Arcane: Winds of Change

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Chapter 35: Arrival

Finally, it was over. Sevika opened her face shield and wiped away the sweat. The energy was finally depleted. Jayce and Vi were both knocked out, marking a perfect victory for their side in this battle. Suddenly, applause came from the entrance. "Well done, Sevika," Silco applauded as he arrived fashionably late. Looking at the mess accurately depicted how intense the battle had been. Vi and Jayce managed to destroy over a dozen mechs, and if Sevika hadn't arrived in time, the remaining ones would not have survived either. Sevika's ability to overpower the two left Silco somewhat astonished.

"It was Phil's prowess," Sevika replied in a calm tone, her admiration for Phil growing even stronger. At this moment, the remaining chemtech mechs had successfully apprehended all the enforcers. "Rest tonight; tomorrow we go to the upper city to negotiate," Silco promptly decided, now armed with enough leverage for negotiation.

"What about her?" Sevika pointed at the unconscious Vi. Silco looked at Vi with a complex gaze. If Jinx and Vi hadn't crossed paths, he could easily kill her, but this situation made him hesitate. Jinx and Vi's relationship was reminiscent of his with Vander. Even though they parted ways, Vander still lingered in his mind. "Forget it, just lock her up as well," Silco waved dismissively and left the pharmaceutical factory.

-----The Watchers' Sea-----

"How much longer until we get there?" Jinx leaned against the mast. "I'm so bored!" "We've passed Ironspike, so if all goes well, we'll reach the Blue Flame Isles by this afternoon." Bilgewater consists of the Blue Flame Isles and the Serpent Isles. It's a city that values freedom and strength, chaotic and lawless, essentially a paradise for outlaws.

Currently, Bilgewater is quite chaotic, with major factions vying for control. The most notable one is Gangplank's faction. They began by plundering merchant ships, and under Gangplank's leadership in his prime, their power grew stronger, edging towards becoming the rulers of these seas.

"Boss, are we really going to make a deal with Gangplank?" Balthier asked hesitantly; he had once fled Bilgewater to Zaun because of this man. "We'll see if he's wise. If he's too foolish, there are others to trade with. We won't struggle to sell our goods," Phil responded steadily, arms crossed. After a few days of adaptation, Phil had slowly gotten used to the rhythm of the sea, though his steps were still somewhat unsteady on the ship's deck.

"Jinx, your playthings for entertainment have arrived," Phil called out to Jinx. "Are we there yet?" Jinx suddenly sprang up, making it clear she was tired of the ship. "We're almost there. Seeing the pirate ship means we're already near the waters of Bilgewater," Balthier explained. Pirates generally preferred plundering ports to ships. But with the rules Gangplank had established in his territory, after a few severe punishments to set examples, the rampant piracy decreased. After all, even in chaos, a place couldn't be filled entirely with thieves. Someone had to engage in production.

Soon, the ship drew nearer. "To the people on that ship! Hand over your treasures, and we'll spare your lives," Jinx raised her Fishbones and took the initiative. Having experienced the Star Guardian for a while, Jinx had to revert to her regular state due to physical fatigue, and this transformation had a 24-hour cooldown. Currently, she was in cooldown mode. Clearly, Jinx's words confused the relatively small pirate ship. However, Fishbones' cannon delivered the message effectively, and soon they organized a counterattack.

However, the counterattack with those firearms stood no chance against Fishbones. Amid the pirates' lamentations, their ship was sunk, gradually disappearing below the water. As for the treasures, she didn't believe there would be anything valuable on such a junky ship. "You sank your treasures along with it," Phil teased from the side. "Want to play a treasure hunting game?" Jinx eyed the remaining corner of the ship, suddenly coming up with peculiar ideas. Unexpectedly, she noticed a small boat with a few pirates rowing away into the distance, and she raised her gun again. 

"Forget it, since the 'raiders' have decided to forgive us and leave, we shouldn't pursue them to the bitter end," Phil remarked, his mood noticeably uplifted, possibly because these rather unintelligent pirates posed no threat to him. Jinx obediently put away her gun. Just as expected, their ship arrived at Bilgewater Bay by afternoon. Phil felt a small thrill upon seeing the city that was completely different in style from Zaun and Piltover. He couldn't help but think about how he'd love to take a couple of selfies and post them if he had a phone. 

Jumping off the boat, the solid ground felt like heaven to Phil, who disliked the drifting feeling on the ship with no firm support. "Come on, let's find some fun!" Jinx exclaimed as she pulled Phil into the heart of this port city. "We'll rest for the night. Keep an eye on the ship, Balthier!" Phil managed to shout a single command as he was dragged away.

"Hey, this isn't a place for kids to play," said one of the guards, probably accustomed to others' obsequiousness, and Phil often forgot he was just a teenager. As he swaggered with Jinx into the casino, he was naturally stopped at the entrance. "Don't be rash, Jinx." Seeing Jinx rummaging through her bag, likely for grenades, Phil hurriedly intervened. Tossing a gold coin to the guard, he easily resolved the issue.

Listening to the guards argue over the coin behind him made Phil realize once again the importance of money, though tossing a coin like that did seem a bit extravagant. Having prevented a potential disaster had Jinx fired, Phil felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment for a moment. After a quick asset verification, Phil and Jinx entered the finest casino in Bilgewater. 

"Oh, this is so lavish," Jinx gasped in awe. "But Phil, while it's sad about these women, you shouldn't keep staring at them," she added, with a touch of sarcastic displeasure in her voice. Most women in the casino wore very revealing clothing, bordering on scantily clad. Jinx's outfit was considered conservative in comparison, though she wasn't wearing much either. While Phil was indeed dazzled by the sight, he explained, "Well, they are quite unfortunate, aren't they? Can't even afford proper clothes. But I wasn't really looking at them; I think I just saw someone I know."