章 288: Chapter 277 - A Friendly Drink
Currently, Zeel sat at the cocktail lounge in The Hotel Terrestra in Baghdad. The hotel was relatively large and fancy enough to satisfy the vanity of normal people, while also being affordable.
It was night time so the hotel wasn't as busy as it was during the day.
"Henry takes care of his people," Zeel muttered, thinking it would be good to start his own organization.
But doing so would be like pinning a bullseye on his back at this time. Zeel knew that any and everything could be used by his enemies to find him.
A lingering scent in another Universe would be enough for some organization to hunt him down.
The main reason Zeel currently sat in the cocktail lounge was to observe a group of three people sitting at a table not far away.
Amongst the three people, he was only here to monitor one – Dr. Jennifer Halsey.
She was the archaeologist responsible to examine the suspected location of a Tomb mentioned in the crypt below London.
Zeel wasn't sure if the tomb would be Ahmanet's tomb, but even if it wasn't, he could use the treasures inside to make a gift for Elizabeth and Alice.
Both girls like historical relics after all.
Zeel told Henry he would be in Baghdad in two nights, but he made it here in the span of a couple of hours.
Of course, Zeel did this to monitor the group and determine if they were a threat. After all, Henry had means that could injure him, so Zeel planned to monitor the group for two days just to be safe.
If he witnessed the group carrying anything that could threaten his life, Zeel would slit their throats and begin to hunt Henry down for the resources he had.
Still, after sitting for two hours, Zeel was more than certain that the group of three were just Researchers. At most, Zeel could tell the only notable thing about Jennifer 'Jenny' Halsey was her ability to fluently speak Ancient Egyptian.
This was somewhat impressive since the Egyptian Language carried a hint of profoundness within. It was amongst the only human-created languages that held certain energy.
While Zeel was focusing on Henry's lackeys, a man made his way to the bar and sat next to Zeel. This wasn't the first time this happened, and usually, Zeel would prevent people from coming near him with aura alone.
After all, Zeel radiated the aura of someone who had seen countless battles, not a lot of people were willing to sit and drink with him.
"Where did you serve?" The man asked after ordering a drink.
Zeel tapped the table and ordered another drink as well. He wasn't able to get drunk, but he had recently grown fond of the bitter taste of alcohol.
The more bitter, the better.
"I am not that kind of soldier," Zeel replied and asked in turn "Where did you serve?"
The man shook his head "Serving" he said and continued "I am still serving in the army. Sargent, United States Army, three tours at locations that cannot be disclosed,"
Zeel nodded "You seem like a man that has seen enough battles to last a lifetime,"
"You could say that… that's why I am planning to retire soon," The man stated, his eyes wandering the hotel lounge.
"So you're a mercenary?" The man asked, downing his drink and tapping the table for another.
Zeel stared at the man and said "And you are a Treasure Hunter?"
The moment Zeel mentioned Treasure Hunter, the man noticeable tensed up but Zeel didn't mind and slowly explained himself.
"I have a sensitive nose, and you smell of dirt… decaying bones, and …." Zeel paused and sniffed the air once more "And Gold,"
"Based on these three combinations of scents, you're either a Treasure Hunter or Grave Robber?" Zeel stated with certainty even though he was asking a question.
The man seemed noticeably impressed and decided to observe Zeel a little more carefully.
"I can tell as much about you as you can tell about me," The man stated confidently.
Zeel smiled amusedly because he had no tell-tale signs of any activities he did. He was trained to invisible and that's exactly what he was.
"I can tell you're recently married and feel awkward with being a husband…" The man stated and began laughing when he saw the surprise in Zeel's eyes.
Indeed, Zeel could be considered recently married, even if it was a couple decades ago. But he was more curious about how a stranger could tell.
"How?" Zeel asked intrigued.
"You can tell a lot from a man's drink. You, my friend, are drinking Negroni… also known as one of the most bitter drinks out there…" The man stated.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Zeel asked.
"Your body doesn't show long-term alcohol abuse, so you're new to drinking. You're drinking bitter alcohol and the only thing that can make a man do that is addiction or women…
You're not an addict so it's a woman. Based on the fact that you chose the most bitter drink, it means that she is not just 'someone', she is the one'… meaning you are married," The man stated and smiled brightly "How did I do?"
Zeel nodded in appreciation and answered, "Almost on the bullseye!"
"Wait! What did I miss?" The man asked, genuinely surprised that he didn't get it all right.
"There are two women, not just one," Zeel replied.
"I'll be damned!" The man answered, raising his cup to Zeel in acknowledgment.
Both men clinked their cups and downed their drinks before ordering another round. Five minutes later, both men had finished an entire bottle.
"So who was she?" Zeel asked.
"Who?" The man replied.
"You walk slouched as if you have the world on your shoulders… you lost a woman, or daughter, or both," Zeel stated matter-of-factly.
"My wife died a couple of years ago on my second tour," The man answered, slurring his words.
Zeel shrugged because he didn't care. All that he could do was to make sure that Alice, Elizabeth, and Aurolana were well protected.
Alice and Elizabeth had enough strength to take care of themselves, but Zeel still made sure to not bring them to this new Universe because he was concerned for their safety.
After all, while he pretended to be dumb, Zeel knew the two new scars on his body were from the fight a decade ago with Elizabeth and Alice.
Even The Red Queen couldn't hide his weakened state for that long. That was actually a part of the reason he chose to separate from her.
Alice and Elizabeth also had their Rainbow Rings that were their MBeamers in disguise.
Still, Zeel knew that the Rainbow Rings he used to propose was anything but normal, it was a final line of defense should both women be in dire straits.
Aurolana in Purgatory was by far the most protected of his women. Nobody could access the Purgatory he created unless Aurolana invited them in, and Aurolana was just as paranoid as he was.
Noticing Zeel was constantly looking at a woman, the man asked "Is she your wife?"
"Nope!"
"Then mind if I take a chance?"
"Go ahead," Zeel replied shrugging and patting the man on the back for good measure.
Though with his paranoid nature, Zeel may have placed a tracker on the man's shirt. It was not a malicious action but because Zeel wanted to find him again for another drink in the near future.
The man tossed money on the table and patted Zeel on the shoulder before walking off. However, he didn't make it far before he turned around and eyed Zeel suspiciously.
"You are a married man, but you smell like at least three girls… might want to get rid of that before you see your wives again," The man said, feeling like he owed Zeel advice for the good company.
Zeel grew surprised and scanned his entire body in an instant.
"I have no odor or remnants from those women," Zeel said, his eyes flashing a cold gleam.
The man did not mind Zeel's hostility, instead, he simply shrugged.
"I didn't mean you literally smell like the women. I meant that I could tell, based on experience, and I don't even love you.
If your wives love you, then they will be able to tell when you have been with different women. So it was just friendly advice," The man stated and walked away to court Jennifer on the next table.
"Zeel Crawford!" Zeel shouted at the man's back.
He was slightly grateful for the advice.
"Nick Morton!" The man shouted back.
Seeing that Nick was gone, Zeel booked a room in the hotel and rushed to take a bath. The last thing he needed was a crazy Elizabeth and deadly Alice when they met again.
But try as he might, Zeel simply did not understand how someone could tell how many women he slept with over the past two months.
"F*ck, maybe he is a psychic?" Zeel asked while scrubbing his skin for the thousandth time.
クリエイターの想い 
The_Young_Flash
The_Young_Flash Another chapter.
I haven't been able to write any new chapters for a couple of days now.
Anyways...
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