Sky-cracking Rider-Chapter 748: Section 743 - Wine Tasting

The Psi Skill "Eyes of Tyranny" greatly enhanced individual combat ability, but Chen Fei rarely engaged in one-on-one fights nowadays. He relied more on various tactical equipment since his foundational ability was only B-ranked. Even with "Eyes of Tyranny" and the Neanderthal's inherited Secret Technique "Fight to the Death," he couldn't withstand a shot of 600 "Justice Judgement," which was much more abrupt and lethal. His abilities were more suitable for factories or battlefields, rather than personal duels.

Compared to the large-scale, 10,000 level, Pure Light Sparrow flock Forbidden Curse initiated by Xiao Jiu, it was far from sufficient.

For the War Professionals who couldn't even muster Battle Qi Flame, Chen Fei couldn't be bothered to swipe them away with a single blow, ending the 15 seconds of "Eyes of Tyranny" prematurely, and stretched out his head to let the opponent strike him.

Rather than getting brutally dismembered, heads flying and blood spurting as imagined, it was as if they had swung too hard and missed completely. The three burly men grimaced and snarled, their extravagantly designed, massive blades silently vanished into thin air, leaving only the hilts in their hands.

The three large swords together didn't even weigh four hundred pounds, and were instantly claimed by the Dog System without sparing a single energy point.

"What, what is this sorcery?"

"Where is my sword?"

Staring incredulously at their bare hilts, the three burly men all wore expressions as if they'd seen a ghost.

That's the sort of reaction you expect from a mercenary who walks sideways into a wall.

The onlookers, gathered around for the spectacle, unanimously rubbed their eyes, equally shocked as the three burly men themselves.

Some even looked intrigued, wondering if this was some kind of street performance or magic show.

Of course, it could also be speculated that he had used an alchemical storage artifact. If the movements were fast enough and the technique skilled, it wasn't entirely impossible.

"Shall we continue?"

Chen Fei asked nonchalantly, ready to fight or kill, at their discretion.

"Give us back our swords!"

One of the burly men threatened fiercely, unwilling to let it go.

In his opinion, the young man before him was merely playing tricks.

"They're gone, I can't return them!"

The swords had been devoured by the Dog System. Rounding down, not a single energy point was given, so how could Chen Fei possibly compensate from his own pocket without any benefit?

If they dared to keep blustering, he'd send each one of them on their way with a single swipe, and as a student of Blue Star's First Sovereign's new era, he was not afraid of bloodshed.

The financial firm that initially sent Chen Fei to the impoverished Aircrew Base probably thought the same.

"You're looking for death!!!"

The three guys dropped their hilts and swung their fists as big as bowls at him. They refused to believe in this evil magic, doubting that their fists could also be taken away.

Bang! One!

Bang! A pair!

Bang! A trio!

They didn't take the fists, but they took their lives.

The commotion was over, and the crowd dispersed as swiftly as birds and beasts, going about their business as usual.

Chen Fei blew the faint residual heat from his pistol's muzzle, withdrew the "Spatial Branding," leaving three corpses on the ground, with their foreheads blown open and backs of their skulls completely shattered, their brains spilling out.

The agreed upon one swipe per person had, at the moment of death, turned into a clean and efficient gunshot per person, as if he had stones (definitely not money) to throw until their death.

This was the price for queuing Chen Xiao'er; utterly fair, and he had already given them a chance.

The streets were bustling once again, leaving only a small area with the bodies undisturbed. It wouldn't be long before city sanitation workers dragged the bodies away and washed the streets clean as if nothing had happened.

Chen Xiao'er irreverently used his tactical pistol to dispatch them.

Mercenaries were everywhere in Sun Domain City, with street fights and even murders being common occurrences. Now, it was just another unsolved homicide, and no one would pursue it.

The mainland was rife with war, and all factions were focused on their adversaries. They didn't have the time to deal with these killers, drifting in the Jianghu sometimes meant catching bullets, perhaps even being taken by the heavens, sparing the trouble of a trial.

Under the newly developed visual enhancement AR assistance of the AI "Adam," Chen Fei quickly reached his destination, the "Holy Blood Guild," which was also one of the top-tier large guilds within Sun Domain City.

The guild existed symbiotically with the mercenary corps, each depending on the other and complementing each other's needs.

The guild was responsible for establishing, posting, and settling commissions, as well as providing intelligence, while the mercenaries were tasked with completing the various missions.

Beyond extracting commissions from the missions, the main profit for the guild came from providing services like dining, accommodation, training, medical care, entertainment, legal support, and banking—not just charging projects, but also offering dueling areas, consultations, and arbitration services for free.

With a plethora of mercenaries, the guild naturally made a fortune daily. Sometimes, for the sake of profits, guilds would even wage war against each other, resulting in a deadly struggle among the mercenaries.

Although Blue Star didn't have guilds per se, it had a similar entity, the Global United Defense Committee, which was monopolistically powerful, commanding the Jianghu and uncontested.

