Chapter 171: A Scholarly Bishop

Chapter 171: A Scholarly Bishop

Shalf’s residence was not like that of most bachelors—messy and dirty. Everything was arranged neatly. There was no dust on the windowsill either. After all, as an Artisan, he was not lacking in money. It was only because much of what he did had to remain confidential, making it inconvenient to hire a large number of fixed servants, that he had no choice but to hire people by the hour to help.

With a sweep of his gaze, Alger discovered that this place was not significantly different from the last time he had visited. The furnishings were extremely simple, with no valuable decorations, oil paintings, or sculptures. It looked like an ordinary commoner’s home.

Of course, Alger knew very well that Shalf was more than wealthy enough to be considered rich. He simply did not care about so-called dignity. He could spend several hundred pounds on a limited-edition famous wine. He could give away a house to keep a mistress. But he would not waste even one pence on expensive carpets, bone-china tea sets, gilded cups and plates, or oil paintings by famous artists.

“A glass of Sonia Blood Wine.” Alger’s expression did not change, but his words and body language both displayed that he had only come in to mooch some wine.

Shalf shrugged and said, “You should count yourself lucky that I do not have a habit of keeping Lirangzi.”

He walked toward the small bar counter in the living room, took out an exquisitely bottled Sonia Blood Wine, and flipped over two glasses.

Alger, who had found a sofa and sat down, took this chance to raise a hand and pinch the back of his neck, as though easing discomfort in his cervical spine.

Using this gesture as cover, he naturally glanced left and right, swiftly inspecting the parts of the room he had been unable to see earlier.

Because Shalf was too lazy to decorate and had placed almost no ornaments around, Alger completed his attempt very quickly. His gaze paused for one second on the glass window of a distant cabinet.

Through the glass, he saw some dried withered grass and flowers.

Among them were red-edged flowers, blood-moon grass, and monkey-face tree leaves. Their common trait was that they were all common on the Southern Continent, yet almost absent on the Northern Continent.

Alger withdrew his gaze and calmly watched as Shalf brought over the wine bottle and glasses.

Reaching out to accept one, he chatted casually with the other man about various matters at sea, until that small half bottle of Sonia Blood Wine had been drained dry.

Seeing this, Alger smiled and took his leave.

Five minutes after he left, Shalf, who had been quietly sitting and experiencing the feeling of tipsiness, suddenly stood. He walked to the stairway and opened the wooden door leading to the basement.

“Did he suspect anything?”

“No.”

“In any case, this place is no longer suitable for you to live in. Move to our place as soon as possible.”

“I still have a few commissions unfinished.”

“There is no need to finish them. You will no longer contact them anyway. You have already obtained new life.”

“Alright.”

…

Two houses away, Alger sat on a bench in someone’s garden, pinching his earlobe with his right hand as he listened to the words brought by the wind.

…

West Balam, outside an ordinary-looking house in Berens Harbor.

“Is this really because you are on bad terms with the Church of Knowledge, so you egged me on to come ask for Understanding Language charms?” Danitz wiped sweat from his forehead and looked at Anderson opposite him with great unease.

Anderson smiled in a half-self-mocking, half-indifferent manner.

“It cannot be described as bad…”

“So it is hostility?” Danitz interrupted without thinking.

Anderson glanced at him and said, “The negative effect of your glove may not be as easy to endure as you believe.”

He paused, then added with a chuckle, “The more accurate description is that whether it is me or the people of the Church of Knowledge, neither side is especially willing to spend time with the other.”

Danitz gripped the glove with his other hand and said with some difficulty, “But how am I supposed to request the charms?

“If I walk directly up to the clergy of an orthodox Church and mention matters in the field of mysticism, I’ll be locked up in a sealed area!”

At present, Danitz was only somewhat reckless. He could not be called stupid.

Anderson spread his hands.

“Very simple. You directly mention my name, then say that you came to West Balam on urgent business and had no time to learn Dutanese. You also do not dare hire a local translator, so you can only request their help and hope to obtain a few Understanding Language charms.

“During this process, you need to show that you know multiple Northern Continent languages. Let those missionaries know that it is not that you lack the ability to learn Dutanese, but that you do not have time. Then they will give you test questions. At that point, as long as you score decently, you can obtain the charms.”

Test…

Hearing this familiar word, Danitz’s temple unconsciously twitched. He forced a smile.

“You’re afraid of tests, so you don’t dare go yourself, right?”

He had only casually said something to cover up his discomfort, but he then saw Anderson’s expression freeze for one second.

So there are things you are afraid of too… Danitz secretly gave a heh, suddenly brimming with confidence.

He strode into the ordinary-looking house and discovered that this place resembled a collection of classrooms more than it did the missionary site of the Church of Knowledge in West Balam.

Then he saw an old man with graying hair.

Although this gentleman was not wearing the clerical robes of the Church of Knowledge, that unique scholarly quality made Danitz believe this was at least a bishop.

