Chapter 525: The Calm Squall

Looking up at the wall clock and seeing that it was past eight o'clock,

Alger put down his glass mug of alcohol and pushed his way through the

drunkards into the street.

As the Rorsted Archipelago was rich in coal, Bayam was like the mainland

cities of Backlund and Pritz Harbor. Its streets were lined with tall

black lamp posts, and the light of the burning gas effused through the

metal grille, illuminating the relatively clean streets.

Alger pulled off his headscarf and slowly turned into a side alley. At a

dead-end in the alley, he could smell the scent of urine mixed with

alcohol. Although the Amyris Leaf Bar had a bathroom, it clearly wasn't

enough for the customers during peak periods. Some of the drunks who

couldn't hold it in could only find a secluded place to relieve

themselves.

The red moonlight penetrated the clouds and shone into the alley. While

Alger was still considering whether he should put on a more convincing

act, a firm and pervading voice came from behind him.

"Did you purposely leak the information about Blazing to us?"

He's not stupid... Alger muttered to himself as he slowly

turned around, as though preparing for a surprise attack.

Seven or eight steps away, he saw a figure leaning against the wall.

The figure was about 1.78 meters in height, and it wore a boat-shaped

hat. Its face was thin and sharp, and it wore a look of aggression.

He had a lock of black hair hanging down, half obscuring the dark green

eyes on his left side, which softened his own coldness.

Even though there was often quite a difference between a wanted poster

and the person in question, many famous pirates didn't even don

disguises as they wandered the city. As an insider of the Church, Alger

had seen many almost photographic portraits drawn with rituals and had

participated in pirate conventions. He was still able to successfully

link the person in front of him to a name on the bounty notices.

He didn't express this point and deliberately hesitated before asking,

"Calm Squall?"

He was the chief helper of Steel Maviti, a Beyonder who was good at

controlling his emotions and thinking calmly, but he was also inhumane

and had a 1,500 pounds reward offered for him. The man pulled at his

black trench coat and revealed an empty smile.

"Can I deny that?

"Well... probably not, just like how you can't deny that you

deliberately mentioned Blazing to Oamaru. He's not someone who enjoys

using his brain, the complete opposite of me."

"I've never thought of lying. I only wish to obtain some payment for the

news you received from me. Between Blazing, who's alone, and Steel, who

has so many helpers, anyone with a brain would know which to choose. Of

course, I wish that you keep it a secret. I don't want to be pursued by

Vice Admiral Iceberg," Alger replied frankly.

Squall nodded his head leisurely and said, "Tell me the specifics."

"Just like I mentioned before. I bumped into and recognized Blazing at

the Gold Coin Casino. He entrusted me to take note of Steel's

whereabouts. Heh heh, it seems like he wishes to launch a

counterattack," Alger said with a scoff. "We agreed upon a point of

contact. I believe this is intelligence worth at least 1,000 pounds."

"1,000 pounds? Look up at the crimson moon. Are you dreaming!?" Squall

scoffed. "This might be a trap. Don't you understand that? Blazing might

very well have found helpers, which is why he dares to seek us out."

"It's not for me to judge whether it's a trap or not. 500 pounds. Less

than that, and I'd rather pretend that nothing has happened." Alger

attempted to argue on the basis of reason for the reward.

"300 pounds. You have to follow me somewhere and stay there for some

time. It's to prevent you from selling this piece of news to others and

spoiling our plans. We'll pay you when we capture Blazing with the

intelligence you provided or have his spirit channeled. Don't worry.

Food, alcohol, and a bed will all be free. Regardless, you lucked out!

If there are any accidents that had resulted from you, hehe. I believe

you'll know the outcome," Squall suggested with a tone which didn't

allow for refusal.

*Sure enough, just as I expected, with my background being unknown, and

with me not being too dangerous, the possibility of them choosing

temporary detention is much higher than silencing me... However, I've

also made preparations for a worst-case scenario. As long as I'm not too

careless, escaping isn't a problem...* Alger deliberately acted

like he was in a dilemma as he said, "No more than two days, or my crew

will leave with my ship."

"I'll inform them if it exceeds two days." At some point in time, a

sharp scalpel had appeared in Squall's palm, and he was making it jump

and spin like an acrobat.

After Alger described in detail the point of contact at 15 Amyris Avenue

and the corresponding communication methods, Squall didn't speak

further. He turned around and led Alger as they turned at every corner,

and they arrived at an unknown street before entering a nondescript

house.

"Long time no see, blue-haired captain of a ghost ship." The door was

opened by an old man with hair that had more white than black. He was

dressed as a local and wore a pair of baggy pantaloons.

