Chapter 280: Bansi Harbor

Daniz suddenly proposed going to the Lime Restaurant on the island not just to keep that infuriating rabbit from saying things behind his back, but also because he felt it was too dangerous to stay in the same room as the crazed Gehrman Sparrow.

Only in a crowded place would this mad fellow and that infuriating rabbit show some restraint. Storm above, may this journey end soon!

As a pirate, his faith in the Lord of Storms was not firm enough, but at this moment he still couldn't help silently offering a prayer in his heart.

Klein, who had already intended to go down to the island for a while, was tempted by Daniz's proposal.

However, the customs and legends Daniz had spoken of earlier gave him a somewhat uneasy feeling, so he flipped a gold coin in front of Daniz — clink — sending it spinning into the air, and performed a simple divination.

Damn it! How is this monster also skilled at divination? This... even if I sneak away, I'd easily be found.

Daniz's expression turned despondent, and a faint sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

He took a deep breath, tried hard to compose himself, and was just about to speak when he saw Gehrman Sparrow suddenly rise to his feet and walk expressionlessly toward the bathroom.

Going to the bathroom again — could what that fat rabbit said be true?

Daniz cast a suspicious glance at Klein's retreating back, then shifted his gaze toward Tu Ba Ge, who was sprawled on the sofa to the side.

Klein, who noticed Daniz's movement, paused, his expression stiffening for a moment, then performed a flawless turn and looked at Daniz expressionlessly, saying:

"You can take this opportunity to try to escape."

After saying that, he slammed the bathroom door shut. When can Tu Ba Ge be taken back? It has become the greatest obstacle on my path of playing the Faceless!

Phew! Sighing deeply, he pulled out a paper figurine, used illusion to create a disguise, then reversed four steps to enter above the gray fog.

In the room outside the bathroom, Daniz opened and clenched his hand. He lifted his leg toward the door, then pulled it back and turned to look at the sofa behind him.

Tu Ba Ge paid no attention to Daniz's performance at all; it was communicating with Reiton on a letter about matters concerning Bansi Harbor:

"Boss, boss, we're going to Bansi Harbor soon. Do you know if there's anything fun there?"

"There are flying human heads."

Tu Ba Ge stopped writing the stories Daniz had told earlier and blinked, thinking the Boss was teasing the rabbit again.

"You've clearly never been there!"

"Not having been there doesn't mean I don't know. Stay close to Klein later, don't run off — it's dangerous."

"Fine~°_o"

Tu Ba Ge curled its lip and drew a silly rabbit expression on the paper.

"Is that paper of yours some kind of mystical item? How come you've been writing for so long but there aren't even two words?"

After approaching, Daniz stared curiously at the pale yellow sheet beneath Tu Ba Ge's paw and asked.

"Once I've written too much, I just let it erase itself!"

Tu Ba Ge gave Daniz a disdainful look — stupid pirate, didn't even know this bit of common sense.

Daniz rubbed his eyes subconsciously; he seemed to see a look of disdain in this rabbit's eyes before him.

Having just calmed his emotions, he felt himself getting angry again. Damn it! What breed of rabbit is this? It must have drunk a failed potion! It's literally toxic!

Daniz silently moved away from the sofa area. He worried that if he couldn't hold back and burned this rabbit to death, he'd be thrown into the sea to feed the fish by Gehrman Sparrow — no, there might not even be a corpse left to feed the fish.

Klein, who had finished his divination above the gray fog, returned to the real world. He went through the motions of pressing the toilet's mechanical button, put away the substitute paper figurine, went to the sink to wet his hands, and pulled out a tissue to dry them.

After going through the entire normal routine, he finally opened the door and went out, only to see Daniz standing in the center of the living room, glaring at Tu Ba Ge with anger in his eyes.

Does this guy have masochistic tendencies? Knowing full well that Tu Ba Ge's mouth could anger someone to death, why does he still go provoke that rabbit... Klein looked at Daniz and said in a flat voice:

"To the first-class restaurant."

"... Alright." Daniz didn't understand why Gehrman Sparrow had suddenly changed his mind, but his rational judgment told him not to argue.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Klein and Daniz, who were about to head out, heard a rhythmic knocking on the door.

Klein glanced flatly at Daniz, then turned to Tu Ba Ge on the sofa, gently rubbing his fingers, silently casting a layer of illusion on it, turning it into an ordinary rabbit doll.

Daniz, reminded by Gehrman's glance, quickly walked to the door and opened it.

The visitor was Cleves, the wealthy merchant's bodyguard. He stared for a few moments at Daniz, who had once again changed his disguise, then turned to look at Klein and said:

"'Flame' Daniz?"

He had previously felt that Gehrman's friend looked somewhat familiar. It wasn't until Donna and her brother deliberately mentioned Daniz that he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and realized he closely resembled the portrait on the wanted poster.

