"Give me a break."
Edward pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "It's been over a hundred years. Countless explorers and pirates have searched for the Laurel and come up empty-handed. You seriously think I can help you find it?"
Her tone remained calm. "I'm just sharing the information with you for now. After all, I did promise you a share of the family treasure."
The pie she was painting in the sky was more outrageous than the empty promises of some modern startup CEO.
"If I get new information, I'll update you. Goodbye."
She stepped back and used Door Opening to phase through the wall and disappear.
As soon as Christine left, Edward's expression turned serious.
"The sunken Laurel...Is this another coincidence? Or one of that Russian priest's schemes?"
To be fair, Edward didn't find the Russian priest's interventions as repulsive as Ince Zangwill's.
After all, they didn't really have conflicting interests.
Well, trying to stop the Great Smog could be considered a half-conflict, but that was still just a vague idea—he had no concrete plans yet.
Aside from that, the priest's desire to become a god, to revive the Ancient Sun God...That was actually beneficial to the world as a whole.
"Tch. Whether this is 'His' doing or not, I'll eventually end up in 'His' story...or rather, maybe no one except the gods can escape his notice."
"In that case, there's no point in running. Instead, I should try to gain as much initiative as I can before the plot completely unravels—and maybe even get something out of it."
With that thought in mind, he turned to Lilith and said, "Lilith, I'm heading out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
"Got it~"
Crack!
Edward's figure twisted and reappeared near Saint Samuel Cathedral.
By now, the sun had already set, and the entire world was cloaked in a dim, lonely twilight. The cathedral's lights were already lit, and devout believers continued to come and go.
Saint Anthony was still absent today. After asking Bishop Electra, Edward learned that he had gone to preach at a small church on the outskirts of Backlund and wouldn't return for a while.
With the Bishop's permission, Edward once again entered the prayer library he had used before. He lit candles, dripped some essential oils, and carried out the ritual step by step. Then he whispered:
"I pray for the power of the night;
I pray for the power of secrecy;
I pray for the favour of the goddess;
Written on this parchment are some of my naïve and crude ideas.
I for enlightenment on whether they are feasible.
Night-vanilla, flower of the Crimson Moon,
Please carry my prayer to the Goddess!
Moonflowers, blossoms of the Crimson Moon,
Please carry my prayer to the Goddess!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a folded piece of parchment on the ground was swept up by a gust of wind and vanished.
Moments later, the ashes from the burning herbs and the surrounding soil rose into the air, forming a single word:
"Interesting."
...???
Edward froze for a second, his first thought being: Did I mess up the chant and accidentally pray to Amon? But even if he did, Amon wouldn't dare respond within the Church of Evernight...It's not like everyone is Mister Fool.
"Then...I'll take that to mean "You" think it's acceptable?"
He drew the symbol of the crimson moon over his chest and lowered his head. "Praise the Goddess."
After packing up, Edward casually found a quiet, empty alley nearby.
With a brief moment of hesitation, his appearance and clothing changed rapidly, transforming into Gehrman Sparrow. Whether Adam knew Gehrman Sparrow and Edward were the same person didn't matter—some disguises were still necessary.
He looked up at the star-filled sky and the crimson full moon and said clearly:
"I want to obtain a Card of Blasphemy, any one of them. What must I offer in exchange?"
He enunciated each word clearly—
"The Twilight Hermit Order."
———
That night, Edward did not receive a response from the Twilight Hermit Order. He wasn't sure if they hadn't heard him, couldn't be bothered to reply, or simply needed time to 'digest' the request.
Of course, Edward wasn't about to sit around and wait like an idiot. He found Danitz—who was practically glowing, looking like he'd just accomplished something great—and the two of them returned to Bayam together.
The door key's anchor point on the Bayam side was a remote, deserted corner. As usual, Danitz landed in an ungraceful heap, groaning from the impact.
Under Lilith's judgmental gaze, he grunted and said, "Even though I've been injured plenty of times, pain still scares me."
Lilith's eyes were still filled with disdain.
"Who says pirates aren't allowed to fear pain?"
Perched on Edward's shoulder, Lilith raised a paw and pointed at Danitz. "Edward, doesn't that count as a confession without coercion?"
"Smart girl, you're using idioms now."
She immediately lifted her head proudly. "That's right!"
At that moment, Edward tapped Danitz with his wand. "You've been buffed. Go gather some intel—we'll meet at the Seaweed Bar later."
"Even my captain usually doesn't order me around like this..."
He grumbled something under his breath and hurried off, still wrapped in an Iron Armour Charm.
Edward changed his appearance again, turned Lilith into a calico cat and tucked her into his arms, then headed toward the Seaweed Bar.
