"Admiral of the Stars" Gauthier thought for a moment before replying, "Eight o'clock tonight, Dock No. 6." Excellent—no delay at all... Kline gave a slight nod. "Good." As soon as he finished speaking, the light within the crystal ball suddenly dimmed, the figure dressed in a black classical robe growing progressively darker and more blurred until it vanished entirely. Holding the now very ordinary crystal ball, Kline turned around, opened the door, and stepped out. He glanced at the owner leaning against the wall, sipping his drink lazily, and casually tossed the crystal ball to him. As the owner hurried to catch it, Kline walked down the stairs at a steady pace and left the warehouse. Outside "The Frenzied Whale Dance," he produced his gold-case pocket watch, pressed the switch with a crisp snap, and checked the time. It's nearly noon now, and most of the bars are open... Caine stops a hired carriage and orders in Fussac, that he wants to go to "Lodar"—which in the local language means "Dawn" bar—located in a part of the Galgas Islands where adventurers gather in concentrated numbers. For Caine, gathering diverse intelligence and acquiring various updates holds significant value, as these might prove crucial at a critical moment, enabling him to make the most accurate judgment and thus escape a life-threatening fate. Even though he doesn't particularly enjoy bars, he finds himself frequently visiting them, ordering a rich, malty beer, settling quietly in a corner of the bar, and listening to the conversations around him about maritime happenings and major events. Moreover, he wanted to find out whether Roy King, detained in the governor's palace of the "City of Generosity," Bayam, had been rescued—the "Mercury Serpent" Will Angstine had not dreamt since the past two months, nor had the "Fate Senator" Rijord summoned any messengers, offering any clues about powerful magical items. Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped, and before him stood the "Lodar" tavern, marked by a large sign. He habitually produced a two-sou paper coin to pay the driver. Only upon clearly seeing the driver's somewhat rugged features did he suddenly recall something: this was abroad, in a colony of Fasak, with its own standard currency! The smallest denomination was the gobi, followed by the fersilver, and then the golden hohn, all maintaining a very human-friendly decimal system that made conversions straightforward. Forgot to exchange the gorbis and fyr silver at the bank... all the previous ones had been spent at the hotel and restaurants... As Klein just glanced around to see where the banks might be, the coachman eagerly took the two one-soule notes, inspected them carefully several times, and beamed with delight, his weathered skin glowing with brightness: "Thank you so much! Thank you so much for your generosity!" Are pounds, soules, and pence also hard currency here? Hmm, the Gorgas Islands aren't that far from Toscad or Olaviv—many goods are traded to those places, and quite a few Roon adventurers frequently visit this "Sea of the White Whale." It's quite normal for Roon's currency to circulate locally... Heh, Roon's industrial and economic strength is indeed stronger than that of the Fyrsak Empire—significantly so, in fact. The pound is much more solid than the gold hohn... Wait! Klein got off the coach and began walking toward the "Lodar" tavern, recalling the coachman's delighted expression. Suddenly, he remembered something: one gold pound equaled five point five gold houns. That meant two soules were worth five point five franks of silver. In the "City of White," the hourly rate for renting a carriage was four franks of silver, and for any period less than an hour, it was charged at the full hourly rate. It was no wonder the driver was so delighted! Klein turned around, only to find the carriage had vanished. He exhaled gently. Adjusting his hat, he pushed open the heavy wooden door and entered the "Lodar" tavern. In this world, taverns near docks or industrial districts often serve lunch and dinner, opening around eleven o'clock. By then, many adventurers who had nothing else to do gathered at the counter, ordering strong l'anglais and nubos, smoked fish, and dishes of oily soup, all accompanied by bread, and enjoying a hearty meal. Would they be drinking strong l'anglais and nubos all day long? It's truly hard to accept this custom in Flassac... Klein mumbled a few words, then walked to the counter without expression, sat in the corner, and lightly tapped the wooden surface. "Two slices of toast with sausage, one smoked whale meat dish, one hearty vegetable soup, and one Glas beer." Glas beer was popular along the eastern coast of Flassac and also found in places like Sunia Island and the Galgas Islands. "A newcomer?" the bartender looked up at Klein. "That's four florins and six groschen." Didn't drink spirits, then? Klein didn't bother to answer the question, simply placing two silver coins on the counter. The coins were worth five florins and five groschen. Now that he was thinking of it—Germain Spalro—Klein managed to suppress the urge to give change, treating it as a small tip. Of course, in a Becland tavern, such a meal would typically cost around two silver coins as well. The bartender, having received the tip, didn't ask any further questions, efficiently poured a Glas beer and placed it in front of Klein. The beer is a deep black color with a thick head, offering a roasted aroma upon entry. It is rich