Inside the Intis Consulate in Bayam, the " City of Generosity ".
Elaine sat in front of the dressing table, staring blankly at her beautiful but slightly haggard reflection in the mirror for several minutes.
The time she spent escaping the Black Death was filled with both anticipation and torment. She feared that she might be discovered by pirates or adventurers, captured by " Vice Admiral Ailment " Tracy, and lose her freedom forever, never to return to her homeland and resume her original life.
She only felt somewhat relieved after using her family's remaining connections to hide in the consulate of her homeland and obtain a ticket to leave the sea.
But this still wasn't enough to put her mind at ease; she believed that truly reaching the Northern Continent would be the end of everything.
Thinking of this, Elaine couldn't help but raise her right hand and stroke her cheek, which wasn't very fair but was healthy enough. She found that its smoothness had improved a lot compared to when she was a maritime merchant. It gave her the illusion of reversing time and returning to her teenage years.
In fact, after entering the Intis consulate, she had another option besides escaping the sea: to cooperate with the Church of Storms, the Loen military, and some spies in the consulate, using herself as bait to capture " Vice Admiral Ailment " Tracy.
But after thinking about it for a long time, she finally gave up the plan and even asked her family elders and friends who served as military attachés at the consulate not to tell anyone that she was hiding there.
Regardless, she never caused me any real harm. In many ways, she would indulge me and satisfy me... except every night, every night... but that was only superficial... In her recollection, Elaine's cheeks suddenly flushed red.
Those intoxicating nights, the fiery entanglements of bodies, the unimaginable Pleasure —all flashed through her mind, fleeting yet impossible to calm.
Elaine took a slow breath in and then exhaled a long exhale.
She shook her head, letting her longing for freedom, her attachment to her hometown, and her yearning for her loved ones take over her heart once more.
She looked at herself in the glasses again, then carefully coiled her loose red hair into a bun.
Then, she applied thick, straight eyebrows and enhanced the shadows to make herself look more defined and with sharper lines.
After this makeover, Elaine looked more androgynous and had a very heroic air about her.
She took off her clothes, wrapped her chest with strips of cloth, and then put on a white shirt, black vest, men's trousers, and a double-breasted long dress.
Finally, she took off her silk hat and put it on her head, completely covering her red hair that was styled in a bun.
At this moment, she looked more like a handsome young man than a woman in the mirror, especially her emerald green eyes, which seemed particularly suited to this look, possessing a captivating depth.
Elaine waited patiently for a while until someone knocked on the door.
She picked up her luggage, Door Opening the door, and followed the family elder's friend to the side gate of the consulate garden.
A carriage was already waiting there to take her to the port, where she would board a passenger ship to Pritz Harbor in the Kingdom of Loen, from where she would detour back to Intis.
Elaine possessed exceptional counter-tracking skills, carefully scrutinizing her surroundings, including the coachman.
The local native was lean and strong, and didn't like wearing hats. His features hadn't changed much since I last saw him, and he looked a little nervous, which was normal... After confirming the details, Elaine thanked the family elder's friend, picked up her luggage, and boarded the carriage.
As the wheels rolled, she pursed her lips and looked out the window, where she saw rows of Intis sycamore trees rushing past.
This gave her the illusion that she had returned to Trier.
It was a sun-drenched metropolis, situated between the River Len and River Srenzo, a place of scenic beauty, abundant rose varieties, and a thriving arts and culture scene, a haven for painters, musicians, and novelists.
That was the capital of Intis, the first truly cosmopolitan city after the reconstruction by Emperor Roselle, and also the hometown of Elaine, the place where she grew up, the city she often saw in her dreams and shed tears for.
After some time, Elaine suddenly felt something was wrong, because the surrounding streets were becoming increasingly deserted and remote.
Although she had been a maritime merchant and had long operated in the Sonia Sea, she was not very familiar with Bayam in the Sonia Sea. However, the Sequence 9 " Hunter " could provide her with sufficient vigilance.
"Is this the right route?" Elaine shifted her position and cautiously asked the driver.
She was ready to jump out of the car at any moment, ready to condense a fireball.
The driver didn't turn around, looking at the road ahead, and smiled ingratiatingly:
"My esteemed lady, this route is shorter and less likely to encounter traffic jams."
"You know, Bayam was built many years ago. Back then, there weren't so many people or carriages. Many streets were narrow and very prone to congestion around noon and evening. Walking was faster than riding in a carriage."
