Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 75: Fogus (2)

The next morning.

The three who had secretly returned to Wattsbell scattered as if they had made a pact.

First, Hinshan headed straight to the Imperial Bank where Sylbella was located to call for reinforcements. He couldn’t trust the naval forces in charge of security here, so he planned to discreetly tell Sylbella to prepare the troops and ships stationed at the bank.

Shong made his way to the port where the Soul Bards tavern mentioned by Aldrich was located. He intended to eliminate any signs of his presence using a cloak and a telescope while keeping an eye on the foes. There was a chance that the owner of the devil’s orb might appear, making it a perfect role for Shong.

Finally, Karon entered the bustling area near the port, dressing in expensive clothes and adorning himself with all kinds of jewelry, spending money lavishly. Naturally, secretive gazes began to follow Karon.

Karon was aware of this, but he quietly went about doing what he needed to do in turn.

By the afternoon, he finished a meal at a high-end restaurant serving expensive food. He left almost all the food untouched and entered the city’s nightlife district.

It was still early evening, but people were already noticeably increasing.

Prostitutes mistook Karon for a wealthy young master and openly tempted him. They pressed their chests and lower bodies against him and exhaled into his neck and ear, trying to pull him into their establishments.

Karon pretended to resist as he was led into a dim tavern.

‘Shong, you bastard. Just wait.’

Fine clothes, expensive meals, and jingling gold. Along with the sensations of women and the scent of their makeup that he had never experienced before, Karon trembled, cursing Shong.

Such emotions were unfamiliar.

In fact, all of Karon’s actions were Shong’s ideas. While it was naturally designed to attract flies, Shong had a slight intention to make things difficult for Karon as well.

The predictions were spot on.

Karon felt a surge of anger as the waiting men covered his mouth and draped a black cloth over his face the moment he entered the tavern.

Of course, Karon had already anticipated the ambush.

The thick smell of alcohol and the odor of sweat from the men stimulated his nose, while their rough breathing and hurried footsteps rang in his ears.

Even without seeing it, he could fully imagine the situation.

Karon held his breath and pretended to faint, relaxing his body.

“Oh! What a windfall today!”

“Wow, how much is all this?”

“Why did we only see such a fool now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A young master from another city was wandering around cluelessly.”

As Karon slumped, the men began to strip him of all the gold adorning his body, checking him all over.

“This is practically top quality!”

“Plus, he’s young. We can get a good price for him.”

“Let’s hurry up and take him. Wasn’t the departure tonight?”

“Right. The boss will be very pleased. We’ve done well!”

The men tied Karon’s hands and feet, then carried him out through the tavern’s back door.

There, a carriage without a single window was waiting.

They tossed Karon into the carriage and quickly drove off, escaping the nightlife district.

* * *

At the same time.

Shong was leaning against a lighthouse, braving the cold sea breeze.

It was fortunate he had a cloak; otherwise, he might have caught a bad cold.

“Ah, maybe I should have just become the bait.”

Shong briefly regretted his decision but soon shook his head vigorously.

“No, that’s not it. I’m still young. I can’t die so easily.”

Acting as bait recklessly could lead to serious consequences at any moment.

Shong wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, imagining his organs being extracted.

“Hm?”

At that moment, a carriage stopped in a hidden lot behind the Soul Bards.

“Let’s see… how many have gone already?”

Shong watched their movements through the telescope.

A young woman bound hand and foot was being dragged out of the carriage.

She looked quite young and was filled with fear.

“Those ruthless bastards.”

Four people had already been kidnapped and dragged in today alone.

Who would have thought such terrifying things were happening behind the vibrant city?

All of this was thanks to the naval forces stationed here keeping things under wraps.

He wanted to storm in right away, but he had to be patient to catch the big fish.

If he acted rashly, they would surely escape without a trace.

As time passed, the sun was slowly sinking into the sea.

Just as the visibility began to dim, the last carriage quickly entered behind the tavern.

Shong raised the telescope hastily.

For some reason, he felt that Karon was in this carriage.

“Just as I thought.”

As he predicted, Karon was pulled out from the carriage.

Though his hands and feet were bound, the black cloth had been removed.

His expression seemed as indifferent as usual.

“Tsk, at least pretend to be a bit scared.”

Shong clicked his tongue, murmuring.

Even though his comrade had been kidnapped, Karon showed no signs of agitation.

He knew that Karon could escape anytime if things got dangerous.

Now, the only question remained: where would they take the kidnapped people?

It was obvious they would move by ship, so Hinshan had already prepared one.

Now Shong’s task was to blink the lighthouse’s light when the people were loaded onto the ship.

That was the signal for Hinshan and the Imperial forces to come with the ship.

As the deep night set in, the lights began to go out one by one, while the lighthouse’s light was turning diligently.

“Ah, it’s cold.”

As night fell, the wind grew colder.

Here’s the English translation of the text you provided:

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Shong wrapped his cloak tightly around himself, barely managing to withstand the sea breeze.

