Lord: I can see loyalty.

"I heard that things have calmed down in the Northern capital for some time now..."

"Looks like they'll be here soon. I really don't know what preparations the boss and the others have made..."

On the dockside warship, several pirates chatted idly, their eyes occasionally glancing at the ground. They were the pirate captain Philip, responsible for the "security" of the Frido Port dock area.

While ostensibly a security detail, their job was essentially to collect money and inspect passing ships to prevent any infiltrators from the kingdom.

An older pirate standing nearby snorted coldly, his expression full of disdain for the young people's conversation.

"Old Flynn, what do you mean by this? Could it be..." The young pirate, who had just been talking, lowered his voice and asked the old pirate, "The boss already has an idea?!"

"That's right, the brothers haven't been active for quite some time. If this continues, I think the boss's dream of the West Frontier will crumble on its own!"

Another one-eyed pirate who was talking to him chimed in, and they all understood that Captain Philip hadn't taken them out to sea for a long time since they had defeated the nobles of the West.

Even the lowest-ranking pirate sailors longed to board warships, set foot in other cities, plunder, and gain merit in battle.

The old pirate simply shook his head dismissively, sneered again, and finally spoke: "Do you think the boss is stupid? A lot of people have deserted to Derek and Timothy's side over the past few days. Even if he were stupid, he should know what to do."

Unlike Philip, who occupied land and bordered the southern border, the other pirates:

Like the belligerent Derek, he would take on even obviously unprofitable deals just to lead his band of warriors, eager to plunder, to "have some fun."

Timothy, the female pirate whose lands are in the north of the West, is different. She has no interest in the South and instead uses her geographical advantage to frequently harass the coastal cities of the North.

During the period of occupying the western border, only Philip's group of men were the most frustrated.

"It's no longer a secret anyway, so I'll tell you..." The old pirate lowered his voice, "The boss has decided to set sail in the spring, and he's going to be cooperating with Derek and that woman Timothy, which is quite rare."

"Timothy?!"

The other pirates were slightly speechless. They all knew that their leader, Philip, looked down on his other pirate colleagues, especially the female pirate Timothy.

"They're actually going to cooperate with that woman... then their target must be..." The young pirate lowered his head, "...could it be the capital?!"

"Are you stupid?!" The one-eyed pirate kicked him.

"What do you mean?! You want to fight?" The young pirate also pretended to tighten his grip on the machete at his waist, glaring at the other party.

The old pirate simply clicked his tongue, and the two quickly calmed down, looking at the old pirate, who then prepared to speak with satisfaction.

"The boss's target this time is..."

"Who are you?! Show yourself!"

The old pirate was squinting, about to say something, when suddenly his pupils widened and his gaze swept towards the dock below the warship.

On the dock, the group of laborers who were working were also startled. Their lean bodies trembled, and the cargo they were carrying, which was heavier than their bodies, almost fell off.

Meanwhile, Vance and his group, who were pretending to rest by the pile of wine barrels on the dock but actually eavesdropping, were also startled. They did not expect the other party to be so vigilant.

The young pirates beside the old pirate finally noticed the group of somewhat unfamiliar faces, and immediately grabbed various weapons and jumped off the ship one by one.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the pirates surrounded Vance and his group of less than twenty men.

"Faces from the South... were you sent by those bandits?" The old pirate slowly disembarked, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally settling on Vance.

After a quick thought, Vance put on a nonchalant expression and delivered the prepared speech.

"What bandit nonsense! We're the 'Grey Hyena Mercenary Group'! Even if you haven't heard of us, surely the people at your checkpoint must have told you!"

The old pirate's face darkened. He had indeed never heard of this mercenary group, but he knew the way those idiots at the checkpoint operated.

Even if a famous mercenary group came, those guys wouldn't bother to make the trip to tell them what happened.

Seeing that the pirates remained silent, Sloan seized the opportunity to speak up: "Could it be that those guys didn't tell you? Vance, is there something wrong with the captain's information?!"

"intelligence?"

