As the Southern Army commander of the Revolutionary Army, Lindbergh was mainly responsible for affairs in the South Blue.
The Kingdom of Xiado was the next nation they planned to overthrow, and the Revolutionary Army had already uncovered that the so-called "pirates" here were nothing more than an army flying the pirate flag to help the Xiado royal family amass wealth.
To the Revolutionary Army, even with these "pirates," the Xiado Kingdom would never be their match.
But beyond toppling these corrupt and tyrannical rulers, their true goal was to spread their ideals—to awaken resistance in the hearts of the commoners who had long since grown numb.
That was why the Revolutionary Army would try to involve civilians in the fight whenever possible.
Therefore, this group of "pirates," who might join midway or retaliate later, had to be dealt with first.
Lindbergh had originally planned to strike during the pirates' rest period. He would swoop down from the skies and use his custom-made sleep bullets to capture them all in one sweep.
Coincidentally, Sherwin had the same thought. The only difference was that unlike the Revolutionary Army, he had no intention of capturing these men alive to drag them back for ideological and labor reform.
His method was simple: kill them all, then exchange their valuable heads for bounty. That was how Sherwin always worked.
And so, two parties with similar goals but different methods happened to cross paths. Sherwin simply arrived earlier—by the time he was done killing, Lindbergh showed up late.
"Hm? A child of the Mink Tribe?"
From the air, Lindbergh naturally noticed Sherwin and his companions, who made no effort to hide. As expected, he mistook the Felynes for young Minks still in their childhood stage.
"Isn't he that bounty hunter who gotten pretty famous lately? And yet he dragging Mink children into something this dangerous?!"
Misunderstanding the situation, Lindbergh was furious. Although all the pirates had already been wiped out and the two "Mink children" were unharmed, that didn't excuse Sherwin for bringing them into a battlefield.
So he decided to teach this rising bounty hunter a lesson.
Lindbergh pulled out his oddly-shaped pistol and aimed it at Sherwin, who was looking up at him.
"Heh, if you've got the guts, then try blocking my colorful paint bullets~" Lindbergh chuckled to himself as he pulled the trigger.
On the other side, Link Meow had already taken the Twilight Bow from his back, drawing its string toward the sky at Lindbergh.
A glowing arrow appeared out of thin air, flying to meet the bullet Lindbergh had just fired…
(=ΦωΦ=)つSherwin had specifically asked Link Meow about that Twilight Bow.
It was forged from the materials of the Amatsu and the Fatalis. The glowing arrow wasn't actually light—it was formed from Amatsu scale dust.
As for why just materials from Amatsu alone could produce scale dust, and why the dust wasn't the original violet-black color, Sherwin had no idea. Nor did he have any interest in researching it… he just felt a little envious…
Why did he only have a salted-fish longsword!And as for the materials used to craft Link Meow Master Sword and Hylian Shield, Sherwin didn't dare ask further—he was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle the blow.
Even if it wasn't true light, the arrow fired from the Twilight Bow was anything but slow. Lindbergh paint bullet had flown less than a meter from the muzzle when Link Meow arrow caught up first and struck it.
"Crap!"
The word had barely left Lindbergh mouth when his paint bullet suddenly exploded, splattering its own maker all over.
In an instant, Lindbergh looked as if he had fallen into a dye house—his whole body was painted in a mess of bright colors.
But before Lindbergh had time to worry about his clothes and fur, the glowing arrow pressed on toward him without losing speed.
He quickly worked his jetpack, dodging to the side. Though he narrowly avoided Link Meow arrow, the jetpack on his back was exposed and got pierced straight through.
"Crap!"
Lindbergh shouted again and swiftly unbuckled the straps of his jetpack, flinging it far away. At the same time, he pulled out a round canister from who-knows-where and tossed it beneath him.
"Boom——!"
"Bang!"
With two loud bangs, the jetpack exploded midair, while the round canister released a huge inflatable cushion as it hit the ground. The multicolored Lindbergh fell onto it, bounced a few times, and finally landed.
