Above the mage

Chapter 483 Black-on-Black

Are we being watched?

Gao De's brows furrowed slightly, but a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Because he discovered that he seemed to have found the messenger's trail.

The black market streets were bustling with people, but they kept a certain distance from each other and were very wary of one another.

Through the gaps in the bustling crowd, Gaode saw a figure hurrying away into the crowd, about to disappear into the alleyway.

It was just a silhouette, his face was obscured, and he was completely shrouded in a gray robe, revealing no information whatsoever. Yet, Gao De recognized him at a glance as one of the men who had been shouting loudly in the main hall of the Broken Bones Tavern.

As he left the tavern, he sensed something was amiss. One of the burly men seemed to be looking at him strangely, so he immediately turned around to find the source of that gaze.

However, the other party reacted quickly. By the time Gao De turned around to look, the burly men had already changed their expressions, either pouring drinks for him or cursing him, as if it were all just Gao De's imagination.

Although he didn't immediately spot the owner of the gaze, Gao De still trusted his intuition, so he discreetly used the Mandora's Eye [Insight] ability to observe the burly men.

In this process, their personal information, including body contours and facial details, is broken down into precise data and then a corresponding model is built in their minds.

The physical measurements of this figure, including height, waist width, and leg length, all match exactly with those of a man in the tavern.

The people in the Broken Bones Tavern... who are the Embroidered Anchor Gang, how come they're in the black market sending me such a nonsensical message?

Was it Santos testing him? Or was someone within the gang trying to make a deal in secret? Or—was it all a trap?

A flurry of thoughts and speculations flashed through Gao De's mind in an instant, and he made a decisive decision the next moment.

He couldn't care less about browsing the black market anymore. He used the [Communication] spell to send a message to Lanwen beside him, while gesturing with his eyes to the figure that was about to disappear at the alley entrance, "Lanwen, follow him."

Lan Wen locked onto his target with eyes as sharp as a hawk's and nodded slightly.

Da da da.

In the dark and cramped alley, a figure wrapped in a gray robe hurried through, glancing back every now and then, his eyes gleaming with vigilance beneath the hood.

His leather boots stomped on the waterlogged cobblestones, splashing up water mixed with blood. The alleys of Black Sail City were a labyrinthine network.

The buildings on both sides are crooked and twisted. Some are low houses built with planks from sunken ships, with dark green vines sprouting from the cracks in the walls; others are hollowed-out sea cliff caves with rusty iron chains hanging at the entrances, and dried sea animal skulls attached to the chains.

There are also many abandoned houseboats with rotten doors. You can push open the door and pass through the cobweb-filled cabin, then slip out of the window on the other side and land in another side alley.

Of course, only locals who have lived in Black Sails City for years can do this.

This gray-robed man seemed to fit the description perfectly, as he knew the place inside and out.

He nimbly weaved through the alleys, occasionally bursting open the broken door of a houseboat, traversing through the musty and seabird-dung-scented house amidst falling sawdust, pushing open the back window and leaping into another, even narrower alley.

After winding his way through several side alleys, crawling through three abandoned houses, and even using a collapsed walkway to climb over half a stone wall, he finally slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I should have shaken them off..." he muttered to himself.

He was about to turn around and disappear into the deeper alley.

However, the next moment, as if he had sensed something, his expression changed, and he suddenly looked up.

Two figures quietly appeared at the corner in front of the alley.

"You'd better not think about running away, otherwise I can't guarantee I'll be able to control the power of the spell after I leave."

The tall, imposing Lan Wen, like an iron tower, exuded immense pressure as he silently observed the gray-robed man. Sensing his intention to flee, he coldly warned him.

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed man, who had been itching to make a move, changed his expression, his Adam's apple bobbed, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally made a decision. Instead of continuing to flee, he chose to remove the hood covering his head, revealing his face shrouded in the shadow of the hood.

He was one of the men who had been drinking and eating fish in the main hall of the Broken Bones Tavern earlier.

