Chapter 1182: Not Enough Warning
“Oh?” responded Lin Li as he frowned gently.
Lin Li had previously left the weaker sailors in Helena Port because he thought about the potential dangers on Ice Island. These sailors were around level-15 and level-16, and had no significance to the Tower of Dusk. He believed that no one would want to waste any time on them. Furthermore, the saga around the Fifth Fleet had just ended, and he was confident that no one from the Gilded Kingdom would dare to create any trouble for the Tower.
However, some things were just very ridiculous. Lin Li really did not expect or understand why people from the Gilded Kingdom would put their crosshairs on those sailors.
Seeing that Lin Li might be unconvinced, Jeremiah grew even more anxious. “Hey, there was even a rumor that you went to that cursed place, and would never be back. Because of that, they even directed significant pressure on those people from the Breezy Plains. There would’ve been a high chance for them to surrender to the Gilded Kingdom had you returned a few days later,” explained Jeremiah.
The people from the Gilded Kingdom knew I went to the cursed island? thought Lin Li. The first possible culprit behind the rumor that came to Lin Li’s mind was Poer. That old man definitely did not expect himself to be the one who was not going to return to this piece of land.
As for the sailors who were arrested, Lin Li could also guess that it had to be done by Delano, the man who hated him to the bones. He knew that no one else would see any value in those sailors. However, although the sailors were only employed under the name of the Tower, Lin Li certainly wasn’t intending to leave them there.
Maybe it’s time to let some people know I have returned from that “cursed island”! thought Lin Li, smirking. Seems like they have not learned enough from the case of the Fifth Fleet…
Jeremiah couldn’t help but feel unsettled by Lin Li’s smirk. “President Felic, erm, I’m here because I’m scared that your things might be destroyed by them, and wanted to help you put them away. Now that you are back, I should return them to you,” he said hurriedly as he handled the nautical reports to Lin Li.
Although he knew that he would be able to be complimented by the king of the Ledin Kingdom if he were to bring the reports back, he really did not dare to test Lin Li’s personality.
Lin Li glanced at those materials, and said, “These reports are not of use to me anymore. If you are interested, you can just bring them back.” Although Lin Li was a man who did not like to get the short end of the stick, he was never a stingy man. Since Jeremiah shared such a piece of news with him, he thought that he could just reward him with those materials.
Jeremiah couldn’t believe his ears when he heard Lin Li. But, he quickly snugged those reports back in his arms ecstatically. “Are you sure you are giving them to me? I have been so busy, and was of no help to you. How could I keep such precious gifts?” asked Jeremiah embarrassingly.
While the nautical reports were of no use to Lin Li, they contained crucial information to help the Ledin Kingdom expand their reach into the waters. They were a door to the Endless Ocean.
Although Jeremiah had already obtained the duplicated copy of the nautical reports when he was helping Lin Li gather the information about the cursed island, there wasn’t anything that could really describe the Endless Ocean. The information from the Gilded Kingdom was not comprehensive enough.
Moreover, the Ledin Kingdom did not have much nautical expertise. Even if they acquired the information provided by the Gilded Kingdom, it would require great investment to study it thoroughly. The notes that Lin Li had just given him were filled with his own notes and interpretations. They were definitely superior to the resources shared by the Gilded Kingdom.
Lin Li waved his hands to signal to Jeremiah that he did not need to be so concerned about the gifts. “Are you in a rush? If not, would you like to share more with me about the recent happenings?” asked Lin Li.
“How could I be busy? Sure, let’s do that!” responded Jeremiah excitedly. He felt really honored to be able to have such a chat with a Sanctuary powerhouse. He would definitely choose this opportunity over the need to save his house if it were on fire. He got a harsh lashing the last time from his kingdom due to his actions at the Sky Castle. Hence, this was the perfect time for him to build a rapport with Lin Li.
Although Jeremiah was a prince, and was a gilded and foppish man, he was not totally useless. His personality made him many connections when he got to the Gilded Kingdom.
Furthermore, he was the special envoy of the Ledin Kingdom. Since the Ledin Kingdom and Gilded Kingdom had no direct conflict in their respective interests, the Ledin Kingdom would not be implicated even if the Gilded Kingdom were vying for the Breezy Plains. As the Breezy Plains rightly belonged to the Felan Kingdom, the people from the Gilded Kingdom did not deliberately shun Jeremiah, either.
Of course, Lin Li did not care about what attitudes the higher authorities in the Gilded Kingdom had towards the Breezy Plains. His main reason for chatting with Jeremiah was to find out about his men and the reasons behind their arrest.
After all, Lin Li would not have a clear understanding of all their personalities, as the sailors on The Star were only employees of the Tower of Dusk. He wouldn’t be surprised if those sexually starved sailors turned into lusty beasts when they set foot on land after they ended their long and boring sea voyage.
