My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 22 The Legend of the Gray Witch

Xiuqi strode into the tavern, while "Princess" obediently followed at his feet, her big eyes curiously looking around.

He sat down in the empty seat next to Olivia: "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Not late at all, we just arrived too." Lina smiled and handed over an elegant menu. "Take a look and see what you'd like to eat? The black truffle steak and starlight moss pudding here are both very good."

Xiuqi took the menu, glanced at the prices, and then ordered the cheaper option, Starlight Moss Pudding.

Even though the other party was paying, he didn't want to be impolite at the first meal.

Moreover, he had already eaten a hearty meal at noon, so he wasn't hungry now.

After ordering, he felt a gaze upon him.

Ms. Olivia was looking at him with a curious and inquisitive expression: "Master Xiuqi, do you also like Starlight Moss Pudding?"

"...Yes..." Xiuqi nodded repeatedly.

You can't say it's because the dish is relatively cheap and you've never eaten it before.

"I thought the men would prefer the black truffle steak, but they all ordered the starlight moss pudding!" Lina pouted from the side.

Beside her, Erwin wore an awkward yet polite smile.

Xiuqi glanced at the plates on the table and saw that each of the two ladies had a fragrant black truffle steak in front of her.

Erwin made the same choice as him: a starlight moss pudding.

This is actually a coincidence!

If Xiuqi had the chance to order again, he would definitely choose steak.

While waiting for the food, Erwin expressed his gratitude again and chatted about some interesting anecdotes from Summertown.

Lina added some things to keep in mind during the adventure, such as leaving a rough itinerary with the association in case of emergency.

Olivia listened quietly, occasionally picking up a glass of pale gold drink and taking a sip, a rare look of relaxation on her face.

Hugh's starlight moss pudding was served quickly, along with a large plate of roasted lamb leg and a barrel of ale.

The fat on the lamb leg sizzled, and the skin had an enticing golden-brown color.

As Lina cut off a tender leg of lamb and shared it with everyone, she smiled and introduced it to them:

"This is the restaurant's signature roasted lamb leg, made with lamb from a ranch on the outskirts of town, and brushed with honey and spices three times!"

At this moment, Xiuqi was somewhat glad he made the choice. A bite of cool and smooth pudding, followed by a bite of tender and juicy lamb, was a perfect combination.

Looking up at Erwin across from him, Erwin's face showed a satisfied expression of shared understanding, and the two smiled at each other.

The "princess" sat on a small stool at Xiuqi's feet, holding a roasted lamb leg and eating it with relish.

Even while it was eating, its eyes were scanning its surroundings warily, and its pointed ears would twitch from time to time, keeping an eye on the movements around it.

The four people, engrossed in the delicious food, were talking around the gray forest.

"We received another urgent request for help from White Oak Village today," Erwin said, putting down his wooden spoon with a grave expression. "Of the four members of the adventure team that went to subdue them, two were seriously injured and two were slightly injured, but fortunately they escaped back."

"This mission was taken on by a team with two professionals today," Lina said with a worried look. "I wonder how it's going."

"According to the description of the escape team, those goblins had dark red eyes that were completely different from their kin, and their fearless courage was unlike that of goblins."

Just then, a red-haired woman walked onto the small stage in the center of the tavern.

She was tall and slender, with long, wine-red hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye was particularly striking in the candlelight.

He was wearing red leather armor, holding a lute in his hands, and wearing a pair of brown boots;

She gently plucked the strings, and the crisp melody instantly drowned out the noise of the tavern, drawing all eyes to the stage.

"Fellow travelers in a foreign land, I am about to sing an ancient ballad..."

"Deepest in the grey forest, there lies the grey witch, forgotten by the world."

Her voice was husky and magnetic, the melodious tune flowing from the strings, carrying a touch of mystery and melancholy:

"The gray wind carries the gray rain."

In the Grey Forest lives a grey witch.

The gray witch lives in a gray city.

Gray people live in a gray city.

The gray witch is the queen of Gray City.

The Queen of Gray City is the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

......

As the song began, the noisy tavern instantly fell silent.

The guests, who had been enjoying their food with their heads down, all looked up and focused their attention on the red figure on the stage.

The bard's songs seemed to possess a strange magic, making the intoxicated guests forget to applaud, their full cups no longer emptied, and only the crackling of the fire remained all around.

The audience erupted in applause and whistles only when the melodious singing stopped and the red-haired poet bowed in acknowledgment.

"How nostalgic! So many years... I haven't heard this story in so long!" exclaimed a customer at the next table, who appeared to be in his forties.

"Yes, I didn't expect this young poet to know this story!" an older guest chimed in. "It's an old legend I heard from my grandfather when I was very young!"

"Hey, it's an old, tired story! No bards sing it anymore!" A young customer interjected, a disdainful expression on his face.

Lina's expression, however, was somewhat serious.

"The Gray Witch?" she murmured. "This ancient legend has been brought up again lately!"

"Yes! The town hall has recently received some reports about the Gray Witch, but the evidence provided is completely unverifiable!" Erwin nodded in affirmation.

Olivia, sitting beside Xiuqi, picked up her water glass and took a sip. Her purple eyes appeared deep and unfathomable in the firelight.

"Reality is often the foundation of legend."

"That forest didn't change for no reason!"

At that moment, an excited adventurer at the next table picked up his wine glass, took a big gulp, and shouted, "I almost didn't make it out today!"

"A pack of red-eyed wolves went berserk! Luckily I ran fast!"

"That's right, the monsters in the forest have been much more aggressive lately, like they've gone mad!" one of my classmates chimed in.

"A few days ago, I even spotted a monster at the edge of the forest that usually only roams deep within!"

"Luckily, I can run faster than a rabbit!"

An elderly adventurer at another table sighed, "Alas, this world! It's not easy for adventurers to even get a piece of bread."

"If this continues, this gray forest will eventually become a forbidden area."

Xiu Qi remained silent, quietly noting down this valuable information, and mentally raised the danger level of the Gray Forest by one level.

This ancient forest of monsters was far more complex than he had imagined.

The plans I made before coming here probably need to be adjusted.

For example, an escape plan after encountering a high-level monster.

"Hope everything goes well!"

He looked down at the "princess" at his feet. The little one had finished eating the roasted lamb leg and was looking at him with innocent big eyes.

The red-haired poet on stage had stopped singing, and the tavern gradually returned to its noisy atmosphere.

Irwin tried to lighten the mood, raising his glass: "Anyway, the fact that we can all get together is something to celebrate."

"A toast to our hero today, the mage Xiuqi, and to the good fortune we all enjoy!"

Xiuqi raised his barrel-sized mug filled with ale and clinked it with the others.

The foam of ale collided in the glass, and the candlelight illuminated four young faces.

The red-haired bard's song rose again, this time singing an epic tale of heroes conquering monsters, the stirring melody dispelling the sorrow from before.

The night outside the window grew darker, and the outline of the gray forest appeared and disappeared in the darkness, like a lurking beast.

His gaze swept across the noisy tavern again, finally settling on the deep night outside the window.