Chapter 823
Yog whispered with a subtle chuckle. It was an unsettling reaction, but Ian didn’t even bother responding.
It wasn’t just because he was trying to suppress his divinity.
Beyond the kneeling beastfolk, the captains and first mates of the smuggling ships stood frozen near their vessels, staring at him in hushed disbelief.
"Is that him?"
"Damn, so the rumors were actually true."
Of course, not all of them reacted the same.
"See? I told you... heh."
"Hmm."
Behind the battered, sunken dock, a scruffy, one-eyed Imperial man and a muscular Vantruian were glancing at each other.
After spotting Sanford’s grinning face and Hashim’s uneasy expression, Ian finally looked back down at the kneeling beastfolk and said, "Rise."
Though low, his voice spread like a tolling bell, a result of the traces of divinity still lingering within it.
The beastfolk warriors, ears pricked sharply, rose all at once.
Steadying his breath and further suppressing his divinity, Ian continued, "I sincerely thank you for answering the call so willingly, even knowing what kind of situation awaits."
His gaze slowly moved across the watchful, glowing eyes fixed on him.
"Not all of you will make it back to the South unharmed. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that not a single death is meaningless. So..."
He paused for a moment as another clear resonance rippled through him. He couldn't discern if the resonance was caused by the strange heat building in the beastfolk’s eyes or simply by his continued struggle to control his divinity.
Thump...
This time, even the essence bead of chaos pulsed in response, almost as if in irritation. Regardless, the clashing waves faded with a faint, unpleasant distortion.
"I ask that you fight with everything you have to survive as well."
Ian finished without showing any of it. Immediately after, the beastfolk threw back their heads and let out long, resounding howls.
"-----!"
"-----!"
Behind them, Charlotte, Nehat, and Palmer also lifted their heads and roared.
Yog’s snickering echoed in his mind again.
—Damn, it’s noisy both inside and out.
With a slight twitch of his eye, Ian finally turned around. Thesaya, who was frowning, jabbed Charlotte in the side with her elbow when their eyes met.
Charlotte halted mid-roar, and Ian tilted his head toward the shore. It was a signal for them to start pairing the beastfolk and fairies.
Thesaya nodded.
"There’s something we need to take care of first, Ian," Charlotte said as she raised a fist slightly, as if to calm the warriors.
Ian asked, "The fare?"
Charlotte nodded. "And there’s still cargo to unload."
The captains of the smuggling ships hadn’t all disembarked just for the sake of a rare spectacle.
A faint smile tugged at Ian’s lips as he replied, "No need. I’ll handle it all, so don’t worry about it. Just take them with you."
Breaking his gaze from Charlotte, who blinked in confusion, Ian glanced toward Mukapa at the very back. He was still standing there, holding the metal case in both hands without setting it down.
As the beastfolk’s howls finally began to die down, Thesaya clicked her tongue and muttered, "Ugh... my ears were about to burst. Seriously, these things never know when to stop."
Charlotte ignored her completely and gestured to Nehat and Palmer.
"You’ve had a long night. Go back and rest. Except for Mukapa," Ian added, looking over the group.
Just as Miguel nodded, Elia asked, "Are you planning to make the deal right away?"
"I am. It’ll work out, so don’t worry. Go back and wait."
"I was just curious how you’re planning to handle it. No matter how I think about it, they don’t seem like the type to head out to the Black Sea so easily."
Yog’s amused laughter brushed through his mind as Ian smacked his lips lightly and replied, "It’s not some grand plan worth being that curious about."
"That’s fine. Honestly, those sailors alone are already interesting enough." Elia added quickly, her eyes sparkling a bit too brightly.
Ian clicked his tongue softly.
"Alright, then," he said, gesturing toward Miguel. "But don’t leave Mukapa’s side, no matter what. Those people are all criminals in the end."
"Yes! Don’t worry. I have ways to protect myself. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll approach them. Absolutely not," Elia answered smoothly, then hurriedly added the last part under Ian’s gaze.
So you say.
Ian let out a chuckle and shifted his attention. The beastfolk warriors were already passing by in droves, following behind Thesaya and Charlotte as they led their lieutenants away.
"Damn... every single one of them looks terrifying," Miguel muttered under his breath, instinctively wrapping his arm around Lily’s shoulders as if to shield her.
The beastfolk warriors were curving around the group as though an invisible barrier surrounded them. Of course, none of them had any idea what kind of fate awaited them. By the time Ian returned to the shore, the atmosphere would be entirely different.
Ian glanced back at Miguel as if it were nothing and added, "Whatever happens at the camp, don’t worry about it. If it bothers you, just rest inside the carriage."
"Got it." Miguel nodded and turned away.
Ian finally glanced at Mukapa and began walking. "Come with me. Just stay behind me."
Mukapa, still carrying the metal case, set off at once, and Elia naturally fell into step beside him. The difference in their builds stood out all the more starkly.
However, they weren’t the only striking figures on the dock.
Maybe that’s why Elia found them interesting.
Ian let out a quiet laugh as the captains and their first mates reappeared in the distance.
He had felt it the moment he first saw them—each of them stood out, just as much as Sanford and Hashim.
One captain was gaunt, with a look shaped by the desert, and of a Kurdian appearance. At his side stood a first mate who resembled a Black Sea barbarian, his face covered in rough, patchwork tattoos.
Another captain, with black, curly hair like someone from the archipelago, stood beside a bald figure who, at first glance, looked like a dwarf, but upon closer inspection, seemed to be just a short man.
"Ghk!"