His face and ears felt the chill that was unavoidable.

His gaze was still fixed on the Soul Bards tavern.

The tavern was brightly lit late into the night, and the sounds of raucous laughter seemed to carry all the way to the lighthouse.

“They’re having a blast. A real party.”

Shong muttered with a voice laced with dissatisfaction.

Just who was to blame for all this trouble?

With nothing much to do, he seriously considered whether there were more advantages or disadvantages to hanging out with Karon.

Just as he concluded that there were indeed more positives after a tense deliberation, the lights in the tavern went out.

“Looks like they’re starting to move.”

As Shong expected, a moment later, the back door of the tavern opened, letting a sliver of light escape.

Then, he could faintly see people being led out in a line.

Peering through the telescope, he noticed that some men disguised as naval guards were pulling people toward a dock connected to the back lot and loading them onto a ship.

Once around ten people boarded, lights began to appear one by one on the ship.

Soon, the ship quietly started to leave the dock.

Following it, the naval guards trailed behind.

“Finally, we’re getting out of here.”

Shong quickly began to flicker the lighthouse’s light.

Using a magic orb for illumination, he repeatedly covered and uncovered it with dark cloth.

As a result, a faint light emerged from the dark dock.

It was the ship where Hinshan and Sylbella were waiting.

Shong swiftly descended from the lighthouse and began running toward the spot where the light had appeared.

* * *

Once aboard the ship, Karon was immediately moved underground.

The air was stagnant, filled with all kinds of foul odors, and apart from the light seeping in from the entrance, darkness surrounded him.

The captives were all locked in a cage, which was quite spacious and capable of holding many people.

The myriad of smells hinted at how many people had passed through this place.

The sound of waves crashing mixed with the weeping of the captives, creating a mournful atmosphere.

After everyone was locked up, two men came down with lanterns to take their posts below.

It seemed they were assigned to keep watch over the captives.

In their hands were bottles of alcohol and dried fish.

“Damn it! Another stinking hole.”

“Exactly. You should bet wisely.”

“Hell, I don’t think that’s your place to talk.”

“Let’s just drink.”

The two continued to grumble while exchanging drinks, and before long, they began to slur their words.

“Drink moderately. We’ll have to party all night at headquarters.”

“Come on. What’s fun about a deserted island?”

“Right. Just charm the women you’ve captured. Don’t try to force it.”

“Damn it.”

Perhaps due to the alcohol, they started to become more loose-lipped without realizing it.

‘Headquarters? Deserted island? Looks like they’ve set up base on a deserted island. So, they still haven’t figured out who the Fogus bastards are.’

From the moment he was captured until now, Karon had never lost consciousness or fallen asleep.

He had been eavesdropping on everything the Fogus members said.

In the process, he had gathered quite a bit of information, with the most crucial detail being about the leader of Fogus.

Putting the pieces together, he deduced that he was a male in his fifties, with long black hair and an eye patch covering one eye.

If he hadn’t obtained this information, he would have likely missed the chance to identify the leader entirely.

Crash—

Before long, the ship shook violently. They had apparently entered a rather large body of water.

“Hehe… let’s see what happens.”

“You crazy fool. Can’t you ever fix that habit?”

At that moment, one of the Fogus members downed his last drink and wiped his mouth, approaching the cage.

“Be careful. We’ll be passing through a whirlpool soon.”

“I know. Hehe…”

Karon subtly closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

The man, reeking of alcohol and sweat, glanced around at the captives.

When he spotted a young woman, he immediately opened the cage door and stepped inside.

“Hehe… since I’m dying anyway, let’s have a bit of fun.”

The man loosened his pants and staggered towards her.

“Please, don’t kill me. Please…”

Instinctively sensing the impending danger, the woman trembled in fear, murmuring in a small voice.

She had keenly felt that shouting would only bring violence.

Karon, who was crouched beside her, waited for the right moment.

He heightened his senses to accurately gauge the rhythm of the waves, the ship’s rocking, and the objects around him.

Step.

Just as the man reached Karon’s feet, a strong wave crashed over the ship, causing it to rock violently and disrupting the man’s balance.

At that moment, Karon stealthily positioned his foot where the man was about to step.

“Whoa!”

The man stepped on Karon’s foot and lost his footing, falling backward, where a broken plank lay precariously.

Of course, Karon had calculated the angle of the fall.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The plank pierced through the man’s neck, killing him instantly.

It was a truly absurd and meaningless death.

“Damn it! Seriously! I told you to just stay still… this crazy fool!”

Another man grumbled as he entered the cage.

Realizing the situation’s severity, he quickly rushed outside to call for help from his comrades.

Moments later, the dead man was dragged out, blood spilling everywhere, and the cage returned to an eerie silence as if nothing had happened.

However, the young woman’s gaze was fixed on Karon.

He looked as though he was curled up and asleep, but she had definitely seen it.

She noticed him subtly extending his foot when the man was about to lose his balance.

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