Within the ancient palace rising above the gray mist, "The Hanged Man" Aljer didn't immediately bring up the matter of "Mad Captain" Konnas Victor. Instead, he turned his head and glanced toward his neighbor, "The Sun": "Are you still in the afternoon town?" Derek nodded seriously: "Yes, we've spent a considerable amount of time establishing our camp, then proceeded to clear the remaining monsters street by street, searching for any possible ancient traces. Though it's slow, it's safe enough." His response was thorough, and he conveyed a clear willingness on the part of "The Hanged Man" to provide further details if needed. "Justice" Odile listened with keen interest, slightly raising her hand: "For so long in the afternoon town, what have you been relying on for food? Is there black-faced grass nearby?" She had heard this from the young "Sun" earlier, knowing that the Silver City had managed to survive primarily due to black-faced grass cultivated in the surrounding regions. "We have a portion of black grass ground into powder, but our primary food source comes from the creatures we hunt. Among these, many possess exceptional qualities—once their skin and fur are removed and they are scorched with flame, they become edible. However, they all carry a certain level of contamination, which can lead to mental disturbances and thus must be consumed intermittently, not continuously." "Sun" Deric answered seriously to Miss Justice's question. "Justice" Odile recalled several dark-deep creatures mentioned by the younger "Sun," and, considering the eerie, gloomy atmosphere of the region where the Silver City is located, asked with some hesitation: "Won't this be quite unpleasant?" While intently listening to the other members' conversation, the "Magician" Folsen, inspired by this question, deliberately chose not to look at the "Moon" Emlyn, and with genuine curiosity asked the "Sun" Deric: "I remember you saying that monsters dwelling in the depths of darkness include vampires—creatures that are covered in pus and utterly repulsive. So, after you defeat such a vampire, do you consume them as food?" Emlyn, completely forgetting to correct Folsen that they were vampires, not simply blood-kin, turned pale, his face suddenly taking on an inexplicable sense of dread. Deric paused for two seconds before responding: "Indeed, some monsters are extremely unpleasant—very unpleasant, just as the 'Magician' mentioned—yet we have no choice; as long as they are edible, we eat them." His voice gradually deepened, as if once again deeply immersed in the tragic, cursed fate enveloping the entire city of Silver. Once again, silence fell within the palace-like home of the Giants, even Emlyn, the Moon, who had wished to challenge Deric, the Sun, on certain points, remained silent, only giving a slight shrug and drawing his arm closer. A few seconds later, the World broke the silence with a low chuckle. "Let us return to the sea. Recently, there has been a noteworthy event—the 'Mad Captain' Konnas Victor's ship, the 'Sole Skeleton,' has drifted to the harbor area after a violent storm. Its masts have been snapped, and the entire hull is scorched. All the crew, including Konnas Victor himself, have perished—no one survived." While Odile, the Justice, and others were unfamiliar with the 'Mad Captain' and showed little interest in the news, they were merely curious about how such a complete shipwreck had come to pass. In contrast, Aljer, the Inverted One, felt entirely different. The World's attention to the 'Mad Captain' incident concealed a significant secret! It's no surprise that Lord Courtman has issued such a serious command, assigning the "Accused" and the "Ship's Officers" to investigate the matter! Aljere's eyes flickered slightly as he paused to think. "In Bayam, the Storm Church is actively investigating the people and events surrounding the 'Mad Captain,' Konnas Viktor." Ah, no need for me to commission a separate inquiry... Klein chuckled softly and let the "World" directly ask: "What clues does the Storm Church currently hold?" "I'm not certain. I'll do my best to find out." Aljere shook his head with quiet assurance. He believed the "World" would understand his unspoken meaning—that while I don't yet know the specifics, I will certainly gather information internally. The "Justice" Odile, listening intently, grew increasingly convinced that the 'Mad Captain's' case was anything but ordinary. She ventured, tentatively, "Mr. World, isn't this just a typical pirate factional dispute?" Klein had just intended to casually deflect the "Justice" with a few words, withholding further details, when he suddenly found himself considering a question. "Behind the great smog crisis and the mass disappearances in Bekkanland, there might lie a faction within the royal family and certain military figures. Miss Justice, by nature, leans emotionally and politically toward the nobility and the monarchy. Should I one day assign her tasks targeting those who deserve curses or execution, she might not be eager to accept them—she could even find herself caught in internal conflict. Therefore, right now, I need to gradually instill in her the impression that there are many unsavory individuals among the royal family and the military, subtly shifting her stance and emotional inclinations—willing to bear the risk of some world-level information becoming exposed." Klein paused, letting the tone of 'World' sound light yet with a touch of irony: "The cases of missing populations in the colonies that the Captain of Mad Ships and Mr. The Hangman investigated are directly related." "The sorceress order delivers people they have lured or seized to external forces—such as Commander Tracie of the 'Disease Commander'—who then transport them to the eastern coast of the Northern Continent, completing the final leg of the journey via the pirate Captain Conner Victor, who maintains close ties with numerous population traders and slave merchants in Ruin. "I mentioned to Sir Pendleton in January that someone had witnessed a meeting between Baron and personnel from the Royal Intelligence Nine, who were involved in the missing persons case. "Also, the largest slave trader in Beckett, Capin, is protected by the Path of the Arbitrator. "With all these developments occurring simultaneously, do you still believe Captain Victor's death was merely a simple internal pirate dispute? "Hm, I've been wondering all along—what could the person