It only took a few seconds before they widened their eyes. They had finally realized Ian was walking straight toward them.
Mukapa, trailing behind him, likely added to the shock. To ordinary people, an orc might look intimidating but pose no real danger—but for criminals like them, it was a different story.
Of course, not all of them reacted that way this time either.
"Hahaha!"
The one-eyed captain with the scruffy beard, Sanford, burst into laughter instead, striding boldly across the wrecked pier to meet him head-on.
"May there be light upon the lofty heavens, and light once more! It’s been too long, Agent of the Saint!"
He even raised both hands high above his head, shouting and attempting to show off his connection to Ian to the other captains passing by.
Following a step behind, Hashim watched the back of his head with an unmistakably uneasy look.
Without slowing his steps, Ian said, "I told you to lie low until the chaos in the capital settled. Yet you still made your way back south."
"I just couldn’t stand staying cooped up in some backwater. It was driving me mad," Sanford replied with a hearty laugh.
Even then, Ian didn’t miss the way Hashim frowned and glared at the back of his head, suggesting there was more to the story.
"If you went back to Rune Catis despite the grudges against you... you must’ve ended up owing Ohara again."
Sanford paused at the question, then forced an awkward laugh. "Ahaha. My, my. I almost forgot I’m speaking with a demigod. Thanks to Lord Lu Logis, I’ve learned another lesson. Fortunately, it’s not such a large sum this time."
Which likely meant he had gambled everything away again.
As Ian let out a chuckle and slowly shook his head, Sanford came to a stop, adjusted his eyepatch, and bent one knee in the imperial fashion.
"Either way, I’m truly glad to meet you again, Agent of the Saint. It seems, fortunately, that your familiar is safe as well."
"Yeah. Good to see you too. Surprisingly," Ian replied, stopping at a reasonable distance. He ignored Yog’s laughter this time as well.
Hashim offered a respectful greeting beside him, while Sanford straightened up, his gap-toothed grin flashing as he continued, "I’ve heard the rumors from the central region that you’re now called a demigod. It seems the heavens’ blessing is still with you."
"Well, something like that. For now." Ian gave a small shrug.
He had sensed it earlier, but this gambling addict clearly knew nothing about what had happened in the North. Then again, even in the South, only a handful of nobles would know. The beastfolk were as closed off as the fairies, so he likely had heard nothing from them either.
"That’s a relief, Agent of the Saint. It’s an honor beyond words to have you come in person... though I assume you didn’t come all this way just to greet me."
Sanford rubbed his hands together with a smile that looked both servile and sly.
"The thing is, the beastfolk started making a fuss, saying they couldn’t pay up front. I’m not trying to boast, but I did go through quite a bit of trouble mediating with the other captains..."
You’re practically screaming it.
Ian smiled back. "If you’ve gone that far to help with my business, I suppose I’ll have to pay generously."
"As expected. I knew I could count on you." Sanford blinked, nodding solemnly—though he couldn’t hide the greed pooling in his eyes.
Hashim lowered his gaze and let out a sigh, making it clear just how desperate things were. It wouldn’t be surprising if Sanford had approached Charlotte first, using his connection with Ian as an excuse.
"If you help me with one more thing, I could make it far more generous."
For Ian, that was rather good news.
At his casual remark, Sanford bent forward even deeper, rubbing his palms faster as he lowered his voice.
"Just say the word. Whose passage would you like me to arrange?"
"Me. And all of them behind me."
At Ian’s slight tilt of the head, Sanford’s gaze naturally shifted past his shoulder.
He swallowed as he looked over the beastfolk moving away, and the camp beyond them, before cautiously asking, "All... all of them?"
His voice trembled, not from fear, but from barely restrained anticipation. He had clearly caught the scent of money.
Ian confirmed, his smile deepening. "That’s right. Persuade those captains behind you as well, and take all of us to the archipelago."
Sanford’s lone eye widened instantly as he scanned the shore. Hashim froze as well, holding his breath.
For a moment, Sanford stood there, caught between hesitation, not even noticing Hashim’s gaze burning into the back of his head.
"Lu Logis..."
He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a low groan. This time, fear had clearly won over greed.
Bowing his head, he carefully said, "My deepest apologies, Agent of the Saint... but the one request I simply cannot accept is—"
"Come to think of it, I left out the most important part," Ian cut him off smoothly. He wasn’t the least bit flustered—refusal had always been one of the possibilities.
"For something like this, the proper order is to discuss the payment first," he added calmly, flicking a finger of his right hand.
Mukapa, who had been standing a few steps behind, stepped forward to his side, still holding the metal container with both hands in front of him.
Even as he swallowed nervously, Sanford raised his head slightly.
Ian briefly glanced at Elia, who had moved to stand beside Mukapa, before shifting his gaze to the container. With his Willful Grasp, he released the latch and opened the lid.
That alone was enough to make Sanford’s eye widen to the brink of tearing. It wasn’t because of Ian’s supernatural power.
"Lu Solar... dear heavens..."
It was the brilliance spilling out from within. As Sanford stared, entranced, at the ancient gold coins and jewels filling the case, his lips moved soundlessly.
"If you see this through and help us properly to the end, I’ll give you all of this. Of course, you’ll have to split it with the other captains. But how it’s divided—that authority is yours, Sanford," Ian said evenly, then closed the lid again.
Only then did Sanford blink, as if his soul had finally returned to him.
Ian smiled faintly as he looked at him. "Now then, go on. What was it you were saying? Something about a request you couldn’t possibly accept?"
