In the trading hall beneath the Amyris Leaf Bar, Alger adjusted the mask he had prepared and pulled up his hood to cover his hair. He then took a seat that was neither too secluded nor too close to the front, discreetly observing the people around him.
He first glanced at the "Appraiser" sitting on the side of the high platform. The man had neatly combed-back hair and, like the black-haired maid beside him, wore a silver mask covering the upper half of his face, making it impossible to see his features...
Is this the 'Appraiser' with the 'Notary' mystical item? At least eighty percent of the people gathered here tonight probably came because of him...
Hah, in Bayam, this is probably the only place that has both an 'Appraiser' and a 'Notary'...
Alger scanned the room. Although most people were disguised, he still recognized a few relatively "familiar" faces.
The tall, dark-skinned man in the corner on the left is also wearing a mask, but his tightly coiled, bead-like hair is so conspicuous... That must be 'Steel' Maveti, the first mate of the 'Blood Admiral,' with a bounty of 6,000 pounds!
When did he arrive in Bayam? And he's appearing so openly at a Beyonder gathering... Isn't he afraid of being caught by the 'Punishers'? After all, this gathering must have the tacit approval of the Church, so there's no way there aren't informants here.
If it were the subordinates of other pirate admirals like the "Iceberg Admiral" appearing in Bayam, the authorities might not go all out to hunt them down...
But the "Blood Admiral" and his crew were different. They loved killing, reveled in blood, and delighted in brutalizing women. Every time they raided a passenger ship, they left behind a trail of atrocities... Each of them was an extremely dangerous criminal, and their appearance would undoubtedly draw the attention of the "Punishers," "Night Watchers," or "Machinists."
Alger was momentarily shocked and wary but didn't dare keep staring at the man, lest he attract unnecessary trouble. He shifted his gaze to others in the room.
The elderly gentleman in the front row who isn't wearing any disguise must be the new leader of the 'North Party.' Rumor has it his daughter became the mistress of the Bayam governor, which is why he's so confident he doesn't need to hide his identity? What a fool!
I even suspect he's the one who ordered the 'doctor' to kill the previous leader of the 'North Party'...
Hah, that 'doctor' was equally foolish. After taking on such a mission, he actually dared to stay in Bayam. Even if he hadn't died at the hands of the 'Appraiser's' maid last week, he would've been silenced sooner or later.
Who knows? His leftover Beyonder characteristic might end up benefiting some animal or harming some ordinary person who picks it up... After all, those idiots in the gangs wouldn't know something as advanced as the 'Law of Conservation and Indestructibility of Beyonder Characteristics'!
Alger had no good impressions of gang members. After glancing at the elderly gentleman a few times, he shifted his gaze to a young woman standing not far to his left, nearly six feet tall.
Female adventurers and pirates are rare on the high seas, and one of this height is even rarer... Judging by her hair color, she must be the recently famous 'Dragon's Might Lady'?
It's said she deliberately uses this nickname to mislead her opponents, but she's actually a Beyonder of the 'Warrior' pathway... She's a schemer, so I'll need to be careful if I ever interact with her...
After recognizing several more "familiar" faces, Alger noticed the time had reached eight o'clock. The gathering officially began under the direction of "Sea Serpent" Weave.
According to Weave's plan, there were supposed to be plants in the audience to buy and sell items to "warm up" the atmosphere. However, to everyone's surprise, the man suspected to be "Steel" Maveti, the first mate of the "Blood Admiral's" flagship, suddenly stood up. An icy, lifeless aura emanated from him as he coldly declared:
"I have a commission."
As he spoke, he pulled out several portraits from inside his coat:
"Find the whereabouts of these people. The reward for each is 3,000 pounds, or an equivalent amount of common mystical materials. Even if you only provide a lead, as long as it's verified, you'll receive 1,000 pounds!"
As his words fell, the room erupted in excitement. After all, a bounty of 3,000 pounds was an incredibly tempting figure for most adventurers and pirates!
After posting the portraits on the walls of the venue, "Steel" Maveti turned and walked toward the exit without looking back.
Though reckless and crazy, he was no fool. The news of his presence here would soon reach the "Mandated Punishers." If he didn't leave now, the area outside would likely be full of "traps" by the time the gathering ended.
This was also the reason he came in person. If he had sent other subordinates, the official informants present at the gathering might have tried to take action. And if someone of insufficient stature had come, they wouldn't have garnered the attention of others.
"How can we contact you if we find the people in the portraits?" someone boldly asked as he was about to leave.
"The contact information is on the portraits!" Maveti replied without turning back, leaving behind only a cold remark.
Sitting on one side of the stage, Ebner watched him leave but ultimately refrained from taking action. After all, this was his gathering. If he were to attack a guest without reason, his reputation would be ruined, and it would be difficult to gain the trust of others in the future.
He glanced at the portraits on the wall and found them familiar. After a moment of recollection, he remembered they were the military personnel from the Loen Kingdom who had competed for the treasure in the "Dennett Labyrinth."
Baron Larry, "Reaper" Maren, "Navigator" Card...
Recalling the names that Hugh had once introduced to him, he matched them one by one with the people in the portraits.
As for the so-called contact information, it was a series of frequency bands and coded messages... Clearly, "Steel" Maveti meant to be contacted via telegraph.
At this moment, "Sea Serpent" Weaver had already calmed and intimidated the guests who wanted to crowd around the "portraits." He had one of his subordinates, skilled in "ritual magic," begin copying the portraits. In a short while, more than ten copies were made and distributed throughout the venue, preventing any major chaos and allowing the gathering to proceed normally.
Soon, the planted "plants" played their role in warming up the atmosphere, completing a transaction and drawing everyone's attention back to the gathering.
During this time, Alger successfully traded the mirror, which had only an eight-month validity period and was used to assist in divination, for the "Fighter" potion formula from "Lady Dragon's Might." Immediately after, he used it to trade with another bidder for the formula and obtained his ultimate goal: "Deep Sea Spearfish Blood."
On the other hand, Miss Gwen, after receiving the mirror, muttered to herself: Why are all the Beyonder items I got today only valid for eight months? The "Heart of Scrutiny" necklace I bought from Ebner was like this, and now this mirror called "Error" is the same...
As transactions were either successfully completed or ultimately "aborted," the gathering gradually came to an end. At this moment, the elderly gentleman from the "North Party" in the front row stood up and addressed the attendees with a smile:
"I also have a task to announce...
"This task involves an evil god named 'The Fool'...
"I need to find people who worship Him.
"If you can provide clues, my reward is 500 pounds."
As he spoke, he took out a folded piece of paper, which, when unfolded, displayed the following words in large Loen script:
"The Fool who does not belong to this era;
"The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog;
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good fortune."
(End of Chapter)