Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery.

Chapter 356: Pirate Conference (One additional chapter for subscriptions)
On Cruz Island, the pirate conference is taking place.

Odysseus used the newly built assembly hall to hold this pirate conference.

This conference hall was not particularly luxurious, but its decoration style was very solemn. Many "big pirates" did not know which leg to step first after entering.

At the same time, nameplates were placed on the seats. When the "big pirates" arrived at the venue, waiters led them to their exclusive seats.

All these reception activities have once again refreshed their understanding of the Pirate Conference.

They had participated in pirate conferences more than once before, but the venues were usually in restaurant halls, casinos, or simply in caves or woods.

This is the first time I have encountered such a formal venue.

The usually chaotic pirate conference was now silent. The "big pirates" all looked quietly at the "pirate generals" sitting on the opposite stage, waiting for them to speak.

Sitting on the stage, Cattleya thought to herself: The environment has had a significant impact on these pirates. Although they had previously talked about establishing a "Pirate Alliance", when they mentioned this alliance, even the "Pirate Generals" felt that it was an alliance that was not presentable.

But now it’s different. In such a solemn environment, mentioning the Pirate Alliance again gives people the feeling that the main leader of a country is convening a parliament to discuss issues.

The host of this conference, "Black Hand" Alva, first praised this pirate conference as an unprecedented gathering, and then praised the venue of this gathering and the accommodation arranged for the pirates.

Then he said, "Let's discuss the first topic first. At the last gathering, we decided to establish a pirate alliance, but the specific system has not been established.

"At this conference, let's first discuss Admiral Mystery's suggestions on this topic."

Then he made a "please" gesture to Admiral Mystery.

Then Odysseus smiled and said, “I learned from Alva about the achievements and controversies of the previous conference.

"At that time, everyone agreed to form the 'Pirate Alliance', but there was a serious disagreement about who would be the leader.

"After some recent reflection, I have come up with a solution to the current controversy."

When everyone heard that they were discussing serious matters, they all looked at the "Admiral of Mystery" seriously and listened quietly to his suggestions.

Odysseus continued, "My suggestion is that instead of appointing a leader, we should establish a 'Pirate Alliance Standing Committee'. The six 'Pirate Generals' attending this meeting will be the standing committee members.

"The standing committee has a veto power!"

He paused and continued, "There are important decisions that require the approval of the 'Pirate Generals' through a vote. If no 'Pirate General' abstains from voting, a motion must have more than four votes in support to pass.

“If not all standing committee members attend the meeting, or some abstain from voting, the proposal with the most votes will be implemented.

"In order to avoid a three-on-three situation, I believe that Alva, the initiator of the 'Pirate Congress', should be made the seventh standing committee member."

The "big pirates" were all slightly stunned. They all knew that "Black Hand" Alva was just a "big pirate" and had not yet reached the level of "pirate general".

But soon they were relieved because they also knew that Alva was a subordinate of the "King of the Five Seas".

Odysseus continued, "The 'great pirates' attending the meeting today are members of the 'Standing Committee'.

“Everyone can raise issues and get corresponding support.

“Important issues require a vote by all, and once they are passed, they enter the implementation stage.”

Seeing the pirates' bewildered faces, he further explained, "For example, if you are attacked by pirates outside the 'Pirate Alliance' and want revenge but are unable to do so due to lack of strength, you can seek support from other members nearby.

"If several members are unable to resolve the issue, you can come to the 'Pirate Alliance Standing Committee' and raise an issue. As long as it is approved by the majority of pirates, then all of us will form a joint fleet to help you get revenge.

“Of course, the spoils obtained from such an operation will be distributed by the ‘Pirate General’.

"The proposals put forward by the seven 'standing committee members' are basically institutional issues, such as the proposal I am explaining to you now."

The venue fell silent, because this was a method they had never heard of before, but it sounded very reasonable. The key was that it immediately established a certain connection between the members of the "Pirate Alliance".