Although Lin Li had always been biased toward his people, he was not an unreasonable man. While he would definitely rescue the sailors, he would also teach them a lesson if they really did anything outrageous.
What Lin Li didn’t expect was the huge commotion that came with the arrest of the lowly ranked sailors. As he saw it, it would be extremely easy for Delano to get rid of the sailors without attracting much attention. However, after learning more from Jeremiah, Lin Li only found the matter amusing.
He was surprised to hear that the sailors were arrested due to the alleged crime of assaulting the prince of the Gilded Kingdom. Frankly speaking, their profession was not only lowly, but also full of risks; there were just too many different circumstances in their months and years of voyage that would cause them to lose their lives in. No one with a little bit of talent wanted to commit to such a dangerous profession. Hence, it was absurd to hear that any sailor would dare to find themselves more trouble on land and subject themselves to more risks.
Moreover, princes of any country had to be someone of prestige and power. Lin Li really could not imagine that any prince from the reputable Gilded Kingdom would enter a conflict with the sailors who were definitely beneath them.
Furthermore, how would the bodyguards and servants of the prince allow their master to be beaten up? It would also be impossible for people as lowly as level-15 and 16 to even come close to the prince, let alone to beat him up. Lin Li really could not make sense of the story. He even started to wonder if that prince loved to play the game of secret visits.
Jeremiah was not exactly sure of the situation, either. He only knew that both parties met near a bar, and started getting physical after some verbal disagreement. Only after the police arrived did they discover that it was the prince who was being beaten up.
Hearing this, Lin Li was sure that it was a farce, and knew there was no need for him to understand anything else. He only wondered about the identity of that prince. How could a prince from the Gilded Kingdom agree to let himself be involved in such an act of assault? Did he have masochistic tendencies?
“Vincent?” mused Jeremiah. “He is only a distant nephew of the king of the Gilded Kingdom. Although he has the title of a prince, he only knows how to flaunt his wealth, and has no power at all,” continued Jeremiah.
Lin Li finally understood why a blockhead like Jeremiah would be so indignant when he spoke of Prince Vincent. He learned that the prince was the disgrace of the Gilded Kingdom; not only did he know nothing about governance, he was merely a wimp in level-10. It would have been better if he had been an ordinary man as it was not unusual for someone without status to be stuck in level-1. However, as Vincent was the prince of the Gilded Kingdom, he had access to all the resources since his birth. If all the riches and resources could only bring him up till level-10, he really was a useless person.
Although Prince Jeremiah had a foppish personality, he was at least in the Legendary-realm, and his knowledge in governance gave him the qualifications to be the emissary of the Ledin Kingdom. Moreover, his ability to gather so many nautical reports from Lin Li would definitely be a huge contribution to his kingdom.
As compared to Jeremiah, Prince Vincent only knew to abuse his authority as the prince to acquire loot around the town. He had a lot of businesses under his name in the Gilded Kingdom that were managed by people who wanted to borrow his title. The only thing that belonged solely to him was an island that was used as a fief.
More importantly, he seemed completely oblivious to how the others were looking down on him. Having created never-ending troubles for King Bradlor, he had his title removed a few times. Only with the plea from the other royals did he regain his title as a prince.
Jeremiah’s introduction of Vincent ascertained Lin Li’s belief that his sailors had to have been framed by people with evil intentions. Knowing that, he would definitely not sit idly by even though the sailors were only the employees of the Tower of Dusk.
“Do you know where they’re being held? Are they still in Port Helena?” asked Lin Li directly.
Jeremiah became very excited once he heard Lin Li ask about it. “Since it involved the people from the royal family, it was no longer considered an ordinary safety issue. They have been locked up in the capital’s jail managed by the royal guards two days ago.”
Although the royal guards of the Gilded Kingdom were not as well-known as the kingdom’s naval fleet, which was known for their discoveries across various oceans, they were elites of the Gilded Kingdom. Their main responsibilities were to guard the kingdom and ensure the safety of all royals. Hence, since the sailors were convicted of assaulting the prince, their case had to be managed by the royal guards.
Jeremiah was very clear that President Felic who was standing before him was a figure who knew no fear. He was absolutely capable of retaliation if he were to be provoked. The Fifth Fleet was immediately crippled by Lin Li merely for detaining The Star. This time, although it was merely a few sailors who’d got into trouble, their immediate detention meant the lack of intention to negotiate with the Tower of Dusk. Jeremiah certainly could smell an impending drama.
Sure enough, after hearing about the location where the sailors were being held, Lin Li stood up. “Thanks for telling me this news. If the Gilded Kingdom is so persistent over a few sailors, it seems that I have to bring them back personally,” Lin Li said to Jeremiah.
“Don’t mention it, President Felic! This is my duty. Do you need me to put diplomatic pressure on the Gilded Kingdom as the emissary of the Ledin Kingdom?” asked Jeremiah joyfully after hearing Lin Li’s words of appreciation. He hurriedly took the opportunity to get on his good side.