Chapter 35: The City of Generosity

Chapter 35: The City of Generosity

Backlund, Cherwood Borough.

As the crimson light before her eyes faded, Fors once again saw the familiar desk and the open notebook where she recorded her inspirations.

To her, this experience no longer held any novelty, yet it still filled her with reverence from the depths of her heart.

This was power that did not belong to humans. Not even a demigod could do this!

“The Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch will arrive in two days, and my Apprentice potion has already been digested… Finally, I’m about to become a Trickmaster. I wonder what kind of Beyonder abilities I’ll gain… If I advance through my own efforts, Teacher will definitely value me more. After that, apart from potion formulas, he should provide more or less some Beyonder materials as well… I’m looking forward to it. I don’t even know what the corresponding Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 are called. I only know Sequence 7 is Astrologer. Once I become a Trickmaster, I’ll immediately write to Teacher…” Fors felt she had taken another step closer to escaping the curse of the full moon.

At that moment, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps move from near to far, finally ending in the clang of the front door.

“Xio went out again. She really is busy,” Fors sighed soundlessly. “If not for the 400 pounds she has to repay Viscount Glaint, we would probably be vacationing in Desi Bay right now.”

After a long period of hard work, aided by the improvement in her strength that made certain previously impossible commissions simple, and by the occasional well-paid minor tasks from the golden-masked man, Xio had raised her savings from 110 pounds to 320 pounds. She was only 80 pounds away from paying off the debt.

Actually, I could help her cover that remaining 80 pounds first. Unfortunately, although she is not tall, her pride is very strong… Fors withdrew her thoughts and began considering the commission Mr. World had given her.

As a doctor and a writer, she did not understand much about wireless telegraphy, or even the entire field of machinery. She normally did not pay attention to such content while reading newspapers either, so she had no idea where to buy the receiving device he wanted.

“A department store? Probably not… Ah, right. Avelle writes science-fiction novels. He should know quite a bit about this sort of thing.” Fors quickly found someone to ask.

But she immediately encountered a new problem: should she visit him directly, or write a letter to inquire?

Glancing at the armchair covered in a thick, soft blanket, smelling the coffee and tobacco fragrance that filled the room, and feeling the warmth slowly creeping through the air, Fors’s motivation to leave the house disintegrated bit by bit.

“I’m not that familiar with him. It would be improper to visit rashly.” She muttered this as she sat down and spread out a sheet of writing paper.

…

City of Silver, the Berg residence.

Derrick opened his eyes and woke from his feigned sleep.

According to his original plan, this was when he should perform the sacrificial ritual and send out the Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch. But The Hanged Man’s words had reminded him, causing him to decide to be a bit more cautious and observe a little longer.

Uh… I should first gather all the materials Mr. Hanged Man wants, then complete the sacrifice all at once… Derrick was silent for a few seconds. He fastened the Hurricane Axe to himself and headed straight for the spire.

He first checked the current item records at the merit exchange point. He did not rush to complete the transaction, planning to wait until the lightning in the sky lessened before visiting the underground market.

Derrick climbed to the third floor and went directly to the library’s mythology, legends, and ancient classics section, hunger driving him to search for valuable knowledge he had not yet learned.

Suddenly, he saw a book with a hard, yellowed cover:

Hand-Copied Collection of the Black Rock Book of the Giant King’s Court.

Records passed down directly from the Giant King’s Court? I wonder if there is anything related to the Kings of Angels… Derrick reached out and pulled the book free, discovering that it was bound from sheet after sheet of brown monster-skin parchment.

At that moment, on the upper level of the library, Colin Iliad, dressed in a linen shirt and a brown coat, stood silently, watching the area below.

His unkempt graying hair was gently stirred by wind entering through the window. His light-blue eyes were deep and restrained.

…

January 12, Wednesday, 5:40 p.m.

The sky was dim. The clouds curled and coiled. Deep-blue waves rose and fell, surging high and low.

In this scene that preceded the coming storm, the White Agate rose and sank as though it were a toy in the palm of a giant.

“This is the sea. No matter how powerful a force may be, it seems tiny before it.” Danitz stood by the window, admiring the scene outside. “Fortunately, we are about to reach the City of Generosity.”

After leaving Bansy Harbor, the White Agate’s voyage had remained rather smooth. With help from the wind, its speed held steadily at fifteen knots. As a result, it had arrived at Tiana Harbor only slightly later than the scheduled time, and would complete the whole journey half a day earlier than normal.

In other words, the White Agate, which had originally been expected to reach the City of Generosity on the morning of the 13th, would arrive on the evening of the 12th.

Hearing Danitz’s sigh, Klein merely raised his head and glanced at him, then withdrew his gaze and continued his contemplation.

