Mercenary Wars

Chapter 203 Okarigan
Gaucano gave a brief introduction of himself.

When asked about his experience, he only briefly mentioned that he was attacked by Naga sea monsters twice during his voyage, and did not elaborate further.

He then asked, "Where will you be stopping in the near future?"

Ivan said, "We will stop at Okarigan Island in a few days. If you wish to return to the mainland as soon as possible, you can take a boat from Okarigan Island."

"Thank you," Gao Jiano said again.

He then became a passenger on the Nemesis, spending several days aboard this infamous "pirate ship".

It must be said that, as one of the largest and most powerful pirate ships in the world, the Nemesis had many things that opened Gaugano's eyes.

For example, Orod.

Oroth is a giant squid. The Nemesis is incredibly fast, far exceeding the speed of most ships, thanks to Oroth's pulling.

It is enormous, much larger than a sea camel, but because its entire body is underwater, it cannot be seen directly; only some shadows and outlines appear and disappear on the surface of the sea.

This behemoth not only pulls ships, but it's also a vital fighting force for the Nemesis—the tentacles that killed the two Naga sirens belonged to it. Gaugano estimated that the two Naga sirens were both level six or higher, yet they were instantly killed by the tentacles, demonstrating Orod's immense power.

In addition, Orod also contributed a significant amount of revenue to the Nemesis by producing high-quality ink.

“Orod Ink!” Gao Jiano couldn’t help but think of the ink brand. “Is it Orod’s masterpiece?”

“That’s right.” Ivan nodded with a smile.

Gaucano nodded in sudden realization: "No wonder the logo of Orrod Ink is a giant squid."

Ivan sighed: "But ever since Orod found out that the ink he produces can be sold for a lot of money, his demands have increased. For example, he needs to eat at least thirty cows a month, and sometimes even sixty. One of the reasons we stopped at Ocarrigan Island was to buy cows."

Gaucano: "Does Oroder understand the concept of 'money'?"

“Of course.” Ivan shrugged slightly. “He’s an eleventh-level magical beast. Although he can’t speak, his mind is no less than a human’s—at least no less than Gareth’s.”

Just then, he suddenly turned around and shouted, "Anthony, is the ship's current position and orientation correct?"

“No problem!” came the reply from a mage who had just completed a series of spells and was tidying up his materials and tools for casting.

Without a doubt, he was the navigator of the Nemesis.

A navigator's primary responsibility is to determine the ship's position and direction. Gaugano had certainly seen navigators on the Griffith, but it was clear that the navigators on the Nemesis were far more professional, as evidenced by their extensive array of spellcasting tools.

Specifically, the main means of determining location and direction is called "elemental positioning," and most navigators on ships can only use positioning magic based on the three elements of water, earth, and wind.

On the Nemesis, not only are all four elements present, but each element also has more than one positioning spell, which means that the navigator needs to bring out a huge toolbox every time he goes to work.

Gaucano was somewhat puzzled.

He couldn't help but ask, "Why do your navigators use so many methods for positioning?"

Ivan explained, "This way the results are more accurate and less susceptible to interference."

"interference?"

Ivan nodded: "Some natural disasters—such as the infamous Throat of the Tide, and malevolent wizards—could interfere with the location results. You know, the Nemesis has many formidable enemies, so just in case, we must use as many methods as possible to locate it, otherwise we might end up in a trap in a few hours."

He paused for a moment, then added, "In fact, we sometimes use 'portal positioning,' which involves using spatial magic to establish connections with several portals on the continent to determine our precise location. However, it's quite cumbersome, so we rarely do it."

The Nemesis had several navigators who took turns working to ensure that the ship was always on the right course.

Then, following the direction indicated by the navigator, the squid Orode pulled the ship forward at a speed several times faster than the Griffith.

If the Griffith were to travel along the same route to Ocalagan Island, it would likely take more than half a month. But for the Nemesis, a few days would suffice.

