As she spoke, Elaine's eyes shifted slightly upwards, as if she were lost in memories:
"I started by reselling steel and coal from the west coast of the Sonia Sea to Feynapotter, and then bringing back local specialties like tobacco, coffee, and cocoa to Intis. It was a relatively safe coastal route, but also very competitive. In order to get out of this predicament as soon as possible, I saved up capital while trying to improve my Sequence, hoping to engage in colonial trade."
"Unfortunately, just as I became familiar with the route and made a fortune, on my second trip to West Balam, I was attacked by Tracy, who was then the ' Disease Maiden ' rather than the ' Vice Admiral Ailment '. She only had one ship at the time, but she was very strong. My partner and I fought desperately, but we couldn't save her."
"She didn't have a habit of indiscriminate killing; she only stole the goods, and, well, me..."
As expected of an outlier among Witch... Klein listened quietly, suppressing his embarrassment with his Clown powers, and asked expressionlessly:
How far have you progressed?
"No!" Elaine instinctively denied. "She forced me! I... I didn't want to die, I had no choice but to endure it, and besides, besides, she's a woman!"
Madam, there's no need for such a strong reaction. If I asked you two if you'd had a relationship beyond friendship, wouldn't you have jumped off this building? It's only because I'm kind enough to consider your shame that I haven't been so direct... Sigh, beneath the mask of the mad Gehrman Sparrow lies the gentleman me... This is the real me... Klein's expression remained unchanged as he changed the subject and asked:
What cuisine do you prefer? Are there any dishes you particularly like? Sweet, salty, or somewhere in between?
What foods do you dislike? What are you allergic to?
Do you have a verbal tic? If so, what is it?
These questions made Elaine feel like she was dreaming, as if it weren't real.
She never imagined that the other person would ask such a question, like a suitor asking a potential partner about their hobbies.
No, no suitor would ask such a question! These questions are usually brought up indirectly during conversations or obtained through other channels! No woman likes being interrogated like this! This is more like a questionnaire invented by Emperor Roselle... What does he want to do? He asks these questions without any expression, and I'm terrified... Elaine remained silent for a few seconds, and under Klein's unwavering, cold gaze, she answered each question one by one.
Klein maintained his forward-leaning posture and continued to ask:
How do you usually sit? What are your habitual movements...?
The more Elaine answered, the more panicked and uneasy she became, with a strange feeling that she might disappear because of it.
After completing this perplexing and frightening "questionnaire," she felt a heavy weight in her heart, constantly wondering if she would suffer a bad end.
Should she take a gamble and jump off the carriage when he's not looking? Elaine seriously considered this possibility.
However, the other party showed no signs of making a move, which made her hesitant to make a decision, believing that there was still hope for a peaceful resolution.
Having grasped Elaine's personality, habits, and hobbies, Klein steered the conversation back to the " Vice Admiral Ailment ":
What do you know about Tracy?
Elaine fell silent, her lips moving several times, but she couldn't utter a word.
After the carriage had been traveling for quite some time, she finally smiled bitterly:
She possesses exceptional combat skills, is adept at stealth and curses, and can become invisible and lighter.
"She has mastered the Wand Substitution Technique, and has mastered black flames and frost. She can make enemies within a certain range suddenly fall ill, including colds, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, etc. The longer you fight her, the more serious the disease you get. Some Beyonder even die suddenly from heart disease."
"She can also create invisible threads to control enemies. She has a deep understanding of the human body and can easily bring Pleasure to people through contact, that kind of Pleasure."
"She has an active charm that makes many pirates give up resistance just to get close to her."
"She's usually quite friendly, but she's cruel to her enemies, enjoying destroying what they want to protect and causing them immense mental anguish..."
Elaine didn't go into details about how Tracy ruined other people's lives. There are many cruel stories and funny incidents involved. This " Disease Maiden " once caused an enemy father and son to kill each other, and she also instigated an enemy's wife to betray him, which he witnessed.
As expected, she's Witch, Sequence 5 " Demoness of Pain," a level above " Pleasure "... Klein roughly grasped Tracy's fighting style and calmly asked again:
Does she have magical items?
"... Yes, there is a diamond-encrusted bracelet. As long as she wears it, Tracy will be very difficult to harm." Elaine hesitated before revealing the secret of the " Vice Admiral Ailment."
Klein asked a few more detailed questions, straightening his leaning posture slightly:
"Is Tracy assisting the Demoness Sect in human trafficking?"
This was a question that had been on his mind ever since he heard about it from " Vice Admiral Iceberg " Edwina.
The Demoness Sect has collaborated with Ince Zangwill, established connections with the royal family, and is involved in an underground ruin whose location is unknown.
