Magic Industrial Age

Chapter 55: 54 Night Stealth

Exiting the house, Loye and Oliveira moved swiftly through the darkness. Both were experts, disappearing into the shadows within a few steps.

After waiting for a moment to ensure they weren't being followed, they darted out from another patch of shadow and reached the street corner.

A carriage was already waiting there!

The carriage was ordinary, but it bore the Marquis family's coat of arms—a hunting two-headed bird—conspicuously.

A carriage lamp hung in front, its light insufficient to illuminate the entire carriage, yet enough to make the emblem clearly visible.

Oakland City was, after all, the territory of the Marquis family. Even though the royal family had eroded much of their power, the remaining prestige still commanded respect.

It was thanks to this carriage that Loye and Oliveira could ignore the curfew and the patrolling Seventh Mixed Legion's arcane infantry gunners, leaving the city in the dead of night.

This was the only assistance Maruna Marquis, a member of the collateral branch, could obtain from the Marquis family.

Oliveira, a seasoned driver, skillfully guided the carriage along the night road.

Loye, inside the carriage, closed his eyes, focused, and remained silent.

In reality, he was mentally reviewing the information Oliveira had provided him.

According to their investigation with Angus, Maruna was not lying. He wasn't the only one receiving extortion letters; many merchants and noble families were also targeted.

Lately, raising money had become commonplace in Oakland City. Even the city hall knew they were sending money to pirates, yet no one dared to intervene.

It was a joke! The city hall was already incompetent; now, they were interfering with people raising money to save their own families?

Did they want their family members to die?

This ransom system had been around for a long time. Even defeated kings and nobles were 'played' this way.

It was a tacit rule that no one dared to break easily!

However, pirates were often untrustworthy, making the outcome uncertain.

Nevertheless, the captain of the Bloody Mary, the beastmaster Gies, had a good reputation in this regard.

You could say he killed without blinking, that he was heartless, but if he sent an extortion letter, it generally meant the person was still alive.

As long as the money was delivered, they would release the hostage.

This was why many nobles and wealthy merchants were willing to contribute—at least there was still hope!

As for the captain of the Bloody Mary, the beastmaster Gies, he was something of a legend.

It was said that he possessed siren blood, granting him the innate ability to understand sea beast language and communicate with them through song.

Some said he held a special class originating from the siren race, giving him the power to control beasts.

Regardless, his ability to control sea beasts was real. The sea beasts on the ocean were often dozens or hundreds of meters long, with exaggerated sizes larger than seagoing vessels.

When they attacked in the sea, even naval warships were like paper.

However, it was rumored that the Hapsburg Empire had developed arcane ironclad ships, but they were kept secret and had not been revealed.

Originally, the Bloody Mary wasn't much in the Silver Sea, but recently, continuous robberies and the Oakland City raid had elevated Gies's reputation.

Some were already listing him among the great pirates, suggesting the Silver Sea's three pirate kings might become four.

Of course, he was slightly less renowned now, but only one or two more naval battles would be enough to prove himself.

Frankly, Loye was strong, but at sea, he was outmatched.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, making the night even darker.

The carriage headed northwest for a full two hours. Nearing midnight, a strong wind brought the pungent smell of the sea.

Oakland City was only dozens of miles from the Silver Sea to the north.

And on the Silver Coast was a port called Fisherman's Wharf.

Oakland City's prosperity was at least half due to Fisherman's Wharf, as the bulk of supplies were transported through it.

Daily ship docking, carriage traffic, and fishing supported countless people.

Loye lifted the curtain and glanced outside—just a glance.

The first thing he saw was a building at least several dozen meters high, with a large magic crystal lamp installed at the top, its light dispelling a large area of darkness.

That was the Fisherman's Wharf lighthouse. Almost all well-known seaports built such a lighthouse to guide ships at sea, pointing them in the right direction.

Next to the lighthouse was the port, with many ships docked and houses along the shore.

Sailors always needed to disembark. After being cooped up at sea for so long, they needed to let loose.

