Chapter 255: 31. The Rogue Mechanism
Upon hearing Fisher’s words, the old man chuckled, revealing a strong smell of alcohol from his decayed teeth, akin to uncorking a bottle of old brew.
“Buy something from my stall, and I’ll tell you I’ve not had business in a long while, and my stock of alcohol is running low. For the price of two bottles of wine, I’ll selflessly share a little story from Pat Sulshen Island during this time.”
Captain Alagina, upon hearing his words, started to reach into her pocket for money, but Fisher was quicker, plucking a coin pouch left by Eil from his pocket and placing ten Nali gold coins on the stall.
“This should be enough. Now, tell me, what does that group want?”
The old man’s eyes brightened, and he eagerly straightened up, collecting all the coins on the stall back into his pouch. However, he did not immediately begin divulging information; instead, he glanced around and picked up an item from the stall and handed it to Fisher.
“This is the price for buying something from me, not the price for information. Matters concerning the company dog aren’t worth that much.”
Fisher found it somewhat amusing, but still respected the old man’s principle, accepting the item he handed over. It was a specially crafted figurine from the Northern Region, depicting a warrior raising a sword with both hands. What truly caught Fisher’s eye was the pentagonal snowflake symbol carved on the back of the figurine.
Fisher had seen this symbol not long ago on a small island visible only to those carrying the relic of the Son of the Phoenix, on the girl named Valentina.
“This is from the Turan Family.”
“Ah, that’s right. North of the Northern Region, the flower of snowflakes. The Turan Family has been the wealthiest there for years, although very few have seen a true Turan. Their legend is, however, widely spread throughout the Northern Region. Some say that the brains of the Turan Family are in fact a conscious relic.”
The elderly man named Jesse deftly fiddled with the gold coins he just collected from Fisher, grinning as he looked at Fisher and said,
“Legend has it that this mysterious family has lived for generations in a fortress shaped like a snowflake, able to control the entire situation in the Northern Region with money without ever showing their faces. Every place is an asset they’ve invested in, even brothels and reproductive goods that gentlemen like you frequent are their investments. But mysteriously, no one has ever seen a member of their family. You always see the middlemen, middlemen, and more middlemen.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Fisher had indeed seen a member of the Turan Family in person on that island, he might have even started to believe in his elaborate relic conspiracy.
The Turan Family does exist; that girl in the wheelchair is proof.
Captain Alagina glanced at Jesse on the stall but did not interrupt Fisher’s conversation.
“Alright, what I want to hear isn’t the secret history of the Northern family. I want to know what the Nali Exploration Company people are doing here.”
“Alright, alright, but the matters of the Exploration Company aren’t totally unrelated to what I’ve just said, like I mentioned ‘the middlemen’.”
“You know, the Exploration Company does not directly intervene in local affairs when operating abroad, either to show how superior they are, or they find the complex local situations troublesome. In such cases, they usually entrust local ‘middlemen’ or ‘compradors’ to assist them.”
“Coincidentally, there is a middleman from the Northern Region on Pat Sulshen Island, who collaborates with the Nali Exploration Company. The persons they were looking for just now are middlemen in the market. I heard that these middlemen seem to have helped the Nali Exploration Company find a bunch of grave robbers who went to Sema Snow Mountain seeking treasures, supposedly ancient subhuman remains, the graves of some bird people, but they were forcibly halted by the Turan Family halfway through.”
“But the reality is, they seem to have unearthed quite a bit of what the Turan Family had not discovered and even managed to transport them out of the Northern Region. I don’t know what treasures are inside, but they should be quite valuable; otherwise, those suited dogs wouldn’t come in such a grand manner to carry them away. It’s just that simple; a bunch of Exploration Company brutes went far to steal from others’ homes, just like in the Southern Continent.”
Fisher stroked his chin after hearing this, then nodded, looking at Jesse and asking, “Do you have a grudge with the Nali Exploration Company?”
