From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

As the sky turned gray, Edmund returned to his office at the old relief center and reclassified the scattered knowledge in his notebook, based on what Rick had told him.

The most important of these is Rick's explanation of the nature of "pathway".

The pathway is the "strings" between the pillars, whose natural vibrations overflow with supernatural power, thus forming a proven and stable path between the soul and the pillars.

Each advancement requires the extraordinary individual to fix a certain change, consistent with the pathway's essence, within their soul. The pathway enables a person to bear more influence from the corresponding pillar's "usable" resources, while supernatural abilities are the outward manifestation of this.

Starting from the second tier, those who advance can begin to choose derivative paths. However, from this stage onward, advancement usually requires completing a practice that aligns with the content of that path.

Having recorded this knowledge, the gains from this dream exploration came to an end.

Thinking of the rapidly multiplying staircase and the Darklight Rat King, Edmund temporarily canceled his next dream-entry plan.

Just as he was about to turn on his computer and visit the BBS forum again, the phone in the corner of the office suddenly rang.

He answered the phone and found it was a call from Wangchaobao. The butler only said that the Earl wanted to see him immediately.

When Edmund arrived at Fort Drifters, the sun had just risen above the sea, and servants were already sweeping fallen leaves along the mountain paths.

The butler led him to the study on the second floor, where the count stood by the fireplace and looked through a document.

When Edmund entered, he had a servant bring tea and coffee, and after the tray was placed on the table, he ordered that no one was to enter the study.

After the door closed, the Count personally poured Edmund a cup of tea, then pushed a manila envelope onto the center of the table: "Take a look at this first."

Edmund broke the seal and took out a resume, a passport photo, and several pages of verification records.

The man in the photo also has dark hair, but his face is much wider and he has a crooked nose.

The resume begins with Adrian Cole's name at the top, followed by a list of his past work experience at North Shore and several overseas assignments.

The last page contains a statement of termination of cooperation awaiting signature. Once the Earl signs below it, it will signify that he has been deceived and is ceasing all cooperation with Mr. Cole.

Edmund immediately understood what had happened: "Red Anchor Company, they've found him."

"It was delivered this morning. They looked through the old files of North Shore Company and found that his photo looked very different from the investor standing next to me."

The Earl placed his hands, fingers interlaced, in front of him: "The person who delivered the report told me that this material has not yet left the company. As long as I agree to let Red Anchor join the Old Port investigation and give them a sufficiently decent offer, this matter can remain in the filing cabinet."

"What if you refuse?" Edmund glanced at the Earl.

"They will submit the materials to the port security department and apply to freeze accounts related to the old port project. The reason given is that the identity of the project initiator is questionable and the source of funds may involve cross-border crimes."

The fact that Red Anchor didn't immediately overturn the table shows that they care more about the interests of the old port; the fact that the Earl didn't arrange for police in his study suggests that there's still room for reconciliation in the cooperation.

The count stared at him for a moment, then finally asked, "I think I have the right to know who is sitting in front of me."

Edmund first confirmed, "Is Red Anchor still waiting for your reply?"

You are safe for the next two days.

It's not difficult to fabricate a new identity; the difficulty lies in the fact that each verification adds new loopholes.

Red Anchor has already grasped Adrian Cole's lead. If they continue investigating, information on Evan Black and even Lane Hall will inevitably surface sooner or later.

At that point, any explanation or honesty would only be seen as a dead end.

"Adrian Cole is the identity I obtained for cross-border travel." Edmund pointed to the photo on his resume. "His experience helped me come to Prishini."

The count's gaze fell on Edmund's face: "Then to whom does this face belong?"

"Ryan Hall, a citizen of the Veridia Federation, 22 years old, an art student."

The study fell silent, the firewood in the fireplace crackling slightly. The count showed no surprise, simply placing his hands on the tips of his cane.

"I guess this isn't your real identity either, is it? So, what's the name of the person who paid 50,000 gold coins to sit here and talk to me?"

Edmund raised an eyebrow and, for the first time in front of his collaborators in the real world, gave the real answer: "You can call me Edmund Lockman."

He felt somewhat relieved after saying the name. It wasn't surprising that the count, coming from an extraordinary family, suspected he possessed supernatural powers.

The letters, coordinates, and 50,000 gold coins left by Robert Young serve as collateral. For a collaborator who may be the only chance for the family's revival, the unknown may not be more terrifying than loss.

The Earl let out a long sigh and placed the termination statement on the table: "What about Ryan Hall? How is he?"

"Before I truly entered this body, he had already died in a supernatural accident. His physical body remained alive, but his consciousness and personality were torn apart by external memories. I became a spirit in the accident, attracted to this body, and only by possessing it could I survive."

In reality, the other party doesn't need to know about that occasionally awakened consciousness.

The count rose and walked to the window, gazing at the twilight harbor below the mountain.

A cargo ship sounded its horn from the direction of the dock, and the sound reached Wangchaobao. No one spoke for a long time in the study.

"At least the Old Port investigation has begun, and those letters and money are genuine." The Earl turned around. "If you're going to escape, you don't need to tell me your name."

Edmund didn't respond. Both knew they needed each other now.

The count returned to the table, folded the termination statement twice, and threw it into the fireplace.

The edges of the paper quickly curled and turned black. The count watched as the flames engulfed the signature area and said:

"I can give a response to Red Anchor Company, but before that, we need to reconfirm the boundaries of our cooperation."

Edmund began solemnly, "Please speak."

"First, you must not sacrifice innocents on my territory. No matter how much benefit a ritual may bring, there is no room for negotiation on this point."

Edmund immediately agreed: "Yes."

He had never been interested in sacrificing living people, and he had always avoided this path when dealing with the Abyss Cult in the past.

This restriction had almost no impact on him; on the contrary, it showed that the Earl had begun to consider how to maintain the cooperation in the long term.

"Secondly, I must be informed in advance of any ceremony that may threaten the safety of Wangchaobao, the old relief center, and the staff."

The count sat back down behind his desk: "Your activities involving your extraordinary powers may come in handy in the future, but I need to know what I should know."

“That’s not a problem either.” Edmund thought for a moment, then added, “However, matters involving my personal secrets need to be kept confidential.”

The two sides reached an agreement, and the issue then returned to Edmund's identity.

"Currently, Red Anchor's investigators have only confirmed that Adrian Cole is using a false identity; they do not know about Ryan Hall, let alone Edmund Lockman."

The count picked up the photograph that truly belonged to Adrian and turned it over in his hand: "And I'm not going to let them investigate any further."

Edmund understood the implication: "You already have a solution?"