Chapter 1 Su Lun and the Others Go Upstairs

Su Lun and the other two were led upstairs by the plump madam.

The wooden stairs creaked loudly as they stepped on them.

While walking, Qiang Tiao hooked her arm around Su Lun's shoulder and complained, "Being a pirate is great, but not being able to take a bath is the worst. I've been at sea for almost a month this time, and I feel like my whole body is pickled like a salted fish."

Su Lun chuckled.

It reminded him of his time with the Brotherhood, when he and this gambling-addicted woman would be at the bathhouse three or four days a week whenever they were in the city.

Now that they were pirates on a ship, even the drinking water was carefully measured. There was no extra water for bathing, which was indeed difficult for her.

As they went up the stairs, they could see the public bath on the first floor through the rusty, mottled, openwork window in the stairwell. Quite a few shirtless pirates were soaking in it.

Su Lun and Qiang Tiao were used to it, having seen plenty of it in the gang before, and didn't look askance.

The little girl Lolita behind them blushed, her eyes fixed on her toes, afraid to look around.

She was taken to the arena when she was six years old and had seen many dead people, but she had never been to a bathhouse.

They reached the third floor, and it was much quieter.

The high-end bathhouses were expensive, but they were all private rooms, unlike the downstairs area, which was full of all sorts of people.

The madam opened a door and gestured for them to enter, then asked, "Boss, would you like me to arrange some masseuses for you?"

Qiang Tiao asked, "Do you have any good ones?"

The madam smiled ambiguously, "The girls in my shop are all carefully selected, and I guarantee they're good at their job."

Although almost all the customers who came to bathe were men, some female pirates occasionally came, and they could always satisfy them.

Qiang Tiao frowned, obviously misunderstanding her meaning, "What I mean is..."

She stopped there, pursed her lips, and changed her mind, "Forget it. We'll bathe ourselves."

She also understood that this was a brothel, so there wouldn't be any good bath scrubbers.

She just felt that bathing without someone to scrub her back was a lot less fun.

As Qiang Tiao spoke, she flicked the gold coin she had been playing with into the room and said, "Don't bother us unless I call you."

She could hardly stand the smell on her body anymore and didn't want to waste any more words.

The madam, with her sharp eyes and quick hands, caught the gold coin, blew on it to hear it ring, and instantly beamed, "Alright, boss, you can count on me."

With that, she closed the door.

.......

The bathhouse room on the third floor was large and decorated quite luxuriously.

As soon as you entered, you could see a large 4x4 meter pool, which was now filled with steaming, clear water. Next to it was an old-looking brass pipe that was constantly pouring out hot water.

This wasn't the underground hot spring water containing dark spiritual power like in Old Lingdun, but ordinary boiler water. If you sniffed it carefully, you could still smell a faint metallic taste in the potion.

Because it was a brothel, everything was designed to satisfy the customer's experience.

The layout of the room was very straightforward. There was a shower room separated by frosted glass at the entrance, then the bathtub, and on the other side was a large bed. There was nothing to hide, and almost everything in the room was visible at a glance. If you really wanted to bathe, you could see almost everything in the room.

Qiang Tiao looked at the pool in the room, clicked her tongue, and muttered, "The pool is too small..."

But being able to take a bath in this Ice and Snow City was already very good.

As she spoke, she had already taken off her pirate hat, cloak, musket, and holster and threw them to Lolita behind her, casually telling her, "Hang them up somewhere."

"Okay."

The little girl responded obediently.

She hadn't reacted yet, and saw that her captain had already started unbuttoning her shirt.

Seeing the white, delicate skin revealed at the collar, her expression suddenly became anxious, "Teacher, you..."

Had she forgotten that there was a man in the room!

But before she could say anything to dissuade her, the linen shirt was thrown over her head.

The clothes covered her head, and she grunted "wu wu" twice, unable to say anything clearly.

When Lolita lifted the clothes off her head and looked again, she saw that the naked, graceful figure had already walked into the bathroom.

