“They are ready for you. Master Silver,” said Lola.

I nodded and turned my eyes away from the river and walked to the girls toward the passenger area.

They have been crammed in there, barely having any space to move. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad about it, but I had to address them together, I couldn’t go to all three passenger areas, one by one.

Soon, I stopped and looked at all of them. I met each of their gazes, before activating Every Ear Listen To My Words.

“First, let me start by apologizing to all for your current condition. It is only for a few minutes,” I said with a smile, but there is no response, except for their gazes turning serious.

“Before you all leave for the Greltheaven, I am giving all a choice. A choice of freedom. If you want, I will free you from your contract and even give you ten thousand crowns for your future,”

“You all have an hour to decide,” I finished and walked away from them, letting Carla handle the rest.

Usually, I use more words, but I didn’t have time. I have to leave and meet someone and that will only happen after the ship leaves for the Greltheaven.

….

Bell

“Calm down, girls. The choice Master Silver gave you is real. We will not stop you, if all of you choose the freedom,” said a woman wearing a red dress.

She has an air of authority, which instantly calmed down everyone.

“Those who want to leave can to me or Lola,” she added and turned to the beautiful woman in a black dress beside her.

‘Fucking hell!’ I cursed for the hundredth time in a few hours.

I hated my life in Oksall, but I had been safe in the massive city. My enemies couldn’t find me, despite knowing I am there, but in Greltheaven, it is going to be much different.

It is a city that didn’t have a population of even a hundred thousand. It will be much easier for my enemies to find me there; with the resources they have.

They will know where I am.

The last big scrying attempt had been done a week and a half ago and this one was strong.

Stronger than all the past big scrying attempts.

The sage of a thousand luminescence had leveled up. Every level, taking him closer and closer to finding me.

This time, he seemed to have narrowed down the district. From many girls, I heard the strange men in black uniforms coming to the brothels and inspecting the girls, asking the question.

It might be for something else, but I think they are searching for me.

They already might have deduced that I am living in the red-light district or might be a whore.

Then this is a great chance for me.

No, I will not go to the Greltheaven. That would be an idiotic thing for me to do; I will take the freedom they are offering and will go to Belnin.

The more I thought about it, the better I felt the idea came to my mind.

So, I waited calmly, listening to conversations around me.

Girls are surprised by the freedom and money they are offering, but few are going to take it.

The money is good, but not many want freedom. Many had gotten free, even I had gotten free two years ago, thanks to strict indentured laws in Oksall, but I signed a contract immediately with another brothel.

Nobody hires a prostitute. So, after gaining freedom, many would sign contracts with their brothels again.

It is not like there isn’t anyone considering taking the offer.

The girl in front of me is going to do it. From her words, she planned to take the money and enjoy herself for a few days with that, before signing a contract with her old brothel.

Though most are smart enough to not do that.

If someone is willing to offer them freedom and money, then there must be something else there. They want to see it. Some even have hope; seeing that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

Even after suffering so much, some girls still kept hope in their hearts. The girl beside me was one of them.

Half an hour passed, and a few girls have approached the two women already. Those two have taken out the contract and burned it in front of everyone and gave them money pouches before sending them out of the ship.

They should have waited for the end of the hour before burning the contracts and giving girls the money.

Showing they are truly meaning what they have said. They are enticing more girls to leave.

It is like they want the girls to leave. Then why did they buy our contract in the first place? It all seems strange and idiotic to me.

“Bell, are you leaving or staying?” asked Rexy.

“I a”

I had opened my mouth to reply when I froze away.

On the deck, a couple of people appeared. One is wearing the uniform of port guards, while four are wearing a familiar black uniform and had an emblem on their chest. That destroyed everything for me.

Seeing them, I froze before raging anger and hate rose in my heart.

Rexy looked at me strangely, before following my gaze. When she looked at those people, a hint of anger appeared on the cheerful girl's face.

“These bastards are visiting the brothels; they have come to mine a few days ago. They removed all our clothes, touched us with strange things, and asked all weird questions,” she said and shuddered.

I looked at them and saw the young man walking toward them, and he seemed angry.

“I heard that from others, too. I wonder what they want?” I asked casually, despite feeling terror in my heart.

Rexy’s eyes lit up, hearing that.

“I can listen,” she said, activating her skill. I also have a listening skill, more powerful than hers, but I am not going to use it.

These bastards have ‘Hunting,’ classes; since they are searching for me, it might trigger some of their skills. Not activating any skill is a wise choice; my ring will protect me, but examined me, then even the ring won't save me.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I really hope the young man sent them away, but that is likely the case.

Lomeir is an informal ally of merchant states and a kingdom that gives access to the north.

