Chapter 91: Reality Teaches a Lesson

Chapter 91: Reality Teaches a Lesson

Deep within the jungle of Blue Mountain Island, inside the rebels’ base.

Kalat, seated in his wheelchair, raised his bald head and looked toward the sunlight pouring in through the cave entrance. His eyes could not hide their joy.

He could clearly feel that ever since God had reappeared upon the earth and issued the Ten Commandments, He had changed from the bloodiness and chaos of the past. From time to time, He gave believers guidance filled with the radiance of wisdom. With insight that seemed able to perceive all things, He actively involved Himself in the situation upon the sea, attempting to help the rebels, help all Rorsted people, walk a thorny and difficult path where dawn could still be seen.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of reappearing upon the earth… Kalat recalled the oracle he had just received and guessed that the red-haired woman named Elaine was the key to moving Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy, moving the balance of power upon the sea, and moving the balance among different nations. Only when the world situation became chaotic would the Rorsted people gain an opportunity!

Kalat inhaled, quickly set up a ritual, prayed to Sea God, and copied out Elaine’s photograph.

After finishing all this, he instinctively turned his head toward another side. His expression grew somewhat complicated.

In that direction lived the High Priest of the Sea God Church, and the religious figures who had originally held high positions among the rebels.

Although they did not dare defy the oracle and had indeed made tremendous changes, in many details they remained immersed in the past—stubborn, conservative, backward, savage, and refusing to embrace a more civilized Church… If they keep going like this, one day they will be abandoned by God… Kalat found it difficult to conceal the smile in his heart, yet for some reason, an intense feeling of sorrow also surged up.

…

After browsing through the believers’ prayers and selectively giving responses, Klein returned to the real world. He planned to personally go out and search for Elaine, while also seeing whether he could find an opportunity for true acting.

Just as his right palm grasped the handle, an absurd yet entirely feasible idea flashed through his mind:

“My true purpose is not to find the red-haired Elaine, but to use her to come into contact with Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy, understand the fate of the wealthy merchant Jimmy Necker, and learn the whereabouts of that batch of ancient documents related to Death.

“In other words, all I need is a red-haired Elaine capable of drawing out Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy. Whether she is real or not does not matter.

“I could completely transform into red-haired Elaine myself, have Danitz send me to Strongman Ozil, claim the reward along the way, then easily and simply wait to meet Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy.

“That operation is way too slick…”

Klein fiercely shook his head and found reasons to reject the idea:

“Although I am a Faceless, I still cannot accept cross-dressing right now!

“…Could overcoming this psychological barrier also be one of the acting principles?

“And I do not understand the red-haired Elaine. Even if I wanted to disguise myself, I could not imitate her properly. With only a shell, it would be very hard to fool people familiar with her. Then I would not be able to meet Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy.

“Mm. The person searching for the red-haired Elaine may not be Tracy. It may also be one of this pirate admiral’s enemies.

“I do not know Vice Admiral Ailment’s background. If I act rashly, I cannot assess the level of danger.

“It is better to stay steady and follow my heart’s will: first find the real red-haired Elaine, learn the details from her, and then consider what to do next.”

At that moment, Klein suddenly noticed something strange in the sitting room. Danitz’s snoring had clearly grown softer, and had stayed softer for quite a while.

Vice Admiral Iceberg came? Klein turned the handle and opened the bedroom door.

The action made almost no sound, but Danitz immediately rolled over and sat up, opening his eyes.

He struggled to conceal the smile leaking from the corners of his mouth and took the initiative to say, “The captain came just now.

“She said Admiral of Blood’s fleet appeared near Longtail Island and continued sailing south. They seem to be heading into the Berserk Sea.

“The source of this intelligence is reliable!”

Longtail Island? The southernmost island in the Rorsted waters? It seems Admiral of Blood really did intend to come to Bayam earlier, but was frightened off by the confrontation between Kalvetua and Sea King Ain Kottman. He bypassed this place and headed straight for the Berserk Sea… Mm. The fact that his intelligence officer Old Quinn did not send a wireless telegram to report likely played a part as well… Klein felt a wave of regret. He could only say that plans never changed as quickly as circumstances.

He had originally planned to make the hunt for Admiral of Blood the battle that would establish the fame of the mad adventurer and bounty hunter Gehrman Sparrow.

Killing Steel Maviti alone still lacked a certain shock value… Klein did not speak. He gazed at Danitz calmly.

Danitz was made rather uncomfortable by that stare. He gave two dry laughs and said, “Admiral of Blood has slipped away, so the cooperation between you and the captain should also be suspended, right?

“I can return to the Golden Dream, yes?

“In the future, we can contact each other through your messenger!”

Klein considered briefly, took paper and pen from his pocket, and swiftly wrote down the method for summoning his messenger.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the paper flying out like a thin metal sheet.

Danitz’s Sequence 9 was Hunter. With a single reach, he easily caught the slip.

He scanned it twice. Crimson flames suddenly surged from his palm, completely burning the paper to ash.

“Haha. Even if I forget, the captain will have a way to make me remember it.”

He paused, squeezed out a smile, and asked again, “I can return to the Golden Dream, right?”

Klein nodded lightly.

“Yes.”

Yes… yes! Danitz resisted the impulse to pump his fists in celebration, lest he provoke the lunatic Gehrman Sparrow.

He smiled carefully and said, “I will go pay the room fees for this period first, and then buy a ship ticket along the way. You know how it is. Bayam has been restless lately, and the captain does not want the Golden Dream docking at a private harbor here.”

