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Night fell on Bayam's Dock District, specifically inside the Red Maple Leaf Bar.
Leyton sat on a high stool beside the bar, a glass of golden rum in his left hand, the surface of the liquor still showing a few bubbles.
"Poor quality, but the rum tastes decent," Leyton quietly evaluated in his mind.
He took a small sip of the drink in his glass, leaning back lazily as he listened to the conversations among the Sailors, Pirates, or Adventurers around him.
"The Church of the Lord of Storms suddenly launched a massive search for members of the Moses Ascetic Order; it's said someone among them stole an important item from the Church!"
"Those sons of bitches..."
"This is Bayam, the 'City of Generosity,' where the Sea King resides. Even a Pirate Admiral doesn't have that kind of power."
"Heh, the Church of the Lord of Storms just wants an excuse to conduct a thorough investigation across the entire Rorsted Archipelago."
"Rumor has it that Admiral of Stars is a member of the Moses Ascetic Order."
The bar's attendant, wiping a tea-colored glass, moved closer to Leyton's corner and sighed, following the topic of the surrounding crowd's discussion.
The attendant was tall and handsome, always with a faint smile on his lips. Leyton thought he would earn more in places with special services than as a bar attendant; perhaps within a month, he could afford a garden villa.
Leyton turned his head to size up the attendant, his expression unchanged. "Very skilled conversational technique, it both enhances my experience in the bar and attempts to glean information from me at the same time."
"Did he determine I'm not a Pirate or Adventurer? This bar must have official Church of the Lord of Storms backing."
The instincts he retained from his time as a Detective made him subconsciously analyze the people and objects around him and make corresponding judgments, as long as he remained conscious.
Thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, and Leyton chuckled:
"Rumors on the sea are always endless, but who can distinguish the True from the false among them?"
The bar attendant replaced the wiped glass with another and continued wiping.
Leyton let him perform, completely unconcerned that this glass looked cleaner than the one he had just wiped.
The attendant maintained a polite smile and said:
"Sir, you must have just arrived in Bayam from the Northern Continent, right?"
"While most rumors at sea have exaggerated parts, there's still some True and valid information within them."
"Although those Sailors like to boast when drinking, they still need to be somewhat reasonable, otherwise they'll just be mocked by those around them."
As he spoke, the attendant slightly raised his chin, motioning for Leyton to turn and look at the group of customers behind him.
In that direction was a group of Sailors who were jeering. The one in the middle, whose boastful words were exposed on the spot, was awkwardly unable to get out of the situation.
He casually scanned the bar. There were no less than a dozen spies gathering information, two of whom likely had official backgrounds, most probably Sailors or Folk of Rage. They seemed more like the hidden security personnel of this bar.
Leyton's expression was strange for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. "Did I just stumble into the Church of the Lord of Storms's territory by randomly picking a bar?"
Leyton seriously considered whether he should change the meeting location.
As he pondered, his gaze drifted to the bar's entrance, where two men walked in. Their bronze skin clearly indicated Southern Continent ancestry.
One of them had extremely rare black hair and black eyes, a slightly sinister face, and wore a black trench coat. His figure was somewhat thin, and he appeared to be under 30 years old.
On his right thumb, he wore a black ring inlaid with an emerald.
Leyton's gaze lingered slightly on the ring. "An item from the Death Pathway, it doesn't necessarily contain a characteristic, but its level should be high."
Leyton's gaze then fell on the other young man walking beside him:
He wore a black robe with strange symbols and patterns, a black silk pointed hat, and his eyes were deep and bright. A model of an armillary sphere hung from his waist. His attire somewhat resembled a Warlock from some folk legends.
Leyton imprinted the man's appearance deeply into his mind, then withdrew his gaze with a slight doubt. "Why do I feel a strange sense of familiarity from him? I don't even know him?"
Gulp~
Leyton took a big swig of his rum to conceal his puzzled expression.
"Two Golden Lemons!"
The two Southern Continent men who had just entered the bar came to the counter and, seemingly very familiar with the place, ordered two of the bar's signature drinks, "Golden Lemon."
It was said to be a liquor with special spices, leaving a lingering fruity aroma. Leyton had smelled this liquor before; he could only say he didn't quite appreciate it.
As Leyton drank his rum, someone sat down in the seat next to him.
