Unlike most bachelors, Sharif's mansion was not messy and dirty. Everything was neatly arranged, and there was no dust on the windowsill. After all, as a " Artisan," he was not short of money. However, due to the need to keep many of his actions secret, it was inconvenient for him to hire a large number of permanent servants. Instead, he had to hire people to help him by the hour.
A quick glance Alger revealed that the place was not significantly different from when he last visited. The furnishings were extremely simple, with no valuable ornaments, paintings, or sculptures, just like the living quarters of an ordinary commoner.
Of course, Alger knew very well that Sharif was a wealthy man, but he didn't care about so-called decorum. He could spend hundreds of pounds on a bottle of limited-edition wine and give away a house to support a mistress, but he wouldn't waste a penny on buying expensive carpets, bone china teaware, gold-plated cups and saucers, or famous oil paintings.
"A cup of Sonia Blood Wine." Alger's expression remained unchanged, but his words and gestures made it clear that he had only come in to freeload a drink.
Sharif shrugged and said:
"You should be glad I don't have the habit of keeping Lerunqi's things."
He walked to the small bar in the living room, took out a beautifully bottled bottle of Sonia Blood Wine, and opened two glasses.
Alger found a sofa to sit on and took the opportunity to raise his hand and pinch the back of his neck, seemingly to relieve the discomfort in his cervical spine.
Using this movement as cover, he naturally glanced left and right, quickly examining the areas he couldn't see before.
Since Sharif was too lazy to set up anything and didn't make any decorations, Alger quickly finished his attempt, his gaze lingering for a second on the glass window of the cabinet in the distance.
Through the glass, he saw some dried grass and flowers.
There are red-edged flowers, Blood Moon grass, and monkey-faced leaves here. What they have in common is that they are all types that are common in the Southern Continent but are basically not found in the Northern Continent.
Alger withdrew his gaze and calmly watched Sharif approach with a bottle and a glass of wine in his hand.
He reached out and took it, and chatted with the other person about various things at sea, until the half-bottle of Sonia Blood Wine was drunk clean.
Seeing this, Alger smiled, took his leave, and departed.
Five minutes after he left, Sharif had been sitting quietly enjoying his tipsy state, suddenly stood up, went to the top of the stairs, and opened the wooden door leading to the basement.
Did he suspect anything?
"No."
"In any case, this place is no longer suitable for you to live here. Move to our place as soon as possible."
I still have some requests to complete.
"You don't need to finish it. You won't contact them again anyway; you've already been reborn."
"OK."
Two houses away, Alger sat on a bench in someone's garden, pinching his earlobe with his right hand, listening to the whispers carried on the wind.
West Balam, Port Pritz, outside a seemingly ordinary house.
"Is it really because you have a bad relationship with the Church of Knowledge that you encouraged me to ask for the ' Comprehend Languages ' charm?" Danitz wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Anderson across from him with some unease.
Anderson laughed, half self-deprecatingly and half nonchalantly:
"It can't be described as bad..."
"So that's hostility?" Danitz blurted out, interrupting the other person.
Anderson glanced at him and said:
"The negative effects of your boxing gloves might not be as easy to bear as you think."
He paused for a moment, then added with a chuckle:
"A more accurate description would be that neither I nor the people in the Church of Knowledge are particularly willing to get along with each other."
Danitz gripped his boxing glove with his other hand and said somewhat awkwardly:
"But how do I request the talisman?"
"Discussing mystical matters directly to clergy of the True God Church will result in being imprisoned in the Sealed Land!"
Danitz is merely reckless, not stupid.
Anderson shrugged and said:
"It's very simple. Just mention my name and say that you have urgent business in West Balam, don't have time to learn Dutanese, and don't dare to hire a local translator. You can only ask them for help and hope to get a few ' Comprehend Languages ' charms."
"During this process, you need to demonstrate that you speak multiple languages Northern Continent, letting the missionaries know that you're not incapable of learning Dutanese, but simply don't have the time. Then, they will give you a test. If you can get a decent score, you can obtain the talisman."
Upon hearing this familiar word, Danitz's brow twitched involuntarily, and he forced a smile:
"You're just afraid of the exam, that's why you don't dare go by yourself, right?"
He was just trying to make small talk to cover up his discomfort, but he noticed Anderson's expression freeze for a second.
It seems you still have things you're afraid of... Danitz chuckled to himself, suddenly filled with confidence.
He strode into the ordinary house and found it to be more like a collection of classrooms than a missionary site for the Church of Knowledge in West Balam.
Then he saw an elderly man with gray hair.
Although the man was not wearing the clergy robes of the Church of Knowledge, his unique scholarly air convinced Danitz that he was at least a bishop.