A few days later, the Nemesis arrived at Ocalagan Island and docked at the port.

As Ivan said, one of their purposes for stopping at Ocalagan Island was to buy cattle to feed Orod.

Gaucano witnessed firsthand how dozens of cattle were led aboard by the crew of the Nemesis, two of which were immediately fed to Orod. The method of feeding was quite direct: the two cattle were pushed into the water, and Orod's tentacles would quickly entangle them and drag them into his mouth.

After consuming two cows, Orrod sprayed out a large amount of ink, which the crew filled into more than a dozen large barrels—clearly, this was the famous Orrod ink in Farallo, or at least its raw material.

While the crew was busy, on deck, Gaugano said goodbye to Ivan and thanked him again.

After exchanging a few polite words, the two were about to part ways.

Gaucano suddenly remembered: "Didn't the Nemesis have a sailor named Tom before?"

“Tom from Southshore,” he added, taking into account the high frequency of the name Tom.

Ivan thought for a moment, then nodded: "There is such a person, but he left the Nemesis a long time ago, I heard he wanted to find a peaceful life, but unfortunately he failed."

Gao Jiano didn't say anything, and pondered silently for a while.

He had almost forgotten about Tom.

Now he suddenly realized that Tom seemed to be a "wrongfully killed person" as well. At least according to Tom himself, his cause of death was his wife Mary's betrayal, and Mary might still be at large.

In that case, avenging Tom should also satisfy the requirements of the Oracle of Erinnis.

Moreover, Gaucano also knows that Mary has a demonic real name—Silanza, which is undoubtedly a huge advantage. He doesn't even need to do anything himself; as long as he spreads this information, Mary is doomed.

The only problem is that Gaucano doesn't know where Mary is. This woman left Southsea after killing her husband, and her whereabouts are unknown; finding her will likely be quite a task.

Gaucano certainly wanted to avenge Lucius, but that was obviously much more difficult.

If he could, he would certainly prefer to choose the simpler way and complete the oracle first. Otherwise, carrying the oracle around and being unable to pray to the Furies would be tantamount to losing a crucial trump card.

After parting ways with Ivan, Gaugano immediately set foot on Okarigan Island. Okarigan Island, one of the largest and most prosperous islands in the Broken Isles, is roughly the same size as the Duchy of Nordanron, and its inhabitants are mainly Mosaicists and dwarves.

The culture and commerce here are very different from those on the mainland, and there are also some high-value local specialties. Many people come here specifically for tourism, but Gaucano has no interest in them.

He immediately booked a ticket to Southsea Town, and before the ship departed, he went straight to the local thieves' guild and found the black market.

Because the Church's power is weaker, the black market in the Broken Isles is significantly more straightforward compared to the mainland, with locations that are easy to find and a stronger commercial atmosphere.

Despite his disguise made of blood, Gao Jiano went straight to the bounty post on the black market.

"Honorable guest, it's a pleasure to serve you!" A dwarf thief greeted him with a beaming smile. "What would you like to order? Post a bounty or complete a bounty?"

Gaucano said calmly, "Issue a bounty."

The dwarf thief immediately produced a price list: "Okay, based on the scope, conditions, and time of the bounty... we have these prices. Which one would you like to choose?"

“This one costs one hundred gold coins.” Gao Jiano pointed to the price list. He had several thousand gold coins, so one hundred gold coins wasn’t a lot of money.

"One hundred gold coins!" The dwarf thief, excited by the big job, asked as he took notes, "What's the name of the person you're offering a bounty for, or what are his distinguishing features?"

Gaucano pondered for a moment: "He is a high elf."

The dwarf thief was taken aback: "High elves?"

“That’s right, a high elf.” Gaucano’s tone was very certain. “Fair skin, handsome appearance… and most importantly, the common feature of the elven race—long, pointed ears. These features all indicate that his race is a high elf.”

The dwarf thief frowned slightly: "But as far as I know, the high elves have long been extinct, just like the blood elves and light elves. People haven't seen a true high elf for at least several hundred years."

