Chapter 355

With the assistance of the capybara Tuanzi, a set of combo moves allowed him to resolve this batch of magic octopuses without even drawing blood.

Most importantly, there was no need to go into the water.

A satisfied Gao De first removed the eyes of these magic octopuses as proof for completing the mission.

In addition, he dissected the magic octopuses' heads and bodies to extract their brain matter and ink sacs.

The former could serve as raw material for mental-type magic potions, while the latter could be processed into magic ink; both were valuable goods, far incomparable to the foul-smelling water salamanders.

Having wiped out this nest of magic octopuses, his 【Lagos City Water Beast Expulsion】 mission was now considered successfully completed.

However, Gao De certainly wouldn't return to Dorn City so simply.

Firstly, the mastermind behind the appearance of the water beasts had not yet been ferreted out, and this was the key to obtaining a second-class merit.

Once this second-class merit was in hand, his rating for the first year would basically be secure.

Secondly, he still needed to take this mission opportunity to make a trip to the northern realm.

Finally, he had promised Anna to help her find her sister, and he hadn't even started looking yet.

Thinking of this, Gao De realized he still had many things to do in Lagos City.

With the mission temporarily coming to an end, Gao De retracted Tuanzi into the capybara bag.

Before Tuanzi entered the capybara bag, he even applied a 【Purify Food】 on him.

Otherwise, the stench picked up in the sewage would ferment in the enclosed environment of the capybara bag, and it would likely suffocate Tuanzi himself.

Having Shama send him back to the shore, just like yesterday, he used 【Heavy Burden】 and 【Wolf's Speed】 to run quickly back to Lagos City on foot.

Today's tracking and clearing of the magic octopuses did not take much time, so when Gao De returned to the Palm Tree Hotel, it was not even an hour past the lunch hour.

"Brother, you're back!" Upon opening the door, Anna's first reaction was still high vigilance, but upon discovering it was Gao De, it instantly turned into surprise.

He didn't know where a little girl got such deep vigilance. Gao De shook his head and picked up the little girl who was pouncing on him with one arm.

"Did you have lunch?"

"I did, Auntie Red-Nails brought it over!" Anna replied.

The landlady of the Palm Tree Hotel had purple-red nails, so Anna called her Auntie Red-Nails directly.

"Brother, is your business finished?"

"It's come to a temporary stop; next, I'll help you look for your sister in the city," Gao De said.

"What exactly does your sister look like? Can you describe her?"

"Sister has very large eyes, very long eyelashes, a very perky nose, in short, in short, she is very beautiful." Anna stammered for a long time, and in the end, could only say this much.

It seemed that describing a person's appearance had touched upon her linguistic blind spot.

This was going to be a headache.

Gao De slightly supported his forehead.

Anna seemed to have sensed Gao De's dilemma; she shook her head and suddenly had an idea: "Brother, I'll draw Sister for you to see!"

"Anna knows how to draw?" Gao De was startled.

"I do!" Anna nodded vigorously.

There happened to be a pen and ink in the room; Anna jumped down from Gao De's arms and buried her head in drawing.

"1300 Jin Quehua coins? So expensive?"

Beside the shipyard of the Harland Shipyard, a surprised female voice rang out.

"Aren't you all about to go bankrupt and clearing out stock, selling the backlog of ships in the yard cheaply? How can it still be so expensive?"

The owner of the Harland Shipyard said helplessly: "This is already the discounted price. In normal times, such a brand-new schooner would cost upwards of 1500 Jin Quehua coins."

After making the decision to close the shipyard his family had operated for over a hundred years, the originally obese Mr. Harland had clearly lost a large circle of weight, especially in his complexion, which looked unusually haggard.

"But this is still too expensive."

"It's not expensive anymore." Harland shook his head slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his face as he looked at the woman in front of him wearing a long-sleeved linen dress and a cloak.

The other party's elegant temperament, beautiful face, and curvaceous figure made him subconsciously take a few extra looks.

However, he quickly regained his composure, his face revealing exhaustion and helplessness as he pointed to the brand-new schooner being processed in the dock and said earnestly: "Miss, the schooners produced by our Harland Shipyard are among the fastest in terms of sailing speed, even among all schooners."

"Look, we use only the finest oak, sturdy and durable, capable of handling complex marine environments; the masts are taken from magic plants, and these sails, ropes, are all made with the finest craftsmanship..."