At least he knows how to behave and settle the room fees… Klein said nothing. Maintaining his cold, stern demeanor, he put on his coat, picked up his hat, and walked out of the luxurious suite on his own.

After his back vanished from sight, disappearing around the stairwell corner, Danitz retreated into the room, clenched his fists, and swung them heavily twice.

“Wonderful! Wonderful!

“I am finally free!”

He did not delay at all. Putting on his flat cap, he went to the front desk of the Azure Wind Inn, settled the room fees, and informed them that this was not a checkout.

Danitz soon reached the street, heading straight for a place called the Seaweed Bar. He felt that even the outside air was fragrant and sweet, lifting his mood.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly noticed sheets of notices pasted on the wall at a corner:

“…Blazing Danitz. Bounty: 5,500 pounds!”

The notice was only two steps away from Danitz, and the familiar face drawn upon it stood in sharp contrast to the version of him now wearing a flat cap.

…Danitz bared his teeth and revealed a pained smile.

He hurriedly pressed the brim of his cap lower, nearly covering his forward-facing gaze.

Even so, he still felt uneasy. He found the nearest department store, bought a gray scarf, and wrapped it around his neck layer after layer, covering his nose and mouth completely.

Only then did Danitz feel slightly more relaxed. He quickened his steps and hurried toward his destination.

The Seaweed Bar was a gathering place for local gangs, and famous pirates often appeared there.

Although it was not like the Swordfish Bar or Fragrant Tree Leaf Bar, which dealt with large amounts of intelligence and resources, it had its own characteristic: many low-level channels!

What Danitz planned to do was buy a black-market ticket to Gargas there, which required no corresponding proof of identity.

He knew very well that whether before or now, his wanted posters filled every official ticket office. Back then, he had obtained his first-class ticket for the White Agate through similar methods.

After entering the bar, Danitz did not remove his hat or scarf. He cautiously looked around and found Deniel, the man who sold black-market tickets.

He did not directly walk over. Retracting his gaze from that thin, dark-skinned man in his thirties, he began searching for unfamiliar faces.

After selecting for a while, Danitz squeezed through the crowd and arrived beside a young man drinking at the bar. He patted the other man’s shoulder and lowered his voice.

“Do me a favor.”

“What is it?” The young man turned his head warily and saw an extremely suspicious fellow: the lower half of his face was tightly wrapped in a gray scarf, while the flat cap on his head nearly covered his eyes. Almost none of his appearance was exposed.

Such an outfit could be summarized very simply: suspicious at first glance!

Because this was the Rorsted Archipelago, where the lowest winter temperature was around ten degrees Celsius.

Danitz pointed toward Deniel.

“See that fellow?

“Help me buy a ticket to Gargas for tomorrow.”

He handed over three one-pound notes and chuckled.

“The rest is yours.”

Although black-market tickets were quite a bit more expensive than regular tickets, Gargas was not far. Three pounds was more than enough. Of course, that was also because the journey was short and there was no need to buy a first-class cabin.

Danitz did not buy it himself because he feared Deniel might recognize him, which would make things troublesome.

Back when his bounty was only 3,000 pounds, pirates and adventurers at his level or lower would consider that they needed several people working together to handle him. Once the bounty was divided, it was not enough to make them forget Vice Admiral Iceberg’s deterrence and risk losing their lives. Very few would take the initiative to attack him. Therefore, in such black markets, his safety had still been reasonably guaranteed.

But now, his bounty was already 5,500 pounds. Even if several people joined forces, each of them would still receive a sizable amount. And upon the sea, the thing most abundant was desperadoes!

Beyond that, many powerful individuals who felt their own bounties were too low and wanted to prove themselves would certainly choose Danitz, a target with great fame and relatively low risk.

Because of this, Danitz feared that Deniel would turn around and sell him out, so he simply hired an unfamiliar face to buy the ticket for him.

The young man grasped the money, glanced again at Danitz, then abruptly stood and walked toward Deniel.

When he passed certain drunkards, he deliberately slowed down and exchanged a few quiet words with them.

Seeing this, Danitz suddenly became alert and thought of a problem: the current him, furtive and timid, clearly looked like someone with an issue—very suitable for being robbed by robbers.

Heh. Do you think Blazing’s reputation was bought? Danitz prepared to teach those fellows planning to blackmail and rob him a deep lesson after obtaining the ticket.

Just then, he saw a familiar figure enter through the door. It was the well-known pirate Blue Eyes Meath, whose bounty had reached 2,800 pounds.

And this pirate clearly knew that group intending to rob him.

Blue Eyes Meath also has several fairly strong subordinates… Without hesitation, Danitz stood and rushed straight toward the bar’s back door.

His speed grew faster and faster. With agile movements, he forcibly squeezed past piles of drunkards and finally escaped the bar. Then, relying on rich counter-tracking experience, he completely shook off that group.

Danitz did not dare linger on the streets, because the sky had already darkened, and patrolling police and soldiers were beginning to increase.

He returned all the way to the Azure Wind Inn, opened the door to the luxurious suite, and saw Gehrman Sparrow standing beside the window, admiring the dusk scenery.

Danitz’s heart stirred. He squeezed out a smile.

“It is like this. I just remembered something.

“The captain asked whether you have any interest in meeting her at Gargas?”

This was a question he had previously concealed, planning to tell the captain after returning that Gehrman Sparrow had no interest. But now he had discovered that, if he lost this mad adventurer, he most likely would not be able to leave Bayam alive.