His first reaction was that he had misheard.
However, Gehrman Sparrow’s smile with hidden madness and the slight movement of his captain’s eyebrows—an abnormality of hers—reminded him that what was said had really happened!
It was because he recalled that Gehrman Sparrow was a powerhouse at the level of the seven admirals, and there might be a hidden, terrifying organization backing him.
Edwina said after a few seconds of silence, “Do you know of the Rose School of Thought?”
After a short moment of silence, Edwina said, “After the huge battle with Vice Admiral Dusk’s pirate crew, Senor’s crew vanished. At present, no one knows where they are. One will have to wait patiently.”
“I do not lack patience.
“How can I contact you?”
Edwina turned her head to look at Danitz.
“He knows how.”
He tried his hardest to show his sincerity in his eyes, filling them with the desire for knowledge.
“I believe we can switch to someone else, like Iron Skin and Barrel…”
Before he finished his sentence, Edwina suddenly raised her right hand and pressed it against her ear.
She looked slightly to the side and said without expression, “What did you say?
“I couldn’t hear it.
“Roselle’s Dream Spell is reaching its limits…”
The pirate admiral’s skirt fluttered slightly as she took a step back before her figure quickly turned faint, reducing into points of fragmented light.
The rest of Danitz’s words were left stuck in his throat. He stretched out his right hand in an attempt to grasp something, but he ended up weakly drooping down.
“Perhaps one day I will call you Mr. 10,000 Pounds.”
“…”
Danitz straightened his back in fright, then he saw Gehrman Sparrow’s figure disappear from his dream.
…
In the evening, Danitz looked at Gehrman Sparrow, who was dressed as a native.
“Today, we’ll be visiting the location faction. We might be able to find some good things there. Heh heh, they have a great need for Beyonder ingredients, food, and weapons.”
At this point, Danitz looked Gehrman Sparrow up and down. It was rare for him to find something that he was better than him at. He said with a smile, “Their area is filled with local people. There aren’t even many people with mixed blood. If there’s even the slightest signs of an abnormality in their clothing, you will be discovered.
“Your pantaloons and brown jacket are fine, but you can’t wear a shirt inside. A real native wears Taraba shirts; they’re similar to Sea Soul shirts, but they’re either all blue or white. They don’t wear caps, headscarves, or anything.
“Also, people like you who look obviously Loenese will encounter very serious discrimination and hostility there, just like a wolf that sneaks into a flock of sheep. You can’t hide your existence at all…”
Before he could finish, he saw Gehrman Sparrow tilt his head and look at him. His deep facial features quickly turned soft. His fair skin was instantly stained with the color of bronze. In just a snap, he had become an undeniable native that didn’t stand out in any way.
“…”
After a few seconds of silence, Danitz laughed dryly as if nothing had happened. “Me too. I have to disguise myself.”
“What local faction?”
“Ahem, to put it simply, ahem— The Resistance.” Danitz suddenly wasn’t sure if Gehrman Sparrow had any connections with the Loen officials.
Klein was startled for a second.
“Resistance?”
Danitz smiled awkwardly and said, “People who clamor for independence and for natives to administer their local affairs. Their encampment is deep in the woods or at sea. They cooperate with many pirates and adventurers. Of course, the ones backing them are mainly people from Feysac and Intis. Often, there will be priests from the God of Combat and the Eternal Blazing Sun secretly coming over.”
He nodded slightly and didn’t object to visiting the local faction.
After leaving the Wind of Azure Inn, Klein followed Danitz, whose face was painted black. They went through the streets, heading all the way southeast.
Leaving the confines of the City of Generosity, they entered a zone filled with different architectural styles. The buildings here had raised floors, propped up by wooden pilings. There were three- or four-story buildings that had evolved from the Loen-styled terrace houses.
The roads that split from each other were narrow and dirty, with many stalls on either side. They sold all kinds of headgear, earrings, and accessories made of stone. They were mostly bright red or multicolored.
“What a bunch of strange fellows. They especially like bright colors, just like those venomous snakes in the forest,” Danitz whispered.
They passed by a group of dark-skinned, skinny, and shriveled natives, entering the alleys which had clothes drying over their heads. The scene before their eyes suddenly opened up, revealing a small municipal square.
On the square, a group of locals was gathered around the central pond. Some were kneeling, some were prostrating, some were mumbling, and some were singing softly. They had devout expressions, but they looked numbed.
As soon as they realized that someone was approaching, they quickly got up and ran into the surrounding alleys in a flurry.
All the windows on the second, third, and fourth floors of the surrounding houses clanged shut, and the square grew quiet, but Klein’s spiritual perception told him that there were many people behind the windows, around the alleys, in the dark corners, watching these strangers who had suddenly arrived in their world.
Danitz lowered his head and said in a suppressed voice, “Don’t worry, this is their way of protecting themselves.”
“Oh?” Klein expressed his doubts.
Danitz let out a chuckle.
“Before this place was completely colonized, the natives on the Rorsted Archipelago always believed in Sea God Kalvetua. They believed that this deity who appears in the form of a gigantic sea serpent would protect all the islands here, preventing them from being devoured by earthquakes or tsunamis.
“Now that this belief has been outlawed, the Church of the Lord of Storms has been constantly fighting against the heretics. Even the Church of Evernight and the Church of Steam and Machinery are unable to expand their influence here, and there are only a few cathedrals.
“But in fact, how can the faith that has been in place for centuries, if not a millennium, be so easily eradicated? There are still plenty of believers of the Sea God in Bayam, Blue Mountain Island, and the Rorsted Sea. Even if a bunch of people are captured every one to two months, a situation in which they suffer all kinds of extreme punishment, it’s impossible to reverse this situation any time soon. The Resistance’s main pillar of support are the believers of the Sea God.
“In my opinion, it will take at least another hundred years before the faith of the Sea God will be completely eradicated. Of course, that’s under the premise that there aren’t any other disruptive elements.”
“Who is it?” someone asked in a low voice.
Danitz replied with a chuckle, “A friend who brings wine and barbecue.”
“Where from?” the person inside asked a strange question.
Danitz stepped back.
“At sea.”
The arm was tattooed with a blue, hideous sea serpent.
