Chapter 86: The Forsyth Chamber of Commerce
"Hey, Hawkins, are you sure you did not read that wrong? I have always felt my luck was pretty good," Axel said.
Hawkins did not so much as blink. "My divinations have never been wrong. If the cards say your fate is like that, then your fate is like that."
Axel wanted to say, Young man, do you know scaring people for no reason is bad for the soul? Unfortunately, Hawkins was not the sort of person who joked.
That was what made it so irritating.
His power came from the Straw Straw Fruit. If even that ability had judged his future to be a road full of hardship, then there was a very real chance it would come true.
Thinking too much about it would only ruin his mood, so Axel decisively dropped the subject.
Issho lifted Hawkins' tiny boat onto the larger ship, and the group set sail once more.
Hawkins was not really a navigator in the conventional sense. He only knew the bare basics of sailing. What he truly relied on was divination. Before every decision, he would draw his cards first, then decide which direction to take, whether they should stop or keep going, whether to move quickly or slowly.
It sounded absurd.
Yet that strange method carried them safely across the sea.
Storm clouds that should have crossed their path never touched them. Dangerous currents were avoided before they could become a problem. By the time the Log Pose finally stabilized, the ship had already reached the island it indicated.
Even Adelaide, who had spent most of the journey clinging to the mast with a dead pale face, could not help giving Hawkins a complicated look.
His view of the man had evolved from lunatic to some kind of cursed fortune teller.
No matter how ridiculous it sounded, the facts were there. That eerie divination had guided them through rough seas and brought them safely to the island marked by the Log Pose.
Of course, Adelaide still was not completely sure this was the correct place.
The Log Pose had been given to him by his superiors. He had only been responsible for collecting goods and handing them off to subordinates for transport. He had never once been allowed to see the full route.
Issho turned slightly in his direction. "Have we arrived?"
Adelaide quickly nodded. "Yes… yes, we should have."
"Then take us to find the others," Issho said.
"Of course. Of course I can." Adelaide forced out a smile.
Normally, deliveries were made at fixed times, with prearranged procedures and hidden channels. At a time like this, there was no guarantee anyone would be waiting for them. Still, Adelaide had been involved in the planning long enough to know the general layout. If his memory was correct, the safest choice was to head directly to the base.
As for the chaos that might follow from bringing these people there, what did that matter to him?
The more chaos there was, the more chances he would have to slip away.
They entered the town from the docks.
It was prosperous.
The roads were broad, clean, and neatly planned. Flowerbeds lined the streets, filled with carefully maintained greenery. People chatted as they walked, shopkeepers called out to passing customers, and laughter drifted through the air. At first glance, it was the sort of lively, comfortable town that would leave a good impression on anyone.
As Axel and the others moved through it, however, they attracted no small amount of attention.
It was hard not to.
A beautiful white haired child with crimson eyes, a blind swordsman carrying a cane sword, a frighteningly handsome young man with a sinister aura, and a nervous old man whose smile looked ready to collapse at any moment made for a bizarre group.
People on the roadside kept glancing over.
Some stared openly.
Others whispered.
Axel endured it for a while, then finally said, "Where exactly are we going? We should already be here, so why are we still wandering around?"
He was getting very tired of being treated like some rare animal in a traveling exhibit.
"Almost there, almost there," Adelaide said quickly. "The destination is in the center of town."
He raised a hand and pointed ahead.
"The Forsyth Chamber of Commerce."
Axel narrowed his eyes. "The Forsyth Chamber of Commerce?"
"That is right." Adelaide's expression relaxed slightly as he spoke. "On the surface, it is a merchant guild that trades goods with nearby islands. In reality… it is a transfer station for merchandise."
By merchandise, he obviously meant people.
Issho's expression darkened.
"What a filthy business," he said quietly.
Adelaide let out a dry laugh. "And yet it is precisely because of that filthy business that this island became what it is now. Whether for appearances or for profit, the guild had to develop the place. That is why it looks so prosperous."
He had participated in the planning in earlier years and could be counted as a minor manager. He knew better than anyone that the island's prosperity had not appeared out of kindness. It existed because the Forsyth Chamber of Commerce needed a respectable face.
Issho said nothing after that, but the silence around him grew heavier.
Hawkins, meanwhile, spoke in his usual low voice. "Man is born entangled in fate. Everything is fate."
His tone was so solemn that, to an outsider, he might have sounded like a fraudulent mystic.
Axel glanced at the people bustling through the streets and asked, "If the residents of this island ever found out that their peaceful lives were built on the suffering of trafficked people, what do you think they would do?"
Adelaide laughed again, this time with a chill in it.
"That would be interesting. But most likely? Nothing. Or worse, they would pretend not to know. Humans are that kind of creature."
He sounded almost proud of how ugly that truth was.
Soon, they reached the center of the island.
There stood a magnificent building enclosed by tall iron gates worked into elegant classical patterns. Stone carvings of beasts and flowering plants decorated the entrance, each one polished and expensive looking. Guards stood outside like statues, stiff and disciplined.
When Adelaide approached, the guards first moved to stop him.
Then he leaned in and whispered a coded phrase into one of their ears.
The guard's face changed at once.
Without a word, the man straightened, opened the gate, and personally ushered Axel's group inside. Their treatment changed so quickly it was almost comical. Within moments, they were escorted into a luxurious reception room usually reserved for important guests.
Once they were seated, Axel looked at Adelaide and asked, "What did you just say to them?"
Adelaide adjusted his clothes and replied with a trace of pride, "I am considered a relatively important figure in this line of work. I used a code phrase reserved for higher level personnel. As expected, they hurried us inside."
"No matter how important you think you are, you are still a prisoner," Axel said flatly. "What exactly are you proud of?"
Adelaide's face stiffened.
For a moment, he had no answer.
After a pause, he could only grumble, "In any case, when someone comes in later, do not speak carelessly. Just cooperate. Especially you, blind… gentleman."
He swallowed the original insult halfway through and fell silent.
The room itself was lavishly furnished. Soft sofas, a polished tea table, and carefully arranged fruit filled the space. Issho and Adelaide had no interest in any of it. Axel and Hawkins, on the other hand, showed no such restraint.
Axel casually picked up fruit and started eating.
Hawkins calmly brewed tea as though he were already at home.
Time passed slowly.
At last, a knock came at the door.
A man entered.
He was broad shouldered and carried his weight with the easy confidence of someone long accustomed to comfort and authority. His round face wore a warm smile, and a neat little mustache decorated his upper lip. Everything about him looked respectable, but the moment Axel saw him, he knew the kindness was fake.
With a polished, magnetic voice, the man said, "A rare guest indeed. A rare guest. I am Forsyth, proprietor of this humble trading company. May I ask… which of you is my esteemed colleague?"
Adelaide answered at once. "I am Adelaide, responsible for acquisition, codename..." He followed that with a string of numbers and phrases no outsider would understand.
Forsyth's eyes shifted.
Only slightly, but enough.
Recognition.
"So it is Brother Adelaide," he said smoothly. "May I ask what has brought you here this time?"
"There was a problem with the last batch of goods," Adelaide replied. "So I came here personally to ask about it."
Forsyth frowned.
"A problem? Strange. I inspected everything carefully after the last handover. I noticed nothing out of place."
"The problem is not that batch." Adelaide paused, then lowered his voice. "It concerns someone else. You know the Joker, do you not?"
.....
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