Chapter 49: Acting Specialist

Chapter 49: Acting Specialist

Some matters to ask the captain?

Danitz frowned as he watched Gehrman Sparrow leave the room, unable to tell what the other man’s true purpose was.

“What exactly is that fellow pursuing? Money? Wealth? But he had all the time and opportunity he needed to take Steel Maviti and Bloodthorn Huntley’s heads and exchange them for nearly ten thousand pounds in bounty. Even after deductions, that would still be seven or eight thousand pounds. Yet he did not do it. He even generously split the spoils with me. That is a contradiction. When he heard I was Blazing, his first reaction pointed straight at the three-thousand-pound bounty… According to the captain, that is not scientific…

“Why would he deliberately give up the bounty? Unless… unless he has a better and safer way to claim it, or he is leaving it for someone in particular? Mm… He was already guarding against the Mandated Punishers appearing ahead of time… He—he has his own network and intelligence channels! Once that is included, everything makes sense!

“Add in the possible demigod who killed Qilangos… Hiss. There is a hidden and powerful organization behind Gehrman Sparrow!”

Danitz was frightened by his own deduction. Instinctively, he wanted to use body language to express how he felt, only to forget that his left arm was still broken. Pain immediately made him bare his teeth and grimace.

That made him even more alarmed. He did not want his captain to meet such a dangerous and mad fellow.

He even suspected that Gehrman Sparrow’s true goal was his captain’s twenty-six-thousand-pound bounty!

In a duel, that lunatic might not necessarily beat the captain. And we still have the first mate, second mate, third mate, and several boatswains. But behind him stands an organization of terrifying strength! If they want to harm the captain, they will have to step over my corpse first! Danitz puffed out his chest, lifted his chin, and filled himself with tragic, self-sacrificing resolve.

He raised a hand to neaten his hair, gave a long “Mm,” and muttered to himself, “Observe a little longer. Perhaps Gehrman Sparrow really only wants to ask some questions.”

He subconsciously looked around and discovered that both the flying carpet and the Shadow Cloak were still present. Nothing was missing.

“In other words, Gehrman Sparrow left behind everything that belongs to me. Is he not afraid that I will take the opportunity to run? Or did he secretly take some of my hair to use in divination?

“No. No. He is a madman. If he wanted hair, he would walk straight over, reach out, and pull one out. He would never do it sneakily… Right, there is a powerful and hidden organization behind him! Perhaps—perhaps even now, that organization’s people are monitoring me from the dark, waiting for me to leave, waiting for me to go find the captain… Sinister!

“Gehrman Sparrow must have gone out deliberately!” Danitz felt that, relying on his experience and wisdom, he had grasped the truth.

He paced back and forth a few times, then sat down in the armchair again, silently mocking them.

“I am not leaving!

“I want to see what exactly you people are trying to do!

“I will not bring danger to the captain!”

…

A quarter past three in the afternoon, Simim Island.

This island was also part of the Rorsted Archipelago, but it lay farthest from the City of Generosity, Bayam. It required nearly five hours by passenger ship to reach it.

Along the way, Klein had purchased a set of local-style clothing and a small suitcase for his changed-out garments. In total, he spent fourteen soli, less than one pound.

So cheap. That is only a fraction of a formal outfit… Wearing wide-legged trousers, a coffee-brown thick jacket, and a light-brown flat cap, Klein, bearing an unremarkable local face, stepped off the passenger ship and entered Simim Island’s somewhat old harbor. Because he had spent time buying clothes and changing his appearance, he had missed the nine o’clock ferry and could only take the ten o’clock one.

Thinking of the expense required for this acting attempt, he could not help calculating his present finances again.

“The Faceless characteristic sold for 3,825 pounds. The pirate bounty is 3,000 pounds. Although I have not yet received those 6,825 pounds, as long as Mr. Hanged Man is not exposed, they can basically be included in the budget…

“The thanks from Donna and the others, plus the money I originally had, comes to 255 pounds in assorted amounts…

“Steel Maviti had 26 pounds, 11 soli, and 8 pence on him…

“Mm. There are also five gold coins kept as ballast…

“I have not spent much recently either. In total, barely more than one pound. What a pleasant thing that is…

“Calculated this way, I will have 7,110 pounds. In addition, there is the Nightmare Beyonder characteristic and the murloc’s swim bladder, both of which are worth quite a bit.

“Thinking about it, from this job I earned the 3,000-pound bounty and the Living Corpse Beyonder characteristic, the latter worth three to five thousand pounds. In other words, the income is seven or eight thousand pounds… and that is only from Steel Maviti, Bloodthorn Huntley, and Scour, while still wasting no small amount… Hunting pirates truly is a fine occupation. It lets one uphold justice, punish evil, protect the weak, and become rich overnight…”

Klein subconsciously turned his head to the side. He saw that the color of the seawater here was much clearer than in Bayam. As a whole, it resembled a gigantic green gemstone, clear and crystalline, reflecting a golden radiance beneath the sunlight.

