From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Edmund reviewed the upgrade plan and then walked slowly through the basement to assess the temperature, humidity, and ventilation issues.

The two spent another half hour in the basement, discussing specific issues such as ventilation ducts and wiring routes, equipment placement, and network access methods.

Rebecca also showed him a separate garage on the side of the mansion, which could be used as an extension space if needed in the future.

As I emerged from the garage, the setting sun had already bathed the entire mixed forest in amber hues, and the air was filled with the scent of pine resin heated by the afternoon sun, mixed with sea salt.

Rebecca glanced at her watch: "It's about time to prepare dinner. After we eat, I need to head back to the city."

Edmund followed her toward the main gate of the mansion, making another request as he went: "Rebecca, there's something I'd like to tell you beforehand."

Tell me about it.

"I need to keep some birds here."

Rebecca stopped and turned to look at Edmund, her expression a mixture of curiosity and confusion in the twilight.

"Bird? What bird?"

"About twenty, pigeons and crows will do, nothing fancy." Edmund's tone was as if he were talking about getting a cat. "I'll need to take care of them for about a week."

"Twenty birds." Rebecca's gaze lingered on Edmund's face, as if judging whether he was joking. "In my frankness, this doesn't sound like a request you would make."

Edmund offered his prepared reason: "It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I've been interested in birds since I was a child, and I even took courses on them in college."

He spoke while observing Rebecca's changing expressions.

"It just so happens that your place has a nice environment and a lot of space. I imagine that realizing our plan will be a long process... I think a suitable hobby can be a way to relax."

His explanation seemed to satisfy Rebecca's limited curiosity: "A pigeon or a crow?"

"Yeah, if it's hard to find, then forget it." Edmund shrugged. "Maybe I can try something else, like deep-sea fishing or something."

Rebecca shifted her gaze from Edmund to the distant grove of trees bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

"It's quite a coincidence. I had a pet owl when I was a child. It was a barn owl that my adoptive father had picked up from the wild, and I would cut meat for it every night during that time."

As Rebecca said this, the shrewd and capable technical expert temporarily left the scene, and was replaced by a lively young woman.

"So you don't object?"

Rebecca shook her head, seemingly gathering her thoughts: "You want twenty, that's a lot. And where do you plan to keep them?"

"The storage room next to the garage should be enough if we clean it out," Edmund said. "I'll buy the feed and cages myself, so I won't cause Thomas too much trouble."

“That’s not a problem.” Rebecca thought for a moment. “I know a poultry pet dealer in the eastern suburbs of Flamingo. He should have pigeons and crows.”

"Thank you so much."

Rebecca resumed walking towards the mansion, and after a few steps, she glanced back at Edmund.

"However, you'll have to take responsibility for the cost of the birds and the cleaning up. I don't want Thomas to quit his job for twenty pigeons."

"certainly."

"And—" she paused, "if these birds wreak havoc on the mansion's gardens within seven days, you'll be responsible for restoring them to their original state."

"I guarantee it with my reputation."

Rebecca chuckled softly, said nothing more, and then pushed open the door to enter the mansion.

Dinner was equally satisfying, during which Rebecca discussed her plans for the next few days.

She will contact the server supplier and visit the poultry dealer first thing tomorrow morning, and if all goes well, the birds can be delivered the day after tomorrow.

"The supplier will ship the goods as soon as they pay the deposit." Rebecca put down her knife and fork. "The equipment is expected to arrive in three to four days. I'll hire a truck to bring it over then."

"No problem." Edmund wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll prepare the basic renovation plan for the basement before the equipment arrives."

"Then it's settled."

After dinner, Rebecca checked the time, then got up to pack her belongings: "Oh, by the way, you can use that machine on the third floor. It uses a dedicated line and won't interfere with other equipment in the mansion."

Thomas had already driven Rebecca's van to the main porch. Rebecca opened the car door and looked back at Edmund one last time.

Good night, Mr. Blake.

Good night, Ms. Yang.

The station wagon's taillights drew two red arcs across the gravel driveway before disappearing into the green tunnel formed by holly hedges.

Night fell completely.

After the mansion quieted down, the air seemed to instantly become cooler.

The distant sea breeze wafts through the mixed forest, bringing with it the faint sound of the tides, occasionally punctuated by the cry of a night bird.

Edmund was about to go upstairs when Thomas, who had changed out of his formal dining vest, came out from the direction of the kitchen.

"Mr. Blake, do you need any other services?" Thomas bowed slightly.

"If you'd like, I can prepare some bedtime drinks for you. Miss Rebecca's guests usually enjoy a glass of warm milk or borscht before bed."

Edmund thought for a moment: "Thomas, could you please prepare a pot of strong coffee for me?"

A hint of surprise appeared on the butler's polite expression.

"Coffee, sir?"

"Yes, the stronger the better," Edmund added with a smile, "if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not." Thomas added a friendly reminder, his professional instincts kicking in, "But sir, it's already 8:30 p.m. If you drink strong coffee now, you'll probably have a hard time falling asleep tonight."

Edmund patted the stair railing, his smile carrying a hint of something unreadable.

"It's alright, Thomas. I still have some work to finish tonight."

The old butler stared at him for two seconds but didn't ask any further questions.

"Understood, sir. It will be delivered to your room in ten minutes."

After thanking him, Edmund returned to his room on the second floor and placed his luggage in various places in the wardrobe.

He had already deciphered the key parts of the two recipes in Farian's notes. The only material left was the impossible "regular icosahedron" of blue-black agate, which he needed to figure out. Rebecca would help him solve the core condition of "releasing the bird to fly far away".

Next, he will move forward with another plan he has been looking forward to for a long time.

A knock came at the door.

"Please come in."

Thomas came in carrying a full silver tray and placed it on the low table by the window.

"Sir, here's your coffee. Also, Miss Rebecca mentioned before she left that if you need any books, the library in the study is always available."

"That's great, thank you, Thomas."

"There's one more thing, sir." Thomas stopped at the doorway. "There's a side staircase next to the back door of the mansion that leads directly to the third floor. If you need to travel between the study and the third floor late at night, you might consider taking that staircase."

Edmund glanced at the old butler: "Thank you, you can go and rest now."

Good night, sir.

After the butler left, the room returned to silence, with only the sound of the wind outside the window and the faint sound of waves crashing on the shore in the distance.

Edmund carried the coffee up to the third floor and then turned on his computer.

What truly brought him to sit down at his computer late at night with a pot of strong coffee was something he had been planning ever since he escaped from the Ship of Fools.

He opened the terminal window, skillfully entered a series of commands, and connected to the network via a dial-up script.

He then logged into his private email account, which was set up on a hidden node, and retrieved a stored fund transfer plan.

This was the result of a year of quiet work he had done while he was still Edmund Lockman, helping the cult establish a financial system based on the internet and handling funds in every transaction.

His idea at the time was simple: to trick these people and leave himself a way out.

Although Jacob did not understand the intricacies of modern finance, he had a kind of obsession that drove him to distrust the old, "loyal" accountants.

This resulted in the organization's funds being dispersed across accounts in at least seventeen different jurisdictions, interconnected through layers of shell companies and trust funds.

At its peak, this sum amounted to nearly five million Divine Eagle Gold Coins, equivalent to tens of millions of Veridian Dollars.