" The Hermit " Cattleya controlled herself, not looking at "The World" Gehrman, and said in a deep, slow voice:
"Northeast of the Gargas Archipelago, there is a safe shipping route leading to that dangerous sea area..."
She begins her story with the Abyss fissures that divide the sea, describing the unseen chariot of the Sun, the nights that can only be escaped by slumber, the terrifying murmurs that fill the entire ocean, and the projection of the " Giant King's Court " on the opposite side of the mountain in the dream world.
Throughout this process, she didn't utter a single word about Gehrman Sparrow, deliberately avoiding mentioning him. As for other anomalies along the way, she only briefly mentioned a few, such as the sea area with lingering traces of the " Earth Mother's " aura that allowed hair to grow wildly.
In the end, she focused on the sea ruins where corpses lay dormant and the adventurer's sailboat inscribed with the words " Fountain of Youth " in blood.
"This might mean that the ' Fountain of Youth ' is inside that ruin, and the corpse that can emit such heavy breathing is the guardian. The Hermit," said Cattleya, referring to the common speculation on the " Future," but this did not equate to her own judgment.
" The Fountain of Youth "... The Fountain of Youth, one of the six great treasures of the sea... Alger, the " The Hanged Man," was intrigued and couldn't help but consider the feasibility of exploring that ruin after Sequence 5.
" Justice " Audrey listened attentively, then shook her head slightly.
"I don't think the final meaning of the blood-written words is ' Fountain of Youth ' in those ruins."
She paused for a second, then attempted to conduct a psychological analysis of the deceased:
"A person who has been attacked by Monster and is about to die will not reveal the location of treasure. If he wants to warn his companions or relatives who come looking for him, he should write about the danger or the source of the danger. If he intends to tell passing ships that there is a ' Fountain of Youth,' he lacks sufficient intrinsic motivation to write something like that on his deathbed, unless there is a conspiracy hidden within it, a conspiracy to lure people to that ruin to find the ' Fountain of Youth,' and a conspiracy that will save him."
"Yes, if it were me, I wouldn't desperately try to tell others about this treasure before I die. What's the point for me, the Moon?" Emlyn chimed in. "Only hatred, only hatred etched into my bones, could make me write something like this before I die. Otherwise, I'd rather tell others how I should be buried and what burial goods I should have!"
He clicked his tongue and shook his head at the end.
Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, Manipulation the "world," and spoke in a low, hoarse voice:
" The Fountain of Youth is a scam."
He used an absolute affirmative sentence, without adding words like "maybe," "possibly," or "should."
" The Fountain of Youth " is a scam... Cattleya glanced at "The World," then thoughtfully looked away.
This seems to confirm some of her inner suspicions and thoughts.
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," frowned as he listened. It wasn't that he disagreed with "The World's" judgment or thought that Miss " Justice " and Mr. " The Moon "'s arguments made no sense at all; rather, he realized that he hadn't considered this possibility at all!
This was Error he shouldn't have made!
... After all these years, I can still be briefly blinded by enormous profits... He paused for a few seconds, then sighed.
After exchanging their experiences, the group began teaching the little " The Sun " the Ancient Hermes and learning some knowledge about the mystical from each other.
Time flew by, and after everyone stopped talking in unison, " The Fool " Klein looked around and said:
That's enough for now.
"As you wish. Justice." Audrey immediately rose, lifted her skirt slightly in a bow, and the other members followed her almost in equal measure.
Watching the blurry figures disappear before his eyes, Klein didn't rush to leave. He conjured parchment and a round-bellied fountain pen, and wrote down a Divination statement:
"My hope for promotion to Sequence 4."
After putting down the pen, Klein picked up the parchment, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, entered Cogitation state, and silently recited Divination phrases.
After seven repetitions, he quickly fell into a deep sleep and entered the dream world.
The gray sky and earth parted, and he saw a towering, majestic mountain peak reaching into the clouds.
At the summit of the mountain, there was a dilapidated palace, its walls overgrown with weeds and moss, and riddled with obvious holes.
Inside the palace hall, at the head of the table stands a huge chair carved from stone, inlaid with dull gold and jewels, much of it mottled and damaged.
This doesn't look like a seat prepared for humans. Countless transparent maggots are huddled together, densely intertwined, slowly wriggling, and constantly growing.
Around the chair, whispers seemed to pierce through the long passage of time and history, ethereal, fleeting, and endlessly echoing:
" Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea... Hornacis... Flegrea..."
Hearing the mutterings, Klein was jolted awake, his face slightly furrowed.
"It really is on the main peak of the Hornacis Mountain Range, and we can see and hear it much more clearly than ever before..."
This reminded him of the prophetic words of the " Mystery Queen " Bernadette:
"Your Fate lies on the summit of the Hornacis Mountain Range."
Is this my Fate? It almost makes me want to rebel, but I just won't... Sigh, I can't be absolute, I'll see... Klein sighed and materialized the five "wanted posters" provided by Emlyn White. Combining them with the existing information, he used Divination to search for the whereabouts of the five " The Moon Primordial " believers.
Ultimately, due to insufficient information, he could only confirm two things:
" Galis Kevin, Windsor Behring, and Argos are all in Backlund."
