Chapter 422: Ambush
Zhou Ning took a deep breath, slipped both hands into his pockets, oriented himself, and started walking toward the direction marked Sea Law Street on the signpost.
As the most law-bound nation in the world, the Kingdom of Westpharic named over thirty percent of its districts and streets—both domestic and colonial—with the suffix "Law". Sea Law, Land Law, Wine Law—if they could've gotten away with it, even the red-light district would've been called Red Law.
What made it even more remarkable was that their laws weren't just words on parchment—they had the backing of divine authority. The upper echelons of Westpharic were almost entirely devoted followers of the Church of the War God, and one of the War God's domains was Law itself.
For instance, one statute declared that the Pope and the King are sacred and inviolable.
Once such a law gained broad public recognition, the Pope and the King of Westpharic were literally granted divine protection—rendered physically inviolable. No ordinary person, or even most transcendents, could confront them directly.
Similarly, if a street was officially posted with a notice saying "Transcendent combat prohibited", and the populace collectively acknowledged it, then unless one's power vastly surpassed that of the state transcendents, they would find their abilities suppressed on that street—unable to unleash supernatural power at all.
That was why dealing with high-ranking members of the War God Church was such a nightmare—they could invoke a divine authority called Law Decree, channeling the War God's power to impose "legal restrictions" directly on their enemies.
It was around the time the nightlife began to stir. The streets around Sea Law Street were lined with brothels and taverns, native islanders from the Motley Archipelago calling out to passing sailors and adventurers.
At the main entrance stood a crooked sign that read: [Transcendent Combat Prohibited in This Area]. Zhou Ning wasn't sure if it was genuine or just for show.
Following the house numbers, he soon arrived at No. 121 Sea Law Street—a secluded tavern tucked inside an alley, its signboard reading The Insider's Tavern. According to Hurricane Spike, this was the contact point for General Lightning.
Two rows of burly northern men stood guard at the entrance, watching everyone who passed. Pirates and adventurers went in and out freely, most without bothering to disguise themselves, while a few ordinary tourists who tried to enter were promptly turned away.
"Maybe I can use the transformation potion to disguise myself as a pirate?" Zhou Ning thought for a moment.
He slipped into a quiet corner, drank the potion, and after several tries, managed to transform into a grim-faced northern pirate.
Unlike Polyjuice Potion from Harry Potter, the transformation potion in Apocalypse worked in two ways—it could take on a specific person's appearance using a hair sample as a reagent, or, if drunk plain, it would randomly alter one's looks for an hour. Functionally, it was a bit like the Savory Deviate Delight from World of Warcraft—comprehensive and effective.
Without betraying any emotion, Zhou Ning pushed open the half-closed door and stepped inside under the scrutiny of the northern guards.
To his surprise, the interior wasn't the chaotic den of outlaws he expected. It looked like an ordinary tavern—no fighting pits or gambling tables like the groundhog arenas popular across the colonies, just neatly arranged tables, occupied by small groups of patrons. A northern bartender stood behind the counter, calmly mixing drinks.
Near the entrance stood a black announcement board, covered with wanted posters—though clearly not the official kind.
Zhou Ning paused to take a closer look. The board displayed not only government-issued bounties for wanted pirates, but also pirate-issued bounties on other people, complete with issuing parties—marked as the Northern Pirate Alliance.
He'd heard from Richie Burke before that the northern pirates operated as a loose alliance—sharing resources, sometimes cooperating, other times engaging in deadly feuds, like the one between Wind General Gallagher and Lightning General. And now, he was seeing proof of that.
Gallagher's name, along with those of his well-known crewmates, had been removed from the wanted list—but Zhou Ning was startled to find his own name there instead. A lifelike portrait stared back at him, probably drawn through some kind of ritual. The bounty read: 72,000 Vecktas, slightly higher than Gallagher's had been.
In another corner of the board, he found the target he had come for—"Werewolf" Mason, a dark-skinned, wiry half-blood who looked like a mix between a northerner and a lycanthrope.
But what shocked Zhou Ning most was a wanted notice in yet another corner—bearing the image of his alternate identity, Batman.
Bounty: 225,000 Vecktas.
Below it was a detailed illustration—himself in the Batman armor, crouched dramatically on the prow of the Black Pearl.
Damn it. For a moment, Zhou Ning actually felt the urge to turn himself in.
On the back of the announcement board were more listings—requests for finding missing people, debt collection jobs, and treasure-hunting expeditions. One even claimed to have a treasure map and wanted to form a team; Zhou Ning wouldn't have been surprised if the next line said they were planning a team-building trip to Southeast Asia.
Clearly, this place was less of a "contact point" and more of an adventurer's tavern for northern pirates.
Ordering a drink at the bar, Zhou Ning didn't actually take a sip. He found a seat where he could watch unobtrusively, using the glass as cover while quietly observing the surroundings.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed at least seven or eight powerful transcendents inside the cramped tavern—probably more. Each seemed affiliated with a different elite pirate crew. Just walking in had been intimidating enough; part of him wanted to apologize for intruding and turn right back out.
Worse still, under the posted "No Transcendent Combat" decree, he might not even be able to fight properly if things went south.
What's going on here? he wondered. Were all these pirate factions gathering to launch an assault on Teldron Island?
Just then, Zhou Ning's eyes narrowed. The tavern door swung open again, and a dark-skinned pirate in a white sailor shirt walked in. Zhou Ning recognized him instantly—it was Werewolf Mason, first mate under General Lightning.
Mason didn't notice Zhou Ning as he took a seat at a table across the room. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said grimly, "The target's arrived at the port. Less than twenty minutes till he reaches the ambush site. The employer says we can move early."
Target? Ambush site?
Zhou Ning's mind immediately jumped to the fat nobleman who had tried to hire assassins to kill Angus Motley. Could this be the team he'd hired?
If they had a Level 7 summoning scroll, combined with this many high-level transcendents, they might actually pull it off.
Zhou Ning wasn't particularly interested in saving Angus Motley, but under the red moon, this could very well be the source of his ominous premonition. It was worth following up—but only from a safe distance.
If he could use Angus Motley's strength to take down these assassins, it would make the hunt much easier.
And if things went wrong, he could always run.
It was the safest, most rational approach.
The stronger he became, the more he realized—the deeper his understanding, the greater his fear of the unknown powers beyond his control.
Zhou Ning exhaled softly, a faint sigh escaping his lips.
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