Due to societal safety and regulated sovereign forces, the demand for military contractors was far less on Cangqiong Star, and consequently, the number of industry practitioners couldn't match those of mercenaries on Cangqiong Star.

In a corner of the spacious welcoming hall of the "Holy Blood Guild," Chen Fei found an empty seat at the bar and snapped his fingers.

"What's good to drink? Bring me a cup!"

He treated this place as if it were the bar "Medusa's Beautiful Eyes" at the 911 Aircrew Base. Engaged in risky business, wherever he was, the pleasures of alcohol and wealth were essential.

Speaking honestly, neither his former employer, Apocalypse Defense, nor his current lady boss intended to ruthlessly exploit the few recreational sites within the base for profit; they were essentially regarded as part of the welfare benefits.

The bartender, noticing Chen Fei was unfamiliar, immediately came over to greet him, "Is this your first time at 'Holy Blood'?"

At his position, recognizing faces was a basic skill. Otherwise, how could he make the guests feel at home?

"Exactly! Do you have anything worth recommending?"

Chen Fei nodded, and the little bird on his shoulder hopped onto the bar and chirped at the other party.

He had almost forgotten that it too was a regular at the bar. Language barriers were simply non-existent.

"The 'Holy Blood's' most popular 'Red Angelica Flower,' the uniquely flavored 'Ice Pebbles' and 'Three Waves,' and the limited production of just ten bottles a month of 'Cross Spring.' These are all unique to our guild. Others like 'One Star,' 'Black Horn Wheat,' and 'Mountain Camel,' which are plentiful and filling, can be had at any tavern in Sun Domain City, are also local specialties. Moreover... I've recently learned some special cocktail mixing. Are you interested in trying some?"

The bartender spoke very skillfully, bringing himself closer to Chen Fei.

"All of the ones you mentioned, bring them up, I'll try them all," said Chen Fei.

This remark resonated with Xiao Jiu.

"Jiu!"

Aside from handling his business, tasting the Otherworld's exotic beverages might mean bringing back a few cases to share with Boss Hana. He couldn't just keep raiding his boss's liquor supply indefinitely!

Not reciprocating wasn't polite, and being impolite to a female boss like Boss Hana was something Chen Fei couldn't bring himself to do.

The server said, a bit surprised, "You sure you can handle your drink, sir?"

Talking about money ruins relationships, and in order to ensure long-term business, he simply mentioned drinking capacity, gently reminding him with a hint.

"One cup of each kind."

Chen Fei took out his phone, knowing that the drinks here couldn't possibly cost a million Star Yuan per cup.

The real rich folks wouldn't come to a place like this to taste wines, so no matter how expensive, it wouldn't be too much. Better to try first then judge.

"Alright! Let's start with the most common 'One Star,' one cup of One Star. The ingredients are Grey Wheat, with a brewing cycle of 14 days..."

The bartender was professional, serving the drinks and narrating the origins and stories behind each.

He wasn't just talking for nothing—after all, he was supposed to charge a service fee, and with a rare eager listener, naturally, he was happy to chat a bit more.

Following that, cup after cup of drinks was brought over along with a dish, ten golden-looking meat skewers.

"This is complimentary, roast bird skewers. Recently, the number of Pure Light Sparrows has suddenly increased..." The server's gaze fell on Xiao Jiu, recognition flickering in his eyes, except for a small plume on its head and a slightly larger size, it looked just like the common Pure Light Sparrows.

But Pure Light Sparrows likely wouldn't compete with drunkards to taste each cup first.

"This is..."

Just as Chen Fei was about to reach for it, he suddenly froze, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Damn, making roast skewers from Pure Light Sparrows...

"Uh, Pure Light Sparrow skewers!"

The server's gaze met Chen Fei's, both their expressions stiffening.

Confirmed then!

The one hopping on the table was most likely a Pure Light Sparrow.

The two people inside and outside the bar fell into silence simultaneously. Seriously awkward.

"Jiu?"

The little bird's attention was on those cups, completely unaware that the golden-browned, spice-sprinkled skewers were actually its own kind.

"Let's switch to something else!"

Chen Fei, looking at the skewers which were once live and hopping Pure Light Sparrows, suddenly felt nauseated.

These people must have lost their minds.

To dare to kill the harmless Pure Light Sparrows and turn them into food like skewers.

"Sorry!"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the server quickly withdrew the roast bird skewers and replaced them with a portion of fried vegetables.

"That really was inappropriate!"

Chen Fei couldn't bear to imagine Xiao Jiu being hunted, turned into small meat skewers, roasted on charcoal, greased, sprinkled with spices, and then eaten.

"This... roast bird skewer is actually a very common traditional delicacy. There's a day each year called 'Hunting Sparrow Festival,' where many people would hunt various birds and make them into skewers."

The server began to doubt where exactly Chen Fei had popped out from, not even knowing such traditional food as roast bird skewers.

On the day of the "Hunting Sparrow Festival," the birds hunted the most are probably Pure Light Sparrows.

"There will be consequences!"

Chen Fei shook his head.

He simply couldn't understand such a cruel festival and behavior.