Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The City-State of Pirates

After saying his piece, Kase returned to his usual self, as if nothing had happened.

After they finished eating, the group sold off the spoils they had taken from the Fishmen.

The Short Spears and other such items weren’t worth much. While the two Scimitars the Fishmen had were decent, they had started to rust and dull from being in the sea for so long, making them worthless.

Fortunately, the jewelry was quite valuable and of good quality. The group had managed to gain something from the bizarre ambush after all.

In the end, they each got thirty Gold Coins, which wasn’t bad.

Colin, who had wanted to find a few more helpers, went to the taverns and other places to ask around.

Fifty percent of the people thought he was trying to "lure us out to the wilderness to be eaten alive by your Orcs and Demons!" The other fifty percent were unwilling to go north. In short, he couldn’t find anyone.

Time flew by just like that.

The only thing that could be considered a gain was spending one Gold Coin on something that could preserve the blood’s activity.

It was supposedly a byproduct of Healing Potions. Colin didn’t bother with the principles behind it; at least with this stuff, he didn’t have to worry about the Fishman Blood turning into something strange on the way back.

Although they had just arrived in Holy Tear City and hadn’t had time to explore, the mission was quite urgent, leaving no time for sightseeing.

The fleet set sail once more.

The captain found a few more sailors on shore.

It was worth noting that, based on their expressions and conversations, these sailors had a very casual attitude toward life and death. They had a "live for the moment" vibe, much like career Adventurers—not the ones forced into the profession out of desperation.

Colin suspected the captain’s talk of "low morale" was just an excuse the sailors used after someone died, clamoring for the ship to dock so they could go drinking.

The next two days passed, and the group completed this leg of the journey without incident.

On the morning of the third day, Mokewick, the midway point of their journey, slowly emerged from the thin mist.

There was no sun that day, but the towering World’s Roof in the distance was clearly visible.

Perhaps because he was already prepared, Colin wasn’t particularly surprised when he saw the massive mountain range that blocked out half the sky.

After a couple of glances, Colin shifted his attention to Mokewick.

Like Torrent Bay, the city was built at the mouth of a great river, but it was much larger in scale. A tall Mage Tower stood on an island in the estuary, connected to both banks by a massive stone bridge. Fortresses and high city walls were built on either side of the river.

The bay next to the river mouth was a sizable port, with massive ships moored within.

However, they were different from the ships docked in other city ports.

The vessels docked here were all heavily armed, with black flags hanging from their masts.

"Are those all Pirate Ships?" Orelia asked worriedly, her hand resting on the Nail Head Hammer hanging at her waist as she stood on the deck.

"Rommon is a city built by merchants and Mercenaries, while Mokewick is a haven for Pirates."

Seizing the opportunity to explain, Colin continued, "The first settlers here were criminals exiled from the Southern City-States like Thousand Masts City. They hated the city-states that were once their homes, so they began providing shelter to Pirates to make a living. Now, the rulers here are the Pirate Council, formed by an alliance of eight major pirate crews. It’s a place with some semblance of order, I suppose."

Kase scratched his head. "I’ve heard the ships here are all ’Privateer Ships’ or somethin’."

"That’s just another name for a Pirate Ship," Colin said. "They can legally plunder merchant ships from other city-states hostile to Mokewick, then swagger back here to sell their stolen goods."

Just as the small boat the group was on was about to enter the port...

A Pirate Ship over fifty meters long with a black sail suddenly appeared, blocking the merchant ship’s path.

Gleaming Siege Crossbow Arrows and Harpoon Cannons on the ship’s side swiveled coldly toward them, while a group of Pirates waving Scimitars leaned against the railing, shouting in strange, taunting voices.

The captain, also on deck, hurried over and shouted, "We’ll pay the docking fee, sir, we’ll pay it!"

A man who looked like the pirate captain came out. He slurred drunkenly, "You don’t have to pay! Just give me this ship to settle the debt instead, HA HA HA!"

With that, the Pirate Ship swaggered out of the port and headed for the open sea.

"I don’t like this place..." Orelia whispered, watching the Pirate Ship sail away.

Kase sighed. "To be honest, when I first came out into the world, I thought all humans were like this."

"We’re heading north soon anyway. We’re just passing through," Colin comforted them.

Ignoring these minor incidents, the merchant ship slowly docked at the port.

After exchanging a few words with a dock administrator, the captain turned and shouted, "Mr. Colin, I’ve paid your entrance fees! Remember to find me here in about half a month. If I’m not here, please wait a couple of days!"

"I’ll remember! Also, we’ll leave those bags of Fishman Blood with you for now!"

After settling things, Colin led the other two down the gangplank and officially entered Mokewick.

’Come to think of it, the captain also seemed to pay their entrance fee for Holy Tear City last time.’

After they disembarked, the mission rewards were instantly credited.

-----------------

[Quest: Escort the Fleet]

[Rating: 3 (Mortal)]

[Reward: Skill Level +150]

-----------------

As he walked, Colin allocated all of these points to "Silent Sword Skill." He had high hopes for this Legendary Skill and didn’t plan on leveling his other two skills until this one reached the next stage.

His current Skill Levels were: Casting (1338), Armor (602), Swordsmanship (843).

After dealing with these matters in his mind, Colin turned his attention to the streets.

Walking the streets of Mokewick, one would quickly notice how different it was.

The streets here weren’t as chaotic as Rommon’s.

Or rather, it was the complete opposite of Rommon. Most people were busy with their own affairs, and it was rare to see anyone laughing heartily or shouting loudly in public.

The only similarity to Rommon was that while everyone there carried at least a Dagger at their hip, most people here carried a Scimitar. And while one could feel the distrust toward Alien Races on the streets of Rommon, here you could sense that people were wary even of their own companions.

’At first, I thought the residents of Thousand Masts City were somewhat ignorant and unfriendly, like people from the Middle Ages.’

By comparison, even those vicious dock foremen now seemed positively charming.

Another interesting detail was that although it was cold and the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, many of the Pirates here wore slightly oversized, heavy overcoats with only thin shirts and trousers underneath.

As they walked, they would just pull their coats closed without buttoning them, which looked somewhat out of place.

But considering who they were, the reason for this was obvious.

These guys were afraid of the cold, but at the same time, they didn’t want to be dragged to the seabed by heavy clothing if they fell into the water. So they simply wore overcoats that were easy to shed. It was a strange kind of combat habit, in a way.

The trio found a general store called "Enjoy the Winter."

The shop was filled with fur clothing and other such items. It was a specialty store for snow adventuring supplies, and it was completely empty of customers.

The moment Colin walked in, he saw a wanted poster on the wall.

The group naturally found themselves staring at the poster.

[A Half-Elf woman carrying many books. One hundred Gold Coins for her alive, fifty gold coins for her dead.]

"That one’s an arsonist. Burned a batch of the finest powder, the kind that can send you to Heaven." The shopkeeper blurted out before any of them could speak, then added, "All your questions answered? Now hurry up and tell me what you’re buying."