Above the mage

Chapter 491 From Pretense to Reality

"You mean... to lure the snake out of its hole?" God instantly understood Sarah's intention.

Sarah turned around, her red hair dancing like flames on her shoulders, her azure eyes gleaming with determination.

She made no attempt to hide her thoughts and nodded: "In the entire Black Sails City, only the [Spell Bottle] can make Davy Jones appear on his own."

"But someone as cautious and cunning as him won't be easily fooled," Gao De warned.

"Greed is the best bait. Dominating Black Sails City for so many years has made him much less vigilant than he was at the beginning."

Sarah gazed into the distance and said slowly, "Even the Holy Empire couldn't do anything to him. Although this was because the Plantagenet Dynasty was nearby, preventing the Holy Empire from sending out truly skilled experts and a large number of military mages, no matter how many other factors there are, they cannot change this fact."

"This has always been Davy Jones's proudest achievement, and it has also made him arrogant... After all, if the most powerful empire in the world can't do anything to him, who else can he truly respect?"

"If we make the news of the [Spell Bottle]'s emergence seem even 50% true, and with the combined power of greed and confidence, he will surely appear."

"But why me? And what do you need me to do?" Gao De was silent for a moment before finally asking the question.

Sarah went to great lengths to invite him to Gray Island and talked to him so much.

This includes the secrets of the strange object, and makes no attempt to conceal her intention to kill Davy Jones, certainly not to confide in a young girl.

Gao De knew perfectly well that Sarah wanted him to join the operation.

But as he asked.

Why him?

Why would someone who was previously acquainted with him and had just arrived in Black Sails City be allowed to participate in such a crucial project?

This is completely unreasonable.

Unless it's something that requires his attention, only he can do it.

"If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. The Pirate King isn't stupid, otherwise he wouldn't be alive and well with such a huge bounty on his head."

"As I said before, the news of the [Spell Bottle]'s emergence must be at least 50% true for it to attract him to show himself," Sarah said softly.

"The biggest problem now is how to make the news of the [Spell Bottle]'s emergence seem even 50% true."

"My initial plan was actually to find the [Spell Bottle]," Sarah sighed softly, then revealed a secret, a real secret: "My third-circle feat can help me heal mental injuries, which allows me to briefly venture into areas covered by blue flames."

"With this expertise, I have never stopped exploring Ash Isle since I came to the Blue Flame Islands."

"However, this recovery ability is relatively limited, or rather, the mental damage caused by the blue flames is too severe. In short, every time I venture into an area covered by blue flames, even if it's only for less than an hour, I need several months to recover, so the efficiency of treasure hunting is relatively limited."

"Over the years, I've certainly made some gains. I've found a lot of extraordinary equipment left behind by the Blackwing Gang members back then, but I haven't been able to find even the slightest trace of the [Spell Bottle]."

"Either the [Spell Bottle] has already been snatched up by some lucky person, or it's in the core Blue Flame Sea region of Ash Isle... The blue flames there are too turbulent, and even with my specialization, I can't set foot there."

"I lean towards the latter, because if it were the former, such a powerful artifact as the [Spell Bottle] would not have remained completely unknown for so many years."

"But in short, this plan can only end in failure."

Gaode remained silent.

The more Sarah talked to him, the less he could refuse her next proposal.

"If we really can't find anyone, we'll have to put on an act," Sarah said, her gaze falling on God. "I need someone with enough courage and intelligence to cooperate with me in this charade."

"While I'm honored by such praise," Gao De said with a helpless shrug, "this is only our second meeting. Aren't you giving me far too much credit?"

"Besides, don't you think hiring an outsider like me is too risky?"

Such a top-secret plan should involve finding one's own "suicide squad," so why would one choose a random passerby like him?

"We have to find an outsider," Sarah said, seemingly oblivious to God's polite refusal. "David has informants all over Black Sails City. If he wants to know, he can find out exactly when people appear on the Blue Flame Islands, where they arrived, and where they came from."

"If I use my own people, he will easily find out that they are my people. It's like putting the trap right in front of him. On the contrary, he won't suspect too much if you are a genuine stranger."

"That's why my plan has been delayed for so long. I need the right person to come along and help me lure the snake out of its hole."

