Chapter 783

Chapter 38 The Tavern Part 2

Actually, there was no need for me to say more.

Just as I exerted my power of order, these drunkards had already screamed and stood up from their tables one after another, their faces showing shock and fear. They were no longer in the mood to watch the commotion. They knew very well what that meant. It was completely different from the usual brawls in Jasmine Alley.

In this city, whether strong or weak, those with the power of order were not something they could easily mock or provoke. One couldn’t afford to provoke them. A slight mishap could cost them their lives.

They felt fear. Those who were closer quickly left their seats and retreated.

At this time, night wasn’t deep yet. Although most of them were already drunk, they hadn’t reached the point of unconsciousness. At the same moment I extinguished all the candles on the first floor, the instinct to survive almost made them turn around immediately. They pushed and cursed each other, some knocked over tables in panic, while others ran to neighboring tables to grab bottles of wine. Everyone then rushed towards the door, jostling each other.

I no longer paid attention to the chaotic scene before me.

Glancing at Barry, who was standing behind me in a daze, I tilted my head to gesture him to follow me. Then I took a step forward, bypassing the bar counter and walking toward the old wooden door at the back. This door seemed to lead to the kitchen. There should be another exit connected to the tavern. The wooden door was half-open. I remembered that the man who was beaten that morning was carried out through here. At this moment, there was a faint light behind the door, but it was very quiet inside; I couldn’t hear any sound for now.

The maid must have escaped from here…

I guessed to myself as I didn’t hesitate to push the door open with a creak, stepping inside quickly.

As soon as I entered, I smelled the scent of blood.

Because all the candles on the first floor were extinguished, although the firelight in this seemingly small kitchen was weak, only two candle lights hanging above the slaughter table were lit, flickering as if they might go out at any moment, it still made everything clearer. The dim light vaguely outlined the contours of the room. Indeed, it was the kind of dirty kitchen found in a secluded tavern.

Pots covered in oil stains, ovens coated with thick layers of soot, a small wooden table beside the oven cluttered with unwashed empty plates, bowls, and cooking tools like frying pans. Bloodstains from slaughtering remained under the slaughter table nearby, and on the slaughter table itself, there were even chunks of fresh meat piled on cutting boards. Flies buzzed around the meat.

However, a quick glance failed to spot the butcher’s knife used for cutting meat.

There was no one here…

Suddenly, I recalled the men I killed in the second-floor room earlier. Among them was someone holding a butcher’s knife, probably originally cutting meat here…

It seemed like a small gang led by a maid. While running the tavern, they also engaged in shady activities behind the scenes, mostly involving women.

These people intended to set their next target on “a homeless wanderer arriving in the city, planning to struggle alone to survive.” Ha.

You really should find a doctor to treat your eyes properly.

While making a rough judgment about the current situation, I quickly passed through the iron hooks hanging overhead. I didn’t pay much attention to the filthy kitchen and soon saw another open door ahead, which seemed to lead outside the alley of the tavern. I quickened my pace and walked directly toward the door.

“Gag—”

Suddenly, I heard Barry retch behind me.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked without turning around as I approached the door.

“N-nothing…”

Barry pinched his nose in response, sounding somewhat uncomfortable: “The smell here… reminds me of some bad things… makes me want to vomit… sorry…”

“Why not? The woman is trying to run away.”

The back door of the kitchen was wide open. Someone must have fled in a hurry from this side. If she escaped into the alley, it would be very difficult to find her…

I stepped out of the room, and sure enough, I was outside on Jasmine Street, behind the house. These alleys were interconnected, leading in different directions. Under the thin moonlight tonight, it was hard to see even the shadows moving in the alleys.

So, I closed my eyes and listened carefully, trying to pick out the sound of the maid’s fleeing footsteps amidst all the other noises in the air.

Where do you think you can run…

“X…sister…”

But then, I heard Barry call me from behind.

“What?”

Unable to hold back, I opened my eyes and frowned.

He almost called my name again…

Turning back at the door, I saw that the boy had not come out with me. He was still standing in that bloody-smelling kitchen, staring blankly at the cutting board with meat on it.

…?

I walked back.

“Barry, what are you doing here?”

“Look at these meats…”

The boy pointed at the meat and turned to look at me. His voice and fingers were trembling slightly. The dim light illuminated his pale face, and his expression was strange.

What’s wrong with the meat?

I walked to his side and looked closely at the meat.

The meat was cut with the skin on, but the bones were clearly removed. It was impossible to tell which part of what animal it was from. The unprocessed yellow fat under the skin layer was somewhat nauseating, but the meat looked fresh… wait.

The color of this fat… and the pattern of the skin… it feels like…

It seems a bit like…

I looked up and met Barry’s gaze. In his shocked pupils, I saw the same speculation as mine.

…What a joke.

I grabbed an iron shovel from a small table beside me and stirred the meat pieces. Looking at these meat chunks cut into almost thumb-sized pieces, and the dark yellow skin stuck to them under the firelight, my face became extremely grim under the mask.

Damn…

Clang.

Suddenly, in the darkest corner of the kitchen, I heard a faint sound.

It sounded like something hitting the wall. The sound seemed to come from below the floor, right behind a pile of dry hay in the corner. My eyes narrowed, and I immediately raised my head. Barry next to me obviously heard the sound too and let out a startled “Ah!” and took two steps back subconsciously.

“Hush!”

I quickly signaled him to be quiet.

“What’s that sound…” the boy asked, somewhat uncertain.

“Let’s go check.”

After waving him over, I quickly moved to the corner, picked up a large handful of hay, and moved it aside. Barry took a candle from above the slaughter board and followed, the flickering light illuminating the dark corner. Underneath the rotten and dirty wooden floorboards, a locked wooden panel, clearly a cellar door, was revealed.