223
"Are you the one who wants to go to sea?"
Alger looked at the tall man before him, cooking in an apron with his sleeves rolled up, and could not help frowning. He could not detect the slightest scholarly air about the man, and that plain, frugal attire hardly suggested someone who could afford a hefty payment of over five hundred pounds.
Richard brushed a fallen lock of hair aside and pushed up his glasses, answering warmly, "Yes, that's me."
"I'm going to sea to conduct some research and surveys, and I need help from an experienced team familiar with the various seas. Payment is negotiable. Are you the pirate captain from the tavern who's taking the lead in this arrangement?"
An experienced team... Alger found the term somewhat amusing. As a Seafarer who had fully digested his potion, he certainly qualified. Although his commission at the Tarot Club to find a Sequence 6 potion had yet to yield any news, it would undoubtedly cost a considerable sum once found.
No, money was needed in every respect, at all times, for everything. This commission would be just the thing to fill the time before the new year and keep his sailors fooled. Alger did not want to chase outstanding results, nor did he want to trail at the bottom. His goal was to maintain an upper-middle performance, proceed gradually within the Church, and advance without drawing anyone's attention.
So he asked, "Where's your destination?"
Richard put down his spatula and handed the not-quite-cooked egg fried rice to another cook beside him, then answered Alger seriously. "This is a survey mission. My mentor has asked me to conduct an investigation at sea. My plan is to depart from Dilinus Harbor in the Rorsted Archipelago and sail west, passing through the