Fang Hong and Atira hadn't gone far before they realized that Rolin was indeed telling the truth. The closer they got to the surface after passing through the collapsed tunnels, the more visible the traces of the Blood Shark Sky Pirates became.
Perhaps they had suffered losses in a confrontation with the Descendants of Flor, forcing them to retreat underground. The upper layers of the tunnels were crisscrossed in all directions, with groups of three to five sky pirates loudly clamoring as they moved through the corridors.
Fang Hong and Atira even encountered a skirmish between the Blood Shark Sky Pirates and the Descendants of Flor in the tunnels, with both sides vying for control over a cross-shaped passageway.
The battle was fierce, with the Descendants of Flor on the offensive, while the defending pirates refused to give an inch. Fang Hong and Atira hid in the shadows, observing for a moment before deciding to find an alternative route.
But after passing through that area, they seemed to stumble into the Blood Shark Sky Pirates' main base, with temporary defensive lines set up everywhere underground, making progress difficult.
Fang Hong tried several times but couldn't get through. Helpless, he took out a Communication Crystal to reconnect with Rolin. On the other end, Rolin seemed very calm, without a hint of pride, simply asking where they were.
Fang Hong reported a set of coordinates before heading to the location with Atira. Rolin arrived a step ahead of them, and Fang Hong only revealed himself after ensuring Rolin was alone.
Rolin glanced at them, not surprised by Fang Hong's caution. He didn't ask much, only said to Fang Hong, "Follow me."
"Wait," Fang Hong stopped him, "How do you plan to help us get through that area?"
"It's simple, just walk through like this."
"Just walk through... you mean..."
Rolin coughed for a moment and nodded, "Just walk through openly together with me."
"No problem?"
"The Dragon Worship Sect is internally mixed with various forces; the Blood Shark Sky Pirates won't notice anything."
Fang Hong and Atira exchanged glances and had to accept the explanation.
But it turned out Rolin wasn't entirely wrong. As he led them into the Blood Shark Sky Pirates' defensive lines, initially, the pirates only called out his name, informing them: 'Master Pudra is looking for him.'
After that, most of the pirates passed by without even glancing, heading towards the front line.
After walking for a while, Rolin turned back and whispered to them that there were quite a few people from the Dragonfire Guild in Idus. The Invoker and the Natives formed their own factions. When the Blood Shark Sky Pirates saw them, they probably assumed he and Atira were part of the Dragonfire Guild.
"As long as we don't run into people from the Dragonfire Guild, it shouldn't be a big problem."
"What if we encounter people from the Dragonfire Guild?" Fang Hong asked softly.
Rolin shook his head.
"They don't have many people in this direction. Even if we encounter them, as long as I don't speak first, they'll just assume you two are with me."
The speaker had no ulterior motive, but the listener was interested. Fang Hong silently noted this—Rolin was indeed not aligned with the Dragonfire Guild, confirming his previous judgment.
Secretly, he took a glance at his journal; the direction showed they were not far from City Hall, needing to pass through just one more area. According to Bunigu, there was an exit to the surface there. His goal was to leave the tunnels from there and enter the ruins of City Hall from above.
Then, look for a way to enter the underground part of City Hall at an opportune time.
With this in mind, he remembered something and asked Rolin, "Can you ask those pirates if a team from the Descendants of Flor had entered City Hall before?"
"You're interested in the Descendants of Flor?" Rolin, unaware of the previous events underground, was slightly surprised at this question.
"I have a small score to settle with them."
Rolin thought Fang Hong was talking about the Morning Dawn Star incident, which had already caused quite a stir in the community. Though he hadn't paid much attention, he had heard about it.
After a moment's thought, he said nothing more, just nodded, "If there's an opportunity, I can ask for you."
Just as the three were about to leave this stretch of tunnel and smoothly enter the next area, a voice stopped them from behind.
"Mr. Roland, so you're here."
The voice was deep and gruff, belonging to a tall man. He stood there, looking at the three of them, dressed in Blood Shark Sky Pirate attire.
But upon closer inspection, he was somewhat different from ordinary pirates—the man had a curved blade at his waist, wore a tricorn hat with a blood-colored feather, and draped a dirty red coat over his shoulders.
He had a black leather eyepatch over one eye, and beneath it, four scars ran down his cheek, almost cutting through his right face, splitting his lips into five parts.
The rolled scars looked like they were torn open, showing four bright red marks on his bronze-colored face, appearing eerily sinister in the torchlight, as if the horrible scene of his injury were still visible.
But the man paid no mind to their gaze, not even looking at Fang Hong and Atira, only speaking to Rolin, "Master Pudra has been looking for you everywhere."
"Second Officer of the Sea Serpent."
While Fang Hong was lost in thought, a message flashed before his eyes. Without showing any expression, he asked, "Sea Serpent?"
"Aside from the flagship Wave Breaker, one of the largest ships of the Blood Shark Sky Pirates. The first officer of the Sea Serpent is one of the camp's leaders, and this person is currently one of the seven heads of the Blood Shark, ranking the last."