Chapter 152: White City

Chapter 152: White City

Stoen University… Associate Professor Michelle… a notebook from the period of the Twenty Years’ War… Audrey extracted the key words from Smine’s statement. She glanced at Susie, who was running happily ahead of the mare, and asked the most important question directly.

“Madam Smine, what exactly is this notebook?”

“We don’t know. We only know that it belongs to the period of the Twenty Years’ War and is one of Associate Professor Michelle’s collections. It has one important distinguishing feature: the patterns on its cover faintly form the image of a dragon.” Smine concealed nothing, sharing all the information she possessed.

As Audrey listened calmly, she controlled the chestnut mare while already thinking about how to complete the task.

“Visiting Associate Professor Michelle, viewing his collection, and making an offer to purchase one item shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Though I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, no matter how one looks at it, the chance that he will refuse me isn’t very high. Mm, Audrey, don’t rely too much on such things…

“The greatest problem with doing it that way is that it would be abrupt. I don’t know Associate Professor Michelle at all, so it would be hard to explain why I suddenly want to visit him. I also don’t know what that notebook means to him. Rashly making an offer to buy it may arouse his suspicion and vigilance.

“…Jane’s elder brother studies at Stoen University. At the last gathering, he showed a fondness for storytelling and discussion. If I invite the siblings to afternoon tea again and guide the topic toward history, archaeology, and collecting, he should mention Associate Professor Michelle. Mm, there surely aren’t many people in a single university who can be called collectors.

“With that as a prelude, I can send someone to visit Associate Professor Michelle and request permission to view his collection. Then, on the first visit, I should avoid revealing my true desire as much as possible. I can observe the host’s performance and guide him into revealing his most genuine attitude. That will help me make the right request in the right way at the right time…”

After determining her approach, Audrey nodded to Pastor Smine and said with a shallow smile, “I’ll do my best to complete it, but I cannot guarantee success.”

The moment she finished speaking, she tightened her legs around the horse, and her entire body shot forward like an arrow, charging toward a reddish-brown fox darting back and forth within the hunting circle.

…

Upon the stormy sea, the Blue Avenger was like a leaf blown into the air by fierce winds. It was sometimes tossed upward, sometimes dropped back down, yet it maintained astonishing balance, showing no sign of capsizing.

Inside the captain’s cabin, Alger Wilson floated by the window, gazing at the waves outside that rose like mountains and peaks. Silent gusts of wind swirled around him.

After some unknown length of time, he descended, placing both feet on the carpet.

“Wind-blessed is indeed a Sequence that can be acted according to its name in a simple way. The only problem is that I must occasionally make myself irritable in order to match the characteristics of a violent gale…” Alger reflected inwardly without much joy.

Over the past two months, he had not managed to obtain the Ocean Songster formula through his own channels or through transactions in the Tarot Club. After all, it was a Sequence 5 formula—the level closest to a demigod. Corresponding formulas had already reached a state where there was a price but no supply. Even if one had a pile of money and was willing to pay a substantial premium, it was still difficult to buy.

Under normal circumstances, joining the corresponding Church or organization was the most effective way to acquire a formula of that kind. But as a bishop of the Church of Storms, Alger could not rely on that path. Because of certain secrets, he had to conceal his true strength, gaining freedom of…