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Without a hat, Edwina Edwards wore a beige coat cinched at the waist, with a large, palm-sized floral decoration made of white lace woven around the collar, extending downwards.
She sat behind the desk, her light blue eyes scrutinizing "Ferran" before her; under her Spirit Vision, a dark golden light could be faintly seen enveloping his entire body.
Her palm swept over "Groselle's Travels" placed on the table, and Edwina nodded in a very calm tone, responding:
"Good afternoon."
Aaron, maintaining his persona, no longer spoke, waiting for the other party to state the purpose of wanting to see him.
… …
He looked at Edwina.
… …
Edwina looked at him.
… …
A few minutes of silence suddenly filled the scholarly captain's cabin, as if both sides were waiting for the other to speak.
"Is this why she's nicknamed 'Iceberg Vice Admiral'?" a thought flashed through Aaron's mind.
Although a bit speechless, since he didn't know how long his talisman could last, if this standoff continued, the persona of a mysterious powerhouse would likely collapse.
"Ferran" coughed twice, and said to "Iceberg Vice Admiral" Edwina Edwards:
"You previously said you wanted to meet me before trading. Now that I'm here, I wonder if we can proceed with the trade."
Edwina nodded very slightly, looking at "Ferran" and saying:
"I also recently acquired this copy of 'Groselle's Travels' and haven't mentioned it to other crew members. I'm very curious how you knew it was in my possession?"
"Ferran" feigned contemplation for a few seconds, then replied earnestly:
"That's a secret."
The air was still for a few seconds. Edwina was silent for a moment, not dwelling on the question:
"If you want them, I can sell both items to you. I've been researching for a while and still haven't had any breakthroughs.
"However, I have one condition."
"What condition?" "Ferran" retorted, though he already had a guess in his heart.
Edwina pursed her lips and said:
"If you research anything, please be sure to tell me the results so I no longer have doubts."
"As long as you agree to this condition, I can sell them to you very cheaply."
A smile spread across "Ferran's" face, and he readily agreed to this not-so-demanding request.
Edwina nodded, and suddenly a dark iron-colored key appeared in her hand. It was as large as a zither, ancient in form, and dull in luster.
The Pirate Admiral half-held, half-supported this shipwreck relic, pointing to "Groselle's Travels" on the table and reminding:
"The previous owner of this book cannot be verified due to the mists of history and a lack of corresponding information, nor can the author be confirmed. Uh, it's unsigned."
"I've done some research using secret arts and found that the parchment was made at least three thousand years ago, before the Cataclysm."
"Hmm, this is what I've researched so far. I hope it can be of help to you."
"Ferran" nodded and asked the lady captain for some spiritual materials. Without hesitation, he directly set up a ritual on the desk.
A moment later, he spoke in ancient Hermes:
"I!"
"I summon in my name;"
"Spirits wandering in the void, upper realm creatures driven by others, the messenger exclusive to Lucivide Joseph."
Whoosh!
The wind stirred up a hum, and the golden candle flame instantly turned a ghostly blue.
Under its illumination, nearly transparent ripples spread out from the center of the three candles.
"Lucivide Joseph?"
Edwina, full of interest, withdrew her gaze from the ritual and looked at "Ferran" to her side, her eyes slightly shifting.
Suddenly, she turned her head sharply, her expression instantly becoming solemn. A Puppet whose face consisted only of eyes walked out from there, accompanied by an aura that made everyone present tremble.
That was the aura of a Demigod. A Demigod acting as a messenger? Edwina couldn't help but glance sideways at "Ferran" who was smiling silently.
The day after "Orange Light" Hilarion visited him, Aaron was already able to contact Astolfo and confirmed that it had recovered to the Demigod level.
Astolfo's only black and white eye on its face slightly turned, becoming pure white. Ripples spread, and two piles of gold coins emerged from it, neatly placed on the floor of the captain's cabin, like two golden mountains.
"Ferran" suppressed himself from looking at the gold mountains on the floor. That was the price Edwina quoted after the discount: 17,000 pounds for both items.
If Aaron hadn't just received the bounty from the Admiral of Blood a few days ago, plus the gold pounds from selling Beyonder characteristics and various talismans, he wouldn't have been able to produce so much cash at once.
