Watchful Eye almost bumped into Silver Blade. Luckily his instincts as an experienced bodyguard kicked in, turning his legs into unbreaking steel before he could slam into his employer.
"Young lady, is something the matter?"
"Did you hear that name just now?"
"I'm afraid not, young lady."
Watchful Eye looked genuinely upset at himself. But Silver Blade didn't take it to heart, glancing at the crowd not far away before deciding to walk up.
"Thanks. I just wanted to suggest taking a look. My video could use some excitement."
Fortune spoke up happily, passing Silver Blade and pushing into the crowd. However, it turned out to be more difficult than expected.
Two younger girls, feeling someone approach, glanced at Fortune. Immediately their expressions turned hostile, and they barred her path.
"Hey, what are you doing? I need to reach the front. I want to record something."
One of the girls scoffed, turning her head away.
"Hmpf. Get in line."
"Right, don't try to snatch Final Fend away from us!"
Fortune looked ahead in puzzlement. However, she recognized a familiar undertone in the girls' voices. It was a hint of jealousy.
As a famous woman regularly ranking high on various beauty rankings, she was no stranger to such reactions.
Thus, she decided to try from another direction, making her way past a few sailors who looked weak on their legs from drinking too much.
In real life she would stay far away from such people but in the game it was bearable.
Reaching the front of the crowd Fortune found out what the excitement was all about. The crowd was encircling two men who fought in a heated brawl.
One sailor, tall and with a skin molded from many years at sea faced a young man in middle-weight black armor.
The young man was obviously a player. His somewhat pale, but handsome face received the admiration of the many young girls in the crowd.
His name was Final Fend or rather…
"Felix?!"
Fortune looked at Silver Blade, who appeared next to her in surprise. But it was not only her.
The player in the ring seemingly heard a familiar voice, glancing over his shoulder.
"Ha! Don't get distracted!"
The sailor laughed in a rough voice, swinging his fist to deliver a powerful blow.
Final Fend showed some fighting experience, reacting at the last second. But it was already too late. His head jerked from the direct hit. His vision was filled with stars. His HP drop down to a single point.
"Hahaha, better luck next time."
With a broad grin the sailor walked towards his friends, taking a few silver coins and showing them off happily.
"The next round is on me!"
While the surrounding sailors cheered, the girls in the crowd reacted differently.
"Final Fend! Are you ok? Come, big sister will check you out… ehm, check your injuries."
"Stupid sailor! How dare you hurt my idol?!"
"Final Fend, look at me! Here!"
"Ahh, he smiled at me…"
Final Fend waved at the crowd, approaching Silver Blade.
"Hey, where did she pop out form?!"
"You're not worthy of my Final Fend!"
Silver Blade rolled her eyes.
"I'm his sister!"
"So what? All the more reason to stay away from him!"
Gritting her teeth Silver Blade took a deep breath. She ignored all the remarks while pulling Final Fend away.
Luckily, no one chased after them. The young fan girls rather spammed friend requests until Final Fend's entire vision was clouded.
"And I was already thinking what took you so long. Turns out you're flirting around."
"Sorry, sis. But I wasn't flirting!"
"Sure, sure."
"So you are Silver Blade's little brother?", asked Fortune from the side, looking Final Fend up and down.
"Yes, nice to meet you, Fortune! I heard a lot about you!"
Final Fend spoke with a bright smile, seeming genuinely excited. Seeing him like this, Fortune furrowed her brows.
"Hmm, somehow your face also seems familiar."
"Ah, this… well, maybe you have heard of my band Lucky Night. But compared to you we are only upstarts. Not worth mentioning."
Fortune thought for a moment, but the name didn't ring a bell. Maybe the familiar feeling came from the fact that Final Fend was also a member of the Colville family.
But seeing the flattered expression on Final Fend's face, Fortune couldn't bear to tell him.
"Ah, sure. I think I've heard about it."
"Really? Great! Wh…"
"Hey, who's this, Silver Blade?"
Luckily for Fortune, the rest of the party caught up just as Final Fend wanted to ask about Fortune's favorite song.
