Chapter 26 Reunion (2)

“Sir, we’ve arrived. This is Bangor Port,” Old Kim steered the carriage to a stop in front of the Green Vine Inn.

Lynn drew back the carriage curtain and looked out the window at the gravel main road, the three to four-story buildings on either side of the street, and the pedestrians with rosy faces and clean attire.

Indeed, Bangor Port was quite different from the small town back home. His hometown still had dirt roads that would get muddy on rainy days.

Perhaps it was due to being a port town, and with winter approaching, many pedestrians were dressed in thick coats with scarves around their necks.

Although it was still a far cry from the bustling cities he had heard of in this era, Bangor Port had already surprised him considering the scenery he had seen along the way.

“Sir, the remaining…” Old Kim stammered.

Lynn settled the remaining payment with Old Kim, who accepted the money with gratitude.

“Sir, do you need to go anywhere? I can give you a ride,” Old Kim offered.

After traveling this far, despite resting at night, the horse was tired and needed a couple of days of rest in Bangor Port. So, Old Kim wouldn’t be leaving the port anytime soon, and he also wanted to buy some things for his family since prices were more reasonable here than in his hometown.

Lynn glanced at his teacher, and Angley just kept his head down, engrossed in his magical book.

After spending some time together, Lynn had a general idea of what his teacher meant.

“If we’re looking for someone, do you have any connections?” Lynn asked.

“The innkeeper should know,” Old Kim replied.

Innkeepers usually had various connections, so finding the innkeeper wouldn’t be a problem.

They contacted the innkeeper through Old Kim.

The innkeeper assessed Lynn’s appearance.

He didn’t seem wealthy, nor did he look like a noble, but being able to rent a carriage for such a long journey probably meant he had some resources.

Thinking of this, the innkeeper spoke, “Big Goldtooth at the docks, he has a lot of informants under him, and he’s well-informed.”

“But finding someone won’t come cheap. Are you prepared to be fleeced if you’re looking for Big Goldtooth?” the innkeeper asked. “Are you sure you want me to contact him for you?”

Lynn replied, “I appreciate your help, innkeeper.”

Lynn knew that situations like these typically involved a commission for the innkeeper, which was often referred to as a brokerage fee. He understood that this fee would be included in the payment to Big Goldtooth later.

The innkeeper called over one of his bodyguards to bring someone in.

Before long, a drunkard was brought in. The innkeeper nodded slightly and then turned to leave with the bodyguard.

The drunkard reeked of alcohol, and his hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages.

“5 silver coins,” the drunkard said, holding up five fingers. “Give me 5 silver coins, and I’ll take you to meet my boss.”

Lynn took out five silver coins and handed them to the drunkard without changing his expression.

The drunkard took the silver coins, bit them with his yellowed teeth, and then put them against the tip of his nose, sniffing vigorously.

Finally, he tucked the silver coins away in the back of his pants in satisfaction.

“Follow me.” The old drunkard led Lynn downstairs and out of the inn’s side door.

Lynn furrowed his brow and said, “Wait a moment.”

The drunkard halted.

Lynn continued, “Please wait here for me. I have another companion.”

Lynn returned to the inn’s front entrance but found the carriage empty.

His teacher was nowhere to be seen.

How could such a big person not stay put and wandered off instead? He sighed in helplessness and asked Old Kim if he had seen any sign of Angley.

Old Kim hastily shook his head, somewhat apprehensive, and said, “I noticed as soon as I got down that there was no one in the carriage.”

Lynn inquired again with the innkeeper, who all confirmed they hadn’t seen his teacher.

Lynn fell silent, but his teacher was such a big person, he couldn’t possibly have gone missing. Besides, although his teacher appeared very thin, he didn’t need to worry about his safety— he should be worried about those who might have ill intentions towards his teacher.

Lynn suspected that his teacher wanted him to complete the task first. After all, his teacher hadn’t objected when Lynn mentioned his intention to find his family.

Lynn then returned to the side door.

The drunkard was leading the way ahead, zigzagging along the path. Lynn had his hands in his pockets, his gaze calm.

He could sense that right beneath his feet, two Iron Earthworms were following him. When he rested the previous night, he had the Iron Earthworms travel overnight, covering some distance along the path they were taking today. That was why these two were now able to keep up with their progress.

Now, their presence was indeed proving useful. In this era of lawlessness, Lynn never trusted or overestimated the morals of others. Someone who was a trading partner one moment could easily turn into a robber the next.

They crossed the street with seagulls circling in the sky.

As far as the eye could see, the azure coastline was dotted with large ships docked at the pier. Dockworkers in short shirts were unloading cargo from the ships, or loading goods from the dock onto the vessels. The canal banks on both sides were bustling with activity.