The "Pirate Generals" felt that their political model was similar to Loen's parliament, but with obvious differences.

This made them frown one after another, and they instinctively wanted to refuse, but they also felt that their rights and interests were protected and further confirmed.

In particular, the "veto power" makes the "Pirate General" legally superior to the "Big Pirate".

So when everyone realized that this system would cause them to lose a certain degree of autonomy, they did not immediately reject it, because they also gained a certain degree of power at the same time.

At this time, a "big pirate" asked: "What if I'm attacked by the navy and want revenge? Can I ask for help?"

"Of course you can." Odysseus smiled and said, "But we also need to consider the actual situation before taking further action.

"My personal suggestion is not to engage in a full-scale naval battle with the navy. Just attack the warships that caused you damage."

Odysseus had no favorable impression of the navies of the Northern Continent, including the Kingdom of Loen. He felt that they were just a group of pirates with better organization capabilities.

This was indeed the case. For example, the Loen Navy was established to suppress the Rorsted Islands and East Balam, intimidate the navies of the other three countries, and allow the Governor-General to better plunder the colonies.

So he would have no psychological burden if he attacked a warship.

Then another "big pirate" asked: "What if there is a dispute or fight among us?"

"We'll find the nearest 'Pirate General' to make the decision," Odysseus replied with a smile. "If there's a dispute involving the 'Pirate General', it will be resolved by a vote of the seven standing committee members."

The meeting room fell silent again as everyone realized that this system did not seem to have any major loopholes.

A few seconds later, the somewhat aloof Vice Admiral Disease suddenly said, "If I understand correctly, we need a place to house the Pirate Alliance Standing Committee."

"That's right." Odysseus smiled and said, "If everyone has no objection to my proposal, the Pirate Alliance will adopt this committee system.

"As one of the standing committee members, my first proposal is to temporarily establish the port town of Cruz Island as the headquarters of the 'Pirate Alliance'."

No one raised any objections because there was a conference hall here, there were specially prepared accommodations for them, there were delicacies from all over the world, and even the streetwalkers here knew how to please people.

So under Alva's chairmanship, everyone conducted the first vote somewhat awkwardly, and everyone agreed that it was a good idea to set up the base on Cruz Island.

Cattleya, who also voted in favor, thought to herself: Cruz Island will be the "capital" in the minds of all pirates in the future.

Then everyone started to discuss the second topic: How to deal with Rune's ironclad ships?

There was no progress on this issue at the last Pirate Conference.

When it was Odysseus' turn to speak, he said, "I don't think we should consider it our duty to deal with ironclad ships.

"Currently, Loen's two ironclad ships are used to fight the Feysac Empire, not to fight pirates.

"Under such circumstances, it is not a good idea for us to take the initiative to attack."

He paused and continued, "I think our advantages are our elusiveness, our speed, and our familiarity with the sea. If we encounter an ironclad ship, there's no need for a head-on attack."

A pirate asked: "What if we are attacked by an ironclad ship?"

"Seek help from the nearby 'Pirate General'." Odysseus replied: "Have you all forgotten the existence of extraordinary power?

“With extraordinary help, each pirate general’s ship is unique and, in my opinion, capable of challenging an ironclad ship on its own.

"However, this kind of help is definitely not free. The specific benefits will be determined through negotiation between the two parties."

After hearing this, the "pirate generals" remained silent, because what Odysseus had just said was true.

The pirate just now asked again: "How can we contact the 'Pirate General'?"

"This is my second proposal," Odysseus said, "The crystal ball I processed can contact allies within 800 kilometers.

"That's an ordinary spiritual crystal ball. As long as it's not in use, no one can determine its location."

He said the latter sentence to dispel the pirates' concerns. After all, if there was something that could locate them at any time, they would definitely not accept it.

Odysseus continued, "So, my second suggestion is to use the crystal ball to establish a communication network among the members."

