Sea Chart glowed with an old yellow-brown color under the illumination of an oil lamp. Tiny burrs curled up at the edges of the parchment, and some of the ink marks had been rendered blurry by time and moisture. Li Wen's fingers gently stroked the distorted and faded coastline. Port Belen's outline had become rounded and blunt after countless careless or deliberate tracings, and was no longer as precise as it was originally.
Only a few marks highlighted with bright red ink still stubbornly maintained their original color, like drops of coagulated blood, which looked particularly dazzling on the dim paper.
"Black Reef Bay...Sunken Horn..."
She muttered the names of those unfamiliar places in a low voice. These sea areas had never been mentioned in the intelligence of Strategy Group in her previous life.
In the memory of the previous life, Strategy Group's information about the sea area near Port Belen was mostly concentrated on some famous sunken treasures, the origin of rare fish, or the occasional Sea Monster lair, but these two ominous names were never mentioned.
"Will Soul Lord be sealed in those places?" She whispered to herself.
Normally speaking, to seal a powerful Soul Lord, one must choose a place that is inaccessible and has a dangerous environment to isolate its power and prevent mortals from accidentally entering. These two place names sound like they meet this condition. However, the descriptions of these two locations on Sea Chart are extremely simple, with only rough outlines and a few symbols of unknown meaning, as if the painter was unwilling or afraid to put too much detail into them.
Forget it, wait until you get to Port Belen and then ask the locals about the situation.
Thinking like this, Li Wen put Sea Chart away again.
The ship moved forward through the waves, the monotonous rocking and the roar of the sea wind becoming the main theme of the following days. Moria spent most of her time in her cabin recuperating, and Li Wen did not disturb her. She also lived in seclusion and almost always locked herself in her room except for necessary meal times.
Two days passed quickly, and when the vague outline of land appeared at the end of the sea level, the atmosphere on the ship became obviously lively. The sailors were busy arranging the sail ropes, and the passengers also walked out of the cabin one after another, looking at the destination they were about to arrive at.
As an emerging port city, Port Belen is a pearl on the east coast of Kingdom of Arthur and an important hub connecting the inland and Endless Sea. It does not have the ancient magical heritage and noble background like Leicester, but it is famous for its prosperous fishery, developed shipbuilding industry, and as the starting point for many adventurers and treasure explorers' voyages. Of course, in the shadows, pirates, smugglers and all kinds of shady transactions also breed here.
The "Adventurer" slowly sailed into the port. Different from the neat wharf of Leicester, the wharf of Port Belen seems a bit disorganized, with ships of all sizes crowded together, and the air is filled with the strong smell of fish, tar and the smell of damp wood and rotten wood.
The pier was bustling with people, and there was an endless stream of people wearing various costumes. There were burly, dark-skinned sailors, adventurers with swords and alert eyes, and businessmen who were in a hurry and had shrewd expressions on their faces.
Fu Qingyan They still need to complete the work of sailors, and they will probably be busy until evening, so Li Wen got off the ship first.
Moria arrived at Li Wen's side at some unknown time. His expression had returned to normal, but there was still a hint of lingering fatigue between his brows.
"We're here," he said softly, looking across the noisy and vibrant port city in front of him.
Li Wen nodded slightly, looking past the towering warehouses, rows of Tavern and shops, as well as the crowded and busy people, trying to determine the presence of the player. "Where are you going first?"
"I have asked Captain Remington about the fortune teller." Moria replied, "It is said that the most famous fortune teller in the city is named 'Eye of the Tide' Sivell. Her shop is located at 'Fog Bell Alley' on the west side of the port. I will go there first."
"I have other plans." Li Wen said, "Maybe I will stay near the port for a few days to investigate some things."
Moria was not surprised by this. He had long been accustomed to the mystery of Miss Mephisto.
"If necessary, you know where to find me." He was referring to the "Sycamore Inn" mentioned by Princess Victoria before leaving. He thought that if he had nowhere to stay, he would go there first.
"See you later." Li Wen said concisely and to the point.
Moria nodded, turned around and blended into the crowd on the pier, quickly disappearing.
Li Wen was not in a hurry to leave the dock. She observed the surrounding environment, trying to capture some useful information from the hustle and bustle. She noticed that the dock's bulletin board was covered with various notices, including offering bounties for pirates, recruiting sailors for voyages, and some strange found-object notices and expedition recruitment.
One of the slightly old notices caught her attention - it was a private commission, offering a reward for anyone who found out about the installation and related rumors of "Black Reef Bay" and "Sunken Horn". The signature only had a vague cross-like emblem symbol, and it was not an official release.
Is anyone investigating these two places as well? Li Wen felt something in his heart. She carefully noted down the pattern of the emblem. Although she didn't recognize it, it might be used as a clue later.
Next it's time to find some place where you can pry for information.
The "Sycamore Inn" mentioned by Victoria may be counted as one, but His Highness Princess always has deep intentions in his actions. Taking the initiative to show kindness at this moment may not mean to win over or test. Li Wen does not intend to contact him easily before he has found out the other party's true purpose.
She decided to start with those places that could best gather information from the three religions and nine streams, such as Tavern at the port.
There are so many Port Belen and Tavern that you can see crooked signs on almost every street. Li Wen chose a Tavern called "Deep Sea Anchor". This Tavern looks quite old and has a small appearance, but there are many people coming in and out, mostly sailors and adventurers in rough clothes.
The light inside Tavern is dim, and the air is mixed with the sour smell of inferior ale, the smell of sweat, and the spicy smell of tobacco. There was a constant buzz of chatter, rude laughter and curses, and the clink of cups and plates. Li Wen found a seat in a corner and sat down, with her hood lowered, covering most of her face.
She didn't rush to ask the bartender for information, but quietly listened to the conversations of the people around her. The sailors talked about their recent experiences at sea, which area of the sea had another storm, and which unlucky merchant ship encountered Sea Monster; the adventurers boasted about their achievements, or complained about the difficulty of the mission and the meager reward.
Most of these conversations were about trivial matters, but Li Wen still listened patiently, trying to sift out any clues related to "Black Reef Bay" or "Sunken Horn".