Chapter 447: Shipyard

With the help of the water otter dumpling, a series of combos dispatched this batch of demonic octopuses without a single drop of blood spilled.

Most importantly, there was no need to enter the water.

Satisfied, Gao De first removed the eyes of the demonic octopuses as proof for task settlement.

Additionally, he slit open their heads and bodies to extract their brain matter and ink sacs.

The former serves as raw material for mental-type demonic medicines, the latter can be processed into magical ink—both are valuable goods, far surpassing the worth of stinking water newts.

Having eradicated this nest of demonic octopuses, his 【Lagos City Water Beast Expulsion】 mission was essentially completed.

Yet Gao De certainly wouldn't return to Duencheng so easily.

First, the mastermind behind the appearance of the water beasts had yet to be uncovered—this was the key to earning a Second-Class Merit.

Securing this Second-Class Merit would largely guarantee his year-end evaluation.

Second, he intended to use this mission as an opportunity to return to the Northern Frontier.

Lastly, he had promised Anna he'd help her find her sister—and he hadn't even started yet.

Thinking this through, Gao De realized he still had many tasks to complete in Lagos City.

With the mission temporarily concluded, Gao De retrieved the dumpling and returned it to his Water Otter Sack.

Before entering the sack, he first cast 【Purified Rations】 upon it.

Otherwise, the stench accumulated from the polluted water would ferment in the sealed environment of the sack and likely suffocate the dumpling itself.

He had Sha Ma transport him back to shore, then, as yesterday, used 【Burden Spell】 and 【Wolf's Speed】 to sprint swiftly back to Lagos City on foot.

Today's pursuit and eradication of the demonic octopuses hadn't taken long, so when Gao De returned to the Palm Tree Inn, it was barely an hour past lunchtime.

"Brother, you're back!" As soon as she opened the door, Anna's first reaction was sharp alertness—but upon recognizing Gao De, it instantly turned to delight.

He shook his head, wondering how a little girl could possess such deep wariness, then scooped her up with one arm as she launched herself at him.

"Have you had lunch?"

"Yes, Aunt Red Nails brought it!" Anna replied.

The Palm Tree Inn's landlady painted her nails purple-red, so Anna called her "Aunt Red Nails."

"Brother, is your mission over?"

"Temporarily concluded. Now I'll help you search for your sister in the city," Gao De said.

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

"My sister has big eyes, long eyelashes, a cute nose—in short, she's very beautiful," Anna stammered for a long while, finally managing only this much.

Clearly, describing someone's appearance had hit her linguistic blind spot.

This was going to be troublesome.

Gao De gently pressed his fingers to his forehead.

Anna seemed to sense his difficulty, shook her head, then suddenly had an idea: "Brother, I'll draw my sister for you!"

"Anna can draw?" Gao De blinked in surprise.

"I can!" Anna nodded vigorously.

The room had pen and ink; Anna jumped down from Gao De's arms and immediately began sketching.

"1,300 Jin Quehua coins? That's so expensive?"

A surprised female voice rang out beside the Haland Shipyard's dock.

"Aren't you going bankrupt and clearing out your stock at discounted prices? Why is this still so costly?"

The Haland Shipyard's owner sighed helplessly: "This is already the discounted price. In normal times, a brand-new two-masted sailing vessel like this would cost at least 1,500 Jin Quehua coins."

After deciding to shut down his family's century-old shipyard, Mr. Haland—once stout—had visibly lost weight, especially in his face, which now looked utterly worn out.

"But it's still too expensive."

"Not expensive," Haland shook his head slightly, a faint bitter smile on his lips as he looked at the woman before him, dressed in a long-sleeved linen dress with a cloak.

Her elegant bearing, beautiful features, and curvaceous figure made him unconsciously glance twice.

But he quickly regained his composure, his expression weary and resigned, pointing to the brand-new two-masted sailboat being prepared in the dock: "Miss, our Haland Shipyard's fore-and-aft rigged two-masters are among the fastest of all two-masted vessels."

"Look—we use only the finest oak, sturdy and durable, capable of withstanding harsh ocean conditions. The masts are crafted from magical plants, and the sails and ropes are made with the highest-grade craftsmanship."

"The fore-and-aft rigged two-master is our flagship. Don't be fooled by our shipyard's impending bankruptcy—this is due to real-world circumstances, not poor ship quality."

"Miss, if you don't believe me, go ask around—aren't Haland two-masters the preferred ocean-crossing vessels for most small traders and explorers?"

Speaking of his own ships, Haland's face lit up with pride.

"Can you make it cheaper?" the woman asked, unmoved by his boasts.

Haland sighed, rubbing his slightly sore cheeks, then said: "This is the last ship left in the yard. Fine—I'll let you have it for 1,250 Jin Quehua coins."

"Additionally, we'll provide the mandatory seaworthiness certificate and navigation permit free of charge."

This was already a great deal, especially with the extra services included.

Normally, obtaining inspection certificates and permits for a newly purchased ship isn't difficult.

But in an unfamiliar city, navigating these procedures requires extra bribes and wastes time—Haland, as a seasoned merchant, had already recognized this woman wasn't local.

So this was his way of catering to her needs.

The woman was clearly swayed by his offer.

Still, she glanced at the pristine sailboat, hesitated, then said: "Boss, I'm still short on funds. May I come back in a few days after I gather more?"

"You must hurry," Haland replied. "If another buyer appears, I won't be able to hold it for you."

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

"Making a living," in plain terms, meant "working."

Common jobs for women entering the city were domestic service, factory labor, service industry, or street work.

Gao De immediately ruled these out—though he didn't know Aisha, from Anna's demeanor alone, he could tell their family had once been affluent. Even if fallen on hard times, a fallen camel still outweighs a horse—Aisha wouldn't sink to such lowly work.