At this time, Lieutenant General Dusk, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "Can I see the crystal ball?"

Odysseus immediately asked the waiter to bring one.

Lieutenant General Dusk placed one hand on the compass at his waist and held the small crystal ball with the other.

Then the compass emitted a faint light, and everyone realized that the compass was actually a magical item.

A few seconds later, the light on the compass disappeared, and Vice Admiral Dusk said, "I'll bring a crystal ball."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that there was nothing wrong with the crystal ball.

Odysseus did not expect that "Lieutenant General Dusk" would help dispel everyone's concerns, but he did not thank him on the spot, and guessed that this was the other party's way of accumulating favors first and paving the way for a private conversation later.

After everyone claimed their crystal balls, the venue suddenly fell silent, because everyone discovered that the problem that had not been solved after three days of the last Pirate Conference was solved in just over two hours!

The "pirate generals" gradually realized that this "mysterious admiral" was a "politician among pirates" and that these difficult problems were easily solved by him.

At the end of the meeting, the pirates reached a consensus that such pirate conferences would be held regularly every three months.

When everyone was about to leave, Odysseus invited everyone to have lunch in the newly built banquet hall at noon, and announced that the trading phase of this "Pirate Conference" would officially begin from the afternoon.

……

Northern Continent, Wotai City.

Bernadette sat in the governor's office, looking at the sky outside the window, thinking about mystical issues as usual.

At this time, the state government had moved to the former autonomous association office building.

In the words of Odysseus: There is no reason to leave such a good venue unused.

Suddenly, Bernadette seemed to come back to her senses, frowned slightly, and then immediately took out "Pale Death" from the void.

The next second, the sky outside suddenly became dark, as if someone had suddenly blocked the sun.

In a blink of an eye, Bernadette's spirit realized that she was now in a "secret space".

Bernadette then put the "Pale Death" on her face, and instantly lost all trace of life.

Then she said coldly: "Have you finally lost your patience?"

Bernadette realized that the ability to enter the "secret space" was a "mysterious reappearance" and the enemy should be a member of the "Moss Ascetic Order".

Suddenly, a stream of information emerged from the center of the room like a spring. The other party said in an illusory voice, "It's not that I lost my patience, but that I seized the perfect opportunity."

This is Toriopo, the nominal leader of the "Moss Ascetic Order", who is an angel.

Bernadette sneered and asked, "Do you think this is the best time?"

"Odysseus thinks his whereabouts are very mysterious, but we actually knew long ago that he was building Cruz Island and had received intelligence that the new Pirate Conference would be held there," Toriobo said.

“He was so arrogant that he separated from you and left your protection.

"Today will be the day he dies."

Bernadette reached out and took out a forearm-length staff from her "Space Magic Bag." "You actually thought we would give you an opportunity to assassinate me?"

The staff in her hand was none other than a "Staff of Gus".

As she spoke, the spiritual power in Bernadette's body expanded, and she seemed to have suddenly become much stronger.

Toriopo was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled and said, "Even if Odysseus has one or two Level 1 Sealed Artifacts, you don't think he can escape from two demigods by himself, do you?"

Bernadette said nothing more. Suddenly, the water of the "River of the Dead" flowed out from under her feet. Everything around her seemed to return to tranquility. Even the president of the "Moss Ascetic Order" felt that he was rushing towards the end of his life.

What Bernadette "reappeared" was the "River of the Dead" that she encountered a few days ago, which was affected by the "River of Eternal Darkness".

Toriopo did not dare to be careless and took the attack launched by the "Mysterious Queen" seriously. His purpose in this action was only to delay the "Mysterious Queen".

The task of killing Odysseus could be left to the two demigods. This time, the "Moss Ascetic Order" not only intended to kill Odysseus, but also planned to attack the pirates while they gathered during the Pirate Conference and seize a batch of Beyonder Characteristics.

After all, there are not many opportunities like this where there are so many wild extraordinary people, or so-called wild extraordinary people.

