"What do you mean?"
"Pay up, how can I tell you if you don't pay?"
The bartender rolled his eyes. One moment he was a good-natured fellow, and the next he had transformed into a common ruffian.
Li Chonglou coughed lightly, saying somewhat sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't know your rules here."
He then took out his card and handed it over. "How much is it? Just deduct it from there."
However, the bartender didn't take it.
"Sorry, we usually only accept Blood Crystals."
"Blood Crystals?"
Li Chonglou was completely bewildered. He had never even heard of such a thing.
The bartender pushed the bank card back and smiled. "Blood Crystals are our currency in Bei Territory, a special mineral from Great Southern Africa."
As he spoke, the bartender took a red pebble no bigger than a fingernail from his pocket. The moment he took it out, Li Chonglou sensed something unusual.
The pebble was entirely red, its texture somewhat like a gemstone, but its luster wasn't bright. Instead, it seemed to absorb light. Even Li Chonglou, who considered himself well-traveled and knowledgeable, had never seen anything like it.
But he could feel the presence of spiritual energy from this small stone!
"Can I take a look?"
Li Chonglou's interest was immediately piqued, but the bartender shoved the item back into his pocket the next second.
"Sorry, Blood Crystals are usually only shown to the other party during a transaction."
Alright, Li Chonglou withdrew his thoughts. Now that he needed this thing to inquire about the place, he switched his question. "Then can you tell me where I can obtain these Blood Crystals?"
"I can answer that for free. The fastest way is to cover my shift for me."
"What?"
Li Chonglou's expression froze again.
However, the bartender changed the subject, pointing to the wine that had long been placed before Li Chonglou. "Is it good?"
Li Chonglou subconsciously glanced over. He hadn't even had a sip since arriving. How could he know if it was good?
Wait!
Li Chonglou suddenly realized, and he shot up. "Hold on, you're not going to tell me this also needs to be paid for with Blood Crystals, are you?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the side. Li Chonglou turned his head and saw that everyone's gaze had somehow returned to him.
Even Mei Niang was sitting at a round table not far away, looking over and shaking her head.
Li Chonglou immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Just as he was about to explain that he hadn't even taken a sip, the bartender's face broke into a brilliant smile.
"Sorry, our rule is that once a product is made, there are no returns or exchanges. And, you guessed correctly, all consumption must be paid for with Blood Crystals."
Li Chonglou's face darkened. "But you didn't tell me that earlier!"
The bartender's expression flickered, and he retorted, "Didn't those two big brothers at the door tell you?"
Li Chonglou's expression stiffened. Damn it, had the two at the door set him up?
The bartender shook his head. "Never mind all that."
With that, he took off the apron hanging around his neck, crumpled it into a ball, and shoved it into Li Chonglou's hands amidst his confused gaze.
The bartender patted Li Chonglou's shoulder and thanked him. "I really have a very important date tonight. I'm leaving this to you. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. Consider the drink cost and consultation fee covered."
This wouldn't do at all. Li Chonglou's expression changed. He wanted to hand the apron back, but the bartender interjected, "Young man, don't even think about refusing. According to the rules here, if you don't have money to pay and refuse to comply, you'll be ganged up on." m..oΓg
"Ganged up on?"
The bartender smiled and gestured around at the people present, saying with a light smile, "Every person who participates in teaching you a lesson will receive a Blood Crystal reward from the boss. Those two outside are the same, you know."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man with a broad back grumbled, "Hey Old Wang, you're too unfair. You get to have fun, and you won't let us have any?"
Old Wang, the bartender, smiled. "Bear, he's a newbie, we have to give him some opportunities. Otherwise, if he goes out and badmouths our reputation, it won't be good."
Someone chimed in, "Old Wang, what are you saying? Does our Red Coast's reputation need others to ruin it?"
The crowd erupted in laughter. The atmosphere was electric, and a palpable sense of the martial world filled the air.
But Li Chonglou couldn't find any joy in it at that moment.
He looked around. Since the man had finished explaining, everyone in the tavern had, intentionally or unintentionally, turned their attention to him, as if waiting for something.
It was clear that what he said was not entirely true!
The thought of thirty-odd experts at the realm of cultivation simultaneously attacking him made Li Chonglou's scalp tingle. Who knew how many of them were at the fifth level?
Li Chonglou's movements froze.
Old Wang, however, continued to walk towards the exit as he spoke. "Alright, it's all yours. I'll try to be back before dawn. Good luck, young man!"
Li Chonglou panicked and quickly said, "Wait, I don't know how to operate this!"
This was insane. He wouldn't mind washing dishes, but being a bartender?
However, Old Wang just threw back a sentence, "You can do it," and vanished in the blink of an eye. The moment he stepped out the door, he disappeared instantly. In that instant, Li Chonglou caught a glimpse of peak fifth-level aura!
With everyone gone and a group of people eyeing him menacingly, Li Chonglou could only sigh helplessly. Then, he picked up the apron and walked around the bar.
"Forget it, I'll just tell people directly when they come. Mixology is impossible for me."
Li Chonglou muttered to himself as he walked inside. Before he could even survey the environment, Mei Niang suddenly returned to her previous position and reached for his wine glass.
"Wait!"
Mei Niang paused her movement.
"Hm?"
Li Chonglou said speechlessly, "Excuse me, that glass is mine."
Mei Niang chuckled, "I saw you weren't drinking it, so I thought you didn't like it. And I, for one, dislike seeing people waste things."
However, she still retracted her hand. Li Chonglou didn't say much else. He stepped forward, picked up the wine glass, and thought, "I wasn't interested at first, but now I have to pay for it! No matter how bad it tastes, I have to drink it myself!"
As he thought this, Li Chonglou raised the glass and downed it in one gulp. This drink was identical to what everyone else was drinking, even its aura. Li Chonglou wasn't worried about any abnormalities within it.
However, as the red wine went down his throat, a sudden influx of spiritual energy that nourished him left him stunned.
"What is this?"
People around them exclaimed with regret, "Mei Niang, you miscalculated again. This kid doesn't seem completely foolish after all."
A flicker of regret flashed in Mei Niang's eyes. She shrugged at the crowd and then said to Li Chonglou, who was still sensing the changes within him.
"Kid, things here are expensive, but they're worth it. Old Wang is famously soft-hearted."