Backlund, South of the Bridge, White's house.
When Emlyn the vampire opened his eyes and saw the dolls he had been collecting, he felt that the party he had just attended was a dream.
So what kind of gathering was it?
Emlyn couldn't help but exclaim: They're actually exchanging information about the gods!
And such intelligence is only worth a little over two thousand pounds!
This reminded him once again of the Hermit's erudition: the secret history this member knew was almost on par with some vampire experts who specialized in history.
Emlyn then felt a little guilty, because he knew in his heart that the "hermit" was more knowledgeable and that the historical information he knew seemed to be more advanced.
It was indeed a gathering that was joined under the guidance of the progenitor!
Emlyn sighed again: "In this gathering, I am the one recognized by the progenitor as the savior of the vampires. Do the others also have a similar identity to me? Is this a 'savior gathering' organized by Mr. Fool?"
Emlyn paused for a moment and then slowly nodded: The other members must also have some special qualities, otherwise why would the progenitor let me join them?
Emlyn thought with absolute certainty: By attending this gathering, I will definitely become stronger quickly and take on the responsibility of saving the vampires in the future!
He had already begun to imagine himself becoming stronger and shocking the other adult vampires at the vampire gathering.
Suddenly, he thought of the "Hanged Man" and the 5,000 pounds, and his previous daydreams vanished like bubbles.
Emlyn looked at his dolls with some disappointment, got up and tidied up some clothes on one of them, then immersed himself in the world of dolls.
...
Misty Sea, Emerald Palace on Lacha Island.
After the tarot session ended, Odis returned to the real world, lay in an armchair for a while in a daze, then got up, stretched, and, carrying candles and spiritual materials, used the "travel ring" to arrive at a deserted island.
After all, the Emerald Palace is Bernadette's territory, and if the "Fool's" bestowal ritual were to be performed, she might notice.
Arriving on a deserted island, Odis set up a ceremony and waited for more than twenty minutes. He then received 2,100 pounds as a reward from the intelligence exchange, as well as three extraordinary materials from the "Little Sun".
The transaction with "Little Sun" was still a barter, exchanging extraordinary materials for extraordinary weapons.
In this round of trades, "Little Sun" acquired two more "Thunder Bombs" and two more "Ice Bombs".
During the transaction, he stated frankly that both weapons were very useful for clearing monsters, and members of the exploration team had already inquired about where he obtained the items.
After this round of transactions, Odis received three extraordinary materials of Sequence 9, "Little Sun" received four extraordinary weapons, and a debt of 250 pounds.
This is good news for Odis. As more and more members of Silver City use Odis's weapons, Odis will obtain a large amount of "low-sequence" extraordinary materials.
As for the sales channels for these materials, Odis had already figured it out. He planned to establish a base in Bayam, not only to gather intelligence but also to sell the extraordinary materials there.
Being a pirate isn't just about fighting and killing; you also need to be well-informed, knowing what your fellow pirates are up to and how strong they are, so that you can take the most appropriate action when you encounter them.
After completely destroying the altar, Odis used the "Ring of Travel" to return to the Emerald Palace.
His savings have now returned to over three thousand pounds, but he doesn't intend to repay the "mysterious queen" debt immediately because there are still many other things to spend money on.
Each of his "extraordinary puppets" cost around 120 pounds, and at least 15 "extraordinary puppets" were needed to operate a ship properly.
In addition, there is the money needed to establish a base, including building relationships, recruiting people, and doing publicity, which also requires an expense.
As for the official forces he would rely on, Odis had already made up his mind. He planned to go to the church of the Goddess of Night in Bayam to pray in the next few days.
Although there are few churches of the Church of the Goddess of Night in the Raging Sea, they are an extraordinary force that cannot be ignored as long as they are in the colonies of Rune.
The model worked very well in Backlund, and he planned to replicate it in Bayam, establishing his own intelligence base.
Moreover, Odis no longer needs to worry about being captured by the Church of the God of Steam and Machines at any time, so this intelligence base will be an important channel for him in the future.
