Transcendent Dawn - Chapter 128
Chapter 128: Chapter 0128: Okra (Added 1700, Please Subscribe!)
Translator: 549690339
In Kangni State, in the small town of Okla.
The scorching sun seared the earth, while gusty winds blew, sweeping across the cacti with peals of yellow sand.
Not far off, a reddish canyon came distinctly into view.
This place was once a gold rush site, having once been sought out by tens of thousands of fervent gold hunters.
Some of them became rich overnight, some ended up lying dead on the streets. After a blood-soaked and death-laden carnival, most people departed in silence, leaving behind a mess and the small town of Okla. Horses were the most convenient means of transportation here.
Cowboys and firearms were local customs.
There was also a local tradition of dueling, not the gentlemanly dueling where they count one, two, three back-to-back, but a showdown between cowboys, where victory or defeat, life or death, is decided within fractions of a second.
So, never underestimate the locals.
Among those cowboys, there might even be hiding Soldiers, or even Gunfighters!
Most of these cowboys make their living by herding cattle and horses, sometimes doubling as bounty hunters. Of course, if pushed by their livelihood, it’s not unheard of for them to take up a side gig or two.
At this moment, Su Lu stepped into the territory of Okla Town.
Wearing a cowboy hat, a jacket, red-trimmed cowhide pants, and riding boots, he looked like a local. He walked a few steps and saw a saloon.
He pushed open a shutter door that was half-open, and stepped inside.
Several gazes seemingly turned towards him for a moment, before disappearing.
The noise in the saloon was deafening, the smell of tobacco mixed with liquor gave a sensation of being in a smoky and muggy place.
Loud noises and swearing, the giggling of girls and the flirting of drinkers seemed to compose a unique symphony.
On one wooden wall, there was a line of wanted posters, with sketches of criminals showing their malevolence underneath which the bounty was stated.
Only a few carried black and white photographic portraits, although highly distorted.
Seeing this, Su Lu grinned and took a seat at the bar: “A beer please! ”
“As a welcome to our out-of-town guest, the first glass is on me!”
A bartender of middle years, dressed in a white shirt, a black vest, and sporting a small, sexy mustache by his lips, quickly presented a large glass of beer and said with a smile.
“How… can you tell I’m an outsider?”
Su Lu glanced at his attire, which was deliberately chosen to resemble local clothing.
“You’re missing one thing!”
The middle-aged bartender signaled with his eyes: “Your waist is missing a gun holster…and also, your accent gives you away!”
Su Lu took a sip of his beer, nodding thoughtfully.
Compared to the strict gun control laws of the eastern cities, the ones here were much more lax. Almost every cowboy would carry a revolver or two, claiming that they were ‘a man’s romance’.
Su Lu liked that kind of romance, and immediately decided that he would get himself a revolver for self-defense.
Just then, he tensed up.
Wary of the many eyes fixed on him and filled with malice, he felt like a lamb that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
‘Is this… Are they treating me like a sacrificial lamb?’
Su Lu chuckled, waiting to see who would be the first to dig his own grave.
In the span of a single beer, he learned a lot of information.
For instance…
The bounty hunter ranked number one, ‘Butcher’ Gered, who had robbed which bank, and committed what kind of wicked deeds.
And also, the second-ranked ‘Robin Hood,’ Zoren, who had made an appearance somewhere, making fun of a group of mounted police, and how no one had ever seen his true face and such.
“Burp… ”
Next to Su Lu, two cowboys were drinking excitedly. One of them, a red-nosed cowboy, spoke loudly: “The local mounted policeman, Woods, is my cousin. Last time, I wanted to open a hayfield and needed a piece of land. I had my wife bake him an apple pie, do you know what he said?”
He glanced at Su Lu, his volume raising: “After he took the apple pie, he gave me a big bundle of rope, claiming that wherever the rope encircles would be
mine!”
‘This might be true.’
Su Lu didn’t care much. He knew that in some parts of the Central and West Federation, statutory law and custom were not clearly delineated. Because the police force was stretched thin, sometimes just one trooper was responsible for all the affairs of a small town. Dividing unclaimed wasteland was indeed the matter of a single statement.
If it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have made the trip.
What he had in mind were the numerous legal loopholes in this state. To manipulate them and secure a few identities would be a piece of cake.
Of course, this red-nosed cowboy saying so was probably meant to intimidate him.
If he really were an outsider, and unarmed, it was easy to guess what was going to happen next.
Even if he were to lodge a complaint, it probably wouldn’t lead to anything. Even twenty years from now, protective measures for locals would remain stubbornly persistent.
Especially in this cowboy-dominated West and Central region, if an ordinary person showed the slightest resistance, ending up dead wasn’t out of the question!
“Hey! Stranger, aren’t you going to buy ‘Old Will’ a drink?”
As expected, after Red Nose finished boasting, he turned to stare at Su Lu with a provocative look.
“Old Will, after all, this is my bar!”
The bartender reproached him.
Su Lu was rather surprised. He hadn’t expected the proprietor to be so professional.
“Burp… Right, this is your turf! Hey boy, dare to go outside with me?”
Old Will pointed at Su Lu.
“Sure!”
Su Lu agreed very readily, immediately hearing a chorus of sighs surrounding him.
“How did Old Will snatch him away?”
“He’s really lucky… he’ll have to treat tonight!”
“What’s this about? Are they taking me for granted?”
Su Lu scoffed inwardly as he followed Old Will out of the saloon.
Leaving aside the abilities of the [Mysterious Scholar], just using the [Wanderer]’s agility, rated as high as 3.0, he could do things the average person would deem impossible, like… dodging bullets!
Of course, it’s not that he’s faster than a bullet, but faster than the opponent pulling the trigger, that much he can manage.
Unless it’s a [Gunfighter], Su Lu wouldn’t be too afraid of anyone armed with a regular firearm.
‘Good… I do need a revolver.’
Su Lu glanced at the gun holster at Old Will’s waist and was quite content.
“Stranger…”
Old Will, oblivious to his impending fate, was revealing a ferocious grin. Suddenly, his facial expression changed to one of shock, as he looked towards the entrance of the small town.
Su Lu followed his gaze and saw two riders bathed in the red sunset. The leader was a wheat-skinned female cowboy.
Her body was lean and fit, like a female leopard, with a gun holster on each side of her waist. One hand was holding the reins while the other was stringing a grass rope, attached to the rider behind her, an unfortunate fellow who was tightly bound on the upper body.
“Is it her?”
Old Will murmured in astonishment, shooting Su Lu an angry look that said ‘consider yourself lucky’, before turning around to go back to the bar.
Is that it?’
Su Lu stayed where he was, somewhat taken aback. Was that his debut scene, just like that?
And what about this female cowboy? Could this be a case of a damsel saving a hero?
