Chapter 15: The player encounters a "pretty older sister"...
Rayleigh was ruthlessly sent to work by Violet.
Looking at Violet humming a song, Hachi thought for a moment and decided not to tell her about Rayleigh's identity as the vice-captain of the Pirate King.
Vera picked up the newspaper that Riley had placed on the table.
[The Sabaody Archipelago ghost story: five victims, their deaths gruesome!]
The newspaper highlighted the victims, including four government employees and an innocent auctioneer, and concluded by condemning the belated navy's "uselessness" and "waste of heavenly gold" in bold.
As for Rayleigh and Hachi, the two missing slaves? Sorry, slaves have no human rights, and they don't even deserve to be recorded in the death list.
Violet remembered the metal collars that Rayleigh and Hachi wore around their necks when she left the auction house last night, but they had disappeared when she looked at them again today.
It was probably just part of the auction house's standard attire, Violet thought, putting down the newspaper without giving it much thought.
Hachi handed a new takoyaki to Vera, then asked curiously, "What did the newspaper say?"
Violet: "It's nothing, they just killed me off."
Xiao Ba: "...What?!"
Xiao Ba quickly grabbed the newspaper and skimmed through it. The good news was that the human trafficking industry at the auction house was a gray industry. All the guests entering the auction house would only have their assets checked, but the organizers would not investigate the guests' identities. There was no description of Vera's appearance in the newspaper.
However, the contents of the newspaper...
Xiao Ba stared blankly at Vera: "Last night, was the auction house really haunted last night?"
He remembered the strange weapon that Vera had given him yesterday; the swirling eyeball seemed to press against the skin of his lower back once more…
Xiao Ba shuddered.
Vera swallowed the last piece of takoyaki with satisfaction, feeling a little regretful that even finishing the plate didn't unlock any new recipes.
She decided to go for a walk while the coating progress bar was loading.
“Sachi?”
"Um."
The two commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates exchanged a glance, and the next second, they vanished.
Violet: "Huh?" She blinked, looking around blankly, trying to find the missing NPC.
With a soft thud, something hard pressed against the back of Vera's head.
Izang looked down at the little girl who was just waist-high in front of him. As he and Sachi were purchasing medicinal herbs according to the list given by Marco, they felt a faint gaze coming from behind them. After walking two streets, the gaze still hadn't disappeared, and the two realized that someone was following them.
They deliberately led the other person to a secluded place, then blocked the person who was following them from the front and back.
But... Sachi twitched his lips as he looked at the girl in front of him, who was probably only a teenager.
Izang reluctantly put the gun away: "Little friend, are you lost?"
As a famous tourist destination, the Sabaody Archipelago sees many children go missing every year.
“No.” Violet shook her head, her attention completely focused on the beautiful “older sister” in front of her.
Players have their own ability to distinguish between cannon fodder NPCs and key NPCs. For example, this "pretty sister" with exquisite modeling and super luxurious clothing fabric is obviously a key NPC with a side quest.
So when Violet saw him on the street, she quickly followed him. Now the dialogue has been unlocked, so how far away can the mission be?
"Sister, sister, do you have a task for me?"
Sachilang chuckled: "Kid, he's not some older sister."
Yizang glared at the gloating Sachi, then looked at Vera helplessly and said, "Do you know who we are? What if we're bad guys?"
Vera: "You're a pretty older sister." How could a pretty older sister be a bad person? Look at that face, even if he does bad things, he must have his reasons!
Sachi said in a high-pitched voice, "Ugh—this world where looks are everything!"
Sachi and Izo were no strangers to this situation. In the New World, there were many children of this age on the islands protected by Whitebeard, who earned some pocket money to supplement their family income by doing whatever they could for the pirates who came ashore.
However, looking at the little girl's shiny, smooth, and thick black hair, and the clothes she wore, which, although simple, were of high quality in terms of material and craftsmanship, Yi Zang suspected that she was a child from a wealthy family who had learned this skill from playing some kind of game.
Izang: "It's not good to judge a person solely by their appearance."
Violet certainly knew the principle of not judging a book by its cover, but this was a game. If the modelers weren't willing to spend time carefully modeling a character, how could players believe that the writers would give them a story worth exploring?
Vera: "Is there a mission? Is there a mission?"
“Alright, alright.” Under Izang’s disapproving gaze, Sachi took out the list Marco had handwritten for him. “We need to purchase some medicinal herbs, and we haven’t collected all of these yet. Do you know which herbal medicine shops are still in the Sabaody Archipelago?”
Since they'd be stuck here for several more days anyway, they might as well just sit around doing nothing. Sachi conveyed this message to Izang with his eyes.
Vera took the form that Sachi handed her.
[You have obtained a clue: a patient located at ??? is collecting blood-replenishing items.]
Sure enough, she knew that a character with such detailed modeling couldn't be that simple!
Vera: "I know, I'll take you there!"
Players who are keen on exploring the map have already fully unlocked the Sabaody Archipelago map. They know exactly where the pharmacy is, and even where grass and branches spawn.
Violet led the two to a somewhat secluded herbal medicine shop. The shop owner had a sour face and treated all customers with indifference. This was why, even during such a busy time in the Sabaody Archipelago, his shop's herbs hadn't sold out yet.
