Ave saw hope but was quickly extinguished by confusion.
Even if the Lindong Witch really stayed in Ximu Town for some time and wrote a magic book during that period, how easy would it be to find it?
This is not just a manuscript left by some unknown mage, but a magical masterpiece left by the Empire's strongest Elemental Shaper. If the news were to spread, even without proof, it would make countless people flock to the Empire's borders, measured by the level of cursed items, undoubtedly a fifth-level or above case that requires the personal handling of a major case by numerous experts at the Joint Bureau.
The captain and his "friend" indeed took on great risk, for he knew that this piece of intelligence could incite a war, so he could only keep it buried.
Ave was filled with so many thoughts, but no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure out where this magical masterpiece had gone or who in this border town was worthy enough for the Lindong Witch to stay behind for some time.
Her gaze drifted over the noisy crowd and landed on Ethan.
When she saw Ethan holding two cups of beer, her thoughts about the magic book were cast away, a rush of heat flooded her mind.
Ave thought that working with Ethan, she would eventually die suddenly at her post—while she was off buying intelligence, this guy got duped by a beer-toting con!
She knew the income of the Guild's scribe, and with his salary, it wouldn't be easy to save up 2 Gold Lions. The two beers he was holding now were enough to turn his long-time frugal living into a bubble.
Before leaving, Ethan had patted his chest and assured her he absolutely wouldn't get duped.
She silently approached the smiling Ethan, listening to his conversation with the person next to him. The talk was about a young man who wasn't sent away; the guests, full of wicked interest, suggested the guards keep him for a while so he could witness the ensuing scene firsthand.
A gentlemanly dressed man said with great interest, "He came looking for his fiancée. It's said he mortgaged his house and barely managed to exchange it for a ticket here. But well, his fiancée was sold off by her gambler father for money long ago. Look, that's her over there, the dancer. She usually welcomes guests aboard merchant ships. If she's lucky enough to be noticed by some wealthy merchant or noble, she might be able to be bought off and go become their mistress."
"No wonder he was getting into fights in the tavern."
Ethan nodded, and from now on, the ship was filled with the atmosphere of minotaurs.
Ave sneaking up behind and hearing this shook her head; Ethan was easily duped by the beer-toting con and had an unnecessary sense of justice in such a place. Such people end up with only one - take enormous debt at Fireplace Bay and, when there's nowhere else to go, pawn themselves off.
Ethan asked again, "But, isn't the Empire prohibited from human trafficking?"
"First time in Fireplace Bay?"
The gentleman shot Ethan a curious look, "But you must have used teleportation magic, Fireplace Bay isn't under the jurisdiction of the Empire, naturally unaffected by the Empire's laws."
You can buy anything at Fireplace Bay, including living people.
This is the Lofic Consortium's promise to all clients.
Only newcomers would be surprised by such things, "In fact, Empire citizens have always been one of Fireplace Bay's popular commodities."
"Brother, thanks for the explanation! Here, I toast you!"
This shout of "brother" was very well-received by the gentleman. He took the beer Ethan handed over and enthusiastically guzzled it, showing his great mood, "ton, ton, ton." Ave initially intended to step forward and stop it but suddenly saw a strange scene—mid-drink, Ethan suddenly paused his drinking.
Immediately, several strong men emerged from the crowd surrounding the two.
Ethan handed his beer glass to the leading middle-aged man, who smilingly gave him 50 Silver Gazelles.
"Good beer...?"
The gentleman, who drank it all, finally noticed the strong men, his face instantly turning blue at one moment and white at another.
Ethan extended his thumb towards him, "Wonderful! This was hand-brewed by a master brewer of Windless City, using top-quality hops and wheat. You can only taste this master-level craftsmanship at Fireplace Bay, now selling for 1 Gold Lion!"
Next was the time for friendly exchanges between the middle-aged man and the gentleman; Ethan didn't want to disturb this harmonious atmosphere and voluntarily backed out, leaving the place to them.
