Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 258 Information about Dionysius (Bonus Chapter, 8K+ words)

After Roger returned to his captain's cabin, he immediately opened the thick brown paper bag that Sam had given him and began reading the information inside.

After quickly reading through the summary of the incident, the photographic and video evidence, and a series of witness testimonies, he went straight to the specific information about the missing batch of gold.

Here, he found the serial number of the lost gold, as well as the internal numbering rules for standard gold reserves in Rune.

“L represents the Kingdom of 'Rune', and SG represents 'Standard Gold'.”

"The following naming rules are: year of casting + batch number + six-digit serial number."

"So, 'LSG13452000741' represents the second batch of Rune standard gold minted in 1345, with the serial number 741..."

Having figured this out, Roger began searching for "LSG13452000741" among the missing gold pieces.

However, after flipping through the records, he looked up somewhat blankly.

No!

"Could it just be a coincidence, or perhaps it's not from the same batch of gold?"

Roger was still not giving up. He took the booklet in his hand and went straight to the door of the storage room of the "Star Lord".

At that moment, Matteo was directing his men to move the gold. As soon as the boxes hit the ground, Roger squatted down in the storage room and began to unpack and check the serial numbers of the gold bars one by one.

The final result was somewhat disappointing to him—these gold bars did not match the batch that Sam was investigating at all; they were not even consecutively numbered, and there were also discrepancies in the years they were from.

The gold lost by the Ministry of the Interior was all minted in 1348, with portions from the third and fourth batches, and almost all of them were consecutively numbered.

Although a portion of the gold minted by the state goes into the national treasury, some of it flows into the market and circulates among the people through channels such as banks.

Therefore, the gold in Roger's possession does not prove anything, and it cannot be ruled out that it was collected by Bratov through special channels or obtained through robbery.

"However, that's not quite right either."

Roger pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something was amiss.

"What a coincidence! I happened to be helping Sam with this case when I suddenly found a batch of gold bars that had leaked from Rune?"

This made Roger feel something was off—in fact, after dealing with Adam and Amon for so long, he no longer believed that there were really that many coincidences in the world.

While he was thinking, Lupin ran in again.

"Don't worry, what's wrong?"

Seeing Lupin panting heavily, Roger told him to rest for a while before Lupin began to report:

"Reporting, Captain, we have found Dionysius James, who is being held captive, on the lowest deck of one of the warships in the Bratov."

Finally, Lupin added:
“‘Musketeer’… no, I mean the former first mate of ‘Musketeer’. I know him, but he refuses to speak no matter what.”

Roger paused, then remembered that there was such a thing.

He hadn't seen Dionysius when he was dealing with Mitroncard and Belon Schulz. He only found out after interrogating the crew of the "Musketeer" that Dionysius had been called to help Bratov.

This is quite understandable, since Ludwig died, so Bratov needed another helper of similar strength, so it's not surprising that he temporarily recruited Dionysius.

The question is, what exactly did this guy do to provoke Blatov that led to him being placed under house arrest so soon after?
"Take me to him."

Roger thought for a moment and then spoke in a deep voice.

……

A few minutes later, Roger met Dionysius James in an ordinary crew quarters.

Contrary to his expectations, the former first mate of the "Musketeer" was not like most pirates, who were either burly and rugged or full of banditry. Instead, he wore glasses, was thin, and had a proper and refined demeanor.

"Are you an exceptional individual on the 'lawyer' path?"

Roger said this as soon as they met.

Dionysius had initially intended to refuse to answer, but upon hearing Roger's words, he instinctively paused in surprise.

"It seems so, just like Deleuze Johnson."

Roger nodded and sat down opposite Dionysius.

In fact, he already knew from Mitroncard's logbook that Dionysius was a "briber," and the reason he suddenly asked this question was because the other man's appearance and mannerisms were somewhat similar to Jürgen Cooper.

"Dele? Is he still alive?"

Upon hearing Roger's words, Dionysius finally spoke.

"I'll stay alive, starve myself every day, and never give up, waiting for you to come back."

Roger shrugged and replied.

"..."

Dionysius listened in silence for a while, and finally sighed.

"Blatov is dead?"

he asked.

"Ah."

"Julius is dead too?"

"Ah."

Roger nodded.

"Phew... Just as I expected."

Dionysius let out a sigh of relief, revealing an expression of regret but no surprise.

"How to say?"

Roger noticed the other person's reaction and looked curious.

"These Fusaks are generally physically overloaded and mentally short-circuited."

Dionysius shook his head:
“At the time, I absolutely disagreed with Blatov’s decision to sail the boat toward the north shore of Bayam. This behavior was just like a curly-haired baboon being attracted by bananas placed in a trap by humans.”