Then, she heard the sound of rushing water, and Qiang Tiao's loud complaint, "Oh, this terrible fishy smell is really unbearable. Su Lun, wait for me, I'll rinse off first. Or, do you want to come and rinse off with me??"

"Forget it, you go first."

Su Lun had long been used to it and responded.

When they used to live in the Dawn City camp's inn, it was the same scene.

This gambling-addicted woman had never treated herself as an outsider, and she had no sense of modesty in front of him.

The spring scenery was just outside the bathroom, and if you looked over, you could see the beautiful lines and proud figure...

Qiang Tiao didn't care, and Su Lun was also calm, not even taking a second glance.

He walked straight over to the bed and lay down, waiting leisurely.

Just like before.

Seeing this, Lolita, who was still standing blankly at the door, was shocked.

What was the relationship between her teacher and this man?

She didn't even avoid him when she took a bath?

.......

The bed in the brothel was much more comfortable than the one in the inn where Su Lun had stayed last night. He lay on his back on the eiderdown bed, and his whole body sank into it.

The light from the gas lamp shone through the warm-colored lampshade, and the light in the room was dim.

Not clear enough, but it had a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere.

With Qiang Tiao in the room, he didn't have to worry too much about safety, and he seemed very relaxed.

After a while, the rustling sound of water next to his ear stopped, and then he heard Qiang Tiao shout, "Help me get a towel."

Su Lun raised his eyes and glanced over, intending to help.

"Okay, Teacher."

But the little girl named Lolita was one step ahead, running over with a towel from the cabinet.

In the blink of an eye, Qiang Tiao walked out of the shower room wrapped in a towel.

"Great Sun Bathhouse" wasn't a regular bathhouse, so it didn't have so many fancy bathing gowns. Anyway, the pirates who came to spend money here weren't here to take a bath, and eventually they would all take them off with the masseuse's service.

So they only prepared some towels.

The towel only covered part of Qiang Tiao's body, and large swaths of skin were exposed to the air.

This gambling-addicted woman's body was already superior, and as a close-combat swordsman, her body proportions were also impeccable.

The towel wasn't too wide, and the hem was just at her hips. This just-right covering allowed a full view of her slender legs, with a slight glimpse of her hip line, and the imaginative curves.

When she flipped her hair, it even had a kind of inexplicable charm that made people want to take a peek.

Of course, there was also her intimidating full-sleeve tattoo.

Su Lun couldn't help but take another look.

Qiang Tiao probably never thought that she had any feminine charm.

She walked to the edge of the pool, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Not because of Su Lun's gaze, but because she was disgusted with the towel on her body.

It would be wet and heavy after getting into the water.

However, as soon as she lay down in the hot water, her brows immediately relaxed, and she let out a pleasant sigh, "Hoo... Finally comfortable."

Su Lun smiled lightly.

Qiang Tiao beckoned and said, "Su Lun, what are you standing there for? Come and soak for a while."

"Alright."

Su Lun didn't mind.

He had learned a little bit about the habit of bathing from Qiang Tiao.

Looking at the pool in front of him, he also felt that he hadn't bathed for a long time, and he didn't feel so comfortable.

He also went to the bathroom, took off his clothes, rinsed briefly, and walked out wrapped in a towel.

He got into the water, and the hot water with white smoke flowed out of the pool, rustling...

The pool wasn't big, and Su Lun and Qiang Tiao were lying on their backs facing each other.

Both of them were breathing comfortably and relaxedly...

Opposite Su Lun was the window of the room, and looking out, he could see large snowflakes falling. After all, it was the best room in the bathhouse, and the privacy was very good. The snow scene outside the window was beautiful, but he couldn't see any buildings.

This scene of bathing was very familiar,

The person was also very familiar,

Neither of them felt uncomfortable.

But there was a third person in the room.

Qiang Tiao suddenly remembered and called out, "Lolita, would you like to come and soak for a while?"

"Ah... Teacher, I... I'm fine."