Before Vance could reply, the old pirate seemed to have sensed something, staring intently at Vance and his companion with eyes like an eagle.

This made them a little uneasy, but Vance still pretended to be impatient and spoke up.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway, so it makes no difference whether the captain says it or I do it." He paused to make sure the pirates could hear him before continuing, "Our Gray Hyena captain, Cohen, recently received intelligence that you pirates are preparing to attack the Southern Territory..."

"Keep your voice down!" The old pirate's expression changed, and he instinctively placed his hand on his weapon.

The Sky Knights, disguised as mercenaries behind Vance, also gripped their swords, and the atmosphere became tense and fraught with danger.

Vance, however, remained calm and composed, and simply addressed the pirates and his men: "Put down your weapons. We're here to discuss cooperation."

The knights in disguise were just putting on an act and weren't really into it, while the pirates remained wary.

Upon hearing the word "cooperation," the old pirate frowned slightly, slowly loosened his grip, and asked a question.

"Cooperation? What do you mean!?"

Seeing that the other party had taken the bait, Vance simply acted as if it were nothing, as planned, and continued, "That's right, as you should know, the Southern Territory has been plagued by bandits for a long time."

Seeing that the other pirates had also laid down their weapons and begun to listen to his story, Vance then began to speak.

"However, in the past few months, things have stabilized in the capital, so a new earl has been established in our southern territory, and troops have been dispatched to suppress the bandits."

Upon hearing this, the pirates exchanged glances. This was similar to their intelligence: the North had stabilized, and a new earl had emerged in the South... As for the bandits, they guessed they wouldn't last long either.

"What you may not know is that several mercenary groups in our southern border region were involved in this banditry..." As he spoke, Vance deliberately gritted his teeth and made a rather unpleasant expression.

"Just a month ago, a mercenary group of about the same size as ours, a full 300 people, was wiped out by a knightly order sent from the capital!"

Upon hearing this, the young pirates exchanged glances, feeling a little uneasy. Although they longed for battle and plunder, they only wanted to prey on the weak.

Although they had never seen the level of the Royal Capital's Knights, they had heard of it.

If they were to encounter the Knights... many pirates were already planning how to deal with those elite knights in full plate armor.

"Stop, stop, stop." Sensing the tense atmosphere, the old pirate quickly stopped Vance. "Let's get down to business. What's going on with you guys, and what kind of cooperation is this?"

Vance sneered inwardly. The other party had completely fallen into his trap. Although they still didn't trust them, they had clearly accepted their mercenary group's identity.

On the surface, Vance simply shook his head, feigning helplessness.

"What other kind of cooperation could it be? We, the Gray Hyenas, have joined forces with several mercenary groups, and we're preparing to recruit more men to take down that count in the Southern Territory!"

Sloan added from the side, "Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged. We'll pay you the winter rates for summer sailing trips!"

"Anyway, you're going to take action against the Southern Territory anyway, right?" Vance added at the end.

The old pirate suddenly burst out laughing, a laugh that made Vance and the others frown slightly.

"Wait, tell me first, how did you get this information about us, or rather, based on your information, how did we decide to act?"

When Vance saw that it was this kind of problem, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly came up with an idea after thinking for a while.

"Your news? Hahahaha!" He laughed loudly until the pirates' faces turned somewhat ugly.

"You don't really think you've kept your information well under wraps, do you? Let's just say, that count in the Southern Territory probably already knows!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, the old pirate's wrinkled and scarred face finally contorted, and he spoke urgently, "Tell me first, what information do you have?"

"Your pirates under Philip's command are planning to set sail next autumn to attack the Earl of the South, aren't they? That would have been a good idea..." Vance shook his head: "But unfortunately, by then, the bandits who could harass the kingdom will probably have all been wiped out."

"At that time, the kingdom's target will be you!"

Vance made a threatening expression, and the pirates paused for a moment. After a while, the old pirate couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha!"

The young pirates beside him couldn't stop laughing, and tears streamed down their faces.

"Hey, what do you mean?!" Sloan, standing to the side, frowned and shouted.

