Orson was momentarily stunned. Looking around, he noticed several villagers enthusiastically sharpening their knives…
"You have obtained a hidden quest clue!"
"Hidden Quest: [Tracing the Master Brewer's Whereabouts]"
A system prompt chimed, and another set of choices appeared before Orson.
Option 1: Drink the wine properly, behave yourself, offer words of praise, and you may leave peacefully with a reward of fine wine worth 500 gold coins.
Option 2: Keep drinking and continue to criticize the wine, teaching these country bumpkins a lesson in taste. In doing so, you'll gain information about Xyla's whereabouts—but you might end up getting beaten to death.
Seeing the furious expressions of the hundreds of villagers around him, Orson's smile stiffened.
The way these NPCs were glaring at him, as if ready to tear him apart, was truly… touching.
Gritting his teeth, Orson chose Option 2.