Ⅲ. Londen City

"You freeze your kidneys in the cold northern nights,

While I'm down south in the blazing sun, killing like grass under a scythe."

Liszt twisted the lyrics, hoping the stash in the Underground Bank's vault had grown; if they had three hundred Golden Dragons, they could live lavishly for at least half a year, indulging in the pleasures of Heaven Port.

"Please, stop with your hometown dialect."

Rein couldn't take it anymore, the distaste in his voice thick enough to make one cry, especially given Liszt's atrocious singing mixed with this unfamiliar language—it was downright asking for a beating.

"After this, do we lay low in Londen City for a while or head back to Heaven Port?"

Ox turned the conversation to serious matters. Everyone on board was under death's warrant, and the notoriety of the Black Sail Pirate Group preceded them; Liszt's bounty was especially hefty, making Ox sometimes consider offing him himself.

Who knows when the Bounty Hunters would catch their scent; the longer they linger, the more likely it would happen. It's safer at sea—the best move is to make for Heaven Port swiftly.

"Well…"

Liszt stroked his chin, deep in thought.

About twelve thousand nautical miles off Beima Duchy's East Coast lies an expansive island, known as Heaven Port, not the luckiest of names; another moniker it went by was "Pirate Republic."

Heaven Port welcomes all ships to dock free of charge regardless of the weather, making it the go-to sanctuary for pirates and marauders.

In the year 1274 of the Saint Aran Calendar, the Empire launched its Eastern Expedition. The Battle of the Great Wall shattered the defenses of the Beima Kingdom. Smashing through to the core, the Empire proposed a ceding of lands and minting rights in defeat. The King of Beima vowed not to surrender.

Yet the overwhelming force of the Empire, like Heavenly Soldiers descending, cut a path of destruction to the coast. The King, besieged in his fortress, took his own life to spare citizens from slaughter, hoping to avoid a carnage. His heir, Philip VI, seeing no way out, surrendered and went to negotiate in Aran Imperial City, only to be brutally ambushed and killed within the Imperial Palace.

Eventually, some distantly related royal was propped up as a puppet King—thus, the Beima Kingdom was demoted to a Duchy.

That should have been the end. But Emperor Aran was filled with unbridled ambition.

Felling trees for ships, smelting swords, the Eastern Expedition continued relentlessly, even attempting to conquer the Far East Islands, whose landmass, when combined, was even more formidable than the vast Western Continent, which was also known as Wan Country.

Heaven Port initially served as a military fort, a frontline stronghold to store provisions, but stretched supply lines and unmatched attrition slowed the campaign. Even though they established footholds by usurping several nations, a united resistance eventually pushed back Emperor Aran's forces, ending the Eastern conquest in futility.

Later, Heaven Port transitioned into a trade harbor. But due to the distance, the Emperor's influence waned, and the puppet prince he supported developed a spine of his own. Repeated failures to garrison troops there led to sailors claiming the port as their own lawless dominion.

Over the years, pirates, raiders, and shipwrecked crews—using the hard-to-conquer constructions of the Emperor—established it as their stronghold, giving Heaven Port its infamous name, "Pirate Republic."

They would often stage fake "lighthouses" on the cliffs of isolated islands in the eastern waters to lure ships to wreck, then plunder their cargoes.

Liszt…

was one of them.

Below the azure depths, the Black Sails sway.

Gold and silver treasure, blades ring sharp in the fray.

Plunder and slaughter, disregarding the divine.

Youth fleeting fast… all becomes meat and wine.

This was the life of Liszt.

"Let's get the money first, we can't stay ashore for too long. My arrangement with this area's sheriff is time-sensitive, it's good for no more than a week."

After some consideration, Liszt reassured Ox, who was known for his meticulous planning. Ox had never fouled up an assignment, not once, which was why he was helmsman—akin to Second Officer; others had a history of messing up.

He also planned to bring on more sailors. The last recruitment brought in a traitor bold enough to try and steal his own ship. An uproar broke amongst the criminals from all over the world; the situation was only contained by the First Officer and stalwarts like Ox and Rein who could stand against a hundred. All were killed and thrown to the fish, with the ringleader suffering at the hands of Rein, the Torture King.

After the incident, aside from the Black Sail's ten core members, everyone else deserted once on land, leaving them desperate for manpower and funds. The East Coast Idea King, Shadi, devised a perfect scheme to kill two birds with one stone.

Over the years, Liszt had recruited countless hands, many of whom perished; only the toughest survived this long to become the core backbone, warriors of formidable strength who could stand their ground and wield weight with their words—desperados like himself, with no place to call home and so took to the seas to "do business."

"Set sail for the highest castle on the East Coast! Londen City!"

Rein bellowed out an indiscernible cheer.

Liszt scowled; along with being psychopathic, Rein had a tendency to imitate; he'd order what others had at a restaurant, and his snazzy dark red leather coat was lifted from a fashionable trendsetter.

The ship's crew had all picked up certain catchphrases, to some extent.

Liszt didn't understand why these phrases were still popular in the different world, perhaps due to their high applicability, as their current linguistic context had been stretched to the limit.