According to Danitz, the Seaweed Bar was a hangout for the local gangs and frequently saw the presence of well-known pirates.
The moment he stepped inside, a strong stench of alcohol assaulted his senses. He walked up to the bar and ordered a mild malt beer, tossing out a few coins as he asked, "Any big news in Bayam these past two days?"
The bartender casually pocketed the coins with a deadpan face. "What big news could there be? Isn't the whole of Bayam looking for that 'moody' Gehrman Sparrow right now?"
Moody Gehrman Sparrow? They've already given me a nickname? And why is it so lame?
"All because he raided a few ships?"
The bartender shrugged. "Heh, four out of the five ships belonged to the pirate admirals. That's not something you just brush off with 'a few ships'."
He gave Edward a meaningful look, then turned back to polishing a glass that was already sparkling clean. "That said, I have heard some other rumours."
He didn't elaborate. Instead, he focused on polishing the same glass.
Edward tossed a few more coins onto the counter.
The bartender immediately put the glass down and smiled. "Some say there was infighting in Gehrman Sparrow's own fleet. The Iron Hook was burned and sank during the conflict, and out of sixty or seventy pirates, hardly any survived...Now, why would they fight among themselves?"
He lowered his voice and added in a conspiratorial tone, "Because they discovered an ancient treasure near Sonia Island!"
"…"
So this is how rumours start, huh?
Still, not a bad thing. At least the name Gehrman Sparrow had really started spreading.
Now, how can I make use of that?
After all, I'm not playing the role of a mad pirate hunter like Klein.
Psychopath, genius, lunatic...
Just then, Lilith peeked her head out, delicately stuck out her pink tongue and gave the beer a tentative lick—only to recoil and start spitting repeatedly.
She turned back to stare at her "big cat", confusion written all over her furry little face.
Why does he like drinking such awful stuff? And he doesn't even like juicy, plump mice!
Humans are so weird!
Before long, Danitz strode into the bar. His eyes quickly swept across the room and locked onto Edward—the only person here "with a cat's head" sticking out of his chest.
"Get him a glass of Sonia Bloodwine," Edward said, tapping the counter.
Danitz took the crimson drink and downed half in one go, then let out a long sigh. "Phew—that's what I call good booze!"
"So? Got any intel?"
Glancing at the bartender, he replied, "Well, you've probably heard all the common gossip, so I'll tell you something the average person wouldn't know."
He drained the rest of the bloodwine before continuing, "The four pirate generals involved are: Admiral Deep Sea—Howl Constantine, Admiral Hell—Ludwell, Admiral of Blood—Senor, and Admiral of Stars—Cattleya."
Huh, even Cattleya's fleet was involved.
"And the last one?"
"Untraceable," Danitz chuckled. "Which actually tells us something—it's either a completely ordinary pirate ship, or one backed by the Church or the military."
Edward nodded, then asked, "Any famous pirates arrived in Bayam recently?"
"Ludwell and Cattleya haven't made any moves yet. But Deep Sea's first mate—the 'Burier' Tesla—is currently on the island. His bounty is 9,800 pounds. Also, Admiral of Blood's second mate, 'Steel' Maveti, just arrived yesterday."
"If they find out where I am…would they come for me alone, or bring reinforcements?"
Danitz hesitated. "That…I'm not sure."
Edward tapped the rim of his glass thoughtfully. "Alright then. Spread the word—I'm recruiting another crew to explore the ancient treasure near Sonia Island!"
"Wait, again?"
"Why not?"
"But…we don't even have a ship anymore." Danitz slapped his forehead. "Oh, right. Guess that's not really a problem. You're the boss."
Danitz turned to the stunned bartender. "What are you staring at? Get me another Sonia Bloodwine!"
"O-okay!"
The bartender hurried to pour the drink, now fully aware of the identity of the man in front of him—the 'moody' Gehrman Sparrow. He didn't dare show the slightest disrespect, fearing the man might draw a revolver and shoot him on the spot.
Edward gave him a polite smile, then turned and walked out of the bar.
Hopefully, enough people show up tonight.
That way, he could try out some new tricks.
"Lilith, mind hanging out in the leather pouch for a bit?"
She blinked her blue eyes. "Mmm…then can I go play with Susie from that cabinet later?"
"Of course."
"Okay~"
She obediently let Edward tuck her into the pouch.
Edward changed into the face of a local islander and strolled toward the governor's mansion.
This was the true centre of power on the island—residence and office of Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt, a high-ranking member of the Loen military and a demi-god.
Soon, Edward picked a regular-looking person among the people coming and going as his target. After confirming through divination that there were no issues, he silently cast Confundus to control the man and issued a command before letting him go.
Then, he cast the same spell on six or seven more people, giving them identical instructions.
"Step one, complete."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.