I Have a Task Log

Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Careful Probing

"I’ve been thinking it over carefully, and, well..." Colin began. "All we can really do right now is a little bit of snooping and recon. It’ll be basically impossible to finish our investigation anytime soon without tipping them off." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Then let’s do that. It’s better than doing nothing at all."

"I trust Colin. If he says this is the only way, then there’s definitely no better option."

Ale and Orelia said in turn.

The two of them were starting to act as if Yuri didn’t exist, but the Paladin didn’t seem to mind. He just stood to the side without saying a word.

"Alright, let’s check out the nearby streets for now. We shouldn’t ask around in any more taverns for a while; I’m worried they might share information with each other, and we could get exposed," Colin said. "Let’s start by asking about missing person cases. Heading to the docks seems like a good choice."

After the other two agreed, Colin immediately led them toward the docks.

The fog on the streets still hadn’t dispersed.

Probably due to a lack of city planning, the streets of Three Bays City were a lot like the Dock District in Thousand Masts City—small, narrow, and crooked.

They saw many refugees gathered along the way.

Colin could only sigh to himself when he saw them.

Unlike most city-states, Three Bays City was a city under the absolute control of the Three River Commerce Association.

Although Rommon wasn’t fond of Paladins and the various Churches, they were still allowed to exist within the city. After all, it wasn’t founded by a single, all-powerful Mercenary Corps, and the different Corps had their own conflicting philosophies.

But Three Bays City was different. It was established entirely by the Three River Commerce Association.

The merchants here, of course, also disliked those rigid, uncontrollable Priests and Paladins, so naturally, there were no Churches or any charitable organizations.

If these refugees had fled to Thousand Masts City, they could have received help from the Church of Morninglord or other Churches.

But coming here, they had truly run into a dead end. If they didn’t leave soon, they would meet a terrible fate.

The group walked to the docks.

Three Bays City had three riverbanks and thus three docks.

Although a thin mist floated over the river, they could still clearly see the several docks around them.

The dock where Colin and his group stood was small and dilapidated, mostly just a series of walkways built from old wooden planks. A few fishing boats came and went, steered ashore by fishermen shivering in the cold. Most of them had caught nothing.

The dock on the opposite side, however, was much larger. Many merchant ships were docked there, unloading cargo.

The last dock, diagonally opposite them, was built of stone bricks.

Three warships were moored beside the dock, which was fortified with thick stone walls. Dark cannon muzzles were mounted on the walls, making it look just like a dockside fortress.

Besides these, there were pleasure boats decorated with fresh flowers—yes, fresh flowers in this weather. Looking from afar, they could even make out some noblewomen holding small, floral parasols.

’It’s like three different worlds,’ Colin thought.

He turned and said, "I’ll go over by myself in a moment. Cast Guidance on me again."

Orelia gently placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "O Morninglord, please guide this man..."

After the Divine Art took effect, Colin quickly walked toward a fisherman who was staring blankly at an empty fish basket.

"How’s your luck today, friend?" Colin asked as he approached.

The fisherman turned, sized up Colin’s attire, and said irritably, "Luck’s great. Take a look in my bucket—it’s full of fine, invisible fish! Those rich idiots would definitely pay a fucking fortune for ’em!"

"Easy there." Colin reached out and patted the man’s shoulder. "Want to earn a little extra cash?"

"What extra cash? You look like you’re in worse shape than I am. How could you give me extra cash?" the fisherman said, looking him up and down.

"A buddy of mine who came here with me got lost around here recently. I went to ask the Water Police Team, and guess what happened?"

Based on the hatred for the rich the man had shown, Colin continued, "I hadn’t even finished speaking when some beautifully dressed woman from out of town came over. And just like that, the Water Police officer went off with her to find an empty pleasure boat."

"Hmph. If I were you, I wouldn’t have gone to the Water Police about this." The fisherman jutted his chin toward the distant stone dock. "You need to find the Blood Blade Gang. They’re the ones who set the rules around here. Those bastards with their little batons don’t give a damn about a vagrant’s life or death. They only care about kissing the asses of those people."

"So, care for a drink? We can talk properly."

The fisherman nodded and headed toward a beer stall next to the dock.

This so-called beer stall was more like a street-side stand, just a small cart that sold beer. freёweɓnovel.com

Most of the customers were penniless fishermen. After buying their drinks, they had to finish them near the cart. They couldn’t stray too far, or the stall owner would think they were trying to steal the cups.

Colin bought a beer for the fisherman and one for himself.

The beer here was of poor quality. There was only a pitifully thin layer of foam on the surface, and you could even see the murky, grayish-yellow liquid beneath it.

The two of them squatted in a deserted corner.

"Alright, talk. What’s the situation?" the fisherman said. "You’d better make it quick. The catch has been bad lately, and I don’t want to go hungry."

"My buddy and I, we dress pretty much the same. We used to be fishermen in Thousand Masts City—sea fishermen."

Colin noticed the fisherman looking at him again.

"I can see that... yeah, one look and I can tell you’ve been weathered by the wind, that you’ve done hard work." The fisherman’s tone relaxed considerably.

In this world, if you wanted to quickly build rapport with someone, claiming to share the same profession was an excellent choice. At the very least, it would make the other person classify you as "one of us."

"So yeah, it’s about that. My buddy’s gone missing."

Hearing this, the fisherman coughed lightly twice, then took a sip of his beer.

He said, "That sort of thing is probably pretty common among the refugees, right? I don’t find it strange at all. And you most likely won’t find your buddy."

"But... how should I put this... I heard a gang is behind it."

The fisherman didn’t reply.

He sipped his beer, staring blankly at the distant river, seemingly hesitant.

’Haven’t I built enough rapport? Or is the fisherman just too scared to talk?’

Colin glanced around cautiously.

A few guys who looked like gang members were standing far away and hadn’t noticed the two of them at all.

"The fishing boats here are pretty impressive. They even have dragon heads carved on the bows," Colin said, looking at the boats on the river as he tried to probe again.

They looked a lot like Viking longships. He swallowed the rest of his words.