Looking at the convex window reflecting the light from the gas lamp, Alger, wearing a hood and mask, was about to ask about the details of the operation when he suddenly saw a shadow emerge from the dense darkness beside him, transforming into a tall, thin, pale, and sickly young man.
" The Bloodless," Heath Doyle... Alger quickly recognized him as the second officer of the " Future ".
Heath ignored him and spoke directly to " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya:
"Captain, they haven't noticed anything amiss. They've made the mushrooms into a creamy soup and prepared pan-fried fish for tonight's main course."
"Very good." Cattleya removed the heavy glasses perched on her nose and looked with her mysterious purple eyes toward the dining area of the house, which was separated by a wall.
Without another word, Heath Doyle's figure instantly darkened, disappearing into the shadows and vanishing to some unknown place.
After listening to their conversation, and combining it with what the " The Hermit " lady had said earlier, " The Hanged Man " Alger roughly understood what the core elements of tonight's operation were:
mushroom!
Poisonous mushrooms!
Although it is unknown how " Admiral of Stars " managed to disable the Spirituality intuition of the Beyonder inside, rendering them unable to distinguish between normal and highly poisonous mushrooms, Alger believed that, within the realm of mysticism, this was not impossible.
He hesitated before speaking:
"Could this lead to the death of ' Artisan ' Sharif?"
Wild " Artisan " are extremely rare, Alger did not want to lose such a "friend" while there was still room for maneuver. For him, the ideal solution was to Imprisonment this guy and make him a " Artisan " exclusively for himself and the " The Hermit ".
"No." Cattleya calmly shook her head and casually explained, "Both the information you provided and the details observed by my crew mention that Sharif dislikes eating fish, even hates it. This may be related to the fact that he choked on a fish bone when he was a child."
Based on this, Cattleya ultimately chose the "mushroom tactic," which could effectively dismantle the enemy's manpower and minimize the risks to her side.
The mushroom that could reproduce by devouring flesh and blood in dark environments was ruled out by the " Admiral of Stars " from the start because it would allow Spirit Intuition perceptive Beyonder to directly detect anything unusual, just like when faced with something highly poisonous. In addition, Beyonder believed in the " The Moon Primordial " would most likely have a deep understanding of herbs, plants, and fruits, and should be able to identify any mushrooms that were too dangerous simply by sight.
To deceive them, the food itself must be harmless, but it must mutate through contact with other things.
The mushrooms Frank created before were perfect for this!
If you don't have both fish and water, the mushroom will be a normal mushroom. It won't poison you or cause diarrhea. It will be digested little by little, broken down into different components, and eventually excreted from the body. Once you reach this point, having fish and water won't help.
To this end, Cattleya made Frank redo the experiment that had been temporarily abandoned, obtaining a batch of mushrooms, and promised to hunt down an " Aurora Order Rose Bishop " for him in the future.
"I hate eating fish..." Alger muttered to himself, feeling that he was once again out of touch with the " The Hermit's " train of thought.
He clearly asked whether poisonous mushrooms would cause " Artisan " Sharif's death, but the other party replied that " Artisan " wouldn't die because he didn't like eating fish and even hated it.
Is there any necessary connection? Alger wondered to himself, without asking aloud.
He remained silent, deciding to observe and pay close attention later.
After a while, screams suddenly came from inside the house, accompanied by groans of pain and sounds of vomiting.
"Action." Cattleya issued the order with unusual conciseness.
Her figure instantly became transparent, as if she had transformed into a statue formed from countless starlight.
The statue shattered instantly, and glittering starlight surged forth, suddenly appearing at the doorway of the house, where it slipped through the crack.
The starlight regrouped inside, and Cattleya's figure appeared.
Then she heard the whooshing sound of the wind and the loud thud of an impact.
The door frame swayed, the door opened, and Alger, the " The Hanged Man " wearing a hood and mask, entered the target building almost as quickly as the " Admiral of Stars."
His gaze swept across the area, quickly taking in the layout of the restaurant:
The " Artisan " Sharif retreated in terror, moving away from the long table;
Two men and a woman were lying on the ground, vomiting mushrooms. Their clothes were torn open on their chests and abdomens, and mushrooms were growing from them.
Upon noticing someone enter, the group subconsciously looked up, their faces already showing white mycelium, cluster after cluster.
Alger's face, hidden by the mask, twitched involuntarily.
Although he was experienced and knowledgeable, and not the kind of Beyonder had never seen a terrifying scene before, such a scene still brought him a strong visual and psychological impact.
" Admiral of Stars " Cattleya had some expectations, but she didn't expect it to be so terrifying. She paused for a moment before pinching her mouth with her right hand and whistling.
Imaginary ropes emerged from the ground, coiling like snakes to bind the three " The Moon Primordial " believers.
