89: Chapter 89: Meeting the Tavern Owner Again!

The orange glow of the Teleportation Array burned into his retinas for a full three seconds before fading.

The moment Chen Chen's right foot stepped onto the solid wood floor, a violent wave of dizziness struck the back of his head—the physical strain of spatial jumping was something even 107 points of constitution had to endure.

He wavered for a beat, his knees buckling slightly, and Blood Rose, tucked under his left arm, slipped halfway down.

The woman had completely passed out.

Her wine-red hair was a matted mess; coolant and sweat had soaked her deep-V leather outfit into translucent patches, making her look like a drowned rat pulled from a gutter.

The tavern was quiet.

A few windproof kerosene lamps hung from the support pillars, their wicks spitting bean-sized flames that bathed the hall in an ambiguous amber hue.

In the early hours of the morning, the Midnight Tavern was empty.

Only the clinking of glasses and plates came from behind the bar.

Chen Chen took two steps forward, his gaze crossing the solid wood countertop of the bar to see that figure.

The Fox-eared Tavern Keeper had her back to the door, bending over to rummage through something in the bottom-most hidden compartment.

The tight leather corset cinched her waist incredibly thin. From this angle, her fluffy red fox tail was cocked high, and the scene below—

Her black leather shorts were stretched tight over those two exaggerated curves; where the base of her legs met the gluteal line, a small sliver of tender skin, whiter than milk, was visible.

The tavern keeper lowered herself further to reach a wine bottle deep in the compartment, her waist dipping even lower, her spine pulling into a smooth S-curve.

The laces of the corset dug into her flesh, and the parts squeezed out on either side showed an astonishing curvature from the profile.

Chen Chen's footsteps made a soft sound on the wooden floor.

The fox ears snapped upright.

The tavern keeper's movements didn't stop immediately.

Her tail bristled first, and then some combat instinct within her body was triggered—

She drew a short-handled dagger from the compartment with a backhand grip, simultaneously twisting her waist violently as her whole body straightened like a catapult.

Her amber vertical pupils constricted into needles in the dim light.

The killing intent had just flared for an instant.

Then she saw clearly who it was.

The dagger slipped from her hand.

With a "clang," it fell onto the bar, bounced twice, and rolled next to the glass rack.

"You—"

The tavern keeper's voice cracked, her transition from alertness to delight so fast there was no intermediate phase.

But in the next second, her expression froze.

It wasn't because of the dripping wet woman in Chen Chen's arms.

It was because of Chen Chen himself.

During their last meeting, relying on her non-human race's keen perception of energy fields, she had judged Chen Chen to be a high-quality client worth currying favor with.

But at that time, her perception was mostly influenced by the favorability suppression brought by his 180 points of Charm; she could still clearly sense his true strength.

This time was completely different.

The lingering aura of battle on Chen Chen hadn't fully dissipated yet.

A body that had surpassed the threshold of Carbon-based Lifeforms with 107 points of constitution shone as bright as a small star in the tavern keeper's sensory frequency.

The aftershocks of the gravity field, the mental echoes of Soul Pierce, and even the layer of gray impurities seeping from his pores—all were silently broadcasting a signal.

This human was a different person compared to a few days ago.

Her furry fox ears twitched twice, the bristling fur on her tail smoothed out instantly, and the frequency of its wagging switched from alert mode to enthusiastic mode.

"Sir!"

The tavern keeper rounded the bar, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor.

She trotted up to Chen Chen, her gaze first sweeping over his bare upper body before landing on the soaking wet woman hanging from his arm.

"What... happened?"

"Lend me a place to put her." Chen Chen pushed Blood Rose forward.

The tavern keeper hurriedly reached out to catch her, her hands getting covered in the sticky blue liquid of the coolant-soaked leather outfit.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but her movements were agile as she dragged the woman to a bench in the corner and tossed her down.

"She's still alive, just physical exhaustion plus mental backlash."

The tavern keeper patted the liquid off her hands and looked back at Chen Chen. "Sir, your clothes..."

Her gaze lingered on Chen Chen for two seconds.

That so-called tactical vest was reduced to just three strips of cloth hanging from his shoulders; it was barely different from being shirtless.

The muscle lines built by over a hundred points of constitution were illuminated by the warm light of the kerosene lamps, creating a play of light and shadow.

Coupled with the dimensional-tier suppression of 180 points of Charm against a non-human NPC—

The tavern keeper's throat bobbed.

Her tail wagged even faster.

"I need two sets of clothes."

Chen Chen strode to the bar and sat down. "One set of men's clothing, tactical and functional—don't give me anything flashy. The other set for a woman; estimate the size based on her over there."

"Clothes are easy, a small matter." The tavern keeper turned and ducked into the warehouse, the sound of rummaging through crates following shortly after.

In less than a minute, she emerged holding two cloth bundles.

The men's set was a dark gray D-grade Tactical Long-sleeve shirt; the fabric had a slight kinetic buffering effect and came with a pair of matching Combat Trousers.

It was simple, but the craftsmanship was solid.

She spread the women's set out on the bar to show him.

Chen Chen glanced at it and frowned.

"Let her choose for herself." He pointed toward Blood Rose in the corner.

The tavern keeper shrugged.

She walked over and gave Blood Rose two slaps.

The palms of the Fox Race carried a natural, faint Energy Pulse stimulus, which was more effective than an alarm clock.

Blood Rose slowly woke up.

She opened her eyes, first scanning her surroundings blankly—the slanted door frame, the dim kerosene lamps, the faint sour scent of Ale in the air.

Not at the camp.

She sat up abruptly, the sudden movement pulling at the bruises all over her body, making her grimace in pain.

Memory fragments reassembled in her mind: the Teleportation Array, the white light, losing consciousness.

"Alive?" she asked herself in a raspy voice.

"For now," Chen Chen's voice came from the direction of the bar.

"Go pick out some clothes to change into. You look like you just crawled out of a sewer in that outfit."

Blood Rose looked down at herself.

The coolant had soaked and deformed her leather outfit; half of a shoulder strap had slipped, exposing a large area of skin, with purple finger marks and red welts extending from her collarbone to places out of sight.

Her expression twitched, whether from shame or the relief of surviving, it was hard to tell.

The tavern keeper spread several alternative women's outfits on the bench.

Blood Rose's gaze swept back and forth over the clothes three times.

Then she picked a set.

A black lace camisole paired with a matching high-slit leather skirt.

The slit on the skirt was high enough to reach the base of her thigh; when she walked, her entire leg would be exposed.

It was paired with a set of lace-up knee-high boots.

The tavern keeper raised an eyebrow, giving Blood Rose a meaningful look before glancing back at Chen Chen, who was halfway through changing at the bar. She pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Blood Rose took the clothes and turned her back to begin changing.

Her hands were still shaking.

Chen Chen pulled on the dark gray tactical long-sleeve and zipped it up.

The fabric wrapped snugly around his upper body, compressing the muscular contours into restrained lines.

He sat down on a high stool at the bar and tapped his knuckles against the wooden countertop.

"How much for the clothes?"

The tavern keeper waved her hand, her red fingernails tracing a circle in the air.

"Two sets of D-grade daily equipment aren't worth much. The balance from the water and canned food you left last time hasn't been used up yet; we'll just deduct this small change from that."

After speaking, she pulled a bottle of purple wine from the top shelf and poured a glass for Chen Chen.

"A guest in the early hours—this one's on the house."