Chapter 154: 151 New Guard Captain

The large island of Silver Shawan had its most bustling area on the west side, where a crescent-shaped natural harbor was embedded.

In contrast, the easternmost part of the island, plagued by strong undercurrents, dense reefs, and a lack of valuable resources for development, still retained its pristine natural landscape.

At this moment, on the eastern coast, a mycelium boat with its bottom completely worn down lay tilted against the shore; its originally loose-hulled body was now nearly completely disassembled—the cost of forcibly running aground.

Two merfolk had escaped the mycelium tentacles during the final chaos, but by this point Lin Jun didn't care whether they fled or not.

Most of the red coral fruit aboard the boat had been preserved; since they weren't suitable to carry long-term, Lin Jun hid them beneath a pile of rocks.

Because Dilan's current appearance was too much like a beggar's, Lin Jun used his masterful blade skills to trim Dilan's scruffy beard and overgrown hair—throughout the entire process, he only made three cuts.

"Didn't expect to end up directly at Silver Shawan."

Having confirmed their location, Dilan couldn't help but feel lucky—he'd originally thought they'd first be swept to another island and would need to charter another boat to get here.

"Don't get too happy yet," Lin Jun bluntly doused his hopes, "think about how long you've wasted on this trip—who knows if you'll even find your daughter? Let's head to the tavern first."

Dilan scratched his head; gathering information at a tavern was standard procedure, but—

"Boss, we don't have any money right now…"

Dilan's gold coins had sunk with his luggage bag into the mist, and since earlier he'd been pondering how to earn some cash.

"That's why we're going to the tavern—to earn money," Lin Jun said as if it were obvious.

Since the boss said so…

Dilan pushed open the door of the tavern named Broken Blade Leftovers and nearly vomited from the stench inside.

Though Dilan himself reeked, for the past month he'd mostly breathed fresh natural air; suddenly entering this smoky, foul-smelling environment—where cheap alcohol and sweat mingled—was genuinely jarring.

Especially the tobacco smell—he'd never encountered anything so pungent back in Mute Wind Village; Dilan guessed it might be a local specialty of the archipelago.

"M…Mr…"

A timid voice came from a slave attendant carrying a tray of drinks, a metal collar around his neck.

Only then did Dilan realize he was blocking the already cramped aisle.

He silently stepped back two paces and glanced again at the slave attendant.

Thin body, fresh and old whip marks crisscrossing his wrists and calves, a branded slave mark burned into the back of his neck.

In the Kingdom, slaves existed too, but mostly confined to noble estates; no tavern owner would employ a slave as a server—clearly, the culture here in the archipelago differed from the Kingdom's.

Just as Dilan was about to look away, a foot suddenly shot out from the shadows, precisely tripping the slave attendant.

Crash!

The drink tray flew off, ceramic cups shattered, murky liquor splashed across the floor.

The slave slammed hard onto the greasy floor, shards of pottery slicing his skin; his muffled groan drowned beneath erupting laughter.

"Look at this idiot!" The man who'd tripped him slapped the table and roared with laughter; others around him joined in.

The tavern owner frowned at the spilled liquor and broken shards, then snapped at the slave: "Waste, clean it up."

Then he glared at the patron who'd tripped him: "Charge the damages to your tab."

The patron shrugged—he didn't care about that small sum.

Dilan watched the slave crouched on the ground gathering shards—if Bella had ended up like this…

His hand involuntarily clenched.

"Dilan, let's go that way."

"Huh?"

Following his boss's instruction, Dilan stepped over the fallen slave and circled around the left half of the tavern.

"Like this?" Dilan asked.

"Good enough, good enough."

The Scout's Backpack quietly slipped a small pouch into Dilan's hand; he picked it up— a coin purse.

"This is…" "Picked it up!"

Dilan's eye twitched, but he wasn't some holy knight—he did need money right now…

With money, everything became easier; two silver coins got the tavern owner to point Dilan toward a rumor dealer.

Dilan pushed a glass of chilled fruit wine toward a short man sitting in an unremarkable corner.

The short man took a casual sip and said: "I've never seen you before—you know it's not just about the drink, right?"

Ten silver coins were tossed onto the table; the man pursed his lips, accepted the coins, and muttered: "Just ordinary rumors…"

Then he began recounting news everyone already knew.

From the complete engulfment of Great Horn Island by the mist, to the worsening tensions among the archipelago's three major slaveowners, to the recent major event in Silver Shawan—the Secretary of Glosa was brutally murdered in the latrine, and Guard Captain Oruk failed to capture the killer, resulting in his dismissal and replacement by a rising newcomer.

After he finished, Dilan asked: "If I want to inquire about a specific person…"

The short man narrowed his eyes and tapped the table twice.

After handing over another thirty silver coins, Dilan received a name and a location.

As Dilan prepared to rise and leave, a sudden argument erupted in the tavern.

"We don't allow tab here," the tavern owner said coldly, setting down the cloth he'd been using to wipe glasses.

The man who'd tripped the slave was frantically patting himself down but couldn't find his coin purse.

"I… it must've been that slave! He was right next to me just now—he stole it during the chaos!"

The owner refused to listen: "No money? Leave your weapon. Come back with cash to redeem it."

Onlookers around them snickered with glee—they loved jokes about slaves, but they loved jokes about drunken patrons even more.

The mockery enraged the man; he drew his curved blade and roared at the crowd: "What are you laughing at?"

But this only earned him more hisses.

The owner silently took down a short axe from behind the counter.

Crash!

The gate was kicked open, and a brazen voice rang out: "What's going on? I heard all the commotion outside. Is Tian Qi my lord looking for trouble right after taking office?"

The speaker was a guard, shoving aside the suddenly silent crowd.

Behind him, the middle-aged man known as Tian Qi entered with more guards.

His gaze swept across the room like a lord inspecting his territory, finally locking onto the man holding the knife.

"Commandant, this man ate without paying and tried to draw weapons," the tavern owner suddenly spoke up.

"I… I didn't…," the man tried to protest, but Tian Qi merely waved his hand, and the guards seized him.

Though the man held a curved blade, he dared not strike back at the guards—only a few could get away with crimes in Silver Shawan like that assassin had…

Satisfied by the way others averted their eyes, he nodded and walked out of the tavern.

After he left, the short man beside Dilan whispered softly: "That's the new Commandant I told you about—rising fast right now."

No one noticed a backpack hidden behind a chair, avoiding any possible line of sight from the Commandant.

Lin Jun recalled the Commandant's panel with a complicated mood.

【Name: Tian Zhong Xiuqi】

【Race: Human】

【Level: lv18】

【Skill: Memory Erasure lv4…】

【Title: Hero】

What the hell?

Are there other Heroes?

And he's Japanese?

(End of Chapter)