Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery.

Chapter 261: Forward Four! Prepare for Battle
After attending the Tarot Club, Odysseus returned to the real world and stared at the ceiling for a while as usual, thinking about his recent arrangements.

First, we need to hold another intelligence exchange meeting. It would be best if we could use the relevant intelligence to eliminate a pirate group to practice.

Secondly, the research and development tasks this week are very heavy, and we must set aside enough time to carry them out.

The last step is the exploration with the "magician".

Thinking of this, Odysseus sighed deeply and said in his heart: Since going to sea, there has not been a single day of leisure.

However, he also knew that these things had to be done in the near future. He just sighed for a moment and then encouraged himself to complete them seriously.

Yesterday, Odysseus had written a letter to the servants on Blue Street in Bayam Kent, and put a five-pound note inside, asking them to place an advertisement in the Rorsted Daily, telling the participants of the intelligence exchange meeting in code that another meeting would be held tomorrow morning.

Odysseus estimated that he would be able to get some news about the pirate group at the party, from which he could choose the target to attack.

After a while, Odysseus received the notice from the "Fool", set up the altar, and performed the "Bestowal Ceremony".

Soon, he obtained 2800 pounds and 7 pieces of sequence 9 level extraordinary materials.

After thanking the Fool, Odysseus realizes that his financial situation has improved and he can repay Bernadette's debt.

After packing up the cash and Sequence 7 materials, Odysseus wrote another letter to Xio, instructing her to prepare for the next occult exchange meeting. He also told her how to summon a messenger and told her to contact him anytime if she had any questions.

Afterwards, Odysseus entered the "Wilderness of Knowledge" and began to use the "Wilderness of Knowledge"'s bonus to time to study the "dust of evil spirits" swept from the ghost ship.

They were once part of the "ghosts", and studying them can help us better understand the internal structure of undead creatures.

After five days of research in the "Wilderness of Knowledge", Odysseus gained a lot and used these gains to invent three scrolls.

After returning to the real world, he immediately took the parchment and used the "dust of the vengeful spirit" as the material to write the first scroll.

This scroll can attract undead creatures, make them gather around the scroll, and divert their attention.

This is a scroll designed by Odysseus based on Mr. Azik's copper whistle and his latest research.

After gathering the undead creatures together, we can launch further attacks in a unified manner.

The moment the scroll was written, Odysseus immediately felt the potion "digesting"!

He was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized: Based on my research, I created a new scroll. This process is the role of "Professor" and the opportunity to digest the potion.

After all, the job of a "professor" is to conduct some research, use the research results, and make certain creations.

And Odysseus's actions just now perfectly fit this process.

Then, Odysseus hurried to write the remaining two scrolls, and also felt the feeling of "digestion".

He smiled and thought that if he could invent four or five more batches of scrolls, he should be able to completely digest his potion.

But it must be a scroll invented based on recent research, not a scroll invented by some previous research.

Over the next ten minutes, Odysseus experienced the feeling of digesting the potion, and it was already evening.

He counted out 3000 pounds in cash and used the "Travel Ring" to come to the Jade Palace.

It was Bernadette's dinner time, and Odysseus, as usual, asked his personal maid Bertha to prepare a dinner for him.

Bernadette, who was drinking aperitifs, smiled and asked, "How does it feel to be out at sea?"

"It's pretty good. I can feel the magnificence and thrill of the sea." Odysseus adjusted his napkin and sighed.

Bernadette was slightly stunned: "Did you encounter pirates?"

"No, we encountered a ghost ship." Odysseus recounted what happened last night.

Bernadette frowned slightly: "I haven't heard of any dangerous ghost ships in that sea area."

Otherwise, they would not have been placed in that sea area.

Odysseus smiled helplessly: "We are unlucky."

We encountered such a dangerous thing on the second day of going out to sea.

Odysseus did not continue the topic, but said, "I have obtained some new information. I roughly know who took away Kalvetuva's characteristics."