behind the scenes possibly want with so many slaves?" Clear connections among the clues now struck the minds of both Justice Audrey and Sir Pendleton, suddenly illuminating several key insights. Mr. World left Beckland for the sea, pursuing leads—investigating the truth behind the great smog incident and the Prince of Edsack's death! From the details he provided, it's clear that the real culprit has yet to be punished and remains hidden within the royal family, with a portion of the military actively supporting him—what a nuisance! Such a person deserves to be cast into hell! Hmm... How did Mr. World know that the protectors near Capin were extraordinary beings from the "Arbitrator" path? Have they ever met? While Audrey's thoughts were drifting, a sudden connection emerged: Captain Carp was killed by the robber "The Black Emperor," who clearly knew which path the protectors of Captain Carp belonged to; "The Emperor" was a follower of Mr. The Fool; Mr. The World seemed to have some connection with Mr. The Fool, as he had never collected the Emperor Rossel's diary; therefore, was Mr. The World actually the robber "The Black Emperor," a follower of Mr. The Fool? Had he already submitted the diary privately, thus not making it public? Had his earlier actions been designed to conceal his identity as a follower? Was this Mr. The Fool's test? It was truly difficult to link Mr. The World with the robber "The Black Emperor," who seemed more like a hero. Audrey felt she had uncovered the truth and began to wonder what kind of person in reality Mr. The World, that is, the robber "The Black Emperor," really was. Altaïr and Garðaríki immediately understood why Germaine Spalro had launched an attack on the "General of Illness," Tracie. The latter has been investigating the truth behind the great smog crisis in Beckland! And what lies beneath this is precisely what the "Card of Fool" is most interested in. The "Magician" Foulis and the "Moon" Emlin, residents of Beckland, also sensed something from the "World" regarding Captain Kappin, though only vaguely. After all, the legend of the "Black Emperor," the daring thief, has been booming over the past six months and has become a central character in numerous popular novels—indeed, Foulis himself now wishes to write a romance centered on this hero, featuring a noble lady. Now they finally grasp why the "World" had been able to anticipate so promptly that a major event—possibly a tragedy—was brewing in Beckland, thanks to the consistent pursuit of clues by this very figure. It seems now that the affairs in Bekland are far from over—there may yet be surprises ahead. I truly wish to leave right away, but Thew is certain to object, and there's no way to explain it to her at the moment. Fyrs instantly feels the urge to escape Bekland. "Luna" Emlin, on the other hand, isn't overly afraid. In his view, should a disaster truly unfold, there are surely prominent bloodline members in Bekland who could offer protection. After a moment of silence, "The Hangman" Aljer said seriously: "I will do my best to investigate this matter." He already senses a rather formidable storm hidden behind the death of "Mad Captain," which brings both fear and apprehension, yet he is also filled with excitement and thrill at being involved in one of the most significant events unfolding across the northern and southern continents. "The Hermit" Gautherica listened quietly and nodded: "I will also gather relevant information. If more clues become available, I may be able to assist." Klein thought for a moment, then let the "World" speak plainly: "On the night of the 'Mad Captain's' death, there was a high-sequence strong presence aboard his ship, believed to be a potential traveler of the 'Black Emperor.' However, this half-god managed to escape successfully before Ayen Cortman arrived." The words "Black Emperor" traveler, half-god... Aljere and Gadeleira chewed them thoughtfully, pondering where to begin. The "Justice" faction, led by Odile, were amazed that the Tarot Circle had evolved from merely discussing half-gods to now directly engaging in events involving them—truly becoming more sophisticated. As for "Sun" Deric, he had barely understood a word throughout. After the matter of the "Mad Captain" was temporarily concluded, "The Observer" Gadeleira glanced at "The World" and deliberately mentioned: "There's another matter at sea. Last week, the intrepid adventurer Germán Sparro hunted down the second-in-command of the 'King of the Immortals,' the 'Slayer' Gilsheias, a remarkable figure of sequence 5." "Really impressive..." The "Sorcerer" Fols, currently only holding the sequence 8, sincerely admired. She had a clear understanding of what sequence 5 truly represented. "Indeed, a legendary adventurer," added "Justice" Odile. "Emlyn," said "The Moon," opened her mouth, then closed it again, feeling that she still had a long way to go to reach such a level. "The Pendragon," Aljer remarked calmly: "Precisely because of this, investigating the origins of Germain Spalro has become a top priority for all major organizations." You mean the Storm Church has also assigned you to investigate me? Klein immediately grasped the underlying implication of "The Pendragon"’s words, and the "World" chuckled softly. "Where can I pick up this commission? I'd like to earn some money through less significant information. I do have a certain level of knowledge about Germain Spalro." "Well," the World meant that he wasn't mind flustered by the fact that I submitted some seemingly important but actually rather trivial information about Germán Sparo, in exchange for rewards and trust? The Pendulum nodded with growing understanding. Free exchange continued for a while, until the Sun, Deryk, had mastered this week's batch of ancient Hermes vocabulary, and then it all came to a close. After seeing the others—especially the Justice lady—depart with their formal farewells, Caine turned his gaze to the book, The Grollese Travels. PS: Last night I thought again, and concluded that using idioms without historical references might feel a bit awkward for Chinese readers. So I've decided to handle this differently—without resorting to elaborate expansions or translations. Instead, I'll focus on the meaning and drop the formality. For instance, instead of translating "like hungering and thirsting," I'll simply use "a person who has been hungry for several days finally sees food," which might work better.