Sage spent most of the morning mapping out the territories. Starting with King Oyster, the fattie ran a scamming business. Not only did he have the employment agency, King Oyster also had a few boats under the company name which travelled from Bayam to ports like Pritz harbour, Sonia island, Nas, etc and back. This was his legitimate business and his main scouting grounds, looking for the naive and the gullible. Men were forced into labour while women were sold to the Red Theatre. If the men were strong or big, King Oyster might turn them into his thugs. Unfortunately, King Oyster knew too much about his family name and opted to keep him in the shadows.
King Oyster didn't have a proper turf but he had more manpower than any of the kings.
Sage tapped the harbour district.
The man owned the docks more than the port authority did. Smuggling ships, illegal cargo, unregistered passengers— if something needed to slip past the port police, Flying Fish made it happen. King Flying Fish also ran a fish market that sold everything one may need, from salmon to revolvers to explosions. He also kept a warehouse in the center of the fish market where he could often be found, with effeminate men.
Third was King Crab. A man fascinated by mysticism was never harmless, and most likely a beyonder. His pathway and sequence were unknown but Sage can confirm he isn't a Sequence 9 Warrior of the Giant Pathway. It was the one pathway he was the most familiar with. King Crab controlled most of the city streets, from the 2nd port street by the harbour all the way to 21st Heathcliff street that shared borders with the New City of Silver. His main business was running courier for the rich. If the wealthy needed a proxy to buy illegal goods or take a blame, King Crab was their man.
Finally, the fourth king isn't really a king but a Queen. Queen Bass handled matters that involved women and bribery, her main business was loan-sharking and debt collection. The Red Theatre used to be under her until Miranda devised an internal coup to make it a neutral ground. Queen Bass hates men with a passion but she tolerates the other kings and they pay her to keep the police happy.
In short, King Flying Fish smuggles goods in. King Crab sells and distributes the goods. King Oyster fills in the manpower and Queen Bass makes sure everyone is happy and overlooks their crimes. They may seem to butt heads with each other but in truth, each gang served a purpose. The Kings of Bayam are just one big organization that had a division of labour.
So where does Miranda fit in this machine of crime? She was the oil that made sure the machine ran smoothly. She was wealthy and had enough manpower to establish herself as Queen Shark but she refused the title. Beyond secrets, Miranda dealt in manufacturing opioids and guns. She even had killed people to influence the markets to favour her. Sage calls her Shark because she behaves like one. When something is leaked, she will sniff it out and hunt it down.
With the territories and names all fleshed out, Sage left the map on the desk with a note saying he'll be staying at the agency tonight. He had a plan but before that, he needed to see what King Oyster wants from him tomorrow.
Not far from Tingen street, a woman entered The Red Theatre. Her presence was more bitter than sweet today. Seeing the woman enter, the current master of the Red Theatre, a beautiful lady in her late thirties, came down to greet her. She wore a red dress, matching the decor, that complimented her curves. Madam Red, that was what everyone called her.
"Miranda," Madam Red greeted, kissing the back of her hand.
"What do you have for me~" Miranda asked in a sultry voice, her eyes fixated on her curves. She always had an eye for Madam Red who unfortunately prefers to remain ambiguous with her client. Something about preventing bias.
"The Sun Strider was spotted in the Fog Sea, its crew now people from the Unholy Church and the captain is a Sequence 9 Sailor. His face was scarred. No news about Wayland yet but I am trying to reach out to Desi County as well as the Intis Republic."
Miranda winked, signalling that she had done a great job at finding out as much as she could under short notice. "Keep an ear out for any news on Wayland. I need you to find out what you can about the Beyonder Movement and about the whereabouts of May Tenbrook."
Madam Red nodded, "The Beyonder Movement has been gathering support from what's left of the rebels, those who refuted the merger of churches. I also heard rumors that May Tenbrook is at the Lawless Continent, establishing Port Justice."