Londen City straddled a bay on the East Coast where the tidal differences were minimal. The harbor was broad and deep, a natural haven from the wind, backed by the foothills, brimming with greenery.

Seabirds circled beneath the azure sky, while the grasslands outside the city flourished in lush greenery. The main roads bustled with the constant flow of traffic and the hustle of merchants and peddlers, most dressed in simple attire. People like Priest Knights and other nobles with higher status had their exclusive passages and wouldn't appear here.

The city walls were made of gray stone, impermeable and roughly ten meters tall, with watchtowers standing sentinel. The entrance checkpoint was guarded by armored soldiers armed with long spears.

Amid the rampant illegal organizations along the coastal areas, the laws became more stringent.

Adventure groups and merchants had to present documents stamped by the guild to enter the city, and even farmers selling crops needed certification from local town officials.

The entrance was exceptionally lively, with guards stopping and inspecting documents from one group after another.

Long queues formed, buzzing with loud and fevered chatter, a mix of all races, not lacking in adventurers and mercenaries—tall, burly, and unfriendly in appearance—seeking their fortune in the prosperous coastal area.

Ox and Rein stood out even in a crowd of tall figures, partly due to their racial advantages, though it was not the main reason. Both were exceptionally tall, even among their own kind, the type who were authority figures.

The trio walked by, and their dangerous aura was unmistakable, compelling people to unconsciously clear the way. Although there were disgruntled murmurs, no one dared to voice their displeasure or even look them in the eye.

Liszt certainly didn't have the time to foolishly line up for inspection.

At the front of the queue, a muscular red-haired adventurer was presenting his adventurer guild documents. Ox, unwilling to wait even a second, shoved the man aside. Such was his force that the adventurer almost toppled over, staggering several steps and bracing himself with his hands on the ground to avoid a fall.

This man was the leader of an adventure team, and as he recovered, his eyes searched for the person who pushed him, ready to confront them.

Ox seemed to notice and glanced indifferently at him. Upon seeing Ox clearly, the adventure team leader didn't dare to make a move. Staring at the Special Large Sword on Ox's back, weighing over three hundred pounds, he bit back his words.

His fellow team members had anger in their eyes, one archer ready to draw an arrow from his Arrow Pouch, confident he could shoot through the large man's head or at least an eye, but he was stopped by the team leader, who shook his head at the archer.

The guards noticed the trio, immediately identifying them as dangerous individuals, and although they seemed familiar, as if seen somewhere before, the guards dared not stop them but also couldn't simply let them enter, so they quickly called for the Guard Captain.

After exchanging greetings with the sheriff of Londen City, the Guard Captain knew the circumstances. Upon arrival, without saying much—given the number of onlookers—he just needed Liszt to present something as a formality.

Liszt: "..."

But he truly didn't have any paper or scrolls of that sort.

Liszt reached into his cuirass, searching for a while, and could only present this.

The Guard Captain was dumbstruck upon seeing what Liszt presented: his own Warrant. Although the depiction varied in detail, it still bore a striking resemblance to him.

"Go... go in."

The Guard Captain frowned deeply but pursued the matter no further.

The trio brazenly entered Londen City.

"Team leader, why didn't you let me shoot that guy just now? He seemed to be nothing more than a big brute."

The archer was still frustrated. They had planned to make a name in Londen City, yet they had been humiliated upon arrival.

The adventure team leader also felt disgruntled but swallowed his pride, explaining, "Before coming here, I made some preparations, talked to some familiar seafarers to find out what to watch out for, who not to provoke. They are from the Black Sail Pirate Group, notorious around these parts of the coast. It's best we don't get entangled with them."

"Black Sail Pirate Group... that sounds familiar, wait, isn't that the gang that killed the entire family of Blue Bay Port's Lord two months ago?"

A Swordsman recalled. However, he had heard that none in the Lord's family had been good folkes—members of a cult with practices like child sacrifice. Their demise had been something people took pleasure in, hence the Black Sail Pirates had a mixed reputation.

"How could that be possible? To commit such an act and still be able to enter the city so openly?"

The archer spoke, almost disbelieving and inadvertently raising his voice. Were the guards blind?

"Keep it down." The team leader whispered, "Londen City is a major city, an important port for the Duchy, not directly overseen by any particular Lord, with complex intermingling powers. The Noble Masters inside are probably fiercely vying with each other and need outsiders to get things done."

"I see."

The Swordsman had an epiphany. These checks were simply to keep small-time criminals outside, preventing the city from falling into utter chaos and affecting the money flow. True tough customers appreciated by the Noble Masters were allocated a slice of the cake; the waters seemed quite deep indeed.

After listening, the archer remained silent for a while, but still felt indignant, adding, "What does all that amount to? Once we make a name and become Hall-level adventurers, all these pirate rabble will be nothing but minions."

The team leader gave a wry smile, aspiring to such dreams was good. The East Coast had an abundance of capable individuals; just having some renown in such a chaotic place was no small feat.

"Hall-level adventurers, eh? One can only hope."

The team leader spoke no more, taking out the guild's documents to comply with the inspection honestly.