"My name is Phoenix Eggers."
The man with the black ring inlaid with an emerald on his right thumb spoke in a lowered, somewhat deep voice.
Leyton turned his head to look. Upon closer inspection, the man did bear some resemblance to Mr. Pulak.
He nodded slightly, not mentioning the Southern Continent, and said in a calm voice:
"Al Tines."
"Mr. Pulak is your..."
"Father."
It wasn't the man who called himself Phoenix who answered Leyton's question, but the young man dressed as a Warlock who was with him.
Leyton looked over with curious eyes. The man dressed as a Warlock looked back and said in a relatively gentle tone:
"My name is Ethan, a... well, a Scholar from the Southern Continent!"
"'Southern Continent' and 'Scholar' basically have no connection," Leyton silently commented in his mind.
"Sirs, your 'Golden Lemons' are ready!"
The tall, handsome attendant brought two freshly mixed drinks and placed them in front of Ethan and Phoenix.
An aroma of liquor mixed with strange herbs immediately filled Leyton's nostrils. He uncomfortably rubbed his nose.
"Now is really not a good time to come to Bayam. The Church of the Lord of Storms is like a child whose toy has been stolen, lashing out everywhere."
Ethan seemed to be the more talkative of the two. He only took a small sip of the light brown drink in his glass before quickly integrating into the bar's atmosphere and beginning to complain.
Leyton casually glanced over and saw that the attendant who had just served the drinks showed no change in expression, clearly accustomed to such talk.
As thoughts spun in his mind, he half-turned his body, leaning against the bar, and looked at Ethan, chuckling:
"Heh, that's normal. If you pay a little attention to the news from the sea, you'll find that the sea hasn't been peaceful lately. The Church of the Lord of Storms has even been provoked right on its doorstep."
"Are you talking about the sunlight that illuminated the entire city of Bayam that night?"
"I heard that many people related to the Eternal Blazing Sun Church fled Bayam overnight, some not even having time to put on their pants."
"It's a pity I hadn't come to Bayam yet, missing such a spectacular scene!"
Ethan quickly chatted in a gossipy tone.
Was it the "fleeing without pants" that was spectacular, or the "sunlight illuminating the entire city"? Leyton highly doubted this young man named Ethan's definition of a spectacular scene.
The handsome attendant at the bar, after no one else ordered, approached again. His expression became a bit more solemn, and his words carried a hint of admonition:
"Sir, it was fortunate that you hadn't come to Bayam at that time."
"The sunlight, storms, and lightning that night were not just magnificent; they were even more terrifying, enough to become a nightmare most people would never forget in their lives!"
"I even suspected at that moment that I might be about to step into the Chasm of Storms!"
"Chasm of Storms? No, I would only return to the Underworld."
Ethan said as if discussing an ordinary topic.
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually pulled two silver soli from his pocket and tossed them to the attendant, asking with unconcealed curiosity:
"Can you tell me what happened that night? I'm really curious."
Catching the two silver soli, the attendant's smile brightened even more. He immediately leaned closer, lowered his voice, and recounted his observations from that night in a heavy tone:
"I happened to be on vacation that day, and I had already arranged to meet a client to earn some extra income..."
"At that time, I just saw the already dark sky suddenly brighten, and then the sound of a violent explosion faintly echoed in my ears. This light, which illuminated all of Bayam, lasted for about three or four seconds."
"Later, a hurricane suddenly started without warning, and there were constant sounds of lightning, but by then I had already hidden indoors and couldn't see what was happening outside."
After the attendant vividly recounted his observations from that night, he also lamented losing an opportunity to earn extra money.
"Is that all?"
Ethan stared at the attendant behind the bar with a disappointed expression, seemingly regretting giving such a large tip.
"How can you say 'is that all'? This is the most complete account I've gathered!"
Seemingly realizing he had said the wrong thing, the attendant behind the bar chuckled twice, then turned to organize the liquor cabinet behind him.
Phoenix, who had been drinking silently with his head down and hadn't spoken since his self-introduction, said in a low voice after the attendant moved away:
"You don't need to waste money to make him leave. We can just change locations."
"Although Mr. Pulak's financial situation isn't great, it hasn't reached that point. He is still a wealthy man with considerable assets."
Ethan's tone was more like a friend's defense.
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