"Are you Gehrman Sparrow?"
Klein The brown-haired man in front of him picked up the wooden wine glass, covered the lower half of his face with a drinking posture, and looked here with sharp eyes.
"Us Kent?"
Klein, who didn't ask for a drink, was still dressed like Adventurer. He was sitting on the table by the window of "Fragrant Tree Leaf Bar", looking at the other party coldly and answering with rhetorical questions.
"Ha, Aierlan said that you are not easy to deal with, but it seems that you are being conservative," Us Kent chuckled and put down his glass, "Of course, I will not reject capable people, even if their personalities are not so... gregarious."
"I have heard about some of the things you did after coming to Bayam, but I still want to remind you to try not to provoke the pirates on the bounty list. I mean not to confront them head-on, because they are all desperadoes. Give me the information and let us handle it. You can get most of the bounty while avoiding exposing your identity."
Doesn't he know that I already have the lives of several pirates on my hands... Aierlan didn't tell him?
Klein thought about it and nodded expressionlessly.
In the past few days after returning to Bayam, Angel and he entered a state of cold war after knowing his identity in the "world". He would still return to "Azure Wind" every day, but he would sleep in the second bedroom, and he would not be seen during the day, and he would only say hello briefly when meeting him. If he hadn't learned through divination that Angel had been busy forming the "Red Haired Woman" Sailor team with Helene and Dominic, he would have thought that something even more unacceptable had happened...
I don't know how long the shelf life of Darkwill's medicine is... No, Klein, you have to focus on business, look for acting opportunities, and save money as soon as possible to prepare for promotion, so that you can protect her... Sighing secretly, Klein looked coldly at the military intelligence agent across the table, waiting for the other party to continue introducing the "rules" here.
As for whether to comply or not, that is my business...
"In the past, there were many, um, young people like you in their prime. When I visited their graves every year, I would regret not making it clear in advance: Never expose your identity in front of those pirates. They will not have any mercy, let alone chivalry. If they can't deal with you, they will inquire about your information, deal with your family, kidnap, assassinate, poison, and use all possible means."
My family... their eyes dimmed for a moment, and Klein used the ability of "Faceless" to cover up the changes.
"I have no family."
Kent paused as if he was being choked and took a sip of his beer.
"Or attack your companions or friends. You always have companions. As Aierlan said, you don't want her to fall into all kinds of dangers, right?"
Adventurer opposite him suddenly sneered.
"I don't think she would say no to someone giving her money."
Send money?
Us Kent was stunned for several seconds before he understood what the other party meant. He looked around subconsciously and felt that the pirates in this room who were not even worthy of the bounty looked like Gold Pound who would come to his door on their own.
What a Lunatic, I shouldn't have let Aierlan bring him to see me... Kent muttered, his eyes returning to Gehrman Sparrow across the table.
"Anyway, I hope you will report to us first when you see those dangerous pirates, instead of... what are you looking at?"
Klein stared behind Kent, where a tall man with short eyebrows and deep eyes walked out of the basement exit. He was looking over here with searching eyes.
It was "Eloquent Speaker" Mesor King that sent me to "Black Death" when I was dressed as Helene. Why is he here, still observing me? It was "Vice Admiral of Ailment" Tracy who was preparing to track down the person who destroyed her flagship that day, but didn't dare to provoke Mr. Azik, so he started with the resistance and Danitz, and finally found me?
Klein quickly analyzed, and his first reaction was to pretend not to see it, and then tell the military contact in front of him later, or track the opponent through divination and disguise, and wait for a move.
This is in line with his habit of "not fighting an unprepared battle" during the Magician stage, but...
But in front of me is the Great Pirate worth a bounty of 5,400 pounds, and I am Mad Adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow!
With a cold smile on his lips, Klein, under the horrified gaze of Us Kent, pulled out the huge revolver from his windbreaker and aimed it at "Eloquent Speaker" with a swish.
"Bang——"
Huge gunshots rang in the ears of Kent and the bar patrons. At this moment, he released the depression that had accumulated in his chest for several days and regained the pleasure he felt when he first came to the sea and beat "Sea Eagle" Logan and the guards with Angel at Damir Harbor.
"Bang!"
