"Give me, give me another drink!"
On monday morning, in the 'Flying Fish and Wine' bar, only a few customers who had been drinking all night remained. Most of them were either passed out on tables or sleeping soundly on the floor. Only a girl on a high stool by the bar was still banging on the wooden counter, demanding more drinks.
At the girl's feet, countless empty bottles were piled up, her trophies from a night of drinking.
The Bartender behind the bar shook his head and said, "Miss, it's already daytime, and we're closing. If you want to drink, come back tonight."
The Bartender, who had worked all night, yawned as he wiped the last glass clean, preparing to kick out the drunks. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, making the Bartender irritably exclaim, "We're closing, hurry—!"
When he saw who had opened the door, he swallowed the word 'out' back down his throat.
The one who opened the door was the new face who had severely taught Logan a lesson the night before last.
He immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Respected sir, you're early. We were just about to close. But it's no problem, what would you like? Breakfast? I'll have the kitchen prepare it right away."
Lex nodded and sat down by the bar. He glanced at the drunken girl beside him and realized it was the same twin-tailed girl who had asked for help in the restaurant last night.
"Get me something to eat. Also, I heard you can collect bounties here?" Lex said casually, forcing himself to suppress a yawn to avoid ruining his image.
At this moment, he deeply envied Beyonder of the Sleepless pathway; they didn't need much sleep from Sequence 9 onwards!
"Please wait a moment."
The Bartender quickly went into the kitchen, woke up a cook, and had him prepare mushroom soup and bread, then swiftly returned to the bar.
"Yes, we can collect bounties here. May I ask which villain you've caught?"
Lex slapped the wanted posters he had found on the bounty wall onto the bar and pushed them towards the Bartender: "These few, plus some accomplices. They were Sailors on the ship, but they don't have wanted posters."
The Bartender took the three wanted posters. The first was for 'Honest Man' Archie, with his identity noted as 'Blood Shark Second Mate' on the poster.
This guy's bounty was 300 pounds.
The second was for 'Villain' Jonson, with a bounty of 1100 pounds. This guy was the 'Blood Shark First Mate'.
The last one was 'Blood Shark Quint,' with the highest bounty of 2400 pounds, noted as 'Blood Shark Captain'.
Each of these three wanted posters was more terrifying than the last, making the Bartender tremble with fear. The Second Mate, First Mate, and Captain were all here. Could the Blood Shark have been wiped out by this guy in front of him?
"Sir, are you sure?"
The Bartender swallowed: "These three wanted posters are for the Captain, First Mate, and Second Mate of the Blood Shark. Are you sure you've hunted them down?"
Just then, food arrived from the kitchen. Lex gently stirred his mushroom soup with a spoon, took a sip, and said, "The Blood Shark is docked near the port. The bodies of these pirates are still on the ship; you can go and confirm."
The Bartender jumped in surprise: "What? You brought the Blood Shark back? How is that possible?"
Lex said lightly, "When you've killed all the pirates on a ship, you can bring the ship back too."
No, I can't kill even one!
The Bartender nervously said, "Sir, the amount you want to collect is too huge. I can't decide; I need to consult my boss. Could you please wait a moment?"
"Alright."
The Bartender immediately ran to the back, and soon the sound of wooden stairs creaking could be heard.
Lex continued to drink his soup. By the time he had finished his bread, the Bartender returned with a fat man and several people who were clearly bodyguards.
The fat man was tall and large, with fair skin, reminding Lex of a great white shark in the sea. The tall, stout man came near the bar, rubbed his shiny bald head, and looked at the Bartender, asking, "Which one?"
The Bartender pointed at Lex, and the fat man walked over, sizing Lex up and down before saying, "I'm the boss here. Perhaps you've heard of 'White Shark' Hamilton? Yes, that's me. If you're a swindler, considering you have the guts to try to cheat a bounty, get out immediately. Otherwise, if I find out you're tricking me, you'll regret ever coming here."
Lex laughed: "'White Shark' Hamilton? What's your relationship with Quint? He's Blood Shark, you're White Shark. You two aren't brothers, are you? You don't have a bounty on your head too, do you?"
Hamilton didn't get angry; instead, he smiled: "You have a lot of guts to talk to me like that. So, do you have the qualifications to tell me your name?"
"I'm not interested in saying. I'm just here to collect a bounty, and I heard you can help with that. Are you going to help me with this favor or not? If you can't, I'll find someone else." Lex took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.
Hamilton narrowed his eyes slightly: "You said the Blood Shark is in the port, so you wouldn't mind taking me to see it, would you?"
Lex jumped off the high stool and walked towards the door. He pushed it open and looked back: "Are you coming or not?"
Hamilton was a little surprised; it seemed Lex wasn't joking. He let out a low growl: "Go, let's go see."
A moment later, the fat man stood on the deck of the Blood Shark, seeing bodies neatly arranged, all covered with white cloths. Hamilton had someone lift the cloths, revealing the Captain of the Blood Shark, the First Mate, and the Second Mate.
He looked back at Lex and gasped: "Are you a Hunter?"
"To be precise, I'm actually an Adventurer. I prefer searching for Treasure Trove hidden in ancient ruins. But sometimes, I also moonlight as a Hunter, especially when I'm a bit short on cash."
Lex glanced at the bodies on the ship: "So, have you confirmed? Can you collect the bounty now?"
"Confirmed." Hamilton nodded, "But you still need to tell me your name so I can report to the military liaison and get your bounty."
"Rayleigh."
Lex winked: "A Hunter out of interest."
Out of interest?
Only targeting interesting prey?
Hamilton's eyelids twitched, then he nodded and said, "I'll contact the military, but you'll only get 90% of the bounty, and it will take at least two weeks to get it."
Lex shook his head: "I won't be staying here for too long."
I still need to rush to Oravi Port. Considering there's a Tarot Club meeting in the afternoon, I can stay at most until tomorrow.
"If you're willing to take only 70%, you can get the bounty tonight. I'll advance the money for the military, but I need to earn some fees."
Lex gladly agreed: "2660 pounds, fine. Do you know where to find me?"
Hamilton grinned: "Of course."