Chang Long's group decided to use a teleportation scroll to return to the city. They did not want to waste time walking back, as the distance from their current location was quite far. More importantly, they had new destinations to reach. Zhang Yijie waved goodbye to everyone with a happy face. He had enjoyed another adventurous journey after had not done so in a long time and discovered numerous new herbs in those caves. Unfortunately, he could not travel to other cities because of his duties as an NPC that provides profession skills. Otherwise, he would have liked to follow Chang Long as well.

"This city has a port too, but it's a longer detour compared to boarding a ship at Suvarn City!"

Kimhant said as he examined the map of the city he had just bought from a shop.

"Traveling back to Suvarn City takes as long as boarding a ship here!"

Peach Blossom complained.

"That's true. Let's rent a ship from the Maritime Association instead. It's more expensive but faster than the system ships, and they can also take us off the main sea routes,"

Aden suggested.

"I think the same. What do you guys think?"

Siegfried turned to ask the group for their opinion. No one objected. The ships from the Maritime Association not only traveled faster than the system ships but also provided the fun of hunting sea monsters.

"Then let's stock up on supplies and crystals. You know, traveling by the Maritime Association's ship requires constant physical effort!"

Lidded Wet Trash Can suggested. They all headed to the system shop, avoiding the crowded routes and the city's central market due to past conflicts they had with a major guild in Longshan City.

Once they had bought everything they needed, they headed to the port on the west side of the city. Chang Long had three more water bottles and two large storage boxes. She kept one box for herself and gave the other to Kitsune. Peach Blossom was forbidden by her brother to buy jewelry because she took forever to choose, leaving her pouting as she gave her brother silent treatment.

The port area in Longshan City was bustling with players, especially those from the Dark Horse Guild. They seemed to be looking for something, their faces serious and intense. Near the system's docking area, Chang Long saw her old friends talking seriously with some new acquaintances.

"That's Merlin's Top Protege,"

Chang Long muttered to herself. The old friend she referred to was Merlin's Top Protege, while the new acquaintance was the leader of the first combat unit of the Dark Horse Guild, Ma.

"What do we do? They're everywhere,"

Kimhant asked anxiously. Chang Long's group hid to assess the situation.

"They're not looking for us, right!"

Oliang joked, though his face was tense.

"Probably not. They're checking dark, narrow corners in each port,"

Valentine observed the other Dark Horse Guild players.

"What are they looking for in those corners? This guild is nuts,"

Draco complained, baffled.

"Ignore them. Since it doesn't concern us, let's go before they notice us,"

Chang Long decided, leading everyone to the docking area rented by the Maritime Association in Longshan City.

"Chang Long!"

Oliang called out, but it was too late. Chang Long walked briskly, followed closely by Kitsune and Kimhant. Hulu went into the bracelet temporarily, and so did Firetail, sealed by Draco to avoid having its striking appearance attract attention and problems for its owner, especially since the owner was being hunted by a major guild.

"She's got some serious confidence!"

Jane and Hero exclaimed simultaneously. They followed Chang Long excitedly while the others shook their heads and hurried after them, fearing they would be caught if they delayed.

When everyone caught up to Chang Long, they found her chatting familiarly with two Maritime Association players. They joined in, and Siegfried immediately whispered to Kimhant, curious about Chang Long's familiarity with the two Maritime Association members.

"Ah, those two are the captain and vice-captain of the Bloodied Angel, the ship we took to Aseana Island. It's lucky we ran into them here. They're very nice people,"

Kimhant replied with a cheerful smile.

"So, they're acquaintances of Master Chang!"

Peach Blossom exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling reassured that the two were not her love rivals.

"We should ask them if they know what the Dark Horse Guild is searching for,"

Wet Trash Can suggested.

"Right, let's go say hello to them!"

Jane ran toward Chang Long with sparkling eyes, having checked her appearance and outfit in a mirror. The ship's captain was not bad-looking at all.

"Are those your friends, Chang Long?"

The handsome captain named Columbus asked when he saw the group approaching where he was talking with Chang Long.

"Uh-huh, they're my friends,"

Chang Long answered as she saw Siegfried leading the group toward them.

"Hello, you must be the ship's captain,"

Siegfried greeted politely.

"Hello. Yes, I'm the captain of the Bloodied Angel. My name is Columbus, and this is my vice-captain, Sea Breeze,"

the captain greeted warmly and introduced himself and his vice-captain to Chang Long's friends.

"Uh... Captain Columbus, do you know what the Dark Horse Guild is searching for?"

Draco asked.

"No idea. They've been tight-lipped about it. They arrived and started searching every nook and cranny of the port. No clue what they're looking for,"

Captain Columbus replied, sounding as curious as they were.

"We'll find out when Kitsune gets back. For now, let's board the ship and settle the rental price,"

Chang Long remained uninterested in the Dark Horse Guild's activities, as usual. Everyone, knowing her well, followed her to the Bloodied Angel, not far from where they were talking.

"Europa Island? That's far, and quite a detour from here!"

Sea Breeze, the vice-captain, asked for details about their destination to estimate the rental price. He widened his eyes in surprise upon learning their destination.

"Why choose to board here instead of heading back to Suvarn City? The rental is much cheaper there, and you wouldn't have to take such a roundabout route."

"We didn't feel like walking back and forth. By the way, can you take us to the satellite islands around Europa Island? I don't think there's a port there!"

Chang Long responded after addressing the vice-captain's question.

"It's possible, but the price will increase, and if you want us to wait for you to return, the price will go up further depending on the distance and waiting time,"

Sea Breeze replied.

