Malz, Bruno, and Laurie arrived at the Shadow Elf Bar. Norton Kote was drinking heavily in a booth, with a sexy woman in his arms. His bodyguards stood behind him, warily watching the entire bar.
Kendi gave Malz and Bruno a look, and the two immediately understood. They went to wait for Kote in the restroom...
Laurie and Kendi walked over to Kote's booth. Laurie exclaimed in surprise, "Kote! My old friend, I'm so glad to see you here."
Kote smiled at Laurie. "Oh, dear Laurie and Kendi. What brings you here? Didn't you join the Bloodfang Gang?"
Laurie put on a miserable expression and said dejectedly, "Kote, you don't know what happened. Bloodfang Island was ravaged by Nautilus not long ago. Now it's little more than a ruin, and we're searching everywhere for a way out."
Kote sneered. "So that's what happened. You really have had rotten luck."
Watching Kote sneer, Kendi thought, You bastard. You'll soon find out what rotten luck really means!
Laurie took a sip of wine and smiled bitterly. "Stop mocking us, Kote. I know you can help us. For the sake of our old adventures at sea, please help Kendi and me. We're at the end of our rope."
Kote swirled his wineglass, his contemptuous expression plain to see.
Kote smiled. "Laurie, it's not that I don't want to help you. You know how business has been booming for the Norton Family lately. Even the people who clean the toilets have to wait in line for a job."
Laurie put on a desperate expression. "Dear Kote, I swear by Lady Beard, if you help us get through this difficult time, I, Laurie, will be your most loyal servant from now on."
Kendi stood up and roared at Laurie, "Laurie, I never thought you'd be this kind of person! I'll never be his slave!"
Laurie's face turned purple as he growled, "Kendi! We owe the casino a mountain of money. The only ones who can help us are Kote or the devil! Do you want to throw in your lot with the devil?"
Kendi pretended to turn pale and tremble. "I... I won't... I..."
Laurie yanked Kendi back down into his seat and shouted, "I've already decided to serve Mr. Kote. You'd better face reality!"
Kote watched the two of them argue with interest, as if they weren't two old friends he knew, but a pair of monkeys.
Kote smiled. "Laurie, I haven't agreed to anything, you know."
Laurie cursed inwardly. You damned bastard. You'll be meeting Lady Beard in a little while, and you're still acting so high and mighty!
Laurie immediately dropped to his knees and clung to Kote's leg, wailing, "Mr. Kote—no, Master Kote! Please help me, Master Kote. I'm really at the end of my rope!"
Enjoying Laurie's flattery, Kote said, "It's not impossible for me to help you..."
Laurie's eyes lit up. "Master Kote, I'm willing to serve you."
Kote took a sip of wine to moisten his throat. He greatly enjoyed having someone kneel at his feet, crying and begging him for help.
Kote smiled at Laurie and Kendi. "Lately, the Norton Family's businesses at the Slaughter Docks haven't been doing well. A lot of the butchers have quit, so you two can fill those vacancies."
Laurie said, overcome with gratitude, "Thank you, Master Kote! Thank you, Master Kote!"
Kote helped Laurie to his feet. "We're all in the same boat, aren't we?"
Laurie sat down on the sofa and smiled. "That's right."
Kote said to the waiter beside him, "Bring me a bottle of good wine. I have something to celebrate today."
The waiter quickly brought over a bottle of Demacia Wine. Kote poured Laurie and Kendi each a glass and smiled. "Welcome to the Norton family!"
Laurie and Kendi seized the opportunity to drink with Kote. Before long, the table was covered with empty bottles.
Kote slurred, "Wait here a while. I'm going to the restroom. When I get back, you can continue telling me your adventure stories. I love hearing those!"
Though Laurie and Kendi had drunk quite a lot, they were still clearheaded. Laurie smiled. "Then it looks like we'll be drinking for a long time tonight."
Humming a tune, Kote went to the restroom to relieve himself. As soon as he entered, Bruno shut the door. Now, not even a fly could get out.
Malz came up behind Kote and viciously snapped his neck. Poor Kote never even knew what had killed him.
Malz and Bruno tidied up the scene. After placing the mark of the notorious serial killer on Kote's chest, they left the restroom and walked out of the Shadow Elf Bar as if nothing had happened.
Laurie and Kendi kept drinking at the table. Kendi complained, "This Demacia Wine tastes just like piss!"
Laurie's face was red. "Where's Kote? Why has he been gone so long?"
The bodyguard realized something was wrong, too, and hurried to the restroom. Kote lay on the floor, his face peaceful, with a gleaming Golden Siren on his chest!
The bodyguard went pale. "We're done for!"
Laurie and Kendi rushed to the restroom and pretended to be shocked. "Lady Beard above, it's murder! The serial killer did this!"
The bodyguard turned to look at them. "Serial killer?"
Kendi said, trembling, "That killer kills for the sake of killing. No one he targets ever escapes. The strangest thing about him is that he always leaves a Golden Siren on the chest of his victims!"
The bodyguard turned pale and slumped to the floor. After confirming that Kote was dead, Laurie and Kendi left the Shadow Elf Bar and returned to Bloodfang Island.
Kendi went to Jiang Chuan's office and reported, "President, we've confirmed that Norton Kote is dead. No one knows it was done by the Dark Sea Throne. They'll blame the serial killer who's been active lately."
Jiang Chuan smiled. "Good! Who took part in the operation?"
Kendi replied, "Reporting to you, President: four people took part in the operation—Laurie, me, Malz, and Bruno."
Jiang Chuan said, "Good. You and Laurie carried out this mission beautifully. You don't need to take a break; you've already had plenty to drink tonight. Tell Malz and Bruno that they can take tomorrow off and go have fun in Bilgewater. They can relax a little."
Kendi replied glumly, "Yes, President."
Jiang Chuan smiled. "You can sleep in tomorrow morning. You can enjoy yourselves all night tonight."
Kendi said happily, "Thank you, President!"
After Kendi left the office, Jiang Chuan sat in his chair and pondered. Jenny had just returned and told him about Sarah.
Someone had killed a person on the bounty board and torn down more than ten of the posted wanted notices. The culprit was a beautiful red-haired woman.
Jiang Chuan gazed at the bright moon and said, "Is the main quest finally about to begin?"
In the game's lore, Miss Fortune overthrew Gangplank's rule, ushering in a new chapter for Bilgewater. The story didn't go into much detail about how Miss Fortune toppled Gangplank's rule, but Jiang Chuan knew this was his only chance to rule Bilgewater and obtain a Precision rune!
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