Bernadette was stunned. She didn't expect Odysseus to bring back such information.

"You should still remember the adventurer who worked with me in Bansy Harbor, right?" Odysseus said, "It was through our conversations that I deduced that Kalvetuwa's characteristics must have been picked up by the Fool.

"I accidentally learned earlier that he was the Fool's favored one, and not long after Kalvetuwa's death, he frequently appeared in the Church of Poseidon. Recently, Danitz, who was with him, has also been in frequent contact with the top leaders of the resistance..."

He briefly told the lie he had prepared in advance, and seeing Bernadette's increasingly serious expression, he asked, "You've probably heard of The Fool, right?"

Bernadette nodded: "Yes, I've heard about it."

A mysterious being who had only recently appeared, and she had also heard that the Aurora Society was looking for this "Fool".

Odysseus ate the appetizer he had prepared for himself. "I don't know the specific situation, I only have this guess, but I think this speculation should be relatively accurate."

Bernadette pondered for a moment before asking, "What kind of being is The Fool?"

“I’m not very clear about it either. I only heard that He is a being whose power is awakening.” Odysseus said this, but in his heart he said: In fact, I am the person in this world who knows The Fool best, except for The Fool himself.

Bernadette nodded slowly and continued, "Although this information is very advanced, it is still somewhat vague. Therefore, the merits for this information are only enough to repay you with the potion formula and help you prepare part of the ritual."

Odysseus smiled and nodded: "Okay."

This result is already very good. After all, for him, collecting this information is like answering questions based on the reference answers.

Bernadette added, "While you're at the intelligence exchange meeting, help me keep an eye on the movements of the new 'Pirate Conference'."

Odysseus thought for a moment and said, "I remember there was a pirate conference a while ago, right?"

On the sea, the "Pirate Congress" is an important gathering, because one of the important meeting agendas is for the "pirate generals" to discuss the approximate sphere of influence, that is, the scope of robbery.

However, there would only be three or four "Pirate Generals" participating in each "Pirate Conference". "Pirate Generals" with extremely bad reputations like "Blood Admiral" would never participate in such gatherings.

The "pirate generals" who attend the party will probably act as hosts and prevent the "big pirates" from fighting during the meeting.

The main body of the "Pirate Conference" is still the "big pirates".

Of course, there were conflicts among the "pirate generals". On several occasions, the "pirate conference" turned into a battlefield.

But most of the time, the "Pirate Conference" will complete its agenda smoothly, and most participants will be able to leave the island where the conference is held alive.

Normally, the "Pirate Conference" is only held once every one or two years. According to the information Odysseus received when he was in Bayam, the last "Pirate Conference" was held two or three months ago. He didn't expect it to be held again.

Bernadette smiled and said, "I heard that the last 'Pirate Conference' did not complete the corresponding agenda.

"In order to counter the increasing number of ironclad ships from the various countries of the Northern Continent, some major pirates are discussing the formation of a 'Pirate Alliance' and exploring joint actions to attack the ironclad ships and demonstrate to the other countries.

"Forming a 'Pirate Alliance' doesn't seem to be very difficult, but when it comes to attacking ironclad ships, the pirates are seriously divided."

Odysseus nodded. This was not difficult to understand. After all, attacking ironclad ships required a unified command. The "pirates" would certainly not trust other "pirates" and hand over the command of their own pirate group.

Moreover, this process will definitely come at a heavy price, but it is difficult to discuss through a meeting who will take on the main attacking task.

After taking a sip of the seafood soup, Odysseus asked again, "Since it's so difficult to reach a consensus, why hold a new 'Pirate Conference'?"

"Because the ironclad ships are putting increasing pressure on the pirates," Bernadette said, "On the one hand, they are unwilling to hand over command, but on the other hand, they desperately hope someone can organize them to fight against the ironclad ships.

"However, this 'Pirate Conference' is still under preparation, so it will probably be some time before it takes place."

Odysseus smiled and said, "I understand. I will help you pay attention."