It is due to its important role. It enjoys many privileges.

Knowing that I move my hand into my bag. If they did come searching, I will use the last option. There is no way in hell I will tell them what they want.

That secret will die with me.

….

Hun!

I was standing by the railing enjoying the view when I saw people coming to the ship. They pushed the guards at the ramp's entrance and entered the ship.

A spark of anger lit in my eyes, but I stopped Stone and Shaun stopping them and walked toward them.

There are five people. One is wearing the uniforms of Oksall port guards, while the other four are wearing black uniforms.

‘Kingdom of Lomeir.’ I thought as I saw the flag on their sleeves, but I was the most interested emblem on their chest, which had the head of a dire wolf wearing a thorny crown and two bloody swords behind it.

It took me a moment before remembered it was an emblem of the Duchy of Sarkin.

“Gentlemen, you are trespassing on my ship,” I said to them as I stopped in front of them.

“We are not. We have an order from the port master’s office to search every ship carrying the whores,” said the guard with blond hair.

“Can I see the order?” I asked him. He looked a little surprised, likely because people don’t want to question the port guards. It could make things a little difficult.

Still, he didn’t decline and gave me the order. I read it, before turning to him.

“You can not search my ship with it,” I said with a smile and handed it back to him. A frown appeared on his face, along with some hint of anger.

“The order state, we have authority to search all mercantile ships carrying the whores,”

“Search the ship,” he said to the four men from Lomeir, and they took a step to do it, but Jon and Stone appeared in front of them, while the guard turned to me with clear anger.

“I will arrest you. If you stop me from executing my duties,” threatened the guard.

“I am Remus Silver, adviser to the Count Darrow Wilstein of House Ravenheart, and this ship I had rented is through my diplomatic credentials,”

“It means you will need a class 3 order if you want to search my ship.”

“If you did it despite that, you will violate my rights and I will surely write to your governor about it,” I said to the guard, staring into his eyes directly.

I could see fear appearing in his eyes upon hearing those words.

“The merchant state of Oksall doesn’t have a relationship with the empire. So, you are breaking the rules in buying the contracts of whores,” said the bald man in a black uniform in heavily accented avoid.

Those words seemed to have given the guard hope, seeing how his eyes lit up.

“A diplomatic exception,” I replied simply.

“Mr. Silver, we have been searching for a high fugitive from the Kingdom of Lomeir and we would be grateful. If you let us search, the whores you have brought,” said a bald man, with a considerably polite tone.

“I have no problem doing that. All you need to do is bring out a valid order and you can search my ship,” I replied, and it made him angry.

He didn’t say anything and instead removed the paper parchment and handed it to me.

“We are searching for her. If we found her, that bounty will be yours,” he said, and looking at his expression, it is clear he expects me to agree after seeing it.

I nodded and looked at the parchment. There are two sketches, one is of a late teen woman, while the other is her older version in her late twenties.

I looked at the sketch for a moment, before reading her name and the bounty, which is in a shocking amount.

It will entice even Lord Darrow.

It seemed like she was related to that incident more than a decade ago.

“My apologies, but I don’t think I have brought the contract of this woman,” I said to him.

“She has the skill to change her physical shape,” he replied, and I nodded.

“I love to help you, gentlemen, but I couldn’t. If I let you search my ship, it will trample on the honor of my lord. Please bring the valid order and I will let you search my ship,”

“And you have about an hour for that. In an hour, the ship will leave for the Greltheaven,” I said.

The eyes of a bald man hardened hearing that, and this time, he was not even trying to hide it.

“It will not look good on you, young man if you dare to harbor the fugitive of the great kingdom of Lomeir,” he said threateningly, and hearing the smile on my face become even brighter.

“You can keep your threats to yourself and get out. I won’t have you on my ship unless you bring out a valid order to search it,” I said back, without losing a smile on my face.

Which seemed to irk him even more.

His hands moved toward his sword, and fear appeared on the port guard's face, but before he could do anything, a hand appeared on his shoulder.

“Our apologies. If our words felt threatening to you; it was not our intention, Adviser. We are just doing our job and under a lot of pressure,” said the older man, who appeared beside the bald man.

“Let’s forget that and if you really want to check on the girls. You can do it in three to four months when they will make a debut,” I informed him with a smile.

The older man in the black uniform nodded and walked out of the ship, with others, without saying another word, and I turned to Carla, who was coming toward me with worry written all over her face.

….

“Greltheaven,” I said as I watched the ship leave the port of Oksall.

All my plans have been destroyed by those bastards. Now, I couldn’t stay in Oksall or go to Belnin; I am going to the Greltheaven.