Odys the Hermit was immediately interested when he heard about the Pirate Conference. "Who's organizing it? How are they going about it?"
"Black Hand Alva is handling the preparations," Cattleya the High Priestess said. "They say he secretly serves Nast, the King of the Five Seas.
"Alva initiates most Pirate Conferences. He invites three to five Pirate Admirals and a dozen or so Great Pirates.
"Only after the venue is settled does he release the news and draw in more pirates."
Audrey the Justice asked, "Miss Priestess, don't the Pirate Kings attend these gatherings?"
Cattleya replied, "Pirate Kings rarely reveal where they are, much less attend a gathering whose location has been announced in advance."
Doing so could attract Demi-Gods from the official Beyonders, putting everyone in danger, including themselves.
After a pause, Cattleya added, "But they'll certainly send pirate crews loyal to them. The King of the Five Seas, for instance, will send Alva."
Odys considered this. "I'd like to attend this Pirate Conference too. Do you think I could get an invitation?"
"You could approach Black Hand Alva yourself," Cattleya said. "With your current strength, which rivals a Pirate Admiral's, I'm sure he'd be happy to invite you."
"Where can I find him?" Odys asked.
Cattleya smiled. "That, I don't know."
Odys nodded. He decided to see whether anyone had news of Alva at the next Intelligence Exchange.
The discussion moved on to a few other topics before Klein declared the Tarot Club meeting over.
Odys returned to the Real World. As usual, he sat in a daze for a while, then sacrificed the Beyonder Weapon he had prepared for Little Sun to Mr. Fool.
A dozen minutes later, the Fool told him to perform the Bestowment Ritual. Soon, he received 2,700 pounds in cash and twelve