"Wow, that's expensive!!" Chang Long's group exclaimed almost in unison upon hearing Sea Breeze's response.

 "Hehe, it's the association's rules. But if you're going to the satellite islands, there aren't many options because there are no system ships going there, and there's no port either. Most players take a system ship to the main island, then rent one of our association's ships. It's cheaper that way,"

Sea Breeze explained with a forced smile to Chang Long's friends.

"We don't have many choices since we're enemies with the Dark Horse Guild. If they find us, we won't be going anywhere!"

Draco scratched his head, feeling the difficulty of their situation.

"Enemies? What did you do to make them so angry?"

Sea Breeze asked with interest.

"Just a little... They're bullies, and it's rare for anyone not to have issues with them!"

Draco evaded the truth, fearing Sea Breeze would learn about their rampage that resulted in over two hundred Dark Horse Guild members' deaths, causing the guild to hold a grudge against them.

"Alright, based on the distance, the rental price is... one million five hundred thousand coins. This doesn't include the distance to the satellite islands,"

Sea Breeze calculated, leaving Chang Long's friends stunned. The exorbitant rental price felt like daylight robbery. Jane and Hero even pulled out their wallets and credit cards to check their balances.

"That's outrageous!"

Wet Trash Can exclaimed, calculating how much money they would have left after splitting the cost among all of them.

"Well, you wanted to take a roundabout route,"

Sea Breeze retorted. Chang Long remained unconcerned, as she had plenty of money in her account and a hoard of treasures in her house storage, none of which she had sold yet.

While the others were coming to terms with the high travel cost, Kitsune, in his pre-evolution little fox form, was eavesdropping on a conversation between Merlin's Top Protege and Ma, the leader of the Dark Horse Guild's first combat unit. Despite his excellent hearing, the constant noise of the port forced him to move closer to hear clearly.

"Is that guy really missing, Ma?"

Merlin's Top Protege asked seriously.

"Yes, even though we just got a lead on him yesterday. Someone might have beaten us to him and completed the quest already!"

Ma replied angrily. It seemed like nothing was going his way lately, with the mysterious players who defeated over two hundred of them and the secret investigation in the port.

"Just completing a quest shouldn't make him disappear,"

Rose observed.

"Unless..."

Boron trailed off, frustrating everyone who was listening intently.

"Unless someone had already completed his quest and obtained the treasure map of one of the 7 Pirate Kings!"

Lost Martial Artist finished Boron's sentence. Ma's eyes widened in shock because the guild leader had his sights set on the map from the man they were searching for, the quest giver.

"That's bad. If the guild leader finds out someone beat us to it, I'm dead!"

Ma spoke with a tense voice.

"Who would have thought that the drunken old man lazing around the port was the one giving out the treasure map quest? The game hinted he'd be more suspicious,"

Merlin's Top Protege felt a headache coming on thinking about it.

"If we really can't find the quest giver, what will you do, Ma?"

Rose asked, her eyes scanning the area.

"We'll have to find whoever got the map and force them to give it to us!"

Ma's voice turned grim, already planning retribution for whoever that person might be.

"A... A... Achoo!"

A loud sneeze echoed from behind Kitsune, startling him as he was intently listening to the conversation of the group nearly three meters away. His head banged against the bottom of the rowboat he was using as a hiding spot with a loud thud.

Ma's group turned sharply toward the sound and quickly walked over to the overturned rowboat on the post with rope tied to the dock's post. They lifted the boat to find the source of the sneeze and the banging noise earlier, wary that someone might be eavesdropping on their secrets.

"Hey there, guys. Sorry if my sneeze disturbed you. I shouldn't have taken a nap here; it's freezing!"

A young man greeted Ma's group in a drowsy, drunken tone. Several empty bottles, reeking of alcohol, lay beside him.

"You didn't hear what we were talking about, did you!"

Merlin's Top Protege whispered sharply.

"Huh? What were you talking about? I just woke up when I sneezed and hit my head on the boat!"

The young man answered, picking up an empty bottle and peering into it, hoping for a drop of liquor, only to be disappointed.

"Yikes, this guy is filthy. Let's not bother with him, Ma!"

Rose expressed her disgust openly.

"Hmph, if you didn't hear anything, that's fine. Let's go. We need to find that drunken old man,"

Ma assessed the drunkard for a moment before leading Merlin's Top Protege and his companions away.

The young man stood up and stretched. He put on a cowboy-style leather hat and watched Ma's group walk away with a mocking smile. He grabbed his backpack and headed into the city. In reality, he was not asleep or drunk. The bottles belonged to the old man who gave him the quest. After handing over an old parchment, the old man told him to keep it and said he had completed the quest before disappearing right before his eyes.

While still dazed, the Dark Horse Guild players swarmed the port, searching every nook and cranny, forcing him to hide in the old man's sleeping spot and eavesdrop on their conversation. Then an orange-golden fox appeared, watching Merlin's Top Protege's group intently, seemingly understanding their conversation, oblivious to him pretending to sleep nearby.

The young man sneezed when Kitsune's fluffy tail brushed against his nose, startling him into hitting his head on the boat loudly before darting away, leaving him to face the situation alone. He played his role so well that Merlin's Top Protege's group lost interest in him quickly. Now, it was time for him to follow the old drunkard's clue.

"Only the true heir can read it. I need to find an item with the same symbol as on the map to unlock it. Oops! I forgot I'm still in their territory. This symbol, I'll have to start my search in Persia,"

the young man muttered with a cheerful smile, his drunken demeanor gone. He walked out of the port calmly, but when he saw a wandering martial artist approaching, he quickly took off.

-----

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