Chapter 440, You're Not Even as Good as Your Father
"Where did you hear about this?" Joachim, sitting beside her, asked.
Philipa leaned on the bar and said, "I've been reading a book recently, called A Brief History of Pirates. It mentions that there was once a Pirate King in the Emerald Sea. I was curious if it's true."
"You can read?" Joachim asked skeptically.
Philipa said, "If my father hadn't been a pirate, I'd be a prized talent trained by the Kingdom."
The tavern fell silent for a moment before erupting into laughter among the pirates.
"You, a wild girl, a talent?"
"Which kingdom would be so unlucky to train you?"
"The Iron Barrel Pirate Crew is down to just three ships under your command. You're not even as good as your father."
Bang~!
Philipa slammed the bar hard and cursed loudly, "You're full of shit. If I weren't a pirate, I'd be a guild member and have you all arrested and shoved with sticks."
"Shove sticks, shove sticks," the parrot mimicked beside her.
Hahaha~!
The laughter grew louder, and the tavern instantly became lively.
Philipa's face turned red with anger, and she yelled, "Keep laughing, and you'll pay for your own women."
"No, no! You're talented."
"Right, you could be a guild steward."
The pirates started heckling again.
Joachim joined in laughing for a while before saying, "What's written in books is naturally true. It's normal for your younger generation not to know about it."
Philipa ignored the other pirates and turned to ask, "Was this Pirate King really that powerful?"
"You've heard of the Sea King's Letters, haven't you?"
Philipa nodded, "Of course. I've intercepted a few ships because of the letters. Are they really connected to the Pirate King? Has he lived this long?"
Joachim chuckled, took a sip of his drink, and didn't continue.
Philipa frowned, "Joachim, are you bluffing and making things up?"
Joachim's expression hardened, "I certainly know more than you."
"Really? Then who is this Pirate King?"
Joachim frowned at her, sizing her up, "Are you that interested?"
Philipa, unfazed, drank her beer and shook her leg, "If you don't know, I'll ask other pirate crews later."
Joachim hesitated, about to speak.
Creak—
The tavern door opened, and the bartender walked in with a group of heavily made-up women, their hips swaying as they entered. They immediately threw themselves into the arms of the pirates.
Joachim stood up and grabbed two women, "Philipa, want to join us tonight?"
Philipa waved her hand, "No thanks. You're too old."
Joachim laughed heartily, holding the women as he headed upstairs. "You're quite bold, little wild girl. Don't go to sea for now. In a few days, I'll take you to see something interesting, if you pass the screening."
"What kind of sight?" Philipa pursued.
Joachim's figure disappeared into the staircase, leaving behind a voice, "Something related to your curiosity."
Philipa followed to the base of the stairs and shouted, "Joachim, you're the real deal! Like the kind-hearted Babuchi."
There was no response from upstairs.
Meanwhile, downstairs, pirates and women were already tangled together.
Even the pirates Philipa brought had buried their heads in women's chests.
Philipa glanced at all the pirates.
She cursed under her breath and left the tavern with her parrot.
She strolled along the nearby streets.
...…
Wu Heng returned to Blackstone Town.
He came downstairs.
Shanaila was also there, chatting and laughing with the two maids on the first floor.
She wasn't as shy as she had been the previous day.
He could vaguely hear the three of them discussing Wu Heng, including where he was ticklish and what movements he liked.
When Wu Heng approached.
The three finally noticed him, their faces reddened as they quickly changed the subject to their shopping trip.
Wu Heng sat beside them, chatting for a bit.
Shortly after, dinner was served, and the four of them sat at the table to eat.
After dinner.
Minnie and Shanaila went to the yard to play shuttlecock, while Wu Heng kept Andviel behind.
"Master, do you have any orders?" Andviel poured him a glass of water and asked curiously.
Wu Heng took a sip and asked, "Any progress on the kidnapping?"
Andviel shook her head, "No news has reached me yet. I'll ask tomorrow at the Guild."
"No need. I'll visit tomorrow as well," Wu Heng continued, "What about Milisen?"
"Lady Milisen is still staying in the Guild dormitory. These days, no rumors have linked the Nautilus to the Guild. Assistant Moya is arranging things to distance her while setting her free."
Wu Heng nodded. Moya's arrangements were usually more meticulous.
"That's good. Go play with them."
Andviel acknowledged and left the room to join Minnie and Shanaila in playing shuttlecock.
Wu Heng returned to his study and read for a while.
Late at night, he went to bed to rest.
...…
The next day, at the Guild's dungeon.
The heavy iron door creaked open.
A young man dressed as a bartender cautiously walked down.
He passed several iron cages, identifying the prisoners lying inside, and moved further in.
Finally, in one cage, he saw a familiar figure and lowered his voice, "Boss, are you okay?"
Inside the cage, Milisen lifted her head, her eyes flashing with joy. "How did it go? Did you handle it?"
The bartender whispered even lower, "It's done. The money's been sent."
"Did they say when they'd let me out?"
"They didn't." The bartender shook his head and cautiously asked, "Boss, this money isn't going to waste, is it?"
"It shouldn't be," Milisen replied.
The two whispered, and the dungeon door opened again.
Two Guild guards walked down, chatting as they entered.
Milisen and the bartender immediately fell silent, watching the guards approach.
The guards stopped outside the cage, glanced inside, and said, "You're Milisen, right?"
"Yes," Milisen replied.
One guard opened the cage and said, "Your case is closed. You can leave."
"Thank you." Milisen stepped out, thanked them, and left with the bartender.
After passing through the hall and exiting the Guild's main gate.
The bartender grumbled, "I thought the Guild was better, but they're just extorting money too."
Milisen glanced around and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Let's go home."
They hailed a carriage and headed to Lighthouse Street.
Upstairs in the Guild.
Wu Heng watched the carriage disappear and closed the curtains.
According to Moya's plan, Milisen was supposed to be detained for a few more days. After some progress on the assassination case.
She would then be released.
After arriving, Wu Heng decided to release her immediately.
The Guild's leads had already run dry.
Moreover, the headless body left behind suggested confidence on the perpetrator's part. Delaying wouldn't achieve much.
So today, Milisen was released as planned.
Behind him, Andviel said, "Some people know she's your informant. She might not gather much intel."
"That's fine. There's so much truth and rumor outside, not everything will spread. If she can't gather intel, she can just run the tavern as a gesture to Philipa," Wu Heng added.
"You're very thoughtful," Andviel remarked.
Wu Heng turned and patted her head, "Alright, I'm heading home. Come back early if you're free this afternoon."
"Yes, Master."
Wu Heng left the Guild.
Standing at the entrance, he pondered briefly before heading toward the Snake Emblem Consortium.
...…
With skeletal attendants, he entered the Snake Emblem Consortium.
After presenting his badge, the staff led him to a VIP room.
Shortly after, the middle-aged staff member from before knocked and entered, bowing respectfully. "Good morning, sir."
"Good morning. I'm here to check on the results of the commission I issued last time," Wu Heng said, handing over his badge.
The middle-aged man took it and said, "Please wait a moment."
He left the room.
Not long after, he returned holding a wooden box.
"Sir, your commission has yielded one rare material: the blood of the Abyssal Demonfish. The remaining materials are still being collected."
He opened the box, revealing a glass vial filled with viscous red liquid.
"When will the other materials be ready?" Wu Heng asked.
"I can't give you an exact timeline. We'll notify you as soon as they're available," the middle-aged man replied.
"Alright, hand it over," Wu Heng said.
After settling the final payment, he took the material and left instructions to expedite the collection. Then he left the Consortium.