Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Summer Sea Hunt Blocks the Shipping Lane

THUD!

His legs gave out, and his knees slammed onto the floor with a loud crash.

As if by instinct, he balled his right hand into a fist and pressed it firmly over his heart.

He reported to Lance in a clear, rapid-fire voice:

"Calvin, former Deputy Captain of the Iris Kingdom’s Royal Military Intelligence Third Department, Seventh Special Squad, codename Viper, salutes you!"

"Although I have left official service, my loyalty to the Royal Family has never wavered during my years undercover on the East Coast. I have committed no acts of treason or collusion with the enemy. As long as Scarlett..."

At this, Calvin suddenly realized he had spoken a taboo name, and the words caught in his throat, preventing him from continuing.

This sudden turn of events left Lance completely dumbfounded.

’What the fuck is going on?’

Lance watched Calvin, the corner of his mouth twitching. The man had clearly misunderstood.

"No, you’ve misunderstood. Rein sent me to find you."

Lance quickly explained, trying to break the awkward situation.

"Boss Rein?"

Hearing the name, Calvin’s expression froze for two seconds.

"Shit!"

Immediately after, the look of sworn fealty vanished from his face completely.

He got to his feet without hesitation, dusted himself off, walked over to a dilapidated wooden table, pulled out a chair, and plopped down.

He casually pulled a cigarette case from his inner pocket, stuck a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it.

"Phew~"

Calvin exhaled a cloud of bluish smoke and rolled his eyes at Lance.

"So Boss Rein sent you. I thought some of the shit I pulled back in the day had been exposed and the higher-ups sent a special envoy to deal with me. You really scared the hell out of me."

Lance was speechless at the man’s astonishingly quick change in demeanor.

"Only Boss Rein would have such a twisted sense of humor, using a contact token like that to play this kind of prank."

Calvin grumbled around the cigarette in his mouth.

But after confirming it was just a misunderstanding, he didn’t press Lance for details.

He bent down and pulled a thick nautical chart from a hidden compartment in the wooden table, laying it out.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Calvin. I used to work under Boss Rein. After retiring, I ostensibly run the Siren Tavern, but in reality, I’m one of the chief controllers for the Vesper Shipping Union Association’s smuggling routes in the Ostrara Region."

"Since Boss Rein sent you to me with the token, you must’ve gotten into some trouble and want to lie low by taking a sea route, right?"

"So, where to? The Vesper Commerce Association has plenty of smuggling routes. As long as the price is right, we can even get you to the Southern Continent."

Lance pulled out the opposite chair and sat down. "I need two tickets on a smuggler’s ship to the Northern Territory. The sooner we leave, the better."

"The Northern Territory?"

Calvin flicked his ash. "You’re a bit early for that trip. You’ll have to wait here for at least two more months before our association has a smuggling freighter heading for the Northern Territory."

"That long?"

Lance frowned, a sense of urgency building within him.

Especially with the Morlock Family’s prophecy hanging over Ella. The longer they stayed here, the greater the risk.

"Isn’t there an earlier departure? I can pay extra."

Calvin shook his head, his tone firm.

"It’s not about money, it’s about timing. It’s summer, so Sea Beast activity is unusually high."

"To protect the main shipping lanes, the Royal East Sea Fleet has almost completely blockaded the northern channel. They’re conducting a large-scale summer sea hunt, with Magic Energy Battleships patrolling everywhere. At a time like this, any ship without official clearance that dares to head that way will be blown to smithereens."

"Besides..."

Calvin pointed to an area on the northern part of the chart. "Further north, the summer currents create a dense sea fog that stretches for thousands of nautical miles."

"That fog causes severe interference. Without the ability to use Alchemy Equipment, a merchant ship sailing into it would be committing suicide."

After explaining the situation, Calvin dropped the cigarette butt on the floor, stomped it out, then rolled up the chart and put it back in the hidden compartment.

"So, you’ll have to come back and see me during the Frost Moon, when the weather cools."

"But don’t worry,"

Calvin assured him, "for Boss Rein’s sake, no matter how tight the bookings are, I’ll definitely save two tickets for you. For now, just enjoy life here in Ostrara, the city that never sleeps."

’So I’m forced to stay here for two months...’

