How To Break Qaq If The Dragon Catches The Wrong Person? Chapter 17

Chapter 17 The Gemstone Tavern

When Mian opened his eyes, the scene before him was unfamiliar.

This didn’t seem to be his room, yet it looked strangely familiar…

Mian was stunned. Memories of the previous night slowly returned, and when he realized he was actually in Kairis’s room, he jolted and instinctively turned his head to look beside him.

But the expected sight didn’t appear; his side was already empty.

Kairis had left.

Mian lowered his gaze, feeling a momentary sense of loss.

But as his consciousness fully cleared, recalling the events of last night… the emotions from deep in the night belatedly resurfaced, and that small sense of loss instantly transformed into anger.

See? He disappeared early in the morning. It was obvious he found him annoying and didn’t want to talk to him.

After a moment of silence, Mian made up his mind to uphold the resolution from last night: he vowed to be a dignified dragon starting today.

Anyway… he had things to do today anyway. He didn’t absolutely have to stick by Kairis’s side.

Thinking this, Mian threw off the blanket, got out of Kairis’s bed, and left the room on his own. Under the astonished gazes of the servants outside the door, he returned to his own room to wash up. Then, after greeting Sasha, he left the Royal Palace alone.

He planned to find Miya.

It was a bright, sunny day. The weather was excellent. Because it had rained all day yesterday, the sky was washed clean and azure after the rain, making the whole world look incredibly fresh.

Due to his knee injury, this matter had been delayed for a long time, but he had never forgotten it—whenever Mian met Annie’s expectant gaze in the Royal Palace on days he couldn’t go out, he felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Fortunately, today he could finally complete his mission.

And this was his first time leaving the Royal Palace, Mian felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Miya worked at a tavern in the Royal City.

Annie had told him that the middle-aged man who had previously brought him to the castle gates delivered goods to the Palace Kitchen at a specific time every other day. Today happened to be his delivery day, so Mian rushed to the Palace Kitchen and successfully waited for the man to arrive.

When the middle-aged man saw him, he didn’t recognize him immediately.

He scrutinized him for a moment, and after confirming that Mian was indeed the boy he remembered, his expression instantly became surprised.

“You’ve changed so much,” he exclaimed. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

When they first met, seeing the child dressed in rags, looking completely out of place near the Royal Palace, he had suspected Mian’s story was just a fabrication to hitch a ride, perhaps wanting to see the excitement near the Royal Palace out of mischief.

He hadn’t expected the boy before him to be completely transformed upon their second meeting.

Unlike before, he was now clean and tidy, and the clothes and accessories he wore clearly looked expensive.

He had been delivering goods to the Royal Palace for so long, and the clothes worn by the palace servants he usually saw were already quite fine to him. What this child was wearing was far superior to theirs.

It was almost like… what royalty wore.

After such a transformation, his demeanor had even changed, or rather, his original appearance had become evident. In short, no one looking at him now would doubt he was a noble.

Suddenly, he became even more curious about the boy’s background.

Mian didn’t grasp the man’s complex inner thoughts. Hearing the comment, he just smiled politely and then asked, “Could you take me with you when you leave later? I want to find Miya.”

The man was startled. “You found Annie?”

“Yes,” Mian answered truthfully. “She is currently with Loria.”

Hearing him casually address the Princess by name without a title, the man was shocked.

When he recovered, his gaze toward Mian became even more complicated.

But then, he realized this was no longer a matter he could casually inquire about, so he collected his thoughts and agreed, “Wait here for me for a bit.”

Mian nodded.

The Wagon soon delivered Mian to his destination. The man had other business, so he left after dropping Mian off.

This tavern was not far from the Royal Palace and was a place of entertainment frequented by both nobles and commoners.

Mian looked at the lavishly decorated entrance before him and the few people who looked like Palace Guards standing at the door, feeling a moment of hesitation.

The scene reminded him of the embarrassing situation when he first arrived at the castle gates.

That was not a good memory.

But looking closer, he noticed that although the two men guarding the door seemed to be wearing armor similar to the Royal Palace Guards, the material was far inferior to the real thing; it was clearly just an imitation of the style.

Their posture was also far less imposing than that of true City Guards.

Watching several guests walk toward the door without being stopped or questioned, the two men stood holding their spears, looking straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to everything in front of them.

Mian then understood that their function, like the ornate door, was merely decorative.

With this realization, he gained a little confidence.

He walked up to the tavern entrance, just about to walk in naturally like the previous guests—

But he was still blocked by the two “decorations.”

Mian was momentarily speechless, looking at the “weapons” crossed in front of him, which were chipped in some places.

“Are you of age?” The fatter guard on the left eyed him up and down, looking suspicious.

