Chapter 713.2: Loopholes, Loopholes Everywhere!

The interior of the ship proved surprisingly spacious.

The hotel owner had converted the lowest deck into a dining hall and tavern, while the guest rooms were located upstairs via the side staircase. Around 50 soldiers of the Empire sat at rough wooden tables, loudly gambling with dice, shouting drinking games, and guzzling cheap beer alongside small dishes.

Kunal glanced briefly at the food and alcohol on their tables. Compared to what was served at the Triumph Grand Hotel, the stuff was barely fit for pigs.

A month ago, back when he was literally eating dirt, he might have swallowed enviously at the sight. Now, it only made him nauseous.

Unlike him, however, the soldiers clearly enjoyed themselves immensely. They could down huge mouthfuls of beer with a single fried bean. Just imagining what they usually ate made it obvious how terrible their normal rations were.

Although he still feared the rifles in their hands, Kunal could not help looking down on those poor bastards now that his own stomach was full.

Without stopping in the main hall, the guard led them directly to a private room off the corridor.

The cabin had probably once belonged to the captain or first mate, though it had now been remodeled into a VIP room. Three old sofas surrounded a wooden tea table in the cramped space, while the air reeked of tobacco and sweat so heavily it felt suffocating.

Five burly officers lounged on the sofas, their flushed faces carrying six or seven parts drunkenness and three parts thug-like arrogance.

Their coats hung on a rack near the door. Each wore only a white shirt and had a scantily dressed woman sitting in their lap, making it hard to tell at first glance who was actually taking advantage of whom.

“So you’re the one called. Ahem, what did you want again?” The officer seated in the center sized Axin up before chuckling and rubbing his reddened nose. “I heard you brought something that interests me?”

“Yes, respected Commander Gerjit of the Fierce Tiger Army,” Axin replied with a respectful nod. “My name is Axin. I’ve long admired your reputation.”

The room fell silent for two seconds. Gerjit narrowed his eyes, his drunken haze clearing slightly as he asked with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “And where exactly did you hear my name?”

So it really is him.

Axin’s expression remained calm, though on the inside, he sighed with relief. He did not actually know the man. He had merely heard from fishermen recently returning from Banana Head Bay that the commander of the battalion from the Fierce Tiger Army stationed on the southern hill was called Gerjit. The man was apparently a notorious drunk who frequently brought trusted subordinates down to the Land of Abandoned Ships. Not only did he constantly drink on credit, but he often stayed all night getting wasted and boasting loudly without restraint.

Naturally, Axin could not reveal that, so he instead offered a deliberately vague explanation. “A distinguished gentleman currently waiting in Port Gallon for good news from His Majesty told me. Not only did he insist I find Commander Gerjit specifically, he also confidently informed me that the security of this entire region falls under your command.”

Gerjit narrowed his eyes further, his expression flickering uncertainly as though weighing something in his mind. They had arrived less than two weeks ago, yet someone had already figured out the local defensive deployments and even identified the commanding officer stationed along the bay.

The identity of the “distinguished gentleman” the person before him spoke of was clearly not simple...

Still uncertain, Gerjit stared at the youth before him and continued, “You said you brought something I would be interested in. Where is it?”

Axin glanced toward Kunal behind him. The latter quietly swallowed hard before forcing himself forward. Though he tried to conceal it carefully, the trembling of his hands exposed the fear inside him.

Watching those shaking hands, Gerjit sneered at the mongrel and waved lazily at a subordinate nearby. “I’m guessing it’s a sack of black beans.”

Laughing, the subordinate strode over and snatched the giant sack from Kunal’s clumsy grip before quickly undoing the rope tied around it.

Yet the instant he saw what was inside, he froze completely.

An entire sack filled with Xilande Coins...

He gulped once. Even after serving as a captain for so many years, he had never seen this much money before.

“... Sir.” The man quickly turned to look at Gerjit, his eyes overflowing with excitement and greed. The words “let’s rob them” were practically written all over his face.

Sitting on the sofa, Gerjit had naturally seen the sack stuffed full of banknotes as well. Although his reaction was not as exaggerated as his subordinate’s, the smile on his face still stiffened involuntarily.

Lowering the leg he had crossed over his knee, he shoved aside the liquor-reeking woman whispering into his ear, sat upright, and stared seriously at the youth called Axin. Then he pointed his chin toward the sack overflowing with cash. “What is this?”

“A gift entrusted to me by that distinguished gentleman for you,” Axin replied with a respectful nod, behaving exactly like the servant of a truly wealthy household. “I wonder whether you are interested in this gift.”

Kunal secretly glanced at Axin in shock. Before setting out, they had clearly agreed this money was supposed to be the deposit for smuggled goods.

So why had it suddenly become a gift?!

Gerjit likewise stared at the youth called Axin. Surprise, greed, and a faint trace of wariness flickered in his eyes. Unlike his simple-minded subordinate, he had to consider more than just money. There had to be at least close to 500,000 Xilande Coins in that sack. There was no way a Ratfolk pauper could produce such an enormous sum.

His thoughts raced rapidly. He mentally ran through every influential figure in Port Gallon, yet still could not piece together any clear answer.

The atmosphere inside the tavern suddenly became heavy enough that the air stilled.

At the subtle signal from the captain, the two soldiers standing by the door unconsciously shifted their hands closer to their guns.

Kunal nervously swallowed, desperately thinking about his future boat and the girls waiting to buy passage aboard it, trying his best not to let fear show on his face.

After staring at Axin for a long while, Gerjit spoke slowly. “I’ll ask one more time. Where did the money come from?”

His voice carried a razor-sharp edge, as sharp as his gaze, like a dagger pressed against his prey’s throat.

Taking a slow breath of the filthy air, Axin forced himself to remain calm and continued, “He cannot reveal his name. Maintaining a necessary level of mystery benefits both of us... Surely you also don’t wish to become an inconvenient problem after the ceasefire agreement takes effect.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Gerjit suddenly exploded in rage. He sprang to his feet, yanking the pistol from his waist and jamming it against Axin’s forehead.

For an instant, Axin felt his limbs go ice cold. In a daze, the man pointing the gun at him seemed to transform into Vikram, the Wolffolk youth whose head he himself had blown apart.

The way these people looked at him now was probably exactly the same way he had once looked at Vikram, like they were staring at a dead man.

Even if those men had been routed by the New Alliance on the battlefield, even if they were barely more competent than pigs...

As long as they held power, they still stood impossibly high above him.

They only needed to twitch a finger to crush him.

But, he could not die.

His family had only just begun living better lives. The future was going to become even better. He still needed to send his younger siblings to school in Dawn City. He still needed to find them an educated sister-in-law. He still needed to buy Kunal, a man who had become his first real friend, a boat. He still needed to feed all the people depending on him...

He absolutely could not fall!

The prostitutes on the sofas had already frozen in terror, while Kunal was completely dumbstruck by the suddenly drawn gun.

Axin quietly swallowed, forcing the fear beneath a mask of numbness as he slowly raised both hands and took half a step back. “Calm down my friend. Killing me will do nothing except dirty your clothes.”

The man had already disengaged the safety and cocked the hammer. Yet just one second before he pulled the trigger, Gerjit spoke. “What does that distinguished gentleman want me to do?”

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