"No, no, no, it's nothing..." The old pirate's face was contorted with wrinkles, and after a moment, he spoke to Vance, who also had a furrowed brow.

"Your information is accurate, though there might be some discrepancies in the timing... But then again, why should we help you?"

The old pirate's gaze returned to calm as he swept over the group of mercenaries behind Vance.

They were all physically strong and muscular. Although their equipment wasn't much better than that of the pirates, they were clearly not weak.

According to what Vance just said, 300 mercenary groups of their size were wiped out by the Royal Capital Knights... In other words, does the other side have 300 such warriors?

That is indeed a formidable fighting force.

"That's right. You know, those knights from the land might not be able to perform the same skills when they come to the sea and stand on the deck." The one-eyed pirate who had been silent until now finally spoke up.

"In other words, those knights from the capital pose no threat to us. At worst, we can just take a ship and run away..." The one-eyed pirate looked at Vance and the others, his eyes filled with greed.

Vance and the others exchanged glances, understanding each other's meaning—they simply wanted more money.

Of course, this was originally a business that didn't exist, so it didn't matter to them how much money they added.

"Hey, One-Eye! What, you want to make decisions for the boss?" Before Vance and the others could reply, the old pirate interrupted them.

"Oh, how could I dare..." The one-eyed pirate chuckled awkwardly and retreated again.

The old pirate turned his gaze back to Vance, and finally asked, "If you're going to cooperate, are you planning a summer operation?"

"That's right, the other mercenary group leaders think the same way, and the money issue is negotiable." Vance said without hesitation.

The old pirate abruptly changed the subject, no longer discussing cooperation, and instead asked, "You just said that... news of our autumn voyage has already reached the ears of the Earl of the Southern Territory?"

"This is just speculation, but at least our mercenary group knows it, so there's no reason they wouldn't know."

Vance understood that this was a good opportunity to spread false information and mislead the other side.

They already knew from eavesdropping at the dock that the other party planned to set sail in the spring. To be on the safe side, he deliberately said autumn to mislead the other party.

"Alright then," the old pirate suddenly said, his tone turning indifferent, as if he had lost interest. "We'll tell Philip about the cooperation. And you shouldn't wander around aimlessly, lest you see something you shouldn't."

Vance and the others exchanged glances. Vance, who was in the lead, nodded and said, "We'll tell Commander Cohen too. How about this, where's the nearest tavern in Freedore Port? I'll take the brothers to have some fun."

"Over there." The one-eyed pirate glanced at the old pirate who had turned back to the ship and pointed the way to Vance and the others.

After they left, the dock was quiet for a moment, with only the shouts of the laborers and the sound of the waves crashing.

Inside the warship's cabin, the old pirate sat alone on a wooden barrel, counting the gold coins on the table.

"Old Flynn, what do you think of that mercenary group?" One-Eye approached the old pirate and handed him a sloshing glass of strong liquor.

The old pirate took a small sip, then his expression darkened slightly. "Something's not right."

"Something's not right? What's wrong?"

"Aura." The old pirate suddenly raised his hand and downed the strong liquor in one gulp, gesturing for the other to have another drink, and then continued, "Although I've lived for so many years, I've never seen that Gray Hyena Mercenary Group."

"But I can still tell the difference in their demeanor. Those guys don't seem like mercenaries; they're more like..."

The old pirate seemed unable to think of an adjective for a moment; his brows furrowed, and his wrinkled face contorted even more dramatically, like characters.

"Soldiers? I don't know..." He thought for a long time before finally blurting out a casual remark.

"Could they be soldiers of that Southern Earl?!" The one-eyed pirate's expression changed as he recalled the Southern faces of the group.

"Old Flynn, why didn't you say so sooner?! If they had gotten away...!"

"Don't worry." The old pirate simply swirled his glass, gesturing for another drink.

"Do you think I'm as stupid as you? After you gave them directions, I sent those young men to inform all the brothers in the area."