The Beyonder Movement appeared at the same time the higher authorities vanished. They believe the world is reverting to its original state, the way it was during the First Epoch and for humans to survive, they should all become Beyonders. A bunch of horse shit is what it is.
The Lawless Continent was the name given to the land where the Abyss used to be, before its occupation by devils, demons and followers of the Dark Side of the Universe, people who believe that 'He' is the devastator of the world who would corrupt and degenerate the real world's entire universe. Although now, it was the continent of pleasures and desires, it was also a place people can start anew.
Miranda knew what path Sage was on, and she wondered how long it would be until he crossed the line. She could already see the coldness in his eyes, the hunger. She knew he would never hurt her but will that stay the same? She still felt safe but for how long more? After exchanging some unrelated information, Miranda left while sighing to herself.
Maybe it was time to take a step forward.
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He struggled against the ropes, whimpering for help. He was robbed of his senses. Blindfolded, gagged and his ears plugged. All he could smell was sweat and piss. He was hungry and filthy but beyond all, he was scared.
Well, that was what Sage wanted him to feel.
He had listened to Jamie's story at the bar but he could tell Jamie was lying. The bald chubby bastard was sweating and kept looking around, hoping someone would save him. Sage remembered him standing beside Jacques before he dived into the ocean. Jamie was a traitor.
So, Sage intoxicated him and followed the drunk man home. After learning which unit he stayed in, he climbed in through the window and tied Jamie to a chair. He wanted to marinate him in his own helplessness. With the stench growing strong, Sage decided it was time to perform, removing the blindfold and the earplugs but not the gag.
"Now, I want to know what happened after I fell into the sea." He asked as he opened a tin of soup, fashioning the lid into a crude knife. "Needless to say, if you scream. I will cut you." With that warning said, Sage removed his gag.
Jamie huffed, inhaling the filthy air. Sweat and tears stained his face. His throat was parched but Sage was kind enough to give him some water through a straw.
"Please. Sage. I have a daughter, a family." He begged.
Sage shrugged, frowning at his words. "Not the answer to my question. Try again." Sage encouraged.
"Jacques killed everyone on the crew. I and Garen were spared because we were on Jacques' side."
Garen? The Carpenter? Sage did remember Garen preferred to keep to himself and was always making sure the hull was in good condition. Now that he thought about it, the carpenter had many opportunities to weaken the ship without anyone knowing.
"So how did our ship get lost at sea?"
Jamie hesitated for a second too long, but instead of cutting him, Sage offered him a sliced apple.
"What's your daughter's name?" Sage asked.
"Je-, Jennifer."
Smiling, Sage would let Jamie finish eating the apple slice before stuffing the gag back into his mouth. He pressed it in and carefully made a few incisions under Jamie's chin, shifting the crude blade under the skin.
He was going to skin his face off.
"Listen to me well, fucker. I want my answers and I don't have time to waste. I will skin your face off, wear it and find your daughter. And the last time she sees will be your face while she burns. Do you understand?"
Jamie nodded, understanding that was more of a promise than a threat. As soon as the gag came off, the truth flooded out.
"Jacques, Jacques has an item that I don't understand but it needs to be inside someone's stomach to work. Jacques and Garen used the boatswain and the navigator as the hosts. After them, it was supposed to be Wayland."
"Final four questions. What's so important about the chest and who wants it? Did you kill Wayland? And where can I find Jacques?"
Jamie did not hesitate to answer this time. "We don't know! We were just told to get the chest by our captain, Wickerman. Wayland wasn't on the ship, I can promise you that and I genuinely do not know where Jacques is. I was supposed to meet Garen yesterday at the bar but you showed up instead."
Sage speculated that Captain Wickerman was the Sequence 9 Sailor whose face he disfigured and he probably had more answers about who wanted the card and why. As for Wayland, he's probably dead at sea but he wanted to confirm it. He wanted to find Jacques first so he had to meet Garen. And for that, he needed a familiar face to trick him.
"Good. I'll meet Garen on your behalf, Jamie. But I'm going to need something from you."