Chapter 79: Exchange of Information

Chapter Seventy-Nine
Exchange of Information

Justice Audrey was quite interested in the matter of the pirate admirals. Cooperating with the topic, she asked, “What is his name? What is his title now? No similar news has spread through Backlund yet.”

The Hanged Man Alger nodded slowly.

“She is a lady. She was already a rather famous pirate in the past: Disease Maiden Tracy. You should have heard of her, yes?”

“No. I do not know very much about that side of things.”

Audrey honestly shook her head.

Me too…

Seated high above them, The Fool—Klein—silently echoed that answer in his heart.

Alger was silent for two seconds. He wasted no time explaining and said directly, “In short, last month she took over Qilangos’s fleet, proving through action that she possesses the strength of a pirate admiral. She renamed Qilangos’s ship the Black Death and now calls herself Vice Admiral Ailment.

“In the past, she mostly operated alone. She excels at using curses, black flames, and frost. Those who oppose her always suffer sudden illnesses of every kind. At present, no one knows which pathway she belongs to, but everyone is certain that she is at the level of Sequence 5.”

Justice Audrey listened with great interest. Blinking once, she asked curiously, “Mr. Hanged Man, could you introduce the four pirate kings and the other six pirate admirals in detail? I have only heard their names and titles, and I do not know what Beyonder abilities they possess.”

Alger looked around. Seeing The Sun and The World both adopt the posture of listeners, he gave a slight nod.

“No problem.

“The strongest of the pirate kings is King of the Five Seas Nast. He claims to be a descendant of the Fourth Epoch Solomon Empire. Not only is he himself a high-Sequence powerhouse, he also possesses the terrifying ghost ship left behind by the Empire, the Dark Emperor. He excels at using order. He can pull enemies into a domain where he is most proficient in battle and create all manner of inconceivable effects…

“He is also the oldest pirate. It is said that more than a century ago, in the post-Roselle era, he was already active across the Five Seas. No one knows exactly how old he is.

“Of course, compared with another pirate monarch, the information circulating about him is already rather abundant. As for the owner of the Dawn, all we know is that she is a beautiful woman. She was once a wizard and has now likewise entered the domain of half-god and half-human. Her title is Queen of Mysteries.”

…

After introducing the “Four Kings,” The Hanged Man Alger turned to the remaining six pirate admirals.

“The owner of the Black Tulip, Ludwell, was once a subordinate of the King of the Five Seas. He later broke away and became independent, calling himself Admiral Hell. Rumor has it that he has established a certain degree of connection with the Numinous Episcopate. He is a powerful Spirit Medium, able to drive all kinds of creatures from the spirit world, terrifying and bizarre. It is said that he also possesses a ring left behind by the ancient Death.

“Admiral of Stars Cattleya once followed the Queen of Mysteries, but the two nearly broke ties long ago. As for the reason, rumors at sea say that she joined a certain hidden organization and angered the Queen of Mysteries. According to information I received, that hidden organization is the Moses Ascetic Order.”

The Moses Ascetic Order… The Mystery Pryer pathway… The Hidden Sage…

Klein instantly thought of Old Neil’s loss of control. He thought of the evil god who whispered temptations beside the ears of low-Sequence Beyonders of that same pathway.

This was the first time he had heard information about the Moses Ascetic Order in reality rather than in books.

After that, The Hanged Man Alger introduced Admiral of Blood Senor, suspected to be an evil spirit rather than a human; Vice Admiral Deep Sea Hal Constantine, who possessed partial sea monster blood; Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina Edwards; and Vice Admiral Twilight Bratov Ivan.

“Thank you very much for sharing. You have made me start yearning for the sea,” Justice Audrey said with anticipation. “I wonder when I will truly be able to travel.”

“No, Miss Justice. That is absolutely not as beautiful as you imagine. In my view, it is a mixture of bloodshed, chaos, slaughter, desire, and fear,” Alger said calmly, pouring cold water over her fantasy.

Audrey nodded, then shifted topics.

“Recently, a serial murder case occurred in Backlund. There have been eleven cases in total, but one of them has been confirmed to be an imitation. The special trait of this serial murder case is that the targets are women who were once streetwalkers but who now hold proper jobs. The murderer cuts open their abdomen and removes all their internal organs.”

“That sounds related to demon worship. Was it done by people from the Blood Sanctify Sect?” The Hanged Man Alger immediately made a guess.

“I do not know. The murderer has not yet been found.”

Audrey dearly wished she could transform into a detective, bring Susie with her, and catch that hateful fellow.

Just then, The Sun Derrick blurted out stiffly, “I know this ritual.”

He knows?

Well, of course. Before the Cataclysm—especially during the Second Epoch—demons were active in the real world, active on the earth. They were hated by both giants and dragons, the two great powers. It is perfectly normal for the City of Silver to have corresponding records… Their history has not been hidden or tampered with, nor has there been any break in continuity…

Thoughtfully, Klein looked toward The Sun, waiting for him to say more.

