One pirate corpse after another hung by the neck from ropes at different heights, their eyes bulging like fish eyes.
No one cared why the pirates had died with their eyes open. What they cared about was the victory in this war.
For so many years, Puning Harbor had suffered constantly from pirate troubles. The merchants who did business there, in particular, hated those rampant pirates to the point of gnashing their teeth.
A few years ago, because pirates had become so brazen and had repeatedly plundered merchant ships, several wealthy merchants stood forward and donated a large sum of money to wipe them out.
But after receiving the money, the governor had never followed through on the matter, constantly making excuses and delaying it.
Over time, they no longer trusted the navy of Southville County.
Today, the returning warships greatly inspired the local residents. After a brief silence came thunderous applause and shouts.
"Hanging pirates on the gallows is the greatest mercy one can give them."
This was the sentence from Hastur which left the deepest impression on them with.
At night, the entire Puning Harbor was brightly lit. Every tavern was celebrating with discounts, and if one was a naval soldier who had taken part in the battle, they could even drink to their heart's content for free.
Every tavern was packed. Many people brought chairs and stools from their homes and placed them outside the taverns, drinking and laughing loudly.
"It's truly hard to imagine what kind of suffering the people here have endured over the years."
Crestet Cesimir and Klein also paused their investigation tonight and came out to find a tavern with relatively fewer people, planning to have a few drinks.
Klein ate half a crispy fried dried fish, drank another glass of beer, and let out a slight burp. "The greater today's joy is, the greater the suffering of the past must have been."
With pirates running rampant, generations of residents here had endured humiliation and pain. More or less, they all had blood feuds with the pirates.
Crestet Cesimir raised his glass and clinked it with Klein's, then took a big gulp. "When I lived in Backlund, I always thought the seaside was suitable for business and should have an economy even more prosperous than Backlund's. But when I truly left Backlund, I realized that life by the sea is bitter, and the fishermen who go out to sea to make a living suffer even more."
"Natural disasters and man-made calamities. Tsk, especially when saddled with an incompetent… Forget it. Let's drink." Crestet Cesimir was clearly a little drunk, much more sentimental than usual.
Klein shook his head and sighed, then turned to look at the lively scene inside the tavern, where people were singing passionately and laughing happily.
Even as it approached ten o'clock, the tavern was still bustling with noise. Klein had no intention of staying up with them all night.
His wallet would not allow it either. Even splitting the bill with Crestet Cesimir, he had still spent 1 pound and 9 soli in just a few hours at this tavern.
And that was with the tavern's fifty-percent discount tonight.
Klein stood up, put on the black coat he had taken off earlier, and half, supported Crestet Cesimir as they returned to their residence.
As they walked down the street, they heard a voice from behind.
"Mr. Klein, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Klein subconsciously turned his head and saw that the person greeting him was Hastur.
Crestet Cesimir, who had already been a little drunk, instantly became completely sober. He raised his head, his gaze sharp and carrying a hint of vigilance.
"Earl Campbell, why are you here?"
"I just finished drinking at the military camp and thought I'd take a walk along the street. Then I happened to run into you." Hastur gave a simple explanation, then smiled and said, "This isn't any formal occasion. There's no need to address me so respectfully."
"Mr. Hastur, to be able to train a navy capable of fighting pirates after only three months in Southville County is truly no simple feat."
The one who spoke was Crestet Cesimir. At this moment, he no longer needed Klein's support. He stood steadily, his posture upright and carrying an unyielding air.
Hastur said calmly, "The king has placed high hopes on me. He sent me here precisely to solve Southville County's coastal defense problems."
He glanced again at the fully alert Klein and Crestet Cesimir, then smiled and pointed to a tavern by the side of the street that was still open, inviting them to go in for a drink.
Klein, who had already drunk quite a bit, originally wanted to refuse, but Crestet Cesimir agreed before he could. Klein could only follow them into that tavern.
A square wine table was set with several side dishes to go with the alcohol. All the other empty spaces were filled with drinks. Half had been taken by Crestet Cesimir, and half had been brought over by the tavern owner at Hastur's request.
Klein sat between Hastur and Crestet Cesimir. He kept feeling that tonight's drinking session was not so simple.
Sure enough, he had only eaten a few bites of the side dishes when Crestet Cesimir began praising Hastur for being young and promising, for reorganizing the navy well, and for his merit in suppressing the pirates, using these words to invite Hastur to drink several cups in succession.
Seeing this situation, Klein silently moved his seat back a little to avoid being drawn into it.
His alcohol tolerance was average. At home, he would occasionally drink a little with Benson, usually only one or two glasses.
