" Justice " Audrey was quite interested in the pirate general's affairs and asked in response:
"What's his name? What's his current title? There's no news like that circulating in Backlund."
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," nodded slowly.
"She's a woman, a former famous pirate, ' Disease Maiden ' Tracy, you've probably heard of her, right?"
"No, I don't know much about that." Audrey shook her head honestly.
"Me too..." Klein, the " The Fool " sitting at the very top, echoed in his mind.
Alger paused for two seconds, wasted no time explaining, and said directly:
"In short, she subdued Qilangos's fleet last month, proving with her actions that she possessed the strength of a pirate general. She renamed Qilangos's ship the ' Black Death ' and proclaimed herself ' Vice Admiral Ailment '."
"She used to be a loner, skilled in using curses, black fire, and frost. Those who opposed her would always suddenly fall ill with all sorts of diseases. No one knows which pathway she belongs to, but everyone is certain that she is at Sequence 5."
" Justice," Audrey listened with rapt attention, blinked, and asked curiously:
"Mr. ' The Hanged Man,' could you provide more details about the four pirate kings and the other six pirate generals? I've only heard of their names and nicknames; I don't know what extraordinary abilities they possess."
Alger looked around and saw that both " the Sun " and "the World" were listening attentively, so he nodded slightly and said:
"No problem."
"The most powerful pirate king is Nast, the ' King of the Five Seas.' He claims to be a descendant of the Solomon Empire of the Fourth Era. Not only is he High-Sequence powerhouse, but he also possesses the terrifying ghost ship ' Black Emperor,' a remnant of the empire. He excels at manipulating order, drawing enemies into his most familiar territory to fight and creating all sorts of unbelievable effects..."
"He is also the oldest pirate, said to have been active in the Five Seas more than a hundred years ago, in the Roselle era. No one knows his exact age."
"Of course, compared to another king of pirates, there is much more information about him. As for the owner of the ' Dawn,' we only know that she is a beautiful woman who was once Wizard and has now entered the realm of Demigod and humans. Her title is ' Mystery Queen.'"
After introducing the " Four Kings," Alger the Hanged Man turned the conversation to the remaining six pirate generals:
"The owner of the ' Black Tulip, ' Ludwell, was once a subordinate of the ' King of the Five Seas,' but later broke away and called himself the ' Admiral of Hell.' Rumors suggest he has established some connection with the Spirituality Religion. He is a powerful Spirit Channeling who can command various Spirit World creatures, making him both terrifying and eerie. He is also said to possess an ancient ring left behind by the Death."
" Admiral of Stars Cattleya once followed the Mystery Queen, but the two nearly broke off relations a long time ago. The reason for this, according to rumors at sea, is that she joined a Concealment organization, which angered the Mystery Queen. And according to the information I have received, this Concealment organization is the Moss Ascetic Order."
The Moss Ascetic Order... the " Mystery Pryer " pathway... the Hidden Sage... Klein suddenly thought of Old Neil's loss of control, and of the evil god who whispered seductive words in the ears of Low-Sequence Beyonder on the same pathway.
This was the first time he had learned about the Moss Ascetic Order in real life, rather than from books!
Next, Alger, the " The Hanged Man," introduced the seemingly Evil Spirit, " Admiral of Blood " Senor, " Vice Admiral Deep Sea " Hal Constantine, who possesses some sea monster blood, " Vice Admiral Iceberg " Edwina Edwards, and " Vice Admiral Twilight " Brattov Ivan.
"Thank you so much for sharing. I'm starting to long for the sea now," Audrey said Justice. "I wonder when I'll finally be able to Travel."
"No, Miss ' Justice,' it's definitely not as wonderful as you imagine. In my opinion, it's a combination of bloodshed, chaos, killing, desire, and fear," Alger calmly poured cold water on the idea.
Audrey nodded, then said:
"A series of 11 murders recently occurred in Backlund, but one of them has been confirmed as a copycat crime. The serial killer targeted women who had previously worked as prostitutes but now had legitimate jobs. The killer would cut open their abdomens and remove all their internal organs."
"This sounds like something related to Devil worship. Was it done by the Blood Worship Cult? The Hanged Man?" Alger guessed instantly.
"I don't know, the culprit hasn't been found yet." Audrey wished she could transform into Detective, take Susie with her, and catch that despicable guy.
Just then, " The Sun " Derrick blurted out:
"I know about this ritual."
He knew? Of course, before the Cataclysm, especially during the Second Age, Devil were active in the real world, on the ground, and were hated by both Giant and Dragon. It's normal for the City of Silver to have corresponding records... Their history was neither hidden nor Tampering, nor was there any gap in its continuity... Klein looked thoughtfully at the " The Sun," waiting for him to say more.
"You know Justice?" Audrey asked excitedly.
