I Have a Task Log

Chapter 248: Chapter 247: A Clever Performance

After the Magic was cast on him, Colin felt a faint, almost imperceptible pull.

The Divine Art, Guidance, was said to offer its target a faint sense of direction, boosting their abilities in tasks like investigation and persuasion. It was considered a rather useful Cantrip.

Colin then led the others into the tavern.

The tavern wasn’t much to look at. Fishing nets and mounted fish heads hung on the walls as decoration, and most of the tables and chairs were cobbled together from barrels and planks.

Since it was the middle of the afternoon, there were hardly any customers inside.

Colin deliberately mimicked the swagger of a gang member from Thousand Masts City, strolling over to the bar and spitting on the floor under the owner’s disgusted gaze.

"Don’t look at me like that, buddy," Colin said. "I’m from that shithole Thousand Masts City. What’s the scene like around here? A mug of ale."

With that, he laid out a few Copper Coins on the bar and added an extra one.

Thanks to Guidance, Colin felt his performance was going quite well. It was as if someone was subtly guiding him, telling him exactly what to do.

"Just one?" the owner said, his words laced with scorn. "What about your broke-ass friends?"

"Fuck you, asshole. So what if I’ve hit a dead end..."

Colin leaned against the bar, squaring his shoulders. He lifted the hem of his tunic to flash the Dagger at his waist. "...but I was a fucking big shot in Thousand Masts City. You have any idea how many goddamn punks I’ve laid out? There’s nothing in this world I won’t do! All I need is one little chance, and I’ll be back on top!" freёweɓnovel.com

The owner slid a mug of ale over and looked him up and down.

"Stop fucking staring and talk. Where’s the action?"

Just then, a few bouncers standing in the corner of the tavern started walking over.

Colin deliberately shot the big guys a sidelong glance, then turned back to the owner. He jutted his chin out, nodding his head to a beat only he could hear. "Fuck, you think I’m some kinda pushover? Wise up!"

The owner waved his hand.

But he didn’t react further, just crossed his arms and watched Colin in silence.

"I’m not easy to fool. I’m here to meet the baddest sons of bitches in town, you get me?"

As he spoke, Colin carefully studied the owner’s expression.

Just as he was thinking the plan had failed, the owner spoke up. "You do seem to have some grit. Go check out Black Cat Alley. When you meet them, make this gesture..."

He then held out his right hand, fingers held tightly together, and jerked it sharply upward.

"Hmph. At least some sons of bitches around here know what’s what."

Then Colin asked, "I’ve got a damn fool of a brother who got lost in this city. You know anything about him?"

The owner let out a long sigh at that. "Description."

"Wears clothes like ours, a bit skinnier."

"For fuck’s sake, every poor bastard on the street looks like that," the owner said impatiently.

"And you people can’t even handle that?"

"The people in Black Cat Alley will know. Go ask them and you’ll get your answer," the owner said, pointing at Colin. "But you’ll have to prove you’ve got what it takes!"

"Hmph. Of course I do."

With that, Colin drained his ale in one gulp.

He shot the bouncers an annoyed, sidelong glance, spat on the floor twice more for good measure, then turned and led the other two out of the tavern.

A few streets away, Colin finally dropped the act and returned to his usual self.

He stopped, and suddenly felt a poke in his back.

He turned to find two pairs of wide, sparkling eyes scrutinizing him from head to toe, as if he were a complete stranger.

"Stop staring. It was just an act," Colin said, waving his hand dismissively.

Orelia murmured, "Your acting is incredible, Mr. Colin."

"Honestly, I thought you’d been possessed by a Demon," Ale said.

"Well, I’m grateful you restrained yourself and didn’t smite me on the spot," Colin said. And he wasn’t being glib; he meant it.

Ale then asked, "So, are we going to Black Cat Alley now?"

"No, we can’t."

"Then what was the point of getting that information?" Orelia asked anxiously.

"Generally speaking, taverns in large cities are hubs for people and information, so most of them have ties to local gangs. Old Black Heart was backed by the Hundred Eyes Gang, for example.

"At the same time, these gangs are very territorial. They only work with people they know and are never quick to welcome outsiders." freēwēbnovel.com

Colin paused before continuing. "So the fact that the owner didn’t throw us out, and instead told us to go to Black Cat Alley... means the gangs in this city are probably at war. They need outsiders like us as cannon fodder to bolster their numbers. Plus, the owner was way too sensitive about the disappearance. Something’s definitely up with him."

As Colin was explaining this, Yuri stood nearby, silent as ever.

He was like a Ghost, doing nothing, contributing nothing.

’So much for getting any help from him,’ Colin thought.

He raised a hand to chew on his thumbnail, mulling over why Yuri had sent them to investigate gangs and a disappearance in the first place.

’First, investigating the gangs makes sense. Devil Cultists need Gold to grease the wheels of society, helping them turn a profit and expand their influence. But at the same time, it’s nearly impossible for a Devil Cultist to make large sums of money through legitimate means.

’In that respect, their predicament is similar to that of the lower class. Without savings, land, or capital, you can’t run a business or collect rent. And openly threatening the leadership of a city or town would certainly be noticed by the Paladins. So, their targets become the city’s criminal enterprises—in other words, the gangs.

’It’s the simplest approach. After all, they can just threaten or control the gang leaders directly.’

Having once lived in the slums, Colin knew a thing or two about how gangs operated.

A gang’s top boss managed several lieutenants. Below the lieutenants were either lower-ranking leaders or just the Ordinary grunts who did the dirty work.

They would take over streets or docks, making money from shady businesses like smuggling, protection rackets, and running gambling dens.

Such enterprises all relied on violence to back them up.

’And while generating cash, they can also abduct people for the Demons.

’Especially now, with refugees everywhere. Small-scale kidnappings of refugees are difficult to investigate even in Thousand Masts City, let alone in a merchant city like this that couldn’t care less about the poor. It’d be a miracle if the Water Police Team gave a damn about something like this.’

The more Colin thought about it, the more his head ached.

In a situation like this, even finding a single gang leader would be no easy task.

’Based on how the gangs in Thousand Masts City operate... the top brass only passes orders down to the lieutenants, who pass them to the lower-level bosses, who then assign the tasks to the grunts. As a result, the members at the very bottom have no idea who actually issued the order.

’So, unless every single link in that chain of command turns traitor, it’s nearly impossible to gather evidence of crimes committed by the top leadership.’

Even the City Guard in Thousand Masts City had a hard time with it, let alone trying to root out a Devil Cultist hiding among multiple gangs.

Colin let out a long sigh.

This mission was going to be far more difficult and troublesome than anything he had faced before.

"So, what do we do now, Mr. Colin?" Orelia asked.