Chapter 235: “The World” and the Chivalrous Bandit

Chapter 235: “The World” and the Chivalrous Bandit

Inside the ancient palace towering above the gray fog, The Hanged Man Alger did not rush to bring up the matter of Mad Captain Connors Victor. Instead, he turned his head slightly and looked toward The Sun beside him.

“Are you still in Afternoon Town?”

Derrick nodded honestly.

“Yes. We spent a long time establishing a camp. Afterward, we cleared the remaining monsters street by street through joint teams, while searching for any ancient traces that might still exist. Although this will be very slow, it is safe enough.”

He answered in great detail and showed, through his attitude, that if Mr. Hanged Man wanted to know more, that would not be a problem.

Justice Audrey listened with interest, lifting her hand slightly.

“You’ve stayed in Afternoon Town for so long. What do you rely on for food? Is there black-faced grass nearby?”

She had long ago heard Little Sun mention that the City of Silver had survived until now by relying on black-faced grass planted in the surrounding region as its staple food.

“We brought some flour ground from black-faced grass, but our main source of food is the monsters we hunt. Among them, a large portion can be eaten after their Beyonder characteristics precipitate, after their fur and skin are removed, and after they are seared with fire. However, they all contain a certain degree of pollution, which can cause mental problems. They cannot be eaten continuously, and enough intervals are necessary,” The Sun Derrick answered Miss Justice’s question seriously.

Justice Audrey recalled several types of monsters from the depths of darkness that Little Sun had previously mentioned, then thought of the gloomy and terrifying style of the region where the City of Silver stood. She could not help asking one more question.

“Isn’t that very disgusting?”

The Magician Fors, who had been focused on listening to the other members’ conversation, was inspired by that question. Deliberately avoiding looking at The Moon Emlyn, she curiously asked The Sun Derrick, “I remember you saying that the monsters in the depths of darkness include vampires. They are covered in pus and are extremely ugly. Then, after killing such a vampire, would you use it as food?”

After hearing that question, Emlyn completely forgot to correct her that they were Sanguine, not vampires. His face turned green, and for some unfathomable reason, he felt a difficult-to-describe horror.

Derrick was silent for two seconds before saying, “Some monsters are indeed disgusting. Extremely disgusting. Like the vampires Miss Magician mentioned. But we have no choice. If something can be eaten, we will eat it.”

His voice gradually sank, as though he had once again deeply felt the cursed tragedy shrouding the entire City of Silver.

The palace like a giant’s residence fell silent once more. Even The Moon Emlyn, who had wanted to refute some of The Sun Derrick’s wording, did not speak. He merely curled his lips and shrank his arms slightly.

A few seconds later, The World broke the silence with a low chuckle.

“Let us return to the sea. Recently, there has been one matter worthy of attention. After a storm, Mad Captain Connors Victor’s One-Eyed Skull drifted near a harbor. Its mast was broken, and scorched marks were everywhere. All crew members, including Connors Victor himself, were dead. None survived.”

Justice Audrey and the others did not know who Mad Captain was, so they were not especially interested in this information. They were merely curious why such a shipwide massacre had occurred.

The Hanged Man Alger, however, felt completely differently from them.

The World is actually paying attention to the Mad Captain incident. There must be no small secret hidden behind it! No wonder His Excellency Kottman solemnly issued the order for Mandated Punishers and “captains and sailors” to investigate the relevant situation! Alger’s eyes shifted. After slight consideration, he said, “In Bayam, the Church of Storms is actively investigating people and matters related to Mad Captain Connors Victor.”

Heh. I do not even need to make a separate commission… Klein laughed inwardly and had The World ask directly, “What clues has the Church of Storms grasped?”

“I don’t know. I will try to learn more,” The Hanged Man Alger said frankly, shaking his head.

He believed The World would understand the implied meaning: he truly did not know at the moment, but he would inquire internally.

Justice Audrey, who was listening curiously from the side, increasingly felt that the Mad Captain matter was not simple. She tentatively said, “Mr. World, isn’t this a common pirate mutiny?”

Klein had originally intended to casually brush off Miss Justice without revealing more, when he suddenly considered a problem.

Behind the Backlund Great Smog incident and the population disappearance case there may be a royal faction and certain military personnel. Miss Justice, emotionally and politically, naturally leans toward nobles and the royal family. If someday in the future I entrust her with a corresponding task against those cursed bastards who deserve to be hanged, she may not be willing to accept it. She might even sink into inner conflict because of it…

Therefore, I have to gradually instill the impression that there are quite a few bad people within the royal family and the military. I need to subtly change her stance and emotional leanings. For that purpose, it is acceptable to bear the risk of exposing some of The World’s information… After thinking for a moment, Klein made The World speak in a relaxed tone carrying hints of mockery.

“Mad Captain is connected to the colonial population disappearance case Mr. Hanged Man investigated earlier.

“The Demoness Sect handed the people they deceived or plundered to external forces such as Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy. They transported them near the eastern coast of the Northern Continent, then used Mad Captain Connors Victor to complete the final stretch. This pirate had close ties with many human traffickers and slave merchants in Loen.

“In January, I told Mr. Hanged Man one piece of information: someone witnessed Baron, who was connected to the disappearance case, meeting personnel from MI9 who were loyal to the royal family.