Indeed, generation after generation of adventurers going out to sea in pursuit of wealth is not without reason. Even after deducting expenses for the residual spirituality of an ancient wraith, the eye of a six-winged gargoyle, water from the Golden Spring of Sonia, and the other supplementary ingredients for Marionettist, the remaining money would still be enough for me to buy a decent manor here, in Desi Bay, in the Southern Continent colonies, or in areas outside major metropolises… Loen’s rural scenery is said to be very beautiful. If I truly cannot return in the end, I can consider settling in a similar place… Mm, I still have ten percent of the Backlund Bicycle Company’s shares. Future returns should not be low… With enough confidence in his finances, Klein straightened his back and began thinking about the future.

After a long stretch of aimless imagining, Klein began considering a more practical problem: should he sell the Nightmare’s Beyonder characteristic, find a chance to return it to the Church of Evernight, or have an Artisan turn it into a mystical item?

Depends on the situation. The most ideal option would be selling it to the Church… As someone who had taken the potion characteristics of two Nighthawk martyrs, Klein thought with uncertainty.

At the same time, he hoped Little Sun would advance to Sequence 7 as soon as possible and become qualified to come into contact with methods for removing mental corruption from Beyonder characteristics.

As for releasing the Priest of Light within the glove, he was in no hurry. Little Sun had only just received the Sequence 7 potion formula and had no demand for subsequent levels in the near future. It would take a long while. Meanwhile, the Priest of Light’s abilities were extremely effective against Admiral of Blood’s pirate crew, and far stronger than the Sun Brooch.

His thoughts gradually settled, and Klein entered the harbor town.

The place was almost entirely inhabited by the local race. Their skin was close to bronze, their black hair naturally slightly curled, and their bodies carried the scent of people who had spent long years dealing with spices.

After changing his appearance and asking about Renee’s situation, as well as whether news of Winter’s death had reached the town, Klein found a secluded corner and wiped a hand over his face, transforming himself into Winter: a thin, tall man with rather pronounced features.

Carrying the suitcase, he circled toward the area of town close to the outskirts and saw the brewery belonging to Renee’s family.

The flaxen-haired girl could no longer be called a young maiden. Compared to Winter’s memories, she had clearly matured quite a bit.

She was sweeping the entrance, with no one passing nearby.

Whew… Klein took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. His heart was filled with a deeply awkward, difficult feeling.

As an armchair expert, he knew of various schools of acting—method acting, experiential acting, and so on—but he lacked further understanding. All he could do was try to feel out what Winter’s state of mind and performance would be in this kind of situation.

At last, he closed his eyes briefly and walked over.

Renee heard the footsteps and raised her head. She saw her visitor clearly.

Her mouth opened slightly, releasing half a surprised “Ah.” Then her expression hardened.

“Why did you suddenly come back?”

Remember, you are only acting… Klein revealed a faint smile.

“I came to say goodbye.”

He used the local dialect and added a few somewhat awkward traces of a Bayam accent.

The language of the Rorsted Archipelago also originated from ancient Feysac and was another variant. For Klein, who could be considered half a historian, it was not difficult. After spending a bit of time, he had basically mastered it.

“Goodbye?” Renee asked in surprise.

Klein tilted his head, looking to the side, and smiled.

“I am going to pursue a treasure. I do not know when I will be able to return.

“When that happens, I will appear with a great sum of money. I will buy a manor outside town, plant rubber trees, set up a vineyard, have my own mill, wine cellar, and blacksmith shop, fill the air with the scent of all kinds of spices, then buy a few slaves and hire some servants, just like those masters. Heh. One thing would still be missing.”

He overcame the goosebumps that were about to rise and turned back to look into Renee’s eyes.

“It would still lack a wife. It would still lack a mistress of the manor.

“Renee, I like you. I want to marry you. I am saying this today not to obtain an answer, but because I fear I will never have the chance to tell you again.”

Renee listened quietly. Then she suddenly cursed in anger.

“Winter, you are a coward!”

Ah… This reaction seems a little off… Klein deliberately revealed a stunned expression.

Renee lowered her voice and said with suppressed emotion, “Three years ago. Three years ago, I had already been ready to go to Bayam with you, but—but you said nothing! You coward! You timid fool!

“What use is telling me now? You are about to go out to sea. Perhaps you will never come back!”

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.

“You say it, and now you are happy. You have no regrets. But what about me? Am I supposed to keep thinking about whether you will come back, to keep suffering? You selfish bastard!”

She raised the broom in her hand and swung it fiercely at Winter before her.

Klein knew that the real Winter would, at this moment, knock the broom aside, embrace the girl, and tell her that he would not go out to sea again. But Klein could not do that. He could only pretend to flee awkwardly, chased away by her, all the way into a nearby alley. There, he lightly bumped his head against the wall and silently cursed himself.

“This is so damned embarrassing!

“So damned embarrassing…”

Renee returned to the entrance, broom in hand, and crouched down.

Her face was gray and heavy, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Faintly, she heard a sound. Then her entire body fell asleep.

Having used the charm, Klein turned out from the alley, pushed Renee until she was sitting against the wall, then quickly left, hiding at a distance to peek at the ending.

Renee soon woke and discovered that she had somehow fallen asleep. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.

She remained sitting there for a very long time without moving.

Suddenly, she lowered her head and released a sharp, thin curse that seemed squeezed from deep in her throat.

“Winter, you selfish bastard!”

Sigh. Sensing some signs of digestion, Klein let out a breath, changed his face, and left the area.

He still had to spend the night on Simim Island, because the passenger ship back to Bayam departed only in the morning.