Beast in the Woods, Deep in the Night - Chapter 17.1

Chapter 17.1

Christine recalled a scene from her previous life.

Duff Goldman was a human being who was interested in the anecdotes of other well-known guilds while not having the ability or the will to call upon the power of his own guild.

He was almost obsessed with the news, especially related to the big guilds, and knew everything about them.

‘He even bet money on who would win a fight between guilds.’

The reason Christine knew about the fight between the Black Fang Guild and the Blue Hammer Guild was also because Duff kept talking about it.

“No matter how excellent the Black Fang Guild is compared to other guilds, it’s a different story at sea. That’s why I bet money on the Blue Hammer Guild.”

The reason Duff made that decision was simple.

The Blue Hammer was a guild that started near a wharf. It started when fishermen who operated fishing boats banded together to fix the price of seafood, formed a community, and began to manage their fishing boats efficiently.

Even if their main business was to charge huge port fees for trading ships and passenger ships docking at the ports they managed, they were the best at reading the sea, given their origins.

‘But the Black Fang Guild chose to ambush the Blue Hammer Guild’s hideout in the middle of the sea by boat.’

The Black Fang Guild had far more money to spend on the operation, so they launched a surprise attack through the sea and caught them off guard.

However, the ships prepared by the Black Fang Guild did not play any role on the day of the operation. The wind blew so hard that day that the waves were too rough.

While the executives of the Black Fang Guild were running around in confusion, the Blue Hammer Guild, who noticed something strange, attempted an ambush and succeeded. They were so good at navigating that they could get out of the island to the port, no matter how rough the waves were.

‘Well, the Black Fang Guild did launch another attack on the Blue Hammer Guild’s hideout about a month later and take over it.’

Christine compared the map that unfolded before her eyes to the memories of her previous life.

Just like then, the Black Fang Guild seemed to once again be trying to use their ships to launch an ambush.

Duff won quite a lot of money by winning that bet, and it angered her when she remembered how he abused her verbally while spending that money drinking.

So, she spoke in an innocent voice as if she knew nothing.

“The map reminds me of my deceased grandfather. He said his hometown was near this harbor.”

“Is that so? Is Christine’s hometown there too?”

“No. My grandfather emigrated inland to the Grand Duke’s territory. He said he had no choice but to move because the people of the Blue Hammer Guild were retaliating against fishermen who didn’t join the guild.”

Of course, Christine had never seen her grandparents before, but her lies were narratively perfect.

She glanced at Isaac, who expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Even if it wasn’t because of the guild’s retaliation, he was thinking of moving somewhere else someday. He said that the sea over there is so volatile that sometimes the wind blows so hard that it can be life-threatening.”

“A wind so strong that it can be life-threatening?”

“Ah, it’s not like my grandfather was hurt because of the wind. The old seafarers could read the wind and the waves just by watching the clouds flow, so they didn’t go to the sea on days like that.”

“…”

Isaac shifted his gaze to the map.

He was not an idiot. The first thing he did as soon as he decided to use ships to raid the island was to look at the relevant statistical data.

As a result of looking at records of the past five years, it was said that, on average, the sea at this time was very docile. There were mostly slow winds and gentle waves.

But after hearing Christine’s words, he didn’t think it would be a bad idea to check it again. Didn’t average statistics always have a hidden trap?

‘I should send someone to the port and ask the retired fishermen who have no ties to the Blue Hammer Guild for their opinions.’

Thanks to her, he was also able to get a clue as to who he should check with. If he asked a random fisherman in a hurry, information might leak to the Blue Hammer Guild.

Isaac looked at Christine again with interest. He was only interested in her beautiful appearance when she first entered his office, but now, he had different thoughts.

He could see why Edgar was wary even while keeping her by his side.