Watching that sun-darkened, hairy, sand-covered foot step on the cable, a vein throbbed on Quincy's forehead. The tall, thin, and dark-skinned Quincy looked up at the man, who carried a strong scent of the Sea, was unkempt, wore a hat, and held a notebook, and slowly asked.
"What are you doing?"
The man stepping on the cable responded in a high-pitched voice: "That's a question I should be asking you. Who are you? Who allowed you to dock? Have you paid the mooring fee? If not, untie this damn dirty rope for me!"
Lex was moving wine barrels when he heard the voice and looked towards the dock. He saw Quincy release the cable but clench his fists. He quickly put down the barrel, jumped onto the dock, and, before the 'irritable old man' could react, bowed slightly to the other man.
"Respected Sir, please forgive him. He is just a worker who barely knows how to read. A noble person like you surely wouldn't stoop to his level."
Lex felt Quincy's heavy breathing behind him and knew that the 'irritable old man' probably wanted to hit someone right now, and the one he most wanted to hit was probably himself.
If he could, Lex didn't want to interfere with Quincy's business, but if he let it go, they would probably see a scowling captain on the Wavebreaker that evening.
"Haha." Probably for the first time in his life being called 'noble Sir,' the man, who was likely a port official, laughed.
The port official's job was to register the entry and exit of ships at the dock. Although there was an 'official' in his title, he was not a true official.
They usually only knew basic literacy and a little math, which allowed them to record simple ship information and ensure they didn't collect too little or miss any mooring fees.
"Of course, I wouldn't bother with a worker. I've seen too many people like him."
"However, you still need to answer my question, what are you doing?"
Lex pointed at the wine barrels on the ship: "As you can see, Sir, I am a wine merchant. I plan to come to Windmill Island to promote my wine. I think the people here might like it."
The port official shook his head: "We prefer rum."
"We also have rum, but wine sells better. Perhaps you can try it; you might even come to like it from then on."
As he spoke, Lex pulled out a gold coin and slipped it into the port official's hand, smiling: "This is our mooring fee. If you need a name for registration, then 'Rayleigh' will do."
Although the gold coins of each country, whether Loen, Intis, or Feysac, varied in weight and gold content.
However, a gold coin was a gold coin.
Gold was the hard currency of the Sea.
So, the port official, who had received a gold coin, smiled with every wrinkle: "Alright, Mr. Rayleigh, welcome to Windmill Island. I permit your ship to dock here."
Only then did Lex turn around and wink at Quincy: "Give me a hand, move the wine barrels from the ship."
This was a worker's duty.
Quincy was clearly suppressing his anger and whispered to Lex: "Who are you calling a worker?"
Lex looked at him without backing down: "Are you still a child? We're here to investigate, and the first thing you do is want to punch someone."
"If I hadn't said that, we might have to go back to the ship now. Do you want to do that?"
"If you still want to do this properly, then, Mr. Quincy, please move the wine barrels."
Quincy's chest heaved, but he ultimately restrained himself and jumped into the small boat, moving the wine barrels onto the dock one by one.
After finishing everything, he snorted and left the dock directly.
"Mr. Rayleigh, your worker has quite a temper. If I were you, I'd fire him immediately." The port official closed his notebook, walked over, and circled the wine barrels. "Is your wine good?"
Lex pulled out a pewter flask, filled it with wine from a barrel, and handed it to the port official: "Sir, please have a taste."
The port official didn't stand on ceremony, took a sip, and licked his lips: "The taste is not bad."
Just then, there was a commotion at the front of the dock. People gathered, looking at something. Suddenly, someone pushed through the crowd, stumbled, and revealed a bare torso with a brightly colored large bird tattooed on his chest.
His head seemed to have suffered a heavy blow, and blood streamed down his face.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
In a series of footsteps, a figure rushed over, tackled the man, then raised a short blade, roared, and plunged it down with force.
The short blade pierced the tattooed man's chest, all the way to the hilt.
The tattooed man reached out, tightly gripping the assailant's collar, but after a moment, his hand fell limply, and he had stopped breathing.
