"Very good, I'll speak with the boss later about your ransom..."
Leilin rubbed his fingers together and made his promise.
"Thank you, Master!"
After the exchange of thanks, the atmosphere in the room grew awkward.
"Master... would you like me to call a few of my sisters over?" Karen fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, looking quite flustered.
"No need. Weren't you here to draw me a hot bath?" Leilin smiled faintly. Having been through several bloody battles on this trip—especially the accumulation and absorption of a great deal of Life Energy—he had built up quite a bit of restless energy.
"As you command, Master!"
A seductive smile crept across Karen's lips, and the entire room was immediately enveloped in an atmosphere of spring...
The Barbarian Inn served a lavish breakfast. The staples were fluffy oat bread and milk, alongside fragrant cheese and fried eggs. In a wicker basket nearby sat several strings of luscious red berries that tantalized the appetite.
Leilin wore a white napkin around his neck, eating at an unhurried pace with remarkably smooth movements. Beside him sat Karen, who kept stealing glances at him, a blush occasionally flashing across her face.
This behavior made Leilin smile inwardly. She was indeed a stunning beauty, and last night had been exceptionally enjoyable for him.
The drow clearly had special talents in this regard, but Leilin was no novice either—his stamina was enough to exhaust even dark elves.
"Boss, can we come in?"
At that moment, Cyclops's voice came from beyond the door.
"Come in!"
At Leilin's command, Cyclops, Giant, and Hulk walked in together. One look at the enormous dark circles and bags beneath their eyes was enough to tell what kind of wild state they had gotten into the night before.
Moreover, even though they had tried hard to clean up, Leilin could still smell the strong scent of alcohol and perfume on them.
Cyclops and the others also noticed Karen beside Leilin. The three of them pretended not to see her, though a few knowing smiles crept into their eyes.
"Master! I'll take my leave!"
Seeing them arrive, Karen knew Leilin clearly had important matters to discuss with his subordinates. Though breakfast wasn't finished yet, she wisely prepared to get up and leave.
"No need! You're one of us now—stay and listen!"
Leilin kept Karen there, which rather shocked Cyclops. He looked her up and down. She was obviously just a half-elf maidservant who also worked as a courtesan—how had she suddenly been recruited by the boss and become one of them?
But since this was Leilin's decision, it wasn't something they could question.
"Go on. How was last night?"
Leilin picked up a spotless silk napkin and wiped his mouth, then looked at Cyclops and the others.
"Boss! I've already scouted things out..." Cyclops naturally knew Leilin wasn't interested in hearing about their wild antics, but wanted actual intelligence, so he cleared his throat. "In Pirate's Harbor, there are several merchants interested in our merchandise. But the one with the biggest backing is the owner of this inn... heh heh..."
"The fox-woman?" Leilin nodded. "What's her offer?"
"Eight hundred and fifty Danbres gold coins for the lot! It's a middle-of-the-road price compared to the others, but it's the safest option..." Cyclops spat angrily. "Some of the others offered more, but I could tell at a glance what they were planning. Bah!"
As an old pirate, he couldn't help but let out some profanity, but Leilin didn't mind. Pirate's Harbor was a melting pot of all sorts—it was hardly surprising that other pirates might have designs on him, and they might even want to swallow his entire fleet along with the cargo.
By comparison, as the biggest power broker and largest fence in the area, it was hardly strange that the Barbarians were in the business of handling stolen goods.
"Hmm. That price is decent enough."
Although Leilin had held back an entire shipment of raw sugar, the remaining goods were still worth at least three thousand gold coins. But since they were stolen goods that had changed hands several times, being able to net even a small fraction of the profit was enough to satisfy him.
"Here is a detailed map of Pirate's Harbor along with the locations of all the temples!"
Hulk respectfully handed over a piece of parchment to Leilin, along with the shipyard's reply. "The yard owner has already inspected the Crimson Tiger under our escort and says the repairs pose no problem. But magical modifications are completely out of the question. As for the cost, he's asking three hundred gold coins..."
"Our boys had quite a blast last night! Nothing major happened—just a bit of a scuffle with a few other drunkards!"
Giant said this with a smug air, and from the look on his face, it was clear they hadn't come out on the losing end.
