It was a quiet day at Seaweed Bar, which was strange, since this was the place where pirates used to gather to talk about all the adventures they had been on and brag about their exploits; scandal was a daily occurrence at this bar. But since the Shadow Specter became famous, almost no one caused trouble too often, for which Osbelt, the bar owner, was grateful.
The bar door opened and a young man with slightly curly black hair and blue eyes walked in; he was wearing a brown trench coat and smoking a cigarette. Osbelt knew this man; he was an informant who had appeared in Bayam just a few weeks ago, but had already begun to gain recognition for his incredible information-gathering skills. Whenever he wasn't working, he could be found drinking at the bar.
"Hey, old man, how's it going?"
The young man sat down with a smile and spoke with the familiarity he would have with a good friend of several years.
"I already told you to stop calling me that, and no, I'm not going to give you a discount, Constantine; besides, smoking is prohibited here."
Odbelt was already familiar with this thug's tactics; he acted friendly and befriended people only to ask them for all kinds of favors later. It wasn't the first time Osbelt had encountered someone like him.
"You need to relax more, old man. If you keep this up, you won't live long. Don't you have any grandchildren to take care of you?"
Lewis said as he threw his cigarette on the floor and stamped it out with the sole of his shoe. Meanwhile, Osbelt had already served him a jar of beer. After all, he always ordered the cheapest one. Despite its horrible taste, it was simply a characteristic he had decided to give to his identity as Lewis Constantine.
"Hmph, I'm only 48 years old, kid! And my son is a good-for-nothing who spends all his time in brothels! He lacks any ability to even talk to a proper woman."
Hearing Osbelt's lamentations, Lewis couldn't help but sneer.
"Then maybe you do have a grandchild out there."
Although Roselle had enacted the use of condoms and protection during sexual intercourse, there were many establishments that did not strictly enforce these rules, so things like pregnancies were surprisingly common.
"I'll beat that bastard to death if that turns out to be the case!"
After talking with Osbelt for a while longer and finishing his drink, Lewis paid and left the bar; he really didn't like the atmosphere of that place, but he did it for the sake of establishing his character.
Lewis had decided to be extremely cautious; when he wasn't acting as the Shadow Specter, he would have to show a completely different attitude to avoid any kind of connection. No one would believe that the cool and intimidating Shadow Specter was actually a smoking, alcoholic informant who spent all day at the bar, right?
The personality he would use for this identity was based entirely on John Constantine; that is partly why he decided to use that surname.
After walking for a while and stopping to buy a desi cake to eat, he finally arrived at his ramshackle office and sat down to wait for a client who might need his services. While waiting, he took out a novel titled Stormwind Mountain Villa, written by the famous author Fors Wall. Since the only sources of entertainment in this world were novels or circuses, Lewis, who came from an era where overstimulation was the norm, couldn't help but be bored to death when he had nothing to do. That's why he decided to try reading the novels this world had to offer, which, thanks to Roselle's influence, weren't that different in structure from the ones he used to read on Earth.
"People used to talk about Fors's successful novels; now I understand why, this is really good."
As he immersed himself in reading, time passed until he finally heard someone knocking on the door with the pattern he had established. He immediately got up and discreetly moved his shadow under the door to see who was on the other side. It took a little effort, but he had practiced, so it wasn't too difficult.
"I really need that book of mysticism.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on swapping his senses with those of his shadow; moments later, his vision changed completely, reflecting the person on the other side. When he saw him, Lewis couldn't help but freeze.
He looked like a man in his late 30s; he was wearing a very crudely made wig, which didn't match the blonde color of his eyebrows and blue eyes.
"... They weren't kidding when they said he didn't know how to disguise himself."
Lewis recognized the person outside the door instantly, mainly from the reward posters he had seen during his investigations. It was Danitz, the maid—ahem, Gehrman Sparrow's good friend and future oracle of The Fool. Currently, a pirate with a reward of £3.000.
Lewis couldn't help but feel excited; this was the first time he would come into contact with a character he recognized from Lord of the Mysteries. Besides, he liked Danitz; despite being a fool, he was a good person. Although he also felt a little nervous, he had often thought about what it would be like to interact with one of the characters, even looking forward to it; if possible, he would like to share a drink with Klein.
Apparently, he had taken too long to respond, as Danitz seemed to be about to leave. Without further hesitation, he opened the door, which emitted an unpleasant squeak, but he ignored it as he focused on the poorly disguised pirate.
"Hello, sorry for the wait; I was taking a little nap."
