Captain – Chapter 89 – The Banshee’s Eye

After some effort, Roy and her companion finally arrived at the front of the tavern.

Walking down the meticulously carved gray stone steps and pushing open the heavy, dark red wooden door, they were greeted by six attendants with respectful expressions and handsome, beautiful faces.

They stood on either side, divided by gender, slightly bowing their heads, and welcoming in unison: “Welcome to the Banshee’s Eye, esteemed guests.”

As usual, Roy took out twelve silver coins, distributing them to each servant, smiling warmly like a master rewarding household staff: “Something extra for yourselves.”

According to the Banshee’s Eye’s rules, to enter the tavern, one first had to pay each greeting servant a silver coin as an entrance fee. Of course, this money was only temporarily held by them and would ultimately flow into the proprietress’s pocket.

So previously when Roy came to the tavern, she would habitually give a little more as a tip to reward the servants, as she was, after all, half an owner of the Banshee’s Eye.

Looking at the shining silver coins in their hands, the attendants’ tone became much more genuine: “Thank you, my lord.”

Seeing this scene, the scantily clad, casual-looking maids who had been standing behind the six attendants suddenly perked up. After a brief, hushed discussion, a maid with a distinctly worldly air and strong big-sister presence stepped forward, smiling and curtseying to the two.

“I will show you the way.”

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“No need, Sarah. I know my way around.”

To the surprise of this maid who had worked in the tavern for nearly ten years, this young woman, who was clearly unfamiliar, addressed her by name in an extremely familiar tone and indicated she was well-acquainted with the place.

Under the maid’s puzzled gaze, Roy casually handed her nine silver coins, waved goodbye to the enthusiastic maids, and led her first mate toward the corridor behind the reception hall.

Sarah’s gaze followed the two until they disappeared around the corner of the corridor, then she looked at the silver coins in her hand and unconsciously murmured: “Such a generous guest, but why… do I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before?”

That aristocratic, delicate face and lavish generosity reminded Sarah of the former master of Yadris, the once-glorious Captain Roy. But quickly, this guess was firmly rejected by her.

That captain who claimed to be immortal seemed to have truly not returned this time.

Thinking of the memorial ceremony for the Golden-Eyed Devil held by the Great Captain not long ago, the series of tragedies that occurred after the Blood-Eyed Butcher took over Yadris, and the occasional soft weeping from the proprietress’s room, Sarah’s face darkened, silently ridiculing her own earlier wild imagination.

There were plenty of people in this world who looked similar to each other, and besides, Captain Roy was a genuine man through and through. How could he possibly be related to the young woman from earlier?

“Alright, girls, the guest has given us quite a bit, but we cannot spend it freely like before. We must save some for the future.”

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After calling the maids closer and distributing the tips in the usual order, Sarah earnestly advised.

Among the working girls at the Banshee’s Eye, apart from a small number who worked to support their families, most were pursuing pleasure and excitement.

Those fierce pirates, though difficult to serve, were always generous. And just like those men, the silver coins that came into the maids’ hands were always spent like flowing water on pleasure-seeking.

In the past, this hadn’t been a problem. With Captain Roy as their backing, the Banshee’s Eye would continue to flourish, and they could squander money and youth while young. When it was time to leave, they could also receive enough money to last the rest of their lives.

But now things were different. The Banshee’s Eye had lost its greatest support, and the proprietress maintained her stance, unwilling to bow to the new master of Yadris.

Under the deliberate “care” of the new master, both the tavern’s visible and underground businesses had plummeted, never again experiencing its former glory.

Every day there were troublemakers in the tavern, every day they had to bear the losses caused by those bastards’ brawls. No one knew how long the proprietress could hold on, but Sarah knew that if things continued as they were, the tavern would eventually collapse.

When that time came, they would have to find another way out.

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“Yes, Sister Sarah.”

The girls, who had been visibly excited about receiving tips, now lowered their heads in dejection after hearing their big sister’s somber warning, obediently responding.

Roy was unaware of the conversation among the maids after she left, and even more unaware of the enormous changes that had occurred here after the news of her death spread throughout Yadris. She was merely patiently explaining the rules and layout of this luxurious tavern to her first mate.

“Entry requires six silver coins—a rule that existed before I took over this tavern. However, to reward the hardworking girls and boys, I always give a little extra.”

Watching the captain lightly stroke the carvings of waves and pirate ships on both sides of the corridor, Caine couldn’t help but remind her: “But your generosity should depend on the situation, Captain. Back then, you certainly didn’t lack money, but now it’s different. After paying the sailors’ wages, we only have four hundred and thirty-two silver coins left. We still need to recruit more people, and purchase—”

“Alright, alright, Caine, don’t worry. We’ll have money; I’m here to find a financial backer, aren’t I?” Roy withdrew her hand from the relief carvings, sighing with some frustration.

“Financial backer… you mean the proprietress of the Banshee’s Eye?” Caine pondered for a moment, then asked.

“Yes, little Cecilia is very rich—no, extremely rich. Do you know how much the Banshee’s Eye makes in a day? At least three hundred thousand silver coins.”

Roy looked toward the luxurious wooden doors that were gradually appearing on both sides of the corridor and explained: “These rooms are for conducting business—those… flesh trades.”

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“The Banshee’s Eye is not just a tavern; it also helps those blood-soaked rogues fence stolen goods, helps smugglers find buyers, helps lustful beasts find women. Military supplies, tobacco, salt, and those mind-altering contraband items are all within its business scope.”

“The first floor of the tavern is for everyone’s leisure and entertainment, the second floor is for receiving distinguished guests like me, and above are the living quarters.”

Roy pointed to the ceiling painted with completely naked women, then pointed to the red carpet with gold patterns beneath their feet: “As for the two underground levels, one is used to store stolen goods, contraband, and gold and silver, while the other is for conducting those transactions that cannot see the light of day.”

“That must be a ‘wonderful place.'” Caine emphasized the last three words, clearly not impressed with these overt and covert sordid affairs.

“Oh come on, any place that makes money is a good place, regardless of how the money is made.”

Walking skillfully through the corridor filled with the scent of pheromones and pleasant cries, the two lifted the silk curtain blocking their path, and a largely circular hall came into view.

Crystal chandeliers, dark round wooden tables, elegant violin music, a stage hung with snow-white curtains, men enjoying fine wine and food who seemed out of place among the high-class decorations of the Banshee’s Eye, and hot-blooded women with charming smiles, swaying their bodies as they served drinks and food, or sitting among the men.

The noble and the lowly intertwined, elegance and debauchery coexisting—this was the Banshee’s Eye.