
In truth, after he pushed open the Door, everything in the bar wasn't as mysterious to Fulen as he had imagined. This psychological letdown made Fulen's usual cautious approach seem quite ridiculous.
Fulen himself felt a bit embarrassed by his conflicted mindset and unnecessary thoughts, and even ashamed of the richness of his inner drama. However, the horrors and absurdities of this world made Fulen, after his moment of shame, once again seemingly unnecessarily remind himself not to be careless, to prioritize stability in all things, and to follow his instincts as the best strategy.
While Fulen's inner drama unfolded, his gaze had already swept over everything in the bar. It was no exaggeration to say that, apart from both being places that sold alcohol, this tavern bore no resemblance to the bars Fulen had previously entered.
Although the smell of the commoner district was already somewhat unbearable for Fulen, the smell inside the tavern made him feel even more uncomfortable. There was the smell of alcohol, sweat, body odor as if from never bathing, and even a more distinct smell of urine. This caused a slight deviation from Fulen's imagined sacred place of his father's mysticism.
Mixed with the various indistinguishable noises of the tavern, and the chaotic and disorderly scene before him, Fulen couldn't help but feel dizzy. Suddenly, his vision seemed to darken.
Closing his eyes, Fulen shook off the discomfort of being unaccustomed to the noisy crowd. He had to admit that, neither in his previous life nor in this one, had he experienced such a noisy environment, and the lighting was extremely dim.
The candles in the tavern were very different from those used in Fulen's home. These candles not only produced a very dim light but also carried an unpleasant smell from burning animal fat.
Modern life, even the quality of life for commoners, was nearly on par with that of current nobles if one didn't count the three major mountains. Light that could pierce day and night, rich and colorful entertainment, and convenient lifestyles were unimaginable to current nobles. However, it was undeniable that the living environment of current wealthy merchants and nobles was, in some sense, much better than that of modern commoners.
As for the current commoner class, Fulen had originally viewed them with a 'why don't they eat meat porridge' mentality. However, now Fulen could deeply understand the lament about commoner life expressed in the 'Travel Notes of Trier' that he had read before, the author of this book, Ises Bain, used a plain tone to write scenes even more unimaginable than what Fulen saw in the tavern. This might also be why readers who had read Ises's Travel Notes highly praised her after fully appreciating their authenticity and interest.
"As long as there is a difference, everything about us is like Travel from one place to another. In Trier alone, I can feel a world of difference. So, if I can go to other places, what different sceneries might I witness?" After overcoming his initial daze, Fulen became even more curious about other worlds.
After a brief period of discomfort, as if coming into contact with a world completely unrelated to his own, Fulen observed everything in the tavern with a detached, almost bystander's mentality.
Suddenly, Fulen's spirituality seemed to perk up. He was startled, then secretly delighted, realizing that his act was still somewhat effective, though he didn't know the specific rules of the performance.
This tavern's floor area far exceeded that of any room Fulen had seen, except for the Trier National Library. Perhaps the area was the same, but dividing the same area into just a staircase and a tavern, versus functional rooms like bedrooms, reception rooms, and washbasins, offered a different experience.
In fact, in one corner of the tavern was an enclosed area, surrounded by many people either holding drinks or waving wooden slips. Fanatical shouts and furiously angry curses rose and fell, and the cloud-like crowd completely blocked Fulen's investigative gaze.
Perhaps it was just in time, as a sharp sound rang out, that corner of the tavern seemed to suddenly quieten, then the crowd erupted in cheers and curses far louder than before, and then the crowd began to disperse as if alive.
Fulen quietly watched this human drama. After only a few scattered people remained standing there, Fulen walked against the still noticeable flow of people.
The ground inside the enclosure was stained with blood. A visibly agitated man, his face smeared with blood, was still shouting in ecstasy. Some people outside the enclosure responded to the excited man, unrelated to him; some, flushed, cheered and drank the remaining alcohol in their cups; and others were angrily spitting at the severely injured, unconscious man who had been placed on a stretcher.
Fulen then realized that this tavern also operated bloody gladiatorial gambling. This was not surprising, however, as many mercenaries considered this entertainment mode the most perfect form of entertainment, and taverns were the most joyful places for mercenaries.
Aside from the fighting enclosure, this tavern had many more tables, a constant flow of people, and another corner, presumably opposite this enclosure. Only after Fulen went there did he discover that this corner was for gambling, where people occasionally cried out in pain or cheered, revealing their unbridled madness.
Fulen did not delve deeper into the specifics of these two corners. Instead, he turned to find the true core of the tavern, the bar counter.
The bar counter was very easy to find; in fact, the bar counter was the most eye-catching part of this tavern. Rather than a single bar counter, it was more like several smaller bar counters orbiting a much larger central bar counter, with each bar counter surrounded by many people.
The price lists above each bar counter were very clear. After Fulen carefully observed the price lists, he found that the smaller bar counters specialized in different types of alcohol. Some were so cheap that every low-level mercenary could afford to drink them daily, while others were so expensive that a single glass could deplete a mercenary's earnings from a mission. The large central bar counter, however, was all-encompassing, offering both the cheap and expensive alcohols found at the other counters.
Fulen did not look closely but went directly to the central bar counter, where people were scattered, and the bartenders were unusually numerous. Some people, after receiving their prepared drinks, left the bar counter and went to an empty seat to enjoy their ordered drinks.
In the middle of the large bar counter, there was a person who seemed less busy, leisurely observing everything in the tavern. The person's face was covered in wrinkles, their hair sparse, a mix of white and black, and the dull white hair revealed the owner's weathered life. Their physique was somewhat unusual; the muscles on their arms were veined, while their belly was clearly a sign of middle-aged corpulence. Now, this boss watched everything in the tavern with a spiritless expression.