The Pirate of Everlasting Flowers

A Flower Merchant (1)

A common thief sat in the corner of a local tavern somewhere in the Southern Peninsula.

He calls himself Kou.

Although the thief was often seen with a grin on his face, he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today. He leaned against the wall with a wine bottle in his hand, listening to the conversation at the next table, where a group of merchants was seated. On his table, there were three more identical bottles, all of which were empty.

Assuming that he was too drunk to understand the significance of the conversation, the merchants carried on without a care.

One of the merchants said, "Clan Head Shin Minji of the Western Valleys is rumored to come to the Peninsula in three days."

Shin Minji was a famous mage across the five lands. She was the young mistress in the legend, the one who killed the sea witch.

She was also known as the Midnight Mage.

The title was earned on her own as a magic user, outside of her achievements during the witch hunt. 'Midnight' suited her as she was calm and mysterious, a genius mastermind, and stern but maintained harmony within her clan.

The thief grinned at the mention of her name.

Another merchant spoke, "She must be coming to trade the everlasting flowers. Maybe she will form an alliance with Clan Head Chen Rongguang to sail to Jiwana Isle."

Jiwana Isle.

An island that can't be found on any map.

And can't be found by any compass.

The island is said to always move along the waves, following an unpredictable path.

The dirt on that island is the only soil across the five lands where the everlasting flowers can bloom every 100 years. The ground blessed by the gods.

Yet another merchant joined, "Why would she form an alliance with Chen Rongguang? I thought she would work together with Evander Everhart."

Evander Everhart was another prominent figure in the mage world. He led the large-scale attack against the sea witch.

"That is impossible! They might have formed an alliance during the witch hunt, but both clan leaders are definitely striving to become the new deity. From now on, they are rivals."

"Who do you think will emerge as the new deity?"

"Shin Minji, no doubt, is the most powerful mage of our time. She dealt the final blow that caused the sea witch to cease to exist."

One of the merchants scoffed at the statement.

"Most powerful mage? She only managed to kill the witch because she had an advantage."

In the corner, the thief nimbly tapped on the last bottle of wine he had just emptied. He was intrigued by the flow of the conversation. Anyone of the mage world would be interested in hearing theories about how the witch hunt was succeeded. He, himself, dabbled a little in the practice of drawing power from spirits.

However, It wasn't the theories that interested him this time. It was more on the subject of Shin Minji herself.

Much like a drunkard who perks up his ears at the mention of a stunningly attractive noble woman. The lowest of scums.

A merchant chimed in, "What advantage?"

"Heh, did you forget? That witch was once just a servant! In fact, she was Shin Minji's personal attendant! Of course, the tricks and techniques of magic were taught by the ways of the Shin Clan. Shin Minji only succeeded in overpowering the witch because of her familiarity with the witch's movements and weaknesses!"