and full-bodied, yet carries a subtle tang that makes Klein feel the alcohol content is higher than expected—he wonders if some brandy has been blended in. While waiting for his food, he sips the beer slowly and listens quietly to the conversations among the adventurers. Most of their topics revolve around how one adventurer made a fortune, another who was killed by pirates, another who defeated the pirate captain without claiming the reward and instead took over his crew, another who has a child with a woman from Nars, and yet another who has fallen short at a brothel, becoming the subject of ridicule. When the hearty, vegetable-based soup—made with beets, onions, cabbage, carrots, fish, and cream—is finally brought to Klein, he finally hears something interesting. One adventurer lowers his voice and says to his companions, “Have you heard? There’s an archaeological site from the Fourth Age located east of Galgas.” “No! Who discovered it?” His companion, astonished and curious, asked in reply. The adventurer glanced around, gave a casual reply: "Gales discovered it—you know, he's a skilled navigator who excels at diving. "He had been knocked off the deck by a storm and drifted down into the sea, only to find remnants of steel structures there—definitely human-made steel constructions!" "Then what?" his companion pressed. The adventurer chuckled softly: "Gales followed those remnants and discovered an ancient, deep-sea well, its depth unknown. Though now completely filled with seawater, it still left him profoundly deep and deeply unsettling—like the storm above might be connected to the earth's core. He said he felt something within the well calling to him, and so he hesitated, afraid, and finally floated back to the surface." "The deep-sea well... an odd sense of 'attraction'... This might not be a relic from the Quaternary period at all—perhaps it dates back to the Tertiary, even the Secondary. Small Sun, once mentioned, said that during those dark eras, sea monsters bowed to the king of the elves, Sunyassolem, and helped him rule the ocean floor... A subtly sweet, salty, slightly tangy taste... Caine took a hearty spoonful of the thick vegetable soup and lifted a piece of smoked white whale meat to his mouth. The adventurers didn't linger on Galer's ordeal, as no particularly exciting golden treasures, magical artifacts, or extraordinary materials had yet emerged. Soon, they turned to several adventurers with strained relationships, mocking how, despite marrying beautiful local women just a few years ago, all of them now had become sturdy, plump, and strong—capable of matching even low-tier extraordinary beings in strength. In the end, they concluded that this might simply be the effect of a small trace of giant blood flowing through the Fyrsak lineage." Until Caine finished his lunch and focused on drinking, they had not spoken any meaningful words. However, the crowd in "Lodar" bar kept growing. Suddenly, the heavy doors burst open with a loud thud against the wall. A young man in a hat, clearly of Ruin lineage, rushed in, shouting anxiously, "Any members of the Adventurers' Guild here?" Yes, Bilt still owes me one item crafted. Caine noticed the young man constantly glancing back over his shoulder, instinctively sensing that he was being pursued. Before Caine could decide whether to offer assistance, three adventurers had already risen from different corners of the room—among them, one towering over two meters tall, broad-shouldered, muscular, with pale hair and deep-set blue eyes, standing out prominently. A tangible sense of strength—indeed, a remarkable being of high sequence. Caine shifted his gaze, once again becoming an observer, turning his attention back to the entrance of the bar. A man in a linen shirt, draped over a brown jacket, soon appeared. Of medium build, his lips were purple, and in his brown eyes lay a strong malice he was striving to conceal but could not entirely suppress. He... suddenly reminded Kline of a portrait on a wanted poster! That was Gilshias, the second-in-command of the "Immortal King" Agarith, the "Slayer" with a reward of 9,500 pounds. A notorious pirate indeed. Kline's spirit tightened instantly, his gaze fixed on the man, his left hand naturally hanging at his side, his body ready to spring forward at any moment. Gilshias glanced at the towering figure two meters tall, then at Kline, and suddenly turned away, leaving without a single pause. So decisive, so alert. Kline furrowed his brows slightly, convinced that he had not revealed a single hint of intent—his gaze had been well controlled throughout. Was he genuinely perceptive to a certain degree, or was he simply worried about that "giant"? Much like the "demon's" intuitive sense of danger? Kline gurgled, drinking the remainder of his Glaswegian beer and then quietly departed the tavern without joining the private conversations among the adventurers' guild members, heading straight out onto the street. Now, he didn't want to introduce any new complications to his quest for the mermaids. Surveying the scene, he found that Gilshias, the "Slayer," had already vanished, and thus he too returned to the inn silently. ........ Silver City, within the circular tower. Deryck Berg once again met Colin Iliat, the head of the "Six-Party Council." He clearly remembered that nearly seventy days prior, the man had told him that around two months later, he would be assigned an exploration mission and that he should prepare accordingly.