Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 264 Linsaria and Zeus's Terrible Idea
"Bonova is still alive?"

Ophina King blurted out, and many of the crew members around her looked at Roger in shock.

"died."

However, Roger did not agree with them and answered without any mercy.

Seeing Ophina and the others fall into disappointment again, Roger shrugged:

Don't you want to know how he died?

Ofina was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Then why don't you invite me in?"

Roger pointed in the direction of the captain's cabin, his attitude clearly that of someone trying to scam someone.

"Ok."

The "Siren" could now basically conclude that Roger meant no harm to her group; otherwise, his "theft" earlier would have been enough to kill everyone on her ship a dozen times over.

This is just Roger's strength alone. There are three other people whose strength is unknown—even if they are obviously weaker than Roger, they are still not someone that most of the people on the "Tide Whirl" have not even reached Sequence 7.

"Jennifer, prepare some tea and snacks for the guests."

"The Siren" Ophina called out and walked towards the lower deck.

"Do you have sandwich cookies with pupa jam? If so, please give me some."

Roger looked directly at the female crew member named Jennifer, who had some freckles on her face but still had delicate features.

"what?"

Jennifer was momentarily stunned, but Roger ignored her and simply followed Ophina King down the street.

"Everyone, disperse. It's alright. Our captain will chat with your captain for a while. There's no need to be nervous."

Zeus greeted them very familiarly, then, mimicking Roger's manner, looked at Jennifer:
"Beautiful lady, do you have any dried bacon or draft beer? I..."

"Snapped!"

Linssaya silently kicked Zeus hard in the buttocks, which made the sailor tumble and scramble to catch up with Roger.

Twenty minutes later.

Roger ate the Puba jam-filled cookies on his plate while glancing at the silent Ophina across from him.

He had just recounted everything he had seen and heard on the "Mad Blade" to Ophina, even telling her about how he had contacted the Storm Church to contain the demon box.

Upon hearing this, Ophina was naturally dumbfounded.

Not for any other reason than that the story was too rich in elements, making it difficult for her to digest at once.

It's another legend of the "man-eating ship," another dozens of undead, another haunting, another demigod-level sealed artifact, another lightning and thunder, and another storm church.

Those who know Roger know he's an adventurer with connections, while those who don't might think he's a pirate spy sent by the Storm Church—in fact, the Storm Church often does this.

However, there aren't many desirable individuals capable of taking on demigod-level sealed artifacts single-handedly. They generally won't let them do dirty or tiring work like traitors. Instead, they'll usually appoint them as archbishops or high-ranking deacons of the 'Punishers'.

However, thanks to her "deciphering scholar" abilities, Ophina couldn't figure out anything unreasonable about it—the logic of the whole incident was completely closed, and it even matched some of the bits and pieces of information that Ophina had.

"If you still don't believe me, then I'll have to say something else."

Roger smiled:
"Around 7 p.m. on February 28, 1347, Ophina, unusually, took the initiative to ask me to drink, and we drank together until late at night..."

He was reading Bonova Stone IV's account of his first date with Ophina in his logbook. As soon as he finished speaking, everyone, including Lindsay, Zeus, and Jennifer standing next to him, perked up their ears and listened with great interest.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Ophina, enraged, slammed her hand on the table, signaling Roger to shut up.

Roger was very considerate and didn't continue speaking, instead covering his mouth.

"...Alright, I believe you."

Ophina leaned back, looking rather dejected.

She had previously harbored some wishful thinking, believing that Roger might be lying to her, but now that she had heard Roger say something that only Bonova and she knew, the captain of the "Tide Whirl" finally believed it.

"In any case, thank you for