"Chip! Scan their data!"
Leilin issued the silent command.
[Ding! Task established! Commencing scan!] The Chip faithfully executed Leilin's order.
An invisible, intangible ripple swept across, and the target's data was fed back almost instantly.
[Name: Unknown. Race: Barbarian. Class: Level 5 Warrior. Strength: 5. Agility: 2. Constitution: 4. Spirit: 1. Talents: 1. Strength — Due to the barbarian racial bonus, the subject possesses enhanced strength and constitution. 2. Berserk — When emotions reach an extreme state of agitation, certain barbarians gain the ability to enter a berserk state! Effect: Strength +1, Agility...]
The Chip swept across the other barbarian and returned nearly identical data.
"Two level-five barbarian warriors with berserk abilities?"
Leilin silently compared them to his own subordinates. "If a real conflict breaks out, One-Eye and the rest wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe the Giant could put up a fight, but in the end…"
"Besides, according to rumors, while barbarians are exceptionally suited for the warrior class, the wise ones among them can also unlock arcane knowledge and gain certain spell-like abilities…"
These bloodline-based magical abilities differed from those of mages, bearing more resemblance to those of bloodline warlocks, though they were extremely limited in type and could be used only sparingly.
But a barbarian tribe backed by arcane support was a force that even the continent's elite mercenary companies would not want to provoke.
"Normally speaking, given the scale of the barbarian pirate crew, the number of women and children behind them must be even larger. With that kind of population base, having a few arcane-class members would be perfectly normal… No wonder they've been able to hold out against Marquis Lewis for so long…"
In the span of a heartbeat, countless thoughts flashed through Leilin's mind.
But to outside observers, Leilin merely glanced at the two barbarian warriors guarding the entrance before striding straight into the inn without hesitation.
The moment he stepped through the door, a thick wave of rum mixed with tobacco smoke hit him head-on, causing Leilin to furrow his brow slightly.
The inn's common room was packed with patrons. Mountains of roasted meat and fruit heaped the tables. Barrel after barrel of rum stood with their taps wide open, letting a sea of drunkards drink to their hearts' content.
Numerous scantily clad serving girls flitted through the hall like butterflies among flowers, occasionally getting groped by patrons while letting out laughing curses.
For an inn that catered exclusively to pirates, you really couldn't ask for much more…
Fortunately, Leilin's earlier frown was merely a reflex born of years of noble living. Having endured all manner of hardships, he could tolerate even the worst of environments.
This much was obvious. Their group, barging in unannounced, had caught the attention of the other patrons — especially someone with Leilin's strikingly handsome looks. A few reckless fools even whistled at him.
"Giant!" Leilin shook his head and called out in a low voice.
"You… looking to die?" The giant stepped out from the shadows. His massive muscle groups, criss-crossed with an array of scars, radiated an overwhelming sense of oppression.
The giant spat dismissively at the pirates who had stepped forward and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Got a problem? Step outside with me if you're not happy!"
The giant clearly knew the rules of the place, and his words made Leilin nod inwardly in approval.
Those pirates took one look at the giant's enormous frame and the sharp sense of danger he exuded. They sat right back down, quiet as quails, not daring to utter another word.
As pirates, reading the room was a survival skill. One glance at the giant told you he was not to be trifled with — and that was before even considering Leilin, who ruled over him.
In truth, they were already regretting their earlier rashness. Of course, a few of them still had a sinister glint in their eyes — in Pirate Port, raw strength alone didn't make you king. Every day, the bodies of a few arrogant newcomers who didn't know their place got dumped into the open sea.
As for their silent defiance, Leilin was quite happy to let it play out. When the time came, he would show them what true terror looked like.
The great hall fell quiet for just a moment before the noise surged back. After all, no one wanted to break the rules set by the Barbarians — and make enemies of the Barbarian Pirate
"What can I get for you, sir?"
Leilin approached the counter. The proprietor was a tall, beautiful woman wearing a scarlet low-cut gown with a fur shawl draped over her shoulders, and a playful crimson tail that occasionally swept across her waist.
She flashed Leilin a dazzling smile, and the beauty mark at the corner of her lips seemed to dance with life.
The owner of this inn turned out to be a fox-woman — and a top-class one at that! Leilin could even hear his subordinates drooling behind him.
"I've got twenty-three people in total. Can you accommodate us?" Leilin asked directly, his gaze sweeping over the fox-woman without much lingering interest.
This attitude brought a flicker of surprise to her eyes. Young men who could ignore her charms were few and far between.
