Seeing everyone on the Golden Dream aim their sights at Anderson, Klein took a step forward and said to Danitz, his side facing him, "Bring me to the captain's cabin."
"... Alright. Alright." Danitz retracted his angry glare aimed at Anderson Hood.
Prioritize Captain's rescue. Prioritize Captain's rescue... he kept repeating to himself.
The Golden Dream first released a dinghy before lowering a gangway, allowing Klein to easily step onto the deck without using a charm.
Anderson followed by his side, completely ignoring the glares of the Golden Dream's crew. With a smile, he strolled forward as he looked around, treating it as his own home.
His mental fortitude is truly beyond remarkable... Yes, even after offending a demigod where he was forced to apologize in public and accept a mission, he was able to laugh at himself and enjoy a meal... Klein sighed inwardly as he walked towards Third Mate Jodeson and company.
"Hello, Mr. Sparrow. I'm this ship's first mate, Bru Walls." A 1.8-meter-tall man with a monocle politely bowed.
The pirate "Gourmet" who's worth 6,200 pounds... The bounties on Vice Admiral Iceberg's pirate crew are clearly lower than Admiral of Stars. They live up to being treasure hunters who happen to be part-time pirates... Klein greeted him using Gehrman Sparrow's style of politeness, "Hello. I've heard about you."
"... Haha, it's my honor. I'm only a treasure hunter who dreams to be an artisan, but I ended up having to be a gourmet," Bru Wall said in a self-deprecating manner. He pointed to the man beside him and said, "Our second mate, Singer Orpheus."
Bounty of 5,500 pounds... The Beyonders on the Golden Dream all have very odd nicknames. I didn't know that they were the subordinates of a pirate admiral, I would've definitely believed them to be a traveling crew who sing and enjoy good food while holding bonfires as they seek out legendary treasure. It's truly a beautiful life... Klein cast his gaze at Orpheus and nodded.
The Singer had deep sculpted outlines and a head of resplendent blond hair. He said with a sad smile, "Actually, I'm only praising the sun, but now, my ‘sun' has disappeared."
"..."
Klein nearly felt goosebumps all over him.
"Tsk, as expected of someone from Intis. He speaks like he's singing. What a pity, I grew up in Segar, in Lenburg, and didn't pick up this ability," Anderson said with a chuckle. It wasn't clear if he was praising or degrading Orpheus; after all, half the blood flowing in his veins was Intis blood.
Born in Senor and later studied in Lenburg. Yes, it was likely a Church school. He's classmates with Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina... Mr. Orpheus is definitely from the Sun pathway, but he's unlikely to be from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. From his bounty, he's likely a Sequence 6 Notary... I almost forgot to inform Little Sun that I have his formula. I wonder what he will use in exchange this time... Klein turned towards Flowery Bow Tie Jodeson and Bucket Daniels before Gourmet Bru Walls introduced.
"We've met.
"Let's not waste any time."
"Alright." Bru Walls heaved a sigh of relief, stroked his short beard and led the way into the cabin.
If it wasn't for how famous Gehrman Sparrow was on the ship, he wouldn't have been that polite.
At that moment, Anderson deliberately stayed behind, walking alongside Danitz, Orpheus, and company.
He looked to his left and right, unfazed by how the surrounding pirates looked like they wanted to rip him apart. He laughed with a tsk.
"The one you should be wary of isn't me."
"Yes, we aren't wary of you. We only want to stuff you in. See that? Into that cannon!" Danitz wasn't afraid that Anderson was the Strongest Hunter. After all, they were on the Golden Dream. There were plenty of pirates, and many of them were Sequence 6 or 7 Beyonders.
Anderson curled his lips.
"I'm actually not a threat. Think about it; your captain definitely hates and detests me. She wouldn't even want to speak to me. Isn't that ideal?"
"..."
Danitz turned agape, but he didn't say a thing. He suddenly felt that what the pile of dogsh*t said made sense.
The looks in the eyes of Orpheus, Jodeson, and company also subconsciously turned gentle.
Anderson chuckled as he looked at them. He said in a rather ethereal tone, "The person you should be wary about is Gehrman Sparrow."
"Why?" Danitz blurted out.
Although he's a madman that warrants the need to be wary of him, he's not an enemy at the moment... Danitz silently added.
Anderson laughed.
"I'm assuming. Assuming that Gehrman successfully finds your captain and rescues her, will your captain have fond feelings for him as a result? Besides, he looks pretty good. He has that cold and aloof aesthetic and is strong. He's at the level of a pirate admiral, and his background is especially mysterious. He's completely compatible..."