He had also attended work-related drinking gatherings a few times, but he never drank too much, let alone strong liquor like the ones on the table.
With Crestet Cesimir's way of drinking, he would definitely have a splitting headache tomorrow and be unable to get up. Beyonders were a bit stronger than ordinary people, but that did not mean they could hold their liquor better.
Originally, Klein thought he could avoid it, but after Crestet Cesimir and Hastur had drunk to a certain point, they joined forces and dragged him into the drinking session as well. In the end, he became dizzy and had no idea how much he had drunk.
In order not to get completely drunk, Klein repeatedly used the excuse that his stomach felt bloated to go to the washroom, wash his face, and sober up a little. Only after the strength of the alcohol had faded slightly did he walk out of the washroom.
At this, Hastur said with a chuckle, "Mr. Klein seems to be very fond of the washroom."
These words made Klein's heart skip slightly. For a moment, he could not tell whether Hastur was teasing him or had noticed something.
Crestet Cesimir also laughed and said, "The washroom is a good place. When a middle-aged man is feeling troubled, he likes nothing more than hiding inside for a bit of peace and quiet."
At this point, he looked Klein up and down and said, "I believe Klein definitely wasn't secretly forcing himself to vomit in the washroom."
Hastur also sized Klein up and said with a smile, "The washroom is indeed very quiet. When a person hides inside alone, they can secretly do many things."
To avoid making Klein suspicious, Hastur deliberately made those words sound a little ambiguous.
Crestet Cesimir burst into loud laughter and even winked at Klein, his eyes full of teasing.
Klein smiled but did not answer. He truly did not want to talk about this topic, even though he really did like the washroom.
After all, the washroom was practically Mr. Fool's divine kingdom on earth.
…
When Klein woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
He first gently rubbed his aching head a few times, then looked around at his surroundings.
Fortunately, this was his own room. His clothes were also intact, and he did not feel pain anywhere else on his body.
When his thoughts reached this point, Klein froze for a long while. In the end, he could only blame such thoughts on Roselle.
If he had not read so many of Roselle's diaries, he would not have understood so much about the special preferences of nobles.
"Did we seem to talk about the washroom last night?" Klein shook his still somewhat dizzy head and carefully recalled what had happened the previous night.
Fortunately, he had not said anything he should not have said.
Last night, he had also half-supported Crestet Cesimir back. After returning, he had gone to the washroom to take a bath, then stood before the mirror and grinned foolishly for a long time before finally lying down on the bed to sleep.
It was better to drink less alcohol after all!
Klein sighed, rested a little longer, then got up to wash.
What he had not expected was that Crestet Cesimir had already woken up. He was sitting on the living room sofa, drinking coffee with his legs crossed while reading the newspaper. He had even thoughtfully prepared a serving of fish soup for Klein.
"…" After Klein finished washing and came back, he finally could not help asking him how he could be so energetic today when he had been nearly unable to walk from drinking last night.
"Drinking causes delays in important matters, so I never let myself get drunk. That Earl Campbell was the same. He was still very clear, headed last night."
So I was the only one who got drunk, huh? Klein did not want to speak. He silently sat to the side and drank the still, warm milky, white fish soup.
After Klein finished the fish soup and became completely clear, headed, Crestet Cesimir closed the newspaper in his hand and said in a grave tone, "We have to return to Backlund tomorrow."
Klein was stunned for a moment. "We're not continuing the investigation?"
"The Church has told us to abandon the mission and return to Backlund."
"Just because of the matter of wiping out the pirate group?"
"There are other reasons as well. Backlund hasn't been peaceful lately either, and manpower is needed there."
Klein said nothing more. Crestet Cesimir stood up and said as if joking, "Relax a little. At the very least, we're still alive. Nothing is luckier than being alive."
"What exactly happened in Backlund?" Klein was a little worried about Benson and Melissa.
"They say a powerful evil spirit has appeared."
"An evil spirit?"
"The message that came didn't give many details, but for the Church to attach so much importance to it proves that this evil spirit is not simple."
Klein nodded. "Then let's go buy the ship tickets later."
When evening came, after Klein and Crestet Cesimir went to the harbor and bought the tickets, Crestet Cesimir received another message from the Church.
They were to go to Bansi Harbor first to investigate. It was said that a major Beyonder incident had occurred there, and they were to join forces with the people from the Church of Storms to investigate.
Klein looked at the two ship tickets that had cost a full 10 gold pounds and sighed. "Can we still refund them now?"
"Don't worry. The Church will reimburse all our daily expenses while we're away."
After Crestet Cesimir finished speaking, he turned and went to buy two tickets to Bansi Harbor.