Looking at the bar, so quiet you could hear some people breathing, Klein paused for two seconds before stepping inside, acting as if nothing had happened, and went straight to the bar.
"Next time I'll have to do something different..." he thought to himself in frustration, almost covering his face with his hands.
Previously, Oakov was unaware that Gehrman Sparrow had successfully hunted " The Slaughterer " Gillschies, leading Klein to believe that his latest news had not yet reached " City of Generosity." Therefore, he confidently arrived at " Seaweed Bar." However, the problem was that Oakov was far from the adventurer circle, and the news was somewhat delayed. The infamous reputation of the mad adventurer had already spread among the pirates near the Rorsted Archipelago.
With a silent sigh, Klein sat down at the bar, tapped the wooden board with his finger, and said:
"One glass of Southville beer."
"...6 pence." The bartender swallowed hard.
Klein took out a few copper pennies and placed them in front of him, asking without changing his expression:
What's been going on lately?
The bartender accepted the penny, carefully handed the beer to Gehrman Sparrow, and then forced a smile, saying:
" Amyrius Rieveldt has been transferred back to Backlund, Robert Davis has taken his place as the Kingdom's Supreme Commander of the Navy in this region. The situation across the archipelago is somewhat tense, and many pirate groups have sent people to inquire about the situation."
Amyrius was ultimately implicated by his brother and lost his current position... However, as long as he wasn't directly involved, given his Demigod status, things won't get any worse. At least his admiral's status will be preserved, and his family won't face any problems. Once things calm down, he might even have a chance to continue serving in a high-ranking position in the navy... Klein gulped down a beer and casually asked:
"Which family does Robert Davis belong to?"
"No, he wasn't of noble birth. He's one of the few who rose through the ranks from the lowest officer to the rank of general, earning countless merits in the Raging Sea, on Sonia Island, and in East Balam." The bartender recalled the recent newspaper praise for Robert Davis, then paused and added, "However, I've heard he received patronage from several nobles."
Well, in the current Royal Navy, at least 80% of the generals come from royal or noble families, or have close ties with royal or noble families, and the remaining 20% are basically concentrated at the level of brigadier general and rear admiral... Klein already knew about this situation from the documents from Amyrius Rieveldt.
In comparison, the army is much better off.
Seeing that Gehrman Sparrow didn't ask any more questions and seemed to be focused on drinking, the bartender changed the subject and said:
"In the past two or three months, the resistance has been very active, constantly trying to sabotage railways or block highways, causing the Governor's Office a great headache. They have had to send a large number of troops to protect transportation, but the resistance has rarely clashed with them directly."
I know that, it's all going according to my plan... In a place where the population of natives and mixed-race people accounts for as much as 80%, it's not too difficult for the resistance to get accurate intelligence. With external funding, they can survive for a short time without much problem. The reason they were in danger was because that sea serpent, Kavithua, was irrational and always sent them to attack cities and seize key points, fighting head-on with the navy and army of the Kingdom of Loen... Klein muttered a few words and took another sip of beer in a good mood.
He also warned the rebels not to be too active. If they pushed the governor's mansion into a very difficult situation, the Kingdom of Loen might send Sequence 5 expert, or even Demigod- level Beyonder, to assist them. The rebels would have no chance against that. Under Klein's instructions in the name of " Sea God," they were to maintain and slightly improve the status quo, and wait for the world situation to change.
This won't be too far off. Based on the various reports from "Miss Justice," " The Hanged Man " has made a definitive judgment: as long as the Kingdom of Loen completes its internal bureaucratic system reform and brings its existing and newly added ironclad fleets into combat capability, a war against the Southern Continent colonies will be inevitable.
After quietly drinking and listening to the bartender's story, Klein put on his hat, got up from the bar, and returned to his hotel.
Along the way, he saw children with bronze skin and slightly curly hair, and indigenous people dressed in brown jackets and wide-legged trousers. These people either avoided him in fear, not daring to look up, or shrank to the side, staring at Klein with complicated eyes.
Klein gave a helpless smirk and silently returned to his hotel room.
He didn't immediately change his appearance and go to various bars to look for pirates, because those guys would definitely be hiding tonight and wouldn't show up again.
Just as Klein was about to explore Groselle's Travels, there was a sudden knocking on his door.
Without asking any questions, simply by grasping the handle, the image of the visitor naturally appeared in his mind:
A middle-aged man, wearing a dark red coat and white trousers, with a boat-shaped hat, and noticeable wrinkles around his eyes, forehead, and mouth, was none other than the captain of the " White Agate," a military officer, and the Fair Elland.