He seemed to realize something and changed the subject: "Oh, I see! What you saw must have been a drow elf. Some of them have light-skinned individuals, and sometimes they can indeed be mistaken for high elves or something. I've heard of such cases."

Gaucano shook his head: "No, I swear in the name of Mosa, he is a High Elf, absolutely. He may be the only High Elf in Farallo."

"I swear by Mosa" carries some weight.

Upon hearing this, the dwarf thief couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face: "Really a high elf? That's amazing!"

Gaucano continued, "He was also a notorious executioner who murdered more than one Mossatist in an unjust and cruel manner."

“A man like that deserves a bounty,” the dwarf thief casually agreed, then asked, “Do you want information about him, him, or his body?”

“Intelligence,” Gaucano said.

He had considered offering a bounty on Lucius's body or his person, but he quickly realized that a hundred gold coins could not buy the only High Elf in the world of Faralore—not even his body.

Scholars, mages, sorcerers, collectors, eccentric nobles... countless people flock to the High Elves, and it's already a miracle if they can even get any information about them.

Even receiving news of his death would have been perfectly acceptable to Gaucano.

Therefore, after a brief moment of thought, he immediately decided to embellish the story: "This guy is also a wicked gay man who has violated every single one of the ascetic doctrines of Mosa!"

Although both the Mosaic and Yemeni doctrines strictly forbid male homosexuality, perhaps due to the principle of extremes meeting their opposites, many people on the continent of Farallo—especially the nobles—privately indulge in this fetish. Some wealthy and dissolute nobles may have no interest in punishing criminals, but they might very well become infatuated with a high elf who shares this interest.

Therefore, Gaucano was certain that with this news spreading, even more and more crazy people would be searching for Lucius.

He wasn't necessarily talking nonsense. After all, while Nils was incredibly handsome, normal men wouldn't usually want to look like him.

The Transformation Potion changes the body according to the user's wishes. Since Lucius chose to become Nils's appearance, he must have longed for this look for a long time.

Thinking of this, Gao Jiano couldn't help but feel a chill.

"By Mosa, this is terrible!" The dwarf thief also showed a disgusted expression, while his hands quickly made notes.

“Yes, an anti-Mosaic, a murderer, a hedonist… what a wicked being!” Gaugano added, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I simply couldn’t believe that this was the legendary High Elf!”

"What's his name? What does he look like?" the dwarf thief asked.

Gaucano only described his appearance: "He had long silver hair, blue eyes, delicate features, and fair skin... In addition, he was bipedal, had at least eight holy names, and was a warrior."

After hearing the description of his appearance, the dwarf thief looked thoughtful: "I feel like I've seen this face before..."

"When?" Gao Jiano asked hurriedly.

Dwarf Thief: "About two months ago."

Gaucano was somewhat disappointed.

It turns out that two months ago, he thought Lucius had recently appeared in Ocalagan.

The dwarf rogue added, "If I remember correctly, he came to Alkalrigan for Master Vivell—you should know Master Vivell, right?"

"I know, a fortune teller."

“That’s right,” said the dwarf thief. “Many people are looking for Master Viviel, but there’s only one with this appearance, so I remember him.”

Gaucano hesitated for a moment: "In fact, for obvious reasons, there are many imposters who look like this."

He continued, "And he most likely won't reveal his true identity, since he knows he's a notorious criminal. Therefore, his name and appearance may not be important; race is the easiest characteristic to trace."

“Indeed.” The dwarf thief nodded. “There are many ways to identify race. Since he is the only high elf in Farallo, tracking him shouldn’t be too difficult.”

After a moment, Gao Jiano handed over the money, and the other party handed him a badge.

“This is a bounty badge,” the dwarf thief explained. “With this, you can go to any medium-sized or larger thief guild in any Mosa nation to collect the latest intelligence. Good luck finding that bastard!”

(End of this chapter)