"Monchi Brando."
Bernadette savored the name, seemingly deep in thought. A moment later, she looked up, her gaze returning to Alger.
"Where is that briefcase?" she asked. "And the remaining items inside."
"Here, madam," Alger replied, not daring to delay. He quickly turned to the captain's cabin cabinet, carefully carrying out the somewhat old briefcase with both hands and placing it on the table.
Bernadette did not touch it, merely waved her hand gently.
"Click."
The briefcase's latch sprang open on its own. Immediately after, several documents inside the case, as if held by an invisible hand, slowly floated out and hovered before her.
Bernadette's gaze quickly scanned the few pages of Rosell's uninhibited "romantic history," and then, her attention was firmly drawn to several other pages filled with research notes.
"Antigonus—"
Upon seeing that ancient and forbidden name, Bernadette's usually placid eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
"Killed by 'Calamity' Danitz," she repeated Alger's earlier words in a low voice, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Suddenly, the uniquely patterned gold coin inside the case rose into the air and landed in Bernadette's hand.
"Consider this payment for saving you."
A moment later, Bernadette's figure wavered slightly in the air, then completely vanished from the room, as if she had never appeared.
After she left, the suffocating pressure that had enveloped the entire captain's cabin finally dissipated.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Alger felt as if all the bones had been drawn from his body; his legs gave out, and he collapsed into the chair, gasping for breath. His back was already thoroughly drenched in cold sweat.
Everything he had experienced tonight was far too thrilling, and far too dangerous.
He sat in the chair for a long time before he could barely calm his wildly beating heart. He walked on his knees to the deck, letting the icy, bone-chilling sea breeze caress his face, and his turbulent mind gradually settled down.
He recalled Bernadette's reaction when she saw the Rosell's diary and research notes. After waiting a moment and confirming that the mysterious lady had indeed left and left no means of surveillance, Alger collected his thoughts, lowered his voice, and softly chanted in Hermes:
"The Fool who does not belong to this era—"
"Achoo!"
Danitz rubbed his nose, muttering with a bewildered expression:
"Damn, I always feel like… a lot of people are talking about me behind my back."
On the second floor of a seemingly unremarkable ordinary residential building, Luo En and Danitz were hiding behind a window with heavy curtains, quietly observing the movements outside.
From here, they could even clearly see the spire of the magnificent "Wave Church," full of storm and ocean elements, not far away. This was the new safe house Luo En had specifically chosen.
He adhered to an ancient proverb: the most dangerous place is the safest place.
So he deliberately chose the safe house near the Storm Church.
"Damn it, Brando, are you sure it's really safe here?" Danitz whispered. "We're living right under the Storm Church's nose!"
For a pirate like him, accustomed to being chased by Punishers at sea, living here was even more thrilling than sleeping in a graveyard.
"Don't worry," Luo En said, appearing quite calm. "It's safe precisely because it's too close to the church."
He explained, "First, it's certain that a pirate general of Tracy's level would never dare to cause trouble near the Storm Church's headquarters. This is the most important layer of protection for us."
"Secondly," he pointed to the patrol teams occasionally passing by outside the window, "according to Emperor Rosell's 'blind spot' principle, the Punishers' main efforts will be focused on the dock area and those mixed-up neighborhoods.
As for the 'their own people' territory around the church, they generally won't conduct searches."
Although the logic was sound, Danitz still felt uncomfortable all over.
After all, Luo En wasn't a pirate, but he was! The kind on a wanted list.
Of course, Luo En's ten-thousand-pound bounty hadn't been revoked yet—
After some more time—
"Calamity is relatively stable."
Luo En's spiritual premonition was not triggered. He said to Danitz, "You stand guard first, I'll rest for a while, and then I'll come back to relieve you."
Backlund, Minsk Street.
Klein, who was sound asleep, suddenly frowned, forcibly awakened by a series of illusory, overlapping shouts.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era—"
"Ugh…" He shot up from the bed, rubbing his temples with some irritation.
Mr. Hanged Man? It's the middle of the night, what happened?
Without much hesitation, he immediately got out of bed, took four counter-clockwise steps, and with the familiar pulling sensation, arrived above the Grey Mist.
He sat upright in the ancient high-backed chair belonging to the Fool, his gaze directed towards the crimson star representing the Hanged Man, pulling the other party's spirit into this sacred hall.
Alger only felt a flash before his eyes, and after a dizzying sensation, he found himself in that familiar, magnificent ancient palace.
Looking at Mr. Fool, who was seated at the head of the long table, shrouded in dense Grey Mist, he dared not show any disrespect. He immediately stood up, put his hand to his chest, and bowed.
"Respected Mr. Fool."
Klein nodded slightly, and asked in a calm tone:
"What happened?"
"Mr. Fool! Someone is investigating Emperor Rosell's diary!" Alger's tone carried a hint of barely concealed urgency.
What?!
Klein's heart suddenly trembled.
He immediately used his Clown ability to forcibly suppress the shock in his heart, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor, as if everything was under control, and slowly said:
"Tell me everything you know."
"Yes, Mr. Fool."
Alger did not hesitate, recounting everything in detail: how he had recently been deceived by "Calamity" Danitz, how he had been knocked out and kidnapped by "Disease Maiden" Tracy, how he was rescued, how he met the mysterious chestnut-haired lady, and how she questioned him about the origin of the Rosell's diary.
After listening to Alger's account, Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Mr. Hanged Man is truly miserable…
He actually became a Hanged Man. It seems there was some mystical connection when choosing the codename back then.
And that pirate named "Calamity" Danitz, he's truly a scoundrel, so cunning—
But ten thousand pounds… no wonder Mr. Hanged Man was deceived. If it were me—hmm—no, I would definitely divine first before making a decision.
After sighing, his thoughts immediately returned to the most crucial question.
Rosell's diary has been circulating for hundreds of years, why is someone suddenly investigating it now? Is it because of my appearance as the Fool, attracting the attention of some hidden organizations?
Or is there something wrong with Rosell's diary itself?
Equally important, why is there also something about the Antigonus Family—
He pondered for a moment, then looked at the Hanged Man again, speaking slowly in a confirming, scrutinizing tone:
"You said that the diaries you recently submitted all came from that briefcase salvaged from the sea?"
"And that briefcase also contained research materials related to the Antigonus Family—"