"The schooner is the signature of our shipyard. Don't look at the fact that Harland Shipyard is on the verge of bankruptcy; this is due to some realistic reasons, not because the quality of the ships we build is problematic."

"If you don't believe me, Miss, go out and ask around to see if the Harland schooner isn't the first choice for most small traders and explorers for transoceanic voyages."

Once he started talking about his shipyard's ships, Harland's face gained a bit of confidence; he was proud of them.

"Can it be cheaper?" The woman, however, didn't care about these things and said with difficulty.

Harland sighed, rubbed his slightly sore cheeks, thought for a moment, and finally said: "This is the last ship in the shipyard. Very well, I'll make it cheaper for you; take it for 1250 Jin Quehua coins."

"In addition, we can handle the inspection certificates and sailing permits required for the ship to go to sea for you for free."

This was already a very cost-effective price, not to mention the extra services included.

Although under normal circumstances, it is not difficult for a newly purchased ship to pass ship inspection and apply for a sailing permit.

But in an unfamiliar place, wanting to navigate these processes would require extra money for bribes, not to mention wasting some time—Harland's discernment as a businessman allowed him to see that the woman in front of him was not a local.

Therefore, he was also catering to her needs.

And the woman was clearly moved by the conditions Harland proposed.

However, she looked at the brand-new schooner, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Boss, I'm still short some money. I'll go prepare some more and come back to find you in a few days, is that okay?"

"Then you must be quick. If there are other buyers, I can't guarantee I can hold it for you," Harland said.

According to Anna, her sister Aisha came to Lagos City to make a living.

So-called making a living, in layman's terms, is actually "working."

And for women entering the city to "work," the common professions are just those few: domestic service, factory labor, service industry, and street professions.

These were directly excluded by Gao De—although he didn't know Aisha, one could tell from Anna that their previous family conditions were superior; even if they had fallen now, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and Aisha would not fall to the point of engaging in such low-end professions.

Professions that are relatively high-paying and fit Aisha's own cultivation would either be serving nobles, such as tutors or musicians, or supernatural professions serving magic users, such as potionists or alchemists.

And these professions, even with Gao De's status as a "Sea Hai Shao Bing," were not easy to exclude one by one.

Nobles and magic users in the city would not reveal their family's specific situation just because you are a Sea Hai Shao Bing apprentice magic user.

This tiger skin was not enough to use.

Gao De quickly changed his train of thought.

"Does your sister have any relatives or friends in Lagos City?" He held Anna steadily with one arm, looked down at her expectant yet slightly anxious eyes, and asked softly.

Anna thought seriously for a moment and finally affirmed: "No."

"Then how long has she been in Lagos City?" Gao De asked again.

Upon hearing this, Anna quickly gave an accurate answer: "Eight days."

"That makes it easier." Gao De suddenly had an idea.

The stone streets of Lagos City were steaming with salty, fishy mist.

Gao De bounced Anna onto his shoulder, and Anna's slender arms immediately tightened around his neck.

Anna was very light, less than forty jin, but holding her with one arm for a long time would still be a bit tiring, so Gao De had applied 【Heavy Burden】 on himself early on.

Ahead, the sign for the White Whale Hotel came into view.

Gao De pushed open the carved oak door; the bald boss behind the counter was scraping tea stains from a bone cup with a silver spoon. Raising his eyes and catching a glimpse of Gao De walking in wearing the Sea Hai Shao Bing uniform, he immediately stood up, his throat moving, "Officer, staying at the hotel?"

Gao De shook his head and slapped Aisha's portrait directly on the table, "Have you seen this woman?"

At the same time, he took out a Jin Quehua coin, "If you can provide relevant information, this will be yours."

The boss looked at the Jin Quehua coin in Gao De's hand, then narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the portrait, only then shaking his head and saying he had no impression.

"If this lady had stayed at our hotel, I certainly wouldn't forget," he spread his hands, "After all, this lady is so beautiful."

"Sorry to bother you." Gao De put away the portrait and left the White Whale Hotel.

Aisha had no relatives or friends in Lagos City, which meant that her place of residence after arriving in Lagos City must be a hotel in the city.

Eight days is a very short time; for finding a job that fits her status, it is far from enough. It is highly likely she hasn't found a suitable job yet and is still staying at a hotel.

Even if she had already found one, it would likely be a matter of these past two days, and the hotel boss should still have an impression of her—Gao De was very sure of this.

