"Ms. Kal'tsit, was your journey through Iberia pleasant? You look quite well, and your attire today is absolutely beautiful."
Before the person arrived, his voice preceded him. As Goki and his group reached the smuggler's camp, a short, stout man in a white robe approached Kal'tsit.
"I presume these two are the guests you mentioned when we last spoke, Ms. Kal'tsit. Truly... distinguished and clearly extraordinary at a glance."
He's quite the talker.
Although Goki knew this was polite flattery, having been treated with suspicion as an outsider since Yharnam, and then dismissed as a 'land monkey' by Gladiia, he hadn't heard anyone praise him in years. He immediately took a few extra glances at this 'snakehead'.
This slightly unkempt middle-aged man had short black hair, but a few brownish-grey feathers at the tips, clearly indicating he was a Liberi.
His face, covered in a messy stubble, wore a fawning smile. He rubbed his large, dark, rough hands, tanned from years of sun exposure, constantly flattering Kal'tsit and the two people of indiscernible race beside her.
"Alright, Alfonso, spare me the boring pleasantries. This is the agreed-upon payment, the other half will be delivered at our destination. Arrange things quickly; we need to leave during the next available passage."
Facing the Liberi's flattery, Kal'tsit's expression remained unchanged. On this land, she had seen countless people like him, operating in the grey areas, where a smile was no different from a knife.
"Count it."
From within her black travel robe, Kal'tsit pulled out a thick wad of golden banknotes. Shielding their reflection with her hand, she handed them to the man she called Alfonso.
These were Columbia Gold Notes, currency issued by Columbia. Although Lungmen currency was more widely circulated across the continent, apart from the most common bartering, Columbia Gold Notes were most effective in the west.
After all, everyone knew that Sargon was Columbia's backyard, and the Pasha and King Chief were not Columbia's lackeys.
"No, no, your credit is well-known, Ms. Kal'tsit. I'll arrange your journey immediately. Guardians patrols have become quite frequent. The next window is in an hour; you can rest for a bit."
The snakehead, Alfonso, chuckled awkwardly, immediately pocketing the Columbia Gold Notes Kal'tsit gave him. He then lowered his head, leaned close to Kal'tsit, pointed twice towards the inside of the camp, and lowered his voice.
"I know you have many valuable instruments. You can wait until it's time to leave and drive directly with our convoy. Right now, there are too many eyes here... someone might get greedy."
Inside the camp, there were several groups of people sitting around bonfires.
Goki and Skadi looked over. Little Orca was naturally just watching the commotion, but Goki could recognize many people in the camp.
Many of them were Liberi; they weren't refugees, but rather well-dressed and seemingly wealthy, accompanied by several bodyguards.
Clearly, these were native Iberians, the kind who wanted to escape this closed country but wished to take many things that the Iberian authorities wouldn't allow.
The other groups, however, looked more like those who lived on the fringes.
Goki saw a mercenary squad composed of tall, burly Sarkaz, bearing greatswords and staves, with curved horns on their heads.
They were wanderers of the land, cursed people without a country, and a naturally powerful mercenary race. Ninety-nine percent of them were Infected, and largely ostracized by most races and nations, forced to band together for survival.
The composition of other teams was much more complex—Liberi birds, Kuranta horses, Bovine cattle, and Fidia snakes—all showing various racial characteristics.
These people looked like a disorganized mob, with no uniform attire. Most of them were hiding in a few broken-down vehicles, warily looking at everyone present.
However, there was another squad that also piqued Goki's interest.
They wore matching black tactical uniforms, with thick bulletproof plates tucked inside their tactical vests, several grenades at their waists, helmets on their heads, tactical masks covering their faces, and uniformly carried crossbows, short-barreled guns, and standard weapons.
Some even held large firearms. Of course, those soldiers also had a halo above their heads—only Sankta from Laterano had the right to use large firearm weapons.