"Guys, this is Final Fend. He's my brother. I invited him to join us today.
Fend, these are Balm, Watchful Eye, Bloody Edge, and Braag."
Final Fend quickly got to know everyone, easily fitting in. Feeling the scrutinizing gazes of a few fan girls still lingering in the vicinity, Silver Blade soon urged the party to move on.
After a short while one could feel the change in atmosphere. Not many NPCs visited this part of the bay. And those who did were busy with various tasks, a stark contrast to the sailors enjoying their few off days on land.
The party followed these workers, arriving before a half-finished construction site. Muscular workers with bare upper bodies layered large bricks. With some imagination a tall, intimidating gateway could be made out.
Two soldiers eyed everyone trying to pass through. At the side stood a human man with a frowning expression. He stared at a wooden board filled with plans, absentmindedly cleaning the glasses in his hands.
Silver Blade stopped, scanning the scene.
"What's up sis?"
"I'm not sure where to go."
"Did Bleary Mirage not tell you?", asked Balm.
"No. He only told me to speak to Captain Huber."
"Is Bleary Mirage your expert? Liam?"
Hearing her brother's question, Silver Blade could only roll her eyes. Final Fend understood a moment later, smiling awkwardly.
Luckily the others didn't make a big deal out of it, pretending not to have heard the name. Only Balm had a mischievous glint flash past her eyes, her heart for gossip sounding an alarm.
Final Fend tried to distract the others from his blunder. He signaled them to follow him, approaching the frowning NPC.
"Hello Sir. Can I ask you a q…"
"Adventurer?", interrupted the man directly. "Don't you see I'm busy? I'm really not in the mood to talk."
"Oh… ok."
Final Fend spoke stiffly, turning around and shrugging his shoulders at the party. But then the man's voice sounded again.
"Ok, ok. Since you are still here, you can help me."
"But I didn't intend…"
"Listen, my job is it to lead the construction of a gateway here. It is an incredible honor to be hired by the broken council directly! This might be my breakthrough! Soon, everyone will come to me, Fonor Dragonpiss for construction works!"
"What kind of name…"
Final Fend didn't even get the time to murmur a full sentence before Fonor continued to talk.
"Hah, my dream is about to come true. The name of my work will last throughout history. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with those legends. Saltae, the impenetrable wall, Mohlana, the elven palace, and Fonor's Dragonfright, the eternal fortress…"
Finally Final Fend couldn't endure any longer.
"SIR!"
"Hm? Oh, right.
Adventurer, I am so close to grasping my dreams, but something stands in my way. It is those lazy workers. Today, three of them didn't show up!
You, go search for them and drag them back here. They should be somewhere around the harbor."
[Do you wish to accept the quest 'Drag back the missing workers'?]
[Yes]
[No]
Final Fend looked at the notification full of confusion. He only wanted to ask for the way. How did he suddenly receive a quest?
He glanced at the other party members:
"What should I do?"
"Just accept for now.", suggested Silver Blade.
"Ok."
When Final Fend accepted the quest, Fonor turned around wordlessly, with an 'I didn't expect anything else' expression.
The young man threw a deprecating gaze at the annoying NPC's back before distancing himself hastily.
Meanwhile Silver Blade read through the quest they just received.
[Quest: Drag back the missing workers]
[Search the harbor area for the missing workers and bring them to the construction site.]
[Workers found: 0/3]
The quest was rather simple. Three circles appeared on the map, marking the areas which had to be searched. After a brief discussion the party decided to clear the quest real quick.
They took it as an opportunity to sightsee in the harbor area. After about twenty minutes they gathered all the missing workers and brought them back to the construction area.
The small interlude allowed for some leisurely and lighthearted conversation, assisting Braag and Final Fend in fitting in with the others.
However, they still didn't advance the original quest. Standing before the gateway they were as clueless as before.
Since talking to Fonor didn't prove helpful, Silver Blade saw only one path forward. She gathered the party, leading them to pass the gateway.
The soldiers scanned them closely but didn't move to block their path.