"Do you know Donovan?" Bairon continued.
The pirate shook his head.
"What about the half-elf?"
Again, the pirate shook his head.
"What about the Legacy Treasure?"
"Worn mentioned it in passing. The Eye of Judgment sent him and Chapman here specifically to retrieve some Legacy Treasure," the pirate answered.
Without another word, Bairon turned and left the chamber.
"Will you let me go? Everything I've told you is the truth. I'm a good person, serving the grand plan to save the world!" The pirate's plea echoed from behind.
Stepping out of the chamber, Bairon found Frank waiting on the deck. "Throw him into the sea," he ordered.
A pirate with dozens of scars couldn't possibly be a good man.
"As you wish, my lord," Frank nodded without questioning.
...
Bairon headed back to the first-class cabin.
As he passed Donovan's room, he cast a fleeting glance inside but still had no intention of entering to pry into any secrets.
Frank refrained from hearing more secrets out of a fear of death.
In contrast, Bairon had too much on his plate: earning money, seeking a cure for Greyscale, striving to advance his magus level.
Moreover, the Ring of the Dark Tower that he possessed was a secret greater than any other.
To ensure safety, Bairon didn't want to expose himself to certain influential figures while still vulnerable.
When he reached his own room, Bairon paused at the doorway.
The desk bore a chest brought by the first mate. Seasoft and Evelyn lay on the bed, engrossed in a book.
Their amiable interaction showed no hint of strain; Seasoft hadn't vented her anger about not receiving her Divine Artifact on Evelyn or even used Evelyn to threaten Bairon.
Faced with such noble behavior from the half-elf, Bairon felt inclined to reciprocate.
"You two stay here. I'll sleep in the next room."
Closing his door, Bairon entered the room that once belonged to Dave Padorn.
Due to a series of events, the first-class cabin had, by default, become Bairon's private sanctuary.
Without his permission, even Frank didn't dare enter casually.
Bairon closed the door and gently caressed the magus ring – the Ring of the Dark Tower – adorning his right ring finger.
After a brief moment of familiar mild dizziness, Bairon opened his eyes.
"I sensed fluctuations in mindergy. Did you kill two dark magi?" Old John inquired.
"Yes," Bairon nodded in affirmation.
"They are dangerous," Old John cautioned.
Lifting his gaze to the ethereal figure high above, Bairon paused for a moment before responding, "The count of dark magi who have met their end at my hands must be approaching 700 by now."
Old John lapsed into silence.
Bairon crouched, continuing to inspect the chest he'd left behind earlier.
Whether gold coins, clothing, or other items, everything remained untouched and pristine.
"Day four," Bairon murmured to himself.
He had a plan.
If by the fifteenth day, the contents of the chest still remained intact, excluding the natural decay of any food, he would begin to use the world within the Dark Tower as his personal storage space.
In the future, he could store valuable items here.
Of course, everything except the Legacy Treasure...
The thought of the Dark Tower forcibly consuming the Leaf of Rendil angered Bairon.
Additionally, it instilled a sense of fear within him.
If the Dark Tower could forcibly absorb a Legacy Treasure, it might also be capable of consuming other entities, like a magus.
Until he understood the underlying principle, Bairon knew he must remain ever vigilant around the Dark Tower.
Bairon positioned himself at the base of the steps leading up to the Dark Tower and sat down cross-legged.
The statue of Lady Charlotte was positioned slightly above him to his left, with one of her feet resting near Bairon.
Behind him floated the golden Equity Scale, and beyond that, stood the imposing Dark Tower.
As Bairon meditated, he also let his thoughts wander.
Barring any unforeseen incidents, the White Gull would arrive at San Sorus the day after tomorrow.
He would have much to do then.
For now, it was time to gather and organize his thoughts.
His magus level was a priority.
Being a Level 3 intermediate magus at the age of 20, meant that while he wasn't extraordinarily gifted, he certainly wasn't lacking in talent either.
With some effort, he might be able to gain admission to a magus academy.
Then there were his spells.
Due to the instability of his mindergy, Bairon hadn't devoted time to further honing his spellcasting abilities.
