After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 111 - 22: Cowardice

"... If you can ask directly, why don’t I ask myself?" the innkeeper said, covering her face and shaking her head in resignation.

She looked at the handsome knight, who seemed skeptical, and patiently explained,

"City Lord Hald is... a very dangerous dwarf who desires any beauty that catches his eye."

"I am a man, I’m not afraid," Xi Mu said, waving his hand dismissively, while the innkeeper’s expression subtly changed, indicating that the knight truly did not understand.

She tiptoed, resting her palm on Xi Mu’s shoulder, and whispered,

"I’m talking about beauties, without limiting it to one gender."

"..."

Xi Mu blinked and, upon seeing the innkeeper nod in affirmation, finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, his face showing a mix of surprise and disgust.

Yet the innkeeper thought it wasn’t shocking enough, looked down at her red-painted nails, and continued to describe Hald’s perversions.

"Not limited by gender, not limited by race, not limited by age; whatever City Lord Hald finds beautiful, he accepts all comers," she said.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Xi Mu appeared to hesitate, and the little mare beside him looked disdainfully, understanding the lack of limitations by gender and age.

Why wouldn’t it be limited by race either?

"It’s okay, I still have some confidence in my own strength," Xi Mu said, shaking his head, apparently not ready to give up yet.

The innkeeper wore an incredulous look, wondering if this human did not grasp the seriousness, because with his handsome level, if caught by City Lord Hald, it would not only be a matter of being killed; the endless torment would not cease until he was covered in bruises.

And just then,

"Lord Ash’s strength is beyond question," a gentle female voice suddenly said, and everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the voice, seeing a blindfolded nun standing behind them, hands clasped in front of her, offering them a gentle smile.

"Ahtal, that is Lord Ash’s name."

Xi Mu fell silent for a moment and said, "You came really quickly."

The blindfolded nun bowed her head, seeming somewhat guilty for her persistent attachment to Lord Ash, aware that she was likely unwelcome.

"... Ahtal... the name sounds familiar," the innkeeper suddenly said, her expression becoming intriguing as she felt she had heard this name somewhere.

Then she remembered where she had heard it, from a wandering poet who had spent all night talking with a dwarf lady and, with no money to pay her subsequently, had recounted a heroic tale as compensation.

The hero of the story wore silver armor, wielded two handsome swords, and also carried a large bow,

And was extremely handsome.

"You are the Silver Knight who helped the distressed princess reclaim her kingdom!" she exclaimed, beaming with excitement.

Xi Mu went silent for a bit, then said, "It might be me."

"If it is you, then perhaps it truly is possible," the innkeeper began to struggle, then made up her mind, "Normal means are insufficient to meet the City Lord, but by using some special methods, one can bypass the guards and see the City Lord directly."

She lowered her voice.

"However, it will require some inconvenience on your part."

"..."

Xi Mu gave her a puzzled look.

"If you are willing to take off your armor and go without any weapons," the innkeeper explained, "I can take you into the City Lord’s mansion."

She turned her head slightly and whispered,

"I can help you sneak the weapons inside."

"No need," Xi Mu said, grabbing the innkeeper’s wrist and heading back to the Lily Flower Inn to a particular room.

Then, in front of the innkeeper, he started to take off his armor.

"Guest... what are you doing?" the innkeeper asked, seeming somewhat shy, yet her eyes never left Xi Mu’s body.

Heroic bodies indeed stir some desires; for the dwarf race, the strong and tall human males pose a particular allure.

During intimate moments, most dwarf maidens can’t even touch the ground with their toes.

However, whether intentionally or not, the blindfolded nun positioned herself in front of the dwarf innkeeper, effectively blocking the view of Xi Mu changing.

Innkeeper: "..."

This nun is being unfair. It’s just a look, no touching involved. Was there really a need to block the view?

Shortly after.

Xi Mu changed into a suit, while his armor and weapons mysteriously vanished, along with his little mare from the room.

He adjusted his collar and asked,

"Can I go in like this now?"

"Yes," the innkeeper nodded satisfactorily, then pointed towards the door, leading them to the City Lord’s mansion.

Ordinary people wanting to meet City Lord Hald only have... their looks as a leverage; otherwise, it’s impossible to get past the heavy guard.

Even if you could knock down all the guards, Hald would have fled upon hearing the news, still making him unreachable.

So one can only use their looks to lure Hald out.

Along the way.

Passersby kept casting glances at Xi Mu and the blindfolded nun; the presence of these two humans was too compelling to ignore.

That’s the advantage of spending three hours on character creation; players can literally survive on their looks.

Of course, even if you create a face resembling ancient deities, it’s not without its benefits; it can intimidate foes mentally before the battle starts, and once players evolve into demons, legions of cultists will worship them.

Some time later.

Upon confirming Xi Mu’s appearance, they actually managed to enter the City Lord’s mansion successfully and arrived at a grand hall, where they advanced past guards on both sides, coming face to face with Dwarf City Lord Hald.

"Indeed a beauty,"

Dwarf Hald walked down the stone steps but cautiously maintained a distance, staying at least ten meters away.