"Is there a way to stop it?" Cattleya asked, turning her head to the shadows in the corner.
After a moment of silence, Heath Doyle's voice came from there:
Frank said he hadn't yet figured out a way to stop it; cremation was the only option.
Cremation... Cattleya's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she immediately took out a handful of powder from her hidden pocket and threw it over.
The powder seemed to have come to life, landing precisely on the three " The Moon Primordial " believers and the various mushrooms.
Silently, crimson flames rose up, quietly burning everything they touched.
" Artisan " Sharif was already stunned when he witnessed the anomaly. After someone broke in, he wanted to rely on his magical items to fight back, but he quickly recognized that the person was " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya. So, he rationally gave up and decisively stood still and waited.
He believed he still had considerable value and wouldn't be killed directly no matter where he went, and besides, the " Admiral of Stars " had never had a bad reputation.
The worst-case scenario is joining the Star Pirates... Moreover, this pirate admiral is even more handsome than the portrait on the wanted poster, with a completely different aura... Sharif tugged at the wolf fang necklace, put on a fawning smile, and waited for the intruder to reveal his purpose.
Cattleya glanced at him, carefully examining his appearance. She could only confirm that he was a typical Intis, and she couldn't see any resemblance to the Queen.
The pirate general carefully considered his words before speaking:
"I originally wanted to have you make magical items through a friend's introduction, but I found out that you were with the followers of the ' The Moon Primordial '."
"Those three aren't very strong; they can't stop you at all. Why are you still staying here?"
One of the main hypothetical enemies of Cattleya's operation was actually " The Artisan " himself, because she could neither kill him nor control him. Moreover, he had many well-matched magical items, making him a formidable foe. However, things went much more smoothly than she had imagined.
Sharif chuckled awkwardly:
"They originally had strong warriors in Bayam, and through the fragrance and powder of a certain flower, they infected me with a strange disease, making me weaker."
Cattleya glanced at him casually and said:
"Now that you've recovered, why don't you find a chance to escape?"
Alger watched quietly from the side, not daring to let his voice betray him.
" The Artisan " Sharif chuckled twice and said:
"During the time they controlled me, they told me that as long as I believed in the ' The Moon Primordial,' my chronic illness could be cured through a certain ritual. I couldn't resist the temptation and tried it, and it really worked! I regained my sense of manhood..."
He stopped abruptly at this point, realizing he had said too much and exposed his hidden ailment.
Is this because he's been too indulgent with women, gradually losing his ability? Alger scoffed to himself.
Sharif looked up at the two people opposite him, and seeing that no one laughed, he coughed lightly and continued:
"That wasn't due to medication; I genuinely recovered to my youthful state. Afterward, I dreamt twice of the Moon that looked both bloody and alluring."
"I think I've truly become a believer in the ' The Moon Primordial,' so I dare not run away."
Cattleya and Alger exchanged a silent glance, simultaneously condemning " the Artisan " to death in their minds:
Once a person truly believes in evil gods, Devil, or some Hidden Existence, unless they are willing to continue in this way and gradually become fanatical, even if they regret their beliefs and are protected by official forces and no problems arise for a long time, they may still silently strangle themselves in their sleep a few years later!
This is almost impossible to save unless one is qualified to receive the blessing of Angel on Earth at the level of the popes of the major churches, or to be isolated by some kind of Sealed Artifact and live permanently underground.
Of course, there are many others who did nothing and still lived to old age and died of natural causes, but most of them were ordinary people, easily overlooked by evil Devil, Hidden Existence. Sharif, on the other hand, was a very useful " Artisan."
Cattleya stopped mentioning the " The Moon Primordial " believers. To her, whether the " Artisan " believed in an evil god was not a big problem. As long as they could communicate, reach a deal, and occasionally act crazy, they could cooperate. Other things were not something a pirate needed to worry about.
She then said:
What amazing items do you have right now? I'll pick a few and save some for you.
The Artisan, Sharif, was not surprised by this turn of events. The other party was a pirate, not a policeman, so it was perfectly normal for him to rob someone on the spur of the moment. He felt he should sincerely thank them for leaving him a few items.
In fact, given his level and possessions, he might actually be able to escape successfully if he put in the effort, but he didn't have the courage.
"Okay." Sharif first took out a pair of gray-rimmed glasses from his breast pocket. " Gargoyle Glasses. As long as there is eye contact, it can paralyze the other person, as if they have been petrified. There are two negative effects: first, if you wear it to look in the mirror, it will paralyze you as well; second, it will make your body feel heavy and your movements less agile."
"Isn't this the item I ordered...? So it's already been successfully made... "Alger narrowed his eyes as he looked at the " Artisan."