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墨書 Inktalez
After much contemplation and preparation of his words, Beiyue decided to have a talk with Cui Ming. He stepped onto the deck, careful not to disturb the wooden figure lost in thought while gazing at the moon. He settled into a beach chair beside Cui Ming and poured himself a glass of orange juice, reclining as he said, "It seems a bit inappropriate for a man to drink orange juice."
"I can't help it; I don't like alcohol," Cui Ming replied.
"Your tolerance for alcohol is quite decent."
"Yes, but I still can't bring myself to like it. Red wine, white wine, yellow wine, grape wine, beer... I find them all hard to drink." Cui Ming then asked, "Are you thinking about your father?"
"Yes, you must know if the witch has any clues about my father?" Beiyue immediately realized that he had phrased it incorrectly and corrected himself, "What are your thoughts on this?"
Cui Ming was indifferent to whether Beiyue truly doubted his perspective. "There is too little information about the witch. Wandering doesn't care about her. The information from your father's friends regarding the witch is also very limited. I believe that the witch not only knows clues about your father but may also know his whereabouts. Analyzing the situation, it seems that the witch has feelings for your father—feelings that have not ended to this day. This represents a kind of meaning in survival, which is different from being a living dead on Witch Island. Therefore, the witch will definitely seek out your father; however, I can't speculate on the details. But..."
"But what?" Beiyue noticed Cui Ming hesitating. "Cui Ming, don't let one mistake..."
"It was a failure," Cui Ming corrected him. "I was so confident that I could help you, but I underestimated things and foolishly revealed Master Bei's trump card to test the other party."
"I didn't expect that when we first met the witch, her attitude was so refreshing; we were all deceived," Beiyue said. "Hey, do you want me to comfort you or are you planning to argue?"
"Let's go with arguing," Cui Ming smiled. "However, the witch did leave behind some clues. She really likes shoes and prefers black ones. In Ice House, there were no doors in the bedroom; I saw two rows of shoe cabinets. One row was hidden from view while the other contained comfortable black soft-soled shoes. Several pairs were made in West Lake City or were knock-offs from there. West Lake City primarily focuses on clothing and shoe manufacturing and is quite professional in this regard, with three major companies operating factories and offices worldwide."
Beiyue pondered this: "With the collapse of Witch Island this time, all her shoes are gone."
"Indeed. Based on this speculation, no matter where your father is, she will definitely make a trip to the Three Continents. The closest place to Witch Island with a complete range of goods is Purple Moon City, followed by Huaihua City. Huaihua City has canals and highways that can reach One of the Largest Cities in the World, Twilight City." Cui Ming said, "However, considering she is with Mundo and has lost her home, and that Mundo resides in the Toxic Swamp in the Southwest of the Western Continent, I believe she will first head to the Western Continent. The Southwest region of the Western Continent is isolated, with high mountains and long roads. It is sparsely populated with few goods available, not to mention the shoes from West Lake City. I checked the map, and if the witch wants to buy shoes, the best option would be to go to Thunder Sound City, the third largest city in the Dawn Empire. Thunder Sound City has several advantages: it is close to the Southwest, and its local mining industry is thriving, meaning there are many wealthy people and a wide variety of goods. The population is large, and most importantly, Thunder Sound City has no prominent families or resident practitioners. It is over a thousand kilometers away from the Dawn Empire.
During our conversations, I found that Mundo and the witch share some similarities; they are not very concerned about alliances but focus only on a few masters and families within them. Assuming your father is in the Three Continents and the witch needs to enter there, her first task must be to investigate the situation of alliance forces in the Three Continents and understand the layout of Force Practitioners. Therefore, entering Thunder Sound City can be considered the witch's best choice."
Cui Ming continued, "I plan to make ample preparations first; on one hand, seeking assistance and looking for helpers due to concerns about Mundo. On the other hand, I will contact Raefus. Raefus has an underground crime network and people in Thunder Sound City; local snakes always get things done more efficiently. I will ask Raefus Group to establish a commercial company specifically promoting West Lake City's best shoe brands and hold a month-long exhibition in Thunder Sound City. We need to act quickly as we do not know what kind of transportation tools Mundo possesses."
Cui Ming added, "We should first go to Pirate Island and contact Raefus by phone so he can prepare ahead of time. Additionally, we need to reach out to our helpers before heading straight to Thunder Sound City once we arrive at the Western Continent. Feng has matters to attend to; he needs to go to Dawn Desert and bring wood along, so he cannot be counted among our helpers."
Beiyue remarked, "Among the Three Great Families, Ding Family is a landlord in Dawn Empire, while Cao Liu Family also moved there years ago. The Ding Family has no choice; we humiliated them during our competition."
"Indeed." Cui Ming nodded. Vlad does not hold grudges by nature, but to appease others, it would be impossible for him to help at his own expense while causing resentment from Ding Family.
Beiyue continued, "The Liu Family won't do; there's a Liu Meier among them. Our Ye Family has a better relationship with them, but they don't like going to Dawn Empire for anything important; conversely, Ding Family also dislikes going to Twilight City—it's like an unspoken rule."
