Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

Later that day...

After a long morning of rest, recovery, and more than one ”quick” session, Jake and Grace finally prepared to head out.

Grace wore a large, hooded cloak that completely covered her golden hair and curvy figure, making her look like an unremarkable traveler.

She stayed close to Jake, her hand occasionally brushing against his as they walked.

The two of them moved cautiously through the forest, and eventually emerging near the outskirts of Nasha Town.

Jake’s expression turned serious as he looked at the damaged town in the distance.

Half of it was still smoldering, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.

The streets were chaotic as people rushing to put out fires, merchants packing up what little they had left, and armed patrols from both sides moving through the area.

The power struggle between Viscount Victor and Baron Elden Von had clearly escalated yesterday, but it seemed to have calmed down somewhat for now.

Grace stayed close to his side. Her voice was soft under the hood as she saw the destruction and traces of blood everywhere.

”It’s worse than I thought... So many people lost their homes. Normal people like them... they didn’t do anything wrong.”

She felt especially bad seeing a family crying over a collapsing house and ordinary civilians suffering.

Her golden eyes were filled with quiet sadness as she watched a mother trying to comfort her crying child while their home burned in the distance.

Jake noticed her reaction and gently placed his hand on her lower back, pulling her a little closer.

Then he let out a soft sigh and scanned the surroundings carefully.

”We’ll be careful. We’re only here to gather information and find a way to earn some gold. So if things get dangerous, we retreat immediately.”

He glanced at her,

”Stay close to me, okay?”

Feeling his warmth, Grace smiled softly beneath the hood, her eyes filled with determination.

”Yes, Captain!”

The two of them continued walking toward the more intact part of the town, where the Guild building still stood relatively undamaged.

During the entire way, they noticed that the streets were tense.

People whispered about the fighting, the mysterious golden light from last night, and rumors about both nobles.

No one paid much attention to the hooded traveler and the young man beside her.

But Jake remained alert.

With his new Aura Warrior class and Grace’s upgraded abilities, they were stronger than before, but it never hurt to be cautious.

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After a cautious walk through the chaotic streets, Jake and Grace finally arrived at the Guild building.

Strangely, the area around the Golden Scale Merchant Guild was as normal as ever, as if the fighting yesterday hadn’t affected them at all.

Merchants, adventurers, and townsfolk moved in and out like any other day, though the tension in the air was still palpable outside.

Jake narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing how everything around the guild building was strangely intact and clean of any signs of fighting.

Usually, when there was chaos, the first thing people would target would be the merchant guild where there was a lot of wealth...

’They’re either very well protected... or someone important is backing them’ he thought inwardly.

Grace stayed close to his side.

Seeing his doubt, her voice was soft under the hood as she explained.

”The merchant guilds are quite powerful here. The Golden Scale Guild has connections with many noble families and even Great Island Lords. They usually stay neutral during conflicts like this... but they always profit from both sides.”

Hearing this, Jake nodded.

It seemed to be as he expected... but he couldn’t help but ask about the title he had heard for the second time now.

”Grace, what is a Great Island Lord?”

Grace thought for a moment before answering quietly.

”Great Island Lords are the most powerful rulers on the sea, and they control many groups of islands. They’re above normal nobles and different from the mainland nobles like Baron Elden Von and Viscount Victor...”

Seeing Jake’s confused look, Grace touched her chin for a bit before her eyes brightened up and she smiled.

”Well, you can think of them as Sea Nobles. They don’t listen much to the mainland kingdom though, because they’ve already become so powerful. Some of them have their own fleets, armies, and even many powerful Class holders under them. The current Great Island Lord of this area is Lord William, who is known to have countless wealth from governing the seas near the mainland kingdom.”

Jake couldn’t help but feel surprised at the news of these powerful forces, but then he raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but ask.

”If these Great Island Lords are so powerful, why wouldn’t they want to go to the mainland and get more power? I’m sure they aren’t satisfied with just controlling islands on the sea, right?”

He knew full well that human nature was to always want more, especially those with great power.

So he couldn’t help but wonder about this issue.

Grace’s smile turned a bit wry as she answered.

”Actually... it’s the opposite. They are very interested in the mainland. But... they don’t want to bear the responsibility of fighting against the Deep Aberration.”

As someone who was literate and had been taught etiquette and history from a young age, Grace herself was like a smart young lady too.

She knew a bit about these kinds of power struggles.

Grace lowered her voice even more.

”Actually, the mainland kingdom is the last remaining mainland in this world. Over countless centuries, all the other continents have been consumed by the Deep. And the only mainland left is in an endless war with those Deep Aberrations... and humanity was about to lose it many years ago too... until my father arrived.”

Her voice grew softer, filled with a mix of pride and sadness.

”The Dawn Knight... he single-handedly turned the tide at the Final Fortress. His golden light became the symbol of hope for the entire mainland. That’s why the Great Island Lords respect him... but they also fear him and fear getting dragged into the same endless war. If they leave their islands to fight for the mainland, who will protect their people? There are also many threats from the sea. But I heard they still willingly help and supply, but I think they just don’t want to be the one to confront those monsters.”

Grace looked at Jake with a faint, bittersweet smile.

”So they prefer to stay as kings of their own seas rather than become sacrifices for the last mainland. Lord William is the same. He’s very ambitious... but he knows the price.”

Grace then added as if explaining this also helped her piece some puzzles together from rumors she had heard before.

”And the conflict between Baron and Viscount is probably... that the Baron might want to switch sides from obeying the mainland to becoming Lord William’s subordinate. And the mainland kingdom must has sent Viscount Victor to change ownership of this small island... because technically, the sea was still the territory for the mainland kingdom, especially around these regions where it is the closest to the mainland.”

Jake fell silent for a moment, absorbing the heavy weight of this world’s history.

”So that’s why the conflict between Viscount Victor and the Baron is happening on this level... because the real ruler doesn’t want to get involved directly. Maybe even the mainland kingdom might be waiting for Lord William to make a move so they could have a ’reason’ to punish him.”

Grace nodded.

”Yes. That’s why the fighting has been limited so far. If Lord William decides to move... everything will change and might escalate even further, as the mainland kingdom is still quite powerful even excluding my father.”

Jake’s expression turned serious as he processed the information.

The power structure here was far more complicated and dangerous than he had initially thought.

That guy Lord William probably didn’t want to go into direct conflict with the mainland kingdom for a small baron, which was why there didn’t seem to be any intervention from him while the island was currently in conflict.

”Understood. Thanks for explaining.”

He gently placed his hand on her head and smiled.

”Those are quite complicated matters for us two, so let’s leave it to the big bosses to handle it. Let’s head inside first. We’ll get some information and then leave.”

Grace nodded with a smile.

Soon, the two of them walked through the large doors and entered the bustling hall.

The interior was surprisingly lively despite the chaos outside.

Jake led Grace toward the same counter he had visited before.

The beautiful clerk behind the counter also recognized him and smiled professionally.

”Oh, back so soon, sir? What can I do for you today?”

Jake leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.

”Ahem, actually I want to buy some information...”

The clerk’s smile didn’t waver, but her eyes sharpened as she saw Jake’s suspicious behavior.

’Could it be some important and secret information?’ she couldn’t help but think.

Then she leaned forward a little, matching his quiet tone.

After all, the more important the information, the higher the price... and the higher the commission she would get.

”Information, is it? The Guild provides many types of information... for the right price. What exactly are you looking for?” she asked, turning serious as she whispered back.

Jake glanced around to make sure no one was listening too closely, then continued with a serious face.

”What I want to find out is... a birth control methods.”

”...Pardon?”