"You two have such brilliant skills," Gar said, clasping his hands in admiration.

I truly admire him. He believes that both the location he chose when sending the message and the route he took after leaving were almost "flawless".

But to his surprise, this didn't shake off Gao De and Lan Wen. He was actually quite curious about how the two of them managed to do it.

"What did you mean by what you just said?" Gao De asked Garr with great interest. "Why don't you put it more clearly?"

C

Garr took a deep breath and lowered his voice considerably: "The Embroidered Anchor Gang has actually already been subdued by Davy Jones, it was Davy Jones..."

Jones was one of the many spies in Black Sails City.

"Santos is the gang leader on the surface, but he's really just the Pirate King's dog!" he said through gritted teeth.

"The Embroidered Anchor Gang controls the docks. Once outsiders arrive from the outside world and dock at their docks, they will immediately find out the details of the visitors, including their possible identities, strengths, and most importantly, their family background."

"If it is determined that the person is Fatfish, the gang will report the news to Davy Jones' Bloodsail Pirates immediately."

"After receiving the news, the Bloodsail Pirates will immediately send people to kill and rob. They will even use the corpses and souls of these fat fish for necromancy experiments."

"In fact, I estimate that more than half of the local gangs in Black Sails City have already been subdued by Davy Jones and are plundering money for him."

"After you left the Shattered Bones Tavern, Santos's trusted messenger also left, heading straight for the upper town."

"It's obvious you've already been identified as easy prey by Santos and reported to the Bloodsail Pirates." Gal explained the whole story in one breath, while also reminding him:

"And if I'm not mistaken, you've already been targeted."

"Because in Black Sails City, Davy Jones is no longer just a local bully, he's a local tyrant, wielding absolute power, with countless people working for him and helping him plunder wealth."

"For fat fish like you, the gang is responsible for reporting the information. Once the information is received, informants will mark and track you immediately. Davy Jones's men will choose a suitable opportunity to kill and rob you."

Throughout this entire process, Davy Jones didn't have to do anything; he didn't even bother to listen to any messages. He simply waited for his men to hand over the treasure.

"We've already been targeted?" Gao De raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Gar explained, “The Bloodsail Pirates have a special mark potion made from Bloodvine flowers. It is colorless and odorless to most creatures, but a type of Blood Bee that is fond of Bloodvine pollen is exceptionally sensitive to the scent of Bloodvine flowers and can smell the potion from a great distance.”

"The Bloodsail Pirates' modus operandi is to first find a way to attach the Bloodvine Flower potion to Fat Fish, then use Blood Bees to locate Fat Fish, and kill and rob him when he's completely unprepared."

"Think about it. After leaving the Shattered Bones Tavern, did you have any physical contact with strangers? If so, you've most likely been infected with the Bloodvine Flower potion."

"Physical contact with a stranger?" Upon hearing this, Gao De thought for a moment and immediately realized what it meant.

"The burly man at the city entrance!" His gaze suddenly sharpened.

Before buying the Bone and Blood Thorn Elixir at the first stall, a passing pirate "kindly" reminded the two of a few things and even patted Gao De on the shoulder.

In the current situation, the pirates' actions didn't actually reveal anything wrong, but after being reminded by Gar, God noticed something was amiss.

Adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," and just to be on the safe side, Gao De immediately cast a [ ] on himself.

Purify food.

The magical light flowed over his body like water, and both visible and invisible "dust" on his clothes were dissipated under the effect of the magic.

"What should I call you?" After doing all this, De Cai looked at Garr again, his eyes now scrutinizing him. "Garr," the other said.

"Are you from the Embroidered Anchor Gang?"

"Yes, I'm a minor leader in the Embroidered Anchor Gang, mainly responsible for the daily operations of the Broken Bone Tavern."

"So you're betraying the gang?" Gao De became even more interested.

"Yes, I betrayed the gang." Gal maintained his usual helpful attitude, always ready to answer any questions.

This candor left Gaode speechless for a moment.

