In a windowless basement.
Alger Wilson sat on a low bed, leaning against the wall with his eyes narrowed as if he were already asleep.
But all sorts of thoughts kept flashing through his mind.
Had "Iron" Maviti gone to the contact point he had provided for "Flame" Danitz?
Would the operation run into trouble?
Should he keep waiting, or seize the chance to escape?
He did not doubt Miss Empress's strength, but battles between Beyonders were not decided solely by Potion sequences and Mystical Items. Any accident could happen. Moreover, the battle would take place in Bayam, an important city guarded by the Church of Storms and the Mandated Punishers. Within ten minutes, the nearest church would react and wipe out any pirates daring to cause trouble right under its nose.
Growing restless, he rose from the bed and paced to the stone door at the basement entrance, holding his breath as he listened for sounds outside.
"The guards have fallen asleep. When I came in, I saw three or four armed thugs. They won't be hard to deal with. Lao Kui probably won't join the operation... I can take them all out within half a minute. Should I..."
Alger's hand reached for his pocket.
As a gesture of goodwill, Lao Kui had not had his weapons taken away. He naturally believed that the captain of a Ghost Ship with only a few dozen subordinates could not stir up much trouble. Besides, Alger had acted like nothing more than a greedy pirate coveting the bounty, lowering his apparent threat level to the minimum.
But if he pushed a Slumber Charm through the crack in the door, then within half a minute...
Just then, Alger's vision blurred as swirling Gray Fog enveloped him.
Beneath Mr. Fool, who sat deep within