Derrick nodded:
"Our ' Devil ' textbook mentions that it's quite ancient, a ritual used by Devil to aid their ascension, often occurring from Sequence 6 to Sequence 5."
"Not a ritual to please the Devil, but a ritual the Devil uses to aid its own ascension?" Audrey asked, quite surprised.
Derrick answered very seriously:
"Yes, Sequence 6 of the ' Abyss ' pathway is called ' Devil,' which is also the origin of their race's name."
The " Abyss " pathway? Before the Cataclysm, the " Devil " pathway was called the " Abyss " pathway. " Devil " was just the name of Sequence 6... Could it be... Sequence 0, Abyss? Klein has rediscovered the value of " The Sun " once again.
Much of the knowledge and secrets that have vanished into the annals of history still remain in City of Silver!
"I see..." Audrey nodded almost imperceptibly. "' The Sun ' Mr., are you familiar with the specifics of this ceremony?"
Derrick nodded and said:
"The minimum number is 13 people, and the maximum is 49. The more complete the ceremony, the better the chances of promotion."
"There must be at least a three-day interval between the two murders, otherwise it could easily get out of control, but the interval cannot exceed nine days, otherwise the ritual will be reset."
"After each murder, after each part of the ritual, the Devil will devour the victim's internal organs. From that moment on, he will remain in a state of violent bloodlust, wanting to harm others, until that desire is satisfied once again."
"How horrible..." Audrey exclaimed sincerely, feeling that she couldn't even bear to imagine it.
Klein sat in the thick Gray Fog, listening silently and taking it all in.
After discussing the serial murder case, " Justice " Audrey looked at Alger, organized her thoughts, and said:
"Mr. ' The Hanged Man,' there's something I've always wondered about."
"I've attended several gatherings of Beyonder and noticed that very few people sell Potion recipes, and even if they do, it's difficult to close a deal. Why is that?"
" The Hanged Man," Alger chuckled softly.
"Because Potion recipes are easy to counterfeit, and gatherings of Beyonder are relatively secretive and lack strong oversight, no one dares to risk their life. Do you really think you can prepare two sets of extraordinary ingredients and experiment on animals first? That's far too high a price to pay."
"..." Audrey suddenly felt a little guilty.
"Moreover, the additional costs don't stop there. Animals are more likely to go out of control after taking the Potion than humans, so you have to hire several Beyonder to protect them from dying in the experiments. Therefore, most Beyonder wouldn't dare to buy it even if the formula appeared," Alger added.
"..." Audrey felt even more guilty.
Alger " The Hanged Man," didn't notice her reaction and continued:
"That's why, unless the host of the gathering or a member has the ability to distinguish genuine Potion recipes from fakes, and has already earned the trust of most of the members, it's very difficult to trade recipes."
"Hmm, the old man with the ' Eye of Wisdom ' could do it... Mr. A is Shepherd, so he should be able to too..." Klein leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself silently.
" Justice," Audrey thought for a moment and casually asked:
"Can't this be accomplished by making a vow?"
"My esteemed lady, this is an underground gathering, a pledge made in the name of seven orthodox deities. Do you think that's appropriate? This isn't something that can be resolved with a simple oath; there must be a corresponding ritual. The Hanged Man," Alger chuckled, "As for the ' Hidden Sage,' the ' True Creator,' and other evil gods, Devil, and Hidden Existence, who among those who aren't their followers would dare to swear an oath in their name? Do they want to die even faster than they already do?"
At this point, he suddenly sighed:
"Furthermore, without understanding the ' Acting Method,' Potion can easily cause loss of control, turning people into Monster. The necessary materials are also difficult to obtain and quite expensive. Therefore, as long as the seven major churches do not allow such transactions to be officially certified, Potion recipes can be prevented from spreading widely, let alone becoming popular, without any deliberate control."
"So that's how it is..." Audrey murmured to herself, finally resolving a major doubt in her mind.
No wonder... Klein suddenly realized.
"Seven orthodox gods?" Derrick the Sun really wanted to ask who the seven were, but ultimately he cautiously held back.
He considered it for a moment and said:
" City of Silver recently organized an exploration into the depths of darkness, discovering a partially destroyed temple. Inside, the statue is of a naked man nailed upside down to a cross, his body smeared with blood."
Do you know which deity this is?
This is... the " True Creator "! There is actually a temple of the " True Creator " in the Forsaken Land of the Gods! Moreover, judging from the meaning of " The Sun ", there should not have been a " True Creator " before the Cataclysm, otherwise, City of Silver would not have failed to recognize it! Klein used the " Clown " ability to control his expression and not let his astonishment show.
" Justice " Audrey, " The Hanged Man," and "The World" exchanged glances and then shook their heads, saying:
"We don't know."
They had barely finished speaking when they heard the " The Fool " from the Gray Fog speak in a low voice:
"This is a ' Fallen Creator '."