Compared to the surrounding mercenary teams, whose clothes were somewhat tattered and equipment varied, these people were clearly well-trained, standing out like a crane among chickens. Goki immediately felt a modern aura—their equipment was no different from that of special forces on Earth.
"Those Sarkaz are old clients; they frequently travel between the two countries. The other mercenary group is from Sargon, their first time here—they're professional mercenaries; I didn't dare ask, they came directly to me. Only large Columbia corporations have the power to maintain such a force. You know, these people could crush me with a single finger, so why would they need to find me?"
Lowering his voice, the snakehead introduced the current factions in the camp to the three, hoping to send these important figures on their way quickly.
"Do what you need to do. I'll be careful—let's go, find a place to wait."
Kal'tsit's expression remained unchanged as she beckoned to Goki and Skadi.
At that moment, Skadi suddenly raised her hand and spoke bluntly.
"I need to use the restroom. Where is it?"
In the past few days, Skadi had quickly learned Iberian under Kal'tsit's tutelage, which was also usable in Sargon.
"Ha—it's over there, there's a toilet, flush it yourself."
The snakehead, Alfonso, twitched his lips, looking at the white-haired bounty hunter carrying a greatsword. He seemed surprised by the contrast between this cute girl and her direct statement, finally pointing towards the inside of the camp.
"I'll go with her."
Goki then gave Kal'tsit a knowing look. Seeing her subtly nod, he immediately followed Skadi's footsteps.
After the three had moved away, Alfonso finally let out a sigh of relief, a bead of sweat tracing down his dark skin.
He grew up on the border between Iberia and Sargon. His father experienced The Great Silence, was sealed within Iberia, and then became a snakehead. He followed in his father's footsteps, continuing to smuggle people and goods across the border day after day, almost being caught by the Guardians several times.
This kind of life was living one day at a time, with his head on the line.
"Boss, how was it?"
Just then, a subordinate from Alfonso's smuggling gang walked over, stealthily asking his boss.
"Phew... two more. One's a little girl, a sickly one, wobbling when she walks with that greatsword, looks like a rookie. The tall one is a man, seems capable, but no matter how strong, they're just two bounty hunters, not stronger than the Sarkaz—according to the original plan, we make our move once we cross the border."
The fawning expression vanished, replaced by a ruthless look on Alfonso's face.
"Of course, don't provoke those Columbians, or even our patron can't protect us—our employer only gave us one task: capture Kal'tsit, alive. Her research data and experimental results must also be intact. Only then can we leave this cursed place... As for the other two, dead or alive, it's up to you."
Alfonso was tired of living in fear, tired of tasting blood, tired of running around in the sand and mud, and seeing his son repeat his mistakes.
This time, after he had sent Kal'tsit into Iberia, a prominent figure from Columbia called him, offering a condition he couldn't refuse.
If he could seize this opportunity, he could leave this shitty border and live a new life in Columbia, the most developed and extravagant country in the world!
Although Alfonso's father had told him before he died to be very careful with Kal'tsit and never to antagonize her, Alfonso just thought his father was senile—Kal'tsit wasn't even as old as he was!
No matter how powerful this woman was, this time, Alfonso had hired enough people!
Looking at the hunter supporting the other towards the restroom in the distance, and the Feline woman standing quietly in the corner of the camp, Alfonso once again showed a fawning smile.
"Heh."
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Kal'tsit looked at Alfonso in the distance, her expression still calm.
Humans still repeat the same mistakes.
"Is it this way, Skadi?"
Supporting a seemingly weak Skadi, Goki walked through the center of the camp, where bonfires burned, enduring the wary gazes of many mercenaries, towards the restroom Alfonso had pointed to.
"These people are really... hospitable."
Although he didn't know why, in Goki's opinion, the mercenaries warming themselves by the fire were particularly unfriendly towards him, so he remained constantly vigilant.
"Yes, it's this way. It feels like an Abyssal Hunter, but not quite... strange."
