Fors was utterly bewildered.
Priscilla suddenly raised her tiny hand. "I know it~!"
Audrey hadn't expected someone to "steal her business," so she gestured with a smile, "Miss Magician, you can purchase knowledge of the Acting Method from Miss Death. Don't worry! It'll definitely be worth the price!"
Under Audrey's 'matchmaking', Fors spent a hefty sum of 200 Pounds to purchase knowledge of the Acting Method from Priscilla.
"Heehee, I made money!"
Priscilla was overjoyed, even though she was still a bit muddle-headed throughout the entire process. But who cared? I just said a few things and earned enough for Daddy's dental clinic to work for several days!
I'm a money-making genius!
Klein, meanwhile, was secretly regretful: Damn it, someone beat me to it. That 200 Pounds should've been mine!
Having already spent her first chunk of money, Fors gritted her teeth and spoke up boldly,
"Does anyone know the name and formula of Sequence 7 for the Apprentice Pathway? I'd like to buy it with money."
Everyone's gaze turned to Edward.
Edward nodded and replied, "Sequence 7 of the Apprentice Pathway is called Astrologer. I do have its formula. It's worth about 800 Pounds to 1,000 Pounds. Do you want it now?"
Fors froze. Even if you sold me, I wouldn't be worth that much...
She scratched her head awkwardly. "Um…I haven't even…digested my current potion yet, so there's no rush. I'm just asking ahead of time."
Miss Magician, you could've just said you don't have enough money right now…
After that, Little Sun raised a question about the Seven Gods, which greatly shocked Fors: There are actually people in this world who haven't heard of the Seven Gods?!
Then came a discussion about the City of Silver and some unheard-of ancient deities, which left her increasingly lost in confusion—though she didn't quite understand what they were talking about, it all sounded extremely important.
Once the topic of the Seven Gods came to an end, The Hanged Man, Alger, suddenly chuckled and said, "Mr. Tower, the events at the Pirate Conference have already spread across the Five Seas. Your name is now only ranked below the Four Kings."
Hearing this, Klein recalled that Edward had indeed gone to see Mister Hanged Man last week. So, controlling The World, he asked, "What exactly did Mr. Tower do at the Pirate Conference?"
Alger smiled and explained, "Mr. Tower started by setting fire to every pirate ship docked at the Pirate Conference, including those of the seven Pirate Admirals."
He shrugged. "If my ship weren't…special, I might still be stranded on that dead volcano island."
Klein fell into silence.
Fors shot a quick glance at Edward: This Mr. Tower must be incredibly dangerous. Pirates are already infamous for their ruthless violence, and he actually dared to burn their ships—and not just one, but the whole dock's worth!
Alger went on, "But even more shocking than that, Mister Tower did something else that truly shook the Five Seas."
"He successfully hunted one of the seven Pirate Admirals—Admiral of Blood, Senor. Now, there are only six Pirate Admirals left at sea."
This time, Klein was genuinely stunned: So Edward has already reached the level where he can hunt down a Pirate Admiral?
Thinking back to the recent battle with Rosago, where he and Sharron had barely survived only thanks to the Sealed Artifact "Language of Foulness," he couldn't help but reflect—they were both Sequence 7, but why was the difference in strength so vast?!
Wait a minute, is Edward really just Sequence 7...?
At that moment, Edward explained, "Mr. Hanged Man, that fire at the dock wasn't started by me. I was at a Beyonder gathering in the palace when it happened."
"What about Admiral of Blood?"
"Senor was hunted down by me and two other Pirate Admirals working together. I only contributed part of the effort."
Even so, if you could cooperate with Pirate Admirals, your strength couldn't be much lower than theirs, right?
Not to mention, according to survivors from the scene, the one who mainly fought Senor was Gerhman Sparrow!
Fors glanced back and forth between them: Pirate Conference? Pirate Admirals? Admiral of Blood...?
None of this has anything to do with me…but I have to force myself to pay attention if I want to integrate into this group...
But soon she realised—she wasn't the only one out of her depth. The tall and burly Sun mostly kept his head down and seemed uninterested in anything, while Miss Death was just like her, silently watching the drama unfold.
Alger suddenly remembered that Lord Sea King had ordered him to investigate Gerhman's identity. So he asked, "Mr. Tower, when you hijacked the Loen military ship in Bayam last time, did you encounter the Church of Storms' Sea King—Lord Jahn Kottman?"
???
Mister Tower hijacked a Loen warship too?! What kind of person is he?!
Edward was caught off guard by the sudden question but nodded.
"Yes. That night, after I 'attacked' the Governor's Mansion in Bayam, I hijacked a warship and ran into Lord Sea King at sea."
He attacked the Governor's Mansion too?!
Fors instinctively shuffled her seat farther away. This Mister Tower…he must be a terrorist! And the Tarot Club—with actual terrorists among its members—could it be...a terrorist organisation?!
I'm done for! I've walked right into a den of wolves!
Klein…was a little numb at this point.
