Chapter 492 Medicine
"We've already recruited fifteen sailors. According to your requirements, they all have clean backgrounds. Retired sailors are preferred, but such people are too hard to find, and the price would be even higher."
With one hand on the command knife at her waist and the other hand stroking her long hair whose color had been changed by the "Ring of Madness", Elaine leaned against the gangway at the bow and introduced Angel to her.
"We still have more than half a month left. Don't worry. We can take our time recruiting, but the standards can't be lowered," Angel emphasized, his gaze sweeping over the sturdy, steady-footed sailors on deck. "It's easy for good men to turn bad, but it's very difficult for bad men to turn good. If you recruit former pirates, they might bring in their old friends the next day and hijack your ship with internal and external help."
Angel taught Elaine all the knowledge he had heard from Captain Ireland of the White Agate and Daniz, the fourth sailor of the Golden Dream. Elaine, who had also been engaged in maritime business for several years before being captured by Tracy, strongly agreed with this.
"Also, there are several Beyonders who have signed up. They're not high-Sequence, but they're quite experienced. However, each one is worth as much as seven or eight ordinary sailors. Do we need to keep them?"
"Of course, if you plan to repay my investment in a year, relying solely on these dozens of sailors and a small boat to smuggle goods is definitely not enough. Perhaps you need to develop some new businesses, such as... robbing pirates. If that's the case, I'm afraid you alone won't be enough."
Angel hadn't intended for Elaine to make money from smuggling from the beginning. This business required bribing Bayam's local garrison and managing channels between the two places. The profit was not high, but the risk was high, and it would inevitably attract the covetousness of pirates. It would be better to target those pirates with bounties from the beginning, and make some extra money while trading goods.
Therefore, hiring some extraordinary people is a necessary option. Angel doesn't want to rely on Elaine alone and wake up one day to hear the news that her "Redhead Lady" has been looted and the red-haired lady Elaine has been kidnapped and sold to "Vice Admiral of Disease".
After some discussion, the two decided to return to Bayam to meet with the Dominican Federation, which had been helping Elaine recruit personnel for the past few days. They wanted him to identify several Beyonders who met the requirements. "Sailor" was preferred, but "Warrior" or "Hunter" were also suitable. Although they were likely connected to the Church of Storms or the military of various countries, or even spies sent by these forces among the people, for Elaine, who had no intention of becoming a pirate and robbing ordinary ships, recruiting such people into her team was not necessarily a bad thing.
If you can get a semi-official identity, your income and security will be guaranteed.
"That 'provocateur' said he was helping me recruit people for your sake, but he refused to say what you did to help him. This makes me very curious."
Sitting in the hired carriage, Elaine looked at the street scene outside the window and suddenly spoke.
"It was similar to your experience. He and Sonya encountered the 'Witch Cult' and became their target. I only helped them a little in their escape from the Kingdom of Loen."
Angel replied calmly, his eyes also looking out the window, then quietly shifting away. The carriage happened to pass by the "Red Theater", the largest brothel in Bayam, and even in the entire Rorsted Archipelago. Although it was closed during the day, many guests who stayed there the night before were still leaving through the side door in disgrace, making the street look very chaotic.
"Is Sonya the underage-looking 'fortune teller' next to him? She secretly told me she wanted to join my team for an adventure, but I didn't dare agree because I was afraid something might happen to her."
"She is indeed underage, and her parents died at the hands of the 'Witch Cult' in Enmat Harbor. The Dominican Federation is the only one who can take care of her. Now that she has finally escaped everything, this girl should stay in school, not on your ship."
"Oh my god, not yet an adult? Then, then the Dominican Republic and her..."
Elaine opened her eyes wide in surprise, and her cheeks flushed.
Is this something you should care about... Angel muttered to himself and turned his gaze to the window again.
In the alley diagonally opposite the Red Theater, a furtive figure wearing a hooded cloak was pushing open the door of an unsigned herbal medicine shop on the roadside. He looked left and right, then dodged and nimbly slipped into the crack of the door.
The herbal medicine shop opened near the "Red Theater" was unwilling to put up a sign, and its customers were low-key. I wonder if what they sold here was what I thought it was... Angel suppressed his laughter, drew the curtains, and talked to Elaine as a person who had experienced it before about how to deal with the negative effects of the "Ring of Madness".
…
Pushing open the door of the herbal medicine shop, the hooded man immediately closed the door and looked around the dim interior of the shop.
There are many kinds of dried medicinal herbs and herbs being planted, including plants rich in spirituality. He must be a genuine "pharmacist"...
He looked at the boss behind the counter, paused for a second, and walked forward.
