Chapter 96: “Hijacking”

Chapter 96: “Hijacking”

Bayam, the City of Generosity, inside the Intis Consulate.

Elaine sat before the dressing table, looking at her beautiful yet slightly haggard self in the mirror. She remained dazed for several minutes.

The time since she had escaped the Black Death had been full of both expectation and torment. She feared that one careless moment would lead to pirates or adventurers discovering her, causing her to be captured by Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy and taken back, completely losing her freedom and never again being able to return to her homeland and her original life.

Only after relying on the remaining connections of her family, hiding inside her homeland’s consulate, and obtaining a ticket to leave the sea did she relax somewhat.

But that was still not enough to make her heart steady and at ease. She believed that everything would only truly be over once she had set foot on the Northern Continent.

Thinking of this, Elaine could not help lifting her right hand to touch the skin of her cheek, which was not especially fair but healthy enough. She discovered that it had become much finer than during her time as a maritime merchant, giving her the illusion of time reversing and returning her to her maiden years.

In truth, after entering the Intis Consulate, she had another option besides fleeing the sea: cooperating with the Church of Storms, the Loen military, and some spies within the consulate, using herself as bait to capture Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy.

But she thought about it for a very long time and ultimately gave up on the plan. She even asked an old friend of an elder in her family, who served as the military attaché of the consulate, not to reveal to anyone that she was hiding there.

No matter what, she never truly caused me real harm. In many ways, she would even compromise with me and satisfy me… except every night, every night… And that was, that was only on the surface… Amid her memories, Elaine’s cheeks suddenly flushed red.

Those intoxicating nights, the burning heat of entangled limbs, that unimaginable pleasure—they swept through her mind. For a brief moment, she found it difficult to calm down.

Elaine slowly inhaled, then exhaled at length.

She shook her head and let her yearning for freedom, her nostalgia for her homeland, and her longing for her relatives once again occupy her heart.

She looked at herself in the mirror again and wound her hanging red hair up in coil after coil.

Then she painted her brows darker and straighter, strengthening the shadows to make her face appear more contoured and its lines deeper.

After such makeup, Elaine became slightly more androgynous, carrying a sharp heroic air.

She removed her clothes, wrapped cloth strips around her chest to flatten it, then put on a white shirt, black waistcoat, men’s trousers, and a double-breasted long formal coat.

Finally, she picked up a silk top hat, placed it on her head, and hid all of her coiled red hair.

At that moment, the person in the mirror looked more like a handsome young man than a woman, especially with those emerald eyes, which seemed exceptionally suited to this kind of attire, carrying a charming depth.

Elaine waited patiently for a while, until someone knocked on the door.

She picked up her luggage, opened the door, and followed the old friend of her family elder all the way to a side gate in the consulate garden.

A carriage had already stopped there. It would take her to the harbor, where she would board a passenger liner bound for Loen’s Pritz Harbor, from which she would detour back to Intis.

Elaine possessed extraordinary anti-tracking skills. She carefully examined her surroundings, including the carriage driver.

A local native. Thin but wiry. Does not like wearing a hat. Compared to when I saw him before, his facial features have not changed much. His expression is a little nervous, which is normal… After finishing her confirmation, Elaine thanked the old friend of her family elder, carried her luggage, and boarded the carriage.

As the wheels began turning, she pressed her lips together and looked out the window. Intis sycamore trees swept quickly backward one after another.

For a moment, she almost felt as though she had returned to Trier.

It was a sunny metropolis situated between the Laine River and the Serenzo River, with bright scenery, many varieties of roses, and a flourishing world of arts and culture. It was a sacred land for painters, musicians, and novelists.

It was the capital of Intis, the first true world-class metropolis after Emperor Roselle’s reconstruction, and it was also Elaine’s hometown: the place where she had grown up, the city she often saw in dreams and wept for.

After an unknown length of time, Elaine suddenly felt that something was wrong, because the surrounding streets were becoming colder, quieter, and more remote.

Although she had been a maritime merchant and spent most of her time active on the Fog Sea rather than being familiar with Bayam of the Sonia Sea, the Sequence 9 Hunter brought her enough alertness.

“Is this the right route?” Elaine shifted position and cautiously asked the carriage driver.

She was ready at any moment to jump out of the carriage and ready at any moment to condense a fireball.

The driver did not turn back. Looking at the road ahead, he gave a flattering smile.

“Honorable miss, this route is closer and less likely to be congested.

