The room was different from the last one. It now had soft beds. You heard it right, beds. Even though the inn only had one room available, it had more than one bed. They amounted to five people, and only three beds were inside. Someone would have to sleep alone, and it would be presumably Leo.
All of them spent the day revising their plans. Talking while lying in a soft bed made all things more pleasant. It also made them sleepy. It was understandable, as the past three days had been tough.
Khali spoke to them about how Frederick was a weak noble, and for that reason, he always hired people to protect him. Not only him, but the goods he carried, like his newly acquired shipment. Even though he was weak, Frederick still had connections and money.
These were all things Joshua wanted. He exchanged glances with his comrade Leo at that moment. If they successfully rebuilt the Crows Nest, these two things would be within their grasp. It would not be an easy task, but a rewarding one nonetheless.
Anyway, Khali also said that Frederick thought highly of him. Most men under Frederick at that point were melee combatants and no more high level than 10. Khali was a mage, which was something they lacked, and not only that, but he also had a high level. These two things made him an incomparable asset to have on their ship.
Frederick willingly offered ten gold coins for the job. Not only that, but he agreed to let Khali's friends board alongside them. Joshua could only think that the goods inside the ship were extraordinary.
~~~~
Most of the day consisted in chatting idly and eating. The past few days had been tough for them, so the sun had barely vanished, and they were already sleeping. Well, not all of them. Joshua stayed awake and left the room when he noticed their sleep was deep enough.
According to the plan he had previously formed, there was a ship he needed to sneak in. It would not be an easy task, but Joshua was confident to pull it off.
The streets of Nagos still had some people roaming around, but far less as the sun had gone. Joshua approached the port, and he noticed something. They were still moving crates. He thought they had finished it during the day, but he was wrong.
"Using the night to move more crates. Exactly how bad people would act," Joshua thought as he watched everything.
It was not the time to act. The best time for it would be late at night. There was no way they would leave at night, which only reinforced the theory Joshua had in mind; this was Frederick's ship.
Joshua focused on what they were doing when a hand poked his back.
"What the f," Joshua looked behind his back and saw a familiar face.
"Damn it, Leo. What are you doing here?" Joshua said.
"I saw you leaving. I was curious, so I followed you."
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"You know undead don't sleep, right?"
~~~~
Joshua forgot about that point. Leo had annoyed them the entire trip, saying that his legs hurt—but the truth was that he did not feel a thing.
"I guess we are partners after all," Joshua said. He stared at Leo and decided to show him something.
All of his facial structures and body changed. Leo had his mouth open wide for a long time.
"You bastard. I spent days, DAYS, trying to look like a human. I can only have the appearance I had before becoming a Lich. But you can change it at will? How?"
Joshua only answered him by saying that it was a secret skill he found in a tumb. It was not that he did not want to share that he was one of the legendary heroes, but Joshua felt that it was not the right time.
"I plan on sneaking inside the ship tonight," Joshua said. He then explained what he saw and what he thought.
"Hmm," Leo pondered after hearing what Joshua said.
"You do have a point. Everything looks suspicious. We should take a look now as it is the best time."
Joshua could not agree more with that. If this was Frederick's ship, looking for clues the next day was impossible. Joshua still doubted how Leo would sneak up with him.
"No worries, my friend. This awesome Lich here can become invisible," Leo said proudly.
"What? You should have used it before losing to me?" Joshua said.
"I cannot use it while in combat. Why are you bringing up my loss? You bastard."
With that, a plan formed. Joshua would change his appearance, and Leo would follow close to him while being invisible. Everything could go wrong if someone strong saw through Leo's spell, but the same said that it would not happen.
Another curious thing Joshua discovered was that Leo was way stronger than he was now. He said that before dying and turning into a Lich, he had a level of 135. It was a pity that he returned to level 1 after turning into a Lich.
"But how come you did not level up? You said you have like, two hundred years?" Joshua said.
"Well, the reason was that I never left the mines. You saw that the only enemies down there were the skeletons I summoned. I got to level 10 by killing rats."
That proved that Leo had perseverance like any other. Maybe that was the reason he was a little off his head.
~~~~
After hours of waiting and chatting about the most random subjects possible, the time finally came.
Joshua walked in, and as soon as the men that were watching the ship saw him, they were surprised.
"Boss Philip, what are you doing this late at night?" they said in a tone of respect.
Joshua changed his appearance to that man that was coordinating during the day.
"I just want to make sure everyone did their jobs correctly, or else," Joshua fiercely gazed at them. They did not mutter a thing and let him board the ship.
After Joshua left, they talked to each other saying how boss Philip was rigorous to those who messed up.
"It worked," Leo laughed, but soon stopped.
"Don't talk, Leo. Maybe there are others inside," Joshua said, and Leo saw reasoning in that.
They went to the part of the ship where all the goods were stored. Someone was guarding it, but let Joshua pass nonetheless. It seemed that Philips's authority was high.
A lot of crates were inside the storage room, and Joshua opened one to see what contents it had. He gasped, and it seemed that things were more complicated than he had thought.
While that was happening, the real Philip reached the ship, and the two men that were watching over the place were dumb strokes.