Society of Hours

Arena's words left Edmond Tide in silence.

The Beyonder sequence of the Darkness pathway, also known as the Swordsman sequence, is primarily held by the old nobility of the Old Continent.

Within the Church of Night, there is a unit centered around swordsmen known as the "Ghosts Under the Moonlit Night," active across the Grand Route and the New Continent.

After carefully considering the materials related to the night for some time, he suddenly spoke: "I have some leads."

"In the Mist Sea beyond the Grand Route, there is a Moonlight Island, and I possess the specific navigational route to it."

"If you have a need for it, I can trade this route to you."

A route beyond the Grand Route—it seems this Mr. Red Grail is a pirate who explores the Mist Sea.

A pirate capable of setting foot in the Mist Sea cannot have a low Beyonder sequence; it is highly probable he is Sequence 8 or Sequence 7.

"May I ask, Mr. Red Grail, what do you wish to trade for?"

With the Moonlight Island in the Mist Sea, after intercepting the Bone of the Moon Hand, Arena is confident she can make significant progress in the Darkness pathway.

Following Arthur's advice, she is preparing to shift her focus from cultivating personal influence to elevating her individual sequence.

Given the current state of the Stuart Family, if she can reach Sequence 7, she will be able to establish a preliminary foothold in the decision-making process!

If she can reach Sequence 6, the entire family will have to listen to her opinions seriously, which is perfect for Arena, who lacks support from her maternal family.

Edmond Tide looked at the [Research] in the center of the table; after deciphering the Mermaid Book, he must trace the source of his bloodline.

He will inevitably have to venture deep into the Mist Sea, open new routes, and explore the depths of the ocean.

Gold coins are of little use to him; instead, he requires large amounts of fresh water, rum, and enough... Sun Stone.

"If possible, I need a large quantity of Sun Stone, or Beyonder items capable of piercing through the mist.

If you have suitable contraband, I can accept that as well. If the values don't match, I can trade with gold coins or other materials."

Sun Stone, a special stone produced by the Church of Light, is capable of dispersing the mist of the Mist Sea within a small radius.

Its most crucial function is to allow the sextant to operate normally, enabling one to determine their current location.

Without Sun Stone, a sextant under the interference of the mist would lead a ship into the unknown.

Arena frowned; the Stuart Family is close to the Church of Night, but the Tudor Dynasty is one of the headquarters of the Church of Light.

Their family is viewed with hostility by the Church of Light, making it even harder for her to obtain the mist-dispersing Sun Stone than it is for an ordinary pirate.

"I will find the corresponding Beyonder item to trade with you; let us tentatively set the time for the next gathering."

"No problem, I will bring the route to Moonlight Island."

The two reached a preliminary agreement, their gazes falling on the table in front of Mr. Mansus.

When is the next gathering?

Arthur tapped the table lightly and said: "The next gathering will be in one week."

Today is October 8th, Sunday.

The Sunday one week from now is October 15th.

Waiting quietly, neither side exchanged further words; the meeting had reached its conclusion.

Arthur announced the end of the meeting.

Mist shrouded the long table, Arena and Edmond were kicked out, and Arthur lingered for a moment before leaving as well.

The Piranha.

Edmond Tide crawled up from the floor, gasping violently; the backlash of his bloodline had subsided.

Various signs from his body indicated that this was not a dream, but a real journey.

Mr. Mansus, Miss Moth, and the Society of Hours—a mysterious gathering.

He stroked the Mermaid Book and muttered: "The ancient Mermaid Book, recording the mysteries of the mermaid race from an ancient era."

"In the endless ocean shrouded by mist, where are the scales of the mermaids buried~"

Edmond put away the Mermaid Book, walked from the captain's cabin to the deck, and leaned against the ship's rail to gaze into the distance.

"Ah~~ ah~"

A melodious song echoed across the sea, the waves rising and falling in rhythm with the melody.

Inside the cabin of the Piranha, Scarface let out a yawn and suddenly stumbled, nearly falling over.

A sailor rolled out of his hammock, hitting the hardwood floor with a loud thud, and stood up in pain, cursing: "Damn weather!"

"The Captain's power has advanced again; he can influence the surrounding ocean."

Hearing Scarface's words, the sailor quickly changed his tune: "The Captain is too powerful! It seems we aren't far from dominating the Mist Sea!"

"Hahahaha!"

The atmosphere on the Piranha was uncharacteristically harmonious.

Blue Bay Island.

Arthur had a good night's sleep; the morning sunlight paired with a fragrant, soft bread roll set the mood for a great day.

He recalled the Society of Hours meeting from last night.

The newcomer, Mr. Red Grail, was clearly a great pirate sailing the Mist Sea, currently charting new routes.

That painful wailing had originated from within Mr. Red Grail's own body, a side effect of his bloodline.

A special bloodline acting upon his body, causing him such agony; it seems related to some kind of fish.

He recalled the legends he had heard of mysterious races on the high seas: merfolk, sirens, krakens, snake-men...

Judging solely by the scales, he couldn't determine what the bloodline was.

Since Mr. Red Grail happens to be deciphering ancient texts, it must be related to his bloodline.

There wasn't much to worry about regarding Arena; she was currently busy digesting the Bone of the Moon Hand while dealing with pressure from her family.

The only thing that required his attention was the Scholar Potion.

The price, reaching as high as ten thousand gold coins, made him, a pirate captain, shrink back—how much wealth would he have to plunder to afford it?

"Captain!"

Kaia's voice drifted up from the deck. Arthur walked out to see his smug grin, along with the beaming faces of the pirates.

"How many gold coins did you sell it for?"

"Heh! Captain! We ran into a greenhorn, looked like... a merchant from Gaul.

Though, he didn't look much like a merchant; he looked more like a well-bred noble.

We sold our cargo for a full 200 gold coins!"

200 gold coins—a tidy sum. As captain, he would take a 20% cut, netting him 40 gold coins.

Arthur's mouth twitched slightly; it was still far too short of the 10,000 gold coins he needed.

"Hey! Captain, you don't look too happy. Who made you angry? I'll take the boys and go hack him to pieces!"

"Yeah, we'll hack him up to vent the Captain's frustration!"

"Go on and enjoy yourselves. Kaia and Thorn, you two are responsible for recruiting new pirates."

"Yes!"

Arthur took the money bag from Kaia, counted the 200 gold coins, and distributed them according to the head count.

The remaining 140 gold coins consisted of his own 40-coin share, while the other 100 belonged to the Great White Shark, kept in the captain's custody.

Suddenly!

A sense of irritation surfaced in Arthur's mind, as if someone were watching him with malice, standing behind him with a dagger, waiting for the right moment to strike.

He spun around to survey his surroundings, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

It seems I'm just too tense. My nerves have been frayed for too long; I need to treat myself to something nice.

Arthur's gaze locked onto the center of Blue Bay Island, the den of iniquity for the great pirates of the near seas—the Blue Bay Private Tavern.