" Dandy and Laura are located in Enmat Port and Pritz Harbor, respectively."
This is practically a waste of time... Klein shook his head and returned to the real world.
Remembering that he had promised Little " The Sun " to provide the " Notary " Potion recipe within three days, he put on his coat, donned his top hat, and prepared to go out to find his target.
Opening the door and reaching the top of the stairs, Klein saw Anderson Hood twirling his deerstalker hat, humming a country song, as he walked up the stairs.
This guy has a strong mental resilience... He was taught a lesson by Demigod this morning, forced to apologize, and agree to his demands, but now he doesn't seem to have any lingering trauma... No wonder he can become Sequence 5 powerhouse; with this kind of mental fortitude, he's not easily out of control... Klein looked at the other person and nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Good afternoon, Gehrman." Anderson smiled and waved. "I've received the bounty and the bonus; I'll pay you the balance right away."
As he spoke, he took out banknotes of varying thicknesses from different pockets.
"It went very smoothly," Klein commented emotionlessly.
Anderson immediately laughed:
"Yes, it went much more smoothly than I expected! Those guys who should have had granite in their brains were surprisingly kind, efficient, and polite. I even wonder if I was blessed by Lady Luck!"
"There is no such god." Klein ruthlessly shattered the other's illusion.
"Don't take it so seriously. It's life, relax a bit." Anderson handed over the remaining £1200. "Actually, I know exactly what happened. That gentleman must not want me to waste my time, so he secretly 'instructed' those people."
Klein glanced at the banknotes, crumpled them in his hand, and casually asked:
Have you identified which pirates were responsible for the problem?
He asked which prey had attracted the " Manipulator " last night.
"I can't confirm it." Anderson gave a wry smile. "Do you think I didn't check beforehand? Although I acted nonchalant in front of you, I actually investigated the background and situation of my prey beforehand to avoid messing with the wrong people. Who knew... sigh, I can only attribute it to Misfortune."
... This guy is much more cautious than I expected... Well, his previous Sequence was called " Conspirer "... Klein thought for a couple of seconds with a hint of realization, then asked indifferently:
Who here deserves to be killed the most?
Anderson was taken aback at first, then chuckled:
"Are our wildest adventurers also planning a hunting expedition?"
"However, you should think it through. I don't want to find out you're my ally when I'm completing that Demigod's mission."
Don't worry, we're different. I'm Seer; I have all sorts of ways to cover things up. No one will come knocking on my door. Besides, that's Demigod through the " Spectator " route; they're not good at Divination or prophecy... Klein maintained Gehrman's characteristically cold demeanor as he said:
You don't need to worry about it.
Anderson immediately gave a thumbs up:
Your madness is truly admirable!
He thought for a moment and added:
"The one who deserves the most death is Mithor of the ' New Loen Party,' one of the pirates' best friends. He possesses a highly addictive drug based on cannabis or some other plant, which has helped him control many people in the Toscarter government and police department. He is the most influential gang leader here..."
"He committed many crimes and killed many people, but he basically did it with the help of pirates, so there was nothing wrong with him on the surface."
"Heh, this guy isn't Beyonder being. The difficulty in killing him lies in the trouble he causes, yes, trouble!"
"He always has three to five Beyonder from different pirate groups protecting him. The rooftops, outside the rooms, and below the windows are all his men. To take him down, you'd have to force your way through and kill most of them."
"I had the ability to do it, but it was too troublesome and dangerous. I would have become a wanted criminal afterward, so I didn't target him directly, but instead targeted his safe."
A safe... making theft sound so sophisticated... Hmm, I'd heard that Toscarter was primarily a plantation economy and a pirate black market, which incidentally boosted the bar, brothel, and casino industries. I didn't expect there to be new types of drugs here... But Mithor is just an ordinary person, not Beyonder... Perfect, " Creeping Hunger " is short of food... Klein nodded, signaling Anderson to elaborate.
It was evening inside the " Oak Bar ".
A boxing match was about to begin in the ring, and many drunkards, holding glasses, gathered around it.
Like sharks that smell blood, they placed bets while shouting things like "Kill him! Kill him!"
This is the property of Mithor, the leader of the " New Loen Party," and the boxing matches he hosts have a unique feature: they allow deaths!
Mithor was a great fan of this near-ancient gladiatorial contest and often came to watch a few matches. Now, he was sitting on the second floor, looking down at the ring.
He was surrounded by many bodyguards, guarding every direction, including Beyonder sent by his pirate partners and seasoned adventurers he had hired at great expense.
These men, with their backs or to the sides of Mithor, surrounded him, preventing anyone from getting close. Their revolvers, rifles, and shotguns were all on display, Awe the entire scene.
Having ascertained the situation, Klein pressed down on his top hat, entered the bar, and immediately spotted Mithor smoking a cigar.
This gangster boss has a very distinctive face, with his bulbous nose and sparse eyebrows being particularly striking.
Klein looked away, first went to the bar and ordered a 4p local malt beer, then squeezed under the second-floor railing.
Although he wasn't heavily protected directly below Mithor, he wasn't far from his opponent.
"Within 5 meters..." Klein muttered to himself, holding his wine glass and looking towards the boxing ring.
P. S.: There was an early update in the early morning.