Black Sail
Chapter 114: CXIV. Professional人士

Chapter 114: CXIV. Professional人士

The direct route pirate ship to Heaven Port.

Under thick clouds, the sea at night was pitch black, akin to being in the depths of an uninhabited void.

Heaven Port boasted dockyards for shipbuilding; the construction initiated by the Emperor had been terrifyingly vast. Although it was impossible to build ultra-large luxury liners powered by Magic Energy Material, ships around fifty meters long posed no problem.

The ship that the Thief Guild’s arrival had taken was also transformed from a pirate ship.

Due to functional differences, there was no need to store a large amount of cargo; each bedroom even had its own bathing facilities, making it feel welcoming for those who came for gambling tourism.

Diaz.

One of the most powerful leaders within Aran and arguably worldwide.

There were even rumors saying that the Aran Day Emperor ruled by day, and Diaz by night.

And such a man.

He was madly obsessed with something to this extent.

The Black Robed Man understood that the two gemstones were no big deal, and he wouldn’t involve himself; but this so-called Stone Tablet Fragment was likely to be of great significance.

A truly mythical Curse Artifact.

The Black Robed Man was tightly covered all over, and under his hood, only shadows could be seen.

A professional from the Thief Guild.

Stealth, assassination, cheating, lock picking, detective work, and more—none were missing from his repertoire, and the Black Robed Man was particularly skilled.

He paced back and forth in the room without making a sound; his boots seemed muted no matter how he stepped.

His gauzy figure stretched nearly two meters tall, and under the exaggerated proportions of his elongated silhouette, he even resembled a somewhat morbidly elegant stage actor.

The Black Robed Man had noticed some mysterious guests on the ship, which put him on high alert. There was still about a week’s journey before they would reach the godforsaken place of Heaven Port, nearly the end of the thirteenth month.

Due to the cold weather, which wasn’t peak season, this direct line passenger ship also charged a fee, and the price was steep—a single trip cost eighty silver coins.

But that was not an issue for the wealthy patrons who came to spend, nor for the desperate fugitives with nowhere else to turn. Adventurers venturing into nearby waters to hunt sea beasts also viewed it as a bet, liking to gamble for high returns.

The mixture of passengers on the ship was quite typical.

But the Black Robed Man, with his exceptional professionalism, picked up on something subtle.

He had noticed a few people while dining in the restaurant whose appearances and features matched those of the Lostra people—prominent noses, thin lips, deep nasolabial folds. Their carrying bags were made of a special silk fabric, also from Lostra.

This was a peculiar phenomenon.

Because Lostra was extremely far from here, much farther than the Aran Capital—just the return journey took at least three months, even if one were to ride non-stop on the official highways.

They didn’t seem like fugitives, spending generously, choosing the most expensive dishes in the restaurant.

Adventurers, those stingy misers who would rather eat bread than meat, didn’t even need mentioning.

But if they were here for prostitution and gambling, did they need to travel such a distance?

There was definitely something suspicious.

This involved the Netherworld Stele, a matter of great importance and not to be taken lightly. Those people looked formidable, far from ordinary folks.

The Black Sail Pirate Gang, now in possession of the fragments, must also be silent as the grave, not revealing any whisper.

To be safe, the Black Robed Man had to probe the situation and test whether those people were hiding something.

So, he decided to hire prostitutes.

This direct ship had its own prostitutes for the wealthy patrons to entertain themselves during the journey, charging quite a sizeable fee, all in the prime of their youth, payable in silver coins.

At this moment, two prostitutes entered the room, ready to start without a word.

The Black Robed Man paid first, even doubling the amount to twenty silver coins, but held the coins in hand without immediately handing them to the prostitutes.

"Go to the seventh room on the upper deck to the left, say it’s a special hospitality offer, where the guests invited to the captain’s quarters on this ship get free service."

The Black Robed Man’s voice was hoarse.

However, both prostitutes had dropped out of prenatal education, and his words carried complex intentions. They exchanged glances, completely unaware of what game the Black Robed Man was playing, but they were certainly envious of the silver coins in his hand.

The Black Robed Man even explained it three more times before the two prostitutes understood his meaning.

Five minutes later.

The ship had standard rooms and superior ones. The Lostra people naturally occupied the superior rooms, which were originally independent spaces.

To avoid drawing attention, the Black Robed Man had chosen a standard room.

Originally modified from a pirate ship, the standard rooms were made by partitioning off the cargo hold and were relatively uncomfortable.

The Black Robed Man hid around the corner, silently observing the activities there. If there were no tricks involved, surely they wouldn’t refuse free women showing up at their door.

If it was related to the Netherworld Stele, they would be extremely cautious. After all, such ’free services’ would naturally be suspicious.

The Black Robed Man had specifically instructed the two prostitutes to linger for a while.

At that moment, the door to that group of people was opened, and the two prostitutes frantically flaunted themselves. However, the people inside were entirely dismissive and slammed the door shut after just twenty seconds.

The Black Robed Man’s heart sank.

Of course, he couldn’t just conclude things so simply; more evidence was needed.

The Black Robed Man went up to the deck.

The clouds were thick tonight, and it was pitch dark all around, so much so that one couldn’t see their own hand if they stretched it out far from the ship.

One of the Boss’s pirates saw someone on the deck and was about to remind them to be careful, given they were all fitted for Heaven Port—an expression that didn’t mean actual fitting but rather skimming money for long term operations where high human traffic was essential.

But it was as if he saw incorrectly, as if in a blink of an eye, the figure had disappeared. It really was ghostly.

The superior rooms had portholes.

The Black Robed Man was not a Tiger-man or any beast race with a natural advantage who could cling to perfectly vertical surfaces with just their claws.

But he was a professional. Using daggers to insert into the wall would make too much noise; he had specialized gauntlets with extremely sharp tips on the fingers, and with his finger strength.

Let alone wood, even the vertical stone walls of city buildings could be climbed with ease.

The Black Robed Man’s psychological resilience was horrifyingly unimaginable. Outside was endless darkness and an abyss-like sea bottom.

Falling on such a night would undoubtedly mean death.

Yet seemingly very confident in his skills, he clung terrifyingly to the outer wall of the ship’s side and moved quickly and silently up to the porthole where the Lostra people were located.

Fortunately, tonight was calm and still, which wouldn’t affect his eavesdropping. He observed with his eyes what the few people inside were doing.

Though they lowered their voices, the Black Robed Man’s terrifying hearing, developed through lock picking, could clearly catch anything as long as it wasn’t mumbling in a dream.

"I tried it in the next room, the soundproofing is very good."

"Goria and Caroso made it—they both didn’t die, at least no bodies were found. Now the items are in Heaven Port, with the Black Sail."

"I’ve investigated everyone at the Black Sail, besides the Captain and Morison, and one man in a helmet whose background is unknown, I’ve figured them all out; none are simple. What if they decide to hold onto the items?"

"Wasn’t the agreement meant to be absolutely confidential?"

"It’s just a verbal agreement, it doesn’t count as it’s terrifying what those items can do. It’s not impossible they’d get ideas."

The Black Robed Man continued listening for a while longer.

Although these people never mentioned what those items were throughout,

He was almost entirely sure and could conclude definitively.

The Black Robed Man...felt a murderous intent; leaving just one alive was enough.

Nobody wasn’t afraid of Diaz, and the Black Sail, too, was looking for someone to handle this hot potato—the object being the Lostra people, but from their conversation, they seemed to be just one of the potential parties, apparently not quite in agreement.

It was a clever calculation, indeed. Whoever was involved needed to be eliminated; Black Sail would kill as many people as needed to see it through.

And he moved on.