Jumping back and forth is the pirates' specialty.

Then Odysseus talked about repaying the money and handed the 3000 pounds in cash to Bernadette's personal maid Bertha.

However, Odysseus noticed that Bernadette did not seem very happy to receive the money.

After finishing the business, the two chatted. After dinner, Odysseus returned to the "Argo" and asked the first mate Bazel to get ready to accompany him to the intelligence exchange meeting tomorrow.

That night, Odysseus asked the two navigator trainees to keep watch. He was about to return to his studio to continue his research. As soon as he entered the door, he found four large wooden boxes containing parts of the "Extraordinary Puppet" in the studio.

This is the second batch of parts carved by Kena. As agreed, there are 20 sets in this batch.

So Odysseus had to put his research work aside and go to the "craftsman" Dif on Lasha Island to get the remaining "wisdom cube" and "signal processing crystal" and pay the balance.

After a brief chat with Dave, Odysseus returned to the "Argo" and asked the first and second mates for help to assemble the new "extraordinary puppet".

If a battle occurs, at least ten "Extraordinary Puppets" are needed to make the weapons on the ship operate normally, and if you want to attack the enemy ship, at least twenty "Extraordinary Puppets" are needed.

Because it takes an attack team consisting of at least ten "extraordinary puppets" to basically complete the attack mission.

The three of them worked until late at night and assembled seven more "extraordinary puppets".

Because I have an intelligence exchange meeting tomorrow, I can only deal with it here for now and deal with the rest tomorrow.

The next morning, Odysseus and Bazel woke up early and used their ability to travel to Bayam. After having breakfast together, they went their separate ways.

Basel rushed to the meeting venue first to make preparations before the meeting.

Odysseus went to the apartment on Humber Road and changed into the "Captain" costume.

Because there was no need to give the participants a huge shock like last time, he arrived at the venue about ten minutes in advance through the "teleportation array".

This way of appearance still caused many people to exclaim in surprise. Most of those who exclaimed were members who came here because of the party's reputation and were attending it for the first time.

Of course, the members who attended the party last time were still observing carefully, trying to figure out how the "Captain" got to the venue.

Most of the participants this time wore masks and hoods, which effectively concealed their identities.

Only a small number of them had enough knowledge of the occult to realize that they had arrived here through a special magic circle.

As soon as Odysseus took his seat, Bazel, who was distributing masks and hoods and collecting "entrance fees" at the door, shouted, "Captain!"

Odysseus looked towards the door, and Bazel waved outside. A local boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old peeked in from outside and looked at Odysseus with admiration.

This young man was the one who sold local specialties, cigarettes and alcohol on the train traveling inside Blue Mountain Island.

He had seen Odysseus and Bazel before when they accompanied Rupert to rescue his teacher.

Odysseus looked at Bazel, then at the young man, and immediately understood what was going on.

The young man must have found this place and wanted to join the party, but he couldn't afford the 5-pound "entrance fee".

Because the boy left a good impression on Basel, Basel felt pity for him and wanted to ask if he could be allowed to enter as well.

Odysseus thought for a moment and waved to the boy.

The boy ran in excitedly and bowed to Osdi: "'Captain'!"

Odysseus nodded, smiled, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"After hearing your teachings on the train that day, I thought a lot and decided I couldn't spend my entire life selling local specialties on the train," the boy said. "So I came to Bayam, hoping to find you and hear more of your teachings."

Odysseus hummed and asked, "How did you find this place?"

"It's not hard to find this place," the boy replied, "just go to the bar and ask around.

"The difficulty was that I didn't know when I would be able to see you, so I waited here for two days and two nights, and finally I met Mr. Bazel."

Odysseus smiled and said, "You know how to persevere." He watched the people attending the party arrive one after another, watching them sit there quietly observing him, and not many people took the initiative to talk.

After four or five seconds, Odysseus said, "So you want to stay here?"

"Yes, sir!" the boy said immediately.