Before Klein could speak, Daniz had already cut in first:

"Friend, you've got the wrong person. Although I look a lot like that famous pirate worth 3,000 pounds, I'm really not him. People have always made this mistake, and it's caused me enormous trouble."

Klein raised his hand to cover his mouth — he had nearly been amused by this guy and broken his cold adventurer persona.

He turned his head imperceptibly and glanced at the rabbit doll on the sofa; it had also assumed the same hands-covering-mouth pose... Not bad, knowing to maintain a disguise in front of outsiders.

He then composed his expression and replied calmly:

"Yes."

My reputation... Captain, I've disgraced you... Daniz tilted his head back and glanced at the ceiling.

"What are you going to do?" Cleves inhaled silently, then asked.

"Watching him."

Klein motioned with his chin and expressionlessly pointed at Daniz beside him.

Daniz tried hard to control his expression — these past few days had been the longest period of his entire life. More and more people know about this — how am I supposed to survive on the Golden Dream after I go back!

As his gaze shifted, he caught sight of the rabbit doll on the sofa to his rear-right, its hands covering its mouth, looking like it was trying hard to hold back laughter. Damn it, why does a creature as annoying as a rabbit exist in this world! Even after turning into a doll, it still has that smug look!

During Daniz's intense internal turmoil, Cleves had already finished his exchange with Klein. He glanced at Daniz, whose expression was gloomy and somewhat complicated, and stepped back, saying:

"Then I'll take my leave."

Just as he was about to depart, Klein spoke, saying with a hint of gravity:

"Return to the ship as soon as possible. There are hidden dangers in Bansi Harbor."

After Cleves left, Daniz dutifully closed the door. He glanced somewhat conflictedly at Gehrman Sparrow, who had turned away coldly, and ultimately did not voice the question he wanted to ask.

How could Bansi Harbor possibly have hidden dangers? It had been colonized by the Loen Kingdom for over three hundred years, and had been an important port on a major trade route for over a century — there had never been any rumors of danger.

"Why do you all say Banshi Harbor is dangerous? What exactly is there?"

Tu Ba Ge, looking like a plush doll, sat on the sofa and asked curiously.

Klein glanced at Tu Ba Ge, raised his hand to dispel the illusion on it, and then said:

"I don't know. You can ask your boss—he might know."

"Forget it. We're not getting off the ship anyway."

Tu Ba Ge thought about it, figured that since he wasn't getting off the ship anyway and his boss hadn't specified the danger, it probably wasn't too important, so he went back to resting on the sofa.

Klein watched Tu Ba Ge settle back down and gritted his teeth. He had said that precisely to get Tu Ba Ge to ask about it, but this rabbit didn't understand his intent at all.

To maintain his persona, he couldn't directly tell the other party to hurry up and ask what danger was lurking in Banshi Harbor. He could only wait for this rabbit to have a flash of inspiration and figure out the implied meaning of his words.

Why did I ever think this rabbit was smart, reliable, and capable? Pets and such—sure enough, it's better to just look at other people's.

That night, after finishing dinner in the first-class dining room, Klein and Daniz brought Tu Ba Ge back to Room 312.

When passing by the cabin entrance earlier, he had asked the crew member standing guard there—the passengers who went to the Lime Restaurant had not yet returned to the ship.

Donna and Denton's family were among them, and the captain and first mate, who had gone to the telegraph office to send a telegram, had not returned to the ship either.

Standing before the window of Room 312, he watched the waves churned up by the wind. A faint sense of unease lingered in his heart, as if something bad were brewing.

He glanced at Tu Ba Ge, who was leisurely eating fruit on the side. This rabbit had zero awareness to be curious about what danger might be hidden on the island.

He shook his head slightly, his gaze landing on Daniz, who was slouched in a lounge chair—making the famous pirate, who had been relaxing, instantly sit up straight.

Klein withdrew his gaze and walked into the bathroom without saying a word.

He closed the door skillfully, set up a wall of spirituality, and drew out a paper figure to create a substitute, then walked backward four steps to enter above the gray fog.

Inside that magnificent ancient palace above the gray fog, Klein sat in the high-backed chair belonging to the Fool.

He materialized the citrine pendant he habitually used, then silently recited the divination statement:

"Banshi Harbor is dangerous."

After repeating it over and over, he opened his eyes. The citrine pendant in his hand was rotating clockwise with small amplitude and slow speed.

There is danger, but within an acceptable range. This contradicts the previous revelation somewhat. Klein rested both elbows on the edge of the bronze long table and muttered to himself in confusion.

After frowning for a moment, he thought of a possibility:

The current danger does not equal the hidden danger. Only if something is triggered, or an investigation uncovers something, would the danger lurking in the shadows reveal itself.

This means the hidden danger here has existed for a long time, and may even be entirely unrelated to the current danger.

To be safe, he tossed this piece of information toward the deep red star representing the White Tower.

(End of this chapter)