Higher-paying, suitable professions matching Aisha's refinement would be serving nobility—as a tutor or musician—or serving mages—as an alchemist or potion-maker.

But even with his "Sea Sentinel" status, Gao De couldn't easily eliminate these options.

Nobles and mages wouldn't reveal their private details just because he was a Sea Sentinel apprentice.

That pretense wouldn't hold.

Gao De swiftly shifted his approach.

"Does your sister have any relatives or friends in Lagos City?" he asked gently, holding Anna steady on one arm as he gazed into her hopeful, anxious eyes.

Anna thought carefully, then confirmed: "No."

"How long has she been in Lagos City?" Gao De asked next.

Anna promptly gave an accurate answer: "Eight days."

"Then this is manageable," Gao De immediately had an idea.

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

Gao De shifted Anna onto his shoulder; her slender arms instantly tightened around his neck.

Anna was light—under forty catties—but holding her one-handed for long still tired him, so he'd already cast 【Burden Spell】 on himself.

Ahead, the sign of the White Whale Inn came into view.

Gao De pushed open the carved oak door; the bald manager behind the counter was scraping tea stains from a bone cup with a silver spoon. He glanced up, saw Gao De in his Sea Sentinel uniform, and immediately stood, throat bobbing: "Officer, checking in?"

Gao De shook his head, slapped Aisha's portrait onto the counter: "Have you seen this woman?"

He then pulled out a Jin Quehua coin: "If you provide useful information, this is yours."

The manager glanced at the coin, squinted at the portrait, then shook his head: "No, I don't recall her."

"If this lady had stayed here, I wouldn't forget," he spread his hands. "After all, she was so beautiful."

"Thank you for your time," Gao De retrieved the portrait and left the White Whale Inn.

Aisha had no relatives or friends in Lagos City, meaning her initial lodging after arriving must have been one of the city's inns.

Eight days was too short to find a job fitting her background—she likely hadn't secured employment yet and was still staying at an inn.

Even if she had, it probably happened just these past two days, and the innkeeper would still remember her—Gao De was certain.

Because Anna's drawing depicted Aisha as a beautiful woman.

People remember beautiful women more vividly.

So Gao De's plan, though simple, was practical:

Visit every inn in Lagos City one by one.

His Sea Sentinel apprentice status might not work on nobles or mages, but it was sufficient for inns.

Few innkeepers would risk angering a Sea Sentinel mage over such a small matter.

He didn't even need to check every inn.

Having grown up in comfort, even after her family's decline, Aisha would never stay in a cheap, run-down inn.

Those faded-signboard shacks were infested with lice, reeked of cheap tobacco and vomit—unsuitable for a "lady."

High-end noble inns could also be temporarily ruled out.

She came to Lagos City to "make a living"—meaning she was financially strained and wouldn't indulge in such luxury.

Thus, Gao De targeted mid-range inns in Lagos City.

A wrought-iron sign entwined with roses swayed gently in the breeze.

Gao De pushed open the door again, entering the lobby of the "Rose Inn."

The lobby walls displayed fine oil paintings; the receptionist was a young girl, likely hired by the innkeeper.

After repeating the same script, Gao De presented the portrait to the girl, whose face was dotted with freckles.

"Ah!" The girl stared at the portrait for two seconds, then gasped: "Seven days ago, this lady came here—stayed one night, then left."

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

"Shipyards?" Gao De blinked in surprise.

She couldn't possibly be planning to work at a shipyard?

"Thank you," Gao De said, pulling out a silver dragon coin and pushing it toward the girl, then retrieving the portrait.

"Does your sister know any shipbuilding skills?" After leaving the Rose Inn, he paused, then asked Anna directly.

"Though my sister can do anything, this sister really can't," Anna said seriously.

Cisera Town.

It was a small town under Lagos City's jurisdiction, located midway along the route between Dancheng and Lagos City.

Sir Robert was a noble of Cisera Town; in big cities, knights were not considered true nobles—true noble titles were only six ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, and Knight.

But in a small town, calling a knight a noble posed no issue whatsoever.

As a prominent figure in Cisera Town, Sir Robert owned a standalone manor on the town's outskirts.

"Where did she go? Where did she go?" Inside the manor, Sir Robert set his teacup aside, his voice bordering on collapse.

"My lord, could Miss Anna have already left Cisera Town? We've sent people to search the town over and over again," the steward ventured cautiously, glancing at Sir Robert.

"Left Cisera Town? Leave your damn nonsense!" Sir Robert exploded, slamming his fist on the table and jabbing his finger at the steward's nose: "She's a five-year-old child with no money—how could she leave Cisera Town? You useless fools, haven't you searched properly? How could you still not find her after all this time?"

Clearly, the steward was no stranger to Sir Robert's scolding and rage; he remained utterly calm: "Cisera Town may be small, but it has nearly two hundred thousand people. To search every corner thoroughly, with our manpower, would take at least ten days."

"My lord, I still recommend requesting help from the town's patrol squad—they could assist us in finding Miss Anna."

After a moment of silence, Sir Robert shook his head firmly: "No."

If outsiders learned of Anna's existence, it might bring even greater trouble.

So despite his anger and anxiety, he retained his final composure, refusing to rashly summon official personnel of the Jin Quehua Dynasty.

A flicker of irritation passed through his eyes.

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

Just thinking of it made his head throb.

Yet his distress vanished the next moment.

Without warning, the door had silently opened, and a middle-aged man in a thick black robe stood before Sir Robert's long table.

Over his robe he wore a black cloak, its length covering his entire body, even concealing his head.

"Should I address you as Sir Robert or Master Kais?" came the man's dry voice from beneath the cloak.

Sir Robert's face turned ashen!

(End of Chapter)