"Thank you, Lady Cattleya. We'll likely stay in Bansy Harbor for a day. If anything unusual happens, please contact Mr. Lucifer," Klein said politely, then added cautiously.
Though he, Jack, and Lil' Amon carried plenty of life-saving items... like Door Pathway charms... Bansy Harbor's connection to the Primordial One warranted extra precautions, including calling for help if needed.
"I understand," Cattleya nodded. She knew who Lucifer was and how to reach him.
After discussing a few contingency plans, the small boat carrying Klein and his companions set off, soon arriving at a secluded dock in Bansy Harbor.
Cattleya's informant was waiting, and under their arrangements, the trio blended in as ordinary tourists, wandering through Bansy Harbor.
Unlike the original story, where Klein arrived at night and stumbled into chaos, daytime Bansy Harbor seemed like any tourist port. Visitors from the Five Seas mingled with disguised pirates and adventurers, both novice and seasoned.
"Is something really wrong here?" Lil' Amon asked, sipping a Bansy specialty drink and frowning. "I sense some corruption, but it's not as bad as Uncle Lucifer described!"
"Maybe it's because it's not the right time to trigger anything. Things might get weird at night," Klein replied, also holding a Bansy drink, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses as he spoke.
Both paused, waiting for the third member to chime in, but after several seconds of silence, they glanced at Jack, who was staring intently in another direction.
Following his gaze, Klein and Amon spotted a man whose disguise was laughably poor. After a moment of scrutiny, both recognized him, having done their homework.
It was Danitz Dubois, the Vice Admiral Iceberg's first mate, nicknamed "Blazing."
If Danitz is here, Vice Admiral Iceberg must be nearby… Klein thought, but before he could dwell on it, Jack said eagerly, "Gehrman, let's go catch you a maid!"
"???"
"What maid?" Klein asked, already suspecting where this was going. He knew Jack's habit of teasing Hunter Pathway Beyonders with nicknames like "Red Nanny" or "Red Maid."
"Danitz the Mr. 4,200 Pounds of course!" Alaric said matter-of-factly. "He's your destined Red Maid."
"Don't make it sound like I have some weird fetish," Klein retorted.
"The Hunter Pathway does have a knack for maid duties. Red Mommy does it well," Lil' Amon nodded in agreement.
"You're the one with the twisted mind!" Alaric shot back, then urged, "Hurry, he's leaving! Let's corner him! It's for his own good, too... Bansy Harbor's dangerous for an average Hunter. He's safer with us."
Klein wanted to argue but held back. He knew a bit about Bansy Harbor's unique nature. Though unaware of Sefirot due to his sequence, he'd learned from Lucifer, Sasrir, and Medici that the port harbored something akin to the Gray Fog.
Such a place was indeed perilous for Hunter Pathway Beyonders.
…
"Achoo!"
Danitz rubbed his nose, frowning. That was his third sneeze today... odd for a Pyromaniac with his robust constitution. He wondered if someone was watching him.
After scanning his surroundings and finding nothing, he dismissed it as a coincidence but muttered, "Better finish this quick and get back to the ship."
As first mate of the Golden Dream, Danitz had a reason for being in Bansy Harbor.
He was there to buy materials for a Conspirer potion.
After his unfortunate run-in with Alaric in the City of Generosity, Danitz had resolved to buckle down... or not. While shaken, he didn't exactly plan to strive harder. He just wanted to lay low on the ship, avoiding sudden encounters with big shots.
But when he returned to the Golden Dream and recounted his ordeal to his captain, Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina Edwards soon approached him. She'd found the Conspirer potion formula and introduced him to Anderson Hood, an annoying Hunter who taught him the Acting Method, mocking his poor potion digestion and telling him to re-act his prior sequences.
Danitz wasn't thrilled, especially since Anderson was Sequence 5 and could outfight him. Grudgingly, he complied, knowing his limits, and diligently re-acted his earlier sequences.
Once his potions were nearly digested, Danitz began preparing to advance to Conspirer. The Golden Dream was exploring a sunken treasure near Bansy Harbor, and a Beyonder gathering was happening there, so Danitz came alone to buy the potion materials.
"I wonder when that jerk Anderson will leave. Why does the captain keep him around?" Danitz's face soured at the thought of Anderson. He undeniably had a crush on Edwina, as did most of the Golden Dream's crew.
But Edwina was too engrossed in her pursuit of knowledge to care about romance, keeping the ship's atmosphere harmonious. Danitz hadn't even realized how many romantic rivals he had among the crew.
Until Anderson showed up.
It wasn't that Anderson was pursuing Edwina or that they were a couple. The problem was Anderson's knack for stirring trouble. He'd been needling the crew's relationships since arriving, and from what Danitz had heard, Anderson and Edwina were childhood friends.
That gave Danitz a serious sense of crisis.
***
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