"Monsters? Do such things really exist?" Komatsu Ryukichi's eyes widened when he heard Ember's explanation. Shouldn't monsters only exist in legends?
"Absolutely." Ember nodded, then lifted a corner of Morgott's cloak, revealing his big, horned tail.
Not only that, Sanda also leaned into Komatsu Ryukichi's ear and whispered, "Neither of them has a Vision, but they can use elemental power. I think they are actually Onmyoji on a journey."
"That big guy should be Lord Ember's Shikigami," Sanda speculated, based on novels he had occasionally read before.
"Alright, alright, as long as they don't cause trouble, let them be." Komatsu Ryukichi waved his hand, pulled out the best-quality weapon from Sanda's hand, and then let them pass.
What else could he do? Sanda's words had implied the unusual nature of Ember and Morgott; as a small ronin, he wouldn't be able to stop them even if he wanted to.
"Ah... okay!" Sanda gritted his teeth. He had thought Komatsu Ryukichi wouldn't accept the gift, but unexpectedly, he ended up getting taken advantage of.
Sanda beckoned to the people behind him, then led them into the wreckage.
The wreckage of the ship stretched piece after piece, from the beach all the way into the sea. Walking inside was like walking through a maze.
Without a guide, one would probably get lost as soon as they entered.
Looking at the surroundings, Ember nodded in appreciation. This was indeed a good hiding place, which was why a pirate could survive so long near a battlefield, even if he was just picking up scraps on the edge of the battlefield.
Walking deeper, the wreckage beached on the shore gradually decreased, replaced by more wooden planks protruding from the sea.
From a distance, they looked like dark, tough reefs in the sea.
In the sea surrounded by shipwrecks, a large ship appeared, gently swaying with the waves.
The ship was about twenty meters long and several meters wide. Its size was just right to be hidden in this sea full of wreckage; any larger and it would be exposed.
"This is where Lord Gui Long is. We usually trade here."
Seeing the ship docked at the makeshift pier in the distance, Sanda breathed a sigh of relief. Once on board, he could exchange his goods for money and food.
As soon as they stepped onto the deck, the scene immediately became lively.
"Freshly dug medicinal herbs! No Mora, only grain!"
"Armor! Good armor! Guarantees you're fine after one stab, and not dead after two!"
"Ancestral firewood axe! Cutting hair is no problem at all!"
...On the deck, all sorts of stalls were set up on both sides, with everything imaginable.
Armor, weapons, medicinal herbs... even firewood axes were all available.
"This is considered the best trading place nearby; no one dares to cause trouble here." Sanda relaxed considerably at the familiar sight.
These small stalls were merely supplementary; the bulk of the trading was done with Gui Long. After all, only Gui Long had the channels and ability to ensure the quality of the traded goods.
After all, no one wanted the items they risked their lives to collect to ultimately be exchanged for a bag of stale grain.
Sanda excitedly walked into the cabin, while Ember surveyed everything around him.
It was fortunate that Morgott had strengthened the Greater Concealment Art before boarding the ship, otherwise, the two of them would have been scrutinized again.
There were many stalls, but the goods were rather dull. They were all armor, swords, and the like; the medicinal herbs sold earlier were considered rare.
However, it was understandable; in times of war, the preciousness of medicinal herbs was probably second only to food.
Pushing open the cabin door, a counter came into view, and behind it, a burly man was hunched over, writing something.
"Lord Gui Long?" Sanda came to the counter and lightly tapped the table.
"Hmm? Sanda? Weren't you going scavenging? Why are you back so soon?" Gui Long, who was hunched over, looked up and saw Sanda and the others, who had only left yesterday.
Then, he noticed Ember and Morgott, who were looking around.
"Haha, it seems you've stumbled upon good fortune. Go, get your things from the storeroom below. You know how much you should take. Too much or too little, neither is good."
"Aye... aye! You can rest assured!" Sanda nodded heavily several times and then ran to the storeroom below.
"You're quite generous?" Ember asked curiously, seeing Gui Long's actions.
The items in Sanda's hands varied in quality, and their pricing was very subjective.
But Gui Long didn't suppress their prices; instead, he let them decide for themselves, which was undeniably a very generous act.
"What generosity? It's just that my brain isn't good, so I can only use clumsy methods like how much grain a sword is worth." Gui Long sighed. Only after he grew bigger did he realize the importance of knowledge.
The most prominent point was that he couldn't even properly calculate accounts now, and could only use fool clumsy methods like rigidly stipulating how much grain a sword was worth, or how much Mora an inch of armor was worth, to keep records.
Fortunately, the price difference between grain and weapons on both sides was large enough for him to maintain this.
Otherwise, he would have been starving long ago.
"No wonder there are so many typos here." Ember glanced at the ledger in Gui Long's hand. Never mind the calculations, Ember found several obvious typos.
And they were very obvious typos.
"Cough, cough, cough! Don't pay too much attention to details." Gui Long's old face flushed upon hearing this, and he quickly closed the ledger on the table.
"You two have found me, what can I do for you?" After composing himself, Gui Long looked at Ember and Morgott and asked.
"Just wanted to see you."
"???"
Ember spread his hands and said. In fact, when Sanda brought him to Nazuchi Beach, he already knew how to get to Higi Village.
The reason he ultimately followed Sanda was just to meet Gui Long.
"Is my reputation that great?" Gui Long touched his face. Although he was indeed famous, it was only in the vicinity of Nazuchi Beach.
Why would someone specifically come to find him now?
"Alright, no more jokes. I want to ask you, do you have a way to take us to Higi Village?"
Seeing Gui Long's stunned expression, Ember stopped joking.
"Higi Village? That would mean crossing the front lines." Gui Long's brows furrowed upon hearing Ember's words.
Ember nodded. Besides meeting this "Gui Long," Ember also wanted to know how ordinary people crossed Nazuchi Beach.
Nazuchi Beach was currently the frontline of the war between the resistance and the Shogunate Army; it would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to cross it.
Gui Long frowned, tapped on the table, and said to the two, "It's a bit troublesome."
"Alright, stop pretending to frown. Your eyes are practically squeezed shut, but there are no wrinkles on your forehead." Morgott saw Gui Long's efforts to put on a difficult expression and exposed him.
"Huh? Is my acting that bad?" Gui Long opened his nearly closed eyes, looking stunned.
He had heard that facial expression management was an essential skill for important people, so he had spent a long time practicing his acting.
He hadn't expected to be ruthlessly exposed by Morgott on his first display.
"It's too deliberate. You can try to relax more in the future," Morgott commented, recalling Gui Long's previous appearance.
"Never mind, never mind, let's not talk about that. To be honest, I have a route going to Higi Village tomorrow, and I can take you."
"But, what price can you offer?"
Gui Long propped his hands on the counter and spoke seriously to Ember and Morgott.
His goodwill had its limits. Crossing the front lines was extremely dangerous, and with each additional person, the risk would increase. If there wasn't a sufficient price, he wouldn't do such a thankless task.
"Is that so? A route to Higi Village tomorrow?"
"Yes, after this one, there won't be another for half a year," Gui Long added as a reminder.
"Good! Goodbye, and I wish you a smooth journey!" With that, Ember pulled Morgott and ran out.
Leaving Gui Long alone at the counter, sitting dumbfounded and questioning life.
Wishing all fellow readers a Happy New Year's Day and a Happy New Year!
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