……

Cruz Island, pier.

The Blue Avenger slowly approached the shore. Alger saw the crowded port and the flagships of the "Pirate Generals" and realized that this pirate convention seemed to be even more lively than the previous one.

Then he looked at the square at the dock, and saw a giant guarding there!
But Alger only took a quick look, because he knew that the "Hermit" came from a mysterious ancient organization, and it didn't seem surprising that one of its members was a giant.

Originally, Alger hadn't planned to come. After all, when he was fighting for the seal that matched the "High Priest of Disaster", he had basically exposed his allegiance to "Admiral of Arcana" and "Vice Admiral of Iceberg".

But the church sent him to find out the news.

This made Alger realize that the church might have done this on purpose to demonstrate to the "Hermit."

If the Hermit embarrasses him at this time, then the church will have a reason to enter Cruz Island.

If the "hermit" does not make any statement on this, it would be equivalent to the church completing the demonstration process.

Originally, Alger was going to use the excuse of "not feeling well" to stall the church, because he knew full well that he was just a bait in this mission and was in a very dangerous situation.

But then he thought again, if he went to the territory of other "island pirates", it might indeed be very dangerous.

There is not much danger for me to demonstrate on the territory of "Admiral Mystery".

After all, in addition to being the "Pirate General", the "Admiral of Arcana" is also the "Hermit" of the Tarot Club.

So Alger came to Cruz Island, but because he received the order a little late, he hurried and finally arrived here on the day of the Pirate Conference.

After landing, Alger glanced at the water in the center of the harbor.

At this time, the harbor was full of ships parked on all sides, while the center was empty, like a big pool of water.

For some reason, Alger always felt like there was something hidden in the water there?
But everything was quiet there. Alger thought it was an illusion, but after walking a few steps onto the dock, he turned around and took another look.

Hula~
The next moment, a huge illusory blue whale jumped out of the water and flew directly into the air.

Then, the illusory blue whale emitted brilliant starlight and disappeared without a trace.

One by one, figures rushed out from the starlight and landed on the dock.

These people had a clear goal, and the moment they landed, they rushed towards the giant Groselle who was guarding the dock square.

Their numbers grew larger and larger, eventually reaching more than a hundred people!
The charge of more than a hundred extraordinary people looks terrifying!

The sudden change shocked not only Alger but also the other pirates.

The pirates who reacted quickly dodged to avoid being accidentally injured in the ensuing battle.

Alger also reacted quickly, using the "Wind Control Technique" to fly to the roof nearby to observe the situation in front of him.

The giant in the square took the oversized "gun" on his back and pulled the trigger at the people rushing towards him.

Bang bang bang bang bang~
The next scene once again stunned Alger. He saw bullets, or rather shells, like fiery snakes being fired out and exploding one after another.

Many of those who rushed towards the giant were blown into pieces before they could even understand what was happening.

Even more were blown away by the surrounding shells. Even if they were Extraordinary, they were blown to pieces, with broken arms, internal organs, and flesh flying everywhere.

The "Mid-Sequence" and "Low-Sequence" members of the "Moss Ascetic Order" were also stunned by this scene. They did receive intelligence that the "Argo" was equipped with powerful cannons and machine guns.

So their spies disguised themselves as pirates and confirmed again and again that the crew of the "Sword of Dawn" were not on the "Argo" before they launched the attack with confidence.

But no one expected that after only a few seconds of fighting, they had already lost more than a dozen people!

Groselle smiled innocently and said, "This cannon is quite useful."

This time, the "Moss Ascetic Order" dispatched many Sequence 5 and Sequence 6 members. They quickly stabilized their position and used scrolls and Beyonder abilities to block the terrifying artillery fire.

After reaching a close enough position, a batch of extraordinary abilities and scrolls flew towards the giant.

Groselle immediately dropped the Extraordinary Machine Cannon in his hand, drew out the greatsword that was also on his back, and knelt on one knee, stabbing it into the ground.