From the corner, the little girl named Lolita responded hesitantly.

Hearing her slightly nervous voice, Su Lun guessed that she must have a helpless expression and smiled slightly.

Thinking of something, he asked, "Is that girl your disciple, Sister Qiang Tiao?"

"Yeah."

Qiang Tiao enjoyed the feeling of her body being soaked in warm water, and said, "That's also a poor girl. She was originally from a small noble family, but then she suffered a catastrophe, her family fell into decline, and she fell into the hands of slave traders. They originally planned to send her to a brothel, but when the slave traders were choosing gladiators, they discovered her talent. She was trained as a gladiator in the juvenile group. I happened to save her when I robbed a cloud slave ship..."

Su Lun wasn't too surprised to hear that.

He had seen her ruthless and vicious swordsmanship before, so it made sense that she was on the path of a gladiator.

He praised, "She's indeed a good seedling for learning swordsmanship."

As soon as the topic started, the two began to chat.

After Su Lun knew that the one-eyed dragon in the gambling den was a Rune Alchemist, he knew that this was Qiang Tiao's deliberate arrangement, so he asked directly, "Sister Qiang Tiao, what's the background of that 'One-Eyed' Sok?"

Qiang Tiao responded lazily, "Didn't I help you inquire about the Rune Alchemist before? I just happened to hear that there was a lineage of this school in the North Sea. I didn't expect to meet this 'One-Eyed' Sok in the gambling den. I originally wanted to help you explore the bottom, so I joined the table and played a few games. Hehe, I didn't expect those guys to treat me as a fat sheep..."

"Oh."

Su Lun raised an eyebrow.

When he returned to Blizzard City yesterday, he had inquired with the information merchant, and Luying did indeed have the inheritance of the Rune Alchemist.

But the most important lineage was in the Imperial Capital, and it had a good reputation. There was also one in the southern Stormga Territory. But they were all too far away.

It would be very troublesome to go looking for them.

Now that there was one in the North Sea, it couldn't be better.

Qiang Tiao and Su Lun were very familiar with each other. As soon as he spoke, she naturally knew what Su Lun wanted to ask, and continued, "Sok's strength isn't very good, but his father's strength is very strong."

"Could it be some great pirate?"

Su Lun guessed and asked, then listened quietly.

He had seen many experts now and had a high vision. The amount of knowledge of the pirates could be seen from their combat level. Even without contacting this "One-Eyed" Sok, he guessed that he probably wouldn't be able to satisfy him.

But if there was a father, there was a source of inheritance.

"Rune Alchemist" was not like other alchemical sequences. This was a profession that required exclusive knowledge inheritance to advance.

"Count as half a pirate leader."

Qiang Tiao pondered for a moment and said, "His father's nickname is 'Rune Old Man', and he is the native lord of the 'Talin Islands' in the four countries of the North Continent. He controls several islands and tens of thousands of people. He is a local emperor. That old man doesn't show up much, and there is not much news circulating outside, and he is very mysterious. It is said that he has sixth-order combat power, and he is also a big shot in the North Sea."

"Sixth order?"

Su Lun had the memory of "Four Countries of the North Continent" in the memory he had stripped before.

Those were some human territories in the vast North Sea. Saying they were countries, they were actually some remote, backward, and isolated islands. They couldn't be compared with the Luying Empire at all. No matter the population or the land area, they were at most a viscount's territory.

Hearing Qiang Tiao's words, thoughts flashed quickly in his mind.

He wanted to obtain the inheritance of the "Rune Alchemist", either by selling it for money or by snatching it by force.

Looking at the current situation, the other party might be a sixth order, so he would have to spend more effort to figure it out...

But because it was a sixth order, Su Lun was more likely to find what he wanted.

He wasn't too familiar with the ways of pirates and asked, "Sister Qiang Tiao, if I want to contact that 'Rune Old Man', are there any channels?"

Qiang Tiao shook her head slightly and said, "There is not much news about the Rune Old Man, and the sea area of the Talin Islands is very closed. The only communication is to exchange materials at the pirate city."