Tracy was helping them traffic people;
Botis, whom the " The Hanged Man " accused of directing multiple cases of missing slaves and the disappearance of primitive tribes in the Southern Continent, appeared on the upper level of that underground ruin;
The Beyonder guards surrounding Capim, Backlund's biggest human trafficker, belong to the " Arbiter " pathway, a system controlled by the Royal House of Loen, the Royal House of Feynapotter, and the militaries of both countries...
These things that Klein knew connected to form a thread, but he had no idea what it would reveal. " Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy," however, was a potential breakthrough.
"What Demoness Sect?" Elaine asked, puzzled.
"You don't need to know," Klein replied calmly.
If you understood what Witch was, and suspected that the incredibly charming " Vice Admiral Ailment " who gave you Pleasure was once a filthy and barbaric man, I'm afraid you'd lose control on the spot... You're welcome, I'm a good person... Klein thought to himself.
Elaine suppressed her doubts and recalled as she spoke:
"She did indeed help transport several shiploads of slaves in the past year. The other party in the deal was ' Mad Captain ' Connors Victor, who is said to have close ties with many human traffickers and slave traders in Loen."
" Mad Captain " Connors Victor... Klein remembered this nickname and name.
He nodded, his voice no longer so deep, but rather quite gentle, and asked:
Have you ever been involved in anything similar? Have you ever worked part-time as a pirate?
The polite and friendly tone sent a chill down Danitz's spine as he drove, realizing that a similar demeanor from Gehrman Sparrow was even more terrifying than his cold and expressionless one.
"No." Elaine shook her head. "I have the blood of the Sauron Family flowing in my veins. I will not bring shame upon the family. Besides, and besides, Tracy always said that she would not let me be tainted by blood or see the darkness; she would face it all herself."
She's been reading too many romance novels... Klein took out a gold coin and let it roll between his fingers, as if it were dancing.
He didn't hide it from Elaine; he performed Divination in front of her to confirm whether she was lying.
The answer is that the other party was fairly honest.
This is also because I didn't ask her specifically about her relationship with Tracy, otherwise she wouldn't have been so frank... Klein sighed inwardly and put away the gold coins.
At this point, the carriage also circled around to the port, but it was no longer at the location of the ship Elaine had booked.
Klein glanced at the scenery outside the window, took out a small metal bottle, and handed it to Elaine, saying:
"Use the liquid inside to remove your makeup."
"Why?" Elaine asked instinctively.
"That's not a question for you to ask," Klein said, leaning forward again, his face expressionless.
Elaine felt a bit aggrieved and angry, but she didn't want to escalate the conflict at this crucial moment, so she could only unscrew the cap, smell the contents, and test for toxicity.
"Use it directly?" she asked.
Klein simply hummed in agreement.
Elaine took out a white handkerchief, poured the liquid from the small metal bottle onto it, and then wiped her face, quickly removing her previous disguise.
The androgynous beauty disappeared, her facial features softened, and Elaine's original appearance was revealed to Klein.
After looking at it carefully for a while, Klein said calmly:
Take off your hat and let your hair down.
Elaine's brows furrowed suddenly, sensing that she was about to receive an order she couldn't accept, such as being asked to take off her clothes.
She took a deep breath, removed her hat, and let her red hair down, instantly looking very graceful.
Klein straightened up, leaned back against the wall, and gave the order in his usual tone:
"You can redo your disguise now."
Is this person Lunatic? After all this trouble, they've gone back to the Original? Elaine was furious but dared not speak out, worried that the other party would make some bad demands. She quickly opened her suitcase, took out a mirror, and looked at herself.
She was stunned for a moment because her makeup was so clean, then quickly did her makeup and styled her hair.
When the carriage came to a stop, she had transformed back into a handsome young man.
Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, glanced out the window, and slowly looked back, saying:
"One last question."
"What?" Elaine asked nervously.
Klein raised his gaze slightly, and his facial muscles twitched:
How big are your breasts really?
"..." Elaine was taken aback at first, then her face turned red.
This wasn't a blush of shyness, but rather the kind of blush that comes from wanting to punch someone in the chin.
Klein's gaze didn't waver; he calmly added:
This is an academic question.
Seeing no lust in the other person's eyes, Elaine took a breath, closed her eyes, and answered the question.
Klein quietly breathed a sigh of relief and took out a ship ticket and a stack of papers:
"New identification documents, and a ferry ticket to Tiana Port."
"Once we get there, we'll buy tickets for Pritz Harbor."
Elaine glanced at him warily, took the ticket and documents, picked up her suitcase, and carefully stepped off the carriage, where she saw the ship she would be boarding.
Klein followed behind her, watching her leave, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Danitz was struggling to hold back his laughter.