“I told him it was definitely a trap, and that idiot told me, ‘Agaritu must have guessed we would think it was a trap and then turned around…’ and then insisted on sailing the ship to the Sea of ​​West Sussia.”

"No, strictly speaking, Blatov is considered intelligent among the Fusaks. He has the ability to think in reverse, but ultimately he can only do it once."

"what."

Roger couldn't help but laugh when he heard Dionysius's words.

"Are you from Ruen?"

He asked knowingly.

Dionysius nodded.

"And then, how did you end up being locked up here?"

Roger continued to ask.

“I told them I didn’t want to cooperate with their plan and wanted to disembark at Simim Island, then they told me the ‘Musketeer’ was gone and locked me up.”

Dionysius looked up and glared at Lupin, then sighed.

"Have you ever considered that Blatov might be lying to you?"

Roger raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

From Dionysius's expression as he looked at Lupin, he keenly sensed that the other man seemed to have already confirmed that the "Musketeer" had been wiped out.

"No, as I just said, that guy's brain can only turn one corner at most."

Dionysius mocked again.

"last question."

Roger paused for a moment: "I heard from them that you and Blatov are on good terms?"

"What a bullshit."

Dionysius angrily retorted, "If it weren't for my brother being in Fussac, I wouldn't be doing anything for him at all."

"interesting."

Roger nodded, stood up, and walked out without continuing to speak to Dionysius.

In fact, he had some understanding of Dionysius's condition.

Compared to his combat abilities, this guy's intellect is clearly more outstanding. He used to frequently offer advice to Mitron, but because of his arrogant personality, foul mouth, and always acting like he's the best, he was ostracized by Belon.

As Roger passed Lupin, he pulled him out of the room and whispered something:
"Lock him up next to Deler and put him under house arrest in the same way. I'll go see him tonight."

"Yes, Captain."

Lupin nodded. "Do you need Ms. Lindsay's help?"

"No need, he won't resist."

After saying that, Roger turned and walked out.

By dusk, Roger had incorporated the three combat ships and supply ships of "Admiral Twilight" except for "Sunset". Roger also selected a group of capable people from "Star Lord" to assist the ships in integrating into the "Star Fleet".

This is not a simple matter, as it involves multiple levels of issues such as personnel appointments, personnel management, resource and combat power allocation. In addition, although Roger has recruited nearly 40 people, it is still insufficient to expand from 3 ships to 7 ships at once.

It should be noted that such a fleet would be a formidable fighting force even within the navy. If it were at full strength, Roger would definitely be a contender for the title of Pirate Shogun.

On the other hand, the three newly acquired ships carried a considerable amount of weapons and equipment produced by "Twilight Admiral" and Fussack. Directly sailing into Bayam would likely attract the attention of the governor's office. Therefore, after consulting with "The Hanged Man" Alger, Roger disguised the ships as much as possible and then had a group of his capable subordinates lead the way to Longtail Island to make some painting modifications.

Roger himself led his original three ships toward Bayam.

Although the problem with Bratov has been resolved and Roger has gained a lot, he is not at all relieved.

"Meow, what's wrong with you? You look like you have something on your mind."

In the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord," Bandit, who was fiddling with the "Virtual Star Hub," looked at Roger, who had a worried expression and was reading the documents left by Sam, and asked curiously.

Just as Roger had expected, the astrological tabby cat immediately mastered the correct way to use the "Virtual Realm Nexus" after obtaining it, and tamed this sealed object with certain living characteristics.

"It's still about that gold theft case."

Roger shook his head and closed the file in his hand:
"I need to go find Dionysius. Would you like to come with me?"

"I dont go."

Bandit shook his head: "I want to play with this astrolabe. It's very interesting. Since I got it, the digestion of the 'Astrologer' potion has started to accelerate again. I should be able to digest it before I return to Bayam."

"I wish you success."

Roger stood up, stroked Bandit's fur, and then walked alone toward the deck.

Night had fallen, but the only light visible in the sea where the "Star Lord" was sailing was the faint glow of a lighthouse. Apart from that, only the stars in the sky and the half-moon near the horizon could illuminate the way forward.

Fortunately, there were a few lights hanging on the surface of the "Star Lord". Although they were a bit dim, Roger was able to find Lupin nearby, who was drinking beer and playing cards with his men.

Upon seeing Roger approach, the "wrathful man" immediately tried to get up, but Roger pressed him down.

"It's alright, you guys drink yours. I just came to ask if there's anything unusual about Dionysius James's condition."