A gunshot was heard not far away, and the three men in front of Angel all shrank their necks. This is the sensitivity necessary for survival at sea. Those who don't know how to avoid stray bullets will have died in the corner of a bar or in a dark alley.
"Don't worry, the gunfire is very far away. There are at least four or five walls in between, so it can't hit you." Angel chuckled and shook his fingers. The invisible thread shook, causing the three men who were hanging upside down to move down a few centimeters. "But if you don't answer my question, you will soon experience something much more terrifying than being hit by a bullet."
Seeing that the three people in front of her had no intention of speaking, she sighed and looked at Dominic beside her. After the other party nodded, she released her fingers.
Plop, plop, three consecutive sounds of falling into the water. The heads of the three "Hanged Man" were immersed in the wooden barrel filled with water below. The coldness and panic of the sudden plunge into the water made them unable to hold their breath. A string of bubbles floated to the surface, accompanied by a muffled sound of gurgling. Their bound limbs struggled desperately, and the silk threads drew blood marks on their skin, but they could not move at all.
After a while, Angel mentioned one of them, and after he coughed and vomited desperately, spitting out the water in his lungs and stomach, he asked:
"Recruit?"
"Bah——"
The answer to Angel was a mouthful of angry spittle, which turned into ice particles before flying to her body and fell to the ground.
Plopping the tough-talking pirate back into the water, she picked up the other one.
"What about you? Are you recruiting?"
"I really don't know gulu gulu..."
After disappointingly stuffing the pirate with a bad memory back into the bucket, Angel fished out the first tough-talking guy, pretending to be stunned for a moment while he gasped thankfully, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, I forgot you didn't want to say it."
She was about to send the pirate back into the water when the latter shouted in panic:
"Don't! Don't! I said it, I said it all!"
After a while, Angel walked out of the basement and sat on the sofa in the living room of this private house, waiting for Dominic to complete the rest of the interrogation.
If it weren't for digesting "Affliction" Potion, I could just use Spirit Channeling or divination to solve the problem... She sighed tiredly and curled up into the soft sofa.
Although these targets of Dominic are pirates and wanted criminals with many evil deeds, Angel is still a little uncomfortable with this kind of interrogation method that tortures the other party physically and mentally.
However, in the process of helping this intelligence dealer solve the "troublesome target" in the past few days, she could feel that Potion's digestion progress had improved significantly. This once again verified that her Acting Rule and Affliction for the opponent's body and mind were all effective means, and they were not limited to combat.
But the acting seems to be missing a big piece... Is there some rule that I haven't found yet?
Angel was thinking, and suddenly thought of the conversation between "Unaging" Demoness Katarina and Tracy on Black Death.
"Remember this Affliction, it will make you grow..."
Mumbling and repeating, she seemed to have caught a clue.
Do I need to let myself feel Affliction? It's similar to the fire torture during promotion, or it may have some kind of psychological effect... Otherwise, try to dry Klein for a few more days. He seems to have felt my "cold war" these days, but it doesn't help Potion's digestion...
Thoughts flashed through his mind. Listening to the rustling sounds coming from the basement, Angel sighed again, grabbed the "News" from a few days ago on the coffee table next to him, and passed the time.
"The interview time for the 1350 Unified Examination for Government Employees has been announced!""
Loen's government employee exam?
Her eyes stayed on this report, but her mind flew back to the North Continent, thinking of Melissa and Benson.
Did Mr. Benson pass the exam?
"Are you really sure you passed the second round?"
Stirring the cream of mushroom soup in front of him with a spoon, Melissa asked deliberately with a straight face.
"Basically, it's certain," Benson, wearing a newly purchased silk hat that covered his receding hairline, replied with a smile, "I met several examiners from Tingen after the first round of exams. Although they won't reveal the questions to me, they can still glean some information after the exam. I should prepare for the interview at the end of the month."
"I've asked you to prepare it a long time ago, including buying new clothes and learning interview conversation skills in advance..."
Although he was still complaining, Melissa still had a smile on his face.
While chatting, the waiter brought today's main course, braised Dilis beef short ribs, to their dining table next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
This West Borough Williams Street newly opened Intis Restaurant specializes in original Intis dishes, and the menu is not based on The tastes of Loen people have been improved. Even the waiters, chefs, and even the apparently redundant guards at the door are all Intis people with easily distinguishable looks. They wear bright and exaggerated clothes and speak with a good accent.
