Chapter 188: Chapter 176: Setting Sail
"Mr. Roland!"
Before the courtyard gate even opened, a somewhat youthful voice rang out clearly for all to hear.
Before the voice had faded, Hobbit appeared in the courtyard.
He first gave a slight bow to everyone present before striding quickly to Roland, his face brimming with an excited smile.
"All the supplies have been fully prepared!"
Although he had often accompanied his older brother on long sea voyages for trade, a naval battle aimed at exterminating Pirates was a first for the young Half-Elf.
"The crew also brought back detailed intelligence..."
As he spoke, Hobbit gave a concise and clear oral report on the crew’s information.
"It seems the information you and Teresa provided before wasn’t far off."
Roland raised an eyebrow after listening.
"But... so the Pirates aren’t holed up in Wailing Gorge? They’ve appeared on the open sea again?"
This was good news for Roland.
Even though he had already acquired detailed terrain maps and intelligence on Wailing Gorge, accidents were still hard to avoid when fighting in such narrow waters.
By contrast, encountering the Pirates on the vast open sea was more in line with his expectations.
With this in mind, Roland clapped his hands.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The crisp sound immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"Alright, since everything is ready..."
Roland paused.
"Teresa, Galvis, you two take your personal belongings and follow Hobbit to the ship. I have a few things to take care of and will be there shortly."
"Understood, Mr. Roland."
"Haha! No problem, Roland!"
Unlike the calm Teresa, Galvis eagerly snatched up the Harp beside him, his face alight with excitement as he replied.
In a short while, only Roland and Bronson remained in the once bustling courtyard.
The scholar was now unconsciously rubbing his fingers, his gaze distant. He was clearly lost in his research ideas again.
Seeing this, Roland sighed helplessly and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
"Mr. Bronson?"
The call brought the scholar back to his senses, and he smiled a little sheepishly.
"My apologies, Roland. I was just..."
"I understand."
Roland nodded in understanding, then began his usual detailed reminders.
Eat on time, rest on time, don’t overwork yourself, and feel free to use the money on the card.
After finishing his instructions, he took out the Red Squirrel from the leather pouch at his waist, which was currently scratching its belly out of boredom.
"Mr. Bronson, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Qiao for me during this time. As for you, Qiao..."
Using his Animal Companion Trait, Roland rubbed his little partner’s furry head and spoke.
"You be good and stay home. Don’t cause any trouble for Mr. Bronson, understand?"
"Don’t worry, Roland!"
The Red Squirrel stood in Roland’s palm and patted its own furry chest with a tiny paw.
However, its anthropomorphic gesture went unnoticed by Bronson, who had once again lapsed into deep thought.
With all arrangements made, Roland shouldered his already-packed bag and headed straight out.
But he didn’t go directly to the harbor. Instead, he first made a detour to the Adventurer’s Guild.
According to Hobbit, there were at least a hundred Pirates hiding in Wailing Gorge.
For a band of brigands like this, entrenched in a crucial sea lane, the Guild should have a commission posted for their elimination.
Roland wasn’t concerned about the Gold Coin reward.
He was more interested in whether exterminating these bandits would yield any special rewards.
Something like the special reward from the commission to eliminate the Wolf King, which had been posted by that woman named Lilith.
Even if it wasn’t a "choose-your-own" reward, obtaining a Combat Skill would be excellent.
Unfortunately, it seemed that because this group of Pirates hadn’t been aggressively Plundering merchant caravans or stirring up trouble recently, the commission to eliminate them was only rated as a normal Level.
As for the reward, it was just Gold Coins.
Seeing this, Roland sighed helplessly, accepted the commission anyway, and then turned to hurry to the harbor.
He didn’t need the money right now, but exterminating this group of Pirates was already a done deal.
Naturally, there was no reason to turn down what was essentially extra income.
Seeing Roland step onto the deck, Hobbit, who was already prepared, immediately began issuing commands.
Before long, accompanied by the hearty shouts of the sailors, the Sea Sparrow slowly pulled away from the port and into the embrace of the vast ocean.
Feeling the deck sway beneath his feet, a far cry from solid ground, Roland carefully scanned his surroundings. After confirming that all preparations were in order, he turned and headed for his cabin.
After putting down his belongings, he went to Teresa’s side, who was leaning against the ship’s rail and gazing into the distance.
"How are things, Teresa...?"
Roland glanced around, confirming no one was paying them any mind, before lowering his voice to ask.
"Have you found anything unusual among the crew on this ship?"
Trevor’s casual account of his encounter in Wailing Gorge had mentioned an unknown Demon, which had been weighing on Roland’s mind ever since.
That’s why, before setting out to sea to fight the bandits, he had specifically instructed Teresa to use the mighty power bestowed upon her by the Gods to carefully investigate the crew of the Sea Sparrow for any abnormalities.
This was also the reason he hadn’t taken Teresa with him to the Adventurer’s Guild earlier, instead having her board the ship first.
"Mr. Roland, please rest assured..."
Teresa turned her head at the sound of his voice. Her long, silver hair, stirred by the sea breeze, swayed gently behind her like a flowing silver chain.
"There are no problems with the crew. In fact, a few of them..."
Her gaze shifted to a spot not far away.
There, several crew members with physical disabilities were diligently cleaning the deck and tidying up loose items.
"...are of quite noble character."
"That’s good. Thank you, Teresa."
Hearing this, Roland breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t let his guard down.
In Trevor’s description, the timing of the Demon’s appearance was uncertain.
It could have been lurking on the ship all along, or it could have snuck aboard quietly at a docked port, or even...
Roland’s gaze drifted out to the boundless sea.
Ever since witnessing the terrifying Demon known as the Kraken at Distant Harbor and being attacked by the Warsaw Fishmen on the way to port, he was keenly aware that beneath this seemingly calm ocean, unknown dangers were surely lurking.
Therefore, it wasn’t impossible that the Demon had infiltrated the ship during its voyage.
Thinking of this, Roland once again instructed Teresa to keep a constant watch on the crew’s condition.
After giving his instructions, he let out a soft breath and slowly asked.
"By the way, Teresa, you never told me how you discovered that Demon. Was it... also by relying on the mighty power the Gods gave you?"
"That’s right."
Teresa replied softly.
"So... you saw a past in them that was different from ordinary people?"
"No..."
Teresa slowly shook her head, her delicate brows knitting together as if she were carefully choosing her words.
"That Demon... it has no past. I just..."
She took a deep breath, as if to quell the unease rising within her.
"...glimpsed within it an endless, unadulterated... and utterly pure malice."
