Chapter 243: Lost city, here we come!
"Are you taking on that job to find the lost city?" A woman asked from a nearby table. She had on a pirate hat with a skull design on it, an eye patch, a blueish button-down shirt that was definitely not buttoned up, revealing her big boobs, and she wore long boots with no pants, showing off her thighs.
The six of them turned around, spotting the woman who spoke to them, her legs on the table and her hat covering her eyes.
"Yeah? Why?" Kai sat in a chair at her table, and the others followed.
"That’s one dangerous quest. It’s been on the mercenary job board for years. No one has ever found the lost city, and the central sea is overrun by pirates."
Kai looked her up and down. She didn’t speak like the pirates he was used to from movies and shows. Still, she was hot as fuck.
"That’s not a problem for us. We welcome danger." He smiled. "Thanks for the information." He tossed her a gold coin.
"Many people said the same thing, but they always either die or come back after losing everything. The central sea isn’t for the weak or the inexperienced. No one would take you there, and if you hire a pirate, they’ll take all your belongings if they didn’t kill you already."
Gwen couldn’t help but chuckle. "And why are you telling us this? From the looks of things, you seem to be a pirate as well."
The lady placed her feet on the ground and raised her hat back onto her head. Then she removed her eyepatch, revealing a perfectly fine eye.
"The name’s Cornelia Obsidian, and I was once the captain of the Black Stone pirates."
"Was?" Kyana asked
"We were the adventurous kind of pirates, not the pillaging kind. This meant that we got on the bad side of the trashy pirates out there. Long story short, we crossed paths with the wrong people, and my crew paid the price for it with their lives."
Kyana smiled. "Let me guess, you were looking for the lost city?"
Cornelia didn’t deny it. "We were. But we were searching for it because we wanted to confirm its existence. The other pirates are searching for it to gain ancient power."
"How do we know you’re telling the truth?" Nadya peered into her eyes.
"She is." Kai confirmed. He took a peek into her mind, and everything she said was the truth. Since he also liked her, he also took the liberty of hypnotizing her using telepathy. Now, she was with them.
"Trust your leader," Cornelia said, smiling at Kai.
"Say, would you like to join us? I can promise that you’ll be able to confirm whether this city is real or not." He didn’t need to ask, but he used this chance to ’activate’ the hypnosis in her mind.
"I don’t mind, but where are you going to find a ship?"
"Ohhh, you don’t have to worry about that." Kai got up and went to the receptionist to confirm the job.
She told him that the job he was taking was a Gold I job and could even be bumped up to a Platinum III job if people keep failing it.
He told her that it was fine and he would accept it.
She understood and told him that if he does manage to find the city, he needs to bring back something to prove its existence, and if he completes the job, he and his party will be promoted to Platinum III in one go.
Kai thanked her, then went to the docks.
---
"This is your ship?!" Cornelia was awe-struck by Kai’s massive ship, which was decked out with magic circles, runes, and other things she didn’t even understand.
Cornelia had been on many ships before, even having her own. But never before had she been on a ship like Kai’s.
"That’s not even the best parts. This baby can do a lot more things." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "So, you know how to steer ships?"
"Do I? I’ve been on the sea since I was a little girl, when I used to travel with my father. I’m probably the best helmsman in the whole kingdom!"
"Love to hear it. Come, let’s hop on board."
Kai told her everything about his ship and how to operate it. He planned on having her be the helmsman, since from this point forward, because not only did she know this continent better, but he was only an okay helmsman, even with the skills and knowledge he acquired.
"This is amazing! I’ve never seen a ship that can do all the things this one can!"
Kai smiled, liking the way she reacted to his ship. He could see that it brought out the best parts in her.
"Alright, take us to the central sea, helmsman."
Cornelia smiled. "Aye, aye, captain!"
They undocked, then traveled to the central sea.
"So, can you tell us about the activity going on in the central sea?" Sasha asked, sitting down while drinking some mead.
"Sure can. The place is infested with pirates. Pirates usually roam the coasts and the outer islands, but the central sea is so large that they also made that place their territory. The central sea is connected to every river in the kingdom. Because of this, they are able to block trade and create tolls for people to pay. But that’s not all. The place is rich with ore at the bottom of the sea."
"Why doesn’t the king do something about it?" Kyana wondered.
"Oh, he does. The area is also patrolled by the Royal Navy. They keep the pirates in check if they cross the line. Since the pirates are too strong to deal with, there is an unspoken truce between them and the king. The king allows tolls and pirate activity, but they must not interfere with business or start massive conflicts."
Amaya, from on top of the crow’s nest, shouted downward. "That’s stupid!"
Cornelia nodded. "I agree."
Gwen circled back to what Cornelia had said before. "Why doesn’t the king mine the ore? Or why aren’t the pirates mining them?"
"Because there is a monster that dwells in the sea. The ore sits right next to the nest of a leviathan."