"What's your name?"

"Alan."

"Okay, Alan." Odysseus said, "You can work here, but your first job is to be a waiter here.

"However, I will allow you to live in the venue where the party is held, and I will also give you a normal waiter's salary.

"As for what you can learn, it depends on you."

Young Alan quickly said, "Thank you, Captain!"

Odysseus waved his hand, and Alan immediately got into the mood, standing with the other two waiters, quietly waiting for the party to begin.

At exactly eight o'clock, Odysseus said, "Okay, let's start."

Bazel then closed the door, and Odysseus activated the anti-eavesdropping magic circle again, which again caused some people to exclaim.

The party officially began. Not only were all the 60 chairs prepared full, but there were also seven or eight people willing to stand in the back and join the party.

Odysseus thought about adding more seats, but after 80 seats, no more could be added, and no more people could be allowed to attend the meeting, so he had to artificially create a sense of scarcity.

For the transactions at this gathering, almost all the information will be reviewed by Odysseus so that he can distinguish the true from the false.

This process is more cost-effective for buyers. As long as they ask the "captain" to appraise it, they will have a basic guarantee.

And even if the "Captain" made a mistake and traded false information, I believe the "Captain" would never refuse when someone comes to him for help again.

What they paid for was the intelligence they bought with their own money and let the "captain" see it.

After reading a few pieces of intelligence, Odysseus realized that the information traded this time was much more advanced than the last time they gathered. It was obvious that everyone came prepared.

Halfway through the exchange meeting, Odysseus had already grasped the movements of more than a dozen "big pirates" and the recent actions of two "pirate generals".

This made Odysseus sigh: Bayam's "intelligence industry" is generally easy to get on the right track.

While expressing their feelings, two more members reached a transaction intention and asked Odysseus to review it.

It was an intelligence transaction about the "Sea Wolf" pirate group. Odysseus did not know the specific strength of this pirate group, but he could basically determine the authenticity of the intelligence through logical analysis and rational speculation.

After receiving the information, Odysseus's eyes narrowed. The information mainly said that the "Sea Wolf" pirate group that was repairing on the island of Tirinius needed more than a dozen advanced cannons.

Many adventurers like this kind of information very much. Even on the sea where there are no rules and laws, things like cannons are not so easy to trade.

Adventurers with the appropriate channels would first reach a transaction intention with the "Sea Wolf" pirate group, then use their channels to obtain cannons, resell them to the pirate group, and earn the difference.

What caught Odysseus's attention was a seemingly insignificant sentence in the description: "After the Sea Wolf pirates fought the Red Lion pirates in the south of Tirinus Island, they arrived at Tirinus Island to rest and recuperate..."

Odysseus had been paying attention to the movements of the "Red Lion" pirate group, and finally found a clue.

The nautical charts he had recently studied hard on immediately appeared in his mind: After a naval battle, both sides would definitely have to go close to the port to rest, repair ships, and replenish ammunition.

Since the "Sea Wolf" pirate group went to Tirinius Island for rest and recuperation, the "Red Lion" pirate group had only two options for where to go for rest and recuperation.

They are Chaker Island, located southwest of Tirinhos Island, and Nikat Island, located northwest of Tirinhos Island.

The naval battle between the two sides has been going on for several days. The "Red Lion" pirate group should have just repaired their ships and replenished their ammunition, and may have just left one of the two islands.

Then Odysseus thought back to the current location of the "Argo". If it sailed at full speed, it would reach one of the islands in about 12 hours.

With the speed of an ordinary pirate ship, even if the "Red Lion" pirate group set out a day or two earlier, the "Argo" could catch up with them in a very short time.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Odysseus took a deep breath, smiled, and said in a steady tone, "The intelligence is accurate, but whether the other party actually needs that much cargo is up to you to determine."

Generally speaking, it is not surprising to replenish a few cannons after a naval battle, but it is hard to say whether 12 cannons should be replenished.

