Faerûn: Lord of the Eternal Sun

Chapter 9 Gathering Intelligence and Taking Action

Old Neil received Isaac and Barn in a room on the second floor of the tavern.

The interior was simple, with a fireplace in the corner, which was only lit for warmth on cold nights.

Next to the fireplace was a wine cabinet, filled with all sorts of fine wines collected by old Neil.

In the middle was a low wooden table, on which sat the roasted lamb chops and leg of lamb that Isaac had ordered. The three of them were now sitting down and enjoying their meal.

Isaac and Scar were the main eaters; Old Neil didn't have much of an appetite.

The three chatted about recent funny incidents and laughed heartily, drinking large gulps of wine from oak glasses.

"Old Neil, get me some information."

Isaac tore into the lamb leg with gusto. Ever since his divine baptism, he had noticed a surge in his appetite. He used to be a glutton, and now he ate several silver coins' worth of food every day.

Old Neil had a slightly graying beard and was older than the other two, already in his early fifties. In a city-state where the average lifespan was only fifty or sixty years, he was already considered an old man.

"What news?"

"The stronghold of the Black Fist Brotherhood."

Isaac revealed that the purpose of his trip was not simply to have drinks with Scar.

"Big guy, do you have a grudge against them? Is there some misunderstanding? Should I find someone to mediate?"

Old Neil had been running a tavern in the lower city for over twenty years, accumulating a considerable network of connections. Of course, he couldn't miss a single penny of the city-state commercial tax and gang protection fee he was required to pay each month.

"No need for mediation, I'll handle it myself."

Isaac refused their offer of help, knowing that a powerful figure was lurking behind the gang and he had to find a way to expose them.

"Alright then, we'll get back tonight at the latest. I'll have one of the shop assistants inform you."

After Old Neil finished speaking, Scarface remained silent. Considering his family, he hesitated for a moment before finally saying:

"Let me know if you need any help."

"good!"

-----------------

As darkness fell, the slums, located in the southern corner of the lower city, were home to tens of thousands of people, most of whom were low-status Shadowkin.

Chaos and filth are synonymous with this place. The environment is harsh, gangs run rampant, and the Sandwalkers conduct shady smuggling transactions here. Even evil materials strictly prohibited by the Church of the Sun can be found here.

Even the guards are reluctant to set foot in this area. During the day, they only conduct a brief patrol and then leave quickly. At night, they certainly won't venture here, as it's far too dangerous.

There are taverns even in the slums, and they're doing surprisingly well.

Black Snake Tavern, a three-story sandstone building, is the headquarters of the Black Fist Brotherhood. Members drink here day and night, and the backyard is an almost public underground arena for people to have fun and place bets.

Meanwhile, in a secluded room on the third floor of the tavern, three gang leaders were discussing something.

"The underground boxing boss has found out that all eight assassins he sent out last night are gone."

"It seems that the Son of the Sun is indeed quite powerful. My informant says he wasn't seriously injured. Should we send someone to negotiate with him?"

The second-ranking leader of the gang made the suggestion. He had a pair of sinister, triangular eyes, but he didn't understand why the boss suddenly wanted to find someone to kill this year's Son of the Sun, who was a tough opponent.

For the second brother, the gang was just a business, and he didn't have any hatred or resentment towards them.

Anyway, only the three of them know about this in the guild, so it won't affect their reputation.

The underground boxing boss was a middle-aged, burly man. At this moment, he angrily slammed his fist on the hard wooden table, making a dull thud.

"He killed eight of our brothers. We can't let him get away with this so easily. We must find someone to kill him, whether it's poison or arson!"

Black Fist deliberately put on a furious expression, but in reality, he was full of helplessness. He didn't want to deal with Isaac either, but the noble lord behind him had given him a death order.

Despite the seemingly successful underground boxing brotherhood, it's actually just a tool used by the wealthy gentry of the upper city to make dirty money.

If he disobeyed the adults' orders, he, as the leader, would be replaced at any time. One morning, his body was found in a stinking alley in the slums.

The underground boxing boss didn't notice that the other two leaders secretly exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with murderous intent, indicating that they had long harbored resentment towards him.

……

Isaac's retaliation came faster than the gang leader had anticipated.

The big blacksmith shop didn't open on the second day, leaving the gang's spies to spend the whole day without finding their target, let alone any plans for poisoning, arson, or assassination.

As night fell, the Black Serpent Tavern remained packed, and the spacious arena in the backyard echoed with a cacophony of shouts.

Surrounded by thugs and gamblers, two bare-knuckle boxers, wearing no armor and only cloth sashes around their waists, engaged in a bare-knuckle fight.

There are no weapons or rules of combat; the fight is brutal, with both sides delivering punches and blows. Victory is achieved by killing the opponent, who then wins the hefty reward from the gang.

That's a prize of 40 gold coins, a huge sum that an ordinary person couldn't earn in one or two decades.

The fight finally came to an end when a strong boxer strangled his opponent to death.

Merchants and gamblers who won their bets cheered, while those who lost cursed the corpses.

The crowd gradually dispersed. There are only three such underground boxing matches each week, held on the same night, to save guests from other districts from having to travel back and forth.

An hour later, the guests left, the tavern closed, and only a few tables of gang members remained, drinking heavily.

The outhouse was in a corner of the tavern. The thugs who were in a hurry to urinate didn't even want to walk those few steps. They came to the stinking back alley to relieve themselves and, at the same time, to get some fresh air and sober up.

However, someone quickly helped him regain his senses.

Tonight is the new moon, so there isn't much moonlight.

The tavern was noisy when a tall, dark figure silently appeared behind the thug, a cold, heavy scimitar pressed against his neck.

"Keep quiet, answer my questions honestly, and I'll spare your life."

The thug had indeed sobered up. The fear of death made his legs tremble slightly, and his pockets were soaked with urine, which smelled strongly of urine.

He nodded slightly; at this point, he had no other choice.

"Is the underground boxing boss inside? How many men are in there?"

"There are about fifteen or sixteen people in the tavern's main hall on the third floor."

"very good."

Isaac reached out and covered his mouth, then slit his throat with his scimitar. A few seconds after the blood spurted out, he gently laid the slightly twitching body down on the ground.

The whole process was very smooth and made very little noise.

All the gang members who could stay overnight at the Black Serpent Tavern were core members; there was no such thing as peripheral members. They must have done a lot of dirty work, so killing them was no big deal for Isaac.

"Fifteen or sixteen people?"

After a brief moment of thought, Isaac quietly dragged the body away and then continued to wait in the back alley to see if there were any more lucky victims.

He actually managed to catch him. A few minutes later, another thug came to the back alley. Just as he was about to relieve himself, he smelled a distinct bloody odor. His guard was raised, but he was immediately cleaved in two by a curved blade from behind.

The disappearance of two thugs in quick succession alerted the other gang members in the tavern, making them all wary.