Part 3 The Traveler Chapter 17 Solicitation
Clink!
The gold coin leapt up softly, tumbled down, and lay steady in Klein’s palm.
Glancing down to see if it turned out to be heads or tails, Klein spun on his heel and moved smoothly to turn into a secluded, dark alley.
The wind from the beach was cold and fierce, creating convection currents within such terrain that caused his tweed coat to involuntarily lift back, causing his half-height silk bowler hat to nearly fall off.
Suddenly, Klein paused, turned his body, and spoke in a low voice:
”Come out.”
His eyes were sharp and deadly as he stared into the shadows around the corner.
After four or five seconds of silence, a figure “grew” out of the shadows and said with a light smile:
”Very sharp.”
This was a man wearing a black cloak, appearing to be in his mid-thirties, with burnt yellow eyebrows, dark blue but bright eyes, and a not too deep outline, as if he was of the race of the southern part of Intis and the area around Lunghol and Segal.
Just seeing him, images flashed back in Klein’s mind.
When he had entered the Flying Fish and Wine bar, he had looked around professionally to see if there was anyone to watch out for.
The answer was no, the other man was drinking and watching curiously, no different from the other patrons, and his looks were not exactly distinctive, but the black cloak made a certain impression on Klein, and allowed him to instantly recognize his stalker on that basis.
”What do you want?” Maintaining his persona Klein bent his back slightly as if he were a giant feline creature poised to strike.
The black-cloaked man let out another chuckle:
”The fighting skills and handling you just displayed are very much in line with my aesthetics, and I’m catching up to ask if you’re interested in joining us?
”Although that guy called Logan just now was really posing as Ludwell’s informant, but ‘White Shark’ Hamilton is really connected with multiple pirates, acting as a dishonorable role, and you will definitely be remembered by him for beating up his people in his bar, and there will be a certain amount of trouble to follow up, and I can help you solve this problem.
”You are a bit of an adventurer, bound to dream of treasure, and we are a group of fellows who have got together in search of treasure, chasing after the ‘Ghost Empire,’ the ‘Legacy of Solomon,’ the ‘ The Secret of the Fountain’, ‘The Key of Death’, ‘The Sunken Laurel’, and ‘Rossel’s Secret’, etc. We have traveled through the five seas, and to this day, although we have not yet accomplished one of our main purposes, we have not yet found the treasure. , although it hasn’t accomplished one of its main purposes yet, it has also found many missing pirate ships, huh, that sounds similar to what that rat said just now, doesn’t it?”
He cleared his throat:
”Frankly speaking, we are a band of pirates, a pirate group made up of adventurers, but we only plunder merchant ships and passenger ships when we are particularly poor and do not harm innocents, our main focus is on finding treasures, and from time to time we get something, literally, I used to lie down and sleep on a bed made of gold coins. If we come across another pirate ship, we also strike a blow in passing for supplies.
”By the way, our captain has made it a rule to state our platform and treatment before recruiting new people.”
Platform? Your captain is a bit interesting …… Klein deliberately softened his tightness a bit to test whether the other party would take the opportunity to attack.
The black-cloaked man laughed with an easy smile:
”Before was the program, next I will talk about the treatment.”
This guy’s bottom line is very strong ah …… Although not a “spectator”, Klein can also tell that the other party is very confident, completely not take the scene in front of him seriously.
”We do not have a weekly salary, no annuity, but as long as you find the treasure, plundered to the wealth, will be distributed according to the status of the different, under normal circumstances, when the luck is not bad, the bottom of the sailor a year can be divided into two or three hundred pounds, I heard that this is on land, the equivalent of the middle class? Oh, if we can find the ‘Sunken Laurel’, all of us will become rich!” The black cloaked man casually introduced, “Depending on the status, there are also different numbers of days of vacation each month, but they can only be accumulated and staggered to rest.”
As he spoke, he suddenly cursed in a low voice:
”Shit, the year before last it was because the captain was on vacation that we missed our best chance to find the ‘Ghost Empire’!”
Pirates still have annual vacations? Klein was a bit surprised for a moment.
He only felt that the pirate group described by the other party revealed a strong aura of hilarity, reminding him of the spoof Somali pirate recruitment ads he had seen in his previous life.
Seeing that the other party seemed to be shocked by his words, the black cloaked man added with a smile:
”As an adventurer, are you still chasing those powers beyond nature in the legends?
”As long as you join us, you’ll have the chance to have them!”
Speaking here, he coughed and said:
”Forgot to introduce myself.”
His expression turned serious, no longer witty like earlier:
”Subordinate of ‘Iceberg Lieutenant General’ Edwina Edwards, 4th Sailor Commander of the ‘Golden Dream’, Flame Daniz.”
After announcing his nickname, real name, and the origin of his identity, Daniz waited patiently for the other party to show an expression of panic and awe.
After a second, he heard the adventurer, who had a gentlemanly appearance but acted slightly crazy, speak in a low voice:
”Bounty of 3,000 pounds for ‘Flame’ Daniz?”
Daniz was about to reply when he suddenly had the illusion that the other party standing in the shadowy alleyway had morphed into an indescribable, hunger-filled monster that was salivating for his soul and flesh and blood.
