A heroic figure seeking light in the darkness? Before "Hermit" Cattleya could answer, "Magician" Fors looked over, clearly quite interested in this story as well.
Seeking light in the darkness? Isn't that what every generation of our Silver City has been doing? "Sun" Derrick, on the other hand, was somewhat puzzled and didn't quite understand why such a story could be used in exchange for supplies.
He's using his own story to deceive a young girl! Klein, who knew bits and pieces about many of "Liu Bo's" life experiences, muttered inwardly, but had no intention of exposing it.
As for Cattleya herself, she did not respond immediately. Instead, she first examined the list Ebner had "teleported" to her.
Coal, various ores, plant seeds, books… as well as fertilizer and soil… and the transport volume isn't small either. Even if my entire fleet handles this job, it would take at least two or three trips…
Also, what does Mr. "Tower" want these for? Has he established a base somewhere east of Nass? And the industrial level there should not be low, otherwise he wouldn't only want ores—he would also need the corresponding processing and smelting equipment.
As her thoughts raced, Cattleya did not answer whether she was willing to help. Instead, she directly asked, "Where am I supposed to load the cargo? Those supplies are not a small amount. If it's discovered they were loaded onto my ships, it could easily cause trouble."
"Go to a small island outside Port Louse. I'll have people place the goods there in advance—you can just 'loot' them directly," Ebner replied with a smile.
Louse was a port city on the eastern coast of Feysac, and also the territory of Countess Louse, "Greed" Xenia.
As a newly promoted viscount, Ebner was a highly visible target in Loen. Who knew how many people were secretly watching his every move? While tracking him personally was nearly impossible, monitoring the businesses under his name was not difficult. Therefore, Ebner did not gather the supplies himself but instead sought help from Miss "Greed."
However, Cattleya frowned and said, "There aren't many islands outside Port Louse. The only one that can hold that amount of supplies is Akliu Island, where Countess Louse's estate is located… and it's rumored that the family behind that countess has a Demigod."
She herself was not afraid of other Demigods, but her subordinates might lose their lives because of it, so she needed to be clear.
"Don't worry. Those supplies were originally procured by Countess Louse on my behalf," Ebner explained briefly.
So that countess is one of his own? "Hermit" Cattleya nodded. "I have no further questions."
Next, after agreeing on a time, the two finalized the commission.
Just as "Hermit" Cattleya was about to take the opportunity to ask about the potion formula for "Beast Tamer," "Moon" Emlyn suddenly spoke up and cut in.
—Recently, a crew member on the Future named John had, by chance, obtained the "Apothecary" potion formula and successfully gathered the materials to advance to Sequence 9. Moreover, this crew member's performance had been getting better and better. As captain, Cattleya naturally wanted to prepare rewards in advance.
However, this matter was not urgent, so she did not compete with Mr. "Moon" for the chance to speak.
After deliberately clearing his throat, Emlyn looked at "Magician" and said:
"Madam, I may need to rent that travel notebook again."
"No problem." Having already become a "Traveler," "Magician," Fors no longer valued that magical notebook much and treated it merely as a "money-making tool." However, after considering "Moon's" Sequence, she added, "Try not to record 'full moons.'"
Even if she didn't use it often, if the magic book were filled with "full moon" effects, it would still trouble her.
As "Moon" Emlyn nodded in agreement, "Hanged Man" Alger interjected as if pondering:
"The Sanguine's hunt for key members of the Rose School of Thought is about to begin?"
"Yes." Emlyn did not hide anything. "Once the plan is finalized, I'll ask everyone for their opinions."
After experiencing the previous collaboration where they had jointly "trapped" Viscount Ounes, he had grown quite fond of the Tarot Club's cooperative style.
"No problem." The first to respond was not "Hanged Man," but the silent "World," Gehrman Sparrow, seated at the very end of the bronze table.
He seems quite interested in this? Not only Emlyn, but even the duller members came to this realization.
As "Hermit" Cattleya also expressed interest in participating, the trading segment of the Tarot Club ended, moving into the exchange phase.
Having just read about the "Blasphemy Slates" in Roselle's diary, "World" Gehrman Sparrow straightened slightly and looked at "Star" Leonard:
"Help me ask that one whether he has seen the second 'Blasphemy Slate.'"
"Blasphemy Slate"? "Justice," Audrey and the others immediately caught this unusual term.
A series of shocked thoughts flashed through their minds:
The second Blasphemy Slate? The "grandpa" inside Mr. "Star" has actually seen the second Blasphemy Slate?
"Star" Leonard himself was also startled. He hadn't expected Klein to make such a request.
After a few seconds of silence, he exhaled and said:
"Alright."
Not giving Leonard time to think further, "World" Gehrman Sparrow looked around and brought up the intelligence obtained from Major General Qonas Kilgor, deputy director of MI9, clearly stating the fact that the Loen royal family was colluding with the Demoness Sect and the Psychology Alchemists. At the end, he added pointedly:
"The three major Churches did not find sufficient evidence. With the disappearance of Hvin Rambis, the matter has superficially subsided… There is reason to suspect that there may be traitors among the higher-ups of the three Churches."
