Chapter 580
Along the Conquer Sea coast, in the capital of the Sergu Republic, Lentini.
In the vast coastal city of Lentini, within a dim room hidden among the alleys in the White Stone Craftsmen Guild’s base, an elderly man dressed in a plain cloak, with his face covered by a scarf, was seated inside. On a wide tea table in front of him, a telegraph machine was buzzing as it continuously printed out a long strip of paper, depicting continuous dots and lines.
On the table where the telegraph machine was placed, stood a small creature about two to three dozen centimeters tall, covered in black fur, with sharp fangs, white large eyes, and wide ears. This little monster held two illusory chains in its hands, which extended and linked to two pale ghosts floating in mid-air. These two ghosts, who looked like clerical workers before their deaths, were staring at the strip of paper being produced by the telegraph machine with fear, intently scrutinizing each symbol on it.
As time passed, the telegraph machine’s buzzing gradually slowed down, and the paper strip was fully printed. The two floating ghosts seemed to be discussing something, and observing this scene, Edward slowly spoke.
“Prompt them, hurry up.”
Upon hearing Edward’s words, the little monster let out a strange cry and then stepped forward, slapping each ghost once. The two ghosts twisted in screams, then reformed, and they hurriedly began interpreting the meaning of the symbols on the paper strip. After fully deciphering it, one of them possessed the little monster, which then picked up a pen and paper to write furiously on the tea table. In no time, it handed the written telegram to the calm Edward.
After quickly scanning the information on the telegram, Edward’s face showed a hint of interest after reading the translated message.
‘The secret transmission of the Abyss Cult and the Amniotic Sac? Intelligence on the Abyss Cult? Interesting… This thief’s price is truly interesting…’
Having read the telegram, Edward pondered in his mind and then picked up the pen and paper on the tea table to write a reply. The little monster, now possessed by a clerk’s spirit, started eagerly pressing the telegraph machine’s key to send the message to a distant location.
At the same time, in the telegraph room of the Craftsmen Guild in Adriah, Dorothy’s zombie puppet noticed that the telegraph machine was starting to operate again, emitting a buzzing sound as it transmitted messages from afar. Dorothy, who had been waiting, immediately began decoding the message, and she did so extremely quickly; she could understand and translate the content just by listening to the sounds of the telegraph machine without even looking at the paper strip.
“Thief, your target is the Abyss Cult? As far as I know, there isn’t much conflict between the Black Dream and the Abyss Cult. You’re not that moth-chaser from that day, so who exactly are you?”
Hearing Edward’s response, Dorothy smiled slightly from afar and immediately instructed her zombie puppet to reply.
“Who am I? What is my purpose? These details aren’t important, Captain. They don’t affect our transaction. You don’t need to know any other information beyond this deal.”
After replying, Dorothy leisurely waited until her physical body had eaten a couple of cookies and enjoyed the scenery for a while before the telegraph machine in the telegraph room buzzed again.
“Do you want me to use what the Abyss Cult already gave me to help you against them? That’s rather absurd, isn’t it? The Abyss Cult still has that thing, and do you think I would risk angering them to obtain a small portion from you when they have a much larger share? Dorothy listened to the sound of the telegraph machine and translated the content mentally, then quickly manipulated the zombie puppet to respond.
“Captain, if you still place hope in the Abyss Cult, why not ask them for another portion of that thing? According to my information, the representative of the Abyss Cult wasn’t on your island during the incident, nor does he know exactly what happened there. Do you think they will believe your story about losing something? Don’t forget, you are a greedy pirate, and if you seek help from the Abyss Cult, they might suspect that you want to extort more gold bricks from them…
“Moreover, even if they believe you lost something, what obligation do they have to replenish your losses? They already have what they wanted, and you have leverage over them. As a traitor, what right do you have to demand more from them? Even if they were to show rare kindness and give you something else, what would you have to pay in return? They forced you to hold onto something that could ruin your century-old legacy with just fifty gold bricks. If you ask them for more, they might force you to do something terrible…”
Sitting on her sofa, Edward held the new telegram, looking at the freshly translated information. His expression turned grim, and his brows indicated clear worry. Clearly, Dorothy’s assessment was accurate; unless pushed to the brink, he wouldn’t go back to the Sword Scale.
