The burly man facing off was wearing a navy blue and white striped shirt, and his shirt was still bare despite the near-freezing temperature.
He held a dagger to the man's throat, but he himself was being pointed directly at the forehead by an old handgun that looked like it belonged in a museum.
The owner of the pistol was also a burly man over 1.8 meters tall, with well-developed muscles and an oily face. He had shaved his head, had an Sea Eagle, and was muttering curses:
"Shit Navy!"
"No one in Damir Port has dared to accuse me of being a pirate informant!"
The navy officer didn't back down and exchanged insults with him, both sides showcasing a rich array of profanities used at sea.
Klein observed for a few seconds, then circled around the edge to Captain Elland, who wore a straight sword at his waist and concealed a pistol. He asked calmly and casually:
What happened?
"The argument between the two drunkards has been a long-standing rumor in Damir Port and the surrounding waters. ' Sea Eagle ' Logan serves the owner of the ' Black Tulip.' The navy officer just mentioned this, and ' Sea Eagle ' happened to witness it."
The owner of the " Black Tulip "? Isn't that " Admiral of Hell " Ludwell? Klein turned and sat down on the bar stool at the bar, lightly tapping the wooden countertop:
"A glass of Southville beer."
"Six pence," the bartender, with his bronze skin and white teeth, said, wiping the glass with utter indifference.
On land, the prices of local specialties are much higher than in Backlund and Tingen... Klein took out a handful of copper coins, counted out 6p, and gave them to the other party.
At this moment, the conflict between Logan and the Navy was stopped by the bar's guards. They exchanged harsh words and retreated to different corners.
Perhaps because he felt embarrassed, the navy officer hurriedly left after a dozen seconds, and the atmosphere in the bar became lively again.
"Want to play cards?" Captain Elland pointed to the staircase on the side of the bar.
"No." Klein's main purpose was to gather intelligence.
Elland instinctively wanted to pat his shoulder, but was stopped by his cold and sharp demeanor. Instead, he straightened his dark red coat and offered a reminder:
Don't look for women here.
Klein nodded, picked up the glass of Southville beer, and gulped down a mouthful.
"Also, don't trust anyone here; only a small portion of what they say is true." Elland, carrying his own Lerunqi, stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.
Klein glanced at him sideways, his expression unchanged, and asked in return:
Does that include you?
"... Perhaps." Elland paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "At least my earlier warning was true, and yes, it's true that I'm a man!"
That's not necessarily true... There's a kind of Potion called " Witch " in this "world"... Klein looked away, slowly drinking his wine while listening to the boasting of the patrons around him.
Two or three minutes later, a short, thin man sat down next to Klein with his own drink.
"Dude, you seem like an adventurer." He tilted his head slightly and smiled.
The man who greeted them had black hair and blue eyes, aged features, and a rather sleazy demeanor.
"You could say that," Klein replied curtly.
"I can tell you're a Hunter, Hunter chases bounties and wealth." The short man glanced around, lowered his head, and said in a low voice, "Have you heard of the ' Ghost Empire '?"
I've heard of Amway, and I've also heard of the Heavenly Father and Savior sealed at the bottom of the sea... Klein used the " Faceless's" power to send out a signal: Don't come near me.
"I know, a huge, ancient ghost ship laden with treasure."
"We have a lead!" the short man said in an infectious tone. "We've found some information and know where it will appear next! We don't want to let pirates and the navy profit from it, and we don't want our wealth to be robbed, so we've decided to charter an armed merchant ship to that area and wait. It will cost about 1,000 pounds, and I've already found 15 companions and raised 720 pounds. Are you interested in joining us?"
Before Klein could speak, he fumbled for a stack of yellowish-brown letters:
"I know you won't believe it easily, in fact, no one will, but those 15 friends who came before us all decided to join our plan after reading this information."
... Do I have a face that's easily fooled? Or is it that no outsider can escape this kind of thing? Klein was considering whether to examine the letters when he caught a glimpse of " Sea Eagle " Logan, who had just been arguing with someone, walking over out of the corner of his eye.
" Woody, you're lying again! You damn rat in the sewage!" Logan grabbed the short man and threw him onto the open ground in the middle of the bar, where he landed on his back.
The burly man with a blue tattoo on his head sat down in Woody's spot and laughed heartily:
"Excuse me, these are rats from our Damir Port, always doing things that damage our reputation."
"Actually, we are all very friendly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Heh, don't believe those guys' slander. I'm an upright man and have absolutely nothing to do with ' Admiral of Hell '!"
The more you emphasize it, the more suspicious it becomes... Klein pondered for a moment, his expression unchanged, and said calmly:
I'd like to know about the latest rumors.
"No problem." " Sea Eagle " Logan slapped the bar counter and said to the bartender, "Bring a plate of our special cured meat. I'll treat this guy to one of Damir's most famous dishes."
The bartender, still with that indifferent face, pushed open the door to the back kitchen and quickly brought out a plate of sliced cured meat with distinct red and white layers and fine texture.
"5 pounds." He didn't look at " Sea Eagle " Logan, but looked directly at Klein.
