COCOA FORTUNE, reARC the First

The Feiren continues down the harbor district, making sure to put his friends away to avoid attracting attention.

The canine and cobra retract into the Feiren's body, too late to calm anyone who has already seen him, but avoiding undue notice from those who haven't.
He dashes down the streets, turning this way and that. Furtive glances behind him reveal no one in pursuit. He reduces his pace as he becomes more and more confident that he is not being followed. Eventually the Feiren reaches a seedy looking part of the harbor that seems largely absent of guard patrols. He slows to a leisurely stroll, recognizing the area as a hub for black market trading from his seafaring experience. Makeshift walls and rundown shacks conceal high stakes gambling dens, exchanges for goods obtained through illicit means, gang hideouts, exotic spices and addictive substances looked down upon by any self-respecting Quinate, even forbidden dark magics if one knows where to look and what to say.

The Feiren checks his pockets for coin. Depending on how much he has, he may want to check out the black market.

He feels up his amply stocked vest and pouches, turning up about 50 gold rooks, roughly 200 of assorted Fei coins from various provinces, and rolled up notes worth a few thousand standard Imperial teng should he find someone willing to accept them.

The Feiren gulps as he feels the weight of sweet, solid gold in his palm. The gambling dens beckon.

But he decides first to go to a black market to seek out information on his quarry. His heart sings, as he has finally arrived 'home'.

The Feiren begins his inquiry, careful not to linger where he receives too many unwelcome stares and questions of who his companions are.

"Li Wei? That's a funny name..."
As expected of asking after someone he had a close relationship with, the responses the Feiren gets are mostly things he already knows...

"Oh, he must be from Fei... er, just like you, of course. Small world huh?"
"He's a bad guy, I think, killed lotsa people and such."

...tall tales...

"He snatched that jewel right out of the magistrate's mansion, all by himself, with the blessings of his magic shinobi gods..."

...and outright fabrications...

"Oh yeah, I heard he wrestled two krakens into submission with his bare fists, used them to smash through all nine ringwalls and fry Ol' Cor. That's why Abatos doesn't have a king anymore."

It's somewhat irritating to go through, but the Feiren knows asking questions too often and too specific could draw undue attention to himself, and he's not quite ready to re-emerge into the public eye.

At last from a street urchin he learns of an information broker who dabbles in the affairs of the southern continent. With the greasing of a few palms the Feiren is able to arrange a meeting with this broker at his current abode.  
On the outside it appears to be a simple wooden shack squeezed between two others, half sunken into the ground. A large thug stands outside the entrance, his arms crossed.
"He's ready for you," the thug says in a gruff voice. "Go ahead." The Feiren is permitted through the doorway and directed down a creaky stairwell.
As he descends the din of the harbor outside becomes softer.

At the bottom he passes through a cloth veil into a small room. It is filled with a dizzying assortment of items that others would call junk, but the Feiren regards as a collection he simply does not know the meaning of yet. The only light source seems to be a ray of sun coming from a squarish hole in the ceiling. Across a table covered in parchment stands a Lymeshan man wearing a patched brown coat. A long thin mustache adorns his mouth.
"Li Wei. Wanted for piracy in several countries. Also known as "The Scourge that Sails". Yes, I may know a thing or two of interest about him. Now, what is it you wish to know? And more importantly, what can you offer in exchange?"

'The Scourge that Sails,' the Feiren thinks, 'a name he stole from me!'

Li Wei's betrayal bubbles up to his consciousness, rising from a stain so deep within his mind that the Feiren's tongue curls, recalling the cold brine that filled his throat, the waves upon his back, the typhoons raging in the distance, and the two he had loved most, gazing down at him from the railing of his own ship.

The Feiren's lips begin to quiver, but he steels himself, hiding away the ferocity he was known for as a Sea Lord. Now, he must become a servant, a quiet man.

"My master wishes me to know where I can find Li Wei, where he plans to go, where his fleet may descend. What friends has he made? Who has he angered? And...the plight of a Nipponese woman he keeps with him.

"As for what I can offer in exchange: Li Wei may be fearful off the coasts of Lymesha and Jaquim, but there are greater Sea Lords. My master, Zhu Yang, is one of them. He has amassed an armada that plunders the rich Southern Seas, and is building his strength for greater exploits. He is a powerful ally to have, and I am his messenger.

"As you and I have just met, I present a small gift on his behalf." The Feiren places twenty rooks on the table. "More gold will come after your information.

"But what he truly has to offer," says the Feiren, lowering his voice, "is a vault that cannot be broken: a hideaway that cannot be found. A man like yourself must have private, secret things that must be kept from prying eyes. My lord Zhu Yang can help with this."

The broker gives the rooks a brief inspection and thinks for a while.
"Zhu Yang... another pirate. I have heard no mention of him in recent times, which lead me to believe... well, not that I wish to imply you are being less than truthful, but your claim is a bold one. This vault, how is such a thing even possible? Would your liege give me the vault in its entirety, or would I have to share it with him or others?"