Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 203 They dare to capture even the bizarre? Are the pirates really this wild?
With the bounty poster for Captain Hook in his hand, Xia Fa carefully folded it and walked into the intricate bar district of the City of Ten Thousand Stars.

This area is called a bar district, but it's actually a casino, nightclub, dance hall, restaurant, and a boutique specializing in custom-made treasures... you name it.

Xia Fa's eyes flashed, and he walked into a bar, heading straight into the restroom, which was only covered by a thick, gray-black curtain.

When he came out of the back door of the toilet and walked to the back street of the bar, he had already changed his appearance again.

He transformed from a face covered in pockmarks and a hooked nose into a rugged man with a thick beard and a cowboy hat.

His physique also changed from a skinny stick at 1.75 meters tall to a burly man at 1.8 meters tall, with his bulging chest muscles slightly straining his white, sweaty shirt.

Xia Fa adjusted his light brown reindeer-skin cowboy hat. Now, he could be described as both a bounty hunter and a pirate, which would make things much easier for him in the future.

As for the bounty notice, he had already put it in his black bag.

In this world, bounty notices are essentially the same as obtaining rare treasures from the Black Bag, though their functions are completely different.

Once the person holding the bounty notice completes the bounty mission, they can activate the bounty notice, then go to the designated location to meet the person behind the bounty and collect their reward.

Of course, some people use this as bait to find out who is offering a bounty on their head, while others take precautions in advance. There's a lot of strategy involved.

Therefore, Xia Fa must tear down the bounty notice for Captain Hook so that he can claim the reward after killing Captain Hook.

Xiafa estimated that it was unlikely that a single individual would dare to offer such a bounty, or rather, be able to afford a bounty of three million gold pounds or equivalent extraordinary items.

It's highly likely that the pirates and adventurers who had been robbed by Captain Hook gathered together and created this bounty.

Of course, it could also be wealthy merchants from the three kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Augu, or some secret organizations... There are too many possibilities behind it.

Fortunately, this bounty notice also functions as a contract, and the source of the contract's effectiveness is the righteous god, the Supreme Law. So Xia Fa doesn't need to worry too much; he just needs to complete the task and collect the bounty.

"The identity of the Fishman Emperor, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, has been exposed, and the Ten Thousand Stars Pirate Crew has been officially disbanded!"

"The Crimson Pirate Crew has been established and will inherit most of the territory of the Star Pirate Crew. We are now recruiting adventure partners throughout the entire Baron Ocean!"

"The whale watching event originally scheduled for this afternoon will be rescheduled for three days later!"

Suddenly, a broadcast came from a peeling loudspeaker hanging on a high wall in the back alley, startling Xia Fa.

Then, it was broadcast a second time.

"The identity of the Fishman Emperor, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, has been exposed, and the Ten Thousand Stars Pirate Crew has been officially disbanded..."

Xia Fa could almost clearly hear the explosive discussions that suddenly erupted from the bars next door.

"What?! The Father of Ten Thousand Stars is the Fishman Emperor?!"

"Holy crap, what on earth happened at the Wanxing Pirate Crew's pirate tournament this time?"

"Alas, it's a pity we weren't allowed to go in and take a look. This must be the biggest event in the Baron Ocean in over a hundred years!"

"A century? This is the biggest event in the hundreds of years since the Father of Ten Thousand Stars appeared!"

"The Crimson Pirates? Doesn't that sound like the pirate crew founded by that extraordinary monarch called 'Crimson Agent'?"

"Could it be that the Crimson Agent and the Father of All Stars, these two extraordinary monarchs, are fighting? Who won in the end?"

"The Crimson Agents definitely won, otherwise why do you think the Myriad Star Pirates would disband?"

"I say, how about we give the Crimson Pirates a try?"

"Forget it, you go if you want, I still prefer to be a free spirit, haha."

Xia Fa stood still in the backstreet, quietly listening to the pirates' conversation coming from the other side of the wall.

Seagulls flew overhead through the alley, never lingering for a moment.

……

For a long, long time, the discussion between the pirates and adventurers only grew more intense, showing no signs of stopping.

Xia Fa sighed softly, but his gaze became even more profound.

What happened in the Hall of Stars was certainly not as thrilling as the pirates had imagined, but it was certainly dangerous enough.

Now, the news has spread far and wide.

It seems that the Crimson Agents have grand ambitions, even going so far as to cause trouble when that Mysterious Emperor is born.

"So the whale watching event has been moved to three days later too...?"

Xia Fa's gaze narrowed slightly, but that was just right. He only had a little over three million gold pounds on hand, which probably wouldn't amount to much at the whale watching festival.

Use these three days to find the wicked Captain Hook and hunt him down.

Ideally, we could also complete our understanding of the Stargate and successfully sign the "Mystic Singularity," a supreme-level pact.

Once we truly possess the strength to confront the Overlord head-on, we'll feel much more at ease attending the whale watching festival.