The fat boss, wearing a black robe and with black hair that looked like it hadn't been trimmed for a few days, was writing something on a notebook with neat numbers on it. An owl was standing on his shoulder, its round eyes also staring at the contents of the notebook.
"Preparing medicine."
The hooded man's low voice sounded, and the man and the bird raised their heads at the same time and looked at the customer.
After a brief observation, the fat pharmacist laughed.
"Friend, I just came out from the other side. I had too much fun last night and I'm exhausted."
The man in front of him stopped moving for a moment, freezing in place. The owl on the pharmacist's shoulder hooted and flew up, but because the ceiling of the room was too low, it almost hit it and flew around the room with its wings flapping.
"How much is it?"
After a moment of silence, the man whispered back, without answering his question.
"There's the regular kind, which gives you more energy and makes you less tired afterwards. There's also the kind with mummy powder added. The nobles of Backlund, Trier, and Feynaport all use it. Of course, it's much more expensive..."
The pharmacist looked up at his own frightened bird in confusion, then turned around and quickly introduced his products.
"The 'Pharmacist' kind, real potion."
The hooded man emphasized, placing his left hand on the counter. The black leather gloves gave off a strange feeling that made the fat pharmacist swallow his saliva. He also instantly understood what the other party meant: he knew I was a Beyonder!
"I see. The best kind, but it's five... no, four pounds a bottle."
He quickly gave in and acted diplomatically, but his face still wrinkled with pain as he made his offer.
The man withdrew his left hand, groped inside his cloak, and under the fat pharmacist's horrified gaze, he pulled out a stack of banknotes, counted out 20 pounds and slapped it on the counter.
Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, the pharmacist quickly put away the bills, took out five bottles of dark red potion from under the counter, and placed them on the table. The hooded man picked up the bottles one by one, glanced at them briefly, and put them into his bag. It seemed that he was very familiar with this kind of potion and did not need to verify its authenticity.
He should buy it often, but I don't remember such a terrifying customer at all... The fat pharmacist watched the other party turn around and walk towards the door without saying a word. His eyes rolled and he said:
"Wait a moment," he shouted again when the other party didn't respond at all, "Wait! Are you an adventurer or... that?"
He used "that" to refer to anyone who was uncomfortable revealing their identity, such as pirates and Bayam's Mandated Punishers, all of whom were the customers of his shop.
The hooded man paused for a moment.
"I have a commission, the reward is 100 pounds, as long as you help me find someone, find my teacher."
When talking about the price, the pharmacist frowned again with heartache.
"Not interested."
Bang, the door was pushed open and then closed, and the rejection came from the crack of the door.
"Ah, I finally met one that looks capable..." The pharmacist sighed in disappointment and looked at the owl still fluttering on the ceiling. "Silly bird, get down here and don't break the window. It rains every other day here!"
"Darkwill, if I were you, I would pack up and run right now. When you laughed at that guy just now, he almost wanted to kill you."
The owl that was running around actually spoke human words, with a hint of fear in its tone.
"What? I just said a few words I say to every customer, a tactic that will make them pay without hesitation." The fat pharmacist it called Darkwill, who moved from Backlund to Bayam, exclaimed.
"You might be more suitable for Hunter potions rather than Pharmacist. I heard that Hunters make people want to beat them up as soon as they open their mouths." The owl finally stopped flying around and returned to Darkwill's shoulder, smacking its lips.
"And you should be given the 'Fortune Teller' potion and help me find the old man's whereabouts so that we can leave here as soon as possible!"
He stretched out his hand as if to swat the bird on his shoulder, but the bird dodged it nimbly.
"No, if there's no news from the old man this month, I'll have to move. I've commissioned over a dozen adventurers, but not a single one has returned..."
Bang--
The door was roughly opened again, and a thin figure walked in generously. He wore a half-high silk hat and a long windbreaker. The brown eyes under the gold-rimmed glasses were extremely oppressive, causing Darkwill, who was muttering to himself, to shut up instantly.
"Hello, what can I do for you?"
Forcing a smile, the fat pharmacist rubbed his hands and asked.
"I heard that you have a missing person commission worth 100 pounds?"
"Piff—"
The owl jumped up from his shoulder again and rushed out of the shop door which was not yet closed.
Watching the man's bare left hand stroking the bottom edge of his hat, Darkwill asked in a daze:
"Who are you? How did you know I was looking for someone?"
"I just heard it from the man who came to buy medicine. I'm always happy to help others." Klein forced a smile as he gently closed the door behind him. "Also, you can call me Gehrman Sparrow."
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