Black Sail
Chapter 399: XXXIV. Murderous Intent in the Narrow Sea

Chapter 399: XXXIV. Murderous Intent in the Narrow Sea

In the inn room.

Not every inn has a bed, a wardrobe, a balcony.

On the Western Continent or the Southern Continent, eighty percent of the inns target adventurers as their primary audience, followed by courtesans, also known as "loft phoenixes," ready to provide services either through house call or outsourcing.

And those people are all about getting their money’s worth. A sleeping environment, a working environment, all they need is a private spot, nothing fancy.

The room, arranged by Kai Deng, was just a narrow space; even a bathroom shouldn’t be expected. Friends who have stayed in hostels would know, many share a communal bathroom and shower along the corridor.

On the ground, there was only a large mattress and two chairs, nothing else.

The shipwright management’s eyes were practically shooting fire, eager to strip off his upper garments.

"Baby, I love you, let’s start with a kiss!"

The rancid taste could rival Fukushima radiation—better avoid that. But the lips of such a beauty, even if it was Chernobyl, you’d still go for it.

The clothes worn under the brown ronin cloak weren’t ordinary fabric, but a powerful artifact imbued with magic power.

The Night Goddess, Shadow Lady, the Unknowable, they exist.

This was the evil deity-blessed "Nightingale" Magic Garment.

It could transform into any shape and had an extraordinary ability to render the wearer invisible within any shadow, silent and traceless.

Kai Deng removed his cloak, revealing skin snow-white and tender where the Nightingale didn’t cover, a tall frame marked with the signs of rigorous training, and a face like a star.

The shipwright management simply couldn’t control himself.

But, in utter silence,

A sharp and shining Flying Needle had already launched from Kai Deng’s hand across three meters, embedding into the shipwright management’s throat; he couldn’t even make a sound.

The force was controlled with incredible precision, not piercing through the back of the neck, but stuck inside, creating no noise—only blood flowing, accompanied by a faint hissing of air leaking.

The pirate didn’t understand what was happening—blood spots appeared on his brow and chest, punctured by the Flying Needle. Silent, he was already dead.

Kai Deng positioned the man’s body properly and laid it flat.

As friends who have murdered know, one must disfigure the victim to hinder the investigation, buying some time. She crouched and callously slashed the corpse’s face with a knife, then searched for tattoos.

Luckily, this guy wasn’t into tats.

She had already memorized his voice, appearance, and in less than a minute, used the tools she carried to create a Human Skin Mask, which she put on her face.

Fifteen minutes later.

Downstairs in the inn.

"My turn... Secondhand freshness isn’t bad either, it’s only three silver coins."

"I’m up, I’ve been around longer than you."

"Please, have mercy, I’ve never even tasted a woman before! I’m begging you on my knees!"

A few pirates started arguing again as they saw their boss emerge from the inn.

"Shut up, that wench has been killed by me, ungrateful filth. From now on, be a bit more ambitious, stop fixating on those affairs."

Kai Deng, wearing the shipwright management’s face, had the Nightingale morph into his clothes, a rough male voice gleaming with professionalism, exhibiting a refreshed demeanor.

Meanwhile, shaking his head, as though checking what happened, performing so authentically for the low-ranking pirates, it was impossible to tell the difference.

"What a waste!"

A pirate knelt down, missing out on even secondhand freshness!

Two days later.

The Black Sail Fleet had replenished all their supplies and set sail from Kersuna Island, officially heading toward the Narrow Sea.

Liszt had also made a deal with the Admiral; a direct line was now open, which meant that the adventurer’s guild stationed locally now also had a connection with Heaven Port affairs. Sea beast materials and such—any mission could be taken on Kersuna Island and then, through the direct line, safely arrive on the island, quite satisfying.

Kai Deng had successfully blended in onboard, of course on the same ship as Liszt, on the flagship of the fleet, a sixty-meter-long sail battleship.

Now that Black Sail had become regularized and disciplined, those twenty to thirty-meter-long sampans had no choice but to accommodate a big common berth, yet on such battleships, there were many rooms, usually housing six people per room.

Kai Deng was not a demanding woman, and she didn’t fuss about living with these lower-deck pirates.

The fleet had sailed thirty nautical miles out from Kersuna Island, and Kai Deng’s infiltration was perfect. Her job was a slack position, which was to wander aimlessly but still had to report her duties to the management above every day.

The assassination plan had progressed to the next stage.

Next was still observation.

Sailing was an extremely boring and tasteless process.

Six days later.

The fleet had entered the maritime area between the Western Continent and the Southern Continent, the South Sea. Now, if they continued northward, they could reach the Monges Southern Wetlands.

But the destination wasn’t there. They kept sailing, cutting through the waves. Now, taking an L-shaped course would allow them to penetrate the Narrow Sea and arrive in yet another extremely notorious lawless zone worldwide.

Because of the utter chaos in the Narrow Sea, where every other person was a big shot and dog pirates were rampant, the fleet remained on high alert, preparing for any sudden situations.

However, anyone with a bit of discernment wouldn’t dare to rob them. What am I, robbing an entire fleet? The main concern was to anticipate the regular navies.

The naval forces off the East Shore of Beima Duchy, given the tumultuous situation there, were somewhat lacking.

But the navies of the Five Permanent of the Western Continent, with undebasable dignity, you only realize what kind of people rose to the highest positions in the Western Continent when an Admiral takes action.

Take the current Commander of the Aran Imperial Guard, who was previously in the navy. During the northern campaign against the Beastman barbarians, he fell into the sea and swam for seven days and nights in sub-zero twenty-degree icy water.

Could he be an ordinary person? Captain Aran could say that even Steve Rogers wasn’t his match, and the Hulk might have been in trouble if he showed up.

Nearly a week had gone by, and Kai Deng had completely adjusted to life on the ship and had acquired a lot of new intelligence. As for Liszt’s daily activity area and sleeping quarters, she had figured it all out.

In spending more time with Liszt, the biggest impression Kai Deng got was his love for showing off. Sometimes, when he was bored out of his skull, he would even work as a laborer on deck. Acting the part of a boss, he would oil the rigging and sails or do other manual labor, showing his down-to-earth nature, all the same rank.

Kai Deng almost threw up. How could this man be so fake?

With her stealth techniques, she also found out that Liszt’s private life was indeed colorful. Goria and Meredith, both Heroic Level adventurers and women that Kai Deng knew and who had some reputation—she couldn’t comment much on these two women with their particular tastes, yet they occasionally visited Liszt’s room.

The noises that came from there were unbearable to listen to, and the things Liszt said were simply unfit for a human being to utter, utterly crass and lewd.

On deck, the sea breeze was gentle, and Kai Deng continued her observations. In a few more days, it would be time to make a move.

"Boss, you’ve been out of sorts these past few days, are you troubled by something?"

One of Kai Deng’s direct subordinates asked her.

"It’s nothing important. Don’t make pointless guesses every day. I shouldn’t have bought you that phone, downloading that crappy Genshin."

Kai Deng scolded him.

The value of her undercover identity had run its course; the next step was to execute the plan and chop Liszt down.

Goria...

Was a very good woman to impersonate.

Her plan was crystal clear.

Liszt, your time of death is approaching.