If Edward asked the Abyss Cult for the Fountain of Eternal Youth, who knew what price they would demand? It was possible they might enslave him through supernatural means. Compared to the demands of the Abyss Cult, Dorothy’s price was much easier for Edward to accept, whether it was intelligence or secret transmissions, these were things he could easily afford.
“Huh… Truly well-informed thieves…”
Edward, who originally had a grim expression, laughed self-deprecatingly as he looked at the telegram. He knew that the other party had a better grasp of his information than he had imagined, and they had figured out his weaknesses and limits.
During the negotiation process, having detailed information about the other party was crucial. Information such as expected transactions, bottom lines, urgency, and so on were vital for negotiations. The side with more information naturally had an advantage. Currently, Edward only knew that there was a mysterious third party involved, not affiliated with the Abyss Cult or the Black Dream. However, Dorothy had extensive knowledge about Edward.
Under the advantage of having better information, there was little room for bargaining between Dorothy and Edward. Soon, Edward directly agreed to Dorothy’s terms.
“Alright… I agree to your price. I’ll exchange the Amniotic Sac and intelligence on the Abyss Cult for that item. If the Abyss Cult contacts me again with a task, I’ll notify you immediately. But before that, you also need to give me five pieces first. When I get back, I’ll try my best to find some secret transmissions for you.”
Edward’s reply activated the telegraph machine, showing up in front of Dorothy, who nodded in satisfaction. She then instructed her zombie puppet to continue responding.
“Very good. Then, Captain, once you’ve prepared the item, you can send it to a designated account in the White Stone Craftsmen Guild. Similarly, I’ll use the White Stone Craftsmen Guild as an intermediary to deliver what you need. This time, I hope you’ll come personally and on time, leaving no room for others.”
Dorothy and Edward continued to discuss the specifics of the transaction. Once both parties were satisfied, they ended the conversation.
After settling the terms of the transaction, Edward leaned back on the sofa in the cramped room, gazing at the pile of telegrams on the tea table, deep in thought.
‘That thief… Just as I anticipated, it’s a third force outside the Black Dream and the Abyss Cult. We were all played by them… I wonder what method they used to silently gather so much valuable intelligence and orchestrate everything…
‘Although those daring thieves deserve to be punished, I didn’t expect them to steal my Fountain of Eternal Youth neither for themselves nor to target me. Their main goal is the Amniotic Sac and the Abyss Cult? The purpose of obtaining the fountain was to trade for intelligence and secret transmissions about the Amniotic Sac and the Abyss Cult… This situation is quite unexpected. I wonder what grudge the Abyss Cult has made somewhere.
‘Those thieves needing secret transmissions about the Abyss Cult and the Amniotic Sac likely want to conduct deeper research. They want intelligence to continue causing trouble for the Abyss Cult… The Abyss Cult, with its knowledge of the nun from that church, remains a significant threat to me. If I can silently use those thieves to cause trouble for the Abyss Cult, it aligns with my interests.
‘The church, the thieves, the Abyss Cult… Even possibly the Black Dream… Now, I’m caught between these factions, and clearly, the thieves and the church are enemies of the Abyss Cult. If I play my cards right, I might not only reclaim the Fountain of Eternal Youth that rightfully belongs to me but also gain more from the Abyss Cult…
Sitting on the sofa, Edward carefully considered how to use the relationships between these factions to his advantage. Having realized that the main target of the thieves wasn’t him but the Abyss Cult, he felt less hostility towards them. If he was ever forced by the Abyss Cult to do dangerous tasks due to Vania, he might use the thief to secretly undermine the Abyss Cult.
After considering everything, Edward immediately cleaned up all the paper strips and telegrams, erasing any traces. He waved at the little monster that was tormenting the ghost, and the little monster opened its mouth to s*ck in all the floating ghosts, finally diving under Edward’s cloak and following him out of the room.
Meanwhile, in Adriah, after ending her telegraph communication with Edward, Dorothy controlled her zombie puppet to clean up the scene and left the White Stone Craftsmen Guild. She left behind only the payment and around one hundred pounds for communication fees.
‘Huh… That Edward… He must be guessing that my true target is the Abyss Cult and the Amniotic Sac. That’s fine; showing him a glimpse of my ‘true intentions’ might make him feel a bit more secure. Trading with someone who can somewhat guess the purpose is better for him.