"Reporting to the captain, he's fine, eating and drinking normally, but he keeps talking to Deler next door."

Roger nodded upon hearing Lupin's words. He had previously instructed Lupin and Matteo to keep a relaxed attitude towards Dionysius, especially to not interfere with his communication with Deleuze.

The reason is simple: Deleuze's temper has been worn down over this period of time, and now that he has seen his superior and fellow countryman return to his side unharmed, this "barbarian" will most likely tell him about the management of Roger's ship.

Because Roger was considered extremely advanced among pirates in both treating his subordinates well and establishing management rules, Dionysius, the thoughtful former first mate of the "Musketeer," would certainly think highly of Roger after hearing all this information.

After all, being fellow Ruenians, judging from Dionysius's previous behavior, he clearly accepted this identity that represented "civilization".

After listening to Lupin's report, Roger told them to continue eating and drinking, while he went to the lower level of the "Mars" and opened the door to the room where Dionysius was being held.

Roger had already sent Dionysius a meal once before, and now the man had finished all the food, left the empty bowls and plates on the table, and was leaning against the bed snoring softly.

"It seems he is indeed in a much better mood."

Roger nodded slightly. Now that Dionysius had confirmed that his fellow countryman Deleuze was still alive and doing well, his psychological burden was not as heavy as before.

Roger had already discovered that for Dionysius, as long as the people he cared about were safe, nothing else mattered. He could sleep anywhere else, and loyalty could take a backseat.

Although Dionysius was once a member of Metron, Roger still greatly admired his carefree personality.

"stand up."

Roger patted Dionysius on the shoulder, and he began to wake up slightly.

"what?"

The pirate, nicknamed "The Monster," asked instinctively, seemingly a bit grumpy upon waking.

"Interrogate you."

Roger frowned, then took out the "Death-Defying Revolver" and pressed it against Dionysius's head.

Feeling the cold temperature of the gun barrel, Dionysius sat up abruptly:

"Don't shoot, ask away."

“We previously found a batch of gold bars on the ‘Sunset’ ship that were sealed with the seals of the Ministry of the Interior of Rune. Do you know the origin of these goods?”

Roger got straight to the point.

"know."

"The Monster" Dionysius nodded: "That shipment was loaded onto the ship around September. I happened to be on the 'Sunset' at the time, so I know the whole process."

"Tell me."

Roger pulled out a chair next to him, sat down, and looked at Dionysius.

"At that time, we sailed the ship to the Feneport territorial waters of Dixi Bay and temporarily docked at the port of Seville. Then some Fussacks brought up the iron box."

"Blatov instructed Ludwig to find an opportunity to remelt the gold into coins... but that idiot was only thinking about hijacking ships and killing people, so he ignored the matter for a long time."

Dionysius answered as he recalled.

"...Approximately how much gold was there?"

Roger thought for a moment and then pressed for more information.

“36, I remember it very clearly.”

Dionysius shrugged: "I was thinking that giving the money to Bratov would be a waste, so I might as well give it to myself, which is why I was so careful about the amount."

The quantity matches...

Roger thought for a moment and then asked:
Did Blatov explain why this batch of gold needed to be melted down?

"No."

"Who exactly was contacting Bratov?"

"do not know."

Dionysius shook his head.

"Those Fussaks most likely have official or church connections, and they were probably the ones who instructed Bratov to smelt the gold..."

Upon hearing this, Roger immediately made a judgment in his mind.

Dionysius's answer allowed Roger to be basically certain of two things.

The first thing is that these gold bars definitely did not enter Bulatov's hands through normal channels. Even if the serial numbers were scrambled, Bulatov still wanted to melt them down. Otherwise, he would not have taken the risk even if he did not use them.

Secondly, there must be a mole within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Rune who is colluding to steal from the vault. The security measures of the vault in this era are far inferior to those of the 21st or even 20th century. Considering the existence of supernatural powers, it is not impossible to steal gold and silver from Rune with an inside agent.

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Dionysius, seeing that Roger hadn't spoken for a while, pressed him for an answer.

"Gone."

Roger stood up:

"I'll let you get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow morning, you'll participate in group work. There are some parts of the deck that need repair, and there are also some barnacles that need to be cleaned up."

Having said that, he ignored Dionysius's disgusted expression and left on his own.

After sailing at sea for another day and night, the Star Lord, Mars, and Fear finally returned to Bayam.

By this time, Bayam was calm and peaceful, and there was no trace of the previous storm and martial law. Roger judged that the martial law here had also been lifted.

On the way, Bandit had fully digested the "Astrologer" potion, so the first thing Roger did after disembarking was to find Rossman and retrieve from him the materials he had previously entrusted to assist in advancing to the "Record Officer" level.

