Chapter 111 - 111: A Bit of Pretending

[Acid Lemon Street—Wind of Azure Inn] This was a rather proper and luxurious inn, backed by the Church, so few dared to cause trouble here. Naturally, the rent was on the higher side as well. The two of them booked a mid-range suite—Danitz took the living room, while Edward stayed in the bedroom. Since Edward was footing the bill, Danitz had no complaints. After all, even this living room was more comfortable than most regular inns. But just as he plopped down on the sofa, he heard Edward's voice, "Aren't you planning to take a walk? Like maybe check out the Red Theater or something." "Mm…I don't feel like it." "No, you do." "..." Danitz rubbed his forehead, opened the door, and walked out. "Fine! I do feel like it." As soon as Edward entered the bedroom, Lilith trotted around on her little paws, rubbing against everything. Then she turned her head and looked at him, "Edward, it's so hot in here. It's uncomfortable." She stuck out her tongue and panted like a puppy for a moment, then pouted, "Susie lied. This doesn't help at all." "Want me to turn you into a short-haired cat? Or a hairless one?" "No!" She immediately shouted her refusal, then curiously started pawing at the various locally-styled ornaments in the room. Edward flicked a gold coin into the air: "Staying here tonight will be relatively safe." Heads up—confirmation. "That's good." He immediately placed the leather pouch on the floor, then looked back at Lilith. "Lilith, keep an eye on the room for me. I'm going to pick up Audrey." —— A few minutes later. The two of them stepped out of the pouch. Since Edward had informed her in advance, Audrey had changed into a light-colored, short-sleeved summer dress and wore a wide-brimmed straw hat. The outfit was cool enough, but the moment she entered the bedroom, a wave of warm air greeted her. "So this is the City of Generosity—Bayam?" She walked to the window, gazing out at the uniquely styled buildings and the distant azure horizon. Lilith ran over. "Audrey, you're here! Did Susie come?" "Nope. She stayed behind to guard the door." Lilith looked up at her seriously. "Then when you go back, tell Susie that the tongue-sticking trick she taught me doesn't work. Miss Lilith is still really hot." "Alright! I'll deliver the message exactly as is!" "Good~" She leapt onto the bed and resumed her exploration of the local decorations. Audrey leaned on the windowsill with her chin in her hand, turning her eyes slightly toward Edward. "When are you planning to start acting like your 'mentally ill' self?" "I already have." "Huh?" "Edward just killed..." Lilith suddenly chimed in. She lowered her head and seemed to be counting on her paws, then gave up. "A lot of people." "To be exact, they were all pirates guilty of rape, murder, and countless crimes—each with over a dozen lives on their hands." "Then they deserved to die!" Edward explained what had just happened, and also laid out his upcoming plan. "Remember what you said before? That to play the role of a madman, one might start with Genius on the Left and Madman to the Right—constantly switching between genius and insanity." "Later, I gave it more thought. Comparing it with my experience during the Ministry of Magic incident, I think that theory is only half right." Audrey was surprised. "Half right?" "Yeah." "If I simply acted like a genius and a madman separately, that would be dissociative identity disorder. Of course, that's also a type of mental illness." He paused for a moment. "What I mean is, you shouldn't treat the madman and the genius as two separate personas to roleplay—because together, they make up the full picture of a mentally ill person." "Honestly, this is just an experiment for now. I hope I can summarise some kind of roleplaying guideline from it." Disguised in local attire, the two wandered all over Bayam—exploring the island's most scenic spots and tasting its most famous local delicacies. Of course, Audrey also witnessed all sorts of pirates firsthand, impoverished natives, and the domineering Loen 'upper-class elites'. "Why would Loen allow these pirates to run rampant in Bayam?" "It's not that they allow it...they just can't control it." Edward shrugged. "To those in power, the decision to do something always comes down to cost versus benefit. Clearly, the cost of eliminating the pirates far outweighs any gain. So right now, both sides maintain a basic equilibrium: you take one step forward, I push you back. You retreat, and I let it go." "So, in the end, it's all about profit." She puffed out her cheeks. Edward gave her a gentle pat on the head and chuckled. "Alright, young lady. You should focus on setting up your charity fund back in Backlund before worrying about anything else. You're not a saviour. Even Mr. Fool couldn't solve something like this." "Understood!" By evening, Danitz returned with One-Eyed Cage in tow. "Captain, the...the crew's assembled," One-Eyed Cage reported between heavy breaths. "A total of fifty-eight men—basically maxing out the Hook's capacity." Danitz stood beside him, arms crossed. "Heh, fifty pounds just for boarding—those poor bastards heard that and swarmed in like sharks that caught the scent of blood." Edward raised an eyebrow. "No higher-quality ones?" "Oh, there are," Danitz grinned. "With all the commotion, some of the bigger pirate crews definitely sent their men to check things out. I suspect there's gotta be a few under the Pirate Admirals or even the Four Kings mixed in." "Doesn't matter. Since we've got enough people—set sail tonight!" ——— Night fell quietly. The open sea was a void of darkness, so vast and silent that it seemed as though it could swallow all light, instilling an instinctual fear. But Bayam grew only livelier. News of One-Eyed Cage's 'recruitment' spread like wildfire—by now, nearly everyone had heard. Most adopted