"Who are you? Why did you attack me?" Sherwin stepped forward, deliberately questioning him.
"Don't get excited, don't get excited."
The inflatable cushion quickly deflated. Lindbergh, now on the ground, waved his hand while wiping the paint off his goggles with a handkerchief.
"I just wanted to play a prank on you. Who told you to bring these Felyne kids along to do something this dangerous!"
Once he had cleaned his goggles and put them back on, Lindbergh turned it around, righteously questioning them instead.
Only then did Sherwin understand the reason behind the attack. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Kids? They're not kids. Link and Seijuro are already adults."
"Sherwin-sama is right, I have long been an adult, meow."
Link Meow nodded in agreement.
(=\`=)
"So… so that how it is? Ahahaha… guess that was a misunderstanding…"
Lindbergh scratched the back of his head awkwardly while curiously sizing up the two small-sized "kin" in front of him.
Although these two cat-like Felynes weren't tall, from their appearance they were indeed already adults. And yet…
Why did it feel like these two Felynes looked cuter than the average Felyne? Was it because of their small build?
Puzzled, Lindbergh scratched his head again but didn't dig deeper. After all, there were so many different kinds of Felynes—if there could be burly ones like the Cat Viper, then having a few small-sized ones was perfectly normal.
Besides, not just among Felynes—even in the world of pirates, human body types varied greatly. So there was nothing strange about it.
Instead…
"Why can I even understand what you're saying?!"
Now you realize…
Sherwin rolled his eyes helplessly, completely forgetting that back then, he had also taken a while before realizing the same thing.
╮(=ΦωΦ=)╭
"What kind of mysterious talent is this?" As an inventor, Lindbergh curiosity was burning.
He immediately leaned in close to Link Meow, urging him excitedly: "Quick, make a few more expressions for me to see!"
(ω)
Link Meow gave him a disdainful look, then turned his head away, not bothering to pay him any more attention.
Sherwin slid between the two, cutting off Lindbergh pestering of the little cat. "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Lindbergh lie came out smoothly: "My name is Lind. I'm an inventor. I heard that lately a bounty hunter is always accompanied by several Felynes, so I came specially to check it out."
"I see…" Sherwin nodded, showing no intention of pressing further.
Since the other party didn't intend to reveal his identity, Sherwin saw no need to forcefully tie himself to the Revolutionary Army, even though he actually admired this group quite a bit.
However, Lindbergh identity as a Mink could still be useful…
So he asked, "Perfect, since you're a Mink, you should know how to get to Zou, right? I've been planning to take them there someday, but I can't find any clues at all. I've also never heard of any Eternal Log Pose pointing to Zou."
Originally, Sherwin had intended to wait until he reached the North Blue and then ask Bepo for help. But since he happened to meet Lindbergh now, he might as well give it a try.
"Hahaha, of course. Zou is built on the back of Zunesha, who always moving. Naturally, there can't be an Eternal Log Pose for it."
Because of the Felynes' presence, as well as the information the Revolutionary Army had gathered, Lindbergh felt little suspicion toward Sherwin and his group.
Still, he turned to Link Meow and Seijuro Meow to ask, "Do you need me to arrange someone to send you back directly?"
(ω≡ω)
"Your kindness is greatly appreciated, sir, but I am a samurai of Lord Sherwin. It is impossible for me to abandon my master, meow."
Both cats refused the offer at the same time.
Lindbergh didn't try to persuade them further. If most pirates could be called stubborn, then the Minks were undoubtedly the champions of stubbornness.
So after being refused, he simply pulled out from his hat a piece of Vivre Card with the word "Zou" written on it. He tore off a small fragment and handed it to Sherwin.
"If you want to reach Zou, you can only rely on this Vivre Card to find the way. But remember this well—never, under any circumstances, let it fall into the hands of those with ill intent," Lindbergh warned solemnly.
Sherwin accepted the Vivre Card and promised, "You can rest assured about that. The thing I hate most is slave traders!"
——