Afterwards, Roger stacked up the 22 pages of his pre-prepared logbook, scooped up a test tube of seawater from the beach, and returned to the captain's cabin to prepare the "Recorder" potion under the expectant gaze of the tabby cat Bandit.

After adding various auxiliary ingredients one by one, Roger finally added a special property to the boiling potion.

In an instant, the liquid surface calmed down, becoming transparent and clear, almost as if it had solidified.

"Alright, drink up."

At Roger's call, the tabby cat Bandit let out a meow and rushed to its water bowl, where it began to drink the potion with slurping sounds.

After finishing its drink, it sat down on the spot with great seriousness and began to meditate.

This time, Bandit's meditation process was longer than any of the past, and it finally opened its eyes before Roger began to get a little worried.

"How about it?"

Roger looked expectantly at Bandit's golden-green pupils, which had shrunk again upon seeing the light, and asked curiously.

"I feel that my spirituality and astrological abilities have become stronger, and my 'trick master' abilities have also improved significantly."

Bandit paused for a moment, seemingly trying to process what was happening.

After about ten seconds, it spoke again:

"I can now record other people's extraordinary abilities, and the upper limit of the number I can record depends on the level of the extraordinary abilities."

“序列6和序列5的非凡能力可以记录8个，效果是原本的一半，如果是序列7到序列9的能力则可以记录20个，效果也能够接近原本。

"If it is a Sequence 4 level ability with divine power, then both the success rate and the effect of recording will be greatly reduced, and it may not be successful even once in more than ten attempts."

At this point, the tabby cat asked with some concern:

"Will this situation continue indefinitely, or will it improve as the potion is digested more effectively?"

"Of course, the better the potion is digested, the better the situation will become."

Roger patted its head and comforted it:

"This situation is also consistent with the past experience of the Abraham family."

"For example, if you can fully digest the 'Recorder' potion, the number of divine abilities you can record will increase to two, and their power will also increase."

To be honest, he had previously worried that Bandit's extraordinary abilities after taking the "Recorder" potion might be inferior to those of humans.

The essence of the "Recorder's" ability is that a certain area of ​​the brain has undergone an extraordinary mutation, which allows it to record and "reproduce" the extraordinary abilities of others through mystical means.

However, cats' brains are significantly different from humans', both in weight and size.

However, it seems that Roger was overthinking things, because according to Bandit, its abilities are no different from those of a human "record officer".

This excited him, because Bandit's promotion allowed it to record the abilities of others, which meant that the cat was beginning to possess truly high-level combat power!
"Come, come, take any of my extraordinary abilities."

Roger grinned, and at that moment he looked at Bandit with the same expectant gaze a father would give his son, hoping he would become a dragon among men.

"Don't do this, I'm scared."

Bandit took several steps back:

"You're acting just like you're forcing Alister and Perseus to do their homework."

Roger chuckled upon hearing this, scratching his head:

"Sorry, just pick whichever you like."

“I want ‘secret insights’ and ‘leaks’.”

Bendit immediately chose two of Roger's most powerful abilities, which were at the highest sequence level.

After this period of fighting, Roger shared a lot of his experience in using these two abilities with the tabby cat. Although the latter only half understood them, it was still much better than when Roger had just advanced to Sequence 5.

"it is good."

Roger nodded very generously, and then said:
"Look carefully."

After he finished speaking, his eyes turned completely black, and all the secrets of the captain's cabin, as well as the records of everyone who had come and gone recently, were brought to life on a mystical level through the clues in the room, and then emerged.

Seemingly sensing the change in Roger's aura, Bandit the tabby cat's pupils suddenly dilated once more, and a slowly turning book appeared within them.

At the same time, many unintelligible symbols began to appear in its mind. These symbols kept running, but soon returned to calm.

"All right."

Bandit nodded; it hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

"it is good."

Roger glanced at Bandit's condition and knew that it had learned "Secret Insight".

"Next is, 'leaking secrets'."

The darkness in Roger's eyes resurfaced, his gaze darted around rapidly, and then he looked down at the ground.

Some barely visible footprints on the ground began to emit a faint red glow, marking the footprints of all those who had recently entered Roger's captain's cabin.

The presence of different sizes of leather shoes indicated the arrival of Roger, Philip, Zeus, Matteo, and others, as well as another series of shoe prints forming an exclamation mark, which were the imprints of the aggressive ankle boots worn by Lindsay.

This is the target of Roger's "leak." He is now able to select specific individuals to whom secrets are leaked, including deciding the extent and scope of the leak.

