All-in-One System: All I Need is Erotic Coins

Chapter 321: Three Islands

Damian headed to room number 4, where the man who’d been spreading rumors was staying. He needed to find his friends, and he was more than willing to use force to get the information he wanted.

When he reached the door, Damian knocked a few times, waiting for someone to answer. He could have barged in if he needed to, but he didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention.

The man answered the door shirtless.

"Hope this is important, because you’re interrupting something here," the guy said.

Damian’s gaze flicked over to the bed, where a beautiful woman lay completely naked, her breasts on full display. Clearly, she was a working girl the man had hired to satisfy his needs.

"I heard you talking about a shipwreck and about pirates taking slaves. Can you tell me where those pirates are?"

He expected he’d have to rough the guy up for answers, but to his surprise, the man shared everything he knew without resistance.

"Come in, have a seat," the man offered.

Damian stepped into the room, sat down in a wooden chair, and accepted the beer the man handed him. Even the prostitute seemed curious to hear the answer.

’A couple of gossips, looks like,’ Damian thought.

The man took a swig of his beer, animatedly launching into the story.

"Word is, some kind of dragon destroyed the ship. Crazy, right? They say it was a really ancient dragon, but nobody’s reported seeing it in years."

That made sense. The dragon had spoken to Damian telepathically and said it had just woken from hibernation. Considering how ancient and powerful dragons were, that nap must’ve lasted a long time.

"After destroying the ship, the dragon flew off. A lot of people died, but some survived. The pirates happened to be passing by right then and managed to snatch up the survivors for use as slaves."

Damian couldn’t imagine a world where Elrandir would be captured by pirates. The old bastard was tough—he’d have a good chance of surviving the dragon’s attack.

’Is he among the captured, or did the old fox escape? I never fully trusted him anyway...’

"These pirates, from what I know, live on some islands a bit northeast of here. It’s a group of three islands, said to be loaded with mana stones and unimaginable riches."

That got Damian’s attention. This sounded exactly like the place they’d been searching for all along—or at least, it seemed that way. The only way to be sure was to go there himself.

From what the man said, it wasn’t close. The pirates would need some time to transport the slaves to the islands.

"What do they usually do with these slaves?" Damian asked.

"Well, from what I know, they just use them for forced labor in the mines. So, endless work, little rest, and probably starving all the time."

That was actually better than he’d feared. His biggest worry was that they’d kill Emma and the others, or sell them off to someone else.

"Do you know how to get to these islands?" Damian pressed, trying to squeeze out every bit of information.

With pride, the man thumped his chest. "Of course. I worked in one of those mines for a while. Besides pirates, they hire legit workers too. I guess it helps cover things up, makes it all look less suspicious..."

"Oh? So if I wanted to go there, would you take me?"

The man paused mid-swig, eyeing Damian up and down—his thin body, long hair, and delicate features. He didn’t look like the fighting type.

"You nuts? It’s dangerous out there, and even if we made it to the islands, what would you do? Work in the mines too? They’re not hiring right now—if you just show up, they’ll kill you."

Damian shook his head.

"I’m one of the survivors from the dragon attack. I want to rescue my friends."

The man went quiet for a few seconds. Then he laughed and took another gulp of beer.

"That’s a good one, man. You’re a funny guy. Anyway, if that’s all the info you need, let me get back to enjoying my woman here."

Damian chuckled as well and took a drink of his beer.

"The thing is, I’m not joking. I really survived, and I really want to save my friends. I’m not asking you to take me there—don’t get me wrong," Damian said slowly, his voice cold. "It’s more like, EITHER you take me there because I asked, OR you die. Your choice."

This time, the man grew a bit more serious. The way Damian spoke—his eyes and the tone of his voice—made it clear he wasn’t joking.

And when you added in the fact that Damian had overheard his conversation and followed him all the way to the tavern without being noticed, it was obvious Damian wasn’t just some ordinary guy.

The man realized it right then. In a world like this, being cunning was one of the keys to survival.

"Look, I could take you there—but it’ll cost you. You know, it’s going to take several days," the man said.

Damian chuckled. "Isn’t staying alive payment enough?"

"Yeah, that works too," the man replied quickly. "That’s good enough for me."

Damian gave the man a pat on the shoulder, making him even more nervous.

"I’m messing with you," Damian said. "I’ll pay you. You told me everything I needed to know without me having to torture you, which honestly surprised me."

The woman had been listening to the whole conversation.

"Can I come along? I’d love to go on an adventure," she said.

Damian glanced at the guy and asked, "How dangerous is the trip? Could we bring a few women with us?"

The man shook his head. "My boat’s way too small for that, unfortunately."

That was a bit of a pain, but Damian didn’t mind. Right now, his only focus was getting there and rescuing his friends—and, of course, his women.

"All right. When can we leave?"

"Tomorrow. Does that work? I need to get the boat ready, gather supplies, and, well, enjoy my night here."

Damian stood up from his chair.

"Sure. But don’t try anything funny, because I’ll be watching your every move."

With that, he left the room and headed to his own to get some rest.