As the banquet was nearing its end, Edwina gestured for Lex to leave with her. Under the gaze of Danitz and the others, Iceberg Admiral led Lex out of the Captain's Cabin, across the deck, and down into the ship's hold.
Following a dimly lit corridor, past wooden doors, and up a flight of stairs, they reached the second floor. This was where the ship's restaurant was located, but they were not heading there. Iceberg Admiral led Lex to a room in front of the restaurant.
Edwina pushed open the door. It appeared to be unlocked. Inside, there were tables, cabinets, and the walls were adorned with picture frames, masks, and various collectibles.
This place was practically a collection room.
"The results of our past treasure hunts are mostly here. Some of them hold sentimental value, while others require further research to understand their worth."
Edwina took out the compass Lex had just given her and placed it on a table. On the table was a parchment-bound book with a line of ancient Feysac on its dark brown cover: the travels of groselle.
"This book is over three thousand years old, from a sunken ship. It was submerged in water for 165 years, yet it remained undamaged."
"It contains a story. If you're interested, you can take it and read it."
Edwina picked up the book and handed it to Lex.
A story?
A book from over three thousand years ago?
As expected of a Pirate Adventurer, to find something so ancient. If Osweld were here, that old fox would probably have his eyes shining, right?
Lex took the book and casually flipped through it, taking a quick look.
The book mainly recounted the story of a giant named 'Grosell' who decided to go to the Frost Kingdom to hunt a powerful Dragon known as the 'Northern King'. Along the way, he met various companions, similar to many Western fantasy themes Lex knew from his previous life.
However, strangely, the story abruptly stopped when these warriors encountered the 'Northern King'. The reason was simple: the subsequent pages were stuck together and couldn't be separated.
"An interesting book." Lex didn't try to tear the pages apart. After all, this was an antique, over three thousand years old. If he damaged it, who knew if he could afford to compensate for it.
He rationally placed the book back.
Iceberg Admiral then picked up a skull: "This is a mermaid's skull. On nights with a full moon, if you place it on a reef, you can vaguely hear mermaids singing."
Are you sure the mermaid's spirit isn't still attached to this skull? Lex looked at the bone-white skull, keeping his distance and refraining from touching it.
Edwina then introduced other collectibles, including gold coins from the Fourth Epoch Solomon Empire, a comb possibly used by a giant, a crown missing its jewels, and so on.
Lex certainly broadened his horizons. Finally, Edwina took out a small golden scroll. It was very small, and one person could open it. Iceberg Admiral didn't open it immediately. She held the scroll, seemingly pondering something, before finally unrolling it.
It turned out the scroll depicted a bust of a middle-aged man with a bloated waist. He wore a strange helmet, like the kind of helmet ancient Roman Soldiers wore that Lex knew from his previous life, but with curved bull horns on both sides.
The man in the portrait had a mustache and a chin full of stubble. Around his neck hung a golden necklace, and the golden pendant on it was a five-pointed star with a skull in the center.
"This is the owner of Yedgar Island, an arrogant man. He should be a Beyonder, but his specific Pathway, Sequence, and Rank are unknown. Today is Friday. Every Sunday, Yedgar goes to the private prison to see Spender. He is very concerned about the progress of his biography."
"This week should be Yedgar's last meeting with Spender."
After speaking, Edwina put away the scroll and then fell into thought again. A moment later, the scroll was unrolled once more, still a bust, but of a different person.
This was also a middle-aged man, but with distinct Loen features. His dark brown hair was meticulously combed back, he had prominent forehead wrinkles, and wore gold-rimmed glasses. His expression was serious, making him seem like a man of considerable background.
"He is Spender. He is held in a solitary cell in the private prison, where the conditions are much better than other parts of the prison. He should look quite haggard now, but his appearance shouldn't have changed much."
Using the scroll, Edwina then showed Lex several prison guards specifically assigned to Spender, as well as a floor plan of Yedgar Island's prison.
Lex finally realized that the scroll must be a magical item, capable of projecting images from the holder's mind. Edwina used this item to show Lex the appearances of several important individuals and the structure of the prison, allowing Lex to visually understand Spender's current location.
"Yedgar Island doesn't have much fondness for Loenese people. The reason Spender is treated with courtesy on the island is because Yedgar wants him to write a biography for him."
"Therefore, if you, with your Loenese face, violate any local laws on the island, you will quickly be thrown into prison. Even if you do nothing, if your luck isn't good, local people might deliberately fabricate charges to throw you into prison."
Edwina said, "After you land on the island, find a way to enter the prison and make contact with Spender. We will rendezvous with you on the west side of Yedgar Island, which is the sea outside the prison, at this time next week."
"You only need to bring Spender out. Once you successfully reach the seaside, you don't need to worry about anything else."
"We will stay there for a week under the pretext of replenishing supplies. To prevent Yedgar from discovering your connection to us, tomorrow morning, I will arrange another ship to take you to Yedgar. That's basically the plan. Do you have any questions?"
"None."
Lex answered very straightforwardly.
Leaving Iceberg Admiral's collection room, Lex walked back to his own room. Along the way, using the plan Edwina provided as a prototype, he used his imagination to modify it. In a flash, Lex already had some ideas.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, the 'Golden Dream' sailed on a calm sea, expected to reach Yedgar Island by noon. Around ten o'clock in the morning, Lex, who was on deck, saw another ship approaching along a certain route, and soon after, it met with the 'Golden Dream'.
This was a cargo ship carrying various spices to Yedgar Island. Under Iceberg Admiral's arrangement, Lex, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a formal suit with a top hat, boarded the cargo ship.
He would travel to Yedgar Island as a Traveler. Led by the Captain, Lex arrived at the Captain's Cabin and found three other people there. Two men and one woman. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be Adventurers, but they didn't know each other.
It seemed they were similar to Lex, having boarded this cargo ship through various channels to go to Yedgar.