I
Thugs from all over the continent were gathering in the "Happy Poison" tavern.
The Beast was strong and tough, the Goblin sitting in the corner was playing his dagger under the table, and the mercenaries at the table by the door had just crossed the ocean from the Holy Mountain.
They stared greedily and viciously at everyone around them, planning to pillage some unlucky person.
The mutual scorn among them subtly maintained the balance within the tavern.
Unfortunately, this balance was soon broken with the arrival of an uninvited guest - a burly figure pushed through the door, or rather banged it open, to be precise.
The visitor was close to the height of two standard dwarves, with a huge and greasy brown-green cloak covering his face and most of his body.
He carried a club-like weapon behind him, wrapped in tarpaulin.
Most noticeable was the flask he had pinned to his waist, which was more of a keg than a flask.
"Who is in charge of collecting money here?" He asked, his voice was like a bell.
"What would you like, sir?" A waiter fawned over him, squeezing a smile.
"What good beer do you have here?" The stranger said.
This question was like a heavy bomb, breaking the original balance immediately.
The mercenaries and bandits dropped their hostility towards each other. Their objectives had never been so unified.
They knew that money was coming.
II
The moment the lavish stranger sat down, dozens of eyes in the tavern landed on him.
He untied his flask and weapon, placed them on a corner of the table, and then stared at the liquor list hanging on the bar.
The stranger pointed to the list and yelled, "What is this Kadas Pure Brew?"
All the thugs were excited to hear his accent - an outsider with money in his pocket - it was like a free meal to them.
"It's a special produce from Kadas, would you like to have one?" The waiter replied.
"Sure, plus one Gaulke cold beer and two black forest ale. And fill up the flask for me." He threw the flask at the waiter, nearly knocking the skinny waiter to the ground.
The waiter rushed to acknowledge his order - a glass of Kadas Pure Brew could cover a week's worth of the tavern's revenue. He is a big customer.
He quickly ran behind the bar and went to work. In no time at all, four glasses of beer were served.
The stranger raised his Kadas Pure Brew and gulped wildly, then paused for a moment as the entire air of the tavern froze.
He lifted his throat, and the whiskers on his face twitched. In the blink of an eye, the rest beer had been consumed by him in a single gulp.
III
God knew how much beer he had already drunk! The beer barrels on his table were already stacked as high as the ceiling.
The waiter had never seen such a drinker, the liquor reserved was almost exhausted by him!
All the people present were stunned by his drinking style. The robbers had planned to strike while he was drunk, but they have waited too long.
Finally, after drinking the last drop and repeatedly checking with the waiter that there was no more left in the tavern, he fell asleep on the table with a loud bang, snoring like thunder.
Seeing that the time was coming, a bold bandit crept close to his side and reached out to touch the money bag hanging on his chest.
The next second, the bandit flew out of the tavern window.
The stranger lifted the cloak covering his head, and a furry bear face showed up.
The bandit's companions drew their machetes hidden under the table, and strode aggressively toward the Pandaman.
"Hey boy! You're not going to take the easy way, are you?!"
"Boy? You're talking to me?" The Pandaman stood up and drew his weapon from under the tarpaulin. It was a long, thigh-thick stick with a Northland-style gold inlay.
All the waiter saw next was the Pandaman deftly dodging all the attacks amidst the flying glasses and beer foam, as the attackers were hit by blurred stumps and then fell to the ground.
The next second, the Pandaman and the waiter were the only ones left in the tavern who could move.
The Pandaman's gaze finally fell on the waiter, his foam-stained beard twitching.
"Mix less water in my drink next time." He walked out of the tavern, leaving behind only the money for the drink, the shocked waiter and a mess.