"You're quite perceptive. I do have something I want to commission you for."
Ricciardo chuckled softly.
If he hadn't specifically been looking for Silas, there would have been no need for him to make a special trip to the bellman Carnot's little house to wait.
"Let me reintroduce myself."
The old man rose from his chair and extended a hand toward Silas.
"Ricciardo Grey, affiliated with the School of Life, member of the Council of Fate. A Sequence 4 Misfortune Mage."
Since Silas was already a demigod, Ricciardo was treating him as an equal.
"Alexander Gascoigne."
Silas reached out and shook his hand lightly before quickly releasing it. "Sequence 4 'Black Knight.'"
"So you really are a demigod of the Secrets Suppliant pathway."
Ricciardo spoke with a hint of surprise.
"To resist the True Creator's influence and maintain this level of rationality all the way to demigod, you must have endured quite a lot of hardship."
"...It's been alright."
Silas smiled faintly, offering no further explanation. "Sir, whatever business you have, you'd better get to the point quickly."
He didn't plan to stay on Oravi Island for long. Anderson's matter was already resolved.
Next, he was preparing to cooperate with Klein to hunt the "Vice Admiral of Ailment," and he had no time to waste chatting with a mysterious old man.
"My commission is related to the matter Darkwill reported."
Ricciardo spoke at an unhurried pace.
"I'd like to ask you to take action and rescue him and the dice he's carrying from the Governor's Mansion."
Bayam?
Silas thought for a moment. That was the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, and the largest Storm Church in the surrounding waters was located there. Inside was a Sequence 3 "Sea King," Jahn Kottman!
"I'm sorry, but that's too dangerous."
Silas immediately shook his head in refusal. "Besides, I have other matters to attend to. I can't spare the time."
The School of Life had so many powerful members, so why did they specifically need him to handle this problem?
That "Sea King" was Sequence 3, and this was at sea, his home turf.
No matter how he thought about it, he was no match for him.
"Don't refuse just yet."
Ricciardo chuckled.
"I've seen a tributary of fate. There's a good chance you'll be going to Bayam sometime later."
"So my commission is this: you don't need to actively go rescue Roy King.
However, if you happen to attack the Governor's Mansion in Bayam for other reasons, I hope you'll take the opportunity to bring out Roy King and that dice."
"For this, I'm willing to pay the reward in advance."
Again with this kind of talk... I might go to Bayam and even attack the Governor's Mansion?
That possibility seems way too low, doesn't it?
Silas raised an eyebrow, suppressing the urge to question the other party as he asked, "And then? If I don't end up attacking the Governor's Mansion, would I still need to make a special trip to rescue Roy King?"
"Then it would mean the wheel of fate has turned once again." Ricciardo's expression remained composed.
"In that case, we would naturally choose other methods, and you wouldn't need to return the reward you were given."
"You can start thinking about the reward now. Removing misfortune counts as a bonus, you don't need to pay anything for it regardless of whether you accept the commission or not."
Councillor Ricciardo said this, ending that topic. He looked directly at Silas, as if waiting for his answer.
No need to lift a finger and still get paid? Is there really a deal that good? So why does something about this feel wrong…
Silas studied him carefully.
Stay calm.
When something this good drops into your lap for no clear reason, you have to stay alert and ask yourself if there's a catch.
He paused to think, then lifted his head and met the other man's eyes.
"Can you give me some time to think it over?"
"Of course."
Ricciardo nodded with a smile.
"If you decide to accept, please come here before tomorrow ends. I'll wait until then."
In other words, the offer expires after that.
Silas nodded. "I understand."
After exchanging pleasantries with him, he got up and left the cramped little room, stepping outside.
He saw that in the open space in front of the church, Anderson was awkwardly sharing space with the gloomy-faced bellman, as if something unpleasant had happened.
Seeing him emerge, Anderson immediately stood up and ran over to him.
"I never imagined that the Earth Mother Church's alchemical products would include homunculi!"
He lowered his voice.
Silas immediately understood what Anderson meant.
Oh, so the bellman Carnot is an alchemical product. No wonder his body gave me that patchwork feeling.
Still, an Earth Mother Church product who joined the School of Life and rings bells at a Storm Church... that's quite the mix.
Silas found it somewhat amusing.
Anderson must have said something annoying again and upset the other party.
His misfortune had clearly been removed, so why did it feel like he was still constantly courting death?
The two left the church area. Having finally had his misfortune lifted, Anderson was extremely happy.
He ditched the captain and went off to find his own fun, leaving Silas to explore Oravi Island on his own.
The agreed departure time with the sailors was early the day after tomorrow.
Before then, Silas planned to first find a hotel to rest.
The hotel's exterior walls were plastered with wanted posters of pirates.
At a glance, he saw his own wanted poster right next to that of the "King of Immortality" Agalito, with his bounty having risen to 15,000 pounds.
Not bad, it went up by 3,000 pounds.
Silas muttered to himself, thinking about the bounty for the "Slaughterer" Kircheis that he'd failed to successfully exchange, and booked a room at the front desk.
"Meow~"
After entering, he discovered that the room's window had already been opened from outside.
Luna was crouched on the table, calling to him sweetly.
It seemed the black cat had divined his room number and come in ahead of time.
Silas walked over, about to pet her head, when he suddenly noticed she was holding an envelope in her mouth.
"Did you come to deliver this to me?"
Silas took the letter and saw the signature at the bottom, his spirits lifting slightly.
It was a reply from the Queen Mystic!
He quickly tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter to read its contents.
On the paper, the Queen had written in elegant handwriting:
"1. When it comes to spaces more abstract and conceptualized than the spirit world, that would be the astral world.
It's a world where concepts and symbols converge. Supposedly, the kingdoms of the gods are within it. Additionally, the astral world may be connected to the real starry sky."
"2. To my knowledge, no. If you don't want to contract a spirit world creature, I can give you an invisible servant.
It can also serve as a messenger."
"3. I do have quite a collection, but your requirements are too broad. We can discuss this in person later."
"4. Be careful of Nast [the King of the Five Seas]."
Thank you for the warning. I will.
Reading the last line of the letter, Silas said silently.
He read through the letter again, developing some interest in the "astral world" described in the first point.