Chapter 531: Great Acting
He has some things to ask Captain?
Danitz frowned as he watched Gehrman Sparrow leave the room, unsure what
his real motive was.
*What is this fellow really after? Money, riches? But he had the time to
take away the heads of Steel Maveti and Blood Brambles Hendry to
exchange for nearly 10,000 pounds in bounty rewards. Yes, even after
paying any commissions, it would still be seven to eight thousand
pounds. Yet, he didn't do so. Moreover, he generously shared the spoils
of war with me. This is very contradictory. When he first heard that I
was Blazing, his first reaction was to call me a 3,000-pound bounty...
In Captain's words, this isn't scientific...*
*Why would he deliberately give up the bounty? Unless... Unless he has a
better way to claim it safely, or he had specially left it for someone?
Yes... He had been prepared for the appearance of the Mandated
Punishers... H-he has his own connections and information channels! This
way, everything can be explained!*
*There's also the possible existence of the demigod that killed
Qilangos. Hmm, there's a powerful and secretive organization behind
Gehrman Sparrow!*
Shocked by his own conjecture, Danitz instinctively tried to use his
body language to express his feelings, but he forgot that his left arm
was still fractured. He immediately grimaced in pain.
This made him feel even more terrified. He didn't want his captain to
meet such a dangerous and crazy fellow.
He even suspected that Gehrman Sparrow's real motive was his captain's
26,000-pound bounty!
*In a duel, that lunatic might not necessarily win against Captain, and
there's still the first mate, second mate, third mate, and a few
boatswains. But he has a terrifying organization backing him! You want
to hurt Captain? Over my dead body!* Danitz puffed out his
chest, raised his neck, and was filled with a stirring sense of
self-sacrifice.
He ran a hand through his hair, gave a long grunt, and said to himself,
"I'll make further observations. Perhaps Gehrman Sparrow really only has
questions that he wants answered."
Subconsciously, he looked around and found both the Flying Carpet and
the Shadow Cloak. They weren't missing.
*In other words, Gehrman Sparrow left the things that belong to me
behind. Isn't he afraid that I'll take the opportunity to escape? Or did
he steal my hair that makes it easy for divination?*
*No, no, he's a crazy guy. Even if he wishes to use my hair, he would
just walk over and extend his hand to pull one out. It's impossible for
him to do it secretly... Right, there's a powerful and secretive
organization behind him! Perhaps, at this moment, there are people from
that organization secretly monitoring me. They're waiting for me to
leave, waiting for me to seek out Captain... How insidious!*
Gehrman Sparrow must've gone out on purpose! Danitz felt that
he had grasped the truth of the matter thanks to his experience and
wisdom.
He paced back and forth before sitting back in the reclining chair. He
then thought with a silent, mocking smile.
I'm not leaving!
I want to see what you can do!
I will not bring danger to Captain!
A quarter past three in the afternoon, Symeem Island.
This island was also a part of the Rorsted Archipelago, but it was the
furthest from the City of Generosity, Bayam. It took nearly five hours
on a liner to reach it.
On the way, Klein bought a suit with local characteristics and a small
suitcase to replace the clothes he changed out of, for a total of
fourteen soli. They weren't even worth a pound.
*It's really cheap. It's just change compared to a complete
suit...* Wearing pantaloons, a thick brown jacket, and a light
brown cap, Klein disembarked from the liner with a native face that
didn't stand out, and he entered some of the old ports on Symeem Island.
He had spent time buying clothes and changing his appearance, causing
him to miss the 9 o'clock ferry and be put in a situation where he could
only take the ferry at 10.
Thinking of the expenses he had to pay for this acting, he couldn't help
but calculate his current financial situation.
*The Faceless characteristic was sold for 3,825 pounds. The pirate
bounties net me 3,000 pounds. Although I haven't received the 6,825
pounds, I can basically include it into my budget as long as Mr. Hanged
Man doesn't get exposed...*
*The leftover cash from Donna and company's gratuity add up to 255
pounds in bits and pieces...*
*I found 26 pounds, 11 soli, and 8 pence from Steel Maveti's
body...*
Yes, there's still the five gold coins as reserves...
*I haven't spent much money recently, only spending slightly more than a
pound in total. This is something to be happy about...*
*With that, I'll have 7,110 pounds. Moreover, I still have the Nightmare
Beyonder characteristic and the murloc's bladder. They're still worth
something.*
*On second thought, I earned a 3,000-pound bounty alongside a Zombie
Beyonder characteristic. The latter is worth about 3,000 to 5,000
pounds. That is to say I earned about 7,000 pounds... This is only from
Steel Maveti, Blood Brambles Hendry, and Squall. Besides, there was
quite a lot of waste... Indeed, hunting pirates is quite a good job. It
can administer justice, punish the evil, protect the weak and innocent,
and also make me rich overnight...*
Klein subconsciously turned his head to the side, only to see that the
color of the seawater was much clearer than that of Bayam's. It was as
if the seawater was a huge, green, sparkling gem, reflecting golden rays
under the sunlight.
*Sure enough, it's not without reason that generations after generations
of adventurers have gone out to sea to search for wealth. Even if I
deduct the remnant spirituality of ancient wraiths, eyes from a
six-winged gargoyle, spring water from Sonia Island's Golden Spring, and
other supplementary ingredients of a Marionettist, the money I have left
will be enough to allow me to buy a decent manor here, in Desi Bay, in
the Southern Continent's colonies, and in the non-metropolitan areas...