"I only learned about you today from Gar."

"You only have one thing to do: lure Davy Jones to Gray Island according to my plan."

"The rest is none of your business."

"I know this is very risky," Sarah said with a flamboyant smile, raising the amulet in her palm to Gao De. "If you agree to help me, this [Drunkard Amulet] is yours."

"This is considered a deposit."

"If I succeed in killing Davy Jones in the end, his head will be yours." Sarah's tone was casual, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

The head of Davy Jones is worth 38 goldbird coins.

Of course, while it sounds wonderful, for it to become a reality, Sarah would have to actually win over Davy Jones.

Gaode fell into deep thought.

Sarah only mentioned the benefits of cooperation without uttering a single threat, seemingly allowing him to refuse the offer of "cooperation."

But Gaode is certainly not that naive.

Sarah didn't directly threaten to "kill him to silence him," but to avoid leaks, she certainly wouldn't let him go until everything was settled.

The reason we don't say anything is because everyone here is smart enough to know these things perfectly well, so there's no need to bring them up and disrupt the current harmonious atmosphere.

Even if both parties are aware of something, whether they say it or not is a completely different matter.

He looked up at the flames in Sarah's eyes and realized that from the moment he stepped onto Ash Isle, there was no turning back.

"If he shows up, are you confident you can kill him?" Gao De raised his doubts.

At least in his view, neither "luring the snake out of its hole" nor "killing Davy Jones" would be easy to accomplish.

David is no ordinary man; he has survived for so long with such a huge bounty.

"I'm fairly confident," Sarah replied conservatively, but she didn't elaborate on the second step.

Since Gaode Maps wasn't involved in the second step, there was no need to elaborate on it.

"What should I do?" Gao De pondered for a moment before asking.

"Here you go." Sarah simply tossed the amulet in her hand.

The amulet traced an arc in the air.

Gao De quickly caught it; the wood felt rough yet warm to the touch, and the rust from the cracks pressed against his fingertips.

He looked at the priceless object in his hand and calmly put it into his pocket.

"Gal told me that you got a ticket to the Day of the Dead auction from Santos, so you must have come to Black Sails City for the auction?"

"Yes." Gao De nodded; there was no point in denying it.

"Very good. The simpler your purpose, the more innocent you seem, the less likely Davy Jones will suspect you." Sarah nodded in satisfaction. "The fabric of your crew's clothing is from Byrloth County, and they speak with an accent from the southwest coast of the Plantagenet Dynasty," she continued, "So you must be a native mage of the Plantagenet Dynasty?"

"I guess so." Gao De nodded again, without asking Sarah how she knew this information.

These things are no secret to the local tyrants of Black Sails City if they wanted to investigate.

"That's even better. The mages of the Plantagenet Dynasty naturally distance themselves from the Holy Empire. Given David's current strength and status, only mages from the Holy Empire would make him observe for a while longer." Sarah was even more satisfied.

From any perspective, Gaode Maps is a "destined connection" bestowed upon her by heaven.

"What I need you to do isn't complicated either." After Sarah found out about God's identity and background, she finally began to reveal the specific action plan.

"Just participate in the auction as usual and buy what you want. However, during the auction, I need you to deposit these two treasures with the auction house for auction." Sarah clapped her hands lightly.

Soon, footsteps came from outside the door, and the man who had been called Baozai on the deck came up carrying a tray in both hands.

Two pieces of jewelry were placed on the tray:

A ring inlaid with blue flame crystals, its surface covered with spiderweb-like cracks; a rusty silver chain with a twisted skull pendant.

"This is...:::" Gao De's gaze swept over the two pieces of jewelry.

"These are Blackwing Clan relics that I've collected from Ash Isle over the years," Sarah pushed the tray toward God. "They are the accessories that the Blackwing Clan's vice-leader carried with him back then. They are all Tier 5 extraordinary equipment, but they are all somewhat damaged, so their value is greatly reduced."

"During the auction, you will deposit these two pieces of jewelry with the auction house for safekeeping before the auction."

"Even if a fifth-tier extraordinary item has flaws, it will definitely be a heavyweight item at the Anguish Day auction, and as the organizer of the Anguish Day auction, David Jones will surely receive news about these two items."