Corresponding to the authentic service are high prices. If it weren't for the many discounts offered by the new store opening, the brother and sister would not be willing to have a meal here even if it was to celebrate passing the second round of exams.
Cutting the steak with unfamiliar movements, Melissa suddenly said:
"Benson, now that you have passed two-thirds of the exam, you have to consider settling down in Backlund and the subsequent lifelong events."
"What?"
Benson, who had chewed a bite of beef and was using table wine to help him swallow, was stunned.
"I mean our neighbor, the blond Miss!" Melissa couldn't help but lightly kicked his brother under the table to destroy his silly expression. "I found that you have secretly observed her many times. You have to adapt to the speed of the big city. Be brave, you are almost 30 years old!"
"I, I just think she looks a bit like Miss Granger..."
Benson denied his intentions and hurriedly drank two sips of the low-alcohol wine that came with him. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes were evasive.
But this answer seemed to touch Melissa's memory. She lost her interest in teasing, put down her knife and fork, and looked at the floor-to-ceiling windows that were covered with a layer of fog in winter.
"I also think they are very similar..."
She said softly while looking at the carriage passing slowly on the street.
After getting off the carriage, Fors Wall tightened the scarf around his neck to block the cold winter wind. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked forward along Williams Street.
She is completing the task entrusted by Mr. "World" through Tarot Club and observing the anomalies on this street.
The last time she came here, she didn't find any other problems except for the Feysac people and Intis people on the street. As the largest city in the Loen Kingdom and even the entire North Continent, it is not a strange thing for some foreigners to wander here.
"There are even more Intis restaurants... They seem to be offering discounts. When I get paid as Mr. World, do you want to bring Xius over for a Intis feast?"
With difficulty, he moved his eyes away from the warm restaurant behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, the steaming steaks and the devouring brothers and sisters. Fors carefully observed the street with the mentality of doing his duty and being worthy of his reward.
Soon, she came to the middle of the street, where a small church had long been abandoned and was covered with weeds and vines. Because she had walked through it roughly last time, she had not explored it. This time she carefully avoided the excrement of unknown creatures and muddy puddles, and entered the depths.
"This church has been abandoned for so long, why has it never been renovated or demolished... In Backlund, where land is at a premium, is this an anomaly?"
Muttering to himself, Fors glanced around quickly, and after a sharp look, he discovered a real problem.
In the collapsed corner of the church, the earth exposed on the ground seemed to have been dug by someone. There was a lot of floating soil left around, and there were even traces of finger digging.
"Is this... someone digging a hole without using tools, just digging it with their hands?"
Taking note of this problem, Fors left the church along the same route, preparing to hand over all the findings to the "world" through Mr. Fool later.
At the same time, her imagination as a writer couldn't help but appear in her mind a scene of a mysterious man kneeling on the ground under the crimson moonlight, digging a hole with his hands like a marmot.
Ince Zangwill raised his hands in front of his eyes and examined them carefully. There were handfuls of dark yellow mud between each of his fingers, as if he had been digging tree roots in the field like a groundhog.
But he remembered that he slept well in bed last night!
Looking out the window solemnly, he was relieved to find that he was still in the house of North Borough, not in a warehouse on a farm in the countryside.
Zangwill's eyes turned to the desk. The quill he had carefully sealed in an expensive metal box last night appeared next to a worn notebook.
Lines of text were written on the opened notes, describing his current situation. Even the wandering of his eyes and the doubts in his mind were written on the paper, as if they were destined to happen.
"...Ince Zangwill looked blankly at the mirror, trying to find some overlooked clues on his body, but in the mirror he had thick dark circles under his eyes and his face was blue, as if he was about to die..."
He subconsciously looked at the full-length mirror on the other side of the room. His face in the mirror was livid, just as described in his notes.
Cursing secretly, the former Archbishop, who had just gotten up, came to the table, picked up the quill, and looked at the last line of the note, where it was recorded in jumping words:
"... the worry in his heart became more and more intense. He cautiously picked up his notebook and quill, packed his simple luggage, and decided to change his residence today."
