Chương 376: The Dilapidated Tavern and the Succubus

The gray dwarf secretary's eyes instantly turned cold.

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Roland quickly smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm a succubus from the Zaun Forest, and I'm not of high quality."

"I didn't mean to offend you."

When Roland bent over, her ample bosom swayed slightly with the shift in her center of gravity.

The gray dwarf secretary's gaze swept over them, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"Very well, since your attitude is so proper, then let's leave it at that."

She slightly pulled open the collar of her women's suit jacket, took out a metal business card from the inside pocket, and handed it to Roland.

"Back to the main point, Miss Laura, I've seen you running around the guild for ages, trying to find a high-paying job."

"How about working at our Big Bird's Tavern? If you work hard, you can earn up to one gold coin a week!"

Roland looked at the metal business card carefully for a moment, and then it dawned on her.

This seems to be the new tavern built by the eldest daughter of the Grey Gold family, which the city gate official mentioned.

Unexpectedly, they came to us on their own.

In the dark depths of the world where prices are high, the weekly wage of this gold coin is worth at least half its actual value.

Roland hesitated, clutching the metal business card, staring at the Grey Gold family crest on it, lost in thought.

A weekly wage of one gold coin is enough to buy a set of junk alchemy tools.

With the level of magic I can currently exert, I should be able to barely concoct a special milk potion.

Moreover, working at the tavern might allow you to gather all sorts of useful information, such as news about the Great Rift...

And the current situation of the Night Scholars and Vina!

Roland tightened her grip on the metal surface with her fingers.

What's going on? She actually had the urge to become a hostess?

No, even if a man suffers hardship and poverty, he cannot have pus coming out of his buttocks.

Roland composed herself and looked seriously at the gray dwarf secretary.

"Sir, is this giant bird that circles around the tavern any respectable?"

"Let me make this clear first: I'm afraid I'm not qualified to provide pink services to customers."

The secretary never expected that Roland, being a succubus, would ask such a question, and looked at Roland with disdain.

"Are you daydreaming?" She pointed at Roland's swaying heart-shaped tail.

"Who in their right mind would want to cultivate with a succubus? You think you have too much magic power and want to be drained dry, right?"

"Miss Succubus, I've already offered a generous salary, so please don't push your luck, okay?"

"what?"

Roland stared in astonishment for a long time before she came to her senses.

The environment underground is different from that on the surface; the free magic in the air is of poor quality, contains many impurities, and is heavily polluted.

Although there are many extraordinary individuals, it is difficult for them to recover their absorbed magic power.

Therefore, dual cultivation with a succubus is truly harmful and not beneficial, as the succubus often ends up paying for it.

Roland could only awkwardly scratch her head.

The secretary didn't dawdle; after confirming Roland's wishes, she stood up decisively.

"Next, I'll take you to the tavern. Just so you know, you'll need to pass the young lady's test before you can actually get this good job."

Roland followed closely behind the secretary, passing through the messy shacks and climbing the spiral staircase.

The lower city of Black Iron City is not only responsible for dealing with the pollution caused by the upper city, but also for basic industries such as smelting and agriculture, so the environment is quite bad.

Those who can survive here, even if they are not superhuman, have at least developed strong physical abilities.

Along the way, Roland saw quite a few succubi mixed together with lizardmen and humans, doing heavy physical work such as carrying things.

Because these succubi lacked energy, most of them had flat figures, numb expressions on their faces, and mechanically repeated the movements of their hands.

No wonder her figure attracted the attention of the guards.

Just then, exhaust fumes suddenly spewed from the top of a passing alchemy workshop, blowing towards Roland with the wind.

Roland wrinkled her nose and waved her hand, trying to disperse the unpleasant smell around her, appearing somewhat uncomfortable.

Just then, the secretary was doing the same thing. The two looked at each other and the secretary smiled.

"Is this your first time in Black Iron City?"

"Um."

"Then you'll have to get used to the air here," the secretary said meaningfully.

"On the bright side, although the environment is a bit harsh, it's still better than spending your days in the wild and losing your life in a daze."

Roland remained silent and inquired about other information.

"Miss Secretary, I'm actually quite curious, why did you choose me?"

"Because you are very smart."

The gray dwarf secretary slowed her pace and stepped back to stand beside Roland.

"I've been observing you since your second job search."

"Your efficiency, your approach to screening job postings, and the skills you claim to possess are clearly far superior to those of other entry-level workers."

"And you look very flirtatious, but the details of your words and actions reveal elegance and poise, as if you have received high-end etiquette training."

The secretary paused, her gaze traveling upwards from Roland's hip curves.

"Running a tavern or service industry is all about scarcity. Your contrasting succubus persona should attract some customers."

"Hmm... maybe there really is an idiot who would waste his magical cultivation and be willing to cultivate with you."

Roland's smile froze.

Who the hell wants to practice dual cultivation? They're perfectly innocent and illiterate, okay?

Don't slander me! (Shouting loudly) Seeing that Roland seemed a little unhappy, the gray dwarf secretary misunderstood and added something.

"Don't worry, Miss Laura, these silly little fools who are greedy for beauty usually won't ask you for compensation for emotional distress."

"As long as you don't attract the guards' attention by being too conspicuous, it's perfectly fine to sneak a bite or two."

Roland was speechless, and could only complain in her heart.

A succubus who costs money to spend a night with a man in the Empire can engage in free dual cultivation in the Underdark, and even pays him in return.

The dark underground is truly wondrous.

The two chatted casually, their pace not slowing down, and soon they arrived at the commercial plaza in the lower city.

The area is on higher ground, and the planting of shadow trees and glow grass as barriers has blocked some of the exhaust fumes drifting from the lower levels, thus improving the environment slightly.

The Grey Gold family's "Big Bird Spin" tavern is located in a corner of the square. It is a two-story brick and wood retro tavern built against the rock wall.

To be honest, the location isn't ideal.

The tavern's exterior walls were made of dark gray bricks, and the oak door at the left entrance was covered with a layer of grease, with traces of time remaining on the wood.

The only visual advantage is the large glass panel next to the main entrance, with the bottom of the glass only 30 centimeters off the ground. The surface is decorated with a cross-shaped iron mesh with large holes, which can show the scene of dining and drinking inside.

If warm lights were turned on in the shop at dusk, it would surely create a cozy atmosphere for the customers coming and going.

Unfortunately, the tavern has closed down and is now empty, with only a few lonely wooden tables and chairs.

Roland had a bad feeling. She turned her head and looked down at the gray dwarf secretary.

"My lord, didn't you say this was the newly opened tavern of the great Grey Gold family?"

"This looks a bit..." Roland paused, swallowing the word "dilapidated," and forced a smile: "It's been quite a few years."

The secretary shrugged.

"This originally belonged to a goblin merchant, but he owed our Miss Dura a huge sum of money, so he had to go down there to mine."

"Now that this tavern has been transferred to the Gray Gold family, it is naturally considered a new property of the Gray Gold family."

"So, are you looking forward to the rest of your professional career?"

Roland could only manage an awkward smile.

"Is that right...?"