"He devoted a great deal of manpower and effort to finding the [Spell Bottle] on Ash Isle, and he knows the Blackwing Gang inside and out. He would definitely be able to recognize the origin of these two ornaments immediately."

"A newly arrived Goldfinch mage in Black Sails has consigned two Blackwing Gang relics that should have been buried on Ash Isle for auction... He will definitely notice you."

"The mage's feats are quite illogical. Even David is helpless against blue flames, but my third-circle feat allows me to venture into areas covered by blue flames. Following this logic, there might be a feat that makes a mage immune to these blue flame damages."

"And my goal is to train you into a mage with this specialization, so that you can find Dracula's [Spell Bottle] later."

Provide a reasonable explanation.

"These two Blackwing Gang relics are the clues you inadvertently revealed while trying to secure the items you needed at the auction..." Sarah spoke confidently, her plan having been brewing for a long time, so she spoke with complete assurance and without any hesitation.

But the more Gao De listened, the stranger his emotions became. Suddenly, he thought of an idiom from his past life:

What was fake became real.

"As for the proceeds from the auction of these two ornaments, they also belong to you. If I fail to kill Davy Jones in the end, or even die at his hands, consider it compensation for my life."

Finally, Sarah finished explaining the specific plan and all the details, and smiled slightly.

"After all, given David Jones' ruthless nature, he certainly won't let you off easily once things are exposed." She made no attempt to conceal the risks, her tone completely calm.

The sea breeze blew in through the open window, lifting a corner of Sarah's leather trench coat to reveal the tight lines beneath the gilded buttons.

Gao De understood that this woman had long since disregarded her own life and death.

I just don't know what kind of deep-seated hatred Sarah and David have that would make her willing to go to such lengths.

"And before the Day of Remembrance auction begins, you'll need to stay on Ash Isle." She changed the subject, her tone now carrying an air of unquestionable authority. "These Blackwing Gang relics need to have a 'reasonable' origin—for example, you spent three days searching the island before digging them out from the edge of the Blue Flame District," she looked at God, "Is that alright?"

It sounds reasonable enough that they need to stay on Ash Isle for a few days to justify how they obtained these two Blackwing Clan relics.

Otherwise, if David Jones investigates and finds out he never actually stayed on Ash Isle, he'll be exposed immediately... But at the same time, this is also a subtle form of house arrest.

To avoid betraying Sarah after returning home.

They only let me go when the auction started, so even if I wanted to turn against them, I wouldn't have the time.

Gao De knew exactly what Sarah meant, and he also knew that he couldn't voice any objections.

"I can stay, but Lanwen can leave, because I..." Gao De briefly recounted the agreement he had made with Apache before he came.

Sarah glanced at Lan Wen and nodded, "Okay."

Lan Wen's expression changed, and he looked at Gao De: "My lord?!"

He left the North and followed all the way here to protect God. How could he be willing to be separated from God now?

"You should go back firstly to fulfill your promise and take over the dock, and secondly to prepare for your departure. As soon as the auction begins, take the fleet back to the Golden Plantation. Don't wait for me; I have my own way of leaving. Your presence here would only be a burden to me!"

The next moment, Lan Wen received a message from Gao De via [Communication Technique].

Lan Wen's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he struggled internally. After a moment, he made up his mind and replied to Gao De, "Understood, my king."

Then, Lan Wen quickly regained his usual decisiveness, without the slightest hesitation, and turned to leave without any delay.

Inside the cabin, Sarah raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

The magical fluctuations of the [Communication Spell] could not escape her perception.

However, she didn't care what the two talked about in private. As long as Gao De stayed, that was enough. The other little thoughts in the process were just harmless embellishments.

After Lan Wen left, Sarah said to Gao De, "Bao Zai will take you to the cabin that has been arranged. There will be plenty of water and food. If you want to have a couple of drinks, there are some good wines in the cellar that I have collected. Feel free to take them."

"Furthermore, I will not restrict your movements, but I advise you not to leave the Fireblade, because blue flames could burst forth from any part of Ash Isle at any time."

"Even for me, if I were entangled by the blue flames, it would take me several months to recover," she kindly reminded me.