23.Message

After downing some drinks, Klaw and Ludwig stepped out of the Sea Breeze Hotel, only to be confronted by a group of ragged beggars. There were ten of them, with gloomy faces and eerie gazes.

"Whats up? I ain't got no money to spare for you lot," Ludwig slurred, emboldened by the alcohol.

Klaw pulled Ludwig behind him, recognizing the identities of the newcomers, but also sensing their ill intent.

"What's the matter?" he asked the beggars, "Does the guild have business with me?"

"Klaw, please come with us. The higher-ups have some questions for you," the leader of the beggars said insolently.

This response clarified a few things. First, they weren't Uncle Bo's men, as he never gave his subordinates the impression of being 'the higher-ups.' Second, they didn't offer Klaw a chance to explain or refuse.

Since they weren't sent by Uncle Bo, Klaw saw no need to show them any courtesy. He scanned the group of beggars: emaciated, unkempt, and clearly malnourished. A good master would feed his hounds well, ready to be deployed at critical moments, but the master of this group had not done so, meaning they were useless.

"I think your brain's been fried," Klaw taunted, "Tell your higher-up to come see me personally. Maybe I'll take pity and pee on you to cool you down."

"Seize him!" the beggar leader shouted in anger.

Two men brandished their shiny daggers, approaching Klaw, who cautiously observed their movements. But Captain Ludwig, without a hint of fear, strolled back into the Sea Breeze Tavern, effortlessly grabbed a table—poor barkeep, cowering under the bar, dared not object to Ludwig's looting—and hurled it at the two assailants, knocking them to the ground.

"Ouch!" one cried out in pain, having been stabbed by his companion's dagger.

The guild's enforcers were intimidated by the scream. They were usually concerned about their next meal, not willing to risk their lives for their superiors. So, disregarding the fate of their two companions, they scattered and fled.

Ludwig was about to lend a hand to the two men, but Klaw stopped him.

"Ignore them, they won't die," Klaw said ruthlessly. This was the rule of the streets; if you dared to cause trouble, you had to be prepared to fail. When everyone was struggling for their own livelihood, no one would stop to wipe the nose of the loser.

"What a cruel law of the jungle," Ludwig shook his head, but it was an empathetic sigh, not a wavering due to an overflow of sympathy.

Klaw quickened his pace. He had an idea who had sent these men and what he might face next. The most important thing now was to find Uncle Bo quickly, to clear up the misunderstanding and facilitate the cooperation between the guild and Lord Bard.

They entered the narrow paths between buildings, which wasn't very secure, as the houses by the dock varied in height and the ground was uneven, making it impossible to find a place that was completely hidden from view. Soon, another group of people blocked their way, but these guys were equally useless, yielding after a few threats.

"Why do they want to capture you?" Ludwig asked curiously.

"Because you guys made Rat-Eye disappear, idiot!" Klaw replied, of course, he didn't think this was the answer, and the truth was hidden in his mouth. He didn't say it, nor did he want to confirm it. Since Uncle Bo already believed Klaw didn't take the gold coin, these enforcers must have been ordered by someone even more ruthless.

They turned onto the main road, where there was no danger of being surrounded, but as they approached the archway to the lower city, they were stopped again.

This time, the ones blocking him were Eric and a group of men who did manual labor at the dock and in the lower city, all of whom were very familiar with Klaw.

"Hey, Klaw."

"What, Eric, are you here to catch me too? Why?" Klaw shouted angrily, "If you have any issues with me, let Mason come and ask himself. I don't buy his act, and you shouldn't either!"

It seemed like a long-held grievance had erupted. Klaw remembered what he had said at Lord Bard's house, "Uncle Bo is the guild." But his current actions seemed to be slapping his own face.

"Klaw... you misunderstood. This is not a small matter, listen to me... Rat-Eye is dead."

Something hard and brittle shattered, like glass heated too much in the furnace. Klaw felt it was a string of his heart, a string that still thought and still had a goal.

"Rat-Eye... dead?"

"It's the guild's conclusion, and it was Lide who sent me to find you, not Mason. We need to have an explanation for Rat-Eye's death."

"It seems the relationships here are quite complicated," Ludwig whistled, looking indifferent.

"Rat-Eye is dead? Who said so, how did he die, where is the body?" Klaw came to his senses and began to fire rational bullets, but Eric was not a rational person. He was immersed in grief and anger, grieving for a companion's death, yet angry at this companion's betrayal, and the current companion's ignorance.

"Come with me now," he said through gritted teeth. Klaw ignored him.

"I won't go with you unless I see Rat-Eye. Whether it's Mason or Lide, I won't obey. I am Uncle Bo's man, always have been!"

The two sides were in a standoff. It was clear that Eric was in a strong dilemma, trembling all over, with sweat beads flowing down those undulating muscles, quickly evaporating due to the overheated body temperature. He was more considerate of the guild's overall will than Klaw, and it was precisely because of this that he could undertake the task that Klaw could not, to gather the group.

But at the moment, this will diverged from Klaw. To be fair, this was Klaw's fault. He had always denied the Bard family's excessive hype about Rat-Eye, the gold coin, and his own safety, but when the facts appeared in front of him, this unfavorable result plunged him into confusion for a while. He could have believed Eric, believed the guild, but he chose to only believe in himself and Uncle Bo.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Captain Ludwig stood out at this time, with a bottle of wine in his hand, which seemed to be another thing he had taken from the Sea Breeze Tavern.

"And who are you?" Eric shouted irritably. His friend's uncooperation annoyed him, and the sudden appearance of a stranger made him even more disgusted.

"I am his bodyguard. He is now a distinguished guest of Lord Bard."

"Ludwig, let me talk to him..." Klaw restrained his companion.

"Eric, I'm investigating Rat-Eye's whereabouts right now... I don't believe he's just dead. Where did your information come from? Lide? Mason? They didn't find Rat-Eye's body, so why jump to such conclusions?"

"Somebody witnessed Rat-Eye being murdered, Klaw," Eric said gravely, "On the night of your operation, Rat-Eye betrayed you, then went to drink... On his way back, he was knocked off his horse and slammed into a wall... The old beggar who witnessed it is still shaken, he said he'd never seen such a devil, no one could survive that kind of assault."

"Take me to him," Klaw insisted. "Uncle Bo won't believe such vague testimony and will definitely conduct a thorough investigation."

"That's why we've come to you," Eric said patiently. "This is to take you to meet Lide."

"No... I won't meet Lide, or Mason," Klaw said.

The situation remained unchanged.

"Then, can you talk with me?"

A weary voice came from behind Eric, and both Klaw and Eric cried out in unison.

"Uncle Bo!"

A dozen of the guild's strong men made way, and the old wolf in charge of the Silver Port guild, Bo Dric, strode swiftly towards Klaw.