How... is it possible... Danitz wished to retort, but he was momentarily at a loss for words. He felt increasingly more convinced that things weren't right.
Orpheus and company had their expressions collapse bit by bit. They looked at Gehrman Sparrow's back with a newfound sense of wariness.
Resolved! The provocation problem from before has been resolved... With a smile, Anderson walked into the cabin.
When he arrived inside the captain's cabin, Klein first circled the room which was nearly filled with bookshelves. On it were all kinds of books.
The average captain's cabin is filled with racks of alcohol... he silently mumbled before walking straight to the desk by the window.
According to Danitz's description, Edwina had vanished during her research. Therefore, finding traces of her research was Klein's goal. After he gathered enough information, he would head above the gray fog to divine the matter.
At that moment, the desk was a mess with many things placed on it. There was white paper, a fountain pen, an ink bottle, a bronze dagger, and untidily stacked books.
In the middle of the desk was a book made of goatskin. Its dark brown cover had the words "Groselle's Travels" written in ancient Feysac.
Isn't this one of Vice Admiral Iceberg's collections? It has a mysterious origin and is suspected to be related to the dragons and City of Miracles, Liveseyd... Edwina was studying this before she disappeared? Klein looked at the book and instinctively made a guess.
Seeing Gehrman Sparrow study the ancient book, Danitz forced a smile and said, "There's nothing wrong with it. We have already inspected it."
Is that so? I seriously doubt your meticulousness... Since someone had flipped it and there weren't any obvious abnormalities with it, together with the fact that Klein determined that Danitz was saying the truth with his spiritual intuition, Klein reached out for it and asked, "Have you read Groselle's Travels?"
Danitz shook his head. Bru Walls, Orpheus, Jodeson, and company shook their heads as well.
Their expressions seemed to say that their daily studies were tiring enough. They didn't wish to read any other books during their breaks!
Swiping his fingertip across the yellowish-brown goatskin, Klein carefully and seriously read each page.
Soon, he arrived at the spot where the pages were stuck together. From the corner of his eye, he saw what was written in it.
Eh... That's not right! His gaze focused as he hurriedly flipped two pages back.
He clearly remembered that his previous read stopped at giant Groselle and his team preparing to challenge the frost dragon, the King of the North, in a head-on clash. There was nothing after that, but now, there were two more pages!
It also meant that the stuck pages had thinned, and the book had two more pages!
The chapters came to a halt for a thousand years before it was continued? These are the fruits of Vice Admiral Iceberg's research? This also led to her disappearance? As Klein lampooned, he frowned as he read the additional content.
The two pages described a lost female pirate. She encountered the King of the North in a blizzard, and she was nearly killed. Only by using all her strength was she successful in escaping before meeting the main lead's team who were here to challenge the frost dragon.
There's the addition of a female pirate... Female pirate... Klein ruminated over this description as an idea suddenly came to him.
Could she be Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina?
She entered the book and became a character in the story?
With this idea in mind, Klein quickly realized certain problems.
Arrodes mentioned before that the past owners of Groselle's Travels vanished...
Groselle's Travels has a giant from the Dark Epoch which is also the Second Epoch, an elf, an ascetic from the Third or Fourth Epoch, a Solomon Empire noble, and a Fifth Epoch Loen soldier. The times are extremely chaotic.
If they were all the past owners of Groselle's Travels who disappeared, that will solve the problem... They do not belong to the same period, and they were swallowed by the book, becoming a character in the story! Klein found his theory ridiculous as he thought about it, but it was highly likely.
In the world of mysticism, this isn't impossible!
I have to confirm it... Besides, what did Edwina and the past owners do to be "swallowed" by the book... And what should I do to release them... Klein retracted his gaze and thought deeply in silence.
Soon, he looked up at Danitz and company.
"Prepare items like candles. I will be praying for an answer from a secret existence."
And that secret existence is myself... Klein added inwardly in jest.
He really is professional and crazy... Gourmet Bru Walls and company didn't dare to speak further. They hurriedly provided the materials before leaving the captain's cabin.
They didn't dare to watch such dangerous rituals unless Gehrman Sparrow requested them to do so.
Inside the captain's cabin, Klein locked the door, closed the windows, and quickly set up the ritual. Then, he brought Groselle's Travels above the gray fog.
After placing the ancient book at the end of the long bronze table, he sat down and conjured a pen and paper. He then scribbled a divination statement: "Edwina is in the story of this book."