Then Odis thought of another problem: how to digest the magic potion?
His potion was almost fully digested. If he were still in Backlund, he could probably finish digesting it after serving three or four more clients, or even just one or two.
Odis first thought was to play the role of a wizard on Lacha Island, but then felt that it wasn't worth the investment if it was only for entertaining a few clients.
After thinking it over, he decided to rent a place in Bayam and play the role of a wizard.
At the same time, while playing the role of a wizard, he also recruited a few helpers and crew members.
In the Odis Project, positions such as sailor, helmsman, gunner, and raider were all assigned to "extraordinary puppets".
However, he still needs a few crew members he trusts to serve as first mate, second mate, navigator, and so on.
He sighed and thought to himself: Indeed, everything is difficult at the beginning!
However, he enjoyed it, because it was his own pirate crew, and when it was established, he could imagine the scene of sailing the seas with his pirate crew.
The last question is about promotion.
The "Scroll Professor's" potion is currently missing one main ingredient and one crucial auxiliary ingredient. Emlyn's offer of 2800 is too expensive, and Odis cannot afford that much money at the moment.
So he decided to ask Bernadette, who should also have the relevant main materials, and the price wouldn't be so high.
As for the possibility of receiving special treatment from the "Hidden Sage" after his promotion, Odis wasn't too worried at the moment, because he now had the "blessing" of the "Goddess of Night," and under normal circumstances, the gods couldn't find him.
Moreover, the magic array he used to avoid the gaze of the gods can also be used during his advancement to avoid hearing the "Hidden Sage's" nagging right after his advancement.
Coincidentally, Bernadette stayed at the Emerald Palace for dinner that evening, and during the meal, Odis expressed his desire to obtain the "crystal of the Tree of Alaman".
"1800 pounds." Bernadette said, seemingly unconcerned. "Well, you should also need the flowers of the 'Tree of Alaman,' 200 pounds."
Odis smiled, took a delicious sip of seafood soup, and saved a full £800!
As he peeled the crab, he said, "Okay, once I've raised enough money, I'll complete the transaction with you."
As for the main ingredient of the other potion, he still planned to trade with the "Psychological Alchemy Society." After all, the magical items used for trading were spoils of war, and he didn't need them normally, so this trade was very worthwhile for him.
Bernadette glanced at Odis: "I can occasionally give you some tasks so you can earn some bounties."
After all, Odis has been focused on shipbuilding on Lasha Island recently, and it seems he has no source of income.
"Alternatively, there's another way to trade," Bernadette said considerately. "I know of a deserted island with at least three 'Trees of Alaman'. I can tell you the location of that island."
Odis asked, "What is the reward?"
"Once you create an 'Extraordinary Puppet,' give me one," Bernadette said, taking a small sip of her drink.
Odis peeled a piece of crab meat and put it in his mouth. He had not talked to Bernadette about the "extraordinary puppet" before, but he was not surprised by it. After all, Lasha Island was Bernadette's territory, and he believed that everything that happened here could not be kept from her.
"Okay." Odis thought it was a good deal, after all, an "extraordinary puppet" was only worth about 120 pounds.
Moreover, even if Bernadette obtained an "extraordinary puppet," she would not be able to replicate it, because the most important component, the "Wisdom Cube," contained a secret process that only Odis knew.
Only after going through that process can the "Smart Cube" operate on its own; otherwise, the "Extraordinary Puppet" can only perform extremely simple actions such as squatting and walking.
After Odis finished eating the crab meat in his hand, he picked up another crab and peeled it open without any gentlemanly manners: "I'm curious, since you know the location of the 'Tree of Alaman', why didn't you just turn them into extraordinary materials?"
"After all, extraordinary materials can be stored for a long time, and there is no need to worry about being discovered by others."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Bernadette ate the lobster in front of her with an elegant knife and fork, without hiding anything: "Because this way I can regularly collect some flowers or fruits from the 'Tree of Alaman,' which are very high-grade spiritual materials."
"Even a single leaf from the 'Tree of Alaman' is worth about one pound."