"Father, I have avenged you!" The assailant roared to the sky, tears streaming down his face.
Strangely, he stood up, wiped the tears from his face, and turned to leave.
The entire process.
No one intervened, and some in the crowd even clapped and cheered for the assailant.
Lex was dumbfounded.
Such an event was unimaginable in the Loen Kingdom. The assailant would probably have been tackled and arrested by the police the moment he pursued his target with a blade.
"Sir, this, this is murder." Lex looked at the port official beside him.
The man took a few more gulps of wine, burped, and said with a smile: "It's nothing, that's Guinea. He was just retaliating against his father's murderer in a just manner."
Lex felt his jaw dropping: "Just retaliation? Here, can you do that?"
He couldn't find the right words for a moment, only feeling that such a bloody, barbaric event was happening right before his eyes, and the island residents actually thought it was normal.
That was the most bizarre part.
"Normally, of course, you can't." The port official wiped his mouth, shaking the pewter flask. "I'm starting to like this wine."
Then he continued: "However, Guinea's retaliation was permitted by the 'Gods' and is completely legal."
"Gods?" Lex immediately thought of Osweld's commission.
"Yes, the Gods." The port official turned towards the distant mountains of the island, bowing slightly with a serious expression. "The God of the Sky, the Pale King, the Protector of the Mountains and Forests, the great Astucca, watches over us, watching over the sky and the Sea."
"Guinea's father went out to Sea last month with Barry and a few other old fishermen but never returned. Barry said their boat capsized, and Guinea's father unfortunately drowned. "
"But Guinea didn't believe it because Barry and those old guys had his father's belongings on them. So, the child prayed to the Gods, asking them to tell him the truth. He then received a revelation and found his father's remains in Barry's backyard."
"No, it couldn't be called remains. Poor old Meyer only had a head left, and even most of the flesh on his face had been gnawed away by rats and insects. From then on, Guinea received permission from the Gods to carry out his just retaliation."
The port official said with a smile: "Do you need me to introduce you to an inn, Mr. Rayleigh?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Sir. Please trouble you to introduce me to an inn." Lex responded with a smile, but his heart was stirred.
This Sea Island indeed had a local belief. Moreover, their Gods would respond, give revelations, and allow believers to take revenge in broad daylight. This scene, which seemed normal to the residents of Windmill Island, felt incredible in the eyes of an 'outsider' like Lex.
And, it was a little bit terrifying.
"Come with me, Mr. Rayleigh." The port official shook the pewter flask, implying, "Good wine always gets drunk especially fast, don't you think?"
Lex smiled, took the pewter flask, and filled it with wine again. So, on the way to the inn, the port official was in a good mood and gave Lex a few more pointers.
For example, outsiders coming to Windmill Island should preferably only stay in the small town near the dock and not go to their 'sacred mountain'.
For example, it's best not to go out at night. If there is a real need, do not approach dark places, do not respond to anyone who talks to you, and ignore them.
Unfortunately.
When Lex asked about the local beliefs, even indirectly, the port official was unwilling to say much.
In a blink of an eye, they arrived at an inn.
"The White Windmill Inn is the best inn we have here. You can't imagine how bad the hygiene is in other inns. At night, Sea cockroaches might even crawl into your ears, but here, you don't have to worry about similar problems."
The port official pushed open the inn's door, cleared his throat, and called inside: "Barry, old man, are you there? I've brought you a guest, come out and say hello quickly."
A small door behind the inn's reception desk suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man with gray whiskers and hair walked out. He wore a dark brown top paired with light-colored loose trousers, which were very wrinkled, a similar style to the South Continent, but the trouser legs were tied up, and he wore shoes woven from straw vines. This attire seemed to be a local characteristic.
In fact.
On the way, Lex noticed that many residents on this island, like the port official, didn't like to wear shoes. They seemed to prefer walking barefoot. Only children or young girls wore straw-vine shoes, which was a unique sight on the island.
"Noah, are you here to pay your wine debt?" The man, who seemed to be the inn owner, said grumpily.