The more he acted as Gehrman Sparrow, and the more he had to force himself at certain moments to behave in ways that matched the persona, the more profoundly he understood what sort of person he himself was. When facing different situations, the choices he truly wished to make were not the same as Gehrman Sparrow’s.

For instance, the normal him would respond to Danitz right now, casually chatting about the weather at sea and the disasters caused by terrifying storms. But Gehrman Sparrow would not. He would certainly treat it coldly, remain reserved, and say nothing.

“The more these contrasts appear, the more clearly I can recognize myself.” Klein sighed sincerely in his heart.

This was an experience he had not had while moving as the private detective Sherlock Moriarty, because back then, he had not needed to disguise his personality. He only needed to be himself.

I feel like my potion has digested a little… But Gehrman Sparrow also has places where he overlaps with me. At the very least, when I chose to disembark and enter Bansy Harbor to save people, I and this identity were completely aligned. There was no difference… Of course, one could also say that I added a degree of persona for myself: beneath refinement and madness is a kind, brave, compassionate heart that values emotions. Heh, boasting is not good. If I had known beforehand that Bansy was Binsy, I—I probably would have chickened out… Not necessarily. At the time, the danger divined was still within an acceptable range… Klein reflected, half summarizing and half mocking himself.

This made him understand a question even more clearly. Although acting as a purely fictional person could also help digest the potion, to increase the speed and improve the progress, one truly had to replace an identity that originally existed, obtain the acknowledgement of that person’s relationships, experience the corresponding joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and immerse oneself without becoming lost.

Become anyone, but ultimately return to myself? And receive feedback from the corresponding people? Klein looked at the pale-yellow carpet, countless thoughts moving through his mind.

Seeing that Gehrman Sparrow offered no response, Danitz helplessly spread his hands and felt a choking frustration.

Apart from making me do servant work, this lunatic is actually fine in every other respect. There is only one thing: he does not like talking. He has communication issues. If this continues, I will definitely go mad because of him… Fortunately, fortunately, we are finally about to reach Bayam. I can finally be freed! Danitz felt that, sooner or later, he would develop the habit of talking to himself amid the other man’s silences.

After a while, he saw Gehrman Sparrow raise his head, smile, and speak.

“You may now tell me what pirate contact points there are in Bayam.”

…Shit! You are better off not speaking! Danitz’s expression instantly twisted.

Woo!

At 6:15 in the evening, before the storm arrived, the White Agate smoothly entered port, reaching Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago—the City of Generosity.

This place was also known as the Spice Islands, possessing all kinds of strange and exotic spices. Plantations in this field formed the pillar of its economy.

Among them, Blue Mountain Island, where Bayam was located, occupied over half the total land area of the archipelago. It had gold, silver, copper, coal, iron, and other mineral deposits, dense forest coverage, many varieties of fruit, and extraordinarily fertile soil. Precisely because of this, the first colonists named the coastal city they built the “City of Generosity,” believing it to be a treasure land promised by the gods, flowing with milk and honeyed wine.

Klein picked up the suitcase Danitz had packed, left Room 312, and entered the passage leading to the deck.

As expected, he encountered Donna’s family, Cleeves, and the others.

After being frightened earlier, the two siblings were still somewhat afraid of Klein. They half hid behind their parents and bodyguards, not daring to speak, like deflated balloons.

Klein nodded lightly, counting it as a greeting.

At that moment, Urdi Branch hesitated for a second, then stepped half a pace forward.

“Mr. Sparrow, will you be staying in Bayam?

“If I wish to hire—no, ask you for help, how should I contact you?”

As expected of an adventurous merchant. Even while afraid, he still wants to befriend someone with Beyonder powers… Klein thought for a moment and asked, “What newspapers are there here?”

“The archipelago mainly circulates the Sonia Morning Post and the News Journal,” Urdi answered without needing to think.

“Place an advertisement in the Sonia Morning Post for three consecutive days, saying that you wish to purchase Damir special cured meat, and leave an address. I will come find you. If I do not appear after three days, it means I have gone out to sea again.” Klein gave him a one-way contact method with considerable caution.

“Alright.” Urdi breathed out and smiled.

Cleeves and the others expressed their thanks once more and left the cabin in orderly fashion.

Seeing the gangway come into view, Donna suddenly slowed her steps and shrank back to Klein’s side. Lifting her face, she bit her lip and asked, “Uncle Sparrow, since—since that kind of power inevitably brings danger and madness, why did you choose it?”

She had thought about this question for a long time before finally mustering the courage to ask.

Klein was startled for a moment. Instinctively, he drew a faint smile.

“For my dream.”

Then his voice lowered as he spoke two more words:

“And to protect.”

Protect… Donna murmured the word in slight confusion, then quickened her pace to catch up with her parents.

After watching the Branch family leave the White Agate, Klein withdrew his gaze and said to Danitz beside him, “You are free.”

Ah? Danitz was still somewhat unused to it.