Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 220: The Twilight General's Intelligence

"..."

Roger was momentarily speechless in the face of the "sailor's" request.

He couldn't help but think to himself:
"Klein hired a maid named Danitz, and I've got a male servant too?"
"What are these? Water and fire? Squirtle and Charmander?"

Roger's lips twitched, then he looked at the "sailor" and the male passengers around him who were glaring at him with murderous intent, and finally nodded:
"Come with me."

The "sailor" felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and like a spring, he jumped up from his chair and ran after Roger.

"What's your name?"

On the way back to first class, Roger asked.

“Zeus Newman, sir, oh no, boss, they usually call me Little Newman.”

The sailor replied with a smile.

Roger stopped in his tracks upon hearing the name.

"Say it again, what's your name?"

“Zeus Newman, boss, did I say something wrong?”

At this moment, Zeus was also puzzled, not understanding what mistake he had made.

"You're an Extraordinary being of the 'Sailor' pathway, right? Sequence 9?"

Roger confirmed this with some disbelief.

"Yes, boss."

Zeus nodded affirmatively.

Damn it...

Roger's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Although the legend of the ancient "Thor" no longer exists in this era, the name of the guy in front of me sounds exactly the same as the "Zeus" from my previous life.

"What is this? Coincidence? Or fate?"

Roger muttered something to himself, then surprisingly walked up and patted Zeus Newman on the shoulder.

"Do a good job, I'm optimistic about you."

Zeus Newman was caught off guard by Roger's sudden encouragement.

The short-haired, thin, brown-skinned young man immediately nodded repeatedly:

"Okay, boss, I won't let you down."

"Yes, you don't need to call me boss, just call me West."

Roger nodded slightly and continued walking towards the first-class cabin.

Upon reaching the cabin door, he pointed to the corridor outside:
"You move a chair here and keep watch. Don't let anyone come in and disturb me, but remind me before 7 p.m.

"If someone barges in, all the responsibility rests with you."

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes, Mr. West."

Zeus Newman nodded obediently.

For him now, saving his life is more important than anything else.

As a mere Sequence 9, he had survived a battle involving a top-tier extraordinary being from the middle Sequence, and he had been grateful and thankful countless times in his heart.

The only person who could save his life now was undoubtedly the seemingly mild-mannered Mr. West, who was like a demon when he made a move. He had not only killed dozens of his accomplices but also eliminated Ludwig Sergei, the second mate of the "Twilight Fleet" whom he considered incredibly powerful.

Roger returned to his first-class cabin and closed the door.

"Bandit, don't panic no matter what you see next."

He patted Bandit's fur, giving the tabby cat a "vaccination."

"We've known each other for so long, haven't you come up with your fair share of scary stuff?"

The tabby cat yawned, and the terrifying scene of Roger using his "Rose Bishop" and "Puppet" abilities to create a dozen hands writing names flashed through its mind.

Since then, the tabby cat has become accustomed to its owner's daily antics.

As long as they don't do anything drastic to themselves and their cat, it doesn't seem to care.

"I'm going to take a nap over there. Just call me if you need any help."

Bandit yawned, flicked its tail, and curled up into a small ball in the corner of the bed. Soon after, it began to snore softly.

Seeing how calm the cat was, Roger stopped dawdling.

He directly invoked his "shepherd" ability, releasing half of the figure of Ludwig Sergei, the "executioner" he had just successfully herded.

At this moment, the pirate captain, who had previously been as fierce as a demon, was filled with panic and fear. He looked at Roger with a terrified expression, seemingly having completely submitted to the tyranny of this "shepherd."

"What do I ask and what do you answer?"

Roger looked up at Ludwig:
"What was your role in the 'Twilight Admiral's' fleet? What rank is Ivan Bratov, and what was his route of command?"

With the spiritual blessing of the "anchor," Roger was able to interrogate the souls he enslaved for a longer time than the average "shepherd," and to obtain clearer results.

This is also why he did not immediately psychic Ludwig on the deck.

Although he had already agreed to Philip and Zeus's request to join, he still needed to do the intelligence gathering work in advance on his own.

Ludwig's contorted figure struggled for a moment before obediently answering:
“I am the second mate of the ‘Twilight Fleet’. I only know that Ivan Bratov is an extraordinary being of the ‘Warrior’ pathway, but I am not quite sure about his specific sequence number.”

