Chapter 288, I Prefer Fair and Soft
Inside the carriage.
Wu Heng had changed into a blue-gray suit, with armor underneath, making him look bulky.
Across from him sat the Steward's assistant, Moya, also dressed in plain clothes with a hat to conceal her elf ears.
Even with her disguise, the elven aura she exuded was still unmistakable.
The carriage creaked as it moved forward, and neither of them spoke.
Until they arrived at Lighthouse Street and stopped in front of the Old Barrel Tavern.
Moya spoke calmly, "I'll take you inside. If no one asks, don't mention anything about yourself or the Guild."
"Got it!" Wu Heng nodded.
...…
The carriage door opened, and the two of them stepped out.
Skull-Crusher and Blood Axe followed behind Wu Heng, while an additional Guild staff member accompanied Moya.
They pushed open the tavern door.
Inside, it was lively.
Sailors and barmaids were playing and laughing.
This tavern never differentiated between day and night.
Whenever ships docked, the restless crew would rush into the tavern to drink and find women.
Moya's pace didn't falter.
She walked straight through the main hall and down a wooden staircase to the side.
Passing through the wine cellar, they entered another semi-underground room.
Two burly men blocked their path.
They reached out, ready to pat them down.
"Let them both in," a woman's voice called from inside.
The guards didn't continue the search.
They simply said, "Only two of you can go in."
Moya nodded and gave instructions to her attendant, and Wu Heng told Skull-Crusher and Blood Axe to stay outside.
After their instructions were given.
The two entered the room.
The room was sparsely furnished, with a distinctive-looking woman sitting behind a desk.
She had brown skin, heavy makeup, a nose ring, and a wide gold collar around her neck.
Draped in a loose gray shawl.
She was trimming a potted plant and glanced up at them, "Assistant Moya, coming to my place, please sit."
As she spoke, another hand extended from under her shawl, gesturing them to sit.
Two more hands emerged, pouring tea for them.
Moya sat down on the cushion in front of the table, and though Wu Heng was surprised by her many arms, he also sat down.
Moya spoke, "We've encountered some issues and came to see if Mrs. McIntosh might have any information."
Two cups of tea were placed in front of them.
The extravagantly dressed woman looked at Wu Heng, "Kid, are you in trouble?"
Wu Heng glanced at Moya, and seeing her nod, he said, "I was attacked yesterday. The enemy controlled a swarm of spiders, and I want to know who it was."
"A swarm of spiders? Do you have one of them?"
"Yes!" Wu Heng took out a transparent glass jar containing a dying mottled spider.
"Let it out!" the woman ordered.
Wu Heng opened the jar, and the barely alive spider fell onto the table.
The woman picked up a cloth and crushed the spider.
Then, she held her hands above the spider's corpse, closing her eyes.
Simultaneously, she raised four of her arms—two spread wide and two lifted above her head.
Six arms in total.
What a peculiar race.
The room fell silent for a moment.
The woman opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Wu Heng, "I saw a half-spider man; he was controlling the spider swarm."
A half-spider man?
Wu Heng furrowed his brow.
He had plenty of enemies, but they certainly didn't include strange races like this. He hadn't even heard of them before coming to Gold-Silver Island, let alone had conflicts with them.
"Why does he want to kill me?" Wu Heng asked.
No one answered.
The door beside them opened, and a man walked in, whispering something in the woman's ear.
The woman nodded and looked back at Wu Heng, "Five days ago, a half-spider man arrived on the island. He'll be boarding a ship to leave Gold-Silver Island from Pier 7 at noon today."
Wu Heng was slightly surprised.
The woman's intelligence was impressively quick and accurate.
Gold-Silver Island had a high turnover of people, and pinpointing the arrival and departure of a half-spider man wasn't easy.
"What does he look like?" Wu Heng continued.
"Male, about 30 years old, slightly dark skin, hair tied in small braids, wearing loose clothes with yellow striped patterns."
"That's all I needed to know," Wu Heng said.
Moya nodded and asked the woman, "How much?"
