Chapter 36: When a Man Is About to Die

Chapter 36: When a Man Is About to Die

Klein said nothing more. Nor did he pay any attention to Danitz. He pressed down on his hat, carried his suitcase, and walked toward the gangway, descending step by step.

He is really letting me go? Blazing Danitz stood on the deck, his face full of suspicion.

Although he had long expected such an ending, and although he had been able to imagine today’s scene from when Gehrman Sparrow had directly let him go at Damir Harbor, he still found it somewhat unbelievable. It all felt too simple, too easy.

No matter what, I am worth 3,000 gold pounds. No—this is only the bounty issued unilaterally by Loen! Isn’t Gehrman Sparrow, that lunatic, an adventurer? How can he let such a huge amount of wealth sitting right before him go? I do not understand… Heh. A normal person really cannot understand a madman… Danitz gradually recovered himself. Carrying his luggage, he cautiously walked down the gangway and stepped onto the cement ground of the harbor.

He straightened his back, lifted his head, and glanced toward Gehrman Sparrow’s back. He discovered that the other party truly did not look back, heading along the road straight toward Seawall Street.

Danitz did not dare be careless. He immediately turned and left by another road, sometimes turning and changing directions, sometimes using obstacles to look back, doing everything he could to ensure he was not being followed.

Very soon, he arrived at a row of houses near the dock warehouses.

Gehrman Sparrow really did not use me as bait… After repeatedly examining the situation, Danitz finally relaxed completely.

At that moment, he felt he had finally gained liberation. A boatswain of a pirate admiral no longer needed to be oppressed and ordered about like a servant!

I can already foresee tomorrow being incomparably wonderful. A whole group of fellows will compete to flatter me and want to be my servants! In excellent spirits, Danitz knocked on the door—three long knocks followed by three short ones, in a very rhythmic pattern.

Heh heh. Gehrman Sparrow wanted me to explain the pirates’ contact points in Bayam. Of course I only told him about those fellows who have a bad relationship with us. He definitely cannot imagine that our Golden Dream’s contact point is right by the dock… Danitz picked his nose and breathed in the refreshing sea breeze before the rain fell.

Bayam was the support point of the Kingdom of Loen’s colonial rule in the Central Sonia Sea, and one of the largest cities in the region. It held no small number of powerful official Beyonders. No matter how arrogant a pirate might be, they would not dare appear openly here. Most of the time, they relied on local gangs or people with deep backgrounds to dispose of stolen goods and purchase necessities.

Of course, this did not mean they would not come to Bayam. The city’s Red Theater was the most famous brothel on this stretch of sea. Countless pirates came here drawn by its reputation. Even if one or two of their peers were arrested there every so often, that did nothing to stop them from continuing one after another.

Apart from the spice trade, the brothel industry was another major pillar of the Rorsted Archipelago. In addition to the Red Theater, brothels large and small, open and hidden, were everywhere, fully satisfying the cravings of those robust men from the sea. As for female pirates, they did not need to worry about this problem. So long as they were willing, they could be satisfied at any time. After all, there were many mouths to eat, but little meat to divide; on the sea where belief in the Lord of Storms was widespread, the number of women had always been small.

Similarly, underground transactions in Beyonder materials and matters related to mysticism were also rather frequent here, with many circles.

Those small harbors are still better. We are not afraid of being discovered there at all. We can openly sit in bars, argue with adventurers across from us until spittle flies, and even have a fight. As long as it does not become serious and no one dies, the local official Beyonders will pretend not to see anything. Heh. With their strength, if they really tried to interfere, they would often be taking a huge risk… Danitz thought with a hint of mockery.

At that moment, he heard footsteps and saw the door creak open. A familiar face entered his vision.

“Old man, you did not drink today?” Danitz greeted him with a smile.

Standing at the door was one of the Golden Dream’s contacts in the Rorsted Archipelago, Old Lynn.

Old Lynn coughed twice and stepped aside to clear the way.

Danitz immediately stepped into the dim room. Suddenly, his nose twitched.

He smelled the fragrance of Lelangqi liquor.

No. Old Lynn likes drinking the local Bayam Highland! As the thought flashed through his mind, Danitz’s heart suddenly jolted in horror.

Then he saw a man with his back to him stand up. He was tall and broad, with dark skin, firm muscles, and hair curled like individual marbles.

“Steel” Maviti! Danitz’s pupils abruptly contracted.

This was the second mate of Admiral of Blood Senor, a great pirate with a bounty of 6,000 pounds!

…

Gusts of sea wind blew through, making the sharp, slender leaves sway as if they might fall at any time.

Klein walked along Seawall Street, his pace neither fast nor slow, while the pedestrians around him hurried by with quick steps.

His spiritual intuition told him that the storm still had some time before it would fall. He had enough time to search for a hotel where he could stay.

Woo!

The wind grew stronger and stronger. A branch snapped and fell to the ground. There were almost no people left on the entire street.

Klein was just about to turn into another alley when he suddenly heard hurried yet chaotic running footsteps.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Danitz ran with everything he had, the scene before his eyes already beginning to sway.

