"So, what brings you here, mister?" The bartender asked, having waited till he sipped from his drink.

"I happened to be in the area, that’s all." He said. "The carnival caught my attention, so I decided to take a short break."

"Happened to be in the area?" Her eyes wandered down, first to his neck then to his hand. "Are you heading west, by any chance?"

"No," picking his glass once again, Dante shook his head. "I’m already done with what I came here for, so I will be leaving the country come sunrise."

Full pockets, combat bionics, and trying to lie low. The gorgeous bartender likely noticed those things and surmised that he was a merc who came to profit from the ongoing war. She would’ve probed him for what side he was going to work for next, likely to sell it later on, so Dante wanted to shut it now.

"Already?" She blinked at him, looking surprised for some reason. "The carnival still has three more days."

"Unfortunately, tonight is all I can spare."

Taking a sip from his shandy, he scanned the woman with his eyes, just as she has done. He could tell she was purposefully presenting herself to him, smiling as if to say she didn’t mind. Dante wasn’t the kind to fall for basic level seduction—he wasn’t the kind to be seduced at all. Still, he saw no harm in playing along, and so he did.

-You’re already wasting time, so might as well...-

"I’m William, by the way. Nice to meet you..."

"Sandra," She said. "Nice to meet you, William."

Right now, Dante was moving around with Ghost Mode active. That meant no there won’t be any recordings of him, but with how much he stood out, giving out his real name was like asking to be recognized.

-So it’s your real name now?-

He doubted a random woman on the other side of the continent would know about the boss of a small gang from Neo-Vatra, and it wouldn’t matter even if she did.

’No one would believe her...’

A loud laughter rose above the quiet chatter inside the bar, and Dante couldn’t help but glance in its direction. To his surprise, it was the same three corpo bastards who cut the line earlier.

"You should avoid them when you can."

Dante noticed that the bartender had lost her smile, her expression turning serious.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"Thugs from Castor." She replied. "It’s the security company Gaia hired to guard their mines in the region."

"Gaia? The bio-fuel company?"

"They do a lot more than just bio-fuel around here." She said. "I hear they’re digging for Voltain somewhere in the ocean. They’ve forced fishing boats to turn back more than once."

Gaia was the main cause for the problems plaguing Riovanta. From buying the ruling class to funding terrorist activities in the region, they orchestrate instability to ensure that their grasp on its natural resources. Even the rebellion going no is likely funded by them.

"Well, that sucks."

Downing his drink, Dante thought about the possibility of him running into trouble with the corpo bastards. It felt like that was something waiting to happen the longer he stayed in that place, but he wasn’t about to retreat just because of that.

-You can always just kill them.-

The music suddenly stopped, and the lights around the bar went off. A moment later, spotlights came on, illuminating the center of the stage and drawing attention to the figure standing there. Dante recognized her as he girl who led him all the way here. She seemed to have changed her outfit, though the new one had the same level of exposure. The amount of jewelry she wore drastically increased, too, causing her already captivating form to appear more alluring.

Raising her arms in the air, she struck a pose. Music started a moment later, and as if possessed by the melody, the girl moved. The spectators were awe struck for a moment, but then the cheering began. It was only then that Dante understood this was the advertised show.

The dancer moved like flowing water, mesmerizing the audience with each step she took. Every twirl, every bow, every little move of her hands and fingers, it all spoke of the countless hours spent on training, not to mention the peerless talent that could bring the most out of it.

"She’s good." Dante muttered.

"Of course she is." Said Sandra, pride oozing from her words. "I trained her myself."

"You did?"

"I did." She nodded. "And she turned out better than I ever was. It’s a little frustrating that she’s able to draw in more customers, though."

"huh..."

Dante returned his gaze to the stage, and in that moment, he just so happened to meet the dancer’s eyes. Though he wasn’t sure she could see his face from that distance, he had no trouble spotting the smile that tugged on her lips.

"So you are a dancer, too?"

"Were, years ago." Sandra replied.

"That’s a shame. I would’ve loved to see you up there."

Dante held his empty cup to her, and she went about mixing a second drink for him, chuckling all the while.

"You are out of luck, then. I don’t plan on coming out of retirement."

Taking the glass she placed in front of him, Dante stared at its surface for a moment then raised it to his mouth. Stopping, he slowly lowered it and looked at the gorgeous bartender.

"How about one last dance?" He said, smiling back at her. "If you make it private, you won’t have to come out of retirement."

"Hm... That’s a rather... big request." Sandra narrowed her eyes at him, and her smile faded a little.

"No pressure." Dante replied. "As you said, I’m a very generous mister. I won’t hold back my tip just because you reject my request."

Turning his attention back to the stage, he busied himself with the show. He wasn’t worried about the gorgeous bartender’s decision. Whether she chooses to take him up on or waste the opportunity, he was likely to forget all about her in a day or two. She wasn’t the first, and she won’t be the last.