After hearing Alger's request, Klein's first thought was whether Mr. "Hanged Man" had been switched with someone else. The "Hanged Man" he knew had always been extremely cautious—how could he possibly risk sneaking into a military base to steal something so important?
Moreover, from what Klein knew, the Feysac garrison stationed on Sonia Island included at least two demigods—one from the navy and one from the army—and the new archbishop of the "Church of the God of Combat" could provide backup at any time. With just a Sequence 6 and a Sequence 5 attempting such a theft, wasn't that no different from throwing meat buns to a dog—never to see them again?
He thought for a moment and didn't reject the idea outright. Instead, he tactfully asked, "Is your source of information reliable?"
If it wasn't certain, it would be better to proceed cautiously.
"It's reliable! It was mentioned in a mission issued by the 'Church of Storms'!" Alger paused for a moment to steady himself, then added, "I was in a bit of a rush earlier, so I might not have explained it clearly…
"The Church discovered that the Feysac military was secretly raising an Obnis sea monster, so they gathered all privateer captains like myself who serve the Church, as well as elite squads without public identities. The plan is to launch a sudden strike on the Feysac naval port on Sonia Island and kill the sea monster.
"What I mean is that I hope you can take advantage of the battle between us and the Feysac forces to steal the sea monster while the fighting distracts them."
So, there would be agents of the Church of Storms holding off the Feysac military… In that case, the difficulty would be much lower. Perhaps it could even work.
Hmm, the Obnis sea monster is a key material for the advancement ritual of the 'Ocean Songster.' The Feysac military keeping such a creature clearly means they intend to cultivate their own 'Ocean Songster,' which the 'Church of Storms,' the true holder of the Sailor pathway, would never tolerate.
If they sent an official army, that would basically amount to declaring war on Feysac… so the Church naturally decided to use their secretly sponsored privateers and deniable elite squads instead.
This way, even if things blew up afterward, the two nations could just trade diplomatic accusations—the attackers were only a bunch of "pirates," after all.
Having understood the full picture, Klein didn't respond immediately. He thought a bit longer before asking again,
"When does the Church plan to launch the attack?"
The "Hanged Man" Alger answered openly, "In about a week or two. Gathering so many people while maintaining secrecy isn't easy… even at sea.
"I'll inform Mr. Fool through prayer once I have the exact date."
Klein grunted softly.
"I'll think about it and give you an answer later. You can share the coordinates of that primitive island with me then."
As an experienced Seer, he had to confirm the level of danger first. But he could already be sure this wasn't a trap aimed at him—he had no use for a sea monster, after all.
"Alright," Alger said with an unchanged expression.
Clearly, he had expected this reaction. In truth, the matter wasn't urgent. The reason he had brought it up now was to commit himself—to cut off his own escape route.
Whether it was revealing the long-hidden coordinates or attempting to steal the sea monster amid a war, both decisions were difficult. Now that he had spoken the request aloud, he felt much lighter.
With no retreat left, the only path forward was to charge ahead!
He hadn't chosen the stronger members like "Tower" or "Temperance" for two reasons: first, "World" was Mr. Fool's Blessed, so he felt safer; second, although "World" Gehrman was formidable, the pressure he gave off was still less than that of a demigod.
After all, even under Mr. Fool's gaze, he couldn't be sure how much of the island's benefits he could claim if he cooperated with a demigod.
Besides, considering the relationship between "World" and "Temperance," maybe the latter would even help for free, Alger thought quietly.
Once the matter was settled, Klein lifted the sensory isolation from the others and mused inwardly,
Although this isn't targeting me… the fact that the Feysac Empire's sea monster breeding plan was discovered by the Church of Storms seems a bit too coincidental…
And if the Church's operation succeeds—even if they use "pirates"—the Feysac military will surely know the truth behind the scenes. Relations between the two countries will definitely deteriorate.
When Audrey noticed that the private conversation between the two had ended and that Mr. "Hanged Man's" mood seemed much lighter, she guessed, Did "World" perhaps help him resolve some kind of dilemma?
At that moment, "Hermit" Cattleya withdrew her subtle gaze from "World," turned to "Justice" Audrey, and said,
"The spinal fluid of the Black Hunting Lizard has been confirmed—1,800 pounds. As for the fruit of the Illusion Bell Tree, there's still no clue."
That was fast… "Hermit" really worked efficiently! Audrey sighed in admiration and sincerely thanked her.
"This is already great—better than I expected. Thank you, Miss Hermit."
She didn't even care about the price. Ever since investing in the establishment of the "Antique Collection and Preservation Fund," she had gained much more freedom in her actions. Her financial movements were now better concealed and drew no attention from her parents.