Therefore, Fisherman's Wharf had many bars and prostitutes, as well as various shops selling marine equipment.

However, it was late at night, and most people were asleep, with no one leaving the port at this hour.

But tonight, a ship was docked there, with a string of lamps dispelling the darkness.

When the carriage arrived, Maruna immediately greeted them, personally opening the door for Loye and lifting the curtain.

Loye and Oliveira said nothing, each carrying a package, following Maruna onto the ship.

The ship seemed to have been emptied of people; there was no one in sight.

Maruna led them to the depths of the cabin, opening a hidden door in the captain's room.

Loye glanced around, finding the space surprisingly large, with not only two beds but also a separate washroom.

The bedding was new, and there was plenty of dry food stored.

"This is?"

"The Percinas, this is my only asset besides the Shansherry Arcane Textile Factory. It usually runs fixed routes, transporting cotton fabrics and the like."

Maruna explained, "And this is a space I specially partitioned off.

I hired many people on the ship, but I don't trust any of them.

Only you two are my trump cards!"

As Maruna spoke, he led them into the room. When he closed the door, several mirrors dropped down.

Then, through the refraction of these mirrors, they could see the situation inside the captain's room.

Maruna explained, "I put a lot of effort into this design these days.

Although it doesn't have the magic of spells, it also doesn't have any magical fluctuations."

As he spoke, he opened the door again, went out himself, and locked Loye and the others inside.

Then, he dragged a small box from under the bed in the captain's room, and when he opened the lid, Kindell's golden light reflected through the mirrors into Loye's eyes.

Good heavens, not only did he arrange a secret room, but he also expected them to guard the gold, a real calculation to the extreme.

After Maruna collected the gold, he opened the door again and looked at Loye and Oliveira expectantly, asking, "How is my design?"

Oliveira frowned slightly, saying nothing.

Loye said, "Very good, very good. It's just that if we wanted to run away with the money, we could do it without anyone knowing."

Maruna smiled bitterly, "Mr. Loye, don't make fun of me. You wouldn't care about this little bit of money, would you?"

"I just hope all my calculations are unnecessary!"

"I hate pirates, I wish they were all dead, but now, I just hope my children can return safely."

"They will!"

This time, it wasn't Loye who spoke, but Oliveira, who was usually sparing with words.

Loye looked at him in surprise.

"I hope so?!"

Maruna looked at his watch and said, "Time is almost up. I'll leave this to you."

"Go ahead and get busy."

Maruna restored the mechanism and swept the ground to make sure there were no loopholes before leaving the captain's room.

However, he didn't leave for long. Soon, he led a team of seven into the captain's room.

The seven people were men and women, mostly wearing leather armor, with various weapons and fierce auras.

The leader had a deep, bone-deep scar on his face, making him look very ugly, but his smile made him seem carefree.

His weapon was even more special, actually a large bow, equipped with three quivers of arrows.

Maruna went out again, bringing back two people.

The two were wearing black cloaks, and after taking off their hoods, they revealed two somewhat similar faces.

The Gemini Detectives are also leaders in the detective industry. They look similar, but the older brother is good at tracking, and the younger brother is good at decryption. They cooperate with each other and are quite strong.

And the seven-person team is naturally the Purple Rose Mercenary Group.

Maruna brought them to the captain's room for so long to let Loye and Oliveira recognize their faces.

Of course, there are others who drive the boat, and the sailors will not disembark, so there is no need to introduce them.

Sailing at night is not safe, but Maruna still had the sailors raise the anchor, lower the sails, adjust the direction, and sail out of Fisherman's Wharf at dawn.

They left quietly, but they couldn't hide it from the large port.

A pair of eyes stared at the distant ship, and without hesitation, tore a magic scroll.

So, on the sea, the warship immersed in the shadows lit up its lights, and there was a 'clatter' of chains, and the anchor was retracted.

Until a standard Hapsburg Empire naval warship broke through the darkness and chased into the distance.

At the bow of the ship, Merri Allen stood quietly, his eyes fierce like a wolf!

A desperate cry for follow-up reading!