Truth Is the Sharpest Blade

"How was that? Pretty shocking, right?"

A voice suddenly teased him from the side.

"It really was shocking. What is that?"

Ian turned his head to examine the young man who had appeared out of nowhere. He was tall and slender, with two short pistols hanging from his belt. He wore a tricorne hat, sported a pair of short mustaches, and had black hair, blue eyes, deeply carved features, and an innate air of melancholy.

"It's one of the Association's extraordinary artifacts: the Eye of Inspiration. As long as you sign a contract with it, all the information you see and hear can be transmitted here through the contract projection."

"What a miraculous creation. Hello, I'm Trist, from Storm Cape."

"I could tell. Plenty of people come over from the continent every month. I'm Moro, an officer at the Extraordinary Professions Union's Paradise Island branch. You're here for the New Continent too, aren't you?"

"What's the situation with the New Continent?"

"Looks like your information is outdated. But if you want to learn the latest news from every side through the Association, you'll need to be a registered member. And aside from public information, you'll have to pay."

Ian had no idea how Moro had seen through the fact that he was not an Association member, but he did not dwell on it.

He followed Moro through the membership process. It was simple: release spirituality to prove that he held an extraordinary profession, register his name and address, and pay a processing fee of ten gold coins. They did not even verify whether the information was genuine.

After registering, Ian received a round purple badge bearing the crossed emblem of a wand and a longsword.

"The badge is your proof of membership. It can store simple information records. Try not to lose it. Of course, you can get a replacement if you do, but the points inside can't be recovered."

"The first floor has the mission hall, rest area, and projection area. You can have a few drinks, take on missions, or read the news. The second floor is the trading area. You can't go to the third floor without permission..."

Moro looked rather frivolous, but he was reliable when it came to work. He gave Ian a general introduction to the branch.

Once Moro left, Ian eagerly entered the projection area. The information there was open to all members and free of charge.

"Over 1,300 nautical miles southwest of Devil Island, a New Continent has been discovered. Reliable sources report that the Silver Star Merchant Alliance of the Western Continent was the first to land, but they were ambushed by natives and nearly wiped out. The natives possess many extraordinary professions."

Below it was a recording, apparently from the perspective of someone standing on the quarterdeck of a strange Sailing Warship with an enormous smokestack in the middle. A vast, unbroken stretch of land appeared in the distance. A fleet of bizarre ships resembling clipper ships rapidly surrounded them.

"This is... a steamship!"

Ian compared it with the recording again to confirm it. It was a wooden steamship.

Steam engines had only been installed on sailing vessels in the Eastern Continent for a few years, and problems were frequent. Yet steamships from the Western Continent were already capable of ocean voyages.

There were no visible paddle wheels, and the vessel sailed steadily. They had probably mastered propeller technology.

"A fifty-six-meter-long Sequence 5 extraordinary creature, the Terror Blind Whale, has been caught by a Whaling Group. Its materials have been jointly acquired by the Royal Niger Company and the Alchemists' Association. It is predicted that a Sequence 5 potion for wizards will appear at the Poldoria Royal Auction on the first of next month."

"..."

"The semiannual Royal Auction will be held as scheduled on December 1. Official news from the Poldoria Kingdom states that the Crown Prince will attend and provide a large number of Awakening Potions."

"..."

"The Blackbeard Pirate Crew has been sighted in the Storm Sea and has attacked merchant vessels under the Royal Niger Company."

"Storm Port was attacked by a group of pirate ships, including the Blackbeard Pirate Crew. Fortunately, the Kingdom's Second Fleet arrived in time, and the port suffered minimal losses. The port has now resumed normal operations. The Poldoria Kingdom navy has offered a bounty of ten thousand gold coins for the exact whereabouts of the Blackbeard Pirate Crew."

"Storm Port has temporarily entered military lockdown."

Below was a recording of a large group of pirate ships surrounding Storm Port. Most of the Kingdom's Second Fleet appeared behind the pirates, and a single volley of cannon fire sank several pirate ships. The pirate crews fled in disarray.

The recording was filmed from Storm Port's commercial district and did not include Shelter Cliff. From the footage, it did seem that the pirates' attack had barely begun before ending hastily, leaving Storm Port virtually unscathed.

"?"

A huge question mark appeared in Ian's mind. Pictures did not necessarily reveal the truth! If he had not experienced it himself, he might really have believed their nonsense.

Ian considered it carefully. He did not think the Extraordinary Professions Union had participated in the deception. After all, intelligence had to come from somewhere, and those who provided or shared it could naturally have ulterior motives.

The Union surely had other channels of information.

Ian strode up to the second floor. There was no main hall there, only separate private rooms. A counter stood beside the staircase entrance, with a middle-aged man whose beard had turned white seated behind it.

"I want to buy intelligence."

"Please go to Room Six." The middle-aged man handed him a blue number plate.

As soon as Ian approached Room Six, the blue number plate rippled with magical energy, and the door opened automatically. The room was pitch-black, lit only by a single small candle.

The room was divided into two halves. The other half was enclosed by a black curtain with only a small window left open, though no light could be seen beyond it.

"Is this meant to protect my privacy or yours?"

Ian was speechless at the sight of the arrangement before him.

A deep voice came from behind the black curtain. "An Anti-Astrology Formation has been set up here. Everything about you after entering this room will remain confidential. You can rest assured."

"What intelligence do you wish to ask about?"

"All information regarding the attack on Storm Cape."

"Hmm... 150 gold coins, non-negotiable. Thank you."

Ian did not hesitate. He passed 150 gold coins through the black window.

The deep voice rang out again, describing in detail everything concerning the attack on Storm Cape.

On the evening of November 8, 2635 of the Fifth Epoch, forty-two pirate ships of various sizes gathered and launched a sudden attack on Storm Cape.

They included fourteen warships of various sizes from the Blackbeard Pirate Crew, five from the Rotgut Pirate Crew, three from the Giant Whale Pirate Crew... forty-two ships in total.

Their targets were clear: the Calvinde Family castle at Shelter Cliff and the slums.

After one hour and twenty minutes of fierce fighting, the Calvinde Family was overrun. Baron Arnold Calvender, Lady Natalie, eldest son Anqi Calvender, and second son Ian Calvender were confirmed dead. Only the youngest daughter, Rebecca Calvin, was rescued by knights of the Church of Truth and Justice.

More than half of the family's other servants and knights were killed in battle, while the castle's wealth and the lord's treasury were completely looted.

Large numbers of civilians were abducted from the slums, possibly exceeding a thousand people in total.

At first, the pirates did not attack merchant ships in the harbor, dock warehouses, the commercial district, or other such areas. As the battle spread, however, the battlefield expanded toward the port and the city.

At that moment, the Kingdom's Second Fleet, which had been patrolling outside the harbor, returned, and the two sides engaged in a prolonged battle.

Three Level 5 warships of the Second Fleet were damaged. During the pirates' retreat, more than thirty pirate ships were sunk or captured in succession, and most of the abducted people and a small portion of the looted wealth were recovered.

A small number of pirate ships, including Blackbeard's and the Giant Whale Pirate Crew's, managed to escape.

After the battle, the Kingdom held a grand funeral for the Calvinde Family.

As Rebecca Calvin was still young and had not awakened her spirituality, Storm Cape was temporarily placed under the direct rule of the Poldoria royal family, and a new position of governor was established.

The current governor of Storm Cape was the royal family's second prince: Diallo Poldoria.