"So, what are you planning to do next?"
Kardashian, who was becoming more and more like a human, asked Lex curiously, "How about we find a private Detective—I mean, a real private Detective—and have them investigate Tusk? Through Tusk, we can find out who ordered him to do this."
"No," Lex shook his head. "If high-level mysterious powers are involved, ordinary private Detectives are too easily discovered and noticed."
"It's alright, I've thought of what to do."
Seeing Lex's confident expression, Kardashian didn't make any more suggestions.
Lex's idea was to post a commission at the Tarot Club on monday. The Tarot Club now had many members and channels. If it were them, they should be able to find the mastermind behind Tusk.
Thus, they could figure out who Abrio really was.
Soon, Lex's annual leave ended.
On monday morning, he and Levto took a carriage and arrived at the White Rose District.
The carriage stopped on the street opposite the Pritz Harbor Ticket Company. Inside the carriage, the elegant Amelia said to Lex with some reluctance, "On the Sea, you must pay attention to your safety. The mission is important, but life is more precious."
Lex smiled and nodded, "I will, Mom."
He then looked at the blonde girl sitting next to his mother, "Harribel, take good care of Mom for me."
Harribel didn't speak, only hummed. She was in low spirits, clutching her mother's arm tightly.
Lex exhaled, stood up, gently ruffled his sister's head, nodded to his mother, and then got off the carriage with Levto.
Only after the door closed did Harribel look up, watching her brother cross the street and enter the ticket company's door.
"Don't worry, he'll be back," Amelia patted her daughter's head, comforting her, and then told the coachman to depart.
The carriage turned a corner on the street and disappeared from Lex's sight.
"Let's go," Lex seemed to say to Levto, and also to himself. He adjusted his hat and walked into the ticket company.
Levto followed behind him, carrying a briefcase and a birdcage covered with black cloth.
The three-story building where the ticket company was located was quite old. At the entrance, Lex saw a wooden sign with a notice posted on it.
He glanced at it casually. The first three items on the notice were quite normal, but the fourth item was a bit special.
"No opening of wolf fish cans in any room?"
"What are wolf fish cans?"
Although curious, Lex didn't pay much attention. He walked into the hall and found it surprisingly spacious, with seven ticket windows. In front of each window, there were ten to twenty people queuing.
On one side of the hall, there was a brown wooden board with many white papers posted on it, which contained the passenger ship information for the past week. Next to the wooden board stood a middle-aged man. He wore a black soft hat and a black-and-white checkered uniform. He looked like a policeman, but he had no epaulets. On his chest hung a seagull badge, which was the ticket company's mark, representing his identity as a hall guard.
Lex took out his pocket watch to check the time when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Boss!"
Lex turned around and saw Nafi and Kaven. They were dusty, looking like they had just arrived.
Nafi's height was remarkable, attracting attention as soon as she entered the hall. She wore men's clothing, a black semi-tall top hat, a long trench coat of the same color, and a vest underneath.
Looking at her this way, Nafi resembled a strong young man. Apart from being a bit tall and having slightly feminine features, she wasn't very conspicuous.
Although it looked a bit out of place, it was more low-key than a beautiful woman over 1.8 meters tall.
Lex then looked at Kaven. The Seer wasn't wearing his classic black robe. Instead, he wore a black double-breasted long coat, carrying a briefcase in one hand and his Blue cat in the other.
"You brought Blue too?" Lex asked.
Kaven nodded, "I'm afraid if I leave it behind, it will become a stray cat. You don't mind, do you?"
Lex glanced at the birdcage in Levto's hand, "I also brought a pet. I think they'll become good friends."
At this moment, a young man rushed into the ticket hall entrance. He frantically looked around and finally his gaze fell on Lex.
"Major Lex—"
O'Neal, the adjutant who almost shouted 'Sublieutenant,' quickly covered his mouth, hurried over with a briefcase, "Sorry, Captain, I'm late."
"It's not too late, and right now, I'm not the Captain yet." Lex frowned, "I haven't seen my ship."
O'Neal quickly took out a letter, "This is from Colonel Sturk for you."
Lex tore open the envelope and found several tickets and a letter inside.
'Major Lex, I originally planned for you to depart from Pritz Harbor, but I received a notice from above. Your former Captain, Lieutenant Colonel Ken Angus, has prepared a special sailboat for you. Well, that's what he said. This sailboat is currently on standby at a private harbor near Bayam. I have already arranged for the personnel there to reassign crew members for you. Once you arrive, you can set sail for the Sea. The tickets you have now are for the passenger ship departing for Bayam this morning. It will depart at 9:35 AM. Please do not be late.'
Finally, there was the location of the private harbor.
After reading the letter, Lex's mouth twitched slightly.
The Captain prepared a special ship for me? That sounds like a bad omen. Lex put away the Colonel's letter, waved the tickets in his hand, and said to Kaven and the other two, "Everyone, plans have changed. We need to take a passenger ship to Bayam, and we will set sail from there."
At this moment, a staff member walked out and announced loudly, "Passengers taking the 9:35 AM ship to Bayam, please proceed to Rose Pier now to queue for boarding."
The passengers in the hall immediately stirred, pouring out of the hall and heading to Rose Pier.
At Rose Pier, an iron behemoth was docked on the Sea. This was a passenger ship capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. Sails and chimneys stood side by side on its hull, and there were cannons on both sides of the cabins, embodying the strong characteristics of this era.
The Colonel was not stingy, preparing first-class cabins for Lex and his companions, making the upcoming Nine Days journey a pleasure. As someone who had been drifting on the Sea for over three months, Lex wasn't overly excited about life on board.
But O'Neal was different. The adjutant could hardly hide his excitement, which could be guessed from his excited expression when he opened the window and looked at the Blue-to-green Sea outside the ship.
Lex and his companions quickly chose their rooms. After they had put away their luggage, they heard a long whistle outside.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The passenger ship set sail!
At 2:58 PM, Lex lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, preparing to attend this week's Tarot Club meeting.
When the hour hand pointed to 3 o'clock, he was submerged in crimson, and when he regained consciousness, he was already Above the gray fog, in the mysterious ancient palace.