Hearing this, "Hanged Man" Alger was shaken and immediately began constructing various theories in his mind. In the end, he sensed the surging undercurrents within the Church and smelled an opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, as a not particularly valued member of the Church of Storms—one who had long acted as a pirate—the best outcome for him would be to earn merit, become a Sequence 5 "Ocean Songster," return to the Church, and serve as a deputy to a high-ranking Punisher. It would be nearly impossible for him to wield a Sealed Artifact and become a Demigod.
Only through upheaval and frequent incidents could he rely on the Tarot Club to demonstrate enough capability, achieve great merit, and be regarded as a candidate for cultivation.
Could this be the true meaning behind the first choice Mr. Fool mentioned earlier—'wait for your opportunity to arrive'?
But 'waiting' is too vague… I'd better proceed with Mr. "Tower's" route first. In any case, the two don't conflict.
Feeling that he had grasped Mr. Fool's intentions, Alger was somewhat excited, but still forced himself to remain calm.
Similarly, "Hermit" Cattleya seemed to already see storm clouds gathering over Backlund, with violent winds brewing. However, in her view, the entire world had been restless lately—in Feysac, too, some kind of "disaster" seemed to be building.
Meanwhile, Emlyn only hoped this would not disrupt the Sanguine's hunt for key members of the Rose School of Thought… Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at "Sun" beside him and noticed that although the young man sat upright, his gaze was rather blank, prompting him to snort inwardly.
At this moment, Ebner looked toward Miss "Justice" opposite him and took the initiative to say, "You should be careful of Hvin Rambis."
Because "I" will be launching an assault on you in the next few days.
As soon as he finished speaking, Miss "Judgment" cast him a strange look.
Ebner returned a glance that meant "we'll talk later," and Xio withdrew her gaze, not letting "Justice" notice anything unusual.
Fortunately, Audrey wasn't paying attention to others at the moment. After nodding solemnly, she broke the brief silence and said seriously, "If I encounter him, I will immediately inform everyone through Mr. Fool."
This "everyone" naturally referred to the five Demigods in the Tarot Club—aside from "Hermit," the other four were almost all in Backlund and could provide immediate support.
Klein also took the opportunity to remind them to be wary of "coincidences" before ending the topic.
After about ten seconds, "Sun" Derrick spoke:
"Once I return to Silver City, I will follow the exploration team to the camp at the City of Noon. This time, we may attempt to enter the 'Giant King's Court.'"
Everyone had long expected this, so they were not particularly surprised. After giving a few subtle reminders, "Hanged Man" Alger asked another question:
"You've completed the ritual and advanced to 'Priest of Light'? How did you resolve the 'pure darkness' environment in the end?"
"Yes, Mr. Hanged Man." "Sun" Derrick nodded, glanced at Ebner, and only continued after seeing him give a slight nod. "Mr. 'Tower' took me into the 'Kingdom of Deep Darkness,' where I completed my advancement."
Where did you say? The "Kingdom of Deep Darkness"? The Goddess's divine kingdom?! Upon hearing this answer, "Star" Leonard—who had been lazily leaning back—immediately straightened up.
There was a hint of daze in his expression. After all, he himself wasn't even allowed near the entrance to the divine kingdom, so for a moment, he couldn't tell who the real "Red Glove" of the Church of Evernight was—the one about to be promoted and cultivated.
Only now did he finally begin to believe the old man's words: that monster Ebner might truly have a deep connection with the Goddess.
Even Leonard, who knew some "inside information," reacted this way—let alone the other members, who were completely dumbfounded and felt Derrick was talking nonsense.
Even the usually expressionless "Temperance" showed a flicker of light in her eyes.
After the brief shock, some members of the Tarot Club looked toward Ebner, while others turned their gaze to the head of the table.
"Ahem, both the Goddess and Mr. Fool have tacitly permitted our intrusion," Ebner coughed lightly and repeated the explanation he had previously used to fool Derrick.
So it's a tacit understanding between Mr. Fool and the Goddess… It seems their alliance is very solid! "Hanged Man" Alger once again constructed his own interpretation, believing that allowing "Sun" to complete his ritual in the divine kingdom was likely a form of "exchange" between the two deities… as for what exactly was exchanged, he couldn't figure it out.
"Justice" Audrey and "Magician" Fors had similar thoughts, though they were more curious about what the Goddess's divine kingdom was actually like…
They wanted to ask, but didn't quite dare—after all, privately inquiring about a divine kingdom could be considered blasphemy against the Goddess.
As for "Fool" Klein, he immediately denied it three times in his heart: I didn't, I don't know, don't talk nonsense! …
Yet on the surface, this mysterious existence shrouded in gray fog revealed an unfathomable smile.
(End of Chapter)