Nearby, the harbormaster glanced up from a stack of ledgers.
"Report," Hastora said, his tone emotionless.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
Hastora stepped forward without hesitation.
"Our ship's captain is missing."
"Vanished? Just like that?"
"Exactly."
"This isn't the first time. Incidents like this have happened before."
"...?"
Not just once or twice...?
It's happened that often?
Something's definitely off about this island.
He had to dig deeper.
"Mind explaining that?"
"Sure, but let me handle something first."
The harbormaster stood and walked to his desk.
He sat down and booted up his terminal.
"What was the name of your ship? And the captain's name?"
"The S301, Captain Darnel Versk."
The harbormaster checked the names of ships that had docked on his computer.
His expression was serious.
He looked like he was trying to solve a case.
"S301? And Captain Darnel Versk? This ship did dock here at 3 AM this morning."
"So…"
"Yes, he's missing."
Someone's deliberately doing this.
It could be people involved in shady business.
They might be using some kind of teleportation magic to abduct the captains of ships that dock here.
Of course, they wouldn't be kidnapping captains without a reason.
He didn't know their plan, and frankly, he didn't care.
He already had a hunch. He didn't need any further explanation.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
He turned on his heel, ready to leave—until a sharp voice sliced through the air behind him.
Suddenly, one of the thugs present stopped him as he was about to leave.
The thug had red hair, black eyes, and an eyepatch over his left eye.
He smirked, brandishing his weapon.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"Leaving, naturally."
"You should pay your taxes first before you go."
"How much?"
"100 gold coins."
"Maybe run home to mommy and beg for it."
"Hah? Did you guys hear that?"
Two of the thug's companions chuckled, approaching him.
"Kid, are you feeling unwell?" asked the newly arrived green-haired thug.
"No. I'm perfectly fine," Hastora said, voice calm and unshaken.
"Looks like you need a lesson."
The three thugs cracked their knuckles.
Hastora saw it coming from the start.
He was more than ready for whatever came next.
Mana surged through his fists, ready to be unleashed.
"Enough."
The harbormaster's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"Don't bother them!" the harbormaster barked.
"Tch. Consider yourselves lucky, kid."
The three thugs, who looked fierce and wild, returned to their previous positions.
They obeyed the harbormaster's orders without a word.
They clearly didn't dare to defy him.
'I was mistaken. It seems those three are just the harbormaster's underlings.'
Hastora looked at them for a moment, then left the place.
"We've reported the incident. Now we can go to our main objective, right?" he asked Lysette.
"Right. But I'm a little surprised to learn that this has happened several times before."
"Sure, I was totally shocked."
"Liar. That blank face says otherwise."
"How can you tell?"
"Hehe, maybe because I'm brilliant?"
"That's possible."
"But I'm slightly impressed by you. You weren't scared at all even when facing those terrifying men."
It was trivial.
Three low-tier thugs weren't worth worrying about.
The mana radiating from them was pitiful—barely worth noticing.
He could've wiped the floor with them in five seconds—without even trying.
"Thank you," Hastora replied. "But you also didn't seem afraid of them."
"True. I wasn't afraid because they couldn't beat me."
Lysette was strong.
He acknowledged that.
Even the three men, combined, wouldn't stand a chance against Lysette.
"Where are we going?" Lysette suddenly asked.
He hadn't told them where they were going since they first arrived on the island.
Her curiosity was piqued.
"The black market," Hastora answered.
"…I won't ask."
The curse-healing herb was quite rare in this area.
It wasn't openly sold in the market.
Instead, it was easily found in the black market.
People here usually bought it to resell in the black markets outside the area.
They would make a huge profit.
The curse-healing herb couldn't be found in other regions.
It only grows in places where magic crystals densely form at the ocean floor.
And that area was around Glazareth.
He could've dived for the herb himself, but security around the crystal zone was tight.
However, security was tight.
The curse-healing plant that grew in this area could only be harvested by company workers and imported to the major cities in Glazareth.
Outsiders were not allowed to take them.
If anyone violated this, they would be arrested and fined 50 gold coins.
Hastora stopped in front of a shop after walking for seven minutes.
"Why are we stopping here?" Mirellia asked.
"To buy a password," Hastora replied flatly. "It's the only way into the black market."
"Buy? Do you have to buy a password?"
"Yes. It costs one gold coin. Let's go in."
The three of them stepped inside.
A woman with chestnut hair and a long dress sat behind the counter, scrolling on her phone.
From her appearance and position… she was most likely the password seller.
Hastora approached her.
"Excuse me," he said.
The woman looked away from her smartphone.
"Oh? Handsome man."
She turned off her smartphone.
"What would you like to order?"
"What do you have?"
"Oh, I've got plenty of goods... including myself, if you're interested."
"I'll pass. Hard."
"Ehhh… so cold~"
She was starting to get on his nerves.
Dealing with this flirtatious woman was a bit troublesome.
But it wouldn't make him fall for her charms.
He took a deep breath before ordering.
"I'll order three black keys."
"…Alright."
The woman took three black cat-emblazoned envelopes from a drawer.
"Here you go, that's three gold coins in total."
After paying, the three of them left the shop and walked towards a casino.
They gave their password upon arrival.
"Hmmm… follow me."
The cashier led them to a door hidden behind a large cabinet.
"Please enter."
The cashier gracefully opened the door.
Without hesitation, the three of them stepped into the shadows beyond the door.