Chapter 719: Waves Rising
After a moment, Alger put down his hand, stood up with a normal expression, and quickly left the dock along the alley, heading towards the "Wave Church" to avoid tracking and surveillance.
Regardless of whether the other party intended to follow him, he planned to use the church to avoid such risks. Compared to exposing his own residence and being vulnerable to a surprise attack at any time, letting people know that he belonged to the "Storm Church" was less of a problem. Moreover, he had deliberately exposed this fact to Sharf to enhance his credibility and maintain a long-term business relationship.
At the same time, he kept recalling the brief conversation he had just heard and analyzing the information contained in it.
There was no doubt that "Craftsman" Sharf was being controlled by someone, or perhaps he was simply collaborating with them. Judging from the tone of the conversation between the two parties, the latter was more likely...
Alger frowned. A reliable craftsman wasn't easy to find. If he had simply collaborated with someone else, it wouldn't have affected the deal between them. But it sounded like the other party was ready to let him leave Bayam and make the craftsman who belonged to everyone their own.
Moreover, when the conversation mentioned the extraordinary characteristic of "Puppet" that he proposed to spy on Sharf, the person controlling Sharf showed great interest and immediately changed his attitude, asking Sharf to stay temporarily to find out the ownership of the "Puppet" characteristic.
The "puppet" nature of Miss "Queen"...
Pondering this, Alger entered the "Church of the Waves" in the night, which had become quiet after the mass. Before the door closed, he looked back and found no trace of the pursuer.
Are they short on manpower, struggling to maintain control over Sharf, and unable to spare anyone to track and monitor me? Or are they so confident they're hiding well that they don't worry about me finding out?
Alger put aside his worries slightly and sat on a bench near the altar, bowing his head as if in prayer, but his mind continued to think about what happened tonight.
According to the "Queen," the "Puppet" is a "prisoner," a Sequence 4 of the "Alien" pathway, a trait she acquired after killing a demigod from the "Rose School." Internal Church documents indicate that the formula and Beyonder traits of the "Alien" pathway have always been tightly controlled by the "Rose School," rarely leaking out. The fact that those controlling Sharf are interested in this suggests he's either a member of the "Rose School" or their enemy...
Whatever the reason, their pursuit of Sharf was extremely suspicious. Was it because of his indulgence or a dispute over some transaction... Oh, by the way, I once sold Sharf a "werewolf" Beyonder trait belonging to "The World" and earned some profit from it...
And "Werewolves" also belong to the "alien" path and are also controlled by the "Rose School"!
Alger suddenly caught a clue and subconsciously looked up at the holy emblem of the storm hanging on the wall, which was composed of strong winds, waves, and thunder. Under the heavy pressure, he lowered his head and continued to pray.
Apparently, the "Rose School" tracked down the Beyonder trait through some special method and approached Sharf. A wild craftsman was very tempting, so they chose to threaten or recruit him, and they succeeded... This also explains why, after hearing about the "Puppet" trait, the other party asked Sharf to stay and try to find more clues to reclaim this trait that belonged to them.
After figuring out everything, Alger immediately thought of reporting it to the Mandated Punisher. He didn't even need to do it himself. He could just find a familiar intelligence dealer, such as the Dominican Federation on Pelican Street, and sell the information. Within a few hours, someone would take it to the Mandated Punisher to claim the reward.
The only problem was that if Sharf was captured, his connection to me would soon be exposed, which meant that the church would discover my repeated creation of magical items, and I would be charged with a large number of crimes involving properties of unknown origin... Thinking of this, Alger gave up the idea of resolving the matter through official means.
Being able to easily control a "craftsman" who possesses magical items, the "Rose School" is likely quite powerful in Bayam. It's even possible that a demigod has infiltrated the city, daring to pursue the whereabouts of the "puppet" feature. It's difficult to deal with it on my own... It seems I can only ask for help from others.
Having made up his mind, Alger left the church and took a detour back to his home. After making sure that no one was following him, he recited the honorific name of "The Fool".
He asked Mr. Fool to inform the Queen that members of the Rose School had appeared in Bayam and were tracking down the whereabouts of the "puppet" feature.
The Golden Queen, who just clashed with this evil sect, will definitely be interested.
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In a huge military base on the outskirts of Backlund.
Under the guidance of an officer, Klein came to the huge square in the base where three airships were parked. He boarded one of the airships that was already in operation, put his luggage in the lounge, and waited for departure with peace of mind.
This means of transportation, completely abandoned for war purposes on Earth, is surprisingly the only man-made device in the world capable of flying, excluding Extraordinary beings, of course... Klein, the keyboard warrior of his previous life, stood at the window, watching the busy crowd below and offering sharp comments in his mind.
