"Then another glass of 'Green Fairy,' please." Ryan Clark nodded.

Peter Harris immediately broke into a broad smile:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the biggest prankster in the village. You all must stay far away from him.

"Five years ago, his sister Audrey Miller brought him back to the village, and he never left again. Just think, before that, he was only thirteen—how could he have worked as a mortician at a hospital? Hm, the nearest hospital to us is down the mountain in Daliege; it takes a whole afternoon to walk there."

"Brought back to the village?" Leah Carter asked sharply.

She tilted her head slightly, making a jingling sound.

Peter Harris nodded:

"Audrey Miller moved here to settle down six years ago. A year later, she went out for a trip and brought this kid back, said she found him on the road, a stray, nearly starving to death, and planned to adopt him.

"After that, he took Audrey Miller's surname 'Li,' and even the name 'Logan Smith' was given by Audrey Miller."

"I've even forgotten what my original name was." Logan Smith took a sip of absinthe and said with a cheeky grin.

It seemed he wasn't the least bit self-conscious or ashamed about his past being revealed like this.

Chapter 2 "Prank"

"Sorry, I didn't know it would turn out like this." Ryan Clark apologized politely to Logan Smith.

Logan Smith chuckled, "Doesn't this deserve another glass of 'Green Fairy'?"

Without waiting for Ryan Clark to answer, he changed the subject:

"Outsiders, what brings you to Kordu? Buying wool, leather?"

Many residents of Kordu make a living by herding sheep.

Ryan Clark silently breathed a sigh of relief and seized the opportunity: "We're here to visit your village's 'Eternal Blazing Sun' church's parish priest, William Evans·贝内, but he's neither at home nor at the church."

"No need to say which church—it’s the only one in Kordu." Peter Harris, who had just enjoyed Ryan Clark's free absinthe, kindly reminded.

The other locals around the bar each drank their own drinks, but no one answered Ryan Clark's question. It seemed that name represented some kind of taboo or authority, not to be discussed lightly.

Logan Smith took a sip of his drink, thought for a few seconds, and said, "I can probably guess where the parish priest is. Do you need me to take you?"

"That would be great, thank you." Leah Carter didn't stand on ceremony.

Ryan Clark nodded as well:

"After you finish this glass."

"Alright." Logan Smith picked up his glass and gulped down the pale green liquid.

He set the glass down and stood up:

"Let's go."

"Thank you so much." Ryan Clark called Walter Reed and Leah Carter to get up while expressing his gratitude to Logan Smith.

A smile appeared on Logan Smith's face:

"No problem. You listened to my story, and I drank your drinks. That makes us friends, right?"

"Yes." Ryan Clark nodded lightly.

Logan Smith's smile grew even brighter. He stretched out his arms, as if to give them a hug.

At the same time, he said enthusiastically, "Nice to meet you all, my cabbages."

Ryan Clark, who was ready for a hug, suddenly froze:

"Cabbages?"

His expression was both bewildered and awkward.

Walter Reed and Leah Carter were the same.

"It's our term of endearment for friends. Everyone in the Daliege area knows it—it's been this way for hundreds of years." Logan Smith explained innocently, "Trust me, my cabbages."

Leah Carter couldn't help but look around, making a jingling sound.

Peter Harris and the others nodded in succession, indicating that Logan Smith wasn't lying this time. But the smiles on their faces seemed to say they were quite happy to see outsiders squirm at such an affectionate nickname.

Logan Smith stroked his chin:

"Don't like it?

"Then I'll pick something else, also for friends.

"My bunnies, my chicks, my ducklings, my little lambs—which do you prefer?"

Ryan Clark's expression grew even stiffer, and Walter Reed frowned.

Leah Carter replied, half exasperated and half amused, "Let's stick with cabbages. At least it sounds a bit more normal."

Phew. Ryan Clark quietly let out a breath, pressed Walter Reed's elbow, and nodded slightly, "They all sound like precious things from home."

Before Logan Smith could respond, he turned to the bartender and said, "Check, please."

"Two Felkin." The bartender glanced at the glasses on the bar.

While Ryan Clark was paying, Leah Carter changed the subject:

"The name Logan Smith is quite rare."

"At least it's better than Peter Harris or William Evans." Logan Smith laughed. "If you shout Peter Harris here, at least a third of the people will answer you. Shout William Evans, and another third will respond. And this guy..."

He pointed at the thin, middle-aged man drinking the free booze:

"His full name is Peter Harris·William Evans."

Leah Carter smiled appropriately, brushing off the cabbage topic.

Just before leaving the tavern, Logan Smith glanced back around the room.

"What's wrong?" Leah Carter asked curiously.

Logan Smith replied thoughtfully, "You three aren't the only outsiders who came to the tavern today. There was another one earlier, but I don't know when they left."