"That's impressive. The news of my appearance in Bayam barely spread before they found out which hotel and room I was staying in... Of course, it's also because I didn't try to hide it and registered directly with my identification documents..." Klein turned the handle, pulled back the door, and politely began:
"Good evening."
"Good evening, it's good to see you back in Bayam." Elland took off his hat and entered the room without any hesitation.
"Is there something you need?" Klein pulled up a chair and sat down.
Elland then sat down opposite him and chuckled softly:
Isn't visiting friends the most important thing?
"What a smooth talker! It's a pity Anderson is gone, otherwise I'd have to let him come and learn from him!" Klein remarked with a touch of melancholy.
He maintained his usual posture, looking directly into Elland's eyes, and said:
"Alright, you've finished your visit."
Elland seemed to have anticipated this answer, and smiled, saying:
Do you remember Donna?
Of course, she and her brother are both adorable. I wonder if they've recovered from the trauma of my "threats" and lost their curiosity about the mysterious world... Klein calmly replied:
I don't have amnesia.
"Forgetting some unimportant things is good for our mental health, haha, that's not a quote from Emperor Roselle," Elland explained simply. "Didn't you tell Donna's father that if he needed help, he should place an advertisement in the * Sonia Morning Post * for three consecutive days seeking Damir's special cured meat? He did that recently, but unfortunately you weren't in Bayam, or in the nearby waters."
"And then?" Seeing Elland's relaxed demeanor, Klein instinctively believed that Donna's family had not encountered anything too serious.
Elland chuckled:
"I overheard your conversation and after seeing the advertisement, I went to visit them at the address. You know, Donna is a lovely little girl who always reminds me of my daughter."
"The matter is not complicated. Uldi, who is Donna's father, had a shipment of very valuable goods stolen by ' The Mad Captain,' which has put him in a very bad financial situation. Although he will not go bankrupt, life will definitely be much more difficult. So he wants to entrust you to retrieve the goods."
"I know you weren't in Bayam at the time, so I had to use my own channels to get the goods back for Uldi at a relatively low cost."
" The Mad Captain "? Klein first thought the nickname sounded familiar, then he remembered where he had heard it before.
According to Elaine the Red, Vice Admiral Ailment," Tracy handed over the slaves transported by the Demoness Sect to " Mad Captain " Connors Victor, who seemed to have close ties with many slave traders and human traffickers in the Kingdom of Loen.
This involves the truth behind the missing persons cases in the colonies and the Great Smog of Backlund!
I've always wanted to investigate this matter. Half of my purpose in attacking Tracy was related to this, but unfortunately, I failed. Later, I was busy with the Acting of digestion and searching for the mermaid, so I temporarily abandoned the investigation... Klein's thoughts raced, but he calmly asked:
Where is ' Mad Captain ' now?
" Uldi has retrieved the goods," Elland hissed, emphasizing that the matter was resolved.
Klein looked at him and repeated:
Where is Connors Victor now?
Elland shook his head helplessly:
"I don't know, but he has men still gathering information in Bayam. You know, Amyrius has returned to Backlund, and Davis has arrived. A lot of things will change, and the pirates need to keep up with the latest developments."
"Therefore, I guess Qonas ' ship is probably anchored in the shadow of some nearby island, but this is just a guess and cannot be confirmed at all."
Klein listened quietly with his hands clasped together.
"Thanks."
Elland exhaled, glanced out the window, and his expression quickly turned serious:
"I've come to see you today to tell you that you've stood out too much, and the higher-ups have started to pay close attention to you. A strongman who can easily kill Gillschies will not be ignored!"
"You'd better not use this identity to register for accommodations again, otherwise you might encounter some difficult problems."
Klein nodded seriously and said:
"OK."
He was grateful for Captain Elland's reminder, but he didn't show it.
Once Captain Elland left, Klein immediately changed his appearance, switching hotels to ensure his whereabouts were not tracked by the military.
Having done all this, he began to think about finding ' Mad Captain ' Connors Victor.
This would be very difficult for others, but Klein had a clever way of doing it.
That is to use the " Sea God Scepter " to communicate with the sea creatures in the nearby waters!
As long as Connors Victor is in the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago, he won't escape Klein's notice!
Of course, this assumes there is enough time to search.
P. S.: Updated first, revised later.