People dressed in bright and exotic outfits disembarked from the steamships, strolling among the buildings near the seaside. The walls, painted dazzling white, faced the sea. The eaves were adorned with seashells, mermaid statues, and other decorations. Fragrant scents wafted through the air. There were bars, restaurants, bakeries, and some local specialty food shops.

Toot——

Accompanied by the melodious sound of a whistle, a steamship with a chimney belching black smoke slowly docked at the shore. Some people with lace and ribboned hats peered out from the ship’s sides, and they had long, purple-black hair cascading from their shoulders.

On the pier, many boys and girls wearing hats quickly went to greet them, holding bouquets of flowers or some exquisite seashells to offer.

“This is the steel ship of the Fischer Empire, and those little devils are a bunch of chasers, making more money than me by showing the way,” the drunkard said somewhat enviously. Then he spat on the ground and continued, “Those purple-haired devils from the Fischer Empire sure are wealthy.”

“On this side is the new dock, and even the laborers moving goods here are from noble families. These shops near the dock are all monopolized by the influential nobles from the port. The money these shops make every day is enough for me to drink for a year,” the old drunkard smacked his lips, full of envy.

“Is Big Goldtooth here?” Lynn was somewhat surprised. If that were the case, Big Goldtooth’s backing was probably quite formidable. Lynn felt he should consider his next moves carefully.

“Our boss is in the old dock. The old dock is mainly used by the old merchant ships, mostly from within the kingdom,” the old drunkard led Lynn through the streets of the new port.

After walking for a considerable distance towards the front of the new dock, it took them nearly half an hour. The surroundings became increasingly dilapidated, and even pedestrians grew scarcer.

However, soon the people around them began to gather once more.

But the residents here seemed visibly less spirited than those on the new port side, and the surrounding buildings exuded a stronger sense of historical vicissitude.

If everything was new at the new dock side, here on this side everything was old.

Tall and short houses were scattered throughout this area, each with a drainage ditch in front. Lynn saw women carrying basins and pouring water from them into the drainage ditches. On the distant coastline, a vast open space on the dock was piled with cargo crates, and the dockworkers were enthusiastically hollering while carrying the crates.

The people here were bustling with activity, and several young boys, with dark skin and wearing only their underwear, came running out from an adjacent alley, chasing each other, their bare bottoms on display as they raced away.

“Here we are, the old dock,” the old drunkard nodded and then led Lynn into a nearby alley. “By the way, don’t call him Big Goldtooth later. Our boss’ name is Hampton.”

Before long, the old drunkard stopped in front of a building that didn’t seem particularly different from the surrounding ones.

Two dark-skinned men with tattoos on their arms were leaning against the wall near the entrance.

Faint noises could be heard coming from inside the house.

“Looking for Boss Big Goldtooth,” the old drunkard said.

The two men looked Lynn up and down and, seeing a young, fair-looking lad, waved their hands to signal him to enter.

“Big! Big! Big!”

“Small! Small! Small!”

Inside the room, several burly men gathered around a table, shaking dice, and there was a pile of copper coins on the table.

“You’re Hamilton, right? I heard from Jeffs that you need money. I can lend you some, but it depends on whether you’ll be obedient,” a fat man with a bulky build, wearing a hat and sparse beard on his face, said to Hamilton from the sofa in the upstairs room with the window wide open.

Hamilton remained silent. Yesterday, the doctor had suggested finding a less damp place to live, as his wife’s illness would never completely heal in such conditions. It was best to relocate.

However, he was torn between providing for his family, paying for his wife’s treatment, finding a new place for them to live, and the expenses of tracking down Eva. The heavy burden was overwhelming.

Yesterday, he had thought about confronting those two hoodlums. Maybe they were also afraid of facing an enraged Hamilton— a man who stood over six feet tall, which was why they hadn’t returned home the entire night.

When he came to work at the docks today, one of the dockworkers who had been helping him lately noticed his troubled demeanor and, after a conversation, learned that he needed money. He then introduced Hamilton to the dock boss, Big Goldtooth, also known as Hampton.

Hamilton had heard of Hampton and knew that some people privately referred to him as the Dock Rat.

In this bustling port city, wherever there was sunshine, there was also darkness. Big Goldtooth engaged in some shady businesses in secret, and in the dock area, there were several individuals similar to Big Goldtooth.

Normally, Hamilton would have stayed far away from them. But it was the desperation for money that had forced him to consider crossing his own moral boundaries.

Besides, he had heard that Big Goldtooth was well-informed, and he was not without a purpose in approaching him— to find Eva.

“I can do work for you,” Hamilton finally spoke after a moment of silence.

“Hahaha,” Big Goldtooth took a puff of his cigar.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was knocking on the door.

One of Big Goldtooth’s underlings entered and whispered something in his ear.

Big Goldtooth chuckled, “The drunkard has brought us a little fat sheep. Come on, Hamilton, let’s go have a look.”

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