Some magical beasts attacked them while they went there. As they got closer to the islands, the attacks seemed to grow more frequent.

It didn’t pose any threat to them. Damian didn’t even move during this time to defend the ship. The crew he now had with him did all the work for him.

He just sat there and relaxed, thinking about what to do once he reached the island. People said the island was home to powerful criminals, but Damian believed he had the power to face them.

Damian and the captain of that ship were talking while staring at the islands from a distance. They were getting near.

"Do you have access to go there?" Damian asked.

Not all people could roam freely on those islands. A specific group of pirates ruled that place. Going there without their permission meant basically dying on the spot.

"Yes, we can, but only in the city," the captain said, "the city is a place where most people can still enter. However, the rest of the island is blocked."

"Only the main island has a city; the other two don’t."

The pirates had built a city on one of the islands. Other criminals went there to trade, and some lived there permanently.

It was basically a city filled with people who didn’t follow the law.

"And do you know where my friends could be? Ted, right there, told me they enslave people to dig in the mines. Is this true?"

The captain nodded.

"Your friends can be on any of the islands. There are mines on all three islands. But the enslaved people are usually on the main island, as it’s safer."

The island with the city had been ’conquered’ by those criminals. It was safer because the number of magical beasts roaming the land was way lower.

But the other two islands weren’t like that. No structure was built there, and the number of beasts was so vast that the criminals couldn’t fully conquer those islands, only some spots.

Damian entered the ship and changed his clothes, now looking more like a criminal. Leather clothes, a cloak hiding his face, and a sword around his waist. It gave him the classic mercenary look.

Ted was already like that, so he didn’t need to change a thing.

"We can stay on the island for a few days," the captain said, "you know, use the ride here to trade something, and try to get you some information. But that’s it. I hope you don’t make things harder for us."

Damian didn’t say a word. The captain was still quite scared of him, but he didn’t sense any dangerous aura coming from Damian, so he tried to relax.

The captain also spoke with his entire crew in private before they stopped at the city’s harbor. He wanted to be sure no one would try to go against Damian.

"Don’t say anything about him to anyone, understood? If you do, I’ll kill you myself."

"Yes, captain."

Damian wasn’t there, but he could hear their conversation from a distance—a smile formed on his face.

’It seems I can count on them for the moment.’

Ted also wanted to buy some illegal stuff in the city. Damian didn’t care about it. His help wasn’t necessary anymore.

When their ship stopped at the harbor, a few people glanced at it, but that’s it. Ships coming and going were pretty common in the area.

Damian was on the deck, looking at the city as they approached. It was bigger than he expected. Not just houses but even tall buildings, a harbor area for the ships, clean streets, and good-looking restaurants.

It was a prettier city than some Damian had seen on land.

But the people in it were different. Everyone looked scary and dangerous.

The city was clean because the people in power kept it that way, but the rules? There was no such thing as that.

One could steal and kill on the streets, and the rulers didn’t care. It was a free city, a place where people could do anything.

Damian and Ted stepped into the city knowing that. They jumped off from the ship, landing on the harbor’s wooden platforms.

"Why does it feel like everyone is staring at us right now?" Ted whispered.

"That’s because they are. Everyone is assessing our strength, trying to see if they could rob us or not." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"With you here, nothing will happen to us, so it’s fine," Ted said.

He was sure Damian was the strongest one around, so when people felt his powerful aura, no one would try anything. However, Damian’s next words changed his mind.

"I’m hiding my strength. This is like a spy mission for me. I cannot let people know I am here."

"Wait, what?"

They hadn’t even left the harbor, yet a group of six men showed up to rob them.

"Give us everything you have."

The same thing, the same line, the same type of people. Damian didn’t waste his time trying to speak with them. Now that he was in a city with no rules, he just acted.

With quick and precise movements, Damian beat the hell out of them, breaking their noses, ribs, and arms.

They had weapons on them, but he acted so quickly that none of them managed to get their weapons in time.

Lots of people were watching the scene from a distance. After seeing how powerful Damian was, they all returned to their shady businesses, no longer wanting to try anything.

A display of power was exactly what Damian needed to make sure his time in that city wouldn’t be troublesome.

’Show enough power to scare them, but not enough to get attention from the pirates in charge.’

That was his mindset.

Ted, on the other hand, wasn’t feeling safe in the city anymore.

"Can I go with you?" he asked.

Damian would try to first get some information within the city before venturing outside, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, why not?"