Extra Chapter 3 - Li's Viewpoint

After being "accepted" aboard the pirate ship, each group member ended up in different places, engaging in various activities with the crew. As for Li, he chose to head to the makeshift tavern they had, either to drink and enjoy himself—or at least that’s what it seemed like.

Gaining the trust of the guys in that place wasn’t all that hard, since approaching a group of drunks with confidence was the best way to get involved. Of course, that didn’t come without its challenges—while the crew had orders not to harm the potential recruits, many weren’t convinced of their worth, especially the pirates who, drunk on alcohol, only valued others based on physical strength.

Li didn’t waste time challenging a couple of them to a classic arm-wrestling match, easily defeating them without using any skills—even though his opponents were guys who clearly outclassed him in size and muscle. Was the man a former arm-wrestling champion in the old world or something? Not at all. He simply knew he had the upper hand against opponents who were tipsy, and more importantly, he had physical strength far beyond that of a normal human thanks to having repeatedly purchased the "Physical Strength Boost Package" from the system store—one of the few things you could buy more than once, a bit pricey but worth it.

It’s not like he had monstrous strength capable of breaking down walls, but it was more than enough to embarrass the pirates who were now looking at him with newfound admiration. It wasn’t long before they ordered new rounds of liquor and started drinking together—it seemed the only free thing on the ship was the booze—as they laughed and shared whatever crazy stories came to mind.

It was when one of the men finally mentioned Captain Magnus and his initial disagreement with how he treated those who were supposed to be mere "combat slaves" that Li sharpened his attention and decided to speak up.

"And who’s this Magnus guy, anyway? Sounds like a real stiff. Must be a drag taking orders from someone like that all the time."

“Haha! Yeah, he’s the worst in the guild—always strict and clinging to the ‘rules’ like some damn Armada officer. But he’s strong, and that’s why we respect him.”

That piqued Li's interest. Without losing his smile or stopping his drinking, he continued.

"A guild? What do you mean by a guild? I'm just a fool from inland, I have no clue how things work around here."

“Haha! That explains a lot.”

The pirates at the table laughed, mocking the poor fool who had no idea what he had gotten himself into. They let their guard down even more and began to speak freely.

"Here, we’re all part of the ‘Gearforged Raiders,’ and we’re buccaneers dedicated to raiding and sinking any ship belonging to the Armada or the Kingdom Alliance. We used to loot civilian ships too, but since Magnus took over, we don’t do that anymore. In fact, the reason we shot at the ‘Sea Beast’ attacking you was because of orders from the captain. The boarding wasn’t authorized, and he got really pissed off about it, hahaha! The poor bastards who fired the harpoons are probably starving in the dungeon until we get back."

That was quite valuable; the discord between the ship's captain and the crew could be useful depending on how things unfolded later. After all, Li had learned that he always needed to expect the worst. It was true that they were no longer in a punishment scenario and the danger seemed minimal in comparison, but he couldn’t let his guard down for a moment. Even two newbies had died right at the start.

The following hours were spent talking more and more about various topics, especially focusing on the Ironclad Armada, insulting and mocking them at every opportunity. However, Li managed to steer the conversation toward gathering information from these men about how their enemies operated.

It wasn’t a lot or very precise, but they did know some things from a lifetime of deadly encounters. Li learned that the Armada had a hierarchy very similar to that of a real-world navy, which resonated with him. After all, before being summoned to this survival realm, he had been a Major General in the Chinese Republic Army—a ‘young man’ with a bright future before he lost interest in life itself. It was almost ironic that he now found himself facing something like this in a world so far removed from his own, a story about pirates and sea monsters.

Li also learned that the Armada had extremely powerful individuals who didn’t rely solely on their armies. This was especially true for those holding higher ranks within their ranks, such as Commodores, Vice-Admirals, and Admirals. The latter were almost mythical figures for lowly pirates like them, who had only heard stories about battles between these individuals and the leaders of the seven pirate guilds. Even so, one of them could clearly recount a naval battle in which a Vice-Admiral had appeared, sinking half a fleet of warships before they finally managed to kill the bastard through sheer artillery fire.

But before Li could say anything more, another pirate interrupted and began speaking in a lively manner.

"That's nothing. I had the privilege of seeing our guild's chief, Thorne Hastings, last year during a patrol when a whole Armada fleet ambushed our convoy... The man looked small from a distance, but I clearly saw him raise an arm from the tip of the bow, and then a sword of fire—or lightning, I'm not sure what it was—appeared. It was blue and grew so large that it even dispersed the clouds overhead. Then, with a single clean sweep, he cut through all the enemy ships as if they were made of paper."

After that, everyone laughed and celebrated, and although Li lost his smile for a moment, he managed to put it back on before anyone noticed. This was not good—far from it. It meant that both factions wielded overwhelming power, far beyond what he or any of the other newbies could even dream of possessing at the moment. How should he proceed? He clearly remembered the ambiguity in the story about the battle between the two factions, as if the goal were to ally with one of them. But which one had the upper hand? Or more importantly, which one would ultimately offer the greatest benefits?

The rest of the time passed without any major issues or important information, with everyone simply drinking and chatting cheerfully.

——————————

Much happened after that moment. Days passed, and they finally arrived at Gearspire Stronghold, a floating city/island straight out of a Victorian fiction novel. Li wasn’t particularly into mechanical or retro technology, but he had to admit that the numerous factories and people with clockwork implants were quite impressive.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

They didn’t take long to reach the dilapidated recruitment building belonging to the buccaneers' guild. There, they were greeted by a man with a ridiculous appearance and a toy parrot perched on his shoulder, who began to tell the history of the world. Although his story turned out to be quite important, Li couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the self-glorifying portrayal of the guild, which painted them as some kind of "heroes of freedom".