"Ahem, I'll pay you later. This is Mr. Rayleigh, a wine merchant, Barry. I think your small restaurant should buy more of Mr. Rayleigh's wine. I'm starting to like them."
As he spoke, the port official named Noah had already pushed open the door and fled.
Barry then looked up, sizing up Lex: "A wine merchant?"
"Yes, Mr. Barry." Lex picked up a small barrel of wine specifically for guests to taste, placed it on the counter, "This is our home-brewed wine. You can try it. If you like it, we can discuss the price."
Barry nodded slightly, then asked: "How many days do you need to stay on the island?"
Lex responded with a smile: "At least two nights."
"One soli per night. If there are no problems, please pay one soli first."
After Lex paid, Barry called to the back: "Midiya, come and help quickly! Let your mother be busy alone, you come and help right away!"
Thump, thump, thump—
Footsteps sounded from the small door behind the reception, and a petite figure rushed over. At first glance, Lex thought it was a boy, as the person was wearing somewhat ill-fitting men's clothing and a hat.
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that this 'boy' had overly delicate features, and brown-red hair was tucked into the hat. If let down, it would definitely have a unique charm.
In addition, there was no Adam's apple, but the chest was slightly bulging, and there was a faint, subtle scent that wasn't perfume.
All indications suggested that this was a girl dressed in men's clothing.
Barry, in a not-so-good temper, threw a bunch of keys onto the counter: "The last room on the second floor. Take the guest up."
Midiya nodded almost imperceptibly, looked at Lex, and said softly: "Please follow me."
Lex glanced at the remaining wine barrels: "Can I store these here?"
"Yes, the storage fee is 5 pence per day, to be settled upon checkout." Barry said expressionlessly.
"As you say."
Lex then smiled slightly at the inn owner's daughter: "Please lead the way, Miss Midiya."
Midiya's face had just bloomed into a smile but she immediately restrained it, then led the way with her head lowered.
Lex pretended not to see Barry's stern gaze towards his daughter, following behind, while thinking that this girl must have a difficult time at the inn.
"Sir, where are you from?"
After leaving her father's sight, Midiya became more lively, walking and curiously observing Lex.
"Loen, I'm from Loen." Lex pressed his hand to his abdomen, smiling, "But I'm an Intis person. I spend most of my years traveling the Sea."
"Loen, ah, I've heard people say that the Loen Kingdom is very prosperous, is that true?" The girl was full of curiosity about the world outside the Sea Island.
Lex laughed: "Not entirely. Loen also has quiet towns. If you're talking about prosperity, it's Backlund. Backlund is the most prosperous city in Loen, and even the entire North Continent. If you have the chance, you should go and see it to truly understand the meaning of 'prosperity'."
Midiya's breathing quickened, then she shook her head. Lex thought she was going to say something, but she said nothing.
The last room on the second floor was not large, with no distinction between living room and bedroom, but it was simply decorated and at least very clean. Opening the window, one could see the dock and the shimmering Sea.
"You can rest for a while. For dinner, our inn has a restaurant. Or, you can go to the restaurant at the street corner; their fish soup is quite good."
After briefly introducing the nearby restaurants, Midiya bid farewell and left.
Lex rested for a while, then took out candles and other items from his suitcase to set up a simple altar and summon the 'spirit world treasure chest'.
He took out several items: a 'Seer coin', a 'magic ring', 'Thousand-Faced Traveler', 'silent night's embrace', and two Magician materials.
After the summoning, Lex took out the Conspirer and Reaper potion formulas copied from Raditz.
He copied the two formulas separately for divination.
Lex first took out the Conspirer formula and uttered the divination phrase: "There is a problem with this Conspirer formula."
He flicked the coin and, seeing the number side up, breathed a sigh of relief.
He performed the same divination on the Reaper formula, getting the same answer. Lex smiled: "Now, I can smoothly advance to Sequence 5."
He thought for a moment, his cautiousness acting up. He picked up the Reaper formula alone: "This formula will allow me to smoothly advance to Sequence 5."
He flicked the coin.
The coin spun continuously in mid-air, then landed with a 'clink' on the table.
The number side was facing up