"However, I have also made some guesses and had private discussions with others. We all believe that he is most likely a Sequence 5, and I am certain that he has a powerful sealed artifact in his possession."

This was similar to what Roger had expected. After thinking for a moment, he continued to ask:
"Why are you acting independently? Where is Ivan Bratov's fleet now?"

"The 'Twilight Fleet' ships don't spend much time together. Most of the time, they maintain a main body, with smaller units each performing their respective duties."

"For example, I was in charge of robbing people, and there was another fleet that was specifically responsible for helping the leadership of the Bratov fleet search for certain important extraordinary materials or sealed artifacts."

"Of course, there are also those specifically responsible for combat, but that force is usually personally commanded by Blatov."

“When we parted, Bratov was in the waters near the Gargas Islands. He should be in that area now, but I can’t pinpoint his exact location.”

Roger gently shook his head:

"You must have a way to contact each other, otherwise how will you get back to the fleet after you get there?"

“Blatov has his own messenger. As agreed, I will contact Bratov at a specific time and in a specific way every day to help him confirm that the ships under my command have not been destroyed.”

Ludwig answered truthfully.

Roger paused slightly:
Have we already missed at least one opportunity to contact them?

"Yes, and I had just informed Bratov that the battle was about to begin before launching the attack."

Ludwig nodded.

"This situation is getting a bit troublesome..."

Roger couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. If nothing unexpected happened, Bratov must already know about Ludwig's murder. And since he has been being hunted by the navies of various countries and the Storm Church, there is a high probability that he will leave the Gargas Islands for safety reasons and flee to other sea areas.

"What does Bratov look like? What's his personality like? How much do you know about the sealed artifact he possesses?"

he asked again.

Ludwig answered without hesitation:
"He was very tall, the tallest person I've ever seen... He had a square face, dark skin, and a somewhat frightening appearance. He had a very noticeable scar below his right eye that ran down to his jawline."

"In terms of personality... he cares for his subordinates, but is suspicious and cruel towards traitors and enemies, but is also very confident and stubborn."

"I've only seen the sealed artifact in his possession once... Bratov rarely uses it because, according to him, it has serious side effects and is not an extraordinary item in the full sense."

"Blatov heard the legend of the Fountain of Youth and set off to find it, but unfortunately he was ambushed by the Immortal King there. A conflict broke out between the two sides, and it was during that time that Bratov used it."

The Undying King? Agarito, the "Faithless One" who wields the "Death Call"?
Roger paused for a moment upon hearing the name.

If nothing unexpected happens, Agaritu is very likely a Sequence 4 "Devil" of the "Devil" pathway!
It's no wonder that Blatov has survived to this day after clashing with such a cruel and vengeful demigod!
The detailed reason is most likely related to that sealed artifact.

"Tell me the details."

Roger urged.

Upon hearing this, Ludwig continued:

"In that battle, Blatov used the 'Sword of Dawn' as usual, but the sword was larger than usual, seemed more destructive, and there seemed to be a dark green symbol in his eye... It looked very complicated and hard to remember."

"After negotiations with the 'Undying King' broke down, he took advantage of the other party's unpreparedness and launched a sneak attack with that sword."

"Although the 'Undying King' was not killed, he was injured... I remember his furious, sharp roar echoed throughout the entire sea, and many of his lower-ranking brothers died because they couldn't bear the roar."

"Although we suffered heavy losses that time, and Bratov was also seriously injured, strangely enough, the 'Undying King' did not continue to pursue us."

"After that, we kept a very low profile... much more low profile than before."

Roger was secretly astonished by these words, because if he remembered correctly, apart from the other three pirate kings, no one should have survived after opposing Agarito.

When he said this, Ludwig nodded affirmatively: "Few people know this, but Bratov is probably the only pirate, apart from a few other kings of the sea, who survived the 'Undying King' after being his enemy."

"This is also the result of keeping a low profile... In fact, in my personal opinion, the evaluation of 'Lieutenant General' is a serious underestimation of Blatov... In fact, you can tell from the amount of his bounty that he has reached the level of those generals."

Upon hearing this, Roger's expression showed a sudden realization.

For the "Abyss" pathway, the ability to perceive external malice is almost instinctive, and a high-sequence "devil" is certainly more adept at this ability.

However, the fact that Blatov was able to launch a surprise attack without the enemy noticing and succeed proved that he had the ability to bypass "malicious insight" in a short period of time.