Hearing footsteps, the shopkeeper casually looked up: "Take whatever you want. The prices are all posted here, no bargaining. If you think it's too expensive, you can pay..."
He saw the two people following behind Vera, and suddenly fell silent as if something was stuck in his throat.
Snap!
The pen in the shop owner's hand fell to the ground.
"White, White..." The Whitebeard Pirates!
The shop owner, who was keen on all sorts of tabloid gossip, immediately recognized Sachi and Izang, two frequent names on wanted posters.
White, white what?
Vera looked back in confusion, following the shopkeeper's gaze, while Izang gave her a gentle smile.
Sachi: "We're just here to buy some medicinal herbs."
Sachi handed the list of medicinal herbs to the shopkeeper: "Do you still have these herbs in stock?"
The shop owner, trembling but respectful, accepted the gift with both hands: "Yes, of course, I can give you a 50% discount!"
“No need.” Izo tossed a large bag of Berries onto the table. “This is what it is.”
The pirates were constantly engaged in battles, and the Whitebeard Pirates were a large fleet, consuming an enormous amount of medical supplies. After confirming the quality of the medicinal herbs, Izou simply bought them all up.
Yizang: "Wrap it up first, someone will come to pick it up later."
As captains, he and Sachi naturally didn't have to do hard work like carrying things.
Vera: "Where's my reward?"
Faced with the adorable little girl looking up at him expectantly, Sachi placed a bag of Beli in her palm and couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Yes, just as I imagined, it's cool and smooth, with a feel like silk.
Sachi cautioned, "Don't do anything so dangerous again."
If she hadn't encountered the Whitebeard Pirates, but some other pirate or malicious individual, this little girl would probably already be locked in a cage, ready to be sold.
No new leads?
Violet looked at the two who were about to leave with some disappointment. After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward and grabbed Sachi's sleeve.
Sachi: ?
The girl placed something cool and bouncy into his hand.
Vera: "These are blood-replenishing materials. Once I unlock more advanced technology, I can make even more effective potions." So please remember her!
Sachi watched Vera's departing figure, completely bewildered.
Yi Cang curiously peeked out: "What did she give you?"
Sachi opened his hand, and in his palm was a pink, unidentified object made up of three flat, round objects stacked from largest to smallest.
Sachi squeezed it, then brought it to his nose and sniffed it, smelling a strong preservative odor.
Sachi: "...A toy?"
——
Violet and Hachi stood on the shore, looking up at the ship that had already been coated.
Vera: "Wow, so beautiful!"
Violet: "It seems the coating craftsman hasn't been paid yet."
Hachi chuckled dryly. The fact that Rayleigh, the Pirate King's right-hand man, was currently living in seclusion on the Sabaody Archipelago was a top secret. This legendary pirate had no intention of letting too many people see his appearance. After completing the coating process and extorting a sum of fine wine from the Sun Pirates, he left.
Xiao Ba: "He still has a job..."
Violet understood. Poor corporate slaves, their hair has turned white and they still have to work hard.
"Vil!" Jinbe's head popped up on the deck. "We need to get ready to depart!"
Vera: "Coming!"
Fishman Island is located 10,000 meters below the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. During the dive, a magnificent panorama of the unique marine world gradually unfolds in Vil.
It was a landscape completely different from the land. At first, you could see the iridescent glow refracted by the bubbles of the Sabaody Archipelago and pirate ships flying different flags. But as the depth of the dive increased, giant sea kings appeared on the left and right of the ships, silently watching them drift toward the shipwreck graveyard on the seabed.
As darkness fell completely, Violet, who was prepared, took out a torch and illuminated the area around the deck.
Tiger stepped out of the cabin and stood behind Violet. He looked at the warm orange flames surrounding Violet, took a deep breath, and remained silent.
Was his decision the right one? Should he have taken Velvet to Fishman Island, to King Neptune and Queen Otohime?
Can this child really shoulder the heavy responsibility of building a bridge between mermaids, fish-men, and humans?
Will the future he dreams of ever come true?
Golden light appeared beneath the ship; it was the sunlight refracted by the Sun Tree Eve.
Fishman Island, enveloped in double-layered bubbles, and the surrounding labyrinthine coral forest appeared before Tiger's eyes. At this moment, Tiger felt a sense of trepidation, as if he were returning home.
Mermaids are usually timid and not suited for communication roles. As for fish-men... many fish-men hate or discriminate against humans, so they might resist Violet's approach.
Tiger suddenly felt that they should stop the ship on the outskirts first, check with King Neptune and Queen Otohime beforehand, make sure everything is going smoothly and all preparations are complete, before taking Violet to Fishman Island.
Violet extinguished the torch.
Violet: "Tiger, stop spacing out!"
Violet: "Tell me about the new map! I can't wait to start exploring!"
Seeing the expectant look in Violet's eyes, Tiger paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Of course, of course I will introduce you to someone."
"You'll like Violet here."
After all, this is the hometown he returns to in his dreams no matter where he is.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Beautiful older sister, I'm hiding [Let me see].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com