"Old Quinn. You really are the intelligence officer of the Admiral of

Blood..." Alger deliberately said in astonishment.

Old Quinn chuckled and said, "There's always some truth to rumors. What

you imagine to be fake might very well be real."

He didn't switch on the gas wall light, but he carried a silver candle

lamp in his hand as he guided Alger and Squall through the dark hall

into a spacious, windowless basement.

"You'll stay here for a while. My friends and I will be in charge of

watching you and also provide you with alcohol and food," Old Quinn said

with a laugh. "To show our sincerity, we're not going to disarm you."

"Alright." Alger took the initiative to walk to the low bed in the

basement.

Old Quinn closed the heavy stone door and locked it behind him.

Squall didn't linger on, but hurried away, checking repeatedly to see if

he was being followed.

After changing to a rental carriage, he came to a Loen enclave in Bayam.

It was also the residential area of the upper class.

As he entered a garden bungalow, Squall saw Maveti sitting on a sofa in

the living room, waiting for him. The others were either lying,

standing, or sitting in a semicircle, with puppets and zombies acting as

guards around them.

Steel's lips were thick, his skin swarthy. His hair was curled up like

steel balls often seen in factories.

"Is the intel reliable?" The muscles on his arms trembled, exuding vibes

of tremendous strength. However, his entire being emanated a cold and

sinister feeling, as if he wasn't a living creature.

Squall nodded.

"He's a pirate captain who serves money. I've already detained him at

Old Quinn's place. If there really is a problem, he definitely won't be

able to leave that place alive. I think he knows this very well."

At this point, Squall revealed a cold smile.

"However, we still have to be wary of any accidents. This might be a

trap set up by Blazing."

"Do you have any ideas?" Maveti asked directly.

The first thing he saw was a pirate lying on a couch. He was wearing a

brown local tunic and twirling a yellowish-brown straw hat with his

fingers.

This was Maveti's deputy of this round of operations. He was the captain

of the sixth ship which was lost in the battle with Vice Admiral Dusk,

"Blood Brambles" Hendry. He had a bounty of 3,800 pounds.

"It's clear that Squall has a plan." Hendry used his straw hat to cover

his pale face.

Squall chuckled and said, "Didn't that adventurer, John Smith, send

Mordor to join us undercover? Let's deliberately leak the news to him,

making him think that we're still waiting for help and that we can only

take action the day after tomorrow or three days later.

"Those bunch of greedy adventurers definitely wouldn't let Blazing off.

They'll definitely fall over themselves for him. When the time comes, we

can find a spot to watch the show. If there are any accidents, they'll

be the ones bearing the brunt of things. If everything is successful, we

can also cull them!"

"Alright." Steel Maveti's eyeballs slightly moved, radiating intense

bloodthirst.

In the early hours of the morning, everything was ready.

Blood Brambles Hendry brought a leather suitcase over, took out a

peacock-blue carpet, and slowly spread it out in front of him. There

were many mysterious patterns on it that had a nonhuman flavor to it.

Maveti, Squall, and two other Beyonders, as well as eight zombies and

puppets, took their places on it.

Hendry was the last to step in. Closing his eyes halfway, he recited a

single word in Elvish, "Flight!"

The peacock-blue carpet tightened suddenly and floated upwards, lifting

everyone up from the ground and into the air as they flew towards Amyris

Avenue.

During this process, Hendry pulled out a black handkerchief and shook

his wrist, turning it into the night sky which magically covered all

their traces under the moonlight.

In about seven to eight minutes, they arrived in the area around 20

Amyris Avenue. Diagonally across them was the targeted house.

They didn't move forward. Instead, they let the Flying Carpet hover

silently in front of the crown of a thick tree as they lay prone to

observe the situation.

Time passed, second by second, as Hendry steadied the mystical item.

There were no signs of a lack of spirituality.

The night slowly passed, and the horizon was suffused with a faint red

glow. The sun was about to rise, and the gang of pirates led by Steel

Maveti began their preparations to find another suitable spot for

daytime surveillance.

At this moment, a figure nimbly moved across the rooftops with his back

bent, arriving above 15 Amyris Avenue.

He wore a black cloak, his eyebrows yellow, and eyes dark blue. His

facial features and contours were relatively soft. It was none other

than Blazing Danitz!

Danitz looked around cautiously for a moment, then climbed up the raised

chimney, pushed his hand through it, and slid down.

He's really here? Steel Maveti, Blood Brambles Hendry, Squall,

and company felt their spirits lift at the same time.

At this moment, several figures sprang up from the chimneys and

periphery of Units 13, 14, and 17. They rushed over with fast and potent

stances, either breaking the windows, kicking open the doors, or using

the chimney to rush into Unit 15 from different positions.