"Five pounds." " Sea Eagle " Logan turned his head, smiling warmly as he raised his arm to show off his muscles. "Everyone heard it just now; you were going to treat me to your special cured meat as a thank you."
Klein was momentarily stunned into not realizing what had happened. It wasn't until the bartender urged him a second time that he understood he had been scammed, and that the other party's scheme was quite sophisticated.
First, use an easily detectable scam to bring " Sea Eagle " Logan into the scene, successfully gaining the target's favor. Then, under the pretense of treating him to a meal, order an expensive special cured meat. Finally, turn on him, distort the truth, and force a sale... No wonder none of the drunks cheered when "Rat" Woody was thrown out... They were all terrified of Logan, who supposedly served " Admiral of Hell "... How should I deal with this? My current persona is Gehrman Sparrow, a slightly mad adventurer and bounty Hunter... Klein picked up his glass, took a sip of his rich, malty beer, and asked in a normal tone:
Why not just rob it?
"Why not just rob them?" Logan was a little taken aback by the question.
Then he saw a fist getting bigger and bigger.
Thump!
Klein swung his left fist and smashed it into " Sea Eagle " Logan's chin, sending him tumbling towards the bar.
With a push of his right hand, Klein nimbly rose from his chair and approached Logan's body as he was about to fall.
He tensed his thighs, then slammed his knee upwards, slamming it straight into Logan's lower abdomen.
*Pfft! Logan jerked backward, his eyes bulging and his mouth half-open.
Klein drew his gun, shoved the revolver into the man's mouth, and pulled back the hammer to fire.
"I... I am..." Logan stammered.
Klein stared into his eyes, then suddenly drew his revolver and swung it violently, striking Logan in the side of the face with both the gun and his fist.
Logan's teeth immediately fell out one by one, and his mouth was full of blood.
Faced with such a heavy blow and excruciating pain, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Klein braced himself and pulled a handful of loose bills and coins from his pocket.
Since they didn't appear to weigh more than 5 pounds, Klein simply tossed them onto the bar and calmly said:
"No need to look."
The bartender's bronze face turned pale as he shouted in a panic:
My boss is a ' White Shark '!
Klein didn't even glance at him, released his grip, and let " Sea Eagle " Logan fall to the ground. Then, he sat down again, forked a piece of cured meat, and put it in his mouth to taste. He found the flavor to be quite unique, with the aroma of spices spreading outwards, scratching at his stomach and throat.
After eating two pieces, he looked up and asked:
Does your boss know you're colluding with ' The Sea Eagle '?
"No, he, no..." the bartender stammered in response.
Seeing that Klein showed no intention of continuing the attack and readily paid the money, the guards who had approached quietly retreated.
Klein took a sip of his drink, glanced at " Sea Eagle " Logan on the ground, and calmly said to the bartender:
"He's Ludwell's informant, how much of a bounty can he collect?"
"No, he isn't," the bartender shook his head. "He spread this rumor himself. That navy man was someone he hired! Only this way can he make the people here afraid of him..."
Upon hearing this answer, the people drinking at the bar were stunned and put down their glasses. One drunk even staggered over to Logan and spat in his face.
Bah! Bah! Bah! Many drinkers followed suit.
Klein lowered his head again, eating the specially cured meat as he spoke:
"Tell me about the recent rumors."
The bartender breathed a sigh of relief and, while wiping the glasses, began to recount the rumors that had circulated over the past two months, some of which Klein had heard about, and others that he had just learned.
During a routine training exercise, the Royal Navy's ironclad battleship Pritz destroyed a passing pirate crew... Panic about giant ships and cannons began to spread among some small and medium-sized pirate groups... Some of them wanted to take advantage of the fact that the ironclad fleet was not yet fully formed to commit a series of crimes, make a fortune, and leave the business... The next six months to a year would not be peaceful at sea... " Admiral of Blood " Senor and " Vice Admiral Twilight " Brattov Ivan clashed in the waters south of Sonia Island, fought a major battle, and each sank two ships... Klein listened without asking any questions and gradually filled his stomach.
Seeing that the plate of the special cured meat had been emptied, he finished the rest of his beer and slowly stood up.
"Remember today's lesson." Klein handed the plate to the bartender.
Just as the bartender was about to reach out, he suddenly grabbed the back of his head by the hand.
Bang!
Klein slammed the bartender's head against the bar counter with force, sending splinters flying and blood gushing out. The patrons scattered in panic, and the guards rushed over at high speed.
After doing all this, Klein clapped his hands, picked up his glass, and tried to pour the remaining wine over the bartender's head.
One drop, two drops, three drops...
Klein silently gave up, turned around, bent down, grabbed " Sea Eagle " Logan, and threw him toward the arriving guards.
Taking advantage of the guards' absence and the chaos in the bar, Klein ran quickly, nimbly weaving around them, and easily escaped from " Flying Fish and Wine ".
He adjusted his hat, quickened his pace, and turned into the street next to him.
After a series of changes of direction, he suddenly slowed down, and a gold coin appeared in his hand.
The gold coin kept bouncing between his fingers, as if it were investigating something.