A large pirate ship has about 20 cannons, and a medium-sized pirate ship generally has 12 to 16 cannons. The pirate group of this kind of "big pirate" usually does not exceed four ships, and the number of cannons does not exceed 58.

Twelve guns are too many, unless the Sea Wolf pirate group has suffered heavy losses.

However, intelligence also showed that the "Sea Wolf" pirate group went to the nearby Tirinius Island for rest and recuperation, indicating that they had gained a certain advantage in the naval battle, or the "Red Lion" pirate group was resting nearby on Tirinius Island.

So Odysseus concluded that the "Sea Wolf" pirate group needed cannons, but not necessarily as many as 12.

The buyer of this information took the opportunity to bargain based on the "captain's" identification results and then reached a deal. However, the original information fee of 15 pounds was finally completed at 10 pounds.

Because the seller did exaggerate the quantity to a certain extent, it was a big deal and it was easier to get a higher price when selling the information. Unexpectedly, it was so easily exposed by the "captain".

The transaction continued. In the second half of the party, Odysseus heard another description of the location of ancient ruins. This kind of information is generally difficult to trade, because the ruins that can be brought here for trading are generally those that have been looted countless times.

However, out of curiosity, even though Odysseus did not find any ancient text there this time, he still spent 15 to buy this information again and went to take a look when he had time.

Since then, Odysseus has also received some news about the "Rose School". Recently, the "Nighthawks" and "Manufactured Punishers" in Bayam suddenly launched a joint action to attack several "Rose School" strongholds, causing the activities of this evil cult organization in Bayam to suddenly become sluggish.

However, Odysseus keenly sensed that this was a precursor to a larger move by the "Rose School." He remembered that the "Rose School" would soon compete for and transfer the "Orange Light" Hilarion, who had transformed into a great scientist, to Bayam.

Therefore, the "Rose School" will only send people to Bayam now, and will not leave.

However, in order to avoid alerting the enemy, they may not retaliate against Odysseus and Rupert, who have caused them certain losses, in the near future.

But just because they don't retaliate doesn't mean Odysseus won't take the initiative to attack.

The best way to deal with this kind of cult organization is to take the initiative to attack and make the other party exhausted from coping.

After the intelligence transaction was completed, Odysseus sold Sequence 9 level extraordinary materials just like last time.

He currently has 14 copies of 5 different extraordinary materials.

At this gathering, six copies were sold, earning £6, plus an "entrance fee" of £900 to £, and the "bundled sales" of masks and cloaks.

The income from this gathering was also very good. Of course, the biggest gain from this kind of gathering is the intelligence gained. For example, there are five pieces of intelligence to be reported to the Church of the Goddess of Evernight today.

Some of this information is about the movements of evil extraordinary organizations such as the "Aurora Society", and some is about a suspicious action of the Church of the God of War on Sonia Island.

Of course, this information is not the information traded openly by the members. It is the result of Odysseus's judgment based on the information that the participating members asked him to verify and his own experience. It is currently "first-hand" information.

In addition, Odysseus has a relatively systematic understanding of the pirates in the entire Violent Sea.

Besides the "Pirate Generals" known to almost everyone on the sea, there were also many "Great Pirates" active on the sea. Odysseus made a preliminary estimate and found that there were at least thirty of them, perhaps even more! They were all Sequence 7 or Sequence 6!

As for pirates and wanted criminals with bounties below 3000 pounds, their number is even greater and it is difficult to count them.

This made Odysseus sigh: The major forces are really willing to invest in the sea.

The last part of the party was that Odysseus designated five participants as candidates for official members, and the official members voted on the spot to decide which two candidates would become official members.

After absorbing two new members and determining the "code name", the party ended.

Watching the members leave one by one, Odysseus took a break and instructed the three waiters, including Allen, to pay attention to entertaining the guests who usually came here to sell intelligence.

Then Odysseus brought Bazel back to the Argo and immediately said to Bazel, "Gather all the crew members for a meeting."