He had experienced a similar feeling from his Captain.

“Hello.” Danitz, not wearing the Shadow Cloak and dressed like an ordinary person, piled on a smile and walked over.

The old man watched him approach quietly, then slowly spoke:

“Danitz.”

“…”

Danitz instantly stopped, stiffening where he stood. His mind filled with thoughts like, “He knows me?” “How does he know me?” “Could it be that my wanted poster is not only spread across the sea?”

The old man glanced at him and asked on his own, “You came to request Understanding Language charms?”

“Yes…” Danitz nodded blankly, suddenly feeling as if he had no secrets at all before this man.

The scholar-like old gentleman gave a light nod.

“You are preparing to go to the lands ruled by Katami and Mesanyes?”

“Yes.” Danitz was still somewhat dazed.

The scholar-like old gentleman reached into his coat pocket and took out four brass charms.

“They can be used for two months. That should be enough.”

“…”

Danitz took them in confusion. After several seconds, he said, “That’s it?”

It was that simple?

There was no test?

“Do you not want them?” the scholar-like old gentleman asked with a faint smile.

“No, no!” Danitz abruptly shook his head. Before his brain could react, he had already opened his mouth to ask, “How do you know me? How did you know I wanted Understanding Language charms?”

A little pity appeared in the scholar-like old gentleman’s eyes. Speaking slowly, he said, “Your captain contacted me.

“She said that when you got off the ship, you kept walking no matter how she called after you, charging straight into the docks. She had actually already prepared Understanding Language charms for you.”

As he spoke, the old gentleman shook his head. His gaze was rather complicated, like a teacher looking at a particularly careless student in his own class.

“…I should have thought of it. Someone as meticulous as the Captain could not possibly fail to consider the problem of being unable to communicate…” Danitz wished he could lift a hand and slap himself.

The elder opposite him saw the change in Danitz’s expression, shook his head again, and changed the subject.

“You probably were not the one who thought of coming here for help, were you? I was just about to use divination to find you.”

“Ah, yes. Anderson Hood suggested it.” Danitz immediately answered.

The scholar-like old gentleman froze for a second. His face abruptly sank.

At that moment, Anderson was sitting in a shaded place outside the house. He had broken off a twig and was casually drawing patterns on an exposed patch of lawn, leisurely waiting for Danitz to come out.

As for whether this unqualified Hunter could obtain the Understanding Language charms, he had no doubt whatsoever. As long as Danitz mentioned Iceberg Vice Admiral Edwina, everything after that would become simple. The only difference was how many rounds of testing he would have to go through.

Just as he finished drawing the head of the King of the North, Ulyssan, familiar footsteps came from inside to outside, from far to near.

Anderson’s hand holding the twig paused for one second. He raised his head and turned toward the entrance, seeing Danitz walk over with a rather thick stack of paper, his expression complicated.

“You failed the test?” Anderson revealed a heartfelt smile, not seeming worried at all about what would happen if they failed to obtain the Understanding Language charms.

Danitz shook his head woodenly.

“There was no test.”

“…” Anderson was first stunned, then came to a realization and asked, “Your captain provided help?”

Danitz gave an “Mm.” While handing over the stack of papers in his hand, he spoke.

“The bishop inside asked me to tell you that a true Hunter does not rely only on instinct, and does not only focus on information about the prey. A true Hunter must also understand how to grasp the prey’s psychology and must learn a great deal of additional knowledge.

“This is the material he gave you.”

Anderson’s expression briefly became somewhat complicated before quickly returning to normal. He chuckled.

“That is fine. It does not count as too much.”

Danitz’s lips moved several times. In the end, he held back the sudden urge to laugh and said very seriously, “This is only the table of contents.

“The bishop said that you should try to finish reading all the books mentioned on it within two years.”

Anderson’s smile finally froze on his face.

…

Desi Bay, Eskelson Harbor.

Like an ordinary traveler heading for the Southern Continent, Klein bought a ticket for East Balam and boarded a passenger liner that combined steam and sails and carried many cannons.

With a whistle, the ship left the pier and very quickly entered the Berserk Sea.

Along the way, Klein noticed that the Loen Kingdom’s Desi Fleet had been constantly patrolling the safe routes, seemingly on guard against something.

“The abnormal change in the Berserk Sea earlier seems to have drawn the Loen military’s attention as well… In that case, the Numinous Episcopate probably cannot investigate these waters without restraint. Of course, a single fleet cannot monitor every route here…”

Standing inside his cabin and looking out at the scenery beyond the window, Klein thought with both realization and emotion.

Just then, he heard illusory, layered prayers. He hurried above the gray fog to see what had happened.

This time, it was the Hanged Man who had prayed. He requested that Mr. Fool inform the Hermit that the Artisan was suspected to be controlled by a cult or hidden organization, and that he hoped to obtain a certain level of assistance.