Xing Ze had his lunch at the Three Broomsticks Bar. Ms. Rosmerta cooked him a grilled sturgeon and a glass of peach sparkling water.
"How does the new drink taste?" Rosmerta pointed to the cup.
Xing Ze glanced at his cup and confirmed: "Sparkling water?"
"Hmm, I've been researching some new drinks recently." The bar owner wiped his hands on his apron, "The same thing over and over again can't attract new customers."
For some reason, Xing Ze felt that her words meant something else, "Very good."
Ms. Rosmerta put away the dishes on the table and said softly: "I bet a lot of money on you, kid, don't let me lose everything."
"Why does everyone know about this?"
The corner of Rosmerta's mouth raised slightly, "You have to ask the person who opened the bet. By the way, your odds are 1:40."
"This is too pessimistic." Xing Ze shouted.
"Here they come." Rosmerta put away her smile and pointed to the door with her chin. Xing Ze turned around and saw Mr. R and his three followers walking into the bar.
They walked straight towards Xing Ze. Mr. R did not wear that ridiculous work clothes today, but put on a neat formal suit, which made him look more dignified.
"Bring me a drink, Rosmerta." Mr. R knocked on the bar, "Also, give this gentleman another drink... No matter what it is, give him another drink."
Rosmerta nodded and walked aside knowingly.
"Okay, okay, Oriental. I admit that I made a mistake." Mr. R said, but it was more like talking to himself.
His three followers drove away the people around the bar, and then each sat in a suitable position, where they could react quickly when Xing Ze was in trouble.
"I underestimated you. Although I rarely make mistakes." Mr. R was still chattering, "but your performance far exceeded my expectations."
"If you are calling me out to praise me, then there is no need. R, I know very well how capable I am."
Mr. R frowned, but still said calmly: "I came to you to end this meaningless competition. It will not do any good to the two of us, it will only make others laugh."
"So, what is your bargaining chip?" Xing Ze asked, "Because you look like you are proposing a deal to me. Of course, maybe I got it wrong."
"I'm indeed proposing a deal with you, but I'm still not sure about the bargaining chip. My previous mistake made me mistake you for a money-grubbing person. Obviously, that was the look you showed me deliberately.
"You successfully deceived me, Oriental. This is worthy of your boast, so it's up to you to tell me, how can you voluntarily withdraw from this competition?"
Ms. Rosmerta came over with wine and sparkling water. She put down her things, winked at Xing Ze, and then went to do other things.
"I have to explain, R, it was not me who deceived you, but yourself. If you hadn't been prejudiced and contemptuous of people like me, I wouldn't have been able to deceive you at all.
"Just like now, you still naively thought that I would withdraw from this competition. Let me guess, you originally thought that you would win. After all, I am as stupid as those inferior Easterners in your mind.
"But now you take the initiative to come to me, that's because you finally understand that I am not that stupid, and you are not 100% able to win. What made you change your mind? Oh, it must be the invisible wizard. He failed."
Having said this, Xing Ze lowered his head and looked around, then turned his gaze to Mr. R. He saw a hint of panic on the other person's face.
"I have to thank you for your arrogance and conceit, R. It was them that prevented you from sending that wizard to kill me in the first place. And this gave me enough time to prepare.
"It's such a pity, R, that you had the chance to kill me, but you gave up on your own. I will not withdraw from the competition, no matter what conditions you give, because it is far less than appreciating your expression after failure.
"
It was rare that Mr. R was not irritated. He said coldly: "I think you have misunderstood me. I don't know any invisible wizard at all. Besides, I never thought about killing you, Oriental."
"I admit that I don't like you. But you passed the test and joined us, which means you have become a member of the Key Hall, which means you are our companion. Who would be cold-blooded enough to kill his companion?"
"Yeah, who could be so cold-blooded?" Xing Ze and Mr. R looked at each other.
"You know, Xing Ze? I'm here today to give you some advice as a senior - don't fight a hopeless war. You know very well that your chances of winning are slim, right?
"I kindly came here to give you a decent way to end this matter. It's fine that you don't cherish it. Instead, you slandered me and wanted to kill you. I may have misjudged you, but I don't think I was that wrong.
"You are just like those ignorant country wizards, ignorant of promotion and arrogant. I had high expectations for you, but I can't bear to see such an excellent secret keeper become a political plaything.
"But now, I don't feel any pity at all. Let me tell you one more thing..."
"That's enough, R. I expressed my attitude and you expressed yours. That's enough. Let's stay focused on the case."
At this moment, a strange feeling arose in Xing Ze's mind. He frowned and sneered in his heart.
The next moment, Mr. R suddenly screamed, and the three followers immediately stood up from their seats, but before two of them could take out their wands, they were hit by two rays of magic shot from the dark corners of the bar.
The remaining one was closest to Xing Ze. He took out his wand, but was splashed in the face with peach sparkling water.
Other patrons in the bar fled toward the door. A chair was overturned during the pushing, and a ceramic cup fell to the ground. Those who wanted to stay and watch the show were "gently" asked out of the bar by Ms. Rosmerta.
.
Mr. R fell from his seat with his head in his hands, and he kept wailing. Xing Ze quickly stepped over him, took away his wine glass, and then smashed it at the attendant.
Screams suddenly sounded. Xing Ze pressed the head of the attendant and slammed it against the bar. After a muffled sound, the guy collapsed to the ground like mud.
A wave of ripples appeared in the air. Xing Ze quickly dodged the magic, and his blue beak instantly opened to form a shield.
The sneak attack hit the shield. Xing Ze waved his wand and cast a spell, knocking the invisible wizard away.
"I won't fall in the same place twice." He stood up and stared in one direction of the bar.
He could clearly see the outline of the invisible man. The potion prepared by Edwin was very effective, and her slowing spell just now successfully restrained the invisible bastard, allowing Xing Ze to successfully deal with the last follower.