“You know, Bayam was built many years ago. Back then, there were not as many people or carriages, so many streets are very narrow. Around noon and evening, traffic jams happen very easily. Walking can be faster than riding in a carriage.”

Is that so? Elaine thought for a moment and accepted the explanation, because she had encountered similar situations in many cities.

Trier is still better. When Emperor Roselle renovated the old districts, he had the foresight to widen the roads. Even today, they are still enough for use… Elaine had only just had that thought when she suddenly heard the stallion pulling the carriage neigh, seemingly in pain.

“Please wait a moment. It seems to have stepped on something.” The driver pulled the carriage to the side of the road and jumped down by himself.

At first, Elaine did not think this was anything unusual. But with a sweep from the corner of her eye, she saw that this was a silent alley with no one inside it.

Her nerves tightened at once. Without hesitation, she prepared to smash through the carriage compartment and roll outside.

No matter whether this was an overreaction, she believed she had to do it.

Just then, an intense terror suddenly surged from deep within her heart, as though she had been targeted by a monster starving to the extreme.

That pressure originating from the level of spirituality made her hesitate, no longer daring to act rashly.

Immediately afterward, she heard a deep voice.

“I will not harm you.

“I will ask a few questions.”

Thoughts surged through Elaine’s mind. She quickly weighed the choices she could currently make.

In the end, under that immense and terrifying pressure, she did not blindly flee. She sat back down in her original place.

She planned to adjust her action plan bit by bit according to how things developed.

The carriage door opened. The thin, wiry local driver stepped inside and sat opposite Elaine. It was none other than Faceless Klein.

In order to play the role of a carriage driver, he had specifically practiced how to control horses and carriages—skills he had not had time to truly learn while in the Nighthawks team back in Tingen. Because time was tight, his mastery was not sufficient, so he had to use Creeping Hunger’s aura to successfully make the horse obedient.

At the same time, Danitz, who had been hiding nearby, ran over and sat in the driver’s seat, taking over the carriage.

His round felt hat was pressed very low, and his clothes made him look like a true carriage driver.

Elaine bent her back warily, ready to leap out like a cheetah at any moment.

She felt the man across from her slowly sweep his gaze over her forehead, brows, eyes, nose, mouth, neck, chest, waist, abdomen, and legs, making her extremely uncomfortable.

She had seen similar gazes and similar methods of sizing people up in Intis, in Trier, and during her years of roaming the sea. They belonged to thugs and disgusting fellows, filled with lust.

But strangely, this time, she did not feel insulted. Nor did she think the other party wanted to tear off her clothes and fantasize about certain abnormal scenes.

It was more like he was studying food… as though an icy, slick snake were sliding over my skin… Elaine finally could no longer bear it and took the initiative to speak.

“What do you want to ask?”

Having fully grasped the other party’s physical features, Klein leaned forward. His arms rested naturally on his thighs, and his hands loosely clasped together.

“Have you heard of a man named Jimmy Necker?”

Elaine recalled for several seconds, then shook her head firmly in denial.

Frowning slightly, she asked in confusion, “Have you found the wrong person?”

“He was a wealthy merchant, one who enjoyed collecting things. Did you hear of anyone similar while with Tracy?” Klein asked again.

Tracy… Elaine silently sighed and answered seriously, “No. She never mentioned a wealthy merchant who liked collecting things.”

Klein looked into the red-haired woman’s eyes and spoke in an unhurried tone.

“Then did her room contain ancient documents from the Balam Empire of the Southern Continent?”

“No. She is not someone who likes reading those kinds of materials. She hates reading books. Even novels had to be read aloud to her by me.” As Elaine spoke, a faint bitter smile appeared on her face.

“What novels did she read?” Klein asked without changing his tone.

“Roselle’s classics, and popular love stories nowadays,” Elaine answered openly.

Klein nodded.

“Does she have a collection room?”

“Yes, but no one is allowed to enter except her and a few mysterious visitors. That includes me,” Elaine said, recalling.

Klein fell silent for several seconds, keeping his posture unchanged.

“Tell me your story.”

“Mine?” Elaine pointed at herself in surprise.

Klein nodded lightly and did not repeat himself.

Elaine stared blankly for a while before saying, “My story is very simple.

“My father was a member of Intis’s former royal family, the Sauron family. He was given a rather large fortune, but he became addicted to alcohol, mistresses, marijuana, and gambling, eventually losing everything.

“To repay his debts, I chose to accept certain conditions from the family, became a Beyonder, and went out to sea as a maritime merchant.”