Clutching her little belly, with her clothes buttoned all the way down, Skadi's acting was exceptionally convincing.
"Yeah, this person gives me a feeling that's different from yours."
Goki supported Skadi, looking in a certain direction with a strange expression.
Ever since Skadi and Specter had transfused their blood to him, Goki could feel the Bloodline call of the Abyssal Hunter.
More precisely, it was the Bloodline call between Seaborn—of course, Goki hadn't yet figured out how to make Titi accept this.
Even without looking, Goki and Skadi could sense each other's presence; the phrase 'telepathic understanding' was not a metaphor for them.
And this time, as they approached the camp, Skadi and Goki both felt a similar Bloodline call.
It seemed there was an Abyssal Hunter hidden in the camp, but upon closer sensing, the feeling was somewhat different.
Whether it was Skadi, Gladiia, or Specter, they all felt very... intense in Goki's perception.
But now, in this camp, the Bloodline call was somewhat... thin?
If he had to compare, it was like the difference between genuine wine and the wine sold by Uncle Ga, or freshly squeezed milk and Meng X's milk.
The purity... was too low!
"It's certainly strange, but we still need to check. Maybe something was done to her, like Specter."
Still clutching her little belly, Skadi finally turned with Goki behind a brand-new large truck.
This large truck was one of the newest in the entire camp, belonging to the heavily armed Columbia modern mercenaries.
"Alright, no need to pretend anymore, Skadi."
Seeing no one around, Goki was about to release Little Orca and drop the disguise, but Skadi continued to hold onto his arm.
"I... I wasn't pretending. My stomach really hurts, but I don't need to use the restroom."
Skadi's little face was slightly red, and she pursed her lips, indicating she could still endure it.
So it was real!
"Alright, alright, you rub your stomach first. Let's check the situation before we do anything."
Sighing, Goki focused on the truck's cargo compartment.
"You two, stay away from here!"
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a fully armed Columbia soldier emerged from the back door of the truck's cargo compartment, immediately raising his crossbow and warning the two.
Goki immediately pulled down his mask, revealing a simple and honest smile.
"No, no, don't shoot, buddy. Do us a favor, we're looking for the restroom. Can you point us the way?"
As he spoke, Goki pulled a small-denomination Columbia Gold Note from his pocket and handed it to the soldier.
"Hey, very kind of you. Go straight ahead and turn left. I advise you to just find a tall patch of grass to take care of it; the smell in there—ah!"
The moment the soldier took the money, Goki observed that there were no other soldiers inside the compartment. He immediately moved in, pulling the soldier's unbalanced body down.
"Thud!"
Then, accompanied by Skadi's unhesitating headbutt, the soldier's black bulletproof helmet cracked open, revealing a male Feline's head. He rolled his eyes and fainted.
"He should be fine, right? I controlled my strength."
"Let's assume he's fine. Leave the money for his medical expenses—the next patrol will be here in at most two minutes, move quickly."
Picking up the soldier's crossbow and taking two grenades that could be activated without Originium Arts, Goki and Skadi dragged the unconscious soldier into the truck and then climbed inside themselves.
And the 'Abyssal Hunter' was right there in the compartment.
The lights were on in the compartment, and there was half a bowl of instant noodles on the guard's table. No wonder he was tempted by such a small amount of money—these mercenaries weren't as professional as they looked.
Before Skadi and Goki could search for their lost 'compatriot,' a tender voice reached their ears.
"Don't come any closer! Who are you? I warn you! My mommy and daddy will be here very soon—huh?"
The two looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little girl, securely bound, on a makeshift operating table.
And she, too, seemed to sense something, staring blankly at these two adults she had never seen before.
"Ha... I knew it."
Looking at this little girl, about ten years old, with purple hair and blue eyes, Goki chuckled softly.
He had encountered... Pharaoh's Chosen!
Angela!
The fifth toilet broken.jpg
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