That couldn't have been further from the truth. From the very pirates Li had spoken with in the previous days, he knew that the guilds' activities were anything but selfless. It had been clearly stated that it was common practice to capture unaffiliated civilians and turn them into "combat slaves," using them as cannon fodder in the numerous battles waged by both factions, regardless of whether they were civilians from the 'Alliance of Realms' or even from the 'Free Peoples.'

Understanding the true nature of the situation a bit more, Li was the first to break away from the group as they left the building, stating that he would head to a bar to use the money they had been given. Although he did plan to go to a bar, the last thing on his mind was drinking or having fun.

"I didn't think I’d have to use it at a time like this, but there's no other option."

⌠Notice: SR-class Plot device: “I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!” has been used⌡ ⌠Now you can see the crucial information window for important characters in the scenario. Maximum duration: 5 hours.⌡

This was a crucial Plot Device he had obtained in previous scenarios. Although the intention was to use it only in critical moments, he felt it was the only option to figure out what to do given the circumstances.

Li clicked his tongue in frustration, as using this resource left him with only two Plot Devices remaining, one of which was entirely useless unless they completed the scenario.

But well, there was no other choice but to make the most of it. So, as he walked around looking for a tavern or a place with a lot of people, he kept an eye out for anyone who might have valuable information. However, he found nothing. No windows appeared in front of any of the characters, indicating that none of them were or had any real relevance to the scenario's plot.

After more than an hour of fruitless searching, Li finally found the entrance to a building that he assumed was a tavern, given the smell of alcohol and the loud commotion coming from inside. He was about to enter when a nervous-looking young man, no older than twenty, passed by—just a common deckhand, nothing out of the ordinary—when a window suddenly appeared beside him.

⌠Finn O'Malley, a new recruit of the 'Gearforged Raiders' and member of the 'Stratos Technology' company, is on his way to meet the leader of his infiltrated division for his first briefing and to receive new orders.⌡

“Ho-oh”

Jackpot! Li hurried after the boy and, before he could enter the tavern, grabbed him by the shoulder with considerable force, turning him towards himself with a smile.

"Relax, kid. Change of plans. This place is too crowded. We're heading somewhere more private."

Finn was momentarily stunned, and his confusion led him to assume that the man was the one he was supposed to meet. He simply nodded and followed him into a nearby alley, a somewhat stinky and deserted passage.

"Sorry about this, but I need to ask you a few questions."

Li said with a smile that no longer conveyed friendliness, all while summoning his spellbook in one hand and making it glow intensely.

Several minutes later, the man emerged from the alley with a satisfied expression, using a cloth to wipe a few small drops of red from his right hand. After this, he walked back toward the tavern, leaving behind... nothing. If one inspected the alley after Li had left, they would find only a strange, large, dark stain on the walls and floor, odd.

Minutes later, Li was inside the building, moving slowly and scanning the area, looking for the window that would indicate his target. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to spot him sitting at the central bar.

⌠Victor Reid, a senior member of the 'Gearforged Raiders' and executive of the 'Stratos Technology’ company, is waiting for his contact to receive the report and provide further instructions.⌡

Bingo. Li discreetly approached and sat down next to him, ordering a drink while placing three coins on the counter—two Iron Shillings and a peculiar copper coin. He knew this was the symbol the spy was expecting to identify his subordinate, a detail he had taken from the poor boy in the alley once he learned its purpose.

Victor glanced at this from the corner of his eye and waited for his "companion's" drink to be served. Finally, he did something Li hadn't anticipated: he used a skill. This action caused everyone around them to fall into complete silence, interrupted only by a few sudden words.

"Confirmed, safe space. No one will notice anything. Good job ordering your drink. Focus on that and speak to me without turning around."

Li smiled wryly as he took the first sip of his drink, proceeding to introduce himself and relay exactly what Finn had said he needed to deliver. It was a small folded sheet with specific information on the progress of the siege at Ironwave Anchorage, as well as a list of "potential important people to convince." Convince them of what exactly? The boy wasn’t sure, so he had simply listed names of pirates he thought could be bribed, which didn’t quite fit with everything else.

"Are these the names you were asked for?"

"Not really, you know? It would be easier to do my job if I knew exactly what profile they're looking for. The morale here is very divided, and it's easy to see who disagrees with some of the things being carried out."

Victor didn't turn to look, but he was clearly taken aback. He had assumed that the person he was meeting with was merely a low-ranking pawn, someone who just followed orders without question. He hadn't expected someone to be so relaxed about the situation or to ask questions of that nature. Perhaps this individual could be more useful elsewhere, not just as a lowly spy.

"Heh. Correct. Well, you know what we're after—the fall of the Free Peoples and the Kingdom Alliance. The Seven Pirate Guilds and the Ironclad Armada are the cancer that hinders progress, focused solely on the interests of their bigwigs, rather than those they claim to protect. It's all false justice and false heroism. The motto of 'Stratos Technology' is progress over emotions."

The man was getting carried away and perhaps had revealed more than he intended, but without Li asking further questions, he continued explaining a bit more about what was happening behind the scenes. Gradually, Li sipped his drink more and more slowly, becoming astonished by everything he heard. This was it! He quickly remembered the scenario synopsis, mentioning the existence of a third power in the shadows. From what he saw, this was the faction with the most influence but the least strength of the three. It was perfect for what he had planned, especially now that he had a broader view of the situation.

"Then tell me, who have you met that might understand this vision?"

Li chuckled inwardly, recalling Captain Magnus's face and knowing clearly that he was the ideal candidate for that role.

"I know the perfect person for that."