Danez clenched his fists violently, his body losing the ease it had felt moments before and tightening to the point where he actually shuddered slightly.
His inspiration told him that he was facing an abyss filled with a sense of madness and bloodlust!
In such a state, Daniz was completely unaware of how much time had passed until the other spoke again:
”Why are you here?”
”I… I’m on vacation ……” “Flame” Daniz’s dignity made him disdain to answer this question, but instinct made him spit out the reason.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the other man’s eyes retract, and the hunger to gnaw at his flesh and soul disappeared with it.
He stood still and watched as the young adventurer in the black tweed overcoat and half-height silk bowler hat turned his body toward the other side of the alley, pausing as he was about to turn the corner and half-sidestepping his head:
”Where is the ‘White Shark’?”
”He… he lives at 1 Seawall Avenue, but mostly stays on the second floor of ‘Flying Fish and Wine’, as he did today.” “Blaze” Danez answered the other man’s question truthfully.
Only when the figure disappeared into the distance did Daniz straighten his back and tug on his cloak.
”A terrible fellow ……” he sighed silently.
Then he found his thoughts and mentally muttered to himself:
”I must inform the captain that there is an extra terrible fellow at sea.
”This is a fellow who looks like a gentleman on the outside and is as mad as a madman on the inside; it is best not to deal with him without the determination and certainty that he must be killed.”
Danez pulled up the hood of his black cloak and decided to go back to his hotel to sleep and wait for the telegraph office to open in the morning to pass on the message to his intermediate contact living in the Rothschild Islands.
What happened to the White Shark was of no concern to him.
……
On the corner of another quiet street, Klein stood in the shadows, looking down at the black glove on his left palm.
He found that although the “writhing hunger” had been sealed by Mr. Aztec, the desire for flesh and blood and soul still existed in the essence and tried to show itself.
Under normal circumstances, Klein didn’t worry about what would happen to the sealed item, but when he himself had the urge to kill, he would be affected accordingly, so much so that the hunger that could backfire on him permeated out.
Just now, when he heard that the other party was a famous pirate on the bounty list, his mind, which had already had a thirst for killing, instantly flared up, making the “writhing hunger” as active as a fish getting water.
Fortunately, Klein has always had good self-control in this area, judging from the other party’s previous words that he is not the kind of pirate full of sin, easily restrained the inner impulse.
”With ‘Creeping Hunger’, there are no more holes in Germaine Sparrow’s persona …… “Klein slowed down for a few seconds, took out a gold coin, and did two consecutive divinations, one was The first is the question of whether or not “Flame” Danez is lying, and the second is the question of whether or not “White Shark” Hamilton can be a danger to himself.
The first revelation showed that “Flame” Danez did not need to lie, and the second showed that “White Shark” Hamilton could not cause harm.
Klein put away the gold coin and slid his palm down over his face as he pressed his hat.
He was instantly transformed into a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man with normal features!
Immediately afterward, Klein unbuttoned his tweed overcoat and pulled up his inner shirt so that it was no longer tucked into his pants.
After this simple change of dress, Klein, without his cane, with a sweaty forehead and dry lips, took his bearings and headed back to the Flying Fish and Wine Bar!
On the way, he met Danez “The Flame” again, who took one look at him, then withdrew his gaze and headed for the inn on the other side of the bar.
Examining the bounty wall, Klein calmly reached out, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
At this point, it had been less than ten minutes since he had escaped the place.
Inside the bar, the patrons had dispersed quite a bit, but there were still many drunks gathered around to watch the action.
Their eyes flicked to the new customers, but then retracted one after the other, and Klein made his way unimpeded to the bar position.
He saw the bartender standing with terrified eyes beside a fat man with a thick white bandage wrapped around his forehead, his nostrils stuffed with soft paper, and his face mostly bruised.
The fat man was tall and large, with skin so white it was as if a real great white shark had swum onto land.
He touched his glowing bald head and said to Aeran, who wore a dark red jacket with a captain’s straight sword, on the other side:
”I’ve been told you know that fellow just now?
”With only three passenger ships arriving in port today, there can’t be too many strange outlanders, so don’t you try to lie!”
Aeran tapped the hilt of his sword and laughed easily:
”Yes, he is my passenger.
”But the problem today is clearly with your people.”
”So I just want him to come back here, apologize and pay for the damaged bar.” The tall, fat white man said with a frown.
Erland chuckled:
”White Shark, there’s this proverb in my hometown, don’t hate a passing wild dog because of a rat in a warehouse.”
”…… Just Ailan, is this your attitude?” “White Shark” Hamilton narrowed his eyes.
Erland gripped the wooden handle of his hand cannon, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice:
”Yes, this is my attitude!”
The captain is very strong ah …… Klein was slightly surprised by Ayrland’s behavior.
After silently staring at each other for a few seconds, “White Shark” Hamilton inhaled and said:
”You once helped me, I can not apologize, but he must pay half of the damages to be forwarded by you.”
”Not a bad offer.” Erland revealed a smile.
”White Shark” Hamilton grimaced and looked around.
He swung his hand violently and slapped the bartender across the face.
The bartender flew out and lost a bunch of teeth.
Klein, who was just five meters away, watched quietly as if it had nothing to do with him.