On the other hand, based on the various details Ludwig mentioned, Roger was basically able to confirm that Bratov possessed a powerful sealed artifact corresponding to the "Warrior" pathway Sequence 4 "Demon Hunter"!
This sealed artifact is likely a legacy of Bratov's ancestors... because, combined with Ludwig's statement that Bratov was very tall, this "Twilight General" may have had giant blood.

If it weren't for the fact that the sealed artifact must have some kind of side effect that he wouldn't dare to use under normal circumstances, which is why it was used by Bratov as his last trump card, the strength of this "Twilight Admiral" might have been close to or even surpassed that of "Hell Admiral" Ludwell!
"You really know how to hide your true abilities..."

Roger couldn't help but admire Bratov's caution. If he hadn't been lucky enough to enslave the other's second mate, he probably would never have known these secrets.

He then asked some more minor questions and temporarily put away the spirit of Ludwig Sergei.

"Take a nap now, Uncle Thor will be busy after he finishes cleaning outside."

Roger glanced at the still clear sky outside, as if nothing had happened, then lay down on his bed, turned over, and fell asleep with his arm around Bandit.

After a while, in a daze, he heard a knock on the door.

"Who?"

“Mr. West, it’s me, Zeus. It’s seven o’clock.”

Roger's Squirtle servant's voice came from outside.

Upon hearing this, Roger suddenly sat up and realized that the sky outside the porthole had already darkened.

He strode over, opened the door, and looked at Zeus Newman.

"well done."

Roger praised him and then called Bandit to head outside.

But he had only taken a few steps when he turned back to look at Zeus:
"Have you got a meal yet?"

"No, sir."

Zeus answered truthfully.

"follow me."

Roger sighed and led Zeus back to the dining room.

As luck would have it, Thor was sitting at a table here, chatting with First Mate Burke.

"Uncle Thor, how's the cleaning going on the deck and those three ships outside?"

Upon seeing Roger appear, Thor immediately smiled:

"A very fruitful haul; I never expected these pirates' ships to have so many good things on board."

"We captured the remaining henchmen and forced them to reveal the location of the storage room... If nothing unexpected happens, we won't need to resupply for the rest of our journey and can head straight to Bayam."

"But there were two rooms on the largest ship that I couldn't get into. I even smashed the locks with my gun, but it still didn't work. One was the captain's cabin, and I don't know what the other one was."

"I've collected all the 'things' that people dropped on the deck. I'll find a way to give you your share later."

Roger knew that Thor's last words referred to the extraordinary properties that had been scattered among the pirates he had killed with the flesh-and-blood bombs. This knowledge was something he had deliberately revealed to Thor, in case his old friend Wiseman mistook those valuable "jelly" items for garbage and washed them off the ship, accidentally raising some kind of sea monster.

"Uncle Thor, get me, my cat, and this guy some food. After we eat, we'll go to Ludwig's ship together."

Faced with Roger's request, Thor looked up at Zeus Newman and reluctantly nodded.

Ten minutes later, a fresh fish, two servings of seafood soup, bacon, and garlic bread were placed on Roger's table.

"Eat slowly... By the way, when you guys hang out with Ludwig, do you never get enough to eat?"

Roger said with a hint of sarcasm as he watched Zeus Newman wolf down his food.

"No, it's just that my superior always embezzles my quota because he's a level higher than me. That bastard."

Zeus swallowed a mouthful of bacon, then looked at Roger and said:

"Fortunately, you already took care of him this afternoon."

Roger was slightly taken aback, then realized that Zeus must have been referring to the Sequence 8 "Wrathful People".

"It seems that the Bratov fleet isn't very united..."

He scooped up a piece of clam meat and broth with a spoon and put it in his mouth, seemingly lost in thought.

After dinner, Roger called over Bandit, and together with Thor and Zeus, they went back to the deck.

The other two pirate ships that had previously surrounded the Obsidian had disappeared, leaving only the largest and highest-ranking ship that Ludwig was on, sailing alongside the Obsidian not far to starboard.

This was something Roger had deliberately mentioned beforehand, because Ludwig's ship might contain clues that could help him find Bratov.

As the Obsidian deliberately moved closer to the ship, the distance between them was reduced to about one meter.

At such a close distance, Roger and his men could easily jump over.

According to Zeus, the ship was named "Wave Ridge" and was a rare single-masted sailing ship among the pirate ships of the Sunia Sea.

Like the "Raging Blade", the "Wave Ridge" was also converted to steam power, so even when sailing against the wind, it could keep up with the more advanced-looking "Obsidian".

