Chapter 458 Edwina's Collection Room
After "punishing" Danitz with a few words, Edwina led the two of them through the dim corridor and up the stairs to the second floor.
Compared to ordinary sailing warships, this "Golden Dream" was more like the ironclad ships Angel had seen in history books. The middle and rear sections of the ship had a superstructure that was higher than the main guns. Although this prevented the main guns, which Danitz described as extremely powerful, from firing backwards, it did provide a better field of view...
and quality of life.
The second floor was wider and neater, and each room had wide portholes. When passing by a room with a half-open door, Angel accidentally glanced inside and was immediately attracted by this room that was decorated like an exhibition hall.
"This is our collection room. It displays the finds from the ship's adventures and treasure hunts. Some are of unknown significance and await research, but most are just souvenirs."
Edwina took the initiative to introduce, pushing open the door to allow for a clearer view.
"Research?"
Klein inquired, looking inward with a cold gaze. His expression remained unchanged, but Angel noticed that his eyes lingered on each "exhibit" for a long time.
"Can we go in and take a look?"
She asked the owner of this place, Vice Admiral Iceberg.
After getting permission, Angel was the first to step into the spacious and bright room, followed closely by Klein.
Placed on the wooden table in the middle was a huge black iron key, as big as a ship's rudder.
The key of death?
Angel guessed, recalling what Danitz had said before about the real reason why the "Blood Admiral" came looking for him.
"That's why Senior frequently troubled my crew," Edwina's voice came from behind, confirming her suspicions. "After discovering the Second Officer's death at your hands, he sent word that he was willing to pay 5,000 pounds for the giant's key, plus another 1,000 pounds in compensation for the crew's deaths."
"You promised?"
Klein raised his eyebrows and looked at the other person.
"This amount of money isn't enough to compensate my crew or appease their anger," Edwina said, her face darkening as she shook her head. "Besides, this is most likely a trap. The Blood Admiral isn't one to talk money."
"I thought you were going to say you were ready to agree and then sell it to us at a higher price."
Angel said, reaching out to touch the black iron key, with a glimmer of hope in his heart. Perhaps this "Key of Death" would undergo some changes due to his touch, or even guide him to the treasure left by the God of Death in the Raging Sea...
Nothing happened except the cold touch.
She dropped her hand awkwardly.
"This is just a small gesture of goodwill. If you want to buy it, you can always contact me. I'll only charge 5,000 pounds. My only condition is that you tell me the results after you study it."
Edwina replied with a slight smile on her face, her light blue eyes sparkling when she mentioned "research".
But I always feel like she's laughing at me... Angel put his hand that was touching the key behind his back and looked at Klein, who also tried to touch the key, but there was no reaction.
He turned and asked:
"Do you know where I can find literature on the Grim Reaper?"
Death God Documents... Why would he be interested in this? Was he asking about this on behalf of Mr. Azik?
Angel also looked at Edwina.
"I have some on my bookshelf, but they're scattered. I'll have Danitz copy them for you later. I heard there were some on the ship captured by Vice Admiral Hurricane, but... after he died mysteriously in Backlund, the fleet was taken over by Tracy, and the whereabouts of the documents are unknown."
Edwina seemed to have some unique views on Qilingos, who had infiltrated the ranks of pirate generals with only Sequence 6. There was a hint of emotion in her tone, but she quickly recovered and looked at the other exhibits.
"This is the horn that's said to summon a ghost ship. An Intis merchant hired us to find it, but we blew it almost to pieces without seeing the ghost ship. This is a gold coin minted by the Solomon Empire in the Fourth Epoch, each of which is now worth a fortune. This is a wine glass found in the waters where the 'Ghost Empire' once appeared. It's a pity. If I hadn't been on vacation at the time, maybe I could have found its trace..."
She introduced her collection one by one, with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, which reminded Angel of an old man who also liked to show off his collection, "Eye of Wisdom" Isengard Stanton.
Do people with a collecting hobby like to talk so much and want everyone to know about their collections?
She pondered, following the hospitable host step by step, browsing the collections, some large, some small, some priceless, some worthless but commemorative. Klein beside her had his eyes wide open, eager to ask about the history and mystery behind them, but he had to maintain the demeanor of a "crazy adventurer" and his eyes were almost twitching, which made Angel almost laugh out loud.
"What is this? A captain's diary?"
Coming to a thick book with a dark brown cover and bound in parchment, Angel noticed Klein's gaze shifting towards him again and asked considerately on his behalf.
"'Groselle's Travels' was found on a shipwreck on the seabed. It had been submerged in seawater for 165 years, yet it remained intact."
Edwina replied, reaching out to take the book out of the display case and placing it on the glass table. Angel then noticed the title written in ancient Fusac script.
