Chapter 178: Approaching Accident
Danitz almost fled back to the safe house. As soon as he entered, he slammed the door shut with a 'bang', leaned his back against it, and panted heavily, his face filled with lingering shock.
"What's wrong?" Luo En, who was in the room studying those pages of rosell's diary, immediately stood up warily when he saw him in such a state.
"Something big has happened!" Danitz took a large gulp of wine before he managed to calm his wildly beating heart. He complained to Luo En in a voice that was almost a cry:
"Damn it! I—I'm also wanted! Seven thousand pounds! Dead or alive!"
"What?" Luo En was also surprised.
Although he had long anticipated that once the "substitute plan" was exposed, Alger would definitely expose Danitz first.
But Tracy's reaction still exceeded his expectations.
Her reaction was a bit too extreme.
To issue a private bounty of seven thousand pounds for an "accomplice" was no longer mere "venting of anger" but a nearly insane act of revenge.
This clearly showed that she didn't even care about Captain Edwina.
Is it really necessary?
"It's over! It's over!" Danitz paced back and forth in the room anxiously. "I'm more dangerous than you now! My bounty is even higher than the Official bounty for the Vice-Captain!"
He knew very well what fate awaited a pirate whose bounty was severely disproportionate to his strength in the Beyonder world. He would become a living target, the top hunting priority for all desperadoes craving money and fame!
"Are the Captain and the others near Bayam yet?" Luo En asked calmly.
Danitz, with a look of despair, told Luo En that the Captain and the others would still need some time to arrive.
A silence fell over the room.
Luo En also fell into deep thought.
"Why don't we move back to the Wave Church?" Danitz suddenly suggested. "At least those bounty Hunters and pirates wouldn't dare to act presumptuously on the Church's territory."
But as soon as he said this, he immediately negated it himself.
Such a large and abnormal private bounty would certainly attract extra attention from the Church's personnel. Moreover, compared to Luo En, whose identity was still an "Adventurer," he, a well-known pirate, if recognized by any ordinary citizen, even if they dared not act, they would definitely run to the Church to report him immediately. At that time, they would still receive a considerable bounty.
Seeing Danitz's bewildered state, Luo En made a decision.
"I need to go out and buy some things."
"Purchase? You're going out?!" Danitz looked at him as if he were a Lunatic. "Have you forgotten that you still have a ten-thousand-pound bounty on your head?!"
"But I'm not a pirate," Luo En replied calmly. "As long as I'm careful, the risk of exposure is much smaller than if you went out."
Luo En had no Official bounty, and an Adventurer of unknown depth was far more intimidating than a somewhat famous pirate whose strength was known.
He looked at Danitz and said, word by word: "In our current state, we are too passive. We must prepare some Beyonder items that can save our lives at critical moments, otherwise, if we encounter an emergency, we won't be able to protect ourselves at all."
Before Luo En was about to leave, Danitz stopped him.
"Wait!" He seemed to remember something, sighed, and said, "If you insist on buying things, there's a place you can go. The rumors in Bayam have calmed down a bit recently, and that special exchange seems to have reopened."
"Exchange?" Luo En asked, puzzled. "Is it reliable?"
"At least—the Captain thinks it's very reliable," Danitz replied. "It's said to be the property of 'Sea Merchant' Victor."
"It's half a membership system, requiring an introducer..."
"I've been there a few times, and the things there are very good, just a bit expensive."
Expensive... Luo En's mouth twitched.
Never mind, it's a small problem compared to life.
"Go there and give your name?"
Danitz shook his head, a very strange expression, mixed with helplessness, appearing on his face.
He sighed and said:
"No. Just say... that 'Lady Wisdom' introduced you."
"Lady Wisdom?" Luo En was stunned for a moment. "The Captain?"
Bayam, on the rooftop of a dilapidated residential building.
Katarina's figure appeared here silently. She looked down at the labyrinthine, intricate streets below, with a playful smile on her face.
To be honest, she had thought that finding that "little fellow" named Brando would be a very simple matter.
For this, she had even specifically "borrowed" Brando's canvas satchel from her enraged daughter to use as a medium for divination.
However, to her surprise, her profound and extremely skilled divination, when faced with this little Adventurer, actually... failed.
All divinations about "Monqi Brando" were like a stone sinking into the sea, not stirring a single ripple.
"What a little fellow full of secrets."
But Katarina shook her head, a mocking curve on her lips.
Hidden very well, but—still not careful enough.
She brought the satchel close to her eyes, extended her slender fingers, and carefully pinched the rough canvas lining of the satchel.
Soon, a few extremely tiny orange cat hairs, almost blending with the fabric, were pinched out from the seam by her.
"Let me see."
She placed those cat hairs in the palm of her hand.
Soon, a blurry, constantly shifting image appeared in her mind, along with a rough, directional location.
Although precise positioning was still impossible, for a high-Sequence Assassin, this was enough.
Following the address given by Danitz, Luo En carried his bag and walked through several bustling streets, finally arriving in front of a small building that wasn't in a particularly good location,
Sandwiched between a bakery and a tailor shop.
He looked up at the somewhat faded sign—[Wiz Antique Shop].
After briefly surveying this inconspicuous and low-key building, Luo En adjusted his top hat and trench coat,
Pushed the door open and walked in.
"Ding-a-ling—"
The crisp sound of wind chimes rang out. The light inside the shop was somewhat dim, and the air was filled with the smell of old wood and brass polish. Various seemingly ancient antiques were haphazardly displayed on the shelves, including porcelain, oil paintings, and some local-style bone artifacts.
"Welcome to Wiz Antique Shop, sir, how may I help you?"
A young man with a slight mixed-race appearance, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and looking like a local Apprentice, walked out from behind the counter, with a warm, formulaic smile on his face.
Luo En simply greeted him, then lowered his voice and spoke the code phrase Danitz had taught him:
"I'd like to go to the back room on the third floor to see your new goods."
Hearing this, the smile on the young man's face instantly faded. His originally somewhat naive eyes immediately became sharp and mature.
He scrutinized Luo En, who was in disguise, his expression changing, but he eventually nodded, made a "please" gesture, and led Luo En towards the narrow staircase at the back of the shop that led upstairs.
As they went upstairs, the young man casually asked, "This gentleman, you look a bit unfamiliar?"
Luo En did not turn back, but simply replied in a calm tone:
"I was introduced by 'Lady Wisdom'."