"It seems that the most urgent task now is to find Captain Hook..."

Xia Fa slightly raised his eyes and looked towards the end of the back street.

At the end of the backstreet, there are still countless bars, casinos, and dance halls, densely packed together.

However, after spending the whole day with Captain Red Porcupine yesterday, and listening to James the Golden Rapier chat with everyone at the banquet on the Shark, Xia Fa had already learned a lot of useful information.

For example... where to inquire about Captain Hook's whereabouts.

……

Sailfish Bar.

This is one of the largest bars in the City of Ten Thousand Stars, and also one of the most mixed and chaotic places.

At the bar, pirates and adventurers drank and chatted, while in the booths, bounty hunters and super hunters exchanged information. There were even vendors with half-open wooden boxes hanging around their necks, selling all sorts of strange potions and extraordinary herbs.

Click!

Suddenly, the door of the Sailfish Bar was pushed open, and a man who was 1.8 meters tall, dressed in cowboy attire, and had a rugged beard walked in.

The man was quite good-looking; not only were his short, sparse beards sharp as knives, but his eyebrows and eyes also resembled those of a Western cowboy who would draw his gun at the slightest provocation.

More importantly, his aura was subtle and elusive, making it impossible to discern his strength or determine whether he was a whale-level superhuman or merely a fungus-level superhuman.

Fortunately, it didn't have the oppressive aura of a demigod, but it could still be a whale-level being.

Even at sea, a demigod is capable of serving as the captain of an independent pirate crew under the five major pirate groups, while angels are practically the right-hand men of the pirate emperors.

Therefore, it is extremely rare to see demigods in this Sailfish Bar; whale-level beings are already considered respected and untouchable powerhouses.

Many people glanced at the rugged cowboy, then quickly looked away.

No one went up to provoke him. Just from the fact that no one could tell the cowboy's rank, it was clear that this cowboy was no ordinary person.

The pirates continued their conversation, ignoring the cowboy who walked straight to the bar, except for a few eyes that were secretly watching him from behind.

"Have you heard? Avalon, the greatest mechanical genius in the Kingdom of Augu in a century, that angel-level overlord, wiped out five pirate ships commanded by demigods under the Roaring Emperor yesterday with a single move!"

"Holy crap, that's incredible! Even if Avalon comes from the Earthly God Kingdom of the [Silver Universe], his actions are far too reckless!"

"Yes, although the Roaring Emperor doesn't dare to provoke the higher-ups of the Silver Church and the Natural Church, He won't let go of those who come to His doorstep."

"Yes! And Avalon made the first move. Even if the Roaring Emperor really killed Him, the Silver Church couldn't say anything." "Haha, you're all ignorant. Every year around this time, a few months before and after the Whale Watching Festival, some young overlords would provoke the five pirate emperors of the sea. If they don't even have the courage to face their sovereigns, what future do they have to talk about?"

"But I've heard that quite a few young overlords have also died at the hands of pirate emperors..."

"This is the ocean. Life and death are inevitable here, isn't that normal?"

As soon as Xia Fa walked to the bar, he heard the pirates' enthusiastic discussion about Avalon.

He came to the Sailfish Bar from the Palace of Stars, deliberately slowing down his pace and walking for about two hours, taking the opportunity to learn about the local customs and general situation of the City of Ten Thousand Stars.

Just as he had imagined, those who could make it in the City of Ten Thousand Stars, apart from the native residents, were all quite extraordinary.

Even after two hours, the most discussed topics in the Sailfish Bar were still the fact that the Father of Ten Thousand Stars was actually the Fishman Emperor, and the fact that the Crimson Pirates had replaced the Ten Thousand Stars Pirates.

Xia Fa simply ignored these discussions; he was tired of hearing them everywhere he went.

This was the first time he had ever seen a discussion about Avalon.

"The Roaring Emperor probably doesn't have time to hunt down Avalon right now, does he? His seas border Hercules's territory, and he's probably already fighting with the Crimson Agents for control of those seas..."

Xia Fa understood that the reason why the Roaring Emperor was willing to put aside his hatred for the annihilation of his subordinates and join forces with the Crimson Agents was probably because of the ownership of this territorial sea.

However, Avalon came from the earthly divine kingdom of the [Silver Universe], so Shafa wasn't too worried.

"What would you like to drink, sir? Today's special is a tequila cocktail."

The bartender stepped forward, wiping the glass in his hand while asking Xia Fa questions in a very polite manner.

The bartender was certainly very perceptive and could tell that Xia Fa probably possessed a rather extraordinary secret treasure or sealed artifact, as he had even concealed his own aura.

Such a person may have blood on their hands, which is why they need to put on this disguise; perhaps even their appearance is fake.

Xia Fa glanced at the bartender, flipped his hand, placed a bright green one-hundred-pound note on the bar, and pushed it over.

"A whiskey, with a few drops of vodka, please."