Mian: “I am of age.”

“Is that so?” The man frowned and commented, “Doesn’t look like it.”

He then turned to his companion. “What do you think?”

“I don’t think so either,” the thinner one on the right replied.

They were working in tandem.

Mian: “…………”

Then why bother asking him?

Just as Mian was about to speak, a boy suddenly approached.

He was half a head shorter than Mian, clearly still a child, probably not much older than Loria, but his attire indicated a noble status.

The young master strutted up to the two men, tilted his head back, and arrogantly said, “What are you blocking the way for? Move aside!”

The two guards exchanged a look, quickly bowed respectfully, and ushered him inside.

Mian watched the entire exchange, startled, and belatedly understood what was happening.

Then he narrowed his eyes and, somewhat awkwardly, tilted his head back too.

The tavern inside was lively, bordering on boisterous.

Today was Sunday, a day of rest, so there were especially many people here. Smoke billowed, and the smell of cigars mixed with alcohol permeated the air. Tavern boys weaved through the crowd, their trays holding full glasses of ale, not spilling a drop despite their quick pace.

Further ahead, people were gathered around the bar, with a large empty space in the middle. A minstrel sat in the center of the space, strumming a lute and singing something, occasionally earning cheers and applause from the crowd.

In the darker, more secluded areas, figures could be seen huddled close, seemingly embracing or passionately kissing, the atmosphere quite heated.

Mian found the scenes before him novel.

His gaze shifted—and he was instantly drawn to the large wall on the right.

He even stopped walking.

The reason was simple: that wall was extremely eye-catching to a dragon.

Calling it a wall was less accurate than calling it an entire display case. The wall was divided into sections, and each section displayed a dazzling gemstone.

They varied in color and size, but all were beautiful without exception.

Mian’s eyes were instantly filled with these colorful gems, leaving him no time for anything else.

The wall was enormous, and the beautiful gems were overwhelming. He watched in fascination for a while, then took a small step back, wanting to widen his view to see more at once.

Then he felt his back bump into something.

“Oh dear!” A startled cry sounded behind him. Mian instantly snapped back to attention, turning to see a servant in uniform behind him.

“I’m so sorry… are you alright?” Mian quickly asked.

The servant was busy serving drinks and was suddenly bumped, an expression of displeasure immediately crossing his face. But upon seeing Mian’s face and attire, the dissatisfaction quickly vanished.

“I should be the one apologizing, sir. I hope I haven’t ruined your mood.” The man bowed slightly with his tray, flattering, “You are truly kind.”

“Perhaps you’d like to try our new ale?” Seeing that Mian had been looking at the gem wall and appeared to be of high status, he realized this might be a big customer. He seized the opportunity to skillfully pitch his product: “Only one silver coin.”

“No, thank you,” Mian politely declined, feeling a little embarrassed.

The man looked slightly disappointed, but the main goal today wasn’t selling ale, so he didn’t press. He bowed courteously and prepared to leave.

But Mian suddenly called out to him.

“Is there anything else, sir?” The servant stopped again and politely inquired.

“Do you know Miya?” He asked the servant directly. “I heard he works at this tavern.”

After this small interruption, Mian finally shifted his attention from the wall of gems back to the main task of the day.

As he spoke, he gestured to indicate Miya’s height, adding, “About this tall… he’s a child.”

The servant’s expression immediately changed, and he stammered, “I… we certainly don’t hire child labor. That child just helps out in the Palace Kitchen.”

Seeing Mian’s obviously wealthy and noble appearance, he didn’t dare offend him, so he respectfully added, “Please wait here for a moment, sir. I will go call him.”

Mian didn’t quite understand the servant’s initial comment, but the final result was what he wanted, so he nodded.

Watching the servant walk away, Mian withdrew his gaze. After a moment of hesitation, he imitated the other patrons in the tavern and walked over to an empty seat and sat down.

There were many people today, and the entire tavern was almost full. Mian could only find a seat in the corner of the bar.

Next to him sat several burly men. Each had a large mug of cold liquor, more or less full. Condensation dripped down the sides of the mugs, leaving rings of water on the wooden table.

The men were chatting. Although their voices were loud, they were barely noticeable in the incredibly noisy tavern.

However, since Mian was sitting right next to them, he was forced to listen to some of the recent rumors they were discussing.

“…and their companion, guess what it is?”

A man with a red face and neck, whose back was to Mian, was mysteriously teasing his companions.

His companions played along, showing eager curiosity and urging him to speak quickly, which greatly satisfied the man’s desire for attention.

So he stopped holding back, took a large, hearty gulp from his mug, and loudly announced, “It’s a dragon!”

Mian’s eyes instantly widened.