From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

As dusk fell, the streetlights in Bayview City lit up one by one, casting an orange glow on the road.

Edmund walked briskly along the street, his mind racing.

Next, he needs a decent outfit; secondhand clothes are definitely not acceptable for the occasion he's about to attend, and he'll also need some accessories.

Finally, he needed to be fully prepared to enter the Bayview Natural History Club by 6 p.m. on Saturday.

He had already made a preliminary deciphering of part of the incomplete ritual recipe from Farian's legacy on the ship.

The recipe requires three unconventional key ingredients: a substance called "silver-lead salt", a portion of "crystal-topped scallop clam", and a portion of agate that is both blue and black.

These materials are difficult to obtain through legitimate channels, and he hoped that the underground trading gathering would not disappoint him.

As for the strange conditions mentioned in the ceremony, such as "releasing birds to fly far away," he decided to deal with them later.

After speaking with the taxi driver, Edmund first went to the clothing store.

There were several good tailor shops in the old town. Edmund observed the shop windows and chose an old shop called "Harold and Son".

"Sir, what do you need?"

As Edmund walked in, the short, stout shopkeeper, who was engrossed in watching television, stepped out from behind his counter.

Edmund said, "I want a dark gray single-breasted suit, nothing too flashy, but I'm in a hurry. Do you have any ready-made suits that can be altered?"

The old tailor looked him up and down: "Sir, you have a good build. We can alter it to a standard size. It will only take two hours."

Two hours later, Edmund emerged from the clothing store wearing his altered dark gray suit, and also bought a black cane with an ebony handle.

His new clothes fit him well, and he held a sturdy cane in his right hand. Combined with Ryan's thin but well-proportioned figure, he looked like a respectable young gentleman.

Without identification documents, firearms would be difficult to obtain. As an alternative, he bought a canvas travel bag and a packet of quicklime powder from the corner store.

Edmund found a public restroom to change his clothes. He discarded his original clothes and divided the quicklime powder into two small paper packets. He put one packet in his coat pocket and hid the other in a lining of his travel bag.

Half an hour after everything was ready, Edmund stood in front of 27 Harding Street.

He had changed into a full suit, holding an ebony cane in his right hand and a travel bag in his left.

Judging by his appearance alone, the doorman here would probably mistake him for a young naturalist attending an academic salon.

He raised the brass door knocker and knocked three times. The door opened a crack, revealing a wary face—a middle-aged man wearing round-framed glasses.

"A natural history enthusiast?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Natural history enthusiasts, especially those interested in the saber-toothed bow-shark of the Second Age."

Edmund added a phrase he remembered being commonly used within the Order, and he saw the middle-aged man's pupils contract slightly. After a moment of silence, the man opened the door.

"Welcome, sir. The lecture is on the third floor."

The third floor is a surprisingly spacious hall, decorated in a style somewhere between a showroom and a salon.

The walls here are covered with oil paintings and geological maps, and the long velvet table in the center displays various exotic animal, plant and mineral specimens and antique artifacts. In the corners are several sets of sofas, soft chairs and coffee tables for resting.

About thirty people were scattered around, their cigars, champagne, and some kind of incense creating a sweet aroma.

Edmund glanced at it and understood.

About half of this group were pretentious people sitting on the sofa chatting and rambling.

They were dressed in fine clothes and acted affectedly, their conversations filled with words like "spirituality," "resonance," and "cosmic frequency," but they showed no extraordinary energy whatsoever.

But the other half around the table was different; as Edmund gazed at these people, his information horizon began to trigger sporadically.

Harden Perry, 38 years old, a qualified candidate for the "Path of Alchemy," where he is a purveyor of secret medicines and a supplier of materials, carrying three vials of these medicines...

Calvin Byrne, 42 years old, a qualified "Path of the Medium" candidate, a peripheral member of the "Greenland Society," is currently searching for...

Philip Nadler, 34, a qualified "Path of Dreams" participant, sells counterfeit identity documents here...

This last piece of information caught Edmund's eye, and he walked in that direction without making a sound.

Philip Nadler was a thin, middle-aged man sitting in a corner, sipping tea, with a geology magazine spread out on his lap.

His attire was somewhere between proper and casual, making him look like a less-than-successful insurance salesman.

Edmund sat down opposite him: "Mr. Nadler?"

The thin man raised his eyes and gave Edmund a sharp look.

"Who are you? Who recommended you?"

Edmund shrugged. "You can assume there's no intermediary, but I do need to sort out some local administrative issues—as long as the price is fair."

Nadler carefully observed the composed buyer and nodded slightly.

"What type, and how long?"

"A complete set, covering six months, is best with as few loose ends as possible."

"That makes things easier, a thousand," Nadler said readily.

The deal was struck. Edmund counted the money and pushed it across the table, while Nadler took out a rather professional set of... drawing tools from the briefcase at his feet.

With dazzling skill and boldness, he hand-drew two photographs.

The fake document vendor then took out several documents in front of the astonished customer and pasted the photos on them.

Upon receiving the newly issued documents, Edmund saw a complete set of driver's license, passport, and medical certificate, with the name "Evan Black".

What's truly "breathtaking" are those photos that are so closely scrutinized that even a close look reveals they're not fake. If it weren't for the absence of a pop-up notification, he would have almost suspected they were the work of a supernatural being.

After checking the complete set of information on the documents—local address, date of birth, height, weight, and even eye exam records—Edmund asked, "Who is this person based on?"

"A mountaineering enthusiast who went missing six months ago, whose family lives in the next state, has a very good medical record."

After finishing his work, Nadler leisurely picked up a teacup, took a sip, and replied with a smile, "I'll have my friends in the government do a little tampering with the database and add a maintenance entry. So there's no need to worry about security, but don't go too far."

Under the watchful gaze of the somewhat serious fake document dealer at the end, Edmund nodded and carefully put the document away.

At least until the government system in Veridiah is updated, I will be a legal citizen, and my identity problem is temporarily resolved.

As for its failure, that should be six months from now—by then he should have completed his grand plan.

Now, it's time to get down to business.

After settling his identity issue, Edmund picked up a glass of champagne and strolled around the salon.

As you stroll around, "Information Vision" gradually reveals all the information in the room.

He soon stopped in front of a display case on the central long table.

He has found the materials he needs.