Speaking of this, she paused and changed the topic, "However, there may be another breakthrough now."

Su Lun thought of something and said, "Are you talking about that Sok?"

Qiang Tiao said, "Yes. If there are no accidents, that guy should run into my hands. Then I can learn more information from him."

Hearing this, Su Lun's tone was light and smiling: "Are you so sure?"

Qiang Tiao said faintly: "You can tell a person's character from their card playing. That "One-Eyed" Sok has an impure mind. He suffered a loss today, so he definitely won't give up so easily. If there are no accidents, when we set sail, he will definitely come to find trouble with me."

"Hehe..."

Su Lun laughed softly. Recalling some details, he also felt that there was a high probability that Qiang Tiao would be right.

However, that guy didn't know Qiang Tiao's true strength. If he came, he would probably just be delivering food.

Thinking of this, his eyes turned and he also said: "Then I will go with you when you set sail?"

Qiang Tiao said "Okay".

.......

The endless boiler warm water flowed out of the brass pipes. Because a little medicated bath was added, the fatigue of the whole person seemed to dissipate after a while, and people became more energetic.

Qiang Tiao was lying on her back, half floating in the water, with a wet, hot towel on her forehead, and occasionally made some happy groans.

There was no masseuse, and no one bothered them.

Both of them also enjoyed this relaxing time.

Su Lun was also lying lazily and asked, "Sister Qiang Tiao, are you planning to advance to the fifth order?"

Qiang Tiao asked curiously: "Oh... can you even tell?"

As soon as she asked this, she answered herself: "Oh, I almost forgot, Fei Luo said that your strength has improved a lot."

Su Lun smiled noncommittally when he heard this.

Qiang Tiao didn't mean to hide anything, and then said: "Yes, I have indeed reached the threshold for advancing to the fifth order. Moreover, the professional advancement materials were found when I was in Old Lingdun before. Now I am short of the colonial equipment needed for the fifth order. I have been looking for it recently, but I haven't found a suitable one yet. I'm not in a hurry, after all, I have only advanced to the fourth order not long ago, and it is also good to stabilize the realm more..."

Su Lun was not surprised at all when he heard this.

Mr. Jing had said before that everyone in the Jing organization had excellent talents, and that their advancement was faster than others. Moreover, Qiang Tiao also had a part of the divine body by her side, and she was not short of dark spiritual power. Advancing to the fifth order was also expected.

Su Lun asked: "Sister Qiang Tiao, what kind of alchemical colonial equipment do you want to find for the fifth order?"

For the Swordsman profession, spatial ability is naturally also very suitable.

Thinking of something, he also said: "What I mean is, the people of the King of the North Sea have discovered a passage to a void plane. Those pirates have a lot of space materials in their hands. If you need space materials, you can consider this direction."

"Space materials?"

Hearing this, Qiang Tiao was obviously interested and said: "If there are suitable ones, colonial equipment made of space materials is indeed one of the most ideal choices. How did you know this secret of the King of the North Sea?"

Colonial equipment containing the laws of the void is very rare. Even Su Lun had never encountered it before.

Hearing the inquiry, he told her about his previous encounters at sea.

"So that's what happened."

After listening, Qiang Tiao also showed a dazed expression, and said: "Tsk tsk... now the King of the North Sea is still hiding that void fleet. Now it seems that that guy seems to have great ambitions."

Su Lun interjected: "I am also very interested in the space channel in that void plane. So if possible, I want to find information about that 'Void Fleet'. Sister Qiang Tiao, do you have any good suggestions?"

Qiang Tiao thought for a while and responded: "This news is probably only available from the pirate city. Or, why don't you try to join the fleet of the King of the North Sea? Before, they were a little troublesome in the recruitment review, but now that Oleg is king, various pirate groups are recruiting troops, and people in the North Sea who have a little ambition have become pirates... If you want to infiltrate as a newcomer, now is also the best opportunity."

