Odys presided over the division of the spoils. "You can choose whether to exchange your contributions for items I've prepared, or for items we captured.
"Noi, do you have the Sequence 8 potion formula? Good. Your contribution in this battle is enough to exchange for half of the main ingredients for a Clown potion."
Noi froze for a moment. He hadn't expected to find a chance at advancement so soon after putting to sea.
"And you, Boatswain Salina, have earned half of the main ingredients for a Folk of Rage potion," Odys said. "You can both apply to advance now and make up the contributions needed for the other half later."
He had already arranged to trade with "The World" that night. He would have the characteristic Noi needed to advance by tomorrow at the latest.
Salina threw her arms wide. "Captain, you're incredible!"
She had been at sea for three years, but though she had obtained the potion formula for her advancement, she had never managed to buy the main ingredients.
The chief reason was that characteristics and main ingredients from the Sailor Pathway were in high demand at sea. Most of the time, money alone couldn't buy them.
Besides, 600 pounds was a fortune to a Sequence 9. A Folk of Rage characteristic generally sold for seven or eight hundred pounds, sometimes even as much as nine hundred!
Odys smiled faintly at Salina's extravagant praise, then turned to Boris. "Your reward is official membership in the Argo's crew. You can now accumulate contributions to exchange for the characteristic you need."
Boris exhaled, fighting back the urge to make a sarcastic remark. "It's an honor, Captain."
"Cleveland, do you have the potion formula?" Odys asked next.
The quiet, unobtrusive combat leader answered, "I do."
Only recently had he saved