After Lex had Christie return to the photo in the pocket watch, he burned the paper they had used to communicate, turning it into ash that scattered out the window.
Knock knock knock.
A knock sounded, followed by Iron Skin's voice from outside: "Rayleigh, the Captain wants you to meet her in the Collection Room."
"Alright," Lex replied, thinking to himself that Edwina had probably deciphered the code. "Hmm, I'll ask her if she has any clues about 'Human-faced Lion's blood.'"
He pushed open the door, left his room, walked through a corridor lined with wooden doors, and stepped out onto the deck. The afternoon sun at 3 PM was dazzlingly bright, making it hard for Lex to open his eyes.
After taking a few deep breaths of the refreshing Sea breeze, Lex walked towards the Collection Room.
Inside the Collection Room, Edwina placed both volumes of the great sea travels together and put them into a cabinet.
Then she heard Lex's voice: "Captain, you were looking for me?"
Lex came to the doorway, watching Iceberg Admiral turn around. As she turned, the sunlight streaming in from the window illuminated her oval-shaped face, highlighted her high nose bridge, and dyed her center-parted brown hair with a touch of golden-yellow, making her light blue eyes appear even clearer.
If he hadn't considered the possibility of getting beaten, Lex would have whistled at the beautiful lady in front of him.
Edwina said calmly, "I have deciphered the second half of that riddle. The second half indicates the time, the correct time to find the death god's treasure."
"Now, we have the location, we know the time, and we have that essential compass."
"Finding the Treasure Trove should not be a problem. We will head to Sonia Sea. If we depart from here, we should arrive around next Friday, or Saturday at the latest."
Lex said sincerely, "That's truly good news."
"What I want to tell you is that by obtaining the great sea travels and contributing Valen's compass, you have significantly reduced the time it will take for us to find the Treasure Trove."
"Rayleigh, when the time comes, in addition to your priority selection right, you can also narrow down the scope of the distribution. Even if you do nothing else from now on, you can choose any one of the five most valuable treasures we acquire."
"If the negative effects are too great for you, I will assist you in finding a sealed artifact or a method to weaken the negative effects."
Iceberg Admiral spoke lightly, but this promise, especially the last sentence, carried significant weight.
One must know that it was the lost Treasure Trove of the Fourth Epoch Balam Empire; any single item within it would be priceless. Now, Edwina not only allowed him to choose from the five most valuable treasures but also promised to help weaken the negative effects if it was a magical item with too strong a drawback.
This was far more valuable than the 'priority selection right.'
Now, Lex finally understood that Iceberg Admiral could command a loyal crew not merely because of her beauty, but more so because of her personal charisma.
"At this moment, besides praising your generosity, I cannot find any other words to describe my feelings," Lex said, pressing his hand to his chest and bowing slightly with a smile.
Edwina's lips curved into a faint smile: "This is what you deserve; it has nothing to do with me."
Lex coughed into his fist: "In that case, Captain, may I ask you a question?"
"You may."
"Do you know about the Human-faced Lion? Do you know where I can get its blood?"
Edwina nodded and said, "I know."
"In my Treasure Trove, I have 'Human-faced Lion's blood.' Do you need it?"
"I need it."
Lex suddenly froze: "Wait... You have it?"
The Collection Room was quiet, dust motes danced faintly in the sunlight. Edwina's eyes were as clear as a spring, free of any Impurities. She nodded gently: "Yes, I do."
Captain, I truly love you!
"100 milliliters, I need 100 milliliters. I can pay for it, or you can deduct it from my salary," Lex said, a little excited. This was the last of the materials.
With it, as soon as Lex fully digested the potion, he could advance!
"Alright."
Edwina walked to the back of the Collection Room and returned a moment later, handing Lex a test tube.
In the test tube, there was a golden-yellow liquid, like molten gold, with illusory bubbles occasionally rising.
"The beyonder characteristics of the 'Zombie' haven't been sold yet, and 'Big Eater' Marco's bounty hasn't been paid out. Once the money arrives, I will deduct the cost of the materials from it before giving it to you."
"Alright, let's do that!" Lex had no objections to the Captain's arrangement.
He put away the test tube, intending to return to his room to store it in the 'spirit world treasure chest,' when he heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by Danitz's anxious voice: "Captain, it's the Black Death! The Black Death has appeared!"
The Black Death?
Information immediately surfaced in Lex's mind.
The Black Death was the flagship of 'Vice Admiral of Ailment' Tracy. After 'Admiral of Hurricane' died, Tracy, who was originally 'Disease Maiden,' assimilated Qilangos's fleet.
Lex had seen this information in Black Sail's archives.
But he hadn't expected to encounter the 'Black Death' at Sea!
Edwina, usually as calm as an iceberg, frowned when she heard 'Black Death.' But the feeling she conveyed wasn't fear of 'Vice Admiral of Ailment,' but more of annoyance.
She walked out of the Collection Room, and Lex and Danitz followed her onto the deck. They saw Iron Skin and the other Sailors gathered at the port side railing, looking out at the distant Sea.
"Everyone, clear the way!" Danitz dispersed the Sailors to allow his Captain to pass.
Lex, benefiting from Iceberg Admiral's presence, came to the railing and saw a black ship slowly approaching on the distant, sun-gilded Sea.
This sailboat, from its hull to its sails, was entirely black.
A large white flag, emblazoned with a skull, flew from its mast. The skull was set against a pitch-black background, with eerie blue flames burning in its eye sockets.
This flag is quite imposing.
Lex then focused on the bow of the 'Black Death' and saw a rather beautiful lady standing there. She wore a white linen shirt and a dark red jacket, giving her a heroic appearance.
Her dark, alluring curly hair was piled high, wrapped in a white turban, and her figure was tall and graceful.
As the 'Black Death' drew closer, Lex could finally make out her face.
Her most captivating features were her long, straight eyebrows and her sharp, bright azure eyes.
As she glanced around, her eyes occasionally lost focus, appearing hazy and particularly alluring.
Clearly, this lady was 'Admiral of Ailment' Tracy!
At this moment, Lex heard Danitz softly say beside him, "I will always be loyal to the Captain."
He looked at Danitz and saw a struggling expression on the Boatswain's face. It seemed that 'Vice Admiral of Ailment' indeed possessed considerable charm, otherwise, Danitz wouldn't need to remind himself in such a way to resist it.
Hmm, this shouldn't be just simple beauty; it should also involve Beyonder abilities related to charm. Lex looked at the graceful figure at the bow of the 'Black Death' and thought of a Beyonder Pathway.
Witch!