Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Shipwreck Bay.
A unique port city where the harbor occupies one-third of the city area. A lighthouse tens of meters high divided the harbor into two parts. On the left were ships running by the river and on the right were ships running on the sea. The city was noisy, and there were shady people everywhere. Because of the special geographical location, Shipwreck Bay was filled with people of different backgrounds; even the power of the gods was interlaced with each other.
Soran looked around and found that there were three or four groups of people; they were either local gangs or pirates.
There were many different gods worshipped here. People believed in The Storm Lord, The God of Seas, and other gods who protected the shadows, evil and illegal trade. It was a place that was filled with people with ill intentions; it was best not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Soran was wearing a dark red cloak, which made him a little conspicuous, and everyone else could not help noticing him. Out of nowhere, a young man looked around furtively and then stumbled over Soran.
“Ah, oh?”
Soran frowned, grabbed the person’s wrist in an instant, and put him on the ground with a twist of his hand.
The person screamed in pain.
Three or five big men close by wanted to come over, but by then Soran had loosened his had. He looked coldly at the young man on the ground, and slowly said, “Watch where you’re going next time, or you’ll lose your life.”
That was a thief.
Almost every city had such a group who liked to lay their hands on outsiders; sheltered under local gangs, these thieves would work in broad daylight and hand a large portion of their stolen goods to the gangs.
That was what Soran used to do, stealing from docks and finding easy targets. Foreigners were the first choice because they were not familiar with the area and were easier to deal with. However, this fellow must have been blind when he tried to steal from Soran. Maybe it was because Soran didn’t wear his weapons and no one could see the signs of a Wizard under his cloak.
Black silky gloves and an intricate dark red cloak.
Soran looked smart. Occasionally, women would look at him and see his handsome face; they would either blush or keep looking at him. Because of his semi-elf ancestry, his Charm was already pretty high; Now that he was wearing some fine clothing, he was more handsome than before. The cloak looked good in every way, and Soran now looked like an arrogant yet posh noble.
His Charm left deep impressions on men and took the breath of women. Now that his Charm was 18, 2 points higher than his original 16, it gave people a sense of awe; shocking the other party with his aura.
Soran was not used to the gaze. He could not help frowning slightly and then turned to walk down the alley.
A high Charm had its advantages, but also its troubles.
People with extraordinary Charm could easily become the protagonists in the crowd. At first glance, they would immediately stand out from the crowd. This was not necessarily a good thing for the profession Rogue.
Someone was sneaking behind him; he looked at Soran for a few seconds and then headed to the other side. Gangs like to pay attention to special people and sometimes sell information to them. However, Soran was looking for another group of people, gangs were mostly unseemly guys; he was looking for professional organizations that sold information.
Those people were the real local tyrants that had information!
People who have not been to the underground markets would not recognize the signs or symbols on the streets; even adventurers would need experienced Rogues to lead the way. Soran had been to almost all of these organizations, so he quickly found an insignificant sign and went on to an underground casino deep in the alley. At the door was a powerful Fighter; he noticed Soran and had a frown on his face, but then he squeezed out a smile because Soran revealed a special emblem.
“I want some information. Bring me to your boss, or I’ll leave you headless!”
Soran’s expression was very indifferent, but the other party could not help but shiver. He hurried to take him to the back.
Inside were a group of gamblers; some nearby residents, some dock workers, and a few fierce-looking pirates. Soran followed the man up the stairs. There was a circle of thugs standing lazily downstairs. When Soran arrived on the second floor, he heard a woman screaming and moaning. He kicked the door open and then walked in.
Inside were two gorgeous prostitutes with thick smoky makeup on their faces. These women dared to even wear arsenic on their faces. The two women were together; the one in front went up and down while the one behind was twisting and rubbing. Under the two women was the man Soran was looking for—a big man with a somewhat cold face. He was very displeased with the intrusion, and his face was much ugly in a moment as if he was getting ready to burst into anger.
“Get them out!”
Soran sat directly opposite him, then flashed an emblem in front of the big man. In the next moment, cold sweat came out of the man’s forehead and quickly got the two women out. It was a special masquerade sign. At first glance, it was a bit frightening; the man dared not look at the emblem for more than a second. He quickly tidied up and stood up.
The local tyrant had a surprised expression. Two women looked at each other and swiftly went out. Before leaving, they looked at Soran a few more times and one of the women even jiggled her breasts slightly for Soran.
“Your excellency.”
The man in front of him stood up and looked a little stiff. “What does your excellency needs?”
Soran’s face remained haughty, glancing at him as if he did not care. Then he slowly said, “I want to know all the news about the Sons of Fear.”
Tang!
He threw out a purse swiftly, and a few gold Derahls popped out. The man’s eyes were immediately attracted. At that moment, Soran’s pupils became a little demonic. He looked directly into the man’s eyes and said, “Tell me all you know, don’t hide anything, or else.”
“Fear Gaze!”
“Charm Person!”
The man in front of him seemed to be startled and then his expression became stunned for a moment. He then returned to his previous appearance the next moment. He stood up respectfully and nodded, “Your Excellency, rest assured. I will never hide anything!”
Time went pass quickly.
When Soran walked out of the room, he had a frown on his face.
When he had left the underground casino, the big man looked as if awakened and murmured, “What happened to me just now? Why did I tell him everything?”
He shuddered all over, and his expression seemed a little frightened, but when he saw the money in front of him, he took it quickly.
“Oh well, he already paid up.”
The big man shook his head and continued, “This kind of guy is too dangerous. Better not antagonize him.”
Inside a small alley.
Soran was headed for a tavern. Charm spells were still pretty good for getting information; Sorcerers would usually do it but Soran could now do it himself. The effects of Charm Person were not very strong. It could only give psychological hints to someone but not forcibly change the will of a person; a bit like hypnosis, but the other party would remember the whole process. This was a spell that tested one’s Will and had many evil uses.
Too bad the spell was not as good as Dire Charm in battle, or the higher grade ‘Hold Person’.
Hold Person was a really good spell to use.
The information given by the man was rather limited. Soran only knew that the Sons of Fear had created trouble in all parts of the South. Seven or eight Sons of Fear appeared successively, causing a considerable mess while they were killing each other. There was more information, however, about a vampiric Son of Fear. It was impossible to know how the God of Fear created a vampiric Son of Fear, but this fellow was the most dangerous one. He had killed three or five Sons of Fear one after another, and his strength was already approaching the realm of legends.
This fellow’s trail was spread over many areas, seemingly hunting for the other Sons of Fear, and was currently close to the coast.
The latest information revealed that he appeared near the City of Fortune.
There was nothing about Vivian though.
Since the local tyrant was only a lowly believer of the Lord of Shadows, he did not have very impressive intel.
The only useful information Soran got was that the vampiric Son of Fear seemed to have angered someone powerful, and recently a legendary Paladin was hunting him down.
The Paladin sounded familiar because he was called the [Hand of Silver].
He was a Paladin who believed in The Hand of Righteousness. Another famous Paladin was called the Hand of Justice. These two Paladins were very powerful, and of course, they were very well equipped.
Both equipped with artifacts!
Paladins were mostly fanatics, at the lowest level were devotees. Paladins were very cherished by their gods since they were their first-class fighters.
It just so happens that paladins were one of the professions that were strong against dark creatures. No wonder that vampiric Son of Fear would run.
Soran planned to stay for two days and then continue south to look for Vivian.