The light of morning light enveloped him, forming a solid "mornment barrier" that blocked all the flying extraordinary abilities and scrolls.

The enemies did not continue to rush forward because most of them were not good at hand-to-hand combat, but were good at medium-range combat.

A second later, the "Dawn Barrier" dissipated and their attack began again.

"Imprison!" A majestic voice sounded, Longzel arrived, "imprisoned" one of the enemies, and then used the ability of "death".

The members of the "Moss Ascetic Order" organized their subordinates and launched a fierce attack on the two men.

In their opinion, although the "Punishment Knight" and the "Guardian" were both good at fighting, they were confident that they could get rid of them within ten seconds.

However, soon, the crew of the "Sword of Dawn", knowing that the enemy was strong and they were weak, joined the battle one after another.

Although the addition of First Mate Bazel and others reduced the pressure on Groselle and Longzel, they were still at an absolute disadvantage.

Standing on the roof, Alger looked into the distance. More and more pirates appeared on the street, but they were all watching. Some even followed Alger's example and climbed onto the roof to watch the fun.

It was obvious that the pirates who came to the Pirate Conference had no intention of helping the "Sword of Dawn".

After weighing the pros and cons, Alger decided to help the Hermit.

Because he knew more about the strength and character of the "hermit", as well as the object of the "hermit's" loyalty.

Alger believed that the Hermit would be able to mobilize even more extraordinary powers in a short period of time, and he even didn't rule out the possibility that the Lord of Mysteries would descend...

He shook his head, seeing that most of the Hermit's opponents were Mid-Sequence and Low-Sequence Beyonders, and that the Lord of Mysteries would not take action against enemies of this level.

Alger saw that some members of the Sword of Dawn had been injured. He was about to take action when suddenly a hurricane blew up, and in the hurricane were deep blue "wind blades" that pierced the members of the Moss Ascetic Order.

Alger was stunned, then saw two figures being blown towards him by the strong wind.

Among them was a woman with long hair and pointed ears.

It turned out to be an ancient elf!
Click!

A bolt of thunder struck, and the "Scroll Professor" who was about to deliver a fatal blow to the "Boatswain" Salina was forced to step back.

The man who came with the ancient elf raised his hand, and an "astrologer" who was about to attack Longzel suddenly froze there, forgetting what he was going to do.

随着夏塔丝和莫贝特的加入，此时“破晓之剑”这边的序列5已经达到4名，还有3名序列6，4名序列7。

Although they still had no advantage in numbers, they were able to hold back the enemy by gathering together.

Just as Alger was wondering why there were so many Sequence 5s on Cruz Island, a holy light descended.

Snowman, the ascetic monk, who had just been at the fishing port on the other side of Lighthouse Hill, helping the fishermen bake and taste dried fish, came over.

A beam of "holy light" hit an unsuspecting "wizard", and two seconds later, the "wizard" turned into a fool who could only praise the sun.

Alger looked at the fifth Sequence 5 who had joined the battle and immediately felt the power behind the "Hermit". It was just a pirate convention, but they had sent five Sequence 5s!

Furthermore, Admiral Mystery hadn't made a move yet, so they had at least dispatched six Sequence 6s to this Pirate Conference!

These Sequence 5s are not all from the same path; there is also a giant and an ancient elf among them!
Just as he was thinking this, Alger suddenly came to his senses, immediately jumped onto the street, and rushed towards the members of the "Moss Ascetic Order".

He realized that if he didn't take action, the battle might be over!
……

"Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya watched the battle at the dock from afar.

She had recognized several members of the Moss Trappist Order and realized that this was an attack by the Moss Trappist Order, and the largest operation in decades.

But Cattleya didn't get any news.

She knew very well that either she had been suspected by the "Ten Pillars" of having re-established contact with the "Mysterious Queen", or the "Ten Pillars" she served did not participate in this action.

