Two days later…
Unaware of Theo’s anxiety, the five pirate ships smoothly crossed the ocean. They proceeded at a truly terrifying speed, as their sails were always filled with wind and currents always pushing them along.
Theo clicked his tongue as he watched.
Even the famously quick ships of the Soldun Kingdom wouldn’t be able to catch these pirate ships.
It was obvious to a sailor, but the speed of a ship was largely determined by environmental factors rather than the performance of the ship itself. It was always difficult to sail against a headwind or bad waves, no matter how good the ship. On the other hand, a cheap ship might be able to move faster if it was carried by the wind and waves.
These pirate ships were blessed with optimal conditions at all times. It would be different on land, but Theo could tell that these ships had an absolute advantage on sea. Normal ships would never be able to compete with them.
Randolph, despite his lack of knowledge about sailing, also came to realize this. He approached Theo and muttered, “Hah, this ship’s ridiculously fast.”
“You can tell?”
It was difficult to determine speed at sea, since there were no landmarks like trees, hills or slopes. The only thing which could be seen from the deck was the horizon stretching out in every direction.
However, Randolph didn’t hesitate to nod. “The wind speed, position of the clouds, the sun and angle of the light… Any number of factors can be used as a benchmark.”
“Indeed.”
Only a veteran sailor would notice these things, but Randolph was a monster who stood at the peak of human ability. His overwhelmingly powerful senses made up for his lack of experience.
In fact, he was right. It had been five days since they’d departed Ramos and two days since they had encountered the pirate ships, yet they had traveled further in the past two days than the first five days at sea. It meant that they had gotten at least two and a half times faster.
If Theo’s calculations were correct, they would be arriving at their destination shortly.
“… Eh?”
At that moment, a strange sight appeared on the horizon. It was sea fog, the nightmare of every sailor who wanted to navigate a reef. However, it was weird for a patch of fog to simply appear in the middle of the ocean. Fortunately, the pirates responded swiftly.
“Lash the sails! Hurry!”
“Stop the oars and wait!”
“Reduce the speed! Leave the anchors alone!”
As the crew ran across the deck, Theo was transfixed by the fog that seemed to extend toward them hungrily. The six ships entered the fog at roughly the same time.
Chill.
At that moment, Theo’s intuition shook violently.
T-This isn’t fog…!
It seemed like fog, but not a single drop of moisture touched his skin. This was a fog which couldn’t be removed by wind or burned away by sunlight. It was the boundary of a ward that barred uninvited guests. Theo realized why the pirate ships had needed to tow the passenger ship. Even putting speed aside, it was a quick and dirty method to allow the passenger ship to bypass the ward. Otherwise, the passenger ship would’ve drifted aimlessly through this fog, never to be seen again. Theo thought that this fog might be the ultimate barrier protecting the Pirate Archipelago.
“… Young Master, have you come to another dangerous place?” Randolph’s intuition had also started tingling, and his ever present smile faded away. ｎｏｖ𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ
Even master level aura was useless in this fog. Simply breaking through the fog with aura would be a huge challenge, to say nothing of how they would fare against the creator of this fog. Theo estimated their chances to be below two percent if it came to battle.
As the two tensed, the fog lifted.
“Ohh, we’re here?”
“It’s been a long time!”
The passengers on deck were delighted. Some passengers admired the view of the Pirate Archipelago they had only heard about, while others were glad to be back. The Pirate Archipelago, the luxurious resort of the sea that some people would never know about…
The island of sin and pleasure.
***
The procedure to enter the Pirate Archipelago was surprisingly orderly.
“Line up in order of boarding.”
A muscular man wearing a tightly fitted suit politely greeted the tourists. The cutlass hanging at his waist looked threatening, and he was covered in tattoos. Of course, he was nothing more than a clown next to Theo and Randolph.
“Still, this is pretty good.”
“Mhmm, he’s at the level of a first class mercenary.”
The pirate was indeed quite skilled. He would be able to pressure an ordinary knight if they dueled. If this man was used to greet tourists, the elites must be composed of very talented people. Nobody dared make a fuss for fear that their necks would be slit.
Soon, it was time for the duo to get off.
“The admission fee is ten gold per person.”
This is where the ten gold Belf mentioned would be paid. Theo pulled out twenty gold, including Randolph’s share, and dropped it on the man’s rough palm. The man grinned and bowed politely, as his palms quickly rubbed together.