“You know?” Justice Audrey asked back with delight.

Derrick nodded.

“Our Demonology textbook mentioned it. It is rather ancient. It is a ritual demons use to aid their own advancement, usually appearing when they advance from Sequence 6 to Sequence 5.”

“Not a ritual to please demons, but a ritual demons use to aid their own advancement?” Audrey asked in surprise.

Derrick answered very seriously, “Yes. Sequence 6 of the Abyss pathway is called Demon. That is also the origin of the race’s name.”

The Abyss pathway?

Before the Cataclysm, the Demon pathway was called the Abyss pathway, and Demon was only the name of Sequence 6… Could it be… Sequence 0, Abyss?

Klein once again discovered the value of Student Sun.

The City of Silver still possesses much knowledge and many secrets that have already disappeared into the river of history!

“So that is how it is…” Audrey nodded almost imperceptibly. “Mr. Sun, do you know the specific details of this ritual?”

Derrick gave a nod.

“The minimum is thirteen people, the maximum is forty-nine. The more complete the ritual, the greater the hope of successful advancement.

“There must be at least three days between two murders. Otherwise, loss of control can occur very easily. But the interval cannot exceed nine days, or the ritual will reset.

“After each murder—after each portion of the ritual—the demon will eat the victim’s internal organs. From that point onward, he will remain in a state of irritability, bloodlust, and desire to harm others until that desire is satisfied again.”

“That is truly terrifying…”

Audrey sighed sincerely, feeling that she could hardly bear to imagine it.

Seated within the dense gray fog, Klein listened silently and kept it all in mind.

After they finished discussing the serial murder case, Justice Audrey looked toward Alger and organized her words.

“Mr. Hanged Man, there is something I have always been rather puzzled about.

“I have attended several Beyonder gatherings and discovered that very few people sell potion formulas. Even when they do, transactions are difficult to complete. Why is that?”

The Hanged Man Alger gave a low chuckle.

“Because potion formulas are very easy to fake, while Beyonder gatherings are relatively secretive and lack strong restraints. Therefore, no one dares risk their life on them. Can you really prepare two sets of Beyonder ingredients and test the potion on an animal first? The cost is far too high.”

“…”

Audrey suddenly felt a little guilty.

“Moreover, the additional costs do not stop there. After animals consume potions, they lose control more easily than humans. You would need to hire several Beyonders to protect you, lest you die during the experiment. Because of that, for most Beyonders, even if a formula appears, they do not dare buy it,” Alger added.

“…”

Audrey felt even guiltier.

The Hanged Man Alger did not notice her reaction. He continued, “Precisely because of this, unless the gathering’s host or a certain member possesses the ability to verify whether potion formulas are real, and has already won the trust of most members, formula transactions are very difficult to carry out.”

Mm. Old Mr. Eye of Wisdom can do that… Mr. A is a Shepherd, so he probably can as well…

Klein leaned back in his chair and silently murmured without opening his mouth.

Justice Audrey, however, had a thought flash through her mind and asked naturally, “Could it not be done by establishing an oath?”

“Respectable miss, this is an underground gathering. Do you think it is appropriate to swear in the names of the seven orthodox deities? It is not something that can be solved by a simple oath. It requires the corresponding ritual,” The Hanged Man Alger said with a low laugh. “As for evil gods, demons, and hidden existences such as the Hidden Sage and the True Creator—if one is not their believer, who would dare swear in their names? Does one think one is not dying quickly enough?”

At this point, he suddenly sighed.

“In addition, without understanding the acting method, potions easily cause loss of control and easily turn people into monsters. The corresponding ingredients are difficult to obtain and fairly expensive. Thus, as long as the Seven Churches do not officially certify such transactions, potion formulas cannot spread on a large scale without the Churches needing to deliberately control them, much less become common knowledge.”

“So that is why…” Audrey murmured softly, resolving a major doubt in her heart.

No wonder…

Klein also felt suddenly enlightened.

Seven orthodox deities?

The Sun Derrick wanted very much to ask which seven they were, but in the end, he prudently held back.

After some consideration, he said, “The City of Silver recently organized an exploration into the depths of the darkness and discovered a half-destroyed temple. Inside, the statue worshiped there was of a naked man nailed upside down to a cross. A great deal of blood was smeared over the surface of its body.

“Do you know which deity this is?”

This is… the True Creator! There is actually a temple of the True Creator in the Forsaken Land of the Gods! And judging by The Sun’s meaning, the True Creator should not have existed before the Cataclysm. Otherwise, the City of Silver would not fail to recognize Him! Klein used the Clown’s ability to control his expression, preventing his shock from showing.

Justice Audrey, The Hanged Man, and The World looked at one another, then shook their heads.

“We do not know.”

No sooner had their words fallen than they heard Mr. Fool’s deep voice speak from within the gray fog.

“That is the Fallen Creator.”