Without paying much attention to the gold mountains on the floor, Edwina looked at the uniquely shaped messenger, who resembled a Spirit World creature more, nodded in acknowledgment, and handed over the dark iron key and "Groselle's Travels."
The huge, black and white eye suddenly turned pure black, like the Abyss, directly swallowing the two items. Ripples spread, and it slowly disappeared into the Spirit World.
Only after the messenger left did Edwina withdraw her gaze, looking very seriously at "Ferran," her lips slightly curved, seemingly in a very good mood:
"I suppose I can call you Mr. Lucivide, right?"
Seeing "Ferran" nod slightly, she pointed to the still-present ritual and said with great interest:
"I once tried to find a messenger, but I could only grope for the incantations myself. It was not only dangerous but also very difficult to get a satisfactory one, so I eventually had to give up."
"This is one reason. Another is that the simulated power of the undead cannot be used to sign contracts."
"And your incantation gave me a lot of inspiration. I think I now have a concrete direction. This is a very good research direction."
Although he was curious why Edwina, who had the backing of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, wouldn't know the ritual for signing a messenger, he didn't ask further.
Glancing at the door of the captain's cabin, his lips slightly curved, "Ferran" nodded slightly:
"A very smooth transaction. Thank you for your generosity. If I research anything, I will have Ferran relay it to you."
"Your crew must have gathered by now. I won't disturb you further. Farewell."
As the words fell, accompanied by an invisible fluctuation, Ferran trembled as if waking from a deep dream, almost falling. He stared at the two golden mountains piled on the floor, instantly falling into a daze, even forgetting to pick up the chair that had fallen over.
Even with the captain's warning, the commotion from inside still prompted the anxious crew members outside the door to break in.
Seeing the unharmed captain and the golden mountains piled on the floor, the words everyone wanted to say suddenly got stuck in their throats.
The Third Mate, Jodeson, wearing a white shirt, black vest, and a patterned tie, quickly recovered. He glanced at the broken door and hurriedly explained:
"Captain, we have arrived at the mysterious island you marked earlier. Do you need me to go down and investigate first?"
Edwina withdrew her gaze, speaking calmly without showing joy or anger:
"No need. I know there's a safe passage. After obtaining the treasure map, we'll make one last resupply at the northern archipelago, then officially begin our adventure…"
-----------------
In the waters near the Sonia Sea, at the edge of the Berserk Sea, within a luxurious bedroom in the ship's cabin, Aaron suddenly opened his eyes, rubbing his slightly swollen head. It took him a while to recover.
Before he could sigh in relief, a familiar fluctuation appeared beside him. Astolfo floated out of the Spirit World, releasing the dark iron key and "Groselle's Travels."
Looking at Astolfo, who was completely different from before, Aaron pondered before speaking:
"You must have devoured Jax to recover to the Demigod level. He must have been a fanatical believer, and should have been corrupted with a lot of pollution. If you need, I can help you remove the pollution."
The face with only an eye remaining quietly looked at Aaron. After a moment, instead of the previous mental transmission, a neutral voice, indistinguishable between male and female, rang out.
"I have already removed the pollution on him. After recovering to Demigod, my memories are no longer incomplete. You can ask any questions you have, and I may also need your help later."
Aaron's eyes slightly brightened, and he asked with great anticipation:
"Can you now affect Him in the Spirit World? Or can you borrow a portion of His power from Him?"
Astolfo was silent for a moment, not directly answering the question, but instead said:
"Although the 'Ancient Bane' Beyonder characteristic of the 'Chained God,' which autonomously separated into the Spirit World after being corrupted, transformed into a Spirit World creature due to the Spirit World's unique properties, the corruption is still spreading."
"The source of the corruption is an existence I cannot contend with. The only way is to delay the corruption and await a turning point."
"With the help of the Seven Lights of the Spirit World, I at that time found the remnants of the Giant King Aurmir from the Second Epoch in the Spirit World. That was a Sequence 2 Glory Beyonder characteristic, mixed with much of His mad consciousness."
"It was only by relying on the residual will of Aurmir within it that I could barely contend with that terrifying corruption."
"And the abnormally powerful distorted force brought by the forced Convergence of different high-Sequence characteristics also caused Suah to return empty-handed time and again."