"Hehe… of course, more than enough! But what kind of rooms are you looking for?"
The fox-woman shifted her pose, her supple, boneless waist swaying gently to reveal a graceful silhouette. "Our standard rooms fit five per suite, at two silver gellers per night. Mid-range rooms are three to a room, at five silver gellers per night. As for this handsome young man here?"
Her eyes seemed to ripple with liquid light as she looked Leilin up and down. "A noble young master like yourself would naturally want our finest private suite… not only is it a single-occupancy room, but it comes with enthusiastic maids to attend to your every need… the price is very reasonable, too — just two Danbres gold coins a day…"
From the other party's eyes, Leilin clearly felt a wave of bewitching power, but against his Spiritual Power of a full eight points, it was completely useless.
"I need a single room. The Giant, One-Eyed Dragon, and Hulk get a mid-range room. The rest of them all take standard rooms!"
Leilin brazenly claimed the best room for himself, while the two lieutenants, along with one guard from his own family, took mid-range rooms. Everyone else was given standard accommodations.
This was only natural, after all, his gold coins hadn't exactly fallen from the sky for nothing.
Besides, the fact that these ordinary pirates got to stay in a luxury inn should have been more than enough to make them grateful.
In truth, if Leilin hadn't been afraid that the next day he'd only be able to find his subordinates' corpses in some stinking gutter, he would have seriously considered just sending these lot straight back to the Crimson Tiger.
"Once you've gotten your room numbers and keys, you're dismissed! I only have one requirement — you must be back by nightfall!"
Leilin announced to the pirates behind him, which immediately drew a round of cheers.
After this stretch of fierce fighting and battling through storms and waves, these pirates were utterly exhausted in both body and spirit, desperate for a chance to let loose.
"If the young master has any other instructions, be sure to call on me…"
The fox-woman boss swayed her sinuous waist as she led Leilin to his room, leaving behind a trail of delicate laughter before lightly closing the door behind her.
One-Eyed Dragon immediately pressed his ear against the door panel, and after a moment gave a nod: "Boss, she's gone!"
Leilin was quite speechless at this behavior. This was the other party's territory — there were far too many ways and means for them to gather intelligence — but he didn't want to dampen his subordinate's enthusiasm, so he could only nod: "Do you know why I called you three here?"
"Boss, just give us the order straight!"
The Giant scratched the back of his head, his broad face looking almost simple and honest, but Leilin had personally witnessed the man squeeze several enemies' skulls until they burst — he would never be fooled by that appearance.
"Mm, those subordinates are out there spending and carousing. Keep a close eye on them — don't let them cause any trouble. And by this time tomorrow, I want every piece of intelligence about the Pirate's Port laid out in front of me. Understood?"
"Yes, Boss! I'll watch over those little brats!" One-Eyed Dragon licked his lips, wearing an wicked grin.
"Good! Take these and have some fun!" Leilin tossed three small pouches of coins directly at them. The experienced One-Eyed Dragon recognized the sound immediately — the beautiful clink of gold coins striking each other.
"Oh! What lovely little things! Boss, I praise you!"
Once the coin pouches were opened, a golden glow spilled forth. One-Eyed Dragon practically lost himself in delight, and even Hulk, the most silent of them all, had a different kind of gleam in his eyes.
Even though Leilin had cowed them into submission through sheer pressure, in the end he still had to resort to throwing money around.
Leilin didn't have any particular misgivings about this. After all, if he wanted to quickly assemble a combat-capable pirate crew, he would need to employ some special methods.
Once all three had left, Leilin rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and began to examine the private room.
The luxury suite more than justified its price of two gold coins per day. Not only was the space considerably more spacious, the décor was quite lavish, and it even came with a washroom containing a white porcelain bathtub — clearly elven craftsmanship, a rare luxury even on the mainland.
"Guest? Is the guest here?"
Just as Leilin was preparing to enjoy a good long soak, a soft female voice came drifting through the door, making him frown.
"What is it?"
"I… I came to draw a hot bath for the guest…" The voice beyond the door sounded somewhat uneasy and nervous, which piqued Leilin's curiosity a little.
In establishments like this, there were obviously plenty of maids who also plied a sideline trade, but this particular maid's manner was rather interesting.
"Come in. The door isn't locked!"
After the sound of the door opening, a half-elf girl in a maid's uniform stepped inside. She had wheat-colored skin, a tall and slender figure, and wore a pair of black stockings — an outfit brimming with suggestive undertones.
"A half-elf? No! This is…"
Leilin's pupils contracted ever so slightly. (。)