Recruitment

At the marketplace in Port Dearborn.

Bill watched Fang Yuan crouch in front of a little stall, looking rather puzzled.

The marketplace was bustling, but poorly managed. Stalls crowded into the roads until it was almost impossible to walk—exactly the sort of place Gold Fingers loved most.

The stall Fang Yuan had stopped at sold books.

They were piled together haphazardly, giving off a musty smell.

There were hefty tomes bound in tanned cowhide and filled with parchment, scattered sheets of rough paper, and all sorts of bizarre scrolls.

None of them was in particularly good condition. Besides the wormholes, many bore marks of seawater corrosion and mysterious grime.

Clearly, teaching pirates to protect knowledge was about as likely as dreaming.

"Hmm, very curious writing. It seems to come from different countries..."

Fang Yuan glanced over a few pages and found some of the writing quite interesting.

"Of course, sir... These books of mine came from the mysterious East!"

The stallkeeper was a gaunt, middle-aged man. He smiled at Fang Yuan, showing a sparse row of blackened teeth.

From his physical condition alone, Fang Yuan could tell he was an old sea dog—probably a retired pirate.

"Give me a break..."

At that, Bill immediately rolled his eyes and cut in. "I can't say about the rest, but the writing in these books is clearly from the Archipelago of Stars!"

These merchants loved to claim their wares were connected to the East. It made them worth twice as much.

"I swear, most of these really did come from an Eastern merchant ship!"

The stallkeeper swore earnestly, tugging at his collar to reveal a centipede-shaped scar on his belly. "See that? I took a slash like this to get them!"

"..."

Fang Yuan was speechless. "Are you sure that scar isn't stuck