Only then did he notice Ave, "Oh, you're back!"
Ave instinctively took a step back to distance herself from Ethan, "What were you doing just now?"
"Selling beer, making some extra money. There are quite a lot of onlookers here, but most of them know the bartender, so I made a deal with him for each beer I help sell, he'd give me 50 Silver Gazelles. You know, when people are watching the fun, their psychological defenses are lowered quite a bit."
Ethan, as a pure-love warrior, sensed the presence of minotaurs, and without selling them a cup of 1 Gold Lion beer, his heart couldn't be at peace.
Ave, for a time, was speechless.
Her assessment was completely wrong, Ethan not only wasn't tricked but was trying to profit from the young man's tragic experience. This guy clearly had no sense of justice, just like an old hand at Fireplace Bay!
Ethan couldn't help but sigh, "Fireplace Bay is really a good place, earning money is much faster than working."
At this rate, maybe he would soon earn enough to buy a book.
As for the young man's ordeal, he could only say that hitting the local minotaur forces wasn't necessarily a form of aid.
The gentleman who was charged 1 Gold Lion glared at Ethan fiercely and immediately lost interest in watching the show, snorting coldly and leaving.
Clearly, Ethan wasn't fighting alone.
The happy atmosphere among the crowd was suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps, the young man dressed in a splendid white tuxedo attracted all the attention, a silver whip slung over his waist, such a weapon was rare in the Empire, the young man had golden, shoulder-length curly hair, even with the customary mask, his graceful strides and confident demeanor revealed his extraordinary identity.
The blonde youth briefly learned of the situation from the guards, then waved his hand and said, "How much is their redemption fee? I'll buy it."
The deck suddenly fell silent, the onlookers' expressions varied, even the young man himself looked incredulously at this sudden person.
Everyone thought this man must have lost his mind; making a fuss on the Lofic Consortium's turf required quite a sum for the redemption fee. Those who caused trouble usually had only two endings—either become a slave for the consortium until the day the debt was paid off, or pawn themselves to the guild, bringing all belongings to exchange for money.
"100 Gold Lions, along with his fiancée."
After negotiating with the manager, the guards gave the offer, hearing this figure, the faces of the onlookers suddenly showed an unkind smile.
They were happy to contemplate the scene where the show-stealing youth couldn't come down, who would spend 100 Gold Lions for a stranger?
Only then did a black-haired maid, veiled, rush to the youth holding a box.
"Young master, what are you doing?"
"Oh, you're just in time. Pay them 100 Gold Lions."
"100 Gold Lions!?"
The maid seemed startled by this figure, quietly reminding the youth, "The master will not be pleased to know you're squandering money!"
"Didn't you say anything I wanted could be bought at Fireplace Bay? I've found what I want to buy."
The youth was unwavering, every word he spoke leaving a resounding impact, "I want to buy 'justice'."
Onlookers Ethan glanced at the 50 Silver Gazelles in his hand and then at the youth who stunned everyone present with a few words. On this day, he directly faced the world's contrasts.
Though the maid sighed, they genuinely had 100 Gold Lions.
"Young miss."
Ethan rubbed his eyes through the mask, then pointed at the youth, asking Ave to confirm, "Is that person glowing?"
He felt the youth radiating golden brilliance all over, similar to the color of Gold Lions.
Moreover, this person seemed like a pure-love warrior, presumably belonged to the same faction as him.
Ave held her forehead, "Are you very short on money?"
"A bit."
Ethan nodded truthfully.
Originally not so short, but after arriving at Fireplace Bay, he suddenly wanted to visit the ship's bookstore.
"If you need money, borrow from me, I can lend you."
"How much is the interest?"
Ethan's wary expression made Ave stagger slightly, she coldly replied, "No interest, the only request is you don't mix with those beer sellers, I can't afford to lose face."