Chapter 3279: Opening a Tavern in the Sky

East Street, Linshui Town, Lier Tavern.

Although the Midsummer Festival had just passed and the residents of the Territory had just experienced a grand celebration, their enthusiasm was far from exhausted.

The Lier Tavern was exceptionally lively this evening; not only did the residents who had worked all day need a place to relax, but also because today, almost everyone had been notified that the Territory would offer an opportunity for a publicly funded excursion.

And the most crucial point was that the destination of this excursion was not anywhere in the Main Plane, but in a completely unfamiliar Other Plane.

To this day, with the continuous deepening of the Magic Enlightenment Course, most residents were no longer the ordinary farmers of the past who only cared about their own small plots of land; as their horizons broadened, they naturally developed curiosity about the outside world.

Therefore, when the Government Hall announced that everyone would have a chance to obtain this trip to an Other Plane, a discussion that affected the entire Territory began.

The Lier Tavern was merely one location where the residents were relatively concentrated; in other places where crowds gathered, similar discussions still existed.

It was just that the Lier Tavern was a bit livelier; York, the second son of the tavern owner, was one of the first new Mages under the new system of the Tower of Time, and he would occasionally come to the tavern to help out, either telling magical anecdotes or performing a few Tricks, which often pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

Today was no exception, and compared to the past, York was working especially hard today, vividly recounting the magical anecdotes he had learned at the Tower of Time, and occasionally conjuring up an Illusion to whet people's appetites.

"I heard that the first stop of this Other Plane trip is a complete Water World; although most people can only watch from the Floating City, it is still better than countless outsiders, not to mention that besides the Water World, there are other even more magical worlds."

"Mage York, you say that world is all water, so how do the people there live?" someone who loved to gossip asked loudly, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement.

"I haven't been there either, so how could I know? But I guess there shouldn't be humans like you and me there, but perhaps some races that can live underwater, such as the mermen who are not common now."

"Then if we go, can we only stay on the Floating City?"

"Not necessarily. The Tower of Time will provide equipment or Spells to let some people experience the magical Other Plane on the ground. Of course, you shouldn't expect everyone to experience it fully; there are so many people in the Territory, but there are only so many Mages. Even if we were worked to death, we couldn't do it!"

York spread his hands and stated the current shortcomings of the Tower of Time very frankly, but this did not cause dissatisfaction among the guests in the tavern; after all, given the objective conditions, they could fully understand.

But York also said, "Worlds like the Water World that are not suitable for human survival indeed cannot allow everyone to experience them on the ground, but there are also some worlds suitable for human survival or short-term subsistence. If there is no special danger, those worlds should allow everyone to move around freely near the Floating City."

York's words immediately aroused people's interest, and many people asked on the spot: "Then besides the Water World, what other different Other Planes are there?"

"I only know some rumors, and I can't guarantee whether they are accurate. If they are not accurate, don't blame me."

"We won't, we won't! We watched you grow up, how could we blame you!" The person speaking was clearly York's neighbor and elder.

There were also some pure guests who shouted: "If you ask me, Lier should open the tavern in the sky. York is already so old and has become a Mage; do you still want to save money for him?"

This remark was somewhat provocative. York was not Lier's only son; he had a five-year-old younger sister below him and an older brother one year his senior above him.

When the Tower of Time was recruiting, his brother missed being selected by just one year, and from then on, the fates of the two had undergone earth-shaking changes, which also made Lier and York himself feel very sorry for his brother.

Therefore, it was not just Lier who was saving money; York himself was also saving money, just to send his brother to study Magic at his own expense in the future. Of course, his younger sister did not need to worry about these things.

According to the current policy of the Territory, his younger sister might not need to wait until she was sixteen to start learning Magic, and all expenses would be borne by the Lord.

However, York was not angry because of that guest's words. Guests say all sorts of things, and if he were to get angry at every slight disagreement, he would never come to the tavern to help.

Moreover, the idea mentioned by that guest about opening the tavern in the sky—that is, on the Floating City Chang'an—was not entirely a bad idea. If this were in the past, it might indeed not have been a good idea.

After all, although people often came and went on the Floating City in the past, the foot traffic was far less than on the ground, let alone for the purpose of drinking. Plus, the rent for shops on the Floating City was quite expensive, and it would be impossible to break even in a short time.

And the most critical thing was that if the Territory tightened the policies related to the Portal and no longer provided it to the residents for free, then the shops on the Floating City would likely go bankrupt completely.

Although York had not heard any rumors about the Territory charging residents for using the Portal, as a new Mage who had broadened his horizons, he knew deep down that nothing would come without a price; free things could not last forever.

Perhaps there would eventually be a price that everyone could afford, but it could never be free forever; this did not conform to the long-standing style of the Territory and the Lord.

Based on various considerations, York had dissuaded his father, who was often stirred up by the guests' words, but this time it was different. He could almost foresee that the scale of this Other Plane trip would surely be unprecedented.

In other words, for a considerable period of time to come, there would surely be a large flow of people on the Floating City. As long as they could seize this opportunity, even if they only opened a temporary shop for a while, it would be enough for them to make a fortune.

This time, besides persuading his family to participate in this Other Plane trip, he actually also had the idea of convincing his father to open a shop on the Floating City, but before he could speak, it was mentioned by a guest.

This might be an opportunity.

After all, he had previously repeatedly persuaded his father not to open a shop on the Floating City, and now that he had suddenly changed his tune, his family might not be able to accept it.

However, for now, he still had to deal with these curious guests. Thinking of this, York used a small Spell to amplify his voice to every corner of the tavern, and then revealed the rumors he knew:

"Besides the Water World, just from what I've heard, there are also the Flame World, the Inverted World, the Wind World, and a Holy Light World that can heal minor injuries. The Floating City will stay in the Holy Light World for a period of time, allowing everyone the opportunity to receive a Holy Light Baptism to remove illnesses and restore vitality."