"Hermit" Cattleya hummed in acknowledgment, then glanced between "Magician" Fors and "Sun" Derrick, saying,
"I've obtained the formula for the 'Notary.'"
Fors perked up immediately and followed with, "And I've found the formula for the 'Judge.'"
Because the "Abraham" family and the "Tamara" family had intermarried frequently throughout the Fourth Epoch, they exchanged the formulas of their respective pathways below the demigod level. Thus, Dorian had the "Judge" formula in his possession.
However, it hadn't come for free. Fors had paid 1,500 pounds upfront—using the earnings from the Roselle Gustav film and the money from selling the magical materials lent by "Sun."
As a result, she had to start writing the screenplay for Ebner's new movie. Fortunately, he had provided the outline—a love story set aboard a "shipwreck in the Frozen Sea"—something she found quite intriguing and worth polishing.
The pressure now shifted to "Sun" Derrick. As the last part of their three-way exchange, he lowered his head and said shyly, "Miss Magician… the 'complete Azman brain' you wanted hasn't been retrieved yet… but once the Chief heard of your need, he personally led a team to hunt that Azman. The result should come within a day or two."
"Hermit" Cattleya nodded at that and said to Fors, "Shall we exchange first?"
"Sure." After getting Mr. Fool's permission, Fors manifested pen and paper, wrote down the "Judge" formula, and handed it to Cattleya while receiving a parchment inscribed with the "Notary" formula.
"Sequence 6, 'Notary.'
Main ingredients: One portion of crystalized root of the Elder Tree, five tail feathers of a Contract Spirit Bird.
Auxiliary ingredients: 100 milliliters of sap from the Brilliant Contract Tree, one Golden-Edged Sunflower, one White-Edged Sunflower, and five drops of Water Fern extract."
She quickly skimmed the content and, before anyone could comment, thoughtfully said to "Sun" Derrick,
"I trust your integrity, so I'll give you the formula first."
With Ebner's support, Fors had grown more generous—and she truly did trust Derrick's character. Giving the formula upfront was also a way to earn his goodwill.
Derrick was visibly delighted. He accepted the formula solemnly. "I won't betray your trust!" he declared.
Once that transaction was settled, Cattleya, now more engaged with the meeting, looked around and asked,
"Any clues about the blood of a mythic creature?"
Klein immediately had "World" respond with a low chuckle,
"Do you mean pure mythic creatures?"
Pure mythic creatures? There are impure ones? "Justice" Audrey and the others were both puzzled and intrigued.
"Hermit" Cattleya froze for a second before replying,
"The pure kind—the blood of an Angel. Just a single drop will do."
She had only asked this to show her active participation, not expecting anyone to actually answer—though "World" had promised last week to "ask around."
"I have a lead," Klein said through "World," "but I'm not sure I can obtain it. It'll take at least three months."
The Tarot members all fell silent. They hadn't expected "World" to have leads even on Angel blood!
As expected, Klein's target must be Will's umbilical cord blood, Ebner thought with a smirk. Then, to break the silence, he looked at "Sun" and said with a friendly smile, "Can you help me find the corresponding Sequence 6 vampire Beyonder characteristic?"
He was asking on behalf of Lydia—if he could buy it from "Sun," it would save him the trouble of hunting one himself.
"Of course, Mr. Tower." "Sun" Derrick agreed without hesitation.
He didn't even name a price—after all, he felt that both he and Silver City owed "Tower" a lot. Without him, Laloia would have died in that afternoon chapel incident.
But even if "Sun" didn't bring up payment, Ebner wouldn't take advantage of him. He asked with a smile, "What materials are you missing for your 'Notary' potion formula?"
Derrick waved his hands in refusal but couldn't evade the question. Finally, he admitted honestly, "The crystalized root of the Elder Tree…"
The tail feathers of the Contract Spirit Bird were already available in Silver City's special stores.
Exchanging a Sequence 6 main ingredient for a Sequence 6 characteristic—no matter how you look at it, I'm coming out ahead. But if I insist on giving more, 'Sun' would never accept it anyway…
With that thought, Ebner turned past Derrick to "Moon" Emlyn, smiling. "You have 'Elder Tree Root Crystal,' don't you? I'll pay 2,200 pounds."
"How did you know?" Emlyn gave him a suspicious look before suddenly realizing—he had once supplied "Justice" with Elder Tree fruit.
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "That price is fair. I'll get it for you soon."
Emlyn even thought the offer was a bit generous. As a middleman, he'd earn at least several hundred pounds from it.
Ebner, however, didn't mind in the slightest. For one, he wasn't short on money; and second, with his new line of collectible film figures about to hit the market, whatever Emlyn earned would only end up boosting his own film company's profits anyway.
(End of this chapter)