The person currently steering the ship from the stern deck is Second Officer Mr. Remiel and several of his sailors.

"Oh, Mr. Remiel has become a captain too."

Upon seeing this boisterous middle-aged man with extraordinary strength by the light of an oil lamp, Roger jokingly teased him.

"Yes, I've become a captain."

Mr. Remiel also laughed; his hair was slightly disheveled by the sea breeze, but he was clearly in a good mood.

"Speaking of which, I was worried about you at first, but I didn't expect you to take down that guy named Lu in just a few punches and kicks."

Mr. Remiel clenched his fists, looking quite pleased with himself.

“That wasn’t just a few punches and kicks; he poked a big hole in my stomach.”

Roger pointed to his abdomen, then shook his head with a smile.

Fortunately, he had brought plenty of shirts with him when he went out, otherwise Ludwig's behavior of hanging himself on the mast like a colorful flag would have been enough to make his stomach catch a cold.

Okay, if there's such a thing as "catching a cold" for a "shepherd".

After finishing his chat with Mr. Remiel, Roger and Captain Thor, led by a sailor, headed into the cabin.

It must be said that the interior furnishings and hygiene of the "Raging Blade" are far superior to those of the "Wave Ridge". This is because Ludwig seems to be a bit of a germaphobe, so he requires the crew to clean the cabins every day.

Because the crew of the Obsidian had already surveyed the ship, Roger arrived at the captain's cabin at the front in no time.

"This door just won't open."

Thor pointed to the location of the lock on the heavy wooden door, where there were clearly two bullet holes, but the inside of the lock was not damaged.

Roger nodded, patted the lock, and the other three heard the latch click open.

Thor was used to the door being slightly ajar, but Zeus and the other crew member leading the way were repeatedly astonished.

"The lock on Ludwig's captain's cabin was specially made by one of the fleet's 'craftsmen,' and it can't be opened by ordinary means. I didn't expect you to open it so easily, Mr. West."

Seeing Zeus, the pirate who had already slid to his knees at lightning speed after a hearty meal, offering Roger a half-surprised and half-shocked compliment, Thor revealed a look of disdain.

But he didn't say much, he just watched Roger push open the door and go inside.

There were also two oil lamps made of black iron in the captain's cabin. Roger snapped his fingers and lit them up. Then, to Zeus's once again astonished and admiring gaze, he walked toward the nautical chart hanging next to the porthole.

The trails were marked with different thumbtacks, and Roger could tell that they were the routes of the "Wave Ridge" and two other pirate ships.

As can be seen, these three ships traveled north from Toscate Island, first stopping and lingering in the Gargas Islands for a period of time, and then evaded the surveillance of the Church of Storms from the south of Dinos Island. Based on intelligence from an insider, they intercepted the "Obsidian" halfway through its voyage, which had not yet approached the Rothschild Islands, at the midpoint between Bansi and Pasu Islands.

This is basically consistent with what Ludwig's soul revealed; however, Roger could not determine the location of the main body of the "Twilight Fleet" based solely on this.

Especially after Ludwig broke off communications with Ivan Bratov, the cunning "Twilight Admiral" would certainly have sailed the fleet away immediately to ensure its safety.

Roger thought for a moment, then took out the "Decoder Glasses" from his pocket.

This extraordinary item has not been used for a long time since Roger left Tingen, and now is the time for it to play a significant role.

The "decipherer's glasses" immediately sped up Roger's thinking, and he stared at the nautical chart, beginning to analyze it in his mind.

"One thing is certain: after Ludwig and the others left the Gargas Islands, the original plan was to bring the spoils back to the 'Twilight Fleet,' which is consistent with the basic logic of the whole incident."

"The Gargas Islands do not produce coal... Considering that pirates could not guarantee that they would have enough fuel to power their steam turbines, their basic logic was to minimize the distance they traveled before acquiring enough spoils. Otherwise, they would have to rely on sails and ocean currents to navigate, which was undoubtedly not a safe option."

"So in the days following Ludwig's departure from the Cargas Islands, Bratov had only two options: either keep the ship docked in the Cargas Islands or gradually approach Dinos Island so that he could meet Ludwig on his return journey as soon as possible."

"But now, he obviously can't do that, so what will he do?"

Roger had a sudden inspiration and turned to look at Thor:
"Uncle Thor, let me look through the ship's log!"

(End of this chapter)