The old pirate looked completely confident, leaving the one-eyed man speechless. His face, flushed with alcohol, gradually turned dark red as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Even if those guys aren't actually from the Southern Earl's faction, I'm going to squeeze some money out of them!"

…………

Frido Port, tavern.

As soon as I pushed open the wooden door, which was mottled from being corroded by the sea breeze, a murky smell mixed with cheap alcohol, sweat, and the fishy smell of the sea hit me.

The tavern was dimly lit and noisy, with a few greasy oil lamps hanging from the beams, casting long and short shadows.

Almost every spot was packed with people, shirtless pirates showing off their tattoos, and scantily clad individuals. There were also a few businessmen huddled in a corner, too afraid to make a sound.

Vulgar laughter and curses, the clinking of glasses, The forced, ingratiating laughter... This place is completely different from the taverns in the Southern Territory.

Vance frowned, suppressing his discomfort, and led the group to squeeze in.

"This must be it." The only Black Pearl pirate member in the group grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth.

"You all enjoy yourselves. Leave the rest to me."

As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of copper coins from his waist and waved them at a few heavily made-up women not far away. The women's eyes lit up, and they immediately swayed their hips and surrounded him, their giggles instantly drowning out the surrounding area.

Vance watched as the Black Pearl pirate, surrounded by several women, disappeared into the crowd, and his lips twitched.

This guy... I don't know if he's here to get things done, or if he's here to "get things done".

"Sit there." He gestured with his chin toward a relatively secluded spot in the corner.

The group squeezed over and sat down, ordered a few glasses of the cheapest beer, and began to pretend to drink, while their eyes subtly scanned every face in the tavern.

Time passed little by little.

The tavern was still noisy. Some pirates got drunk and started causing trouble, only to be beaten to the ground by several burly pirates. Others dragged customers upstairs, their bare legs peeking out from under their skirts. Then a new group of pirates pushed open the door, shouting and demanding drinks.

Everything is normal.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, but Vance had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

He held his wine glass, his gaze sweeping from the entrance to the bar, then from the bar to the stairwell, and finally down to the second-floor corridor.

Then, his gaze stopped.

A figure stood in the shadows of the second-floor corridor.

The man leaned against the railing, his posture casual, as if he were waiting for someone, or perhaps watching a spectacle.

But his gaze remained fixed on their corner.

Vance didn't look up, but continued to observe out of the corner of his eye while drinking.

That person is still watching.

It wasn't observation, it wasn't curiosity, it was... surveillance!

Vance felt a chill run down his spine, put down his wine glass, and nudged Sloan across from him with his toe.

"It's time to go."

Sloan was taken aback, but the tacit understanding he had developed through training prevented him from asking any further questions. He immediately put down his wine glass and gestured for the others to stand up.

The group casually made their way through the crowd, called on the members of the Black Pearl, and headed towards the back door of the tavern.

The back door was ajar, and pushing it open led to a dimly lit alley.

Vance took out the prepared map and glanced at it. Soon, the group slipped out and ran wildly along the alley, plunging into the bushes outside the port according to the previously planned retreat route.

……

Inside the tavern.

The thin, dark-skinned pirate standing on the second floor lowered his head and squinted, looking somewhat sleepy. Then, he jolted awake, suddenly raising his head, only to realize that his target had not yet returned.

He beckoned, and another young pirate came over.

"Where are the others?"

The young pirate paused, then looked toward the corner.

It is obviously empty.

"I...I'll go take a look."

Just then, the tavern door was pushed open again.

A small group of pirates dressed in fine armor rushed in, led by a scarred man carrying a stack of papers.

His sharp gaze swept over the crowd in the tavern before he strode to the bar and slammed the stack of papers onto the table.

"Everyone saw it clearly!"

He grabbed a card and held it high.

Two faces were drawn in charcoal above, portraits of Vance and Sloan, and next to them was a line of crooked writing: Bounty for capture alive, fifty gold coins!

"These two are spies from the Southern Border! Report them immediately if you see them; there's a reward for their capture!"

This is a pirate's bounty poster!

The tavern erupted in chaos.