Fingertips tapping smoothly, the soft, tender flesh of palms, warm breath lingering beside the ear.  

Li Site was thoroughly comfortable; this finger technique was quite refined.  

Morrison was a restless soul. After finishing his tea, he paced back and forth in the room, turning into a bundle of pressure.  

Li Site’s good mood completely vanished—there was indeed an important matter to deal with later.  

“Oh, right, I brought a bottle of wine.”  

Li Site nearly forgot to give a gift. He handed over a bottle of rum, purchased at great cost for two copper coins, to the Count’s son.  

The Count’s son took it and examined it carefully. He had never encountered this kind of wine before. To him, it was a rare novelty, likely a costly specialty from Heaven’s Port.  

“Since you’ve come, no need for gifts.”  

The Count’s son was polite and instructed the servant to bring the wine to the table during the banquet.  

“What exactly is this job? Your estate should have plenty of retainers—this is the time to put them to use. Why do you insist on finding us instead?”  

Li Site probed cautiously.  

“The estate indeed has many retainers, mostly warriors. But they have to be experts familiar with the East Sea region to handle this well.”  

The Count’s son glanced at the wall clock; time was nearly up.  

Li Site raised his eyebrows—his guess was nearly spot on.  

At that moment, the tea room door was knocked twice with a crisp, slow sound. With the Count’s son’s approval, a middle-aged butler dressed elegantly in a tailcoat entered, hands clasped behind his back.  

He bowed to the Count’s son and said,  

“Young master, the banquet is ready. The master, madam, and the eldest miss have already taken their seats. If convenient, I will now lead the honored guests to the main hall.”  

The butler spoke with utmost respect.  

The Count’s son was more than eager.  

“Here we go again, finally a good meal to enjoy.”  

Morrison dropped an explosive comment that completely ruined the atmosphere.  

“Turning the stomach” meant that after too long without good food, suddenly indulging in a rich, greasy feast could upset the stomach and cause illness.  

“Please.”  

The middle-aged butler forced a smile, not expecting this group of pirates to understand proper etiquette.  

The tea room was in an annex building. To reach the main dining hall in the main building, one had to cross an arched bridge connecting the upper floors.  

Leaving the tea room, through a bright corridor, they walked to the skybridge connecting the buildings. The sea breeze was cold and refreshing. Standing on the skybridge dozens of meters above the ground, the view of Linden City was completely different—almost the entire cityscape was within sight.  

The three of them stopped on the skybridge.  

The butler and the Count’s son were also quite tactful and waited, knowing this estate was in one of Linden City’s top districts, a rare sight for them.  

“Didn’t expect Linden City to have such a side.”  

Li Site leaned on the railing, clicking his tongue in amazement. Over the past few years, he had visited Linden City many times, but always in Secret Port, the slums, or chaotic marketplaces—muddy, disorderly places. Only from this height could one truly appreciate the splendid and grand array of densely packed buildings in the Eastern Coast’s major port.  

If not taking sides, the several ice-free ports on the East Coast were a pity to be ruled by the current brainless king of the Beima Principality. If the Emperor had built it directly, it could look like a beautiful illustration. The land prices here could easily be ten times or even nine times higher.  

“If not wanted by the law, I could set up an agency here, help adventurers level up, and work as a bounty hunter hunting pirates in return.”  

Before boarding the ship, Morrison’s bounty case was a common homicide in the legal department. He hadn’t provoked the government or powerful forces. Ox said his background was clean; being killed by bounty hunters was no big deal. After all, the Beima Principality was plagued by bandits. The legal system was paralyzed, and most officers tasked with capturing fugitives were ghost soldiers on paper, collecting salaries without actually existing. Now the legal department was just a platform where rival factions pooled money to hire bounty hunters for local security. The royal influence was being eroded by the brainless king.  

“When I was at the Arcane Academy in Pedan Kingdom…”  

Fen hadn’t finished speaking.  

“Stop, let’s go.”  

Li Site had no interest in hearing Fen boast again. Every day it was the Western Continent’s Oxford—like only he had traveled, seen, or eaten. The rest of the guys were just country bumpkins.  

Besides, Li Site almost lost it. Only he leaned on the railing, able to see the edge below the skybridge.  

He had no idea where Sven learned his skills.  

If Li Site weren’t mentally strong, he would have been scared stiff. Sven was hanging upside down under the skybridge, defying gravity with incredible finger strength, showing only his head. He even used one hand to give Li Site a “no problem” gesture, not afraid of falling tens of meters to his death.  

Li Site relaxed and let Sven scout ahead to check for ambushes. Better to be cautious. It was indeed a serious matter seeking him out.  

After crossing the skybridge, Sven nimbly flipped back onto it and followed quietly behind without making a sound.  

Five minutes later.  

Main hall.  

The room was exceptionally spacious. Three crystal chandeliers hung down, casting soft lighting. Facing them was a long dining table made of precious stone with a wood grain pattern in wabi-sabi style. Floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows almost hollowed out an entire exterior wall, with sea breezes gently swaying the sheer curtains.  

The top interior designer had to master the use of light and shadow—the only focused lights were the three chandeliers illuminating the dining table, while the natural light from the night sky came through the windows.  

Exquisite chairs made of premium golden nanmu wood with carved hoof legs were arranged, each with snow fox fur cushions popular among nobles.  

“Welcome all to my humble home. If the reception is lacking, please forgive me.”  

The Count greeted the three as they entered, speaking politely.  

He sat at the head of the table in comfortable casual clothes, not dressed up specially at home. His wife sat beside him—young to an absurd degree. To the right sat the Count’s eldest daughter, then the Count’s son took his seat, followed by a stern-faced confidant.  

“This is humble? My ship’s abyss has ninety-nine levels.”  

On the Western Continent, “ninety-nine-level abyss” was equivalent to Li Site’s hometown saying “eighteen levels of hell.”  

Li Site and company sat on the left side, not paying much attention to seating order. For convenience, Li Site sat closest to the Count.  

Noble seating was very particular; status could be seen from position. Morrison twitched his eyelid. The Count looked to be in his fifties, with white hair at the temples. His wife was younger than their daughter, stunningly beautiful, neck as white as snow exposed, wearing a low-cut evening dress with a crystal necklace resting on her chest. Who could resist that? It was a textbook example of a stepmother novel.  

“The captain’s reputation is well-known. These two must be the famed—” The Count chose his words carefully because pirate nicknames were usually vulgar, often taken from the worst words to be popular and easy to spread. They were generally crude. It was safer to use official titles. “First mate and Gunnery Master.”  

Because Black Sails was extremely arrogant, they were already on the East Coast governor’s blacklist. Their bounty notices clearly stated their positions and weapon specialties, essentially giving bounty hunters free strategies. Weaknesses were exposed. Go kill them quickly.  

“Overpraise. We’re just a bunch of refugees at sea trying to get by, all bad reputation.”  

Li Site began chatting casually with the Count, diverting from the main topic.  

After some polite conversation,  

The Count started introducing his family and a confidant.  

Just as he introduced the confidant,  

“I don’t know what skills you pirates have to be favored by the Count.”  

The confidant suddenly challenged them.