After a while, the sullen Ince Zangwill carried his luggage, wore a common thick windbreaker, covered his blind eye with a top hat, and left Pinster Street quickly.
People were coming and going around him, and people squeezed past him from time to time, but turned a blind eye to him.
After squeezing past a middle-aged Gentlemen who was dressed strangely and walked in a hurry, Emlyn White stood outside 7 Pinster Street's door.
He first carefully took out the metal bottle and drank the potion against dreams, and then knocked on the door.
A moment later, a man with black hair and green eyes, casually dressed, and a free and easy temperament opened the door and looked at him suspiciously.
"Hello, Leonard Mitchell?"
Emlyn seemed polite, but in fact he greeted him arrogantly and looked at this young man whose appearance and temperament were not inferior to Sanguine.
"I am, what's the matter with you?"
Leonard frowned slightly and answered cautiously.
"I want to buy a Mystical Item, an item that can Stealing others Beyonder Ability."
Emlyn said softly. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, he felt that the surrounding light became quiet, and his body and mind seemed to fall into silence.
"Nice Dream Invasion technique, but it doesn't work for me."
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, feeling the pleasure of being prepared and able to deal with others perfectly.
Seeing that the opponent's brows were furrowed and his limbs were tense, as if he was about to enter a fighting state, he quickly took out the badge entrusted to him by "The World" and waved it in front of Leonard's eyes.
"It turned out to be their people..."
After seeing the badge that symbolized "destiny" and "hiddenness", Leonard's expression calmed down significantly. No movement was seen from him, and the surrounding scene disappeared like fragments and returned to a normal street.
Emlyn followed the other party into the room with a proud smile, and after a moment, he retreated slightly embarrassed.
Leonard Mitchell's bold asking price shocked Tarot Club's "Moon".
For 7,000 pounds, how many new dolls and custom-made dresses can I buy?
Even if he didn't have to pay for it himself, Emlyn, who had experienced the importance of money in Tarot Club, was so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.
He avoided the dazzling sunlight, walked through the shadows on the street, and left Pinster Street.
Emerging from the shadows on the roadside, Leonard's handsome eyebrows furrowed tightly as he watched "Harvest Church" Vampire enter Earth Mother.
It wasn't until he returned to North Borough's home and sat on the sofa in the living room that he tilted his head and asked quietly:
"Old Man, what do you think this is?"
"You can't tell. He does hold the badge of 'fate Hermit', but it obviously does not belong to him." A slightly older voice emerged from his mind, "You have already quoted the price, just wait for his reaction. The people behind him will definitely send him to continue to contact us."
"At that time, it will be your area of expertise..."
Leonard said, his tightened brows gradually relaxed. He was about to pick up the document on the table next to him and read it when he suddenly tilted his head and asked in confusion:
"Tell me, is there a friend or enemy from the same era as you behind him?"
"You have been thinking a lot lately, which is a good thing, but there are more and more useless guesses, which will only waste time." "Old Man" chuckled, making the expression on Leonard's face freeze. "If there is my enemy standing behind him, there is no need to test like this. I have been weak for many years, and being exposed now means failure."
The conversation changed and the old voice continued with ridicule:
"If you want to play the Detective game and find something to do, you might as well read the document in your hand and find some useful clues to track down the person you want to revenge."
Leonard sat on the sofa in silence. After a long time, he took the file and started reading it.
This is a case file he copied from Red Gloves from memory, about the death case of Capim who was involved in human trafficking, and the clues of "Tarot Cards" that appeared in it.
The page he turned to was the investigation report of one of the rescued girls, Emily O'Neill, and the mysterious death case of the O'Neill family that was deliberately concealed by the bribed neighborhood police. There were two names circled in red pen.
"Irene Watson."
"Sherlock Moriarty."
He had an impression of the former name. In the "Hillston Borough Aurora Order attack case" where "Black Emperor" appeared, this "Seer" was investigated by Nighthawks, but there was no doubt at the time, so it did not attract attention.
The latter had participated in the investigation of Desire Apostle in the "Assassination Case of Duke Negan".
In these cases, "Tarot Cards" appeared!
I'm experimenting with a relatively new way of writing...