That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 30 The Master of Adding Sleeping Black Tea

A gift? I love gifts!

Ethan smiled and asked Richard, "What kind of gift is it?"

Richard replied, "You remember, my family makes wine, so I brought you a barrel of light cider, delicious and not intoxicating, to reward your mercenary group..."

Under the combined influence of magic and Richard's persuasive skills, Ethan quickly believed Richard's story and happily boarded Richard's pirate ship... no, carriage.

Afterwards, he and Richard went to Big Gold Tooth, gathered the mercenaries, explained the cause and effect, and prepared to distribute the wine.

The mercenaries swallowed hard as they looked at the barrel of wine.

The night watch was the most grueling job, and nothing could soothe their souls like alcohol.

But at that moment, the deputy commander Henry stepped forward.

He frowned and said, "Nonsense! Don't you all understand that drinking leads to trouble?"

The mercenaries shrank back for a moment, but their eyes remained fixed on the barrels.

Ethan, standing nearby, retorted, "It's just fruit wine, not strong liquor. Besides, there's only one barrel, divided among about ten people. Each person can only have about two cups, so how could anyone get drunk?"

Henry glanced at Ethan and Richard behind him, then shook his head and said, "That won't work either. Who knows how well you brewed this wine? What if there's something bad in it?"

This statement clearly demonstrates a lack of trust.

Ethan immediately became angry.

My friend came to deliver the wine in person, and you're not giving me any face?

Are you the quartermaster or am I the quartermaster?

Isn't being paranoid all the time a bit excessive? We're guarding Big Gold Tooth; this place is impregnable and unbreakable. What problems could there be?

"Ethan, Ethan, don't be angry..."

Seeing that Ethan was about to kiss Henry, Richard quickly came over to mediate.

He then said to Henry, "Mr. Vice-Commander, your prudence is admirable; it's precisely the quality most needed to lead a mercenary group..."

Henry gave a cold snort, but inwardly he was quite pleased with these words.

At this point, Richard changed the subject:

"...But then again, there's really nothing wrong with my wine! I can drink some to prove it to you!" With that, Richard opened the barrel, took a sip from the wooden bowl, and added, "If you still don't believe me, why don't you have someone put some poison detector in there?"

Detecting toxins is a Tier 1 spell, and its effect is just as its name suggests: it can detect and locate most toxic substances within a ten-meter radius.

Richard confirmed, through his Eye of Insight and his conversation with Ethan on the way, that both spellcasters on guard duty knew this spell!

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Hearing this, Henry's resolve began to waver.

If Richard himself had drunk the alcohol and was unharmed, he really wouldn't believe it, since there are too many examples these days of people who have taken the antidote in advance or simply have a strong constitution to resist poison.

However, if we use a toxin detector, this problem won't exist.

Thinking of this, Henry glanced at the group of mercenaries behind him. He could sense that their eyes held both a longing for the wine and resentment towards him.

Perhaps it's time to let these brats relax a bit.

Otherwise, it would be bad if they openly defied orders one day.

Finally, Henry nodded:

"Call the sorcerer over and have him check this barrel of wine with a poison detection device. If there are no problems, then we can drink it."

"Long live!"

The mercenaries cheered and pushed the mage toward the wine barrel.

The latter cast a spell, observed for a while, and then smiled, saying, "No poison!"

At this point, Henry was completely speechless and retreated to the back.

Ethan patted his belly happily, laughed, and took out a wooden bowl to serve wine to everyone.

Soon, the mercenaries were intoxicated by the sweetness of the fruit wine.

then……

Pfft!

Pfft!Pfft!

...One, two, three, they all fell to the ground.

Only the deputy commander Henry remained, barely able to stand thanks to his exceptional physique, but he was unsteady, dizzy, and completely incapacitated.

He looked around in disbelief, then glared at Richard with a mixture of shock and anger:

"W-What's going on?!"

"You bastard! What have you done?"

"I definitely checked..."

Richard didn't bother explaining to him, so he kicked the man to the ground, then waved to a corner not far away. Soon after, Grace, who had been hiding for a long time, ran over with a wicked grin.

The reason why the toxin detection didn't detect anything just now is actually half thanks to Grace's magic.

Specifically, Richard installed a perforated compartment at the bottom of the barrel, but instead of sleeping powder, he placed a miniature teleportation array drawn by Grace underneath it!

This is a Tier 5 spell that can create two interconnected portals through rune arrays, enabling the transfer of people or objects across space.

The other end of Grace's teleportation array was a clay pot several dozen meters away.

The sleeping powder was also placed in this earthenware jar.

Therefore, when the mercenary group's mage released the detection poison, nothing could be seen—after all, both the wine barrel and Richard's body were truly clean.

Only after the detection is complete will Grace secretly activate the teleportation array, put the sleeping powder into the interlayer, and then diffuse it into all the drinks through the small holes.

In this way, all the mercenaries unknowingly drank the sleeping powder!

Let's get back to the present.

Grace approached and looked at the mercenaries scattered on the ground with great interest, then gave Richard an approving thumbs-up.

Although the plan's success was inseparable from her magic, Miss Copper Dragon knew that the plan's creator, who could skillfully exploit internal conflicts within the mercenary group and the differences in the effects of various spells, was the truly formidable one.

Richard returned a modest smile, and together they walked without hindrance to Big Gold Tooth's door.

On the ground, Henry struggled to turn over, looked at the two people, then at the sturdy door, and hope welled up in his heart again.

Although the group was drugged, they did not have the key to the gate on them, meaning the warehouse remained impregnable!

You despicable bandits, you will gain nothing in the end, you... ah?

ah??!

But just as Richard reached the door, the door, which Henry considered indestructible and which no one in Phoenix thought could break through, suddenly swung open by itself with a loud bang!

Why...why is this happening?!

Who exactly is this man?

What exactly were the methods used?

Overwhelmed with indescribable shock and confusion, Henry could no longer hold on, his head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

Beside Richard, Grace's reaction wasn't as exaggerated, but she was equally amazed.

"Although I had mentally prepared myself, I really didn't expect the process to be so easy... By the Platinum Dragon God, I knew that following you would always bring surprises!"

Richard's eyebrows shot up as he listened, and he put one hand on his hip.

With his other hand, he secretly made a V-sign towards the door.

In his mind, the gate also gave a warm response:

[That was awesome! Exciting! All those years as a doorman haven't been as enjoyable as this one night with you!]

【Well then, the rest is all up to you~】

[Big Gold Tooth's favorability towards you has increased]

You have received a gift pack from the main entrance of Big Gold Tooth's place.

They've already given you the items?

I can see you're quite agreeable too.

Don't worry, with me in and out, the Phoenix family, unless they're stupid, will definitely dismantle you and give you a new "job".

Richard patted the door and pulled Grace into the warehouse...