He felt abnormal pain from his wound. Life was draining away rapidly. His spirit body had half left his body and was drawing close to the legendary underworld, causing the surrounding sounds to reach him only faintly, and everything in his vision to feel unreal.

If not for a Shadow Cloak, the ambush just now would already have killed him. Even so, he had suffered an extremely severe injury and might collapse dead by the roadside at any moment.

What supported him as he ran toward Seawall Street was the conviction that he had to spread the intelligence that the contact point had been taken over by Admiral of Blood’s people, so he could warn the captain—and the sliver of hope brought by that mad but powerful figure.

If it is him, he should be able to leave safely from under Steel Maviti’s hands… Danitz’s steps began to stagger, and his body gradually chilled.

Just as he felt that he could no longer hold on, he saw Gehrman Sparrow standing at the corner. That refined face, within which extreme madness was hidden, actually seemed so warm and familiar at this moment.

Thud!

Danitz fell onto his back. His hands, which had been covering his chest and abdomen, dropped weakly, exposing a horrifying, exaggerated wound through which his internal organs could be seen.

“Tell the captain—Old Lynn has been discovered. Steel Maviti… for—for that treasure!” Danitz saw Gehrman Sparrow crouch beside him and hurriedly spoke without caring about anything else.

Klein recalled Steel Maviti’s bounty amount and asked in return, “Admiral of Blood?”

“Yes. Tell the captain. Tell—tell the captain!” Danitz panted.

After saying the important part, a sorrowful smile appeared on his face.

“Do not mind me. I am—I am going to die.

“Tell the captain that the money I saved has all become—all become property. On Bayam’s Fragrant Tree Avenue, numbers 12 to 16 are all mine. The proof documents—the proof documents are hidden in the wall of number 13’s basement. Help me sell them. Help me sell them, then take the money to—to southern Intis, to Nossier Town. Give it to—to my parents. Tell them—tell them that I really did get rich…”

Danitz paused, then said with great difficulty, “Tell them—tell them I became an outstanding, outstanding adventurer.

“And… say—say sorry…”

His eyes suddenly turned wet, as though he had recalled the rebellious youth he had once been.

Sorry, old man, Mom. I could not go home… Danitz’s vision darkened. He felt that his life was about to end.

At that moment, he saw Gehrman Sparrow extend a hand and press it against his wound, then wipe outward.

Danitz’s sadness suddenly jammed. He only felt the already numb pain in his chest and abdomen abruptly vanish, while his left hand felt as though it had been snapped apart.

With a dazed expression, he looked at Klein. Klein quietly looked back at him. For nearly two seconds, neither of them spoke.

Finally, he looked down in shock and discovered that his fatal wound had mysteriously healed, while his left arm was mangled flesh and protruding white bone.

I—I am fine? Danitz blinked, still half immersed in the sorrow and despair of a man about to die.

“Why did you not… treat me first?” he asked blankly.

Klein looked back toward the other side of Seawall Street, where there were few people, and said in a tone without the slightest ripple, “I waited for you to finish.

“That is courtesy.”

Courtesy your mother! I was really giving my last words just now! Danitz tightened his waist and back, flipping up to his feet in one swift motion.

He warily looked toward the dock and saw a plume of thick smoke rising into the air. It was the result of the battle he had just fought.

Because I set the house on fire, Steel Maviti feared drawing the attention of official Beyonders, and he was misled by that shadow, so he did not chase after me… Danitz instantly understood how the matter had developed.

“Find a place to stay first.” Klein spread his hand and caught a drop of rain.

Not knowing whether they had fully escaped the crisis, Danitz immediately nodded.

“Alright.”

It is clear that Gehrman Sparrow, this lunatic, is not at all afraid of Steel Maviti, and perhaps not even of Admiral of Blood… At times like this, I truly appreciate his madness… Damn it. I exposed my wealth to him… Danitz had only just breathed out when his body suddenly stiffened.

Klein carried his suitcase and cane, walking silently ahead. Only one thought echoed through his mind:

Damn it. Any random pirate is richer than I am…

…

Queen Borough.

About to leave Backlund, Audrey hid inside her chemistry laboratory, using the fruit from the Tree of Elders and the mirror dragon blood that had come from Mr. Vampire, along with the other materials she had previously gathered, to concoct the Psychiatrist potion.

This time, she did not leave Susie guarding outside the door. Instead, Susie crouched inside, observing the process—Earl Hall had already instructed everyone not to approach while the young lady was conducting experiments, but they had to constantly pay attention to whether any abnormal change occurred.

Whew… Audrey let out a tiny breath and poured the successfully prepared potion into the glass bottle she had readied in advance.

The faintly golden liquid swayed gently, resembling a deformed, enormous pupil—a pupil whose gaze could shine into every person’s heart.

“Susie, did you remember the process? You are already a mature dog. No, you are already a mature Beyonder. In the future, you need to learn how to prepare potions yourself. No, I am not saying I won’t help you. I am only pointing out a possibility. Perhaps there will be times when I am not by your side, and you happen to need a potion.” Audrey spoke joyfully to the golden retriever.

Susie was somewhat confused by the lesson and could only open her mouth to answer with one word:

“Woof!”

Gathering her emotions, Audrey lifted her head and drank the bottle of Psychiatrist potion.