Bandit successfully demonstrated his ability to "leak" information once again.

"Now let's try combining the two abilities."

Upon hearing Roger's words, the tabby cat nodded slightly, and then a dark light quickly appeared in its eyes.

It quickly rolled its eyes and then fixed its gaze on one of Roger's cabinets.

"Hey, you wouldn't..."

As soon as Roger finished speaking, the cabinet door clicked open by itself.

Many small dried fish rolled out from inside.

"That's quite an ability."

Bandit was very satisfied and meowed.

"You guy."

Roger sighed.

He then demonstrated to Bandit the abilities of the three "Star of Judgment" pathways: "Mental Pressure," "Luck Amplification," and "Fate Twisting," as well as the self-healing abilities of the "Rose Bishop."

These abilities are all very well suited to Bandit's own situation, especially the two abilities in the realm of fate, which allow Bandit to play a greater role while utilizing the power of the "astrologer".

On the other hand, the Rose Bishop's self-healing ability undoubtedly provides Bandit with great protection. Even if the cat is injured, as long as it is not fatal and the brain is not damaged, it can recover through the Rose Bishop's ability.

With that, Bandit's recording space was already more than half full. The tabby cat didn't ask to learn more, but instead expressed that it wanted to learn more from Linssaya, and then excitedly ran off.

"Goodness, is it really going to turn into an assassin cat this time?"

Roger smiled and shook his head, then ignored Bandit and went straight off the ship towards the "Fragrant Leaf Bar".

Before arriving, he deliberately circled around a few times, drastically altered his appearance and skin color, and even changed into another set of clothes from the 'Old Days Box' before effortlessly pushing open the bar's door.

He had been here once before to meet with three members of the 'School of Life,' including Emily Davenport, but Roger was here now to buy information.

As one of Bayam's largest intelligence and illicit goods distribution centers, "Fragrant Leaf Bar" is a year-round gathering place for all sorts of sea hunters, intelligence brokers, and adventurers.

It even has an underground market where you can buy all kinds of spiritual materials, plant essential oils, ancient books and talismans, as well as other common mystical materials. In addition, there are secret arms trading channels—from decades-old flintlock antique firearms to modern standard firearms, all with a full range of traditional ammunition.

In addition, a complete identity forgery industry chain is hidden here, providing a full range of counterfeit services from certificates and documents to seals and stamps.

And it is precisely in such a place that Roger's purpose is worthy.

Although it was only afternoon, there were already quite a few people active here. A few were whispering to each other, while others were drinking and laughing loudly.

Roger ignored the people and went straight to the bar, plopped down, and tapped the bar with his finger.

"Good afternoon, sir. What would you like to drink?"

A somewhat chubby bartender approached Roger and gave him a warm smile.

"A large glass of draft beer, a serving of fried haddock with fries, and extra mayonnaise."

Roger answered.

The foods he ordered were common among the Rune people of the Sunia Sea, and many of the local natives of Bayam, influenced by these gentlemen from the "civilized world," also ate similar foods on a regular basis.

Because of the wide audience, Roger's small size makes him less likely to attract attention, making it a safe choice.

"Please wait."

The chubby bartender nodded, and soon brought Roger a beer, along with freshly fried fries and haddock, and placed it on the table.

"Use it slowly."

"Hold on."

Roger lowered his voice and, taking advantage of the fact that no one around him was looking, secretly passed a note over.

The bartender discreetly put it away and then quickly left.

He then went to the kitchen, opened the note, and began to read its contents.

Then, the bartender looked somewhat surprised.

There are two intelligence requirements listed here.

One of the pieces of information is detailed information about "Siren" Ophina King, the captain of the "Tidewhirl" who previously cooperated with Bratov in attacking and attempting to kidnap the crew of the "Obsidian." Roger wants to know all about her.

The second item concerns the recent movements of the Rune military in Bayam. He needs everything, big or small, that can be purchased at the "Fragrant Leaf Bar," and he requires information from multiple different sources!
As for Ophina King, Roger had already planned to find her. As for getting intelligence on the Rune military, that was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

He wanted to find Luna again and ask the demigoddess some questions in person.

However, considering the high level of secrecy surrounding MI9's generals, directly purchasing information about Luna would easily attract attention, and its authenticity could not be guaranteed.

Therefore, Roger needs to gather as much intelligence as possible about the military recently, and use his abilities to deduce Luna's whereabouts.

After a full half hour, Roger, who was getting impatient, finally saw the bartender return and hand him a bill.

The bill was for 260 gold pounds, but Roger paid it without hesitation and then pulled a plain white envelope from the black leather wallet that held the bill.

(End of this chapter)