Unsurprisingly, he started to speak instead of moving out of the way.
“Welcome! Is this your first visit to the island?”
“That’s right.”
“Then would you prefer a guide? For the low price of a single gold coin, I will introduce you to a nice guide!”
A guide…
As a visitor to the island, Theo gave it some serious thought. They hadn’t come for a special purpose, but it was true that they were unfamiliar with this place. It wouldn’t be too bad to bring along a guide who could explain everything. Moreover, a single gold was nothing to him now.
Ting.
Theo lightly flicked a gold coin into the air, which the man snatched adroitly.
“Oh, I received it well! Let me call someone over!”
He brought them to an alley not far from the harbor. Theo saw a group of shabbily dressed boys and girls sitting around laughing. When the man approached, the kids jumped to their feet.
The man shouted, “Jack! If you don’t pop up in ten seconds, someone else gets the job!”
A cheerful voice piped up instantly, “I’m coming!”
A boy’s head popped up over a wall. He deftly clambered over like a monkey and landed lightly in front of Theo. His dark skin was covered with soot, but his eyes shone with a wisdom beyond his age. Clearly, he wasn’t an ordinary boy.
“These are newly arrived guests. As always, your share is fifty percent, and payment when work is done.”
Jack straightened. “Yes, thank you!”
The man handed the boy named Jack over to the duo and headed back to the harbor. The rest of the children sat down, leaving only Jack standing as he looked between Theo and Randolph.
Jack bowed carefully and politely introduced himself, “Hello! Please feel free to call me Jack. I will guide you anywhere you want to go.”
“… Yes, I’m counting on you,” Theo accepted the greeting lightly.
He hadn’t expected the guide to be a child.
Jack probably noticed Theo’s hesitance as he spoke confidently, “I was born and raised on this island. It will be difficult to find someone who knows it better than me. Is this your first visit?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’ll give you the full tour. If there’s a place you want to stop at, just tell me!”
Jack started walking in front of them with a nimble gait that seemed unique to natives of this island. At first, the two of them followed with strange expressions, but they soon realized that Jack was rather knowledgeable. He had clearly been working as a guide for a few years to so adroitly guide them around.
The first place Jack brought them to was a casino.
“This is the place where the greatest amount of money comes and goes from our Pirate Archipelago. We have a total of seventeen casinos, depending on your tastes.”
As they crossed several bridges, they could hear the sound of gold coins rubbing against one another, as well as the smell of alcohol, tobacco, and perfume. Scantily clad dealers were flirting with guests as they plied them with alcohol. There was the occasional drunk passed out on the floor, while others were caught trying to cheat. It was like a painting of a society’s debauchery.
Jack noticed the expressions of the two men and started explaining, “Of course, this isn’t an ordinary casino. Unlike the casinos on land, the pot is unlimited, and you can win items that aren’t readily available outside. However, if you are caught cheating, the penalty is ten times the amount.”
Theo asked quietly, “What if you can’t?”
“… It is like that.” Jack discreetly gestured to a homeless man without any arms.
Only stumps protruded from either shoulder, as they had been cut off. The rules of the world were bloody, but this place was beyond the boundaries of law.
“I guess both of you aren’t interested in this.”
Theo and Randolph didn’t show any signs of wanting to enter the casino, so Jack moved on with a touch of sadness. Casino goers were often excellent tippers. But there was one more place that often got him lots of tips.
Jack smiled mischievously. “Hehe, then let’s go see my sisters. Both of you are handsome and chiseled, so everybody will like you.”
The Pirate Archipelago wasn’t called the island of pleasure for nothing. The prostitutes that called all corners of the continent home were just as plentiful and high quality as those on land. There were beauties from the North, the Center and the South.
It was the instinct of rich men to pursue power and women. The Pirate Archipelago was well aware of this, so it was natural to visit the beauties if they were men. Randolph’s nose couldn’t help twitching when he heard Jack.
Bam.
At that moment, Theo smacked him lightly.
“W-What?”
“If you head in the wrong direction, I’ll tell Rebecca.”
“Heok!” Randolph restrained himself, and his expression became as dignified as his master’s.
Theo smiled before opening his mouth to say, “No, I don’t want to go to the brothels.”
Jack paused. “Huh? Ah, no. Then where do you want to go?”
“I want to know about a special place.”
A special place?
Randolph and Jack both cocked their heads at the cryptic words.
“Where is the ruler of this island?”