"Infiltrate as a pirate?"

Hearing this, Su Lun's thoughts suddenly became active, and he murmured: "I think this method is feasible..."

.......

After the serious business was over, the two chatted idly again.

"Sister Qiang Tiao, how does it feel to be a pirate?"

"Very good. More free than before in the Brotherhood. My [Rakshasa Girl] talent was born for killing. There are too many evil people who should be killed in this sea. Before, there were gang constraints, but now that I am a pirate, I can gallop across the sea. This is the happy life I want. By the way, how have you been doing these days?"

"It's okay... I encountered some things."

"Didn't you say that we would be pirates together? Did you go to the Silent Forest to find the Ya Ren race little girl? The Ya Ren race little girls are so beautiful. Tsk tsk, you are very lucky..."

"How could that be... I went there for Mr. Jing's business. Besides, I am also preparing for the advancement to the fourth order. After this period of time, I will come to you to be a pirate."

"Hahaha, good! Then, we will also become a pirate king!"

"..."

The two chatted one sentence at a time.

Large snowflakes were falling outside the window, and the sound of water was clear and crisp.

Bathing and reminiscing made people feel physically and mentally happy.

The atmosphere in the room became better and better.

While chatting, Qiang Tiao muttered and stretched, "Oh, I haven't taken a bath for a long time, it's so comfortable..."

But it was this action that suddenly revealed the spring scenery.

Probably because she had been soaking in the water, the towel she was wearing suddenly came loose.

Qiang Tiao tried to wrap it again, but found that the wet towel was not easy to tie. Moreover, it was uncomfortable to stick to the body. On the contrary, after it was loosened, the slight chest tightness caused by the heat disappeared completely, and it was particularly refreshing.

Probably feeling that there were no outsiders, she simply pulled off the towel and threw it on the edge of the pool.

The whole person lay there naked, and relievedly exhaled a big breath of joy: "Hoo..."

Hearing the sound of water, Su Lun thought something had happened, and inadvertently opened his eyes and glanced over.

This look, that beautiful body that made people's blood boil was unreservedly reflected in his eyes. The pool water was clear, and there was smoke, hazy, looming, a beautiful sight of spring.

Don't look at Qiang Tiao's usual personality, she doesn't have any feminine softness.

But her figure is impeccable.

The pair of proud ones in front of her chest were even more proud than those Su Lun had seen, with only Shabina being slightly better.

Now she was soaking in the water, and her whole body was half floating in the water. The warm water from the brass pipe was constantly pouring in, and the water in the pool was rippling, and the pair of imposing peaks that held snow also rippled with it.

Although the two had taken a bath together many times, they used to wear bathing gowns. Even if the gauze clothes would appear translucent when they were wet, there was always a layer of cover, and they had never been so naked.

Su Lun couldn't help but take another look, and felt even more that he couldn't keep his eyes away.

The white jade-like scapula slipped from her shoulders, and was blocked by her proud ones. Looking down, it was the delicate and well-defined vest line... The body of a swordsman had a beauty full of strength.

After looking at it, he looked at it.

Su Lun looked at it frankly.

There were no other emotions in his eyes, only appreciation and praise.

This subtle abnormality naturally couldn't be hidden from Qiang Tiao's perception.

If it were other women, they would probably shyly cover themselves when they were stared at by this straight gaze.

Qiang Tiao didn't care at all.

She could also distinguish that pure appreciation emotion.

But probably because Su Lun had been looking at it for a long time, the gambling-addicted woman who was enjoying the bath with her eyes closed still muttered: "Hey hey hey... Su Lun. Although I don't mind, I didn't ask you to keep staring."

"Hehe..."

Su Lun also smiled casually, and praised directly: "Sister Qiang Tiao's figure is really good."

"..."

Hearing this, Qiang Tiao gave him a long, white look.

But she didn't mean to mind at all, and said quietly: "What's so good about it, it's not like you haven't seen it before."

Su Lun grinned with a bright smile.