Really? Elaine thought about it and believed it, because she had encountered similar situations in many cities.
Trier is still better. When Emperor Roselle renovated the old town, he had the foresight to expand the roads, which are still usable today... Just as Elaine had this thought, she suddenly heard the stallion pulling the carriage neigh, as if in some pain.
"Wait a minute, it seems to have stepped on something." The coachman pulled the carriage over and jumped down himself.
Elaine didn't think much of it at first, but a quick glance out of the corner of her eye revealed that it was a deserted, quiet alley.
Her heart tightened instantly, and without hesitation, she was about to crash through the carriage and tumble outside.
Regardless of whether this was an overreaction or not, she believed it had to be done.
Just then, a strong sense of fear suddenly welled up inside her, as if she were being watched by a ravenously hungry Monster.
The pressure from the Spirituality realm made her hesitant and afraid to take any rash action.
Immediately, she heard a deep voice:
I won't hurt you.
"I have some questions."
Elaine's mind raced with thoughts as she quickly weighed the various options available to her.
In the end, she did not blindly flee; under that immense and terrifying pressure, she returned to her original seat.
She plans to adjust her action plan little by little, depending on the situation.
The carriage door opened, and the lean, muscular native driver stepped forward and sat opposite Elaine. He was none other than " Faceless " Klein.
To prepare for his role as a coachman, he specifically practiced how to drive horses and vehicles—skills he hadn't yet truly mastered in the Tingen Market Nightwalker squad. Given the time constraints, his mastery was insufficient, so he resorted to using the "wriggling hunger" breath to successfully make the horses obedient.
At the same time, Danitz, who had been hiding nearby, ran over, sat in the driver's seat, and took the reins.
His round-brimmed felt hat was pulled low, and he was dressed like a real coachman.
Elaine bent her back slightly, alert, ready to pounce like a cheetah at any moment.
She felt the man's gaze slowly sweep over her forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, neck, chest, waist, and legs, making her extremely uncomfortable.
She had seen similar gazes, similar scrutinizing looks, in Intis, in Trier, and during her days at sea—the kind of looks that belonged to thugs, to disgusting fellows, and were full of lewdness.
But this time, strangely, she didn't feel insulted, nor did she think the other person wanted to tear off her clothes or was fantasizing about some abnormal scene.
It felt more like studying food... as if a cold, slippery snake was crawling along my skin... Elaine finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up:
What do you want to ask?
Having fully grasped the other person's physical characteristics, Klein leaned forward, resting his arms naturally on his thighs, his hands half-open and half-closed in a clasp:
"Have you heard of Jimmy Necker?"
Elaine thought for a few seconds, then firmly shook her head in denial.
She frowned slightly and asked, puzzled:
"Are you sure you haven't got the wrong person?"
"He's a wealthy businessman, a collector. Have you heard of someone like that from Tracy?" Klein asked again.
Tracy ... Elaine sighed inwardly and replied earnestly:
"No, she never mentioned any wealthy businessman who liked collecting."
Klein looked into the redhead's eyes and said in a measured tone:
"Does her room contain ancient documents from the Balam Empire of the Southern Continent?"
"No, she's not someone who likes reading these kinds of materials. She hates reading, and I have to read novels to her." As she spoke, Elaine gave a wry smile.
"What novels does she read?" Klein asked, his tone unchanged.
" Roselle's classics, and the popular love stories of today," Elaine answered frankly.
Klein nodded:
Does she have a collection room?
"Yes, but apart from her and a few other mysterious visitors, no one else could enter, including me," Elaine recalled.
Klein remained silent for a few seconds, then, still in the same position, said:
Tell me your story.
"Mine?" Elaine pointed to herself in surprise.
Klein nodded slightly and did not repeat himself.
Elaine was stunned for a moment and then said:
My story is very simple.
"My father was a member of the former royal family of Intis, the Sauron Family, and inherited a considerable fortune, but he was addicted to alcohol, mistresses, marijuana, and gambling, which eventually led to his bankruptcy."
"To repay my debts, I accepted some of my family's conditions, became Beyonder, and went to sea to become a maritime merchant."
P. S.: I've finally recovered today and am considered fully healed. Because I didn't have any drafts saved up, this chapter is a bit short and hasn't been revised yet. I need to make up for it with the saved drafts in the next couple of days...