"The Gold inside is probably worth about two hundred and forty Gold Coins," the old man said. "I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Durandel, a member of the Gray Hand."
"Hello," Colin greeted him.
It felt as if the man had seen right through him. Every word he spoke seemed to connect with Colin’s own thoughts.
Besides that, the old man had a strange accent.
It carried Kase’s Orcish accent, yet was also mixed with the unique cadence of an Elf, like Ale’s. Perhaps it was a result of his many years traveling the world.
"Alright, I won’t be a wet blanket. You should all go see your rooms and get settled. The rest of the journey should be trouble-free," Durandel said, waving his hand. "Just wait a moment. The ship’s first mate will take you to your quarters."
With that, he walked over to the helm and started chatting with the captain.
Colin put the pouch back in his backpack. ’It would be best to find a professional shop to divide the Gold,’ he thought.
This way, everyone in the party could get another sixty Gold Coins each.
In terms of combat difficulty alone, Colin felt the reward was a bit inflated. However, considering the investigation process and the potential danger of failing the task, it seemed reasonable enough.
Colin took a moment to check his Task Log.
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[Commission: Investigate Cultists]
[Rating: 6 (Local Hero)]
[Reward: 150 Skill Level points, the Tier One Magic "Disguise Technique," and the Specialty "Street Spy"]
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[Street Spy]: 1. Intelligence +1. 2. You can more easily imitate another creature’s manner of speech and tone. A creature hearing the mimicry must pass a Perception Exemption check to notice it is a forgery. 3. You are more convincing while in disguise. The higher your Charm Attribute is compared to the target’s Perception Attribute, the higher your chance of success.
Colin was rather indifferent when he saw this Specialty.
After all, on the surface, the Specialty just gave him a slight edge when it came to disguises. He wasn’t a professional spy; such a Specialty would only be useful in very specific situations.
But he soon noticed the phrase, "can more easily imitate another creature’s manner of speech and tone."
Colin mulled it over.
’Come to think of it, don’t I have to imitate how Spells are chanted when I learn them from Donkexes? Could this Specialty actually help with learning Spells?’
Then there was the new Tier One Magic.
[Disguise Technique]: A Tier One Magic. The user can alter their own appearance, as well as their clothing, weapons, and other carried items, for one hour. These illusions are not tangible.
It was a Magic that enhanced one’s ability to disguise themself.
It was quite practical and could even be used in conjunction with the "Street Spy" Specialty.
Since he was already looking at the task Panel, Colin went ahead and put all his new Skill Level points into Armor.
With a thought, a flood of memories about using Armor washed over him.
An alarmingly long Panel appeared before his eyes.
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[Skill Upgraded: "Empowerment Armor (Reliable) 1355/2000"]
[Empowerment Armor: An empowerment technique from the Shadow Anvil Clan. It is similar to the legendary techniques of the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim, and the relationship between the two is unclear.]
[Specialty Gained: Empowerment Armor (Basic Level)]
[Empowerment Armor (Basic Level): You have mastered the ability to affix Magic to Armor. You can spend twelve hours affixing Magic to a suit of Armor you frequently use. The affected Armor gains the following effects:
1. The Armor’s Defense is increased by +1. You can also don and doff the Armor with a thought just by touching it. 2. The Armor adheres to you like a second skin, reducing the noise it makes. Unless you allow it, no one can remove this Armor. 3. Armor Charge: You can activate the Magic within the Armor to increase your Power by one point for ten minutes. This can be done once per day.]
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This Panel was about as long as the one he got for the Silent Sword Skill. Colin gave it a quick glance, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the words "Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim."
After encountering several things from the Ancient Empire, Colin had become quite sensitive to that phrase.
Still, the techniques of Donkexes and his people did resemble those of Mechanicians, so a connection to the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim wasn’t exactly shocking. But something about it still felt odd to Colin.
Of course, putting all that aside, the Specialty itself was quite good.
The higher one’s Defense was, the more expensive it became to increase it even by a single point.
For instance, upgrading from Leather Armor to Chain Armor might only cost a few dozen Gold Coins, but going from Chain Armor to something like Cloth Armor would cost much more.
Colin was, at the very least, wearing a Plate Armor Chest Guard—even if its style was outdated by ten thousand years. Any further improvements would surely cost a fortune.
This single point of Defense was equivalent to several hundred Gold Coins.
Moreover, as Colin’s total Defense increased, the value of each additional point would also rise.
The ability to temporarily increase his Power was also decent.
One point of Power might not seem like much, but based on how it felt, Colin thought even a small boost was great. With it, the Damage he dealt with his weapons would also increase slightly.
On top of that, the ability to don and doff the Armor by thought and prevent others from removing it were also very convenient little features.
All told, Colin’s current Skill Levels were: Casting (Reliable) 1682/2000, Empowerment Armor (Reliable) 1355/2000, and Silent Sword Skill (Reliable) 1274/2000.
Both Specialties were very useful, and Colin was eager to get back and test them out.
For now, though, he first had to help Orelia submit her evaluation form. It was difficult to conduct Magic research without a stable Magic Net environment like the one in the wilderness, so he’d have to wait until they returned.
Just as Colin was zoning out, a man in a white tank top who looked like a first mate shouted from the aft deck, "If you’ll please follow me, everyone."
Colin looked up.
The first mate reached out and patted two burly men standing in front of him.
These two were half a head taller than Kase. They had grayish-white skin, sharp, angular tattoos, and pupilless eyes. Their clothes and general appearance were remarkably similar to Kase’s.
"Goliaths? Didn’t think those mountain-dwelling hicks would ever come this far south," Kase muttered from the side.
The first mate walked through the gap the burly men made for him, skirted around a Frost Giant whose upper body was poking out from the middle of the deck, and hurried over to the group, beckoning to Colin.
Colin quickly fell in behind him.
The group made their way along the gunwale.
The rhythmic chanting of sailors rowing the long oars replaced the bustling shouts of the docks. The constant sound of water parting before the ship’s bow filled their ears.
The characteristic thin mist of Three Bays City slowly faded into the distance.
Led by the first mate, the party walked past two Elves who were leaning on the railing, staring down at the water’s surface.
Colin noticed they had several gill slits behind their ears, constantly opening and closing. Their fingers were also connected by fleshy webbing.
’They must be Sea Elves,’ he thought.
It was said they were the sworn enemies of the Sahuagin. A thousand-year war at the bottom of the sea had led the Sahuagin to utterly despise Elves and anything related to them.
Before he could fully process the sight, the group was herded toward a downward-sloping wooden staircase.
Immediately, another wall of flesh blocked their path.
It was a Minotaur with a bull’s head, sitting on the stairs. Colin figured the creature would be at least three meters tall standing up. It was covered in a thick mane and reeked of stench and blood.
Seeing them approach, it let out a SNORT, two jets of white vapor shooting from its enormous nostrils. It then shifted its rump to make a little space.
As the group squeezed past, the Minotaur rumbled, "I think this crawler of yours is too slow."
The creature’s accent was so thick that Colin didn’t even realize it was speaking the Common Language at first.
"It takes as long as it takes," the first mate said evasively, then quickly ushered the group into the ship’s hold.