Silas's words startled not just Moon Emerlin, but everyone else present as well.
"...Why?"
Hanged Man Alger asked in a low voice after a moment of silence.
"From our last operation."
Silas answered succinctly, "Your rightful share."
His successful raid on Governor Bayam owed much to the help of these two. World Klein had drawn away the "Sea King" for him, while Hanged Man Alger had supplied the coastal defense maps and the passwords. Without them, things would not have gone so smoothly.
This was too much!
He really was short on money, but this was still too much!
He truly wanted to accept it, but taking so much left him deeply uneasy!
Besides, there had even been errors in the information he'd provided...
Klein was protesting fiercely inside. But as World, he maintained his cold demeanor, and said tersely in a hoarse voice:
"It's too much."
"Governor Bayam's safe was quite well-stocked. What I'm giving you isn't much by comparison," Silas said. "But since there's no telling how long it'll take to sell off the rest, I'll just give you the cash directly."
"Thank you for your generosity."
Seeing that he was serious, Hanged Man Alger stopped standing on ceremony and accepted.
"...Let's leave it at that for now. We'll talk later."
Klein meant to refuse, but saying too much at the gathering would clash with his persona. He could only set the matter aside for now, planning to have a proper talk with Silas later at one of the transmigrators' small gatherings.
As for the others at the gathering, their reactions varied.
Robbing a governor's mansion really was profitable,
Hermit Cattelya thought to herself. As a pirate captain, she too had financial needs, both to strengthen her crew and to keep her fleet running. It was just a shame that his methods were hard to replicate; not everyone could be as reckless, or as powerful, as he was.
Mr. Temperance really was generous... She envied Mr. World and Mr. Hanged Man so much...
Magician Fors felt a twinge of worry: she had originally planned to hire Temperance to kill "Mr. X," but given how expensive he clearly was, she wondered whether she could even afford his fee.
After all, the tabloids of Backlund had already run the story into the ground. Headlines like "Blood Reverend Ambushes Bayam, Makes Off with Three Ships' Worth of Gold" or "Warship Cannons Shatter the Navy, Arsenal Seized, Princess Feysac Abducted" were being passed from mouth to mouth. His reputation had once again spread across the world, and he was quietly beginning to be ranked alongside the great sea lords.
No wonder he was destined to become a pirate king; his bearing was simply on another level!
Justice Audrey thought sincerely. Though one or two thousand pounds wasn't an especially large sum to her, she understood just how rare it was for anyone to share money so freely.
Once the spoils had been divided, Silas looked around at everyone and spoke slowly:
"I need the Sequence 3 potion formula for the Secrets Suppliant pathway."
Unsurprisingly, everyone fell silent.
Sequence 3?
Did he honestly look like a Sequence 3 to them?
"That request is too high a bar. I wouldn't dare write to my teacher about it," Magician Fors said, shaking her head quickly and earnestly. "He'd think I'd lost my mind."
"I can't bring it up with the Psychology Alchemists either."
Justice Audrey said.
Hanged Man, Sun, Moon, and the others likewise cited similar reasons for being unable to help. Only Hermit Cattelya thought she might be able to give it a try.
"If I succeed, my payment will be a drop of blood from a Mythical Creature, any Mythical Creature will do."
Her purple eyes, magnified behind her lenses, stayed fixed on Silas.
A Mythical Creature?
Silas knew exactly what that term meant.
High Sequence Beyonders whose level of life had risen to the point of approaching divinity. Starting from Sequence 4, one could manifest a Mythical Creature state, though the forms displayed at Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 were incomplete, and came with severe side effects, with a real risk of losing control and being unable to recover. What Hermit needed was surely not blood from a Beyonder of that level.
That meant what she needed was the blood of an Angel-level Beyonder, or of a Beyonder Creature.
Actually, I've got a dead one on me,
Silas thought it over, then asked:
"Would something that had fallen from Angel back to Sequence 4 work?"
"...?"
Hermit Cattelya looked thoroughly puzzled by the question, but answered seriously all the same, "I'm not sure what you mean, but what I need has to be blood shed while in the Mythical Creature state."
Then that probably wouldn't work.
Silas thought.
The only other person he knew who fit the bill was that chairman of the Life School of Thought, the Snake of Mercury. But that one was currently still in his mother's womb, and would likely need quite a while yet before being born.
"Just keep an eye out for one for me, then, no rush."
Silas told her.
After that, he had no further requests. He leaned back and settled in to watch the others perform.
"Ahem, ahem."
Moon Emerlin gradually recovered from his earlier shock. He cleared his throat a little, and once he had everyone's attention, said with a touch of affectation, "Everyone, does anyone know a way for Vampires to strengthen themselves?"
He genuinely cared a great deal about his "Vampire" identity.
"The way you all grow stronger isn't any different from ordinary Beyonders,"
Hanged Man Alger said. "You still need to take potions to advance, same as everyone else."
"But the waiting line within the Vampire ranks is far too long."
Moon Emerlin said, frowning.
He had watched the promotions of the Tarot Club's other members closely, which naturally left him anxious. By the time it was finally his turn, the others might well have already reached Sequence 5. How was he supposed to keep up his pride as a Vampire in front of everyone else then?
Even though no one else took his pride seriously, it still mattered a great deal to him. Especially since both Mr. Fool and Progenitor Lilith regarded him as the hope of a new era (or so Emerlin believed), he simply had to work hard to advance!
"As it happens, I know the whereabouts of a Vampire Baron's extraordinary trait, which corresponds to the main ingredient for the Apothecary pathway's Sequence 6, 'Potion Professor.'"
Alger said with a smile. "If you want it, I could talk to the current holder on your behalf."
It was part of a collection belonging to a great pirate he knew, someone who considered it useless and was willing to part with it.
"How much?"
Emerlin was somewhat tempted, especially since he'd recently come into quite a bit of money, which gave him a certain amount of confidence.
"It's worth somewhere between four and five thousand pounds. The exact figure will depend on what I can negotiate with the holder."
"Five thousand pounds!"
Emerlin cried out in astonishment.
That much money would be enough to finally bring home several dolls he'd had his eye on for ages, with plenty left over to dress every one of them in a few new outfits! His first instinct was to give up on the idea, but he quickly thought of the Progenitor's favor and the glory of the Vampire lineage, and found himself hesitating.
If only I had a way to make big money like Temperance does,
he thought, troubled, glancing instinctively toward Silas.