Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Black Magic Array, Robot

Back at his post, Adrian couldn't escape complaints from a group of people. He could only explain that he had to cooperate with the Navy's work.

But these people weren't so easily appeased. They each called for discounts.

"Ha~" Adrian was surprised. He thought he was the only one not swayed by beauty, but it turned out these people were just as clear-headed. They pretended to want to see beautiful women but were actually harboring ulterior motives.

Adrian rolled up his sleeves and jokingly scolded, "There are no discounts for drinks here, but I can help with discounted legs! Come on, let me see who needs assistance!"

"Sigh..." A chorus of disapproval filled the tavern.

"Next time, I won't come to this place for drinks anymore!" someone jeered.

"Sure, remember to come next time then," Adrian replied calmly.

"No problem!"

"Tom, play another tune!"

Laughter and chatter continued to be the theme of the tavern, occasionally veering into discussions about the morning's news.

"Did you hear? A certain Celestial Dragon's ship has gone missing!"

"Really? That's great... uh, I mean, that's terribly unfortunate!"

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, you got it wrong, this drink is on me."

"Oh, my mistake then. Let's drink to the misfortune of that Celestial Dragon. Praying that he doesn't encounter a shipwreck, avoid dreadful Sea Kings, and stay clear of crazed pirates."

Was this a prayer or a curse? Adrian shook his head, murmuring, "You black-hearted guys..."

As night fell, Adrian and the others gathered together, prepared to set out.

"Alright, no more hiding this time. We've expended a bit too much luring those Baroque Works members, so this time we all wear masks. It's easier to act at night, too." Adrian took out four masks, or rather, headgear would be a better term.

Artoria couldn't resist picking up a lion mask, fascinated by it.

"Artoria, do you like lions? There was a cute lion-themed pajama set in the clothing store. We can get it next time," Adrian asked, teasing.

"Mhm, mhm." Artoria nodded, her fluffy ears twitching with anticipation.

Adrian handed a dog mask to Tom and instructed, "From now on, Tom, you're a dog. Got it?"

"Woof, woof!" Tom imitated a dog's bark quite convincingly and even sat on the ground, wagging his imaginary tail.

Adrian playfully patted Tom's head, then donned a monkey mask himself, and gave a rabbit mask to Rui Mengmeng.

They climbed over the wall in the courtyard and headed straight to 4th GR, the island where they had the duel with Hawkeye.

Moonlight filtered through the dense branches of the mangrove trees, creating patchy illumination. Although not ideal, it was good enough for their journey.

Following the information they had collected over these days, they reached the slave trading shops. However, at this hour, the shops were all closed.

To avoid causing too much commotion, Adrian decided to have Tom slip through the door's gap and open it from the inside.

Tom, the paper-man, had no issue squeezing through a small gap in the door.

As it was nighttime, most of the slaves were curled up and asleep. A few emitted soft sobs.

Adrian and the others silently entered the building, dealing with the shop owner first. After finding the key, they confirmed the identities of the slaves, handed out some money, and instructed them to find a safe place to stay until morning before leaving by boat.

This process had become quite familiar. Tom was already in dog form, ready to handle any rebellious pirates. Those who refused to listen to the rules would get a smack with a stick accompanied by a convincing "woof."

As for the shop itself, it became a practice ground for Artoria to practice her swordsmanship, reducing it to rubble in no time.

Since they didn't need to wait for each slave to leave at a separate time like they did during the day, they saved a lot of time.

There were a lot of slaves released this time, and Adrian decided to give those who left later a bit more money to help them find temporary lodgings in the 35th GR or the larger inn areas between 70 and 79 GR before leaving.

After all, these people had no visible marks. A bit of tidying up and a change of clothes would help them blend in without drawing attention.

The newly liberated people were grateful for the arrangements and had no objections, but they were eager to learn who their benefactor was.

"I wonder who our rescuer is."

"Don't dwell on it. The benefactor wore a mask to remain anonymous and not cause any trouble."

"I

know, but I hope we get to meet the benefactor again someday and have a chance to repay the favor."

"Yes, I only saw the masks of a monkey, lion, rabbit, and... a dog? Why do I feel like it's a cat?"

"Of course it's a dog. Cats don't bark like that, and the barking even sounds more like a dog's."

"That's true."

...

After a night of clearing out shops, they quietly returned to the tavern. Adrian yawned, bidding everyone good night.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, boss."

The three of them removed their masks and headed upstairs. After a while, Adrian returned.

"Tom, it's time to sleep... What are you doing?" Tom was still wearing his dog mask, crawling around on all fours and wagging his tail at the tavern's entrance.

"Woof, woof!" Tom barked twice and wagged his tail at Adrian.

Adrian couldn't help but chuckle at Tom's enthusiasm, and he removed the dog mask. Surprisingly, Tom continued to pant and stick out his tongue.

"Alright, alright, it's over now, change back." Adrian rubbed Tom's face, worried he might turn into a dog for real, like that one episode when he turned into a rat.

Thankfully, Tom was fully aware of his identity. In no time, he returned to his usual form and stretched lazily on Adrian's shoulder.

"Goodnight, let's go to sleep." Snuggling up with a cat to sleep was quite enjoyable.

The next day, Adrian woke up and skillfully transformed Tom back from his flattened cat state, saying, "Good morning, Tom."

Tom yawned, deciding he wouldn't sleep with his master again; he always ended up flattened.

Although Tom would forget about this by the end of the day, he knew staying close to his master was more comfortable than his own little nest.

Many on 4th GR noticed that several human trafficking shops had encountered trouble early in the morning. However, most people were unaffected.

Only those on other islands might guess if someone had angered them, resulting in fewer competitors. Yet, they didn't anticipate that in a matter of days, they would face the same fate.

2nd GR, 3rd GR, 6th GR...

In the blink of an eye, the month came to an end. Over this period, every two or three days, when Adrian estimated the last group of people had left the area, they would take action again, moving from island to island.

The owners of the human trafficking shops began to realize something was amiss. It seemed someone was targeting their trade.

Some were so scared they couldn't sleep at night, fearing they would die in their sleep without any explanation. The more timid ones simply sold off their slaves and shops at a low price, completely changing their trade.

Many slaves learned about the situation by chance, rekindling hope and anticipating the day when their benefactor would come to their rescue.

"These people have become smarter recently. Yesterday, we cleared out two empty shops, and one shop hired guards. They weren't that strong, but they were annoying," Adrian trained while complaining.

"That's only natural. Our recent actions have indeed become frequent. If we continue, we might draw more attention and risk falling into an ambush. It's possible that our patterns will be figured out," Artoria gently swung her sword, embedding a small strike into the ground.

"In that case, why don't we pause for a while and let them think we're about to strike each day? Scare them a bit," Rui Mengmeng suggested.

"That's a good idea. And next time, we can choose a target further away to avoid getting noticed," Adrian remembered a detective story he had read before. The detective deduced the location or address of the perpetrator based on the places where the crimes were committed.

Next time, they could simply draw lots to decide where to go. Looking at his energy levels, Adrian activated the lottery system.

Energy depletion was far more dramatic this time, reducing by 90%. The light screen in front of him shattered into black dots that formed a black magic array on the ground. Surprisingly, even black could emit light...

When the light faded, a gentle male voice emerged from within, "B-Robo No. 9..."