To date, his spells consisted of Level 1 Levitation, Level 1 Flame Blast, Level 1 Flesh, Level 3 Lightness, Level 3 Ice Blast, and Level 3 Wind Blade.
Of these, Charlotte had opened the gates to the underlying laws of the world for "Wind Blade" and "Ice Blast".
This had allowed Bairon to modify the Magic Circuit of these two spells, making it inappropriate to simply classify them as Level 3 spells.
For the time being, he labeled them as "specialization spells".
After sorting out his magus and spell levels, Bairon turned his thoughts to his finances.
Gold coins were crucial for magi, and even more so for him.
On this trip to San Sorus, apart from seeking a cure for Greyscale, another vital mission was to enroll in a magus academy to learn the basics of becoming a Crafting Magus.
Once he mastered the foundational knowledge, he could then employ the long-preserved Lv4 mana core to unlock the first level of the Dark Tower: the "Crafting Illusion Realm."
Within this illusory domain, Bairon could freely expend materials, honing his ability to craft spell equipment.
Old John had assured this, and Bairon hoped he wouldn't err again.
To become a "newbie" Crafting Magus, one would invariably need a substantial amount of gold coins.
Bairon began to mentally inventory his assets.
At present, he carried three golden tickets from the Provincial Alliance Bank.
The denominations of 1000 and 800 gold coins were his savings from his time at the Sailport Magus Tower, while a ticket worth 5000 gold coins was a gift from William Jona.
Furthermore, Bairon had another ticket of 1000 gold coins given by Mrs. Jona, though that was safely kept with Evelyn.
Apart from these amounts, there was also the treasure chest.
According to the White Gull's first mate, it contained 1956 gold coins, 420 silver coins, and a sapphire.
While Bairon wasn't familiar with the current market rate for sapphires, if a dark magus deemed it worthy enough to serve as the lock clasp for a chest, it certainly would be of high value.
Bairon made a quick estimate.
Even without counting the sapphire and the untradable Lv4 mana core, his current savings approached nearly ten thousand gold coins.
Moreover, there were the bounties for taking down the two dark magi and capturing The Death Ship...
It should suffice for now...
Bairon sighed in relief, opening his eyes and concluding his meditation.
Standing up, Bairon turned to glance at the Equity Scale.
For a fleeting moment, he felt a strong urge to channel another surge of mindergy into it, perhaps to exchange for something new.
The parchment was still a fair distance away from the weight, suggesting that a second exchange should be safe.
But after a brief moment of contemplation, Bairon restrained his desire.
He looked towards the statue and inquired, "My lady, what would be a reason for a half-Elf to desperately seek a Legacy Treasure?"
Even though the apparition of Charlotte Isabella in the "Infinity Battlefield" illusion bore no distinctive Elf features, intuition told Bairon that she was, in essence, an Elf.
"For the honor of the tribe, to purify the bloodline," Charlotte responded.
Pondering her words, Bairon furthered, "Can I then assume that if I give her another Legacy Treasure, she might achieve what she needs just the same?"
"Yes," Charlotte replied.
"Thank you," Bairon breathed a sigh of relief.
...
In the subsequent hours, the White Gull sailed without any mishaps.
When a tower, which appeared to have seven stories but stretched a hundred meters into the sky, came into view, rapturous cheers erupted from the White Gull.
Even Frank, the northerner, couldn't help but flash a relieved smile.
This ivory spire was the Provincial Alliance's grandest Magus Tower, home to its most powerful magi.
It bore a straightforward name—The White Tower.
Frank ordered the sails of the White Gull to be gradually drawn in as they slowly approached the harbor of San Sorus.
It wasn't long before a warship, bearing the grand insignia of the "White Tower" on its sails and part of the Provincial Alliance's navy, sailed towards them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, remain calm!"
Frank voiced, having anticipated this.
Likewise, others aboard the White Gull shared his sentiment.
For they weren't alone; trailing behind them was the foreboding silhouette of The Death Ship.
The warship circled both the White Gull and The Death Ship.
Once they were certain that The Death Ship hadn't seized a civilian merchant vessel, they drew closer to the White Gull.
A middle-aged man with a black beard, dressed in the uniform of a naval lieutenant commander, along with two subordinate officers, employed Levitation to descend gracefully onto the deck of the White Gull.