“A grudge?”
Jesse shook his head, took a sip from his drink, and laughed, “I’m just a small fry, a little bug in others’ eyes, easily crushed and forgotten. There’s no real grudge to speak of. By the way, thank you for the gold coins; it’s enough for me to drink for a long time.”
“That’s what you deserve.”
Fisher finally took a look at the compass on Jesse and stood up to bid farewell, heading with Captain Alagina toward the stall selling magic materials. However, after leaving Jesse’s stall, his expression did not relax at all; on the contrary, it became increasingly serious.
Alagina noticed his furrowed brow and instinctively grasped his hand.
Aoxi, behind them, saw that Fisher didn’t refuse and turned her head to glance at Fisher and then at Alagina, feeling as if she had learned something again.
Originally, she thought that both Captain Alagina and herself should be the type of ladies who aren’t particularly skilled in romance, but it seemed that was not the case.
Unbeknownst to her, this lady who had never been associated with other gentlemen had become so experienced; Aoxi felt she should learn more from her, especially regarding how to save money and date.
“What’s wrong?”
Fisher certainly noticed Alagina’s small movements, but now was not the time to pay attention to it. Moreover, her hand was very cool and soft; it felt very comfortable to hold.
“No, this matters is not as simple as he said.”
He shook his head, looking at the company employees who were still loudly discussing outside the market, connecting the little bit of information he had just obtained and soon realizing something was amiss.
“The Nali Exploration Company’s operations abroad are ostentatious, but they aren’t foolish. Moreover, their situation is not what it used to be.”
“In the past, back in the Southern Continent, I personally witnessed them secretly selling weapons and supplies to the lords of Shivali and Cardu. In a sense, this was treason, but they didn’t care for money, and at that time their actions were very concealed; it wouldn’t be discovered by ordinary people.”
“But now, ever since the largest shareholder of the Nali Exploration Company met a terrible end at the hands of Elizabeth, the company can no longer operate so smoothly as before. It’s hard to say it’s just a coincidence they are so audacious now, without Nali officials behind them. And, they stole things from the Northern Region; the Turan Family wouldn’t fail to notify the local government.”
“The most likely situation is that the Nali people know that the Northern people or somebody else is watching this matter, and they used those magic-imbued company employees as bait; the real players are yet to reveal themselves. Nali officials could have two kinds of people appearing here, one is a formal member of the Nali Bureau of Covert Affairs, and the other is a member of the Nali Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas. If it’s the latter, it could be troublesome.”
Alagina, not being familiar with the internal intelligence agencies of Nali, had only heard of the covert affairs bureau that handled national security incidents. She had never heard of a “Nali Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas,” thus appearing somewhat puzzled, she asked,
“Are the Overseas Covert Affairs Bureau people very dangerous?”
While casually wandering through the stalls of magic materials in the market, Fisher quietly explained to Alagina about the various details of Nali’s internal political agencies.
“Dangerous? No matter how dangerous they are, they’re merely humans. It’s not that they’re particularly powerful, but rather the composition of this agency is quite special.”
“Nali’s waste recycling system is renowned in the Western Continent; the parliament always squeezes out the last bit of value from any business, including people. Otherwise, they wouldn’t propose sending criminals from prisons to the Southern Continent to develop land. The reason they have such ideas is based on the experience of constructing the Nali Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas.”
“There are many dangerous criminals within Nali; gang members, magic madmen, steam engine fanatics—these felons, who should have been executed for serious crimes, have been granted another route under the ‘Atonement Charter’ approved by the parliament: to contribute to Nali’s overseas operations. Working for the Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas abroad, upon completion, they could be released, either back to Nali or somewhere else. Therefore, the Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas is also called the ‘Rogue Mechanism’.”
“Of course, hope in despair often equates to deeper despair.”