Sitting in a cafe, Dorothy drank her tea while thinking in her heart. Her primary aim in trading with Edward was to obtain the secret transmission of the ‘Cup’ to enhance her spirituality. However, when setting the price, she didn’t mention needing the secret transmission of the ‘Cup’ directly but instead related it to the Abyss Cult and the Amniotic Sac. This created a misconception for Edward, making him believe her real target was the Abyss Cult, and that stealing her Fountain of Eternal Youth was merely to coerce him into cooperating against the Abyss Cult.
Of course, Dorothy wasn’t entirely indifferent to the Abyss Cult and the Amniotic Sac. Previous signs suggested that the Amniotic Sac was planning something, and they had never forgotten about Vania. Knowing some intelligence about the Amniotic Sac and the Abyss Cult from Edward would indeed be beneficial.
After settling the business with Edward, Dorothy took a short rest and then took out her Navigation of the Literary Sea and placed it on the table. After flipping through it, she reached a page dedicated to a clockwork person’s communication. After some thought, she wrote:
“Hello? Are you there? Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“I’m busy doing experiments. No time. I just changed the gears a few days ago. After tightening them in the morning, I don’t feel hungry all day. So, what’s up with you?”
Below Dorothy’s neatly printed handwriting, another set of characters appeared almost instantly. Seeing this, Dorothy continued writing.
“Not much else. I just wanted to check how your asset calculation is going. Are my assets enough for the collateral?”
“Oh, that. I’ve had my people speed up the process. We’re almost done. Calculated it all up, and we’re around twenty-seven thousand pounds, but we’re still short thirteen thousand pounds to rent a Divine Blessing Object.”
Beverly’s quick response appeared before Dorothy, who felt a chill upon seeing the result. She then quickly wrote back.
“Just twenty-seven thousand pounds? Did you calculate it correctly? Mazarale is the crown prince of a kingdom, and his total assets are just this much?”
“For a royal family member, twenty-seven thousand pounds isn’t bad. You should consider how many members the Baruch royal family has. The wealth is divided among the princes, so each gets a relatively small share. Mazarale already gets a substantial portion due to his status. What more do you want?”
Beverly replied directly to Dorothy, who paused for a moment. Thinking about the numerous princes and descendants of Adus, she felt slightly relieved. After a moment’s hesitation, she continued writing.
“A thirteen-thousand-pound difference… I can’t come up with that amount right away… Little Be, we’ve known each other for a long time. Can you reduce the deposit a bit more? It’s just a deposit, and you’ve already given me a discount. A little more won’t hurt. I promise to return it in perfect condition once I’m done.”
With a bargaining tone, Dorothy wrote to Beverly. Not long after, the response appeared on the page.
“Alright, since you’ve said that, I’ll adjust the price. Originally, it was one thousand pounds for rent and three thousand pounds for deposit. Now, it’s one thousand three hundred pounds for rent and one thousand seven hundred pounds for deposit, totaling three thousand pounds. This deposit is symbolic; any lower and it wouldn’t make sense.”
Seeing Beverly’s latest response, Dorothy felt a sense of relief. The rent had increased by only three thousand pounds, and the deposit had decreased significantly. For Dorothy, this was acceptable. Besides Mazarale’s assets, she only needed to pay an additional three thousand pounds, which was used as collateral. She could use some unused extraordinary items to cover this, making it easy to solve.
“Deal. Please prepare the Divine Blessing Object for me. I might come to retrieve it soon,” Dorothy wrote on the page. The other party responded promptly.
“Sure, as long as you pay the full amount, the item can be delivered to our branches in major cities immediately. The rental period is one month. As long as you don’t damage it or use it for anything harmful to the Craftsmen Guild, you can use it however you wish… Oh, and using it to desecrate the Construct Core is forbidden. Of course, if you can pay a fine in the millions of pounds, that’s a different matter.”
‘So, in your Craftsmen Guild, even major crimes like desecrating the main deity can be excused by paying a fine? But the severity of that fine… Even the national treasury of a major country on the Main Continent couldn’t withstand it…
Looking at Beverly’s response, Dorothy complained internally. After some thought, she continued writing on the page.
“By the way, do you have the method for creating a Divine Blessing Object?”
“Huh? Create a Divine Blessing Object?”
“Yes, the method of praying to the deity for blessings to create a Divine Blessing Object. Such an object shouldn’t be created so easily, right? There should be some specialized ritual for it…’
