Inside the cabin corridor.
Outside the mysterious person’s room.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense; it had been so ti since Swan had engaged in such activities. He flexed his muscles, causing a series of crackling sounds like popping beans to emit from his body.
Having perfectly imitated Caroso’s voice, he knocked on the door and promptly climbed onto the ceiling, embedding the claws of his hands and feet into the wooden planks.
Waiting for the mysterious person to open the door.
Swan couldn’t deny his nervousness; the stakes were high. The slightest mistake could not only jeopardize his privateer certificate but also leave a sour note if they ended up detaining the person.
Footsteps were soon heard from inside.
As the bolt slid open, the mysterious person pushed the door ajar, cautiously peeking out with just a slight opening, still wrapped in a cloak and wearing a mask, presumably reminded repeatedly by Caroso and his companion.
Swan, quick on his feet—a compulsory skill from the Thief Guild’s curriculum—had already placed specially formulated sedatives into a wet cloth and tossed it through the crack of the door while simultaneously wedging a note into the smallest gap.
The entire process took less than two seconds, flowing as smoothly as the clouds and water.
Now all he had to do was wait for the sedatives to take effect, and his mission would be accomplished.
"Caroso... Caroso..." the mysterious person whispered outside, almost inaudibly, with the voice of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.
Swan was speechless. Were you casting a spell with that volu?
Seconds passed.
Swan tid it; the sedative should have evaporated by now. Its potency was strong; he tested it on a pirate who was off-duty but sleep-deprived, and the pirate collapsed instantly. This woman should already be unconscious.
At that mont, Swan felt a twinge of pain from the vortex-shaped wound on his chest—a souvenir from Marcus’s Spiral Sword Wind. It hadn’t reached the bone, but the flesh was torn, and it would take so ti to heal completely.
Swan could hardly bear it any longer; his wound seed to split open slightly, likely bleeding again.
Mika had made sure there was more than enough of the sedative, but inhaling too much could be lethal.
"What’s up with this door... Damn door, close already," grumbled the mysterious person, preparing to go back inside, having found no one there.
Swan was unsure. Perhaps this girl really was extraordinary, with a high resistance to drugs. Then he’d have to give her a bit more.
Swan unscrewed the bottle cap, discarded the wet cloth, and poured out a fifth of the liquid directly onto the floor inside the room.
The mysterious person, close to tears, rembered Caroso’s stern warning not to leave the room.
"Please, just close it."
The mysterious person started to inspect the hinges and leaves of the door to see if sothing was stuck, showing no signs of drowsiness, not even a yawn.
Swan was stupefied.
What on earth? Even a cow would be knocked out by now. What was this woman made of?
Swan couldn’t worry about that now. Ti was critical, and if he missed this opportunity, Caroso and Goria would return and stand guard, leaving him no chance.
Swan didn’t need the soaked masks that Mika ntioned; the Thief Guild often worked underwater, requiring escapes through the city’s canals. He was trained and could hold his breath for five to six minutes easily.
Determined, he poured out all of the remaining sedative, intent on knocking her out—even if it ant killing her. If Mika couldn’t revive her, it wouldn’t be a problem to eliminate Caroso, Goria, and their contact. What could anyone do about it?
One thousand two hundred Golden Dragons were enough to live out his days in luxury at Heaven Port. Located deep in the sea, no one’s reach could extend that far. Who would dare kick him off the ship with his own gemstones and the stele in tow?
Swan emptied all the remaining sedatives, going so far as to douse the mysterious person’s clothing, knowing that it would evaporate soon anyway.
"How... I’m so sleepy," murmured the mysterious person, feeling dizzy.
Swan was dumbfounded. Seriously, sister, you can still resist this?
But finally, his efforts were not in vain.
The mysterious person leaned against the wall for support, but ultimately, she folded and collapsed.
"Damn it, I’ve never failed before. You almost ruined it for ," Swan cursed under his breath, agilely landing on the ground without a sound, entering the room, and locking the bolt.
He was still holding his breath.
But he sensed sothing was off. The mysterious person didn’t seem to be knocked out; her breathing was even and steady, not resembling soone who had been anesthetized but more like soone in a deep sleep.
This almost cost him dearly.
Swan cursed under his breath, but fortunately, he had not died, which was good news. He used all the skills he had acquired in his lifeti to carefully lay her on the bed without alarming her.
Ti was limited.
Swan decided to start with the hardest part and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets. After all, people’s appearances were similar; one couldn’t discern identity and status from a face alone. It was essential to find docunts.
Soon, Swan found the place where Caroso and his companion temporarily kept their deeds,
There were more than a dozen letters inside.
Swan skimd through them rapidly.
One of them was a letter from the Count of Londen, instructing that the target must be escorted to Lavender Town and that he had already arranged for a notorious Pirate Gang to rendezvous. He stated that this gang was formidable and was the best option available at the ti. The letter also ntioned that it was imperative to reach Heaven Port by the end of the thirteenth month when a Duke from Lostra would be waiting to et them.
Swan was sowhat shocked. Lostra could be said to be the only country on the Western Continent currently capable of rivaling the Emperor. The thirteenth month’s end? That ant that even upon returning to Heaven Port, they would still have to wait half a month. This was good news; there was plenty of ti to execute his plan.
At that mont, the mysterious person on the bed turned over, and Swan held his breath, vigilant. What kind of creature was this? Fortunately, she did not wake up.
He continued to pore over the docunts.
But he couldn’t find any other clues. They were all Caroso’s personal papers, including a letter from the High Priest of the Holy Spirit Church, reassuring Caroso to proceed with his task, as there would always be a place for him in the Holy Spirit Church.
There were also letters from so of Caroso’s friends. This fellow had a wide network of connections; it seems he had a good reputation if, despite committing such an act, people were still willing to protect him.
Damn it...
These clues weren’t enough.
Swan had no choice but to focus his attention on the mysterious person herself.
He moved silently towards her, his hand slowly approaching the mask on the mysterious person’s face.
Then...
He took it off.
Swan’s mind went blank, and he even lost his professional composure, panting and gasping for breath.
Bang! Bang!
Knocking sounds ca from outside.
"Open the door, it’s , I’m back."
Caroso’s voice rang out.
Swan hurriedly replaced the mask.
The mysterious person woke up drowsily, rubbing her eyes.
"I’m here."
The mysterious person felt sothing odd, as if she had dread sothing just now, but never mind.
She went over to remove the bolt.
Caroso returned first, with Goria looking like she had been put under a spell by Liszt, deep in conversation.
"Didn’t you close your window?"
Caroso asked.
"I was sleeping... uh... I forgot."
The mysterious person yawned, not knowing why she was so sleepy.
anwhile, on the deck.
Fen saw Swan, looking distraught with pale lips, and imdiately sensed sothing wrong.
He quickly walked over to inquire.
"What’s the matter, did sothing unexpected happen?"
Fen was also concerned about the outco.
"No, there was no accident, it all went smoothly. This person... she has no identity, but because of her existence... Black Sail... might not be able to handle it."
Swan took a long breath, regaining his composure. Because of her significant background, Black Sail might not be able to contend with it, not even the big shots at Heaven Port. Therefore, he decided to bypass Liszt first and tell Fen, asking for his opinion.
Even soone like Liszt might choose to give up for safety’s sake, but he and Fen couldn’t afford to. He had to kill Diaz, while Fen aid to destroy the Magic Energy Industrial Committee; they both had greater plans to pursue and absolutely needed to secure this person for Black Sail.
"What kind of existence is she?"
Fen’s eyelids twitched because Swan... never joked.
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