"It tells the story of a giant named Groselle, who travels across the lands to hunt the Frost Kingdom's 'King of the North,' a powerful frost dragon. He encounters all sorts of companions, including Loen soldiers, devout monks, Solomon nobles, and even female elves."
"What was the ending? Did they kill the 'King of the North'?"
"I don't know. The story stops when Groselle's team encounters the Frost Dragon. I don't mean there's nothing further to say, but the pages after that can't be opened. Look..."
As she spoke, Edwina flipped open "Groselle's Travels" and showed them page by page. It was written in the same bold, ancient Fusac script. The content was consistent with her description, but the plot was jumpy and fragmented, as if it had been written by different people at different times with supplements.
When they reached the last few pages, she let go of her hand, and Angel tried to flip back, but found that the parchment seemed to be fixed together, forming a hard block about a quarter of the thickness of the book, and it was completely impossible to unfold it.
"I've tried burning it, cutting it with knives, and all sorts of mystical methods, but the back pages still can't be opened. Even the entire book remains completely undamaged..." Edwina continued, then changed the subject, "If you're interested, you can buy it. But again, my only condition is that you tell me any research results so I can put my doubts to rest."
Angel was wondering if the "Disaster" spell could destroy it. When he heard the other party's words, he subconsciously asked:
"How much?"
"Only £8,000."
Only... 8,000 pounds? That's the price of a Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic!
Angel looked at Klein and saw that the curiosity in his eyes quickly disappeared under the heavy blow of the gold pounds. So he smiled and replied:
"I'll think about it."
I wonder how I ended up on this ship and was dragged into the collection room by you to sell you expensive but useless items!
She thought bitterly.
————
After passing through the corridor outside the "collection room", the three of them came to the crew mess which was also on the second floor. It was already past lunchtime, and there were only a few sailors on duty resting in the corner. When they saw the captain coming in, they all stood up and greeted him.
"Here's the food I prepared for you. There's dried fish made from freshly caught deep-sea fish, homemade yogurt, and you can add honey or various jams. The bread and butter are over there..."
Edwina introduced and took the plate, taking out several kinds of food. The strong aroma emitted made Angel's somewhat shriveled stomach twitch constantly.
She picked up a can of yogurt and smelled it, finding it tasted good, so she added her favorite strawberry jam, and picked out a few normal-looking dried fish, a few pieces of butter bread, and bacon that was fried a little thoroughly.
While the food here wasn't as good as Bayam's luxurious suite or the White Onyx's first-class cabin, it was still extremely sumptuous compared to an ordinary ship. Furthermore, when she was picking up her food, she noticed that other ordinary sailors were also dining, indicating that this wasn't a menu reserved exclusively for the captain or boatswain.
"You guys seem different from other pirates?"
After arriving at the captain's dining room and finishing their delicious lunch, Angel asked curiously.
"Do you mean the food, or our collection room?"
Edwina didn't eat much, so she finished her meal first and was reading a palm-sized notebook. When she heard Angel's question, she looked up curiously.
"All of that, plus annual leave, your philosophy, and this strange ship."
"Every pirate general has his own unique philosophy. It's not surprising, even the bloodthirsty 'Blood Admiral' is the same... But you're right, we are indeed different from ordinary pirates. This is not just my own will, but the collective choice of everyone."
After answering vaguely, the "Iceberg Lieutenant General" put down the notes in his hand.
She was referring to the opinions of the other crew members, or the arrangements of the power behind him... Angel thought about it, glanced at the notebook, and was immediately dazzled by the detailed text and complex formulas.
"What about your own will?"
Klein put down his fork and suddenly asked.
"Collecting treasures, collecting ancient documents, exploring the vast oceans—don't you think these things are much more interesting than fighting and killing?" Edwina smiled, which made her oval face more lively, not as if it were an iceberg. "I can see that you feel the same way, which is one of the reasons why I'm willing to sell some of my collection to you."
Did she mean that she was not forced, but was just as passionate about her current job?
Angel suddenly thought of Isengard, the "Eye of Wisdom" who was far away in Backlund and had a similar personality to Edwina. Isengard was a famous detective and an informant for the "Mechanical Heart". He was a Sequence 7 "Keeper" who was also full of desire to explore the unknown.
He had stayed in Lenburg for a long time...and "Vice Admiral Iceberg" seemed to be from Lenburg as well. Could it be that both of them were believers of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom" Church there?
Could it be that the church is supporting "Vice Admiral Iceberg"? Perhaps what she said just now was hinting at this to us, in order to promote possible cooperation in the future?
It's so tiring to talk to this kind of people...
She curled her lips and wondered whether she should go get some more yogurt from the food shelf outside.
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