"Furthermore, I've hidden that island; unless I provide precise coordinates, most people won't be able to find it."
Odis nodded: "This is something I didn't expect."
As he spoke, he ate his third crab, having achieved complete seafood freedom since arriving on Lacha Island.
Odis would go to the kitchen to make some dipping sauces herself, and then eat seafood until she was full.
Back when I hadn't traveled through time, I'd never experienced anything this luxurious.
Odis then asked, "What should we be careful about when hunting the 'Tree of Alaman'?"
"Prepare some magic to counteract attacks from various natural forces," Bernadette said. "For example, you might face gales, snow, lightning, and so on."
"Yes, you can think of this tree as a powerful 'wizard' because the 'Scroll Professor's' knowledge of manipulating natural forces and related knowledge basically comes from its crystals."
The scrolls created by the "Scroll Professor" can be seen as an enhanced version of "witchcraft," capable of summoning more natural forces to launch more powerful attacks.
Moreover, after becoming the "Scroll Professor," even without using scrolls, the power of "witchcraft" is greater than when he was Sequence 7.
If we use numbers to represent the relationship between the three, "witchcraft" at Sequence 7 is equivalent to "1", and when using witchcraft at Sequence 6, its power can reach "1.5". However, if we use a scroll, it can reach "2" to "2.5".
After finishing their business, the two chatted about the progress of shipbuilding and interesting anecdotes at sea.
Bernadette said she would be going to the Raging Sea the day after tomorrow to trade some spiritual materials, and after completing this transaction, Odis would have all the spiritual materials he needed.
The bottom layer of the large ship is also basically completed. In a few days, Odis will lead the scholars from Lasha Island to set up the engine array.
The first round of sea trials will likely take place next week, and this round of sea trials will mainly test the reliability of the power system.
Because they were building wooden boats, the construction process was faster than Odis had imagined.
Bernadette told Odis, who was somewhat surprised by the speed, "The technology for wooden ships is quite mature, because the shipyard on Lacha Island has experience building ships more than once before, so there is no need to go through the stages of fundraising, material selection, and shaping."
Odis nodded. At this rate, the ship could be completed in a little over a month.
During this time, he had to build his own intelligence team and recruit enough crew members, so the task was quite urgent.
While chatting, Odis had already eaten a lot of various seafood shells and some fruit, and the meal was over.
Bernadette didn't care whether Odis's dining manners were gentlemanly or not. She had received a traditional aristocratic education since childhood, but that didn't mean she would demand such standards of others.
Of course, this depends on the person. If any other subordinate dared to eat like that in front of her, they would have been whipped long ago.
Odis returned to his lodgings, made some preparations, and planned to go to the deserted island the next day to try hunting the "Tree of Alaman".
The next day, Odis first went to the shipyard for a tour. Before the magic array was set up, the shipyard basically didn't need him anymore, and the ship designers could supervise the construction work according to the pre-determined plan.
So Odis asked Aria to take her to the "Navigator's Guild". On the way there, Odis remarked, "The guild established by the 'Queen' saves a lot of time. If there is a need, there is no need to visit each one individually. Going to the corresponding guild can basically solve the problem."
Arya nodded: "That's true. There's no such convenient organization, whether in the Raging Sea or the Gargas Islands."
The Raging Sea refers to the colonies of the Kingdom of Rune, while the Gargas Islands refer to the colonies of the Fusak Empire.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the "Navigator's Guild" in the middle of the "Long Street".
The so-called "Long Street" is the only decent street on Lacha Island. Because it has never been named, people call it "Long Street".
There was no sign outside the "Navigators' Guild," only a sextant symbol.
Because they were brought by Aria and had a letter of recommendation from the "Queen," the president personally received them.
The chairman, named Yi Lai Zhe, was about fifty or sixty years old, with gray hair and beard. After learning of Odis's purpose, Yi Lai Zhe introduced three or four young navigators to Odis.
But Odis wasn't entirely satisfied with any of them. He asked Yilai Zhe in a seemingly casual manner, "Mr. Chairman, do you have any plans to go to sea?"