Loen's countryside is said to be very beautiful, and if it turns out
that I'm really unable to return, I can consider settling down in a
similar place... Yes, I still have a 10% stake in the Backlund Bike
Company, and my future returns won't be low...* With confidence,
Klein straightened his back and thought about the future.
After letting his thoughts wander, Klein began to think about the more
realistic question, which was whether he should sell the Nightmare
Beyonder characteristic, find an opportunity to return it to the Church
of Evernight, or create a mystical item with it through an Artisan.
*It depends on the situation. The ideal solution would be to sell it to
the Church...* The martyr, Klein, who had taken two potions from
the Nighthawks, thought with uncertainty.
At the same time, he hoped that Little Sun would soon reach Sequence 7
and be qualified to gain clearance to the methods used to remove the
mental corruption from a Beyonder characteristic.
As for the matter of releasing the Priest of Light from the glove, he
wasn't in a hurry. Little Sun had just received the potion formula for
Sequence 7, so he had no need for it at the moment. He would have to
wait for a long time, and the powers of a Priest of Light was very
effective in dealing with a pirate like Admiral of Blood in a way that
was far more potent than the Sun Brooch.
As his thoughts slowly settled down, Klein entered the small port town.
The place was basically filled with natives. Their skin was nearly
bronze, and their black hair had slight, natural curls. Their bodies
emitted a scent that was derived from prolonged contact with spices.
After changing his appearance and asking about Raine's situation and if
there was any news of Wendt's death, Klein found a secluded corner. He
wiped his face with his hand, turning his face into a tall, thin Wendt
with rather distinct facial features.
He carried his suitcase and circled around the town to its border. It
was then that he saw the winery run by Raine's family.
The girl with flaxen-colored hair could no longer be called a young
girl. She had obviously matured a lot compared to what Wendt remembered.
She was sweeping the entrance, and there was no one around.
Phew... Klein took a deep breath and slowly let it out,
feeling as though he was placed in a very difficult position.
As a powerful keyboard warrior, he knew about theories like method
acting and experimental acting, but he lacked further understanding. He
could only try to guess at Wendt's mood and performance in this kind of
scenario.
Finally, he closed his eyes and walked over.
Raine looked up when she heard footsteps, finally identifying the
visitor.
She opened her mouth slightly and let out a half-surprised exclamation
before saying with a straight face, "Why are you suddenly back?"
Remember, you're just acting... Klein revealed a smile.
"I came to bid you farewell."
He spoke in a local dialect, with a somewhat nondescript Bayam accent.
The language of the Rorsted Archipelago was also derived from ancient
Feysac and belonged to another variant. As a half-historian, Klein was
able to master it easily, and it only took him a short time to master
it.
"Farewell?" Raine asked, slightly surprised.
Klein turned his head, looked to the side, and smiled.
"I'm going to chase after a treasure trove, and I don't know when I'll
be able to come back.
"When the time comes, I'll appear with a great deal of money. I'll buy a
manor in the suburbs; plant some rubber trees; set up a vineyard; have
my own mill, wine cellar, blacksmith shop; and let the air be filled
with the scent of all kinds of spices. Then, I'll buy a few slaves and
hire some servants, just like those masters. Heh heh, but I'll still be
short of one thing."
He overcame his goosebumps that were about to form on his skin, and he
turned to look Raine in the eye.
"I still lack a wife and a mistress for the manor.
"Raine, I like you. I wish to marry you. The reason I said it out loud
today isn't to get an answer, but because I'm afraid that I would never
have the chance to tell you again."
After listening quietly, Raine suddenly scolded angrily, "Wendt, you're
a coward!"
Ah... This reaction isn't right... Klein deliberately revealed
a surprised expression.
Raine suppressed her voice and said, "Three years ago, three freaking
years ago, I was already prepared to head to Bayam with you. Yet, you
didn't say anything in the end! You coward! You chicken!
"What's the use of telling me now? You're going to sea soon, and you may
never come back!"
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.
"You've said it out loud and become happy. You have no regrets, but what
about me? I'll have to constantly think about you returning and live on
in pain? You selfish bastard!"
She waved the broom in her hand and swung it towards Wendt.
Klein knew that the real Wendt would have hit the broom away, hug the
girl, and tell her that he wasn't going out to sea again, but he
couldn't do the same. He had to pretend to be chased away pathetically,
running all the way to a nearby alley. There, he hit his head against
the wall while silently cursing himself.
It was too f\\king awkward!
This is too f\\king awkward!
Raine went back to the door, picked up a broom, and crouched down.
Her face was ashen; it was unknown what she was thinking about.
Vaguely, she heard a sound, and she fell asleep.
After using the charm, Klein turned around and nudged Raine, who was
sitting on the ground while leaning against the wall, then he quickly
left the area, hiding in the distance to peep at the results.
Raine quickly woke up and realized that she had fallen asleep without
knowing it. Everything that had happened just now appeared like a dream.
She remained sitting there, motionless for quite a while.
Suddenly, she lowered her head and let out a sharp curse that seemed to
come from the depths of her throat.
"Wendt, you selfish bastard!"
Sigh. Klein, who felt a tiny sensation of digesting his
potion, sighed, changed his appearance, and left the place.
He would have to spend the night on Symeem Island, as there were no
liners headed for Bayam until the morning.