Mr. Hanged Man

Since Amyrius insisted on this, Kronos could say nothing more and could only get to the main topic of the day.

"General Amyrius, it's like this, the main reason I've come to visit you today is to inquire about a Message."

Amyrius could sense the obvious unfamiliarity in Kronos's words, but he didn't care at all.

Tell me, what Message do you want?

Kronos said, "I'd like to ask the military if they have Message ' Admiral of Stars ' Cattleya?"

Amyrius asked curiously, "Has your family still not obtained a Demigod- level Potion Formula?"

Kronos was speechless. Working with someone so familiar with his family's situation meant there were no secrets left.

Seeing that Kronos showed no intention of answering, Amyrius continued, "You managed to get your hands on Potion Formula that even we need, but you don't have Sequence 4?"

Kronos could only say helplessly, "I have Sequence 3 Potion Formula, I've given it to you, but can you give me the Potion Formula I need?"

"Haha, that's true. Potion Formula are something you can only come across by chance."

Seeing that Kronos had emerged from his composed state, Amyrius said one last thing, "Boy, I'll teach you one last thing."

"If you ever come across someone you like in the future, you can help them out, but if there's a conflict of interest or a collaboration, you'd better detach yourself from these emotions and not let them affect your judgment."

Kronos understood what Amyrius meant by those words.

He had previously admired Kronos and was willing to help him, but that doesn't mean that his admiration would cloud his judgment when they were working together.

After hearing Amyrius's words, Kronos quickly stood up, bowed to Amyrius, and thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, General."

Amyrius nodded and gestured for Kronos to sit down.

"Actually, I'm also very interested in intelligence about these Pirate General. You know, our main task for the Sonia Fleet lately has been to eliminate these Pirate."

"I know that Pirate can't really be wiped out, so my strategy has always been to target the big Pirate to deter the smaller Pirate."

"None of the four Pirate King at sea are easy to mess with, so I never intended to provoke them. Therefore, the Pirate General became my primary target."

"After the last attack on the Vice Admiral Iron Blood, the Pirate at sea were indeed quiet for quite some time, but now they are slowly becoming active again."

"So whenever we have intelligence about these Pirate General, we send troops immediately; you don't even need to ask us."

Kronos said, "So after all you've said, you're basically saying you don't have any information about her? Is that what you mean?"

Amyrius shrugged. "Your comprehension is pretty good."

Kronos curled his lip. "Not even a few scattered, fragmented Message?"

Amyrius thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps you could inquire with the Church of Storms. They have many people hidden among the Pirate and possess excellent Message sources. The navy has indeed fallen short in this regard."

Kronos was aware of this as well. Many members of the Church of Storms were assigned to be Pirate, essentially as undercover agents. However, the Church of Storms didn't seem to be that hostile to Pirate, so even though it was an open secret, few people would take precautions against it.

Kronos understood this perfectly well, but he really didn't have any connections within the Church of Storms. He couldn't find anyone he knew, let alone in Bayam, or even in Backlund.

Seeing Kronos's conflicted state, Amyrius reminded him, "You seem to have forgotten that the Negan and the Church of Storms are close friends."

How could they not be close friends? The Augustus Family firmly opposed the Church's influence in politics and the military. The Church could only influence the powerful nobles by befriending them. The Negan was the most powerful noble family in Loen and a noble family that completely believed in the Lord of Storms.

George Negan is the Governor of the Rorsted Archipelago. As long as Kronos comes to him, given the Negan's relationship with the Church of Storms, they will definitely be able to get the intelligence smoothly.

But Kronos hesitated.

He didn't want to repeat the mistake of last time, where he went out and made himself known to everyone, rendering his disguise useless.

Moreover, Kronos doesn't quite trust this George Negan.

Needless to Philip, even Duke Negan was someone Kronos trusted to some extent.

However, Kronos had almost no dealings with George Negan, so Kronos didn't want to come to him unless absolutely necessary.

Amyrius was quite aware of Kronos's ulterior motives, so he didn't try to persuade him further, but instead started talking to him about Backlund.

After chatting for a while, Kronos realized he wouldn't get the information he wanted from there, so he took his leave.

Back at Sharf's Home, to everyone's surprise, Sharf was resting in the living room.

"That's strange, why aren't you examining my Death God Mask?"

Sharf didn't move his body, only his mouth moved a few times. "Your Death God Mask has entered the transformation stage. I'll study it after it's fully formed."

Initially, Gregrace's blood only partially fused with the Death God Mask, so there were no changes.

But now, with Sharf's help, that drop of blood has completely merged into the Death God Mask. All that's left is for it to slowly transform and take shape; otherwise, it would just be an ordinary Mask that can change one's face.

Kronos sat down next to Sharf and asked, "You said you have a few people who can help you gather Message. Are they reliable?"

Sharf opened his eyes, glanced at Kronos, and said, "What? Your own methods aren't working anymore?"

Kronos didn't hide anything and nodded, saying, "Indeed, we didn't get any Message. The navy doesn't have many people among the Pirate anymore, so their Message isn't very good."

Sharf asked curiously, "Tell me first what you want to do with the Admiral of Stars? I'll see if I can help you make the contact."

Sharf and Kronos did have a good relationship, but some favors couldn't be done casually, which is why he asked Kronos about his purpose.

If Kronos's goal is to harm the Admiral of Stars, then Sharf will have to consider the extent to which he should help, mainly to avoid getting himself into trouble.

Kronos chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I have no conflict with her. I just want to make a deal with her."

Although Kronos said that, Sharf still cautiously asked, "If the deal doesn't go through, will you choose to take action?"

Kronos thought for a moment, then nodded. "Probably, but my sincerity in this deal is unwavering, and it will only benefit her, not her."