"Good. We'll rest and resupply here for about five days. Hand the repairs over to him during that time—tell him to finish as quickly as possible, and we can be flexible on price..."
It was just ship repairs, nothing involving the keel or magical modifications, and in a world of supernatural abilities, if the other party gave it their all, there shouldn't be any problem.
"Leave it to me, Boss!" Cyclops thumped his chest and took charge of the matter directly, while a hint of displeasure crossed Hulk's face.
This jockeying between subordinate factions was something Leilin pretended not to see. As long as it didn't threaten him or lower overall combat effectiveness, he was content to let them sort it out.
"Right. Cyclops, you handle this. Hulk and Giant, come with me to sell the goods and recruit some sailors..."
"Got it!" "Yes, Boss!" Since Leilin had spoken, the matter was settled.
The inn's common room wasn't as rowdy as the night before, but it was still a mess of overturned cups and plates, with a few drunks passed out on the floor.
"You two—throw this deadbeat drunk onto the back docks to work off his debt. Give him a good lashing every day. He doesn't leave until every last coin is paid!"
At the counter, yesterday's fox-woman owner stood with hands on her hips, ordering two Barbarians to drag a drunkard outside.
"Oh my! My little young master! Why are you up so early?"
Upon seeing Leilin, her expression changed with remarkable speed. She glanced at Karen beside him, and under the weight of that long-established authority, Karen involuntarily shrank back.
"Was Karen's service not to your satisfaction? I'll have her replaced immediately!"
"No! No need! She was fine!"
Leilin touched his nose. "I haven't yet asked the lady's name?"
"Hehe... My name is Tiren. You may call me Mrs. Tiren!" Mrs. Tiren gave Leilin a charming smile brimming with the allure of a mature woman.
"Well then, respected Mrs. Tiren, I'd like to discuss this transaction, and also purchase this maid's freedom."
Leilin stated his request directly.
"Her freedom?!" Tiren swept a glance at Karen, a peculiar gleam in her eyes. "Oh my! It seems our Karen has satisfied the young master quite well..."
Then Tiren let out a lazy yawn. "This is no place for a conversation. Follow me!"
She led the way, her slender waist swaying like a water snake, leaving only a heavy fragrance lingering in the air. Leilin smiled and followed Tiren into a small private room.
Mrs. Tiren first brewed Leilin a cup of flower tea, supposedly from the elves. Only when the white steam began curling upward did a shrewd look appear on her face. "Young master, you asked for my name, but I still don't know yours?"
"You may call me Leilin!" Leilin smiled.
If he was going to form an alliance with her, a basic level of trust was essential. Besides, it was just a name—if she persisted in investigating, she would eventually find it out anyway.
"Very well, Young Master Leilin!" Mrs. Tiren crossed her long legs elegantly, her flame-red fox tail curling smoothly around her waist.
"I can make the decision on the merchandise myself, but Karen is a slave of our inn. As for whether she stays or goes—that's not within my authority."
"I know. Everything here belongs to the Barbarian Pirates as their private property."
Leilin smiled and rubbed his fingers together.
Crack! A strong arc of electricity swept through, instantly filling the entire room with a blinding flash of light.
"In that case, call the one who can actually make decisions!"
Leilin spoke in a low voice, powerful magical energy swirling around his body.
"A wizard! You're a wizard!" Mrs. Tiren's voice went somewhat shrill—she clearly hadn't detected Leilin's identity before. In the outer seas, wizards were still an exceedingly rare profession. Moreover, the powerful magical fluctuations emanating from him made it clear to Tiren that his professional level must exceed fifth rank! A wizard of this caliber was already considered a formidable powerhouse, and there was a very good chance that an even more powerful mentor stood behind him!
"Name: Leilin. And a wizard! With these two clues, his identity should be easy enough to uncover!"
Unless he was using a false identity, Leilin would surely not escape her intelligence network. Tiren was confident of that.
"To think that our guest is actually a powerful wizard!"
Tiren lightly patted her chest, as though inadvertently revealing a generous expanse of smooth, pale skin. But Leilin had always been meticulous about keeping business and pleasure separate. "When can your actual decision-maker get here?"
"There's no rush! You'll meet him by tonight at the latest!" Tiren shot Leilin a flirtatious glance. "In the meantime, we have plenty of things to pass the time here in our establishment. Would you like to have a look?"