He had experienced a similar feeling with the captain.
"Hello." Danitz, dressed in ordinary clothes and without the Cloak of Shadows, smiled and walked over.
The old man watched him approach quietly, then slowly spoke:
" Danitz."
"..." Danitz stopped abruptly, frozen in place, his mind filled with thoughts like, "Does he know me?" "How could he know me?" "Could it be that my arrest warrant isn't just circulating at sea?"
The old man glanced at him and asked to himself:
"You've come for the ' Comprehend Languages ' talisman?"
"Yes..." Danitz nodded blankly, suddenly feeling as if he had no secrets from the other party.
The scholarly-looking old gentleman nodded slightly and said:
"Are you planning to go to the territory ruled by Katatmi and Mesangyes?"
"Yes." Danitz remained somewhat dazed.
The scholarly old gentleman reached into his pocket and took out four brass talismans, saying:
"It should last for two months, that should be enough."
"..." Danitz took it blankly, and after several seconds said, "That's it?"
Is it really that simple?
Isn't there still an exam?
"You don't want it?" the scholarly old gentleman asked with a slight smile.
"No, no!" Danitz shook his head violently, asking before his brain could process what he was saying, "How do you know me? How did you know I wanted the ' Comprehend Languages ' talisman?"
The scholarly old man's eyes softened with pity as he spoke slowly:
"Your captain contacted me."
"She said that when you disembarked, no matter how much she called, you wouldn't stop and rushed straight into the dock. She had actually prepared a ' Comprehend Languages ' talisman for you."
As he spoke, the old man shook his head, his gaze somewhat complicated, as if he were looking at a very careless student in his class.
"... I should have thought of that earlier. The captain is such a meticulous person, he couldn't possibly have overlooked the language barrier..." Danitz wished he could slap himself.
Seeing the change in Danitz's expression, the old man opposite him shook his head again and asked:
"You didn't come here seeking help on your own, did you? I was just about to use Divination to find you."
"Ah, yes, it was Anderson Hood suggested it," Danitz replied immediately.
The scholarly-looking old gentleman paused for a second, then his face suddenly darkened.
At that moment, Anderson was sitting in the shade outside the house, having broken off a twig, casually drawing patterns on the bare lawn, leisurely waiting for Danitz to come out.
He had no doubt that this unqualified " Hunter " could obtain the " Comprehend Languages " charm, because as long as Danitz mentioned " Vice Admiral Iceberg " Edwina, everything would become simple; the only difference was how many rounds of testing would be required.
Just as he finished drawing the head of " King of the North " Yurizan, familiar footsteps came from the inside out, getting closer and closer.
Anderson's hand, which was gripping the branch, paused for a second. He looked up, turned towards the door, and saw Danitz walking towards him with a rather thick stack of papers, his expression complicated.
"You failed the exam?" Anderson smiled genuinely, showing no worry what would happen if he didn't get the " Comprehend Languages " charm.
Danitz shook his head blankly:
There is no exam.
"..." Anderson was taken aback at first, then asked with a hint of realization, "Your captain provided assistance?"
Danitz grunted in agreement, handing the stack of papers to Anderson as he spoke:
"The bishop inside asked me to tell you that a true Hunter doesn't just rely on instinct, nor does he just focus on information about his prey. He also needs to understand their psychology and possess a great deal of additional knowledge."
"This is the information he gave you."
Anderson's expression was briefly complicated, but he quickly regained his composure and chuckled:
"It's alright, not too much."
Danitz's lips twitched a few times, but he finally managed to suppress a sudden laugh and said very seriously:
This is just a table of contents.
"The bishop said, 'Try to finish reading the books mentioned above within two years.'"
Anderson's smile finally froze on his face.
Desi Bay, Port Escoson.
Like any other traveler heading to the Southern Continent, Klein bought a ticket to East Balam and boarded the passenger ship, a mix of Steam and sail, and adorned with numerous cannons.
With a howling sound, the ship sailed away from the dock and soon entered the Raging Sea.
During the journey, Klein discovered that the Kingdom of Loen's Desi Fleet was patrolling the safe route, seemingly on guard against something.
"It seems that the unusual changes in the Raging Sea have also attracted the attention of the Loen military... As a result, the Spirituality Religion will probably not be able to investigate this sea area without any scruples. Of course, a single fleet cannot monitor all the shipping lanes here..." Klein stood in his cabin, looking at the scene outside the window, thinking with a mix of realization and emotion.
Just then, he heard illusory, layered prayers and hurriedly went above the Gray Fog to investigate.
This time, the " The Hanged Man " was praying. He asked Mr. The Fool to tell the " The Hermit " that the " Artisan " was suspected of being controlled by a cult or Concealment organization, and hoped to get some help.