The bartender picked up the hundred-pound note, without checking its authenticity, gave Xia Fa a knowing smile, then put down the rag and cup in his hand, and immediately turned around to prepare Xia Fa's drink.

The pirates and adventurers around Xia Fa glanced at him in surprise, then their fear deepened, and they all looked away, drinking their own drinks and not daring to look at him anymore.

The bartender quickly brought over the glass of whiskey with vodka, and Xia Fa picked it up and took a small sip.

The moment the liquor entered his stomach, he felt a wave of dizziness, but Xia Fa remained calm and walked straight up the spiral staircase of the Sailfish Bar to the second floor.

As soon as he reached the second floor, a new "door" came into his view.

It was a door on the wooden wall to the left of the second floor of the Sailfish Bar, a door that wasn't originally there.

Xia Fa picked up his wine glass and walked over, stepping through the door without any hindrance.

From an outsider's perspective, Xia Fa appeared to have merged directly into the wooden wall. As his figure disappeared, the wooden wall rippled like water before settling down.

This was one of the methods James the Golden Rapier had mentioned to Prince Justinian and others at the dinner table—a method for gathering intelligence in the City of a Thousand Stars.

A glass of cheap whiskey with a few drops of vodka on it is worth at most a few silver coins, but Shafie spent a full hundred gold pounds. Of course, he didn't buy the whiskey itself, but rather the entrance fee for gathering intelligence.

As for that cup of wine, it also has its own secrets. It contains the juice of "Wood Sea Chrysanthemum," which allows the drinker to pass through a specific ritual array.

Stepping through the wooden door, Xia Fa found himself in a small, enclosed room.

The small room was pitch black and invisible, containing only a small round stool. In front of the stool was a table, and behind the table was a person completely shrouded in a black robe.

Xia Fa pretended to be an expert and sat down.

What kind of intelligence do you need?

The man in black robes spoke, his voice low and strange, giving the impression that it was neither male nor female.

Xia Fa did not hesitate and said directly:
"The position of Captain Hook."

Upon hearing this, the man in black robes visibly paused, then his voice became somewhat hoarse:

"Guest, are you...are you sure?"

His tone suddenly became much more polite.

Xia Fa nodded, his voice flat:

"determine."

The man in black robes thought for a moment, then said in a solemn tone:
"Alright, thirty thousand gold pounds."

With a flick of his wrist, Xia Fa produced three bundles of gold coins, which he casually tossed over.

With a flick of his wide sleeves, the three gold coins vanished instantly, and his voice became increasingly polite.

“A month ago, Captain Hook was spotted at the edge of the Pale Suffocating Sea, seemingly trying to risk going in to catch traveling whales, but nothing came of it.”

"Twenty-three days ago, a group of adventurers were killed by Captain Hook just as they were about to land on the Worm Islands. Captain Hook also stole all the extraordinary items and ancient scriptures they obtained in the underwater temple ruins."

"Sixteen days ago, a group of merchants spotted Captain Hook buying freshwater potatoes and other supplies on Qingbei Island, seemingly preparing to head to Princess Shark's territorial waters."

Five days ago, a pirate ship under Princess Shark's command discovered Captain Hook's trail near the Sun Volcano.

“A day ago, Captain Hook was spotted attempting to enter the Solar Volcano, but no one knows exactly what he was planning to do.”

At this point, the man in the black robe fell silent.

Xia Fa's gaze was serious, but he was somewhat amazed.

It seems that the intelligence network of this Sailfish Bar is quite extensive, even including members of the Shark Pirates as their informants.

Moreover, this intelligence is quite accurate; Captain Hook is most likely near the Solar Volcano.

Sun Volcano is a well-known underwater volcano in the territory of Princess Shark. It is said to contain all kinds of rare treasures and has always been a paradise for adventurers.

Recently, the solar volcano erupted, and adventurers dared not go in. Unexpectedly, Captain Hook took this opportunity to set out.

How can I safely reach the vicinity of the Solar Volcano without attracting attention?

Seeing how effective the intelligence network of the Sailfish Bar was, Xia Fa decided to ask all the questions at once, since he wasn't worried about leaks. The Sailfish Bar had an excellent reputation in this regard; otherwise, James the Golden Rapier wouldn't have recommended it so highly.

Moreover, as long as they weren't inquiring about the five pirate emperors, the informants at the Sailfish Bar would say anything.

"One hundred gold pounds."

Xia Fa casually tossed a hundred-pound gold pound over, and the man in black robes waved his sleeve again, making the gold pound disappear.

"At 3 PM, a pirate ship called the Chainsaw Pirates will be setting off for the Solar Volcano to capture the strange creature. They are recruiting strong and reliable partners, and you can join them."

Capture the eerie?

Xia Fa admitted that his mind went blank for a moment when he heard the news.

The pirates of the Baron Ocean are so wild that they even dare to capture the supernatural.
No, why capture this strange creature if we don't kill it?
What is the use?

It has to be said that his curiosity was immediately piqued.

(End of this chapter)