Chapter 71: Another Wave of Fan Service Side Quests

After speaking, Draxel lowered his sword and waved, signaling that Ammer could leave safely.

“Alright! I’ll definitely come alone next time,” Ammer happily left with his giant eagle, Little M, quickly disappearing from sight.

Watching him go, Draxel couldn’t help but comment, “And he calls himself the Eagle King? Even apes are smarter than him. He’s the dumbest of the dumb, beyond hopeless.”

Despite their efforts, they still couldn’t find Profit Empress Ronnie. After a brief rest, Draxel decided they should head back to Uxkhal and plan their next move from there.

A day later, they arrived back in Uxkhal. Once inside the lord’s hall, Draxel asked Safiya to help treat Lein’s back wounds.

He then called for Merchant Marnid to discuss some matters.

Marnid arrived quickly, nodding respectfully. “My noble lord, what can I do for you?”

“Marnid, have you ever heard of a giant eagle tribe in the northern desert?”

“Hmm… When I was traveling for business, I think I heard about them. They’re a group of warriors, each with their own giant eagle to help in combat. They seem quite formidable.”

Draxel continued, “Do you know roughly how many of them there are? Who do they fight for? Themselves?”

“They fight for money. Whoever pays them, they work for. There are about a hundred of them.”

Hearing this, Draxel realized Ammer hadn’t lied to him. But then again, with an intelligence of 2, Ammer probably didn’t even know how to lie.

“So, Marnid, you’re saying they’re similar to tavern mercenaries?”

“No, they’re entirely different. Our tavern mercenary knights, though they fight for your money, still have some sense of knightly honor and loyalty. The giant eagle tribe, on the other hand, purely works for the highest bidder.”

“So, if an enemy pays them to kill me, and I offer more, they might switch sides on the spot, right?”

“Yes, my noble lord, that’s quite possible.”

Hearing this, and recalling Ammer’s low intelligence, Draxel felt no more worries about this bunch of brutes.

“I understand. By the way, Marnid, think about how we can strengthen our military power. I have a lot of money now, but I don’t know how best to use it.”

“As you command.” Merchant Marnid turned and left, returning to his quarters.

At this moment, the system came online.

[System Prompt: Are you really not worried about the giant eagle tribe? I’ve warned you, they can level up and increase their attributes! And I believe Ammer is already on his way to kill you.]

‘I’m not worried. From the looks of him, any growth he has will probably be in strength and agility, not intelligence. Let him come. When he does, we’ll deal with it. Besides, Lein needs more practice with aerial battles, and that eagle is a good opponent. But you! System, can you give me some hacks or perks? I need a place to spend all this money. At least be useful occasionally! I can’t believe I struggled against someone as dim as Ammer. For a protagonist, my combat power needs a serious boost.’

[System Prompt: Now night is falling. Let’s go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you on a side quest that will quickly empty your pockets and boost your combat power.]

Draxel couldn’t help but complain, ‘Damn it, another side quest? Last time your side quest was all filler and borderline inappropriate. What do you have planned for tomorrow? I refuse to do it.’

[System Prompt: It’s not up to you. Everyone loved the last side quest! The audience wants it, and you better cooperate. I promise tomorrow will be even more exciting!]

‘Great, just great. Looks like tomorrow will be another day of forced activities.’

Feeling unusually tired, Draxel fell into a deep sleep, and morning came quickly.

“My noble lord, please rise and enjoy your breakfast,” Ol’ Aubrey gently knocked on the Count’s door.

“Ol’ Aubrey, when I hired you, I didn’t ask for wake-up services, but thanks for the care. I’ll get up now.”

Draxel rubbed his eyes, threw on his clothes, and quickly washed up before leaving his room.

However, he noticed that today’s breakfast looked quite special. Or rather, it was more like a dish from a horror show.

Looking at the unusual meal, Draxel hesitated and asked, “Ol’ Aubrey, what is this? A soup that’s wine red?”

“Count, a new shipment of ingredients and sauces arrived in town. This is a special nourishing mushroom soup. The new sauce gives it the unusual color, but it tastes great. We’ve all tried it,” Ol’ Aubrey explained.

Draxel found Ol’ Aubrey’s behavior strange today. He was unusually chatty and seemed a bit tipsy, swaying unsteadily. Had he mistakenly used wine as a sauce?

At this point, the system came online:

[System Prompt: Please drink the soup to start today’s side quest.]

‘Oh, so if I don’t drink it, I can skip today’s side quest, right? Perfect.’

Recalling the unforgettable previous side quest, Draxel wasn’t eager for a repeat. This wasn’t a surprise, it was a nightmare.

“Alright, I’ll give it a try… Whoops!” Draxel deliberately made a big show of grabbing the soup bowl, pretending to burn his hand and accidentally dropping it on the floor.

“Oh… Ol’ Aubrey, sorry, sorry. I must still be half-asleep.” Draxel scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

[System Prompt: Your acting deserves an Oscar. Alright, if you won’t drink it…]

It was as if Ol’ Aubrey heard the system. He said, “No worries, my lord. There’s a whole pot in the kitchen. I’ll get you another bowl.”

‘Damn it! Looks like there’s no escaping today.’

When Ol’ Al brought out another bowl of the concoction, Draxel finally steeled himself and drank it.

The strange taste was a mix of strong tomato sauce, mushroom aroma, and… grape wine flavor?

No wonder it was that color.

“Ugh! Cough, cough, Ol’ Aubrey… Are you trying to poison me and take my inheritance? Even if I died, I’d give it to Little Ma, not you. Cough, cough,” Draxel grumbled as he spat out the soup.