Ship

Klein froze for a moment. The evil god incident involving Lanevus did make him want to say something, but Neph's choice of words gave him an inexplicable sense of discomfort-what did she mean by "lines"? She made him sound like an actor on a stage.

Still, he controlled the World and made him speak. "...Whenever I see child laborers dying in droves while still in their teens..."

In a hoarse voice, he delivered that long reflection on Backlund's East Borough, making Neph want to skip the story again. She folded her arms and waited for the World to finish, then waited for Miss Justice to finish expressing her feelings as well.

Puzzled by this, Alger, the Hanged Man, gave Neph another look. Unlike himself, who knew nothing about it, Miss Pure White was definitely aware of what had happened, he concluded. Yet she had not experienced the incident herself-her demeanor was that of someone who had already watched everything play out before her, leaving her bored by what had happened.

And she really does seem to know us well... Could it be some kind of prophetic ability? The Monster pathway? She does resemble certain Beyonders of the Monster pathway... But isn't this too detailed? Can a prophecy really be this specific?

Doubts brewed in Alger's mind. Even when he handed the last remaining page of Roselle's Diary to the Fool, he still had no answer.

Once Klein finished reading the diary, little Sun was the first to raise his hand. He explained that he had saved up enough merit points to exchange for the materials, and could go obtain the True Root of the Mist Treant and its sap within the next couple of days.

Neph nodded casually, looking listless. Alger, who had been observing her for some time, spoke up then:

"A grand gathering of pirates will soon take place on the Sonia Sea. The fleets of the four Pirate Kings and six pirate admirals may all attend. Heh, that should be 'seven' pirate admirals. Someone else has joined their ranks.

"At a gathering like that, there will certainly be trading in Beyonder materials. There's a very good chance of finding evil-patterned black panther spinal fluid, which isn't particularly rare.

"I have a chance to attend this gathering."

He said no more, merely looking at Neph. After a brief moment of thought, she lifted her leg and kicked the World.

"Since you're already sitting right here," she said, turning to the World, "you can decide for yourself what to offer him in exchange."

Though I know what he'll trade for it anyway... Hmm, a Sequence 0 existence.

Klein was taken aback, but accepted it readily enough. After all, he had long since prepared for their acquaintance to be exposed. Alger, however, looked somewhat surprised-although he had already noticed the possibility that they knew each other, the fact that she was buying on someone else's behalf was unexpected.

So Alger turned to the World and added, "There should also be marrow crystals of the Elven Spring there. But what can you offer?"

What followed was a familiar conversation. Mr. World confidently offered the incomplete Unshadowed formula, but unfortunately, his overture fell on deaf ears. Alger showed no interest whatsoever, while Derrick's eyes lit up.

Neph's eyes shifted, and she mischievously interjected, "I have all the potion formulas you'll need up through Demigod."

Audrey drew a startled breath, and Derrick's eyes shone even brighter. But life in the City of Silver, with no future in sight, soon brought him back to his senses. He merely asked:

"Miss Pure White, could I buy the Sequence 7 potion formula from you next?"

"You could..." Neph spread her hands. "But what could you give me... Oh, wait, you really do have something you can trade with me. To be precise, your Chief does."

-She did not have the Druid potion formula, but the City of Silver did. And as she remembered it, Frank Lee needed to reach Sequence 5, Druid, to cultivate mushrooms that could grow in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

She smiled and told Derrick, "We can discuss it when you need it."

Derrick nodded obediently. Next came the transaction between the World and Alger. Once everything was settled, Miss Justice raised her hand again.

"I'd like to buy three materials: a pair of mirror dragon eyes, fifty milliliters of its blood, and an elder tree fruit."

She paused, then added, "There's no need to rush. My finances haven't been very comfortable lately..."

These were ingredients in the Psychiatrist potion formula. Alger nodded, while Neph seriously considered the possibility of going to Moon City to get a set herself. Derrick spoke up:

"I'll keep an eye out too. Corrupted mirror dragons aren't uncommon, and neither are elder trees. Um, the City of Silver also has Beyonder characteristics left behind by Psychoanalysts, but they'd be difficult to obtain through a trade, and it could easily arouse suspicion."

That was the final transaction. Next came the exchange of updates on their recent circumstances. Neph never shared anything during this part and sat quietly. Alger, the Hanged Man, spoke first:

"Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilingus's fleet has been taken over. A new pirate admiral has emerged."

I know. It's Vice Admiral of Ailment Tracy and her Black Death... Oh, wait.

Neph suddenly remembered something. She looked at Alger, the Hanged Man, and abruptly asked:

"Besides large gatherings like the pirate gathering, do you have any other way to contact the other pirate admirals?"

Alger was momentarily taken aback. Puzzled, he asked, "What do you want to do?"

Neph did not answer. She simply repeated her question. "So, is there a way?"

"Yes." Alger nodded. "Pirate admirals have their own contact points. Some are confidential, while others are open secrets among pirates. Admiral of Stars and Vice Admiral Iceberg, for example, have contact points available to outsiders. Sometimes people use them to commission jobs."

Neph felt reassured.

She would definitely have to leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods first. She could complete her acting as a Ghoul and Dirge Poet in Moon City, and Winter Envoy should be possible too. But the name Faded Painter gave her something of a headache. Never mind what "faded" actually meant-was she supposed to become a painter in Moon City?

But how to leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods was a major problem. Crossing it to reach the other end was only the first step. If she did not push open the doors of the Giant King's Court, she would have to find a way across that illusory sea, which would inevitably require the True Creator's protection. And beyond that, Neph seriously doubted whether the True Creator would simply leave her to fend for herself once she was out the door.

-After all, the place where she would emerge from the Forsaken Land of the Gods was that illusory sea, those ruins of a war between gods.

Without a sufficiently reliable ship and a sufficiently reliable captain, she absolutely could not get out on her own!

And as things stood, Neph was not sure whether, by the time she was ready to leave, Admiral of

Stars Cattleya would have become Miss Hermit of the Tarot Club.