He lied without a hint of embarrassment as a languid smile hung on his face.
Danitz stopped and looked at him with some confusion.
'A nap? But it's only three in the afternoon; besides, he doesn't look like someone who just woke up.'
At this point, Danitz began to doubt whether what he had heard about this informant being one of the best in Bayam was true.
Lewis, observing his reaction, could instantly tell what he was thinking, so he decided to tease him a little. He said as he stepped aside to let him pass.
"Don't take this as a first impression; my skills are 100% proven. Let's go inside; I'm sure a pirate with a £3,000 bounty has very important things to do; I'd feel bad wasting your precious time."
Danitz was stunned when he heard this; he didn't know how he had been recognized so easily; he had put a lot of effort into his disguise. As he watched the informant's back recede into the distance, he couldn't help but let his mind wander, and he finally came to a conclusion.
'He must have intercepted the information about my arrival in Bayam. What a terrifying ability! How many networks does this guy have?'
Suddenly, Danitz felt as if there were eyes and ears everywhere spying on him, all belonging to this seemingly careless informant.
Meanwhile, Lewis, who had been watching his reaction through his shadow, had to restrain himself from laughing.
'What the hell is this guy thinking?'
Finally, Danitz followed him as he closed the rusty door behind him, grimacing at the irritating noise. Once inside the dilapidated office, he looked around in obvious dismay until the informant's voice snapped him out of his stupor.
"So, what could you possibly want from me, Mr. Pirate?"
Danitz stared at this informant, who, despite his unkempt appearance, was not at all simple; he felt more confident about succeeding in the mission his captain had entrusted him with. After deliberating for a few seconds, he finally said.
"There have been rumors about the discovery of some Third Era ruins somewhere in Bayam or the Rorsted Archipelago; I would like you to confirm the veracity of the information."
'So it's a treasure hunt, huh?'
The pirates of the Golden Dream were known more as adventurers than true pirates, as their main activity was searching for treasure at sea, and they only robbed merchant ships when they were particularly poor, without harming the innocent. These rumors about a ruin from the Third Era must have caught the attention of Edwina Edwards, the captain of the Golden Dream and a lover of history and artifacts.
Lewis thought for a few seconds before saying.
"£1.000"
Upon hearing this, Danitz was stunned and immediately shouted.
"That's too expensive!"
"Listen, throughout my life I've been through all kinds of things, and in turn, I've learned all kinds of things; I'm no stranger to the occult side of this world, and from my experience I can say that anything to do with the Third, Fourth, or Second Era most likely has something supernatural to do with it. I'm putting myself in considerable danger by accepting this mission."
Hearing his reasoning, Danitz couldn't find the words to refute it; he himself had gotten himself into all kinds of situations and knew the dangers of the supernatural very well, but even so, he considered the price excessive.
"I'm not asking you to enter the ruins; I just want you to confirm if the rumors are true."
"Even that has its risks; if there really are ruins from the Third Era, all kinds of dangerous people will try to find them and take advantage of whatever is there; even the church will get involved in this whole affair. Besides, you must have heard about me. Not only will I provide you with information, but I will give you the best and most detailed picture possible of the overall situation."
Lewis looked at Danitz with a solemn expression that contrasted sharply with his usual lighthearted look. He did this to let him know that he was serious and that this was not a game for him. This seemed to work, judging by the expression on Danitz's face at that moment.
After a few moments of silence, he smiled slightly again as he said confidently.
"Besides, I assure you that none of the other informants or detectives you find will be able to do this job better than me. Do you think anyone would be able to complete this mission satisfactorily without my... skills?"
He said the last part in an ambiguous tone, doing so to make Danitz think that apart from his contacts or information networks, there was something much deeper in him, which in reality was not a lie.
Danitz fell silent as he digested what Lewis had told him. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this informant was not simple.
"He might even have a secret organization backing him, just like the captain..."
After thinking for several seconds, he finally accepted the deal.
"All right! But I don't have the money right now."
'I'll have to explain the situation to the captain and ask her for some money. Ugh, I really don't want to do that. It would reduce my charm!'
Seeing him finally accept, Lewis stood up and extended his hand with a smile.
"Lewis Constantine. I look forward to a successful cooperation."
Danitz looked at his hand before extending his own with a sigh.
"Danitz, although you probably already knew that."
After exchanging a few more words and discussing how they would contact each other, Danitz left, leaving the ramshackle office silent once again. Lewis stared at the door for a few seconds with a lost expression before a broad smile formed on his face.
"This really feels surreal."