It was no longer a secret that the "Mysterious Queen" had helped the "Admiral of Mystery." If the "Ten Pillars" who planned this operation suspected that Cattleya had a connection with the "Mysterious Queen," they would definitely not have informed her in advance.

In addition, Cattleya knew that there were many major contradictions among the ten pillars of the "Moss Ascetic Order", so most of their actions would not be reported to each other.

At this time, Lieutenant General Iceberg, who was not far away, drew the rapier from his waist, his eyes flashing with a blue light, and flew towards the battlefield at the dock.

The other "pirate generals" looked at each other and had no intention of taking action.

But at this moment, the surprise in their eyes could not be concealed. They originally thought that the gathering of six "pirate generals" on an island would definitely write a significant chapter in the history of pirates.

Now they realized that from Admiral Arcana's perspective, it must have been as simple as six Sequence 6s getting together for a meeting.

Because Cruise Island already has at least 6 bits of sequence 5.

Cattleya was still hesitating whether to take action. The "Mysterious Queen" had previously talked to her and asked her to maintain her current identity and try to obtain as much information as possible from the "Moss Ascetic Order".

But if she took action at this time, she would easily expose herself.

Suddenly, Cattleya recalled the scene of the Queen, her, and the Hermit having dinner together the night before.

This made her make a decision immediately: If the "Queen" knew that I did not provide any help in this battle, she would definitely be very unhappy. As for tasks such as obtaining intelligence, in the eyes of the "Queen", they must be ranked behind "Odysseus's safety".

Cattleya no longer hesitated, drew the staff from her waist, and flew towards the battlefield at the dock.

……

The members of the "Moss Ascetic Order" were all stunned at this moment. The intelligence didn't say that they would encounter so many Sequence 5 enemies!

They knew very well that Odysseus had been promoted to "Astrologer" and they also heard that there were Beyonders on Cruz Island. However, according to their analysis, when they attacked the "Sword of Dawn", the other pirates would not take the initiative to provide assistance to the "Admiral of Mystery".

According to the analysis of the Moss Ascetic Order, they would probably only encounter three Sequence 3 opponents, and the rest would be Sequence 5 and Sequence 6.

But now, they encountered 8-bit sequence 5!

Many wild Beyonders had never seen so many Sequence 5s gathered together in their entire lives.

At this time, the raid plan of the "Moss Ascetic Order" had failed. In their plan, the initial raid had two purposes. One was to quickly defeat the extraordinary people of the "Sword of Dawn", and the second purpose was to determine the location of Odysseus.

They knew that Odysseus was on Cruz Island, but as long as he was out of their sight, they still couldn't determine his exact location.

However, they believed that as long as the port was attacked, Odysseus would appear at the first moment.

As a result, neither of these two goals has been achieved. The extraordinary defense force on Cruz Island can still hold out for a while, and Odysseus has not appeared.

The two demigods hiding in the dark thought they could not wait any longer. When designing the attack plan, their president had stated that he could only buy them five minutes.

It’s not that President Toriopo can only withstand the attack of the “Mysterious Queen” for five minutes, but they guarantee that the “Mysterious Queen” will not be able to provide support within these five minutes.

Even if the "Mysterious Queen" escapes, He can chase her to the spiritual world and continue to hold her back.

These five minutes were enough for the two demigods to kill Odysseus, attack the extraordinary people who came to participate in the "Pirate Conference", and seize a batch of extraordinary characteristics.

But now two minutes have passed and the first step of their plan has not been completed.

So the two demigods decided to take action immediately and kill all of Odysseus's accomplices to see if Odysseus would appear.

In the square, an illusory long-armed monster suddenly "reappeared." Its appearance seemed to swallow up all sounds. Groselle and the others immediately felt very tired and their reactions slowed.

Almost at this moment, a "Staff of Gus" flew out from the corner, and then a mysterious and tall figure appeared above the dock.

(End of this chapter)