’When I saw the quest marked as "Extremely Difficult" on the panel, I knew it wouldn’t be as simple as just buying a ticket home. There were bound to be complications.’

’This long waiting period is probably one of fate’s tests for me.’

Since he couldn’t change reality, Lance had no choice but to accept it.

He stood up and thanked Calvin.

For the next two months, he would have to use the time to raise his own Level.

But first, he had to level up his [Jhin, the Virtuoso] class today. At the very least, he needed to gain some ability to probe the trajectory of fate.

Only by seeing how much the prophecy had interfered with Ella’s fate could he make proper plans.

That was why he hadn’t used any of the 15,000 General Experience Points he’d acquired last time; he was saving them to level up in case of an emergency.

"If you run into any trouble in Ostrara that you can’t handle, you can come find me at the Siren Tavern anytime."

Calvin walked Lance to the top of the stairs and clapped him on the shoulder. "My word still carries some weight in this neighborhood. After all, we brothers have to give face to Boss Rein."

...

By the time Lance returned to the small building at 42 Seaside Street, the sun had long since sunk below the horizon.

But the city of Ostrara did not fall asleep with the coming of night. On the contrary, its revelry was just beginning.

Lance stood on the street, gazing at the distant Ring Lines.

The areas in the Second and Fourth Rings were already ablaze with lights of all kinds, illuminating half the night sky.

That was Ostrara’s true commercial center, a paradise for all who sought excitement and pleasure.

’Anyway, I have to kill two months here. Once we’re settled, I have to go check it out. After all, this is the city I’ve always dreamed of.’

The "Night of the Enchanting Demon" that Necros had teased him about suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Ahem."

He quickly shook his head, banishing the unhealthy thoughts.

He turned and entered the ground-floor living room. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Necros sitting on the sofa, wearing a pair of brass reading glasses and fiddling with what looked like a square metal box.

The object reminded Lance of the brass horn speaker he had seen earlier in the Siren Tavern.

He guessed it was probably an Alchemy Creation similar to a radio.

And based on the announcements he’d heard in the tavern, it could be used to broadcast real-time race results and odds from the major Underground City speedruns.

Everything on display in the city of Ostrara, from the public transport to the entertainment facilities, filled Lance with a powerful sense of novelty.

Or perhaps, it was this very novelty that was the most captivating charm of the Otherworld.

Lance glanced toward the kitchen, where several covered plates were set on the wooden table.

Judging by the enticing aroma in the air, it was definitely the dinner Ella had left for him.

"Lance is back."

Necros suddenly spoke up.

Lance looked at him and saw Necros’s eyes filled with amusement. He gestured toward the second-floor room with a quirk of his eyebrows.

Lance followed his gaze and saw the door was cracked open about a finger’s width. The tip of a gray tail was sticking out from the gap, twitching twice.

’So she’s just putting on a tough act. And here I thought I’d be going to bed hungry.’

Lance chuckled to himself.

He walked to the dining table, sat down, picked up his knife and fork, and began to heartily enjoy the sumptuous dinner.

To play along with Ella’s tsundere personality, Lance deliberately praised the food loudly to Necros, who was still in the living room:

"President! This meal is incredible! This creamy seafood stew is just too delicious!"

Hearing Lance’s exaggerated praise, Necros just smiled and shook his head without replying, continuing to work on the malfunctioning Brass Receiver in his hands.

’The little girl hiding upstairs, eavesdropping with her ears pricked up, should be happy now.’

After contentedly polishing off all the food on his plate, Lance deftly washed the dishes and put them back in the cabinet.

Then, he returned to the guest room on the ground floor that Necros had arranged for him and locked the door from the inside.

He sat cross-legged on the bed. For now, all his external affairs were settled.

’I’ll talk to Ella about the smuggler’s ship tomorrow. Right now, I need to raise my [Jhin, the Virtuoso] Level and figure out the extent of the prophecy’s interference.’

’And I also need to see what other changes leveling up [Jhin, the Virtuoso] will bring.’

’Then I’ll plan my path to getting stronger during my time in Ostrara.’

As for the remaining General Experience Points, he planned to fuse a few more Specialties today to strengthen his Attributes.

However, just as he was about to level up...

He perceived a vibration from the chains of the Bronze Covenant.

It was Bazzer!

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