Hearing movement at the entrance,
Everyone inside the tavern glanced over.
Seeing that it was just an ordinary man, they quickly lost interest.
However…
Aizen, who was helping Gray Wolf complete the Hōgyoku, nearly felt the urge to strangle him when he noticed the wolf getting distracted!
Damn it.
Every day he came to the tavern, it was either roasting sheep or looking for tools—serving this guy in every possible way.
Could he please stop spacing out?!
"Go find a polishing machine," Gray Wolf said without lifting his head, casually waving a paw.
"Yes, King Gray Wolf!"
Aizen nodded and immediately rushed toward the kitchen to ask Rem and the others where the polishing machine was.
At the same time—
Ron, sitting behind the bar, also subconsciously looked up.
Then he froze slightly.
Hold on…
Why does this middle-aged man look so familiar?
Slightly hunched back, holding a small axe, with two thin mustaches and a villain-like face…
Isn't this—
Guangtou Qiang from the Boonie Bears world?!
Just like Gray Wolf—
He looked completely ordinary, yet was absolutely concept-level.
As long as he wanted to, there was nothing he couldn't invent.
Of course…
Just like Gray Wolf never catching sheep, he could never cut down a tree.
"Welcome, Mr. Guangtou Qiang."
"My name is Ron. I'm the owner of this tavern."
Coming back to his senses, Ron stood up and greeted him with a smile.
"Y-you… hello."
"There was a voice guiding me here."
Guangtou Qiang looked around the tavern, surprise clear in his tone.
He'd seen talking bears, squirrels, and monkeys before.
But…
What were those two monsters over there hugging each other and crying?
They looked like man-eating demons straight out of a fairy tale.
Still, he continued observing the customers and walked over to sit at the bar.
Before long—
Tohru placed a bottle of Erguotou in front of him.
"Your drink, sir. Please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Guangtou Qiang nodded, opened the bottle, filled his glass, and took a big gulp.
Gulp—
The crisp, fiery taste made his eyes light up instantly.
"This is Erguotou?"
"It's way more fragrant than the ones I've had before."
"Could it be… that all the ones I drank before were fake?"
Ron chuckled.
"Probably just psychological. If you like it, drink more."
In truth—
All the alcohol in the tavern had been optimized by the system.
Whether taste or texture, it far surpassed ordinary liquor.
Otherwise—
With the original flavors alone, powerhouses like Pluto or Kesha would never come here every day.
"Sigh…"
"I really should drink more."
"I didn't finish the task my boss gave me, and he called early this morning just to scold me."
Guangtou Qiang sighed and took another heavy swig.
"Still couldn't cut down the trees?" Ron asked softly.
"Yeah…"
"But I really don't understand."
"No matter how hard I try, or how powerful my inventions are, I still can't cut them down."
Guangtou Qiang lowered his head in frustration.
It felt as if that forest had placed a curse on him.
Every time he was just about to succeed—
Or was on the verge of defeating those two bears—
He would always fail at the very last moment.
Hard.
Too hard!
Thinking back, he used to be a champion lumberjack…
"Maybe your inventions still aren't strong enough," Ron said calmly.
"If you're willing, you could try exchanging ideas with Gray Wolf."
He lit a cigarette and smiled.
Guangtou Qiang followed his gaze and looked over.
That wolf wearing a sweet-potato hat was chewing on sheep meat while sparks and lightning flew from the device he was building.
Seeing that scene—
Guangtou Qiang was completely stunned.
What exactly am I supposed to exchange with this wolf?
Let him eat me?
Seeing his reaction, Ron explained with a laugh:
"He's just like you—a genius inventor."
"He can even hand-build rockets."
Before Guangtou Qiang could respond—
Aizen, who had just found the polishing machine, happened to pass by the bar.
When he heard Ron's words, his eyes instantly lit up.
An inventor on the same level as King Gray Wolf?
If this man helped him complete the Hōgyoku—
Wouldn't that mean he could finally abandon Gray Wolf?
No…
Not abandon.
Once cooperation was established, he could just straight-up kill Gray Wolf!
These past few days—
Aizen had suffered enough.
Every day it was either hunting down bizarre tools or roasting endless sheep.
That alone would've been fine.
But when Gray Wolf was in a bad mood, it was verbal abuse at best—
And a solid slap at worst.
His pride and mental state had taken catastrophic damage…
With that in mind, Aizen sat beside Guangtou Qiang and spoke softly:
"I heard what you just said."
"Is it because you can't see the trees?"
"How about we cooperate?"
"You help me complete something."
"And I'll help you chop down every tree in the world."
Guangtou Qiang glanced at the slick-haired man.
"What do you want to complete?"
"Give me a moment."
Seeing hope, Aizen immediately stood up and walked behind Gray Wolf, speaking gently:
"King Gray Wolf~"
"Someone wants to take a look at the Hōgyoku. Could you pause for a moment?"
Before Guangtou Qiang agreed—or before confirming whether he could really complete it—
Aizen didn't dare offend Gray Wolf.
If Guangtou Qiang failed, everything would be over.
"Take it, take it."
Gray Wolf nodded.
Though he said nothing, an uneasy feeling rose in his heart.
That newly arrived man… couldn't possibly be able to complete the Hōgyoku, right?
If he could—
Then wouldn't that mean total disaster?
Aizen would definitely kill him on the spot!
Thinking of this, Gray Wolf didn't dare hesitate.
He immediately followed Aizen to the bar, eyes fixed firmly on Guangtou Qiang.
"This is the Hōgyoku."
Aizen placed it on the counter and explained its functions in detail.
After listening, Guangtou Qiang stared at the gem glowing with blue-black light and exclaimed in amazement:
"That's an incredible ability."
"If it's completed and I fuse with it…"
"Those two bears definitely won't be able to stop me from cutting trees."
"But…"
"I'm really sorry. I've never worked with anything like this."
"So I probably can't help you complete it."
Hearing this—
Gray Wolf finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, disappointment flashed across Aizen's eyes.
Damn it.
Looks like I'll have to serve King Gray Wolf for many more years.
Fine, fine.
As long as the Hōgyoku can be completed, a little suffering is acceptable.
Just as Aizen was about to return to his seat—
Guangtou Qiang suddenly changed his tone.
"But…"
"Since this wolf can complete it—"
"Then if I study it a bit, it should be no problem for me either."
Aizen: !!!
Gray Wolf: ???
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