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Why did you come to remind me? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"

"I'm very careful and I usually don't expose myself... This isn't the first time I've warned a fat fish that's been watching me, but it's definitely the first time I've been discovered by the fat fish," Gar said helplessly, spreading his hands.

"As for why I'm here to remind you..." Garl paused for a moment, then slowly said, "My parents died at the hands of the Bloodsail Pirates. I have an irreconcilable hatred for the Bloodsail Pirates and Davy Jones."

[Anger], [Hatred]

"So..." Druid, who had silently cast [Perception of Emotions+] on Garr, sensed the intense anger and hatred Garr was feeling at this moment, and knew that what he said was probably true.

"Seeking revenge against the Pirate King will not be an easy task," he said softly.

"It's not easy..." Garr lowered his head.

[Expectation]... It's not [powerlessness] but [expectation]. Faced with the somewhat irrational emotions that Garr showed, Gao De narrowed his eyes, pondering the logical relationship between them.

"Davy Jones and his Bloodsail Pirates have dominated Blacksail City for so many years, committing countless atrocities. Even if they are ruthless and eliminate all traces of their enemies, there must be quite a few who have escaped their clutches, like you. So you secretly joined forces to seek revenge against him?" After a moment, God said softly.

【shock】.

"What?" Garr wanted to deny it immediately, but sensing the shock in Gao De's eyes, he was basically certain that his guess was correct.

"You should know Davy Jones' strength and methods far better than an outsider like me, yet you still harbor hope, which means you genuinely believe there's a chance to succeed in revenge... Then the leader of your alliance must be extremely powerful, perhaps even capable of going toe-to-toe with Davy Jones."

"Such a person couldn't possibly be unknown in Black Sails City; he must be a big shot. Let me think..." De Gu said as Garr changed and gradually developed.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "The most legendary figure in Black Sails City in recent decades, the most beautiful woman in Black Sails City, Sarah Fortune."

Gao De looked at Garr with a half-smile. "Am I right?"

Faced with his question, Garr turned pale and chose to remain silent.

Although Gar didn't know how Gaode did it, he was certain that every word he said in front of Gaode was wrong, and the best way to deal with it was to remain silent.

Seeing his reaction, Gao De didn't press the matter further. He smiled and said, "Anyway, thank you for the reminder."

Then, De waved his hand and said to Lan, "Let's go."

To Garr's astonishment, Gaud and Lanwen simply left unhurriedly.

He stood there stunned for a long time, and only after confirming that the two had really disappeared did he stop and leave the alley.

As a native of Black Sails, Gal was very cautious and had fully considered the possibility of being entrapped.

So, the first thing he did after leaving the alley was to return to the Broken Bones Tavern and handle the tavern's chores as usual.

It wasn't until evening that he left through the back door of the Broken Bones Tavern, running quickly in one direction into the darkness.

"My lord, if Davy Jones sets his sights on us, I cannot stop him," Lanwen warned after they left the alley.

"Don't worry about that yet. If the Pirate King himself were to personally handle all the fat fish, he wouldn't be able to keep up."

"Besides, the more times he makes a move, the easier it is to expose his whereabouts. He wouldn't do something so stupid," Gao De reassured Lan Wen.

The reason why Davy Jones has been able to stay on the bounty list for so many years and act with impunity is not only because of his own formidable strength, but also because the Pirate King never appears in public and is a mysterious figure who is rarely seen.

Powerful, ruthless, and extremely cautious, these qualities earned Davy Jones the formidable reputation of "Legendary Killer King" of Black Sails.

He was already deeply entrenched in the City of Black Sails.

Many military mages sent by the Holy Empire to hunt down Davy Jones arrived at the Blue Flame Islands but never even saw his face; his body was hung on chains at the Council Fortress atop Black Sails City.

"So what do we do next?" Lan Wen paused for a moment, then asked.

"Let's wait until Santos pays us half of the payment first."

"Every trade has its rules. Since the local gangs are so rude," Gao De paused, then said softly, "then don't blame us for double-crossing them."