Chapter 104: Farewell and Reunion
by cnwebnovels.comChapter 104: Farewell and Reunion
“What? He knows me?” The fat Apothecary called Darkwill shuddered in shock and asked in a low voice.
The owl’s round eyes stared ahead.
“I noticed that after he walked in and saw you, he obviously froze for two seconds.”
“Perhaps he just thought my appearance did not fit the image of an Apothecary in his mind?” the fat Apothecary stubbornly argued.
The owl’s wings spread and then dropped.
“If that is what you want to think, there is nothing I can do.”
“…What books have you been reading lately?” The fat on the Apothecary’s face twitched.
The owl answered with a serious, dignified expression.
“My reading preferences depend on your level of knowledge.
“Unfortunately, the words you know and can teach me number only so many. I have no choice but to read popular novels that demand a comparatively low vocabulary.
“And besides, they are all serialized in the newspapers.”
The fat Apothecary Darkwill gave a cold laugh.
“I will go buy a cookbook later. Its title will be A Culinary Guide to Eastern Balam Birds.”
Without waiting for the owl to speak again, he sank into thought and muttered to himself, “He knows me? He looks like a standard Loenese, at least with more than half Loen blood.
“I once stayed in several cities in Loen under false names. It is not strange that someone might know me, but I still need to be more vigilant. If there is still no news of the old man before March, I will have to leave this place…”
As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at the owl on his shoulder.
“At certain times, you are still rather useful.”
“No. Your eyes and body language tell me that what you are truly thinking is: Damn it, I clearly wanted a pet that could help me deal with monsters and gang thugs. I gathered potion formulas and Beyonder materials according to dragon standards, and in the end, I actually got a stupid bird that only knows how to read newspapers and plays. Damn it, I wish I could feed it another potion!” Like a parrot, the owl vividly imitated the fat Apothecary’s tone.
The fat Apothecary Darkwill’s expression stiffened for several seconds. Then he gave a heh-heh laugh.
“It is good that you understand, stupid bird!
“If not for my Beast Tamer abilities, you would not have survived even one potion!”
Inside the herbal shop, both man and animal fell silent at the same time.
After a long while, the owl pretended that nothing had happened and said, “Darkwill, is this really useful? You have already commissioned dozens of adventurers.”
“I am not good at finding people. I can only commission them. And I will only pay if they truly find him or confirm the old man’s whereabouts. Not a penny more!” the fat Apothecary clicked his tongue, then sighed. “The old man always calls himself a lucky one and a winner of fate. Nothing should have happened to him…”
…
“Will the medicine made from these things really work?” On the carriage returning to the Azure Wind Inn, Danitz looked at the paper bag Klein had placed beside him.
Inside were blackish herbs, bizarrely shaped insect shells, and strangely colored flowers. They looked decidedly unreliable.
Klein nodded.
“It will.”
“You have not even drunk it before…” Danitz subconsciously retorted.
I trust the fat Apothecary. Although his mouth is rather foul and poisonous, his heart is still relatively kind… Besides, Captain Elland also thinks his medicine is effective enough… As Gehrman Sparrow, Klein gave no response to Danitz’s questioning. He simply picked up the paper bag and tossed it over.
No words were needed. Danitz understood what the fellow opposite him meant: you boil the medicine.
And recently, he had grown used to doing similar things. He did not feel the slightest impulse to resist.
After returning to the Azure Wind Inn, Klein found a chair and sat down, watching Danitz light the fireplace, hang up a clay pot, add water, and add the herbs.
Leaning back, Klein felt his head grow heavy and dizzy. His entire body was exhausted, as though he might fall asleep at any moment.
To wait until the medicine was finished and resolve the illness as quickly as possible, he forced himself to think through various issues to fight the drowsiness.
“Thinking carefully, in this battle against Vice Admiral Ailment, if I had not succeeded in the ambush and suppressed her from the very start, preventing her from ever entering her strongest rhythm until she finally had a chance to turn invisible and pull apart distance, I might not have been her match.
“The combination of invisibility and disease is truly broken. Add in an Assassin’s fatal strike and Pleasure’s restraint and interference, and it becomes a nightmare. One cannot find her when trying to fight; one cannot escape when trying to run. One can only watch helplessly as one’s body weakens bit by bit, as all kinds of diseases are contracted, and perhaps even be charmed by her, giving up all resistance…
“On one hand, this is because every Sequence 5 is extremely powerful, as expected of a level close to demigodhood. On the other hand, the abilities inside Creeping Hunger still have obvious flaws in their combination and are far from comprehensive or free of shortcomings.
“Mm. The Sequence 5 Marionettist of the Seer pathway is extremely good at countering invisibility…
“I can also help the fat Apothecary look for his teacher in passing. But with insufficient intelligence and almost only a photograph as reference, I can only rely on luck and see whether I directly encounter some clue at some point. After all, I am not a god. I cannot find a person out of thin air…
“Wait. In a certain sense, I actually am a god!
“I can have Sea God’s believers help search. As long as that old gentleman named Roy King has been to Bayam, he would have encountered someone and been seen by someone. Most local natives secretly believe in Sea God… This is what one calls the vast ocean of the masses.
“Also, before Captain Elland leaves Bayam, I can ask him to introduce a military contact. If I have any news in the future, I can seek reimbursement from them. Incidentally, I can have them check registered passenger records over the last few months and see whether Roy King’s name appears.