"The Ye Family isn't suitable; what about Cao Yi?" Cui Ming asked. "And there's also Qin Qin from Liu Family."
"Strong enough," Beiyue replied but didn't finish her thought—after all, why would they help you?
Cui Ming pondered for a moment: "After we reach Pirate City, I'll contact Wandering and Yellen to see if they have any recommendations for candidates. If not, we'll have no choice but to reach out to Li Qing and Ding Ze. Sometimes it's still more reliable to rely on our own people."
After chatting for a while longer, Beiyue stood up and walked back toward the cabin but paused and looked back at Cui Ming: "Do you need to talk?"
"..." Cui Ming chuckled lightly and shook his head. Beiyue nodded and returned to the cabin. Cui Ming remained himself; he was not defeated by a single failure but instead ignited his fighting spirit to give the witch a good show in return.
...
As the ship entered the Pirate City area, it was intercepted by a pirate vessel. The pirates checked Cui Ming and his companions' practitioner credentials, then hoisted a black flag featuring an eye, signifying that this ship was permitted to pass and belonged to a guest level.
This demonstrated the cunning of Wandering. Lank and his group had been recruited during the Competition Match, under certain conditions. The stipulation was that Lank could not use Force against ships, the Navy, or civilians unless it was for self-defense. The alliance provided an order to lift the bounty on them, effectively reducing both parties to ordinary citizens. What followed was a game and contest between the Eternity Alliance Navy and Lank. Lank was certainly pleased with this arrangement; he had escaped capture by Alliance Hunters twice, but he also sensed danger. If several hunters infiltrated Pirate City, it would be difficult for him and his brothers to determine whether they were facing opponents.
Upon returning, Lank issued an order allowing all practitioner vessels to pass freely. Meanwhile, the alliance established rules stating that practitioners entering Pirate City must not engage in any violent behavior, regardless of whether it was deemed just or unjust. As for criminal matters, those fell under the jurisdiction of the Eternity Alliance. If the Eternity Alliance could dismantle Pirate City, Lank would not use his practitioner powers to kill; conversely, if they could not, they would be unable to stop Lank from breaking through. This effectively served as a death exemption.
Of course, Lank understood that he needed to exercise restraint.
Mobile phones were now widespread, especially in the first-rate gold mine that was Pirate City. Pirate City was not terrifying; it maintained order and housed professional women, casinos, and other high-consumption venues. Modern pirates resembled the Navy of Pirate City more than traditional marauders; they did attack some merchant ships and ferries, but few knew their true motives behind these assaults. Many wondered why Pirate City existed and why the Eternity Alliance and Force Alliance could not eradicate it. The answer lay in the hands of a select few.
For instance, although Lank wanted to entertain Cui Ming and his group, he had a significant task assigned by a powerful figure that required him to travel far. This influential person was a member of the Elder Council of Dawn Empire, an organization that wielded military power within the empire. Lank's mission was to attack a cruise ship based on provided navigation routes, locations, and times, eliminating everyone aboard. As for the reasons behind this task, Lank did not care to ask. He rarely worked for the Elder Council—perhaps once every year or two—and in return for his services, Dawn Empire would not support a heavy military crackdown on Pirate City.
This left many puzzled; not only did Dawn Empire oppose such actions against Pirate City, but several other powerful nations did as well. It wasn't because they were colluding with Lank; rather, it was about politics. For example, Pul City—the third-largest nation on the Eastern Continent—sent its Navy to patrol dangerous waters and escort merchant ships for maritime security. Naturally, their influence extended into various regions as they established Navy bases and intervened in military conflicts within host nations to support puppet regimes.
In another world, Southeast Asian pirates were far more ruthless than those from Somalia but were eradicated nonetheless. Why? They held no political value as Southeast Asian countries remained relatively stable. Somali pirates? Their equipment was laughably inadequate, and their military training pitifully low; during Black Hawk Down, U.S. forces found themselves surrounded by Somali militia in urban areas—suffering fifteen casualties while inflicting thousands on their adversaries. Wars like those in Iraq and the Gulf failed to eliminate piracy? Do you believe that? Old Sa certainly did not. Even more absurdly, numerous countries dispatched escort fleets to that region while instructing their soldiers not to engage pirates proactively but only to drive them away. If all pirates were wiped out, they would have no excuse left.
Politics is something one can only chuckle about...
Cui Ming clearly showed little interest in politics. After arriving on the island, someone specifically welcomed him and his companions while explaining that Lank had business outside but had prepared some souvenirs for everyone and hoped they enjoyed their time in Pirate City. Cui Ming received a heavy box from a burly man; unprepared for its weight, he nearly embarrassed himself but thankfully managed to cover up his awkwardness with Force.
Upon opening it up, he found a box full of gold. The envoy from Lank said they could spend freely and call him directly if they ran out of funds. Rooms had also been reserved for them. (To be continued.)
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