Bazel was slightly stunned before he said, "Yes."

Odysseus first arrived at the conference room. The conference room on the ship was not big. In addition to the conference room, it was also the library on the ship with several bookshelves. However, he had not purchased any books yet. There were only a few books about navigators provided by Yi Laizhe.

If there is a ship doctor in the future, he will usually sit here to see patients.

Two or three minutes later, the crew members arrived one after another. The navigation trainees came in chatting and laughing as it was their first meeting, but when they saw the captain's serious face, they immediately put away their smiles and sat down obediently.

After everyone sat down, there was some confusion on their faces. Even Basel didn't understand why the meeting was held.

"The meeting begins." said Odysseus.

The other crew members immediately sat up straight and looked at the captain.

"I just got some information about the Red Lion pirate group!" Odysseus said, "They've been active on Zakal Island or Nikart Island lately!"

Bazel's mouth dropped open in surprise. This news was too sudden for him! He had observed the entire intelligence exchange meeting today and hadn't heard anything about the Red Lion pirate group.
Then he was shaking with excitement. He had never expected that he would have the chance to take revenge just as he went out to sea.

Rupert and Elijah had both heard of Bazel and the "Severed Finger" story, and they immediately understood that the captain was planning to attack the "Red Lion" pirate group.

Based on what they had learned during this period, they already knew the maximum speed of the "Argo". Although their current location was still four or five hundred nautical miles away from the two islands, they would definitely be able to arrive there before midnight.

Then cruise around the two islands in search. If the "Red Lion" pirate group has not gone far, they will be found within a day or two.

Such a raid is almost impossible for ordinary ships to accomplish.

Because the maximum speed of most pirate ships is only about 16 or 17 knots. If they encounter a windless sea area, the speed may only be 6 or 7 knots.

By the time they rushed to the two islands, the people had already fled.

The five navigator trainees did not know Basel's story and were a little confused by the captain's description.

"Now I order!" Odysseus said, "Sail immediately towards the two islands mentioned above!

"Bazel, stay on the Argo. Rupert and I will go gather intelligence and further determine the location of the Red Lion pirate group!"

Bazel and the other three main crew members immediately said together: "Yes!"

Odysseus stood up and said, "The meeting is over, take action immediately!"

Basel didn't have time to thank the captain at this time, and he and Yi Laizhe immediately went to the cockpit to adjust the course.

After Odysseus and Rupert put on some simple makeup, they used the "travel ring" to first arrive at Chakel Island.

With a clear purpose, they headed straight for the dock at the port. They first observed from a distance but did not see any ships of the "Red Lion" pirate group.

So Odysseus went to the dock and lied that he wanted to repair the ship, and was taken to the manager's office by the dock workers.

After closing the office door, Odysseus took out a ten-pound note and asked, "Have any of the Red Lion pirates ever come here to repair their ship?"

The manager took a deep breath as he looked at the 10-pound note. His salary was less than 2 pounds a week, so this was a considerable fortune for him.

He looked at the closed door again before whispering, “They didn’t repair the ship here, but went to Nikat Island in the south.

"I just heard this from the merchant who came to repair the ship this morning."

Although the manager wanted the wealth very much, he also knew that if he got into trouble with the pirates, he would surely die, so he was so cautious.

Odysseus put the banknotes on the table, pretended that no agreement had been reached, and left the dock.

Arriving at a secluded corner, Odysseus took Rupert to Nikart Island. Using the same method, they learned at the dock here that the fleet of the "Red Lion" pirate group had just left here this morning.

Odysseus asked about their approximate direction and learned that the pirate group had three speedboats, one large and two medium-sized, with the flagship being the large speedboat.

Back on the Argo, Odysseus explained the information he had learned to Elijah.

Yi Laizhe quickly determined the target of their course and slightly adjusted the course, intending to intercept them at sea.

"Forward four!" Odysseus ordered. "Target: the 'Red Lion' pirate group!"

(End of this chapter)