Chapter 561, They Have No Money
"Wu Heng? Isn't that the island lord's name?"
"His appearance matches too. It must be him."
"Is he writing his own story?"
The sudden chatter among the drinkers interrupted the bard's storytelling.
The bard on stage merely smiled as he listened to the crowd's discussions, quite satisfied with their surprised reactions.
He had the same reaction when he first read this part of the story.
"Shut up, all of you!" someone stood up and shouted, then turned to the stage. "Keep going. I want to hear what kind of story this newspaper is telling."
The drinkers gradually quieted down, waiting for the next part of the tale.
The bard took another sip of water and continued his narration.
In the story, Watson and Wu Heng ended up renting a place together on Baker Street, and through Watson's perspective, the story showcased Wu Heng's personality traits.
He was silent, lived with strict routines, often spent entire days in the dissection room or laboratory, and had a deep interest in various fields of knowledge.
...…
"This story must be set in his early days, before he changed professions!"
"If he was so obsessed with dissecting corpses back then, he probably originally intended to be a coroner."
"Some conservative families always push their children toward desk jobs."
"Still, being a necromancer suits him too. It's rare to see someone so young become an island lord."
As the story continued, the crowd whispered among themselves.
...…
The bard kept narrating. In a conversation between the two, the Wu Heng in the book mentioned that he was a detective.
And when Watson questioned him, he effortlessly deduced that the messenger had previously served as a light infantryman in the kingdom.
The audience below furrowed their brows.
The term "detective" was unfamiliar, but after hearing the dialogue, they understood its meaning.
It was a profession similar to an investigator who solved cases.
Just a moment ago, they thought he was aiming to be a coroner.
Now, it seemed like his intended profession was an investigator.
...…
The story continued.
Watson found it hard to believe that someone could deduce another person's background just by glancing at them.
Then, a thought flashed through Watson's mind—perhaps the entire situation had been prearranged to dazzle him.
Watson doubted Wu Heng's deduction.
Wu Heng, however, simply smiled and explained—The messenger's hands were calloused, and there was a tattoo of a sword and flag on his wrist. His mannerisms carried the air of an infantryman, and his speech and upright posture convinced him that he had served in the military. The insignia on his hand confirmed he was from the light infantry.
The drinkers raised their eyebrows slightly.
"So that's how it is."
"Impressive…!"
Even though they knew this was just a fictional setup in the story and not necessarily how things actually happened—
The deduction itself was sound and well-supported.
Especially in a world where criminal investigations were usually crude, using physical traits, posture, and tone to infer someone's background—
That was already remarkable.
Watson couldn't help but be impressed, while Wu Heng casually tossed the letter in front of him.
Watson picked up the letter and read: A murder had taken place on Lauriston Gardens Street, and Wu Heng was invited to investigate.
...…
At this point—
The bard stopped speaking and took another sip of tea.
The audience fell silent, waiting.
As time passed and the bard still didn't continue, someone shouted, "Keep going! You've been slurping that drink forever."
"Yeah, are you a damn turtle? Why are you drinking so slow?"
The bard took another sip and said, "That's the end of it. The story only goes this far. There's just one last note—it will continue in the next issue, meaning you'll have to wait for the next newspaper for the rest."
"Damn, it's serialized?"
"So we sat through all that nonsense, just to finally reach a case, and then it stops?"
"What kind of crap newspaper stops at this point?"
The crowd cursed, venting their frustration.
Ending the story here left an uncomfortable sense of incompleteness.
If they weren't on the island, they would have been tempted to go outside and curse the island lord.
If they weren't going to publish the whole thing, they shouldn't have released it in pieces like this.
After a wave of complaints and grumbling—
The crowd gradually calmed down, resuming their drinks and meals, while still discussing the story.
"Wu Heng has such keen observation skills—becoming a mage suits him well."
"Last time, when the pirate gangs attacked Gold-Silver Island, he predicted it in advance. Otherwise, even with Imiro on the island, they wouldn't have been able to stop that many pirates."
"Why do you think he put this story in the newspaper?"
"Maybe he wants people to know more about him? A lot of people on the island still question his profession."
"He used to love dissecting corpses and beating them with sticks. No matter how you look at it, that's pretty twisted."
"All necromancers are like that…"
...…
On the second floor of the tavern—
A window facing the hall was open, and a pair of eyes peered down.
Macintosh took a sip of wine.
She was surprised that Wu Heng had published his own story in the newspaper—
And in such detail.
Of course, some parts of the story were questionable.
If he could really deduce a person's profession and intentions with a single glance, Wu Heng wouldn't have needed to go to the Old Barrel Tavern to buy intelligence.
And now, he had even hired her to continue gathering information for him on the island.
Knock, knock~!
There was a knock at the door, and a burly man walked in.
"Boss, I got the newspaper. Cost 65 copper." He handed the newspaper over.
Macintosh took it and carefully read through it from the beginning.
Her subordinate commented, "Damn, he's really full of himself—he put his own story in print."
Macintosh chuckled. "Come on, he climbed from a regular member to island lord in just a year. Anyone would get a little full of themselves."
"True! Good thing we listened to you and didn't cross him."
Macintosh didn't reply, her eyes still on the newspaper.
The story itself wasn't particularly special.
But she knew Wu Heng wasn't the type to be so flashy—he even disguised himself when going out. So why suddenly publish a story like this?
And it would continue as a serialized feature…
What was the purpose?
Macintosh didn't believe that someone who had secured the position of island lord would publicize his own past just out of vanity.
Heroic Branding?
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
She had just reached level 15 and was preparing for her own heroic branding.
And Wu Heng's actions—
The only reason she could think of was heroic branding.
"Boss, I spoke with the fleet. We can leave this afternoon." Another subordinate entered the room.
Macintosh placed the newspaper on the table.
"Tell them we're not leaving. We'll stay a few more days."
The subordinate was stunned but immediately nodded. "Got it."
With that, he turned and left.
Macintosh's gaze returned to the scene below as she tucked the newspaper into her spatial ring.
...…
Guild, Steward's Study.
Shiyali pushed open the door and handed the newspaper to Sheila Grey. "Take a look at this—someone was selling it on the street. They call it a newspaper."
Sheila Grey took it and glanced at the title—'Gold-Silver Express.'
It was probably the newspaper Wu Heng had mentioned to her earlier.
"So he actually made it happen."
Shiyali brewed tea as she said, "Look at the story. Does it match his real past? Was he always this good?"
Sheila Grey read further, frowning.
"I don't know. But he did come from the Ekow Kingdom, and he only got his profession scroll last year. Why publish this story?"
Shiyali turned to her, smirking. "I think you're out of his league now."
...…
Island Lord's Manor.
Wu Heng checked his reputation—it had increased by a few hundred points.
Glenda was the first to return. "Not many people bought the newspaper. I think we should send some to the guild and city hall. Get them to buy a few copies first."
As she spoke, Xiaoxiao also flew back.
"Uncle, they said only fools spend money on newspapers!"
"Xiaoxiao, be more tactful. Your uncle has a weak heart."
"They don't have money…"