After Kvedo finished speaking, he looked at Erich and Karl. Although Erich and Karl still had expressionless faces, they firmly replied, "Of course, I am not someone who betrays friends."
"My noble upbringing tells me that those who betray friends will not gain honor. Honor is above all else."
Fulen heard the assurance of his three friends. Although they hadn't sworn an oath, Fulen instinctively believed that these friends were trustworthy.
However, Fulen thought to himself, "Alas, although I know that my Pathway friends are unlikely to betray me, the truth will eventually come out. Living in Trier and constantly searching for Beyonder materials in the Extraordinary Gathering and Extraordinary Bazaar, like me, is not a long-term solution. It's time to decide to leave Trier."
Kvedo saw that his friends had all given their assurances. Looking at the pensive Fulen, and the habitually silent Erich and Karl, he said, "Let's put this matter behind us. I'll tell you some more interesting anecdotes from the Beyonder world I've encountered..."
Seeing this, Fulen also cast this thought aside and chimed in with Kvedo's tales of the mysterious world, while Karl and Erich occasionally added a remark.
After about an hour, Kadeluosi stood up again and lightly coughed twice. After the room became quiet again, he said to the participants of the Extraordinary Gathering, "Time's up. This Extraordinary Gathering will now conclude."
With that, Kadeluosi sat down in his chair and watched as the attendants led each participant of the Extraordinary Gathering out. Kvedo also led Fulen and the others out of the room.
Upon reaching the first floor of the tavern, Kvedo did not rush to lead Fulen and the others out immediately. Instead, he first led them to the large bar counter on the first floor of the tavern.
By then, it was already around eight o'clock, but the tavern was even livelier than Fulen had seen before. Liquor splashed everywhere as the atmosphere grew increasingly fervent, and in front of the gambling tables, the gamblers were still gambling everything away in a frenzy.
The largest bar counter was full of people. Kvedo walked to the front, pushing people aside, and led Fulen and the others to the front of the bar owner, Saiji Dennison.
Old Man Saiji was in a heated discussion with the surrounding drunkards. Seeing Kvedo approach the bar, he didn't rush to speak. After finishing his brief conversation with the surrounding drunkards, he watched as the patrons either laughed heartily or drank heavily, excused himself, and came to Kvedo.
Looking at Kvedo, Old Man Saiji smiled and said, "How was it? The gathering was good, right?"
Kvedo also smiled and said, "Yes, the Extraordinary Gathering that Old Man Saiji promised to hold is always good."
Old Man Saiji, however, retorted, "It wasn't me who held it. I'm just an old man who runs a tavern. The organizers of those gatherings are at most my tenants. I'm not responsible for what they do."
Kvedo didn't immediately ask about the passes for Fulen and the others. Instead, he asked with interest, "So, something has happened at the gatherings in your tavern as well?"
Old Man Saiji chuckled, glanced at the enthusiastically chatting drunkards around him, and replied, "Of course! Some Criminals also like to drink and attend gatherings. The adults from the police department will also cordon off this place to pursue them. But, hehe, Old Man Saiji, who only provides the building, is innocent, you know. Don't go spreading rumors."
Kvedo curled his lip upon hearing Old Man Saiji's explanation, clearly realizing that it was the Church's people sealing off the Extraordinary Gathering, yet Old Man Saiji claimed it was due to Criminals. Nevertheless, he agreed, "Yes, Old Man Saiji has nothing to do with it."
Then Kvedo stopped delaying and said, "In that case, Old Man Saiji, are my friends' passes ready?"
Old Man Saiji was clearly waiting for Kvedo's words. He pulled out three cards from his clothes pocket and said, "Of course! Old Man Saiji isn't just a boss, he's also an artist. I feel like the passes I draw are becoming more and more artistic."
Kvedo clearly didn't believe him. After receiving the cards, he glanced at them and, holding back his laughter, said, "Yes, Old Man Saiji is an artist, and his paintings are naturally becoming more and more artistic."
Then Kvedo handed the passes to the three of them. Fulen looked at his card, and indeed, it was becoming more and more artistic. The portrait on the card was simply unbearable to look at. One would think the artist and the model had an irreconcilable feud, but one could still make out the general outline, aside from it being infinitely ugly.
Fulen had never seen his portrait so ugly in either of his two lives. He could only let out a long sigh and then fell into a prolonged silence.
Looking around at his companions, although Karl and Erich's expressions hadn't changed, Fulen could still feel the air pressure around them mysteriously drop. And Kvedo, the culprit who was at least half responsible, was still laughing heartlessly.
However, Kvedo didn't laugh for too long. Karl and Erich reacted, looking at Kvedo with gazes that could freeze a person to death. Kvedo seemed to feel the world's malice towards him, shivered violently, and then muttered to himself, "Why does it feel a bit cold? Oh, right, Trier's winter is coming soon."
After Kvedo saw that his companions had recovered from their shock, he said to Old Man Saiji, "Old Man Saiji, we've taken these passes. We're leaving."
Old Man Saiji also replied with a smile, "Alright, have a good journey."
Kvedo turned around, waved his hand, and then led Fulen and the others, clearing a path to exit the tavern.
Lights illuminated the streets of Hawthorne Street. Half of the light that brought brightness back to Hawthorne Street in the night was provided by candles, and half by newly installed kerosene lamps.
Clearly, the quality of kerosene lamp production at that time was not very good, or rather, the kerosene lamps in this commercial street obviously couldn't be authentic. There was a faint smell of kerosene throughout the entire street.
Although Fulen didn't dislike this smell, his long experience of inhaling smog on Earth made him clearly not very fond of it. But Kvedo seemed to enjoy it, taking two deep breaths.
Then he turned to his companions and said, "Friends, the air in Trier, both day and night, is intoxicating. The daytime air is fresh but uninspired, while the night air, though a bit pungent, makes me feel the progress of humanity. Oh, let us once again express our gratitude to Governor Rosell." After Kvedo finished speaking, he took two more deep breaths of the haze, making Fulen shiver.
Erich's mouth also twitched twice. He said, "This smell is from substandard kerosene lamps. The kerosene lamps invented by Emperor Rosell don't have this smell."