Chapter 109 - Pirate Deal (1/2)
It took some time to lose the guards. Since it was a pay period, many of them wanted to earn some extra cash through some arrests. Fortunately, with the detection abilities of Ye and Xing, losing the guards wasn't particularly difficult.
”Phew... we got them out of the way. But it will be better not to go around for now. Let's go find somewhere to sleep, okay?” Hei proposed to his little sisters and Lian. They nodded their heads and followed Hei.
Since they didn't know the city, he had to ask passersby for directions. The tavern wasn't the only place that allowed to rent rooms. There were several hotels placed here and there in the city. Usually, these places were quieter than taverns because of the higher price, which was better for them since they could rest undisturbed.
So, they came to a luxurious hotel and booked the hotel suite on the top floor. Since they were martial artists, luxuries that were unthinkable for ordinary people were nothing but trivial expenses for them.
Usually, Hei was a thrifty guy, only spending what he thought was necessary. But he thought it was nice to indulge in luxury from time to time, mostly for Lian and his little sisters.
The long sea crossing had been rather tiring, and they would soon be riding the waves of the Forgotten Ocean again. Therefore, they didn't know when they would be able to rest like this.
The room was huge, at least compared to the ones Hei had seen. On one side of the wall, there was a large queen size canopy bed with soft, high-quality blankets. There was also a polished wooden desk and a couple of sofas with finely crafted fabric.
The bathroom was also huge and had a large bathtub that could easily contain several adults at a time. There were a series of glass flasks containing perfumed fragrances and various soaps.
Rounding out the suite, there was a balcony overlooking the city. From there, it was possible to observe the frenetic coming and going of people on the streets and the unfolding of city life.
Hei let out his little sisters who were happy with the room and began to explore it curiously. Hei instead went straight to bed and lay down, followed shortly after by Lian.
”Since we can't move and have to wait at least until the night comes, it's better to rest. The beds in the cabin weren't all that comfortable, so we should sleep now that we have the chance.”
Lian nodded that she understood and slipped with Hei under the covers. Then the two youths went to sleep. Even Ye and Xing, after having explored the suite, got on the bed, and slipped under the covers, sleeping blissfully.
They spent the day in the suite, enjoying all the comforts that room offered. They even had a banquet worthy of a noble brought into the room and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
In the end, the night came, and it was time to go. Hei paid the housing costs, and with Lian and his little sisters, he left for the tavern.
The situation in the tavern had calmed down. The guards had arrested those they found passed out. The lucky few who survived the fury of Hei and Lian managed to escape, taking advantage of their knowledge of the city streets. Even though they were angry about how things had gone, they decided to leave it alone. They had learned their lesson and wouldn't disturb those two young martial artists.
However, even if it was calm inside, it couldn't be said that the place was in place. Most of the tables and chairs had been destroyed and were to be thrown away. Therefore, for that night, the tavern was closed to the public.
But the owner wasn't worried or angry at all. The compensation he had received was well beyond the expense necessary to repair his business. Not to mention he had already ordered new tables and chairs that would arrive the next morning. So his business would stop only for tonight.
Therefore, when Hei and Lian arrived there, they found the door locked. They tried to knock a couple of times until the innkeeper's voice came from inside.
”We are closed. Come back tomorrow.”
”It's me, let me in,” Hei replied quietly.
The innkeeper recognized Hei's voice and hurried to open the locked door.
”Sorry, sorry. I thought you were other customers who wanted to come in. Come on, get inside.”
The innkeeper removed himself from the door to make room for Hei and Lian, who entered the tavern. As they had imagined, the place was quite bare, and inside, there were only a couple of tables and chairs that survived the morning brawl. But what attracted the two youths was the presence of a man sitting on one of those tables.
He was a man in his early thirties. Like most seamen, he had various scars on his hands and face. He was currently drinking a mug of beer while chewing what appeared to be a chicken leg.
When he saw the man, Hei's eyebrows furrowed. The tavern was supposed to be closed right now. Therefore, either he was a host's acquaintance, or he had something to do with the request that Hei had made.
”As you can see, I haven't been idle. I took the initiative for you to summon someone who can help you with your request. He is-”
As the innkeeper was about to introduce the man, he raised a hand to tell the innkeeper to stop talking. Then, taking the last sip of the mug and finishing chewing, he turned to Hei.
”So are you the kid who wants to become a pirate? I heard you make a mess today. What's your name?”
Listening to his words, Hei frowned even more. He could sense that the man wasn't taking him seriously.
”In theory, it would be courteous to introduce yourself before asking someone for their name. Don't you think?”
Hei's voice was steady as he stared at the pirate without blinking. The pirate was irritated by that answer and replied.
”Boy, what do you think I am? I am a pirate. Those fucking rules don't apply here. Now, answer the question or else disappear.”
”I understand. Okay then, I'll disappear. Innkeeper, in the end, you weren't as useful as I hoped. Be satisfied with what I have given you.”
After saying this, Hei turned and headed for the door. The innkeeper, hearing those words, panicked and tried to remedy that situation.
”No, wait. We can still solve- ”
”There is nothing to discuss. I have no interest in dealing with someone whose name I don't even know. I indeed want to give myself to piracy, but it isn't as if there is only a group of pirates, Am I not correct, my dear pirate without a name?”
Hei turned and smiled in the direction of the pirate, still sitting at his table. The pirate had a slight wrinkle sticking out of his forehead. He didn't like at all the disrespect that Hei was showing towards him. If it were up to him, he would have torn that brat to pieces, but...
”Alright. I'll tell you my name. Are you willing to talk then?”
At that point, Hei went to the pirate and sat down at the table. Behind him, Lian remained standing, ready to intervene at any moment.
There were three reasons why Hei had acted so arrogantly. First, he didn't want to get into a passive position in the pirate deal. If he had accepted his terms without discussion, it would have been difficult to manage things according to his will.
Second, since it was about recruiting new members, it was unlikely that a spirit soldier would come. But they would send a seventh stage instead since he had shown his cultivation that morning during the fight.
And third, it was to guess which crew the pirate belonged to. If his conjectures were correct, with a seventh stage martial artist as a recruiter, he had to belong to the crew of one of the four Pirate Generals. And if he stopped him despite their dissent, then it meant that the Pirate General needed talented men for his/her plans. As a result, it was likely that something was going on regarding the stalemate between the four Pirate Generals.
From how Hei had managed to realize these details in a short time after a rapid interaction with the pirate, it was easy to notice his high capacity for analysis and perception.
”My name is Mo Songmin.”
”I am Hei.”
”Well, Hei. So why do you want to become a pirate?” Mo Songmin asked as he looked into Hei's eyes. He was trying to detect traces of lies in the words of the young boy before him.