"Do you have the materials on your ship right now?" Morien's smiling voice continued to echo in Alger's mind.
"Yes." This time, Alger nodded with complete certainty.
They were not particularly rare materials. The previous captain had collected them.
"I thought so." Morien nodded with a smile.
These were Potion ingredients for a Mystery Pryer. In theory, they should be very suitable as materials for ritual magic.
So it was perfectly normal for a ghost ship to keep some on hand.
"How much is this little bit of extra gold pounds you mentioned?"
"Fifteen hundred pounds. That's a fair price." Morien held up one finger.
Alger nodded, feeling that there was nothing wrong with it.
Indeed, it was quite a fair price.
Including the materials Morien wanted, the total came to around two thousand pounds.
Generally speaking, a Sequence 6 formula fell within the range of fifteen hundred to eighteen hundred pounds. An occasional premium was perfectly normal.
Not to mention that this was a rip-off.
Charging only two or three hundred extra pounds for a rip-off, while also throwing in a Mystery Pryer formula, did not make Alger feel like he was getting the short end of the stick.
"Alright, then go discuss it first," Morien said.
Having reached a preliminary agreement, Alger led the other crew members away from the Clover.
Not even a few minutes later, Alger and the others reached a conclusion.
They agreed to the exchange.
Like the vast majority of pirate crews, more than half the Beyonders aboard the Blue Avenger followed the Sailor Pathway.
Obtaining the Sequence 7 formula would benefit all of them.
However, after receiving the formula, they would need to authenticate it.
A few minutes later, Alger was once again sent to face the Clover.
"We agree to your deal, but we need to authenticate it," Alger said.
"No problem." Morien nodded. "But I don't have the ability to authenticate it."
"You don't need to worry about that," Alger replied. "We do."
After sailing the seas for so many years, if they did not have authentication-type Sealed Artifacts, they would not even be able to tell the good loot from the bad when robbing people as pirates.
Alger held a bundled cloth bag in his hand.
"We'll give you the materials, and you'll give us the formula."
"After authentication, we'll pay the rest of the money."
The price he had reported to the crew was five hundred pounds. He would pay the remaining thousand out of his own pocket.
"Alright." Morien smiled and tapped a finger against his head. "I'll tell you the Potion formula now."
"Remember it. Main ingredients: six crystalline feathers from a Blue Shadow Falcon, and one pair of Dragon-Eyed Sea Eagle eyeballs."
"Supplementary ingredients: 500 milliliters of high-purity liquor, one Blue Shadow bone, two Dragon-Eyed Sea Eagle feathers, 30 milliliters of rainwater that has not touched the ground, and a wisp of wind from when the sun has illuminated the horizon but has yet to appear."
Alger nodded and, without changing expression, turned his head to speak to another crew member beside him holding paper and pen.
"Write this down. Main ingredients: a Black-Scaled Shark pituitary gland, and one Berserk White Porpoise heart."
"Supplementary ingredients: 500 milliliters of liquor, one Black-Scaled Shark fin, 100 milliliters of Berserk White Porpoise blood, one Blue Star Coral branch, and one crystal."
The crew member took the paper recording the formula away for authentication, while Alger extended his right hand holding the cloth bag toward Morien.
"You can inspect it as well."
The ghost ship beneath him began moving sideways toward the Clover in a manner that completely defied the laws of physics.
The distance between the two sides grew closer and closer, until Morien could reach him.
"Thank you."
Morien reached out, took the bag, opened it, and gave it a glance before checking its contents.
Good. Everything he wanted was inside.
And the weight was off.
At the very bottom of the cloth bag was a small inner pocket, concealing Alger's thousand pounds.
They were all twenty-pound gold notes, fifty in total.
The two exchanged a look, understanding each other without a word.
At that moment, the crew member who had gone to authenticate the formula returned.
He held a bulging wallet containing twenty-five twenty-pound notes.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you. I hope we'll have another opportunity like this next time." Alger extended his hand and shook Morien's.
"Likewise." Morien smiled and shook Alger's hand.
"I hope you have your own way of authenticating things," Alger said. "After all, there are quite a few swindlers at sea."
"It's fine. I trust you," Morien replied with a smile. "I believe you wouldn't deceive me, Mr. Hanged Man."
After saying that, he withdrew his hand, took the wallet in passing, nodded to the crew member, then turned and left, walking into the Clover's cabin.
Alger was left standing there alone, his posture somewhat stiff as he slowly withdrew his own hand.
Inside a room aboard the Clover.
It was a single room, containing only a bed, a wardrobe, and a table.
But it was spacious enough.
The captain had specially prepared it for him.
After returning to the cabin, Tris not only did not spread rumors about Morien, but lavishly praised him instead.
When the Sea Monster had appeared, everyone had hidden. No one had seen the entire process of Tris killing all the thugs.
People only knew that after the Sea Monster vanished and the thugs were all dead, Tris and Morien returned to the cabin one after another.
Under Tris's account, everyone believed that Morien had dealt with the Sea Monster while Tris had dealt with the thugs.
That was indeed the truth.
But how the Sea Monster had appeared, and how the thugs had appeared...
That was not important.
Morien stood before the table, where several items had been laid out.
Besides the Potion ingredients, there were test tubes, a balance, beakers, and other items he had borrowed.
Following the proper order, Morien placed the ingredients into the beaker one by one.
When he reached the final ingredient, he picked up a sheet of paper covered in writing from the table.
This was the paper from the Record of Others' Secrets.
Morien pinched the paper between two fingers, smiled as he flicked it, and tossed it into the beaker.
The paper became soaked and slowly sank into the water.
Very soon, several passages of text slowly surfaced in the liquid.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era is a pauper. The mysterious ruler Above the Gray Fog is a virgin. The King of Yellow and Black, who governs good fortune, will lose thirty pounds gambling in the future. The above three descriptions refer to the same person."
The text quickly dissolved into the cup.
The Potion preparation proceeded smoothly. Soon, a cup of Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer Potion took shape.
It was a cup of gradient-colored liquid, its color growing deeper and more obscure toward the center.
It was basically identical to the descriptions Morien had seen in his previous life.
Morien had never told Alger what the finished Potion would look like. Since it matched, that meant there was no problem with the Potion.
Morien picked up the cup with interest and studied it for a moment.
He did not have the ability to authenticate it, but fortunately, knowledge was power.
After confirming there was no problem, he shifted the mask on his face to one side, revealing his mouth.
He brought the cup to his lips, tipped back his head, and drank the Potion.
A cool, slick sensation swiftly filled his mouth, then slid down his esophagus and into his stomach.