a wait-and-see attitude, curious about what kind of stunt the Hook was pulling. As for the claim that they'd discovered the sunken Laurel, no one really believed it. These days, any crew heading out to sea would toss in a tale about treasure—talking big wasn't exactly a rare talent. When the Hook quietly docked, the fifty-something pirates who had successfully 'applied' boarded in an eager rush—only for a headcount to reveal a dozen or so extras had slipped in. One-Eyed Cage didn't even bat an eye. He pretended not to notice and ordered the crew to set sail. Based on the list they'd used during the recruitment, the newcomers were quickly assigned tasks. Edward sat in the captain's quarters, holding Lilith on his lap, quite satisfied. Soon, the Hook had sailed far from Bayam. Lilith, who'd been bouncing around the ship just moments ago, suddenly went dizzy—her eyes started spinning in circles. "Edward, why are there two of you now?" she mumbled weakly before collapsing onto him like a ragdoll. "A Beyonder that gets seasick...What an amateur little cat." "Miss Lilith is very strong!" she muttered back, eyes still swirling. Edward gave her a dose of seasickness potion and tucked her into the leather pouch for rest. Knock, knock, knock. Danitz entered the cabin. "Captain, there are five ships following us." "Ignore them. Keep sailing." Danitz spread a parchment sea chart out on the table, pointing first to the Hook's current position and then drawing a line forward in the direction they were heading. He looked up. "If we keep going this way, we'll hit Sonia Island. Is that the destination?" "No. We just need to look like we're heading there." At that moment, a commotion broke out on deck. One-Eyed Cage knocked on the captain's door. "Captain, those guys are starting trouble. They want to be paid right now." "Got it." Edward stepped onto the deck. Torches burned bright all around, lighting the night with a flickering glow. Dozens of pirates had started shouting and pushing under the incitement of a few loudmouths. "Sonorous" Edward cast the spell on himself, then raised his voice, "Friends, quiet down." Everyone turned to look at him. A few showed obvious confusion—they clearly knew that the Hook's previous captain didn't look like this. "I'm the new captain of the Hook—Gehrman Sparrow." "Cut the crap! I don't care who you are—hand over the money!" one pirate yelled. "Yeah! You said fifty pounds on boarding. Trying to stiff us?" "Pay up!" "Or I'll burn this ship down!" Edward chuckled. "Anyone who wants to burn the ship is welcome to try. Let's see who panics first—me or everyone else." The man instantly felt the unfriendly stares from the other pirates and shrank back into the crowd. "Alright. The money—I will pay you. But what can fifty pounds get you? A few good nights at the Red Theater? Tonight, I brought you all here to make money. Big money!" "How?" someone shouted. "You really know where the Laurel sank?" "Of course. That's the whole reason I assembled this crew." He paused, then smiled. "But friends, if all you think about are mythical treasures, you're missing out. Who's the richest on the sea? The navy? No—they're well-equipped, but there's no loot. Merchants? Maybe, but with so many pirates now, there aren't that many merchant ships left to rob. And even if there are—can you even beat the competition?" "Then who?" Edward pointed sharply toward a few distant pirate ships, their lights flickering in the night. "Other pirates, of course!" "Tonight, we're going to raid the ships that followed us!" The crowd fell into stunned silence. Then someone burst out, "Are you insane?! This ship's a patchwork crew of strays, and you want to raid other pirates? You trying to get us all killed?" "Another self-righteous idiot!" "Who the hell do you think you are?" Edward quietly observed them all. He waited for the complaints to die down before he finally spoke: "If I said this on land, sure—it'd be dumb. But we're not on land. Out here, there's nothing but ocean. The only thing any of us can rely on is the planks beneath our feet." "And I just so happen to have the power to destroy ships with ease." Snap! Edward snapped his fingers. Suddenly, flames erupted from the bodies of the first few pirates who'd spoken up. Within seconds, they were reduced to ash. The rest of the pirates reeled back in horror, scrambling to get away. "As your captain, I'll lead the charge tonight." In the next instant, with a fearsome roar, a massive figure expanded and twisted, growing rapidly until it matched the Hook itself in size—then soared into the sky. It was a dragon. Edward stood calmly at the dragon's head, smiling down at the stunned pirates. "And you—my dear crew—just follow me and pick up the gold." The dragon suddenly beat its wings, stirring up a violent gust of wind as it soared toward the distant pirate ships. The pirates on the deck were all stunned, completely speechless— That was a legendary dragon! And this guy named Gehrman Sparrow…no, our captain…actually has a dragon?! A few among them, however, had flickering gazes, clearly deep in thought. One-Eyed Cage was the first to snap out of it. His eyes lit up with excitement as he shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Full sail! Follow them!" "Ohhh!!" Danitz's eyes were wide in disbelief. "Holy crap! You actually ride a dragon?!" For a moment, he genuinely felt like following Edward might actually be promising. No! My loyalty to Captain Edwina is as bright as the sun and moon, unwavering and eternal! …But seriously, that dragon is huge. Where the hell did you pull it out from?! ——— [Note]: We missed our goal by 15. Again. But, I am a good man~ So here's the Extra Chapter. Last time. If you want another Extra Chapter tomorrow, we'd NEED to hit 480 Powerstones. So, Go VOTE! Oh, and if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]