"Sequence 2 Glory? Warrior Pathway…" Remembering the huge, pus-oozing figure he saw in the Spirit World, Aaron understood somewhat. Just as he was about to speak, Astolfo continued:
"Therefore, if I borrow His power, I can temporarily possess power comparable to an Angel, but it will also gradually destroy His original balance, and the corruption will become uncontrollable."
Aaron frowned, no longer dwelling on this point. Anything involving an Outer Deity had to be handled with caution, no risks could be taken. He cast aside his original bold idea and instead asked:
"Then do you know the high-Sequence potion formula for the Warrior Pathway? I have a Sequence 5 personal guard whose potion has long been digested, but he lacks the potion formula and ritual."
As soon as his words fell, two streams of light shot out from Astolfo's pupils, forming two segments of text and corresponding symbols in the void before Aaron:
Sequence 4 - Demon Hunter:
Main Ingredients: One heart of an adult Demonic Wolf, three tail feathers of an adult Feathered Serpent.
Supplementary ingredients: One piece of Dawn Stone, 80 ml of Phantasmal Beast blood.
Advancement Ritual: Drink the potion. Before losing control and dying, kill an evil creature at the Demigod level, filled with chaos and madness. Advance to Demon Hunter in a baptism of blood.
Sequence 3 Silver Knight Advancement Ritual:
Set up a complex altar, place the remains of six powerful creatures hunted by oneself in the correct positions, and obtain a blessing from an Angel or above.
Although the Silver Knight potion formula was incomplete, with only the advancement ritual remaining, there was a complete Demon Hunter potion formula.
Looking at the starlight that appeared before him, Aaron frowned deeply. Just by looking at the main ingredients of the potion, he could confirm that this must be a formula from before the second Blasphemy Slate appeared.
Not to mention the possibility of remaining Feathered Serpents on some remote, hidden islands, just the Demonic Wolves, which have been nearly wiped out by the Church of Evernight, make the main ingredients very difficult to gather, unless one prays to the Evernight Goddess, which might be the only way to obtain them.
The God of Combat Church's potion formulas must have made corresponding changes, finding substitutes while ensuring the original efficacy.
However, Aaron had a more convenient method. Instead of painstakingly searching for materials, it would be better to directly kill a Demon Hunter; then everything would be available.
It just so happened that the Feysac Empire colonial area in the Southern Continent was at war with the family, which could be an opportunity to make a fortune.
Having made up his mind, Aaron looked at the Demon Hunter advancement ritual, then suddenly his expression changed, and he looked at "Groselle's Travels" at his feet.
Didn't the "King of the North" in the book world, who blended different abilities, perfectly fit the requirements of the ritual?
At this thought, Aaron's eyes flickered. He had originally planned to enter the book world tonight, but he immediately changed his mind.
Seeing that Aaron had no questions to ask, Astolfo returned to the Spirit World. Knowing the special nature of "Groselle's Travels," to avoid any accidents, Aaron sacrificed it along with the dark iron key to the dark golden mist.
-----------------
February 23, 1347, Southern Continent, East Balam, the coastal city of Glynn in the Loen colonial region.
Aaron walked down the gangplank, gazing at the distinct layers of the city built against the mountain, and looking at the streets mixed with Southern Continent and Loen styles, he said to his adjutant beside him:
"Arrange a carriage as soon as possible. We need to reach Lloyd City in the Paz River Valley before the end of the month. You can send a telegram to inform Glenn Will that I am arriving soon."
The adjutant left to carry out the order, while Aaron watched the people riding bicycles back and forth with great satisfaction.
Most of the houses in Glynn City were built along the winding roads, with occasional flatter, more open areas serving as squares or markets.
As a coastal city in the Loen colonial region, it was exceptionally prosperous and also the area where bicycles were most widely used in the Southern Continent.
His personal guard captain, Bayer Barret, slowly walked over and reminded:
"Your Lordship, you should still be very careful. Although this place belongs to Loen's colonial region, the Church of the Lord of Storms, the military, and the Church of Evernight all have influence here."
"But many local natives still secretly believe in other secretive organizations, such as the Numinous Episcopate, and the Rose School of Thought."
"You just killed the Admiral of Blood last time, so the Rose School of Thought will definitely consider you their primary target."
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