Because the portrait of Aisha drawn by Anna was of a woman with a beautiful face.

For good-looking women, everyone's impression is always relatively deep.

Therefore, although Gao De's idea was simple, it was also very practical:

Just ask door-to-door at the hotels in Lagos City.

For nobles and other magic users, his status as a Sea Hai Shao Bing apprentice magic user might not necessarily be useful, but for hotels, it was enough.

Not many hotel owners would offend a Sea Hai Shao Bing magic user over such a small matter.

Even, there was no need to screen all the hotels.

Having lived in a superior environment for a long time, even if the family had fallen, Aisha would absolutely not stay in a cheap hotel in Lagos City.

Those dilapidated hotels with faded signs, where the beds were full of lice and the air was filled with the smell of inferior tobacco and vomit, were not something a "lady" could accept.

Those high-end noble hotels could also be temporarily excluded.

Since she came to Lagos City to "make a living," it meant Aisha was currently short on money and should not engage in such extravagant behavior.

Therefore, Gao De set his target on the mid-range hotels in Lagos City.

The iron-wrought sign entwined with roses swayed slightly in the breeze.

Gao De pushed the door open again and entered the lobby of this hotel named "Rose Hotel."

Some exquisite oil paintings hung on the lobby walls, and the receptionist at the front desk was a young girl, who should be a staff member hired by the hotel owner.

After the same script, Gao De pushed the portrait to the freckled girl.

"Ah!" After the girl looked at it carefully for two seconds, she suddenly let out a low cry: "Seven days ago, this lady came by. She stayed here for one day and then left."

"By the way, when she left, she also asked me about the location of the major shipyards in Lagos City."

"Shipyard?" Gao De was slightly stunned.

She couldn't be planning to work at a shipyard, could she?

"Okay, thank you." Gao De took out a Silver Dragon coin and pushed it to the girl, then took back the portrait.

"Does your sister know any skills related to shipbuilding?" Leaving the Rose Hotel, he thought for a moment and asked Anna directly.

"Although Sister knows everything, this, Sister really doesn't know," Anna said earnestly.

Xisela Town.

This is a small town under the jurisdiction of Lagos City, located at the midpoint of the route between Dorn City and Lagos City.

Knight Robert is a noble in Xisela Town. In a big city, a knight is not strictly considered a noble; the true noble titles are only: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, and Knight, these six levels.

But in a small town, there is no problem at all with a knight being regarded as a noble.

And Knight Robert, as a person of status in Xisela Town, owned an independent manor on the outskirts of the town.

"Where did she run off to? Where did she run off to?" At this moment, in the manor, Knight Robert set the teacup in his hand aside and said in a tone that was almost a breakdown.

"My lord, could Miss Anna have already left Xisela Town? We have already sent people to search the town so many times..." The butler looked at Knight Robert cautiously and spoke.

"Left Xisela Town, left my ass!" Knight Robert flew into a rage, slapped the table hard, pointed at the middle-aged butler's nose and said: "She is just a five-year-old child, and she has no money on her; how could she leave Xisela Town! You bunch of trash, did you not search with heart? How could you have searched for so long and still not found her?"

Apparently, this was not the first time the butler had welcomed Knight Robert's scolding and cursing, so he appeared very calm, "Although Xisela Town is a small town, it also has a population of nearly two hundred thousand. If we want to search it all, with our manpower, it would take at least ten days or more."

"My lord, my suggestion is still to request the help of the town's patrol team and let them help us find Miss Anna."

After Knight Robert was silent for a moment, he shook his head firmly: "No."

If outsiders were to know of Anna's existence, it might cause even bigger trouble.

So even though he was angry and anxious, he still maintained his final composure and did not rashly ask the official personnel of the Jin Quehua Dynasty to find Anna.

A flash of irritability crossed his eyes.

If he still couldn't find Anna, when Aisha returned, how would he explain it to Aisha?

Thinking of this, Knight Robert felt a headache.

However, his distress ceased to exist in the next instant.

Without knowing when, the door had been opened silently, and a middle-aged man wearing a heavy black robe appeared before Knight Robert's long table.

Outside his robe, he also wore a black cloak, the length of which covered his entire body, even obscuring his head.

"Should I call you Knight Robert or Magic User Case?" Beneath the cloak came the middle-aged man's hoarse voice.

Knight Robert's face changed drastically!

(End of chapter)