The woman held her teacup with both hands, raised one arm, and showed three fingers, "300 silver."
Quite a steep price.
Catching a bounty target didn't necessarily pay this much.
Moya nodded, then looked at Wu Heng, "Pay her."
Wu Heng pulled a silver pouch from his spatial ring, placed it on the table, and said, "Thank you."
With the transaction complete.
Wu Heng and Moya turned to leave.
The woman glanced at the pouch and spoke again, "If you need anything, feel free to come back. We enjoy working with young people like you."
Wu Heng smiled, "Sure."
...…
Exiting the tavern, they boarded the carriage.
Wu Heng immediately said, "To the port."
Moya looked at him and asked, "Shouldn't we report this to the Steward first?"
A Deputy Steward's rank wasn't too high.
Judging by Wu Heng's age and growth, she guessed he was about level 8 or 9. Becoming a Deputy Steward involved some luck and the advantage of his class.
Considering he had just been attacked, going there recklessly could not only alert the enemy but also put him in direct danger.
"Going back and forth would waste time. If he leaves Gold-Silver Island, catching him later would be much harder," Wu Heng said.
Moya thought for a moment, pulled back the curtain, and said, "Go back and report this to the Steward, and have him dispatch a squad."
One of the attendants nodded and left.
With the curtain closed, the carriage continued on.
Wu Heng asked directly, "Why does that woman have six arms?"
Moya replied, "Her name is McIntosh, from the Bermura tribe. They are characterized by their six arms."
"What's her profession? She seems to control the island's information flow," Wu Heng continued.
"She's a seer. She controls much of the port's labor force, and all the loading and unloading goes through her. The other line of business she runs is intelligence."
Wu Heng nodded in understanding.
Essentially, the dockworkers were her informants.
With so many people, naturally, there was a vast source of information.
Back in Rentam City, Wen Mansa used thieves to gather intelligence.
Moya glanced at him, "If you ever need information, you can buy it from her. Though it's expensive."
"Is it always this price, or did she just overcharge us?"
"It's always been expensive." Moya paused slightly and joked, "Seems like she's taken a liking to you. Be careful; she's had several dead husbands and many lovers. Watch your position."
Wu Heng was momentarily stunned, understanding her meaning.
"I prefer fair and soft types, not her kind."
...…
About twenty minutes later, the carriage passed Lighthouse Street and entered the port area.
The carriage parked on the side.
Wu Heng pulled back the curtain and looked outside.
The port was still crowded with people, many workers loading goods onto ships, and others recruiting for seafaring crews.
He directed his gaze toward Pier 7.
There, a blue-bottomed freighter was docked, with many workers loading goods onto it.
Wu Heng scanned the nearby crowd, the workers, and the sailors on the deck.
He didn't spot the half-spider man described by the six-armed woman.
"Half-spider men can switch between human and spider forms and are skilled at hiding; they probably won't be in plain sight," Moya said calmly.
"You think he's in the cabin?"
"If I were escaping, I wouldn't be standing out here."
Wu Heng thought for a moment, and Glenda flew out of his body, approaching the distant freighter.
Moya continued calmly, "As long as he's on the ship, we just need to wait for the squad to arrive and then surround him. Going in recklessly would only increase our danger."
Wu Heng didn't respond.
After waiting in the carriage for a while, Glenda returned and reentered his body.
The next moment, Wu Heng's mind was filled with the scenes Glenda had witnessed.
Inside the dim cabin, a man sat in the corner.
Dark-skinned, draped in a thick cloak, with small braids visible under the hood.
That's him!
The guy was hiding in the cabin.
"Let's go, board the ship!" Wu Heng stepped out of the carriage.
His two skeletal followers trailed behind, and Moya, glancing back, followed him up.
They reached Pier 7 and boarded the ship via the gangway.
Several crew members frowned, barking, "What are you doing?"
Wu Heng showed his insignia, "Guild business. Step aside."
The sailors froze, instinctively moving to the side.
Wu Heng descended from the deck, heading toward the lower cabin.