Sharf was a shrewd man; with a quick glance, he figured out that what Kronos wanted to trade was the Potion Formula. And only something like a recipe would leave him with no loss, even if the trade was successful.

As long as Kronos offers a reasonable price, Cattleya has no reason to refuse such a deal.

Given this, the cautious Sharf finally agreed to help Kronos try to make contact.

The next day at noon, Sharf took Kronos to a Coffee Shop.

The person he had arranged to meet arrived quickly and sat down next to him.

Kronos glanced over and saw a middle-aged man who was not very well-groomed, but had a rather fierce demeanor.

At sea, such a person is highly likely to be a Pirate.

This was one of Sharf's channels for gathering Message from the outside world; he was a liaison for a Pirate Ship.

Sharf whispered to him, "I want to see your Captain; I have important matters to discuss."

The liaison officer nodded slightly and said, "The Captain seems to be quite available lately. Tomorrow is fine. Let's meet here again."

After Sharf agreed, the liaison officer said nothing more and left directly.

"Is that Captain you're talking about very strong? What's his Pathway? What's his Sequence?" Kronos asked these questions for safety reasons.

Sharf patted Kronos on the shoulder and said, "Don't be so nervous. In the Sonia Sea, there's a ship that dares to call itself Captain. That Captain is just a Sequence 8 Sailor Pathway, a piece of cake for you."

"You should have confidence in your abilities. Sequence 5 is definitely high-level combat power among Pirate. If you were to become Pirate, you could directly call yourself Pirate General."

There's really nothing to worry about if it's Sequence 8. They haven't even advanced to the Mid-Sequence, so even if they're an Beyonder, they don't have many Beyonder Ability.

Since Sharf had said so, Kronos did not press the matter further.

The next day, the two returned to the coffee shop, but this time they were the ones who came later.

After entering the café, Sharf led Kronos to a person sitting by the window.

This person has striking features, a rugged profile, bronze skin, and unusual dark blue hair, giving the impression of being a mixed-race individual with Elf Blood blood.

Kronos didn't pay any attention and sat down with Sharf.

"Sharf, tell me, what do you want with me?" the Captain spoke first.

"Alger, I'd like you to help my friend contact the Admiral of Stars. Do you know if you have any connections?"

Alger Sharf's words startled Kronos.

No wonder his face looked somewhat familiar; it turns out to be Mr. "The Hanged Man".

In the original story, Sharf was introduced to Alger, so it's perfectly normal for the two of them to know each other now.

Alger was originally an intelligence agent sent by the Church of Storms to infiltrate the Pirate, so he was more likely than others to obtain information about Cattleya, making him a good choice.

Alger glanced at Kronos and then asked, "What business do you have with the Admiral of Stars?"

The goal is the same as Sharf's; one can't afford to offend Admiral of Stars just to earn a referral fee.

Before Kronos could speak, Sharf said, "It's something important. I've confirmed it, so don't ask any more questions."

Alger glanced at Sharf, then at Kronos, and finally said, "In that case, I can't help you make the contact."

As soon as he said this, Kronos got a little anxious. He couldn't let the path he had worked so hard to obtain go to waste.

But then Alger continued, "I can't be sure if you're safe, so I certainly can't take the risk. But I can help you find out the general location of the Admiral of Stars. I'm only providing you with Message that I can't guarantee is accurate. If you're willing, then it's a deal."

"How do you need me to prove I'm safe?" Kronos naturally preferred that Alger could send a message directly to the Admiral of Stars, as that would be more convenient.

Sharf nudged Kronos beside him and said, "Don't listen to his bragging. He's just a Sequence 8; how could he possibly be qualified to talk to Admiral of Stars? He can only help you gather Message; the rest is just boasting."

Upon hearing Sharf's words, Kronos turned to look at Alger and noticed a hint of embarrassment on Alger's face.

It seems that what Sharf said was true. Alger didn't have the ability to contact Cattleya directly, so he could only help inquire about Message.

Since that's the case, Kronos has no choice but to accept it.

"Captain Alger, I'll have to trouble you to do your research for me. How much should I pay you?"

Alger looked at Kronos and then asked, "I have two questions for you. If you answer them, the payment will be deducted. Is that alright?"

Kronos said, "Then you must first tell me what you want to ask, and then I will decide whether it is possible."

Alger shrugged. "It's nothing important. I just want to know if you're ' Starship Ranger ' Klein, and I also want to know your Sequence."

Kronos hadn't expected Alger to guess his identity so quickly, but it was just two minor issues, and there was no need to hide them.

"How did you guess it was me?" Kronos asked curiously.

Alger said, "Although no one knows exactly what you look like, the news of what happened at the Harbor a few days ago has already spread throughout Bayam."

"Based on their descriptions, I've roughly determined that the person you took away resembles Sharf. Then Sharf brought a stranger to find me, which is too much of a coincidence, so naturally I'd suspect you."

Alger was indeed very perceptive; he guessed it from such a small matter.

Kronos said, "That's right, it was me. I only Sharf as a friend in Bayam, so naturally I had him pick me up. As for my Sequence, it's not a big secret. I'm Sequence 5."

Ever since the name Starship Ranger came into being, countless people have been speculating about Klein's strength.

At first, some people thought he was just faking it, that he lacked the ability and was just showing off, and that he would die at sea. But since he appeared in Olavi, such comments have decreased significantly.

For the general public, if you don't have the strength of Mid-Sequence, going to sea alone is tantamount to suicide. So basically everyone is speculating whether Klein's strength is Sequence 7, Sequence 6, or even stronger Sequence 5.

Today, Alger received his answer— Sequence 5, this Starship Ranger is a big shot in the same Sequence as the Pirate General.