“Furthermore, Capim, the largest human trafficker in Backlund, had protectors from the Arbiter pathway.

“With so many matters combined, do you still believe Mad Captain’s death was merely a simple pirate mutiny?

“Heh heh. I have always been wondering what the person behind all this wanted so many slaves for.”

The clear connections among those clues appeared in the minds of Justice Audrey, The Hanged Man Alger, and the others, making them suddenly understand many things.

Mr. World left Backlund and went to the sea because he was tracking clues. He has always been investigating the truth behind the Great Smog and Prince Edessak’s death! Based on what he provided, it is obvious that the true culprit has not yet received punishment. They are still hidden within the royal family, with part of the military serving them. How hateful! Such people should be thrown into hell! Hm… How does Mr. World know that the protectors around Capim were Arbiter pathway Beyonders? Did he interact with them? As Audrey’s thoughts raced, she suddenly made an association.

Capim was killed by the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor, and the latter clearly knew which pathway Capim’s protectors belonged to.

The chivalrous bandit Black Emperor is Mr. Fool’s Blessed.

Mr. World is suspected to have some connection to Mr. Fool. He has never collected Emperor Roselle’s diary.

Therefore, Mr. World is the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor. He is Mr. Fool’s Blessed?

He does not submit Emperor Roselle’s diary because he has already submitted it privately? Some of his previous behavior was to hide his identity as a Blessed? Is this a test from Mr. Fool? It is truly difficult to connect Mr. World and the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor. The latter seems more like a hero… Audrey felt she had found the truth and began to feel curious about what kind of person Mr. World—that is, the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor—was in reality.

The Hanged Man Alger and The Hermit Cattleya instantly understood why Gehrman Sparrow had attacked Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy.

This Blessed was investigating the truth behind the Backlund Great Smog incident!

And what lay hidden behind that was something Mr. Fool was interested in!

The Magician Fors and The Moon Emlyn, who both lived in Backlund, also vaguely sensed something from The World mentioning Capim. After all, the legend of the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor had been extremely popular over the past half year and had become an important character in many popular novels. Even Fors herself had wanted to write a romance about the chivalrous bandit and a noble young lady.

They finally understood why The World had earlier detected in time that a major event was brewing in Backlund, one likely to produce tragedy—because this gentleman had always been tracking the corresponding clues.

Viewed this way, the matter in Backlund is far from over. There may be more accidents in the future… I really want to leave immediately, but Xio definitely will not be willing, and I also have no way to explain it to her… Fors instantly had the thought of fleeing Backlund.

The Moon Emlyn, on the other hand, was not especially afraid. In his view, if a disaster truly occurred, the Sanguine had important figures in Backlund who would certainly be able to offer protection.

After two seconds of silence, The Hanged Man Alger said solemnly, “I will do my best to investigate this matter.”

He already sensed that a terrifying storm was hidden behind Mad Captain’s death. Therefore, he felt fear and caution, yet was not lacking in the excitement and thrill of participating in the most important matter involving the Northern and Southern Continents.

The Hermit Cattleya listened quietly to the end, then gave a slight nod.

“I will also collect the relevant information.

“If more clues can be provided, perhaps I can be of help.”

After thinking for a moment, Klein made The World say frankly, “On the night Mad Captain died, there was a suspected high-ranking powerhouse of the Black Emperor pathway aboard his ship. This demigod successfully escaped before Jahn Kottman arrived.”

Black Emperor pathway, demigod… Alger and Cattleya both chewed over those words, considering where they might begin.

Justice Audrey and the others marveled that the Tarot Club had developed from discussing demigods to directly participating in matters involving demigods. It truly was becoming increasingly high-level. As for The Sun Derrick, he had barely understood the entire exchange.

After the matter of Mad Captain temporarily came to an end, The Hermit Cattleya glanced at The World and deliberately mentioned, “There is also another matter at sea. Last week, the mad adventurer Gehrman Sparrow hunted down Slaughterer Gilchies, the Undying King’s second mate. He was a Sequence 5 Beyonder.”

“So impressive…” The Magician Fors, currently only Sequence 8, praised him sincerely. She understood very clearly what Sequence 5 represented.

“Mm. Truly a legendary adventurer,” Justice Audrey added.

The Moon Emlyn opened his mouth, then closed it again, feeling that he was still very far from that level.

The Hanged Man Alger, however, said without abnormality, “Because of this matter, investigating Gehrman Sparrow’s origins has become an important current mission for all major organizations.”

Does he mean the Church of Storms also ordered him to investigate me? Klein immediately understood Mr. Hanged Man’s implication and made The World laugh in a low voice.

“I wonder where that commission can be claimed? I would like to exchange some unimportant information for money. I do have a certain understanding of Gehrman Sparrow.”

Mm. Mr. World means he does not mind if I submit some Gehrman Sparrow intelligence that looks important but is actually meaningless, in order to obtain rewards and trust? The Hanged Man understood and nodded.

The free exchange continued for quite some time, until The Sun Derrick had finished learning this week’s ancient Hermes vocabulary. Only then did everything fully end.

After watching Miss Justice and the others depart while saluting, Klein turned his gaze toward Travels of Groselle on the table.