“There is also another method. The wireless telegraph receiver has been above the gray fog for a while. Once I take it down, I should be able to contact the magic mirror Arrodes. I had originally planned to ask for Elaine’s whereabouts, but since there is no longer any need to find that red-haired lady, I can switch the question to Roy King.
“Heh. Something most adventurers would have no idea how to approach, and I actually have three full methods to find him!”
…
As thoughts rushed through his mind, Klein finally endured until the medicine had been brewed successfully.
Looking at the bottle of dark-green, almost black liquid Danitz brought over, he hesitated for two seconds, then still reached out, took it, and brought it to his mouth.
Gulp!
Klein instantly felt as though his throat had been burned by fire, and his face flushed red all at once.
It reminded him of the feeling of trying absurdly spicy food in his previous life.
All of a sudden, his entire being became alert, and his blocked nose rapidly cleared.
Gulp, gulp… He forced himself to finish it and actually developed the illusion that his illness had already half recovered.
By evening, he was completely cured and no longer held the slightest doubt toward the abilities of an Apothecary.
No wonder the potion’s name is Apothecary… Klein put on his hat and left the inn with Danitz. Under the night sky, they exited Bayam and arrived at the hidden private harbor concealed on the other side of the jungle.
Tonight, the Golden Dream would provide aid to the rebels.
After a round of coordination and busy arrangements, Danitz used the Spirit Descent Ritual to contact Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina.
After another long while, that always neat and tidy ship with a strange main cannon sailed into the private harbor. Upon its enormous canvas flag were drawn five different gold coins: Loen’s gold pound, Feysac’s gold horn, Intis’s verl d’or, Feynapotter’s gold riso, and Lenburg’s sasen gold.
This was the flag of the Golden Dream, and also the symbol of this pirate crew.
Still not professional enough. If it were me, I would add Masin’s poten gold, Segar’s zloty, the patterned gold coins of the Balam Empire, and so on and so forth… Klein stood at the side with both hands in his pockets, watching Edwina Edwards appear at the prow.
At that moment, she wore a hunter’s cap, a cinched rider’s shirt, and a black coat, matching very well the image of a female pirate general in the minds of the rebels.
Her usual clothing would only make people think she was a governess… Klein muttered, then stepped back several paces, letting Danitz run everywhere and handle all the work.
With the hard coordination of this great pirate whose bounty reached 5,500 pounds, batches of food and cloth were delivered into the hands of Kalat and the other rebels, and the transaction came to an end.
Danitz quietly inhaled, came to Klein’s side, piled up a smile, and asked, “There is nothing else, right?
“I can return to the Golden Dream now, yes?
“And how should we calculate your employment fee for these few days?”
That was only an excuse your captain and I found. In a certain sense, this batch of food and cloth is my payment… Klein nodded.
“Your captain has already paid.
“You may return.”
“Really?” Danitz almost could not believe it.
Although Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina was not far behind him, he still feared that Gehrman Sparrow might suddenly go mad.
Klein did not answer him. Turning around, he directly walked toward the road leading away from the private harbor.
Danitz let out a soundless breath. Holding back his excitement, he quickly ran back to the Golden Dream.
Only after the ship gradually sailed away into the night, and the rebels’ private harbor grew smaller and smaller, did he truly confirm that he had returned to the Golden Dream.
In that instant, he felt that too many things had happened over the past half month. The unprecedented excitement was almost like a splendid dream.
At that moment, a sailor moved closer and asked curiously, “Boss, did you really kill Steel Maviti?”
Danitz immediately laughed loudly, secretly glanced at Captain Edwina nearby, and said to his subordinate, “In that matter, I made an important contribution. Let us talk while drinking!”
Across the dark sea, the Golden Dream sailed farther and farther away.
…
After returning to the Azure Wind Inn, Klein was just about to sleep when the colors around him suddenly became unusually vivid.
The white bedsheet became even whiter, the brown floor grew even more yellow-brown, and the dark-red curtains looked like blood…
Amid the overlapping blocks of color, Azik Eggers stepped out from ripples that suddenly appeared in the empty air.
He was dressed as usual in a shirt, bow tie, tailcoat, and top hat. His skin was bronze, and his features were gentle.
I really envy that… I want the ability to travel through the spirit world too… Klein sighed inwardly, maintaining his appearance unchanged as he smiled in greeting.
“Good evening, Mr. Azik.”
Azik removed his top hat, glanced at that rather unfamiliar face, and chuckled without surprise.
“My apologies. I came too hastily. I should have gone outside and knocked first.
“What exactly is going on with that batch of documents related to Death?”
Klein invited him to sit while describing in detail the matters he could not fully expand upon in the letter. At the end, he casually mentioned the matter of Bansy Harbor, saying that it involved the King of Angels Medici and His descendants.
Azik leaned back against the chair, frowning slightly.
“I remember that name. He should have two titles: Red Angel and War Angel…
“However, He fell long ago.”
“Fell long ago?” Klein asked in astonishment.
Azik nodded and thought hard.
“I remember that He was killed by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor.”
Killed by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor? Klein’s pupils shrank, and he abruptly thought of the evil spirit that had wandered for more than a thousand years inside Backlund’s underground ruin.
It had claimed to be an innocent victim murdered by the Blood Emperor!