Edward continued, "At the time…to maintain my acting, I deliberately provoked Lord Sea King, but I ended up fleeing quickly afterwards."
Klein couldn't help but have The World ask, "May I ask, this Lord Sea King is…?"
Alger took a deep breath.
"He is a Sequence 3 Saint of the Church of Storms."
"...…"
"Seriously? You were already being hunted by a demigod from the Aurora Order, and now you've provoked a Saint of the Church of Storm?"
Klein, playing the Fool, was feeling increasingly numb. At this rate, I'm going to get exposed just because of him!
Seeing the reactions, Edward could only smile wryly. "Actually, all those seemingly insane and terrifying things I did...they were just for the sake of acting. Now that the potion has been fully digested, I won't need to go on any more mad escapades."
Everyone looked enlightened.
After a moment of hesitation, Alger's expression turned complicated. "I hope, at the very least, that Mr. Tower will refrain from going out to sea again anytime soon. Right now, more than half the pirates on the seas are after you. The bounty placed on your head by the Church and the military has doubled. I've also heard that some people from the Southern Continent are asking about your whereabouts."
"Thanks. I understand."
Alger nodded. "The money from the sale of the two mystical storage items has already been transferred to the account you provided. I should be selling a few more soon. However, a few buyers expressed interest but complained that the internal space is still too limited. Do you have a solution, Mr. Tower?"
Edward nodded. "That can be negotiated."
"Great!" Alger's tone immediately became more enthusiastic. "I'll wait for your update." After a short pause, he added, "Right, about the defensive mystical item you commissioned me to find…"
Edward's eyes lit up. "Did you find one?"
Alger shook his head. "Not quite. But I did come across a mystical item. It can take a fatal blow in your place when you're severely injured—essentially acting as a substitute."
Klein was surprised. Isn't that the Magician's Paper Figurine Substitute?
Edward's heart stirred. This might actually be more useful for staying alive than a simple defensive item.
"But it can only be used once per day. If it's activated more than once in the same day, it will be completely destroyed. If you don't exceed that limit, it will recover the next day." Alger continued, "There's also a side effect: the longer you use it, the stronger your bond with it becomes. In the end, you might end up becoming the substitute that takes damage for it."
"If you transfer it to someone else for a while and then get it back, the accumulated time still continues from before."
He spread his hands. "Because of these limitations and side effects, I didn't buy it immediately. But if you're sure you want it, I'll help arrange the deal."
"How much?"
"7,800 pounds. But I think the price can still be negotiated."
7,800 pounds?!
Fors drew in a sharp breath. That was a number so high she couldn't even begin to comprehend it.
Edward thought it over for a moment and decided to buy it—after all, this item practically meant one extra life a day. At that price, it was more than worth it.
As for the side effect…well, he could always just stop using it once it became problematic.
"All right, I'll take it. Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man."
"No problem."
At that moment, Audrey raised her hand. "By the way, everyone, don't forget—I'm still waiting for the pair of eyes from a Mirror Dragon, the Fruit of the Tree of Elders, and the formula for Sequence 6 of the Spectator pathway."
The Eye and the Fruit were both for Suzie.
As for the Sequence 6 formula, although Edward had told her that formulas for middle and higher sequences of the Spectator pathway were tightly controlled by the Psychology Alchemist, she still wanted to try—surely not all high-level Spectators in the world belong to that organisation?
Alger thought for a moment. "I should be able to acquire the Eyes of the Mirror Dragon and the Fruit of the Tree of Elders soon. As for the Sequence 6 formula, I've never seen it offered anywhere."
"Okay. I hope we can trade soon, Mr. Hanged Man."
Then Klein, controlling the World, spoke in his usual hoarse tone, "Help me keep an eye out for the mutated pituitary gland and blood of a Thousand-Faced Hunter, the characteristics of a Human-Skined Shadow, and the hair of a Deep Sea Naga."
Originally, he'd wanted to wait until the Magician potion had fully digested before gathering materials for the Faceless. But now that Edward had already gone and provoked a Sea King, he felt a new sense of urgency. The sooner he got the materials, the sooner he could advance to Sequence 6!
Just as the Tarot Club meeting was drawing to a close, Miss Death raised her little hand.
"I—I have a question!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
"How do you get three people who love to argue to get along peacefully?"
…Huh?
Everyone was dumbfounded. What kind of question was that?
Only Edward's expression changed: She's not talking about the Medici Trio…is she?
Audrey curiously asked, "Why do those three like to argue? And why do you want them to get along?"
Priscilla pouted. "I don't know why they argue. Most of the time, I don't even understand what they're saying. But they're so noisy!"
That left everyone even more confused. Her childish tone was adorable—but also hard to interpret.
Edward asked gravely, "What are their names?"
She thought for a moment and replied, "I think…Medici, Einhorn, and Sauron."
It really is them!!
They actually succeeded?!
"Are you being controlled by them right now?"
"Nope!" Priscilla answered. "They're the spirits housed in my body's Underworld. So…it should be me controlling them, right?"
Huh?
What kind of twisted scheme is the Medici Trio playing this time?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.