“If they don’t achieve significant merits, most of them will work for the Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas until their death. Moreover, to ensure they don’t flee due to fear of being guilty, the Magic Association was invited to design a communication magic that could locate, control, and transmit information. It is in the form of a tattoo shape of a magic rune; I read the Magic Association’s solicitation announcement but did not participate in the design. I only know what that magic looks like.”
As Fisher drew a circular emblem tattoo with multiple breaks in the air, it seemed he had a very deep impression of that thing,
“It’s even more outrageous than the formal employees of the Covert Affairs Bureau; based on this real-time linked communication magic, once my whereabouts are discovered by them, Saint Nali will immediately receive information that I appeared on Pat Sulshen Island and on the Iceberg Queen. Even if I were to be suffocated, it would be of no use. And, to those madmen yearning for freedom, I, or Isabel, would be the key to unlocking their binds, something they wouldn’t give up easily.”
Alagina quickly realized how serious Fisher’s statement was, and she subconsciously blocked him with her somewhat taller figure, fearing that Fisher might be discovered by others.
“What are the chances that it’s someone from the Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas?”
“Depends on the situation; if someone is going to die, it’s likely within the responsibility of the Bureau of Covert Affairs Overseas.”
“Then I will take you to the Pirate Haven; there, Nali officials won’t easily come.”
Fisher glanced at Alagina, who was seriously looking at him, her ice-blue eyes containing only his reflection, and even her muscles, despite being close to him, seemed to stiffen slightly, clearly worried about him.
He looked deeply at the captain, feeling the uncontrollable heat within him burning hotter, it had been a long time since Eil left.
But in front of Alagina, Fisher found it hard to suppress the roving evil fire; he opened his mouth but resisted the urge to suck on her fair skin, inhaling only the cold air between them, then stepped back to maintain distance.
“No need to be too nervous; they haven’t discovered us yet, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re found if we stay on the island. We should quickly leave after buying our things; just avoid the muddy waters between the Northern Region and Nali.”
Alagina reluctantly watched him withdraw from her embrace, wanting to reach out and grab his sleeve, but she lacked the straightforward courage to do so. Watching his retreating fingers, she hesitated to act decisively.
“Yes, I will notify them.”
She nodded and said so.
“Aoxi, you and Fisher stay here; you must protect him as I would, understand?”
“Got it.”
“Sure, no problem.”
The harbor of Pat Sulshen Island did not have a place for a large ship like the Iceberg Queen to dock, so it was anchored some distance away from the coastline. To inform it to return would take some time; moreover, before that, the Iceberg Queen would still need to prepare the necessary supplies; otherwise, even if it set sail, it couldn’t get far.
For safety’s sake, after buying the magic materials, Alagina booked a room for Fisher at a nearby hotel, telling Aoxi and Fisher to stay here until she handled everything, and then they would leave the island immediately.
Fisher knew that showing himself recklessly could backfire, so he had to obediently remain in the hotel room.
If only he could bring the Veil of Usurpation that Renee sent, he could disguise himself and wouldn’t be discovered. However, he had no time to go back to the rental house when being chased by Elizabeth, and even if he didn’t bring it with him, it would continuously absorb magic power.
Fisher leaned against the window, watching Alagina don her ship hat and walk out of the hotel, hurrying in the direction of the street, quickly disappearing from his sight.
Just as he was about to close the room’s window, he caught sight of a well-decorated shop at the intersection of this street with another.
With a full glass facade and wooden square panels, it even creatively painted two cute black cat ears on top.
Fisher’s gaze went down, quickly reading the words written on it,
“Cloudtop Café.”
His expression became somewhat peculiar, but then it turned even more peculiar when he turned to find Aoxi, the second mate, sitting quietly on the bed staring at him while holding a parrot.
Although the previous conversation with Alagina was not intentional, it now appeared that only he and Aoxi were in the room, with Alagina away for a while.
Does that mean now is the perfect opportunity to study the Cangniao Aoxi?
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(End of Chapter)