Of course, it was also a new experience for him to experience the voyage of an airship in person and to go to Disi Bay with the help of the rumbling steam engine and propeller. Therefore, after divination that the journey would go smoothly, he completely calmed down and prepared to enjoy tonight's flight as an ordinary passenger.
If only the steam engine weren't so noisy. I might need to meditate to fall asleep. Sigh, I'm a bit tired this afternoon... Klein sighed with a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction, thinking of the high thrust-to-weight ratio internal combustion engines and even turbine engines of later generations that could greatly improve the power of airships. However, he couldn't recall any useful details other than some online gossip.
This is the gap between me and Emperor Roselle… He smiled and was about to close the window and have a good rest when he suddenly heard a phantom prayer sound in his ear.
This deep voice belonged to Alger, the Hanged Man. I was deeply impressed by his voice and the word "impulse." Once I heard it, I'll never forget it... Klein chuckled and was about to find a bathroom to respond to the Fool's followers when his gaze suddenly froze and he looked towards the window.
A group of people wearing black windbreakers and carrying various boxes walked hurriedly to the edge of the square. There were both men and women among them, most of them wearing conspicuous red gloves. Only one young woman was wearing a mysterious robe, and the eye shadow and blush on her face looked a little weird under the light.
It's Ms. Daly... Klein naturally shifted his gaze elsewhere to avoid being noticed by the perceptive psychic, but then he saw Leonard Mitchell following behind Daly. He watched them approach their airship, pass the soldiers queuing, and enter the cabin first.
Are they heading to Disi Bay too? No, they're likely heading to the Southern Continent as well. I knew Leonard came to Backlund because of the Blasphemer Amon, and was hiding out because of the parasite within him, but I didn't expect our destinations to be the same. Could this also be the effect of "convergence"? Klein's smile almost froze on his face, but he quickly adjusted himself and nodded to his former colleague as a greeting.
Unfortunately, with the "Thief" angel parasitizing Leonard, I can't respond to the Hanged Man's prayers right now, otherwise it would immediately attract His attention... With a sigh, Klein closed the window and prepared to go to bed early to replenish the energy lost during the day.
Below the airship, the team of "Red Gloves" boarded the airship in strict discipline and walked towards their lounge.
As he passed another line of soldiers, Leonard, who had just recovered from the shock of seeing Dwayne Dantès, the old monster from the Fourth Epoch, noticed their slightly dissatisfied, but well-hidden, gazes.
Since the great smog, the Goddess Church has gained a certain degree of control over the army with the help of the kingdom's new policies. This is naturally more convenient for the Night Watchmen and the "Red Gloves". The previous action plan of one team of Beyonders and one team of soldiers, with only a weak connection between the two, will be replaced by a closer coordination. However, this has also aroused the dissatisfaction of many soldiers, mainly those officers of the Conservative Party.
In the short term, this increased the connection between the three major churches and the army, and boosted the kingdom's combat effectiveness, but in the long term, it posed a huge hidden danger... Leonard thought with some concern. This was not his own conclusion, but an evaluation from the "parasite" of Zoroastrian in his mind.
I hope it won't affect this mission in the southern continent... He pondered, and the smile of Dwayne Dantès just now appeared in his mind again, and his expression became stiff.
Maybe I should go to Constanton to capture the Demon Family instead of going to Balam to look for clues about the Spirit Cult... Leonard suddenly felt a little regretful for actively participating in this operation.
Boom——
The sound of the high-phlogiston steam engine became noticeably louder. As the bulkhead vibrated at a high frequency, the propeller provided the airship with the last bit of lift to break its balance. The airship, loaded with soldiers, extraordinary people, and supplies, left the ground and slowly headed southwest.
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At the same time, standing in a villa located at the highest point in Queens, overlooking the suburbs, Audrey's eyes were attracted by a dim light. She watched it rise into the sky, gradually fade away, and disappear into the night sky.
It should be a military airship in the suburbs... If it were a few months ago, I would definitely not be able to see this light before I became a "hypnotist". The potion has changed me unknowingly... Audrey was rarely confused, but she quickly noticed it and adjusted herself.
"Miss, a secret letter from Mr. Howard."
Audrey's personal maid knocked on the door and came in, handing her an unmarked letter.
After the maid left, Audrey came to the table, opened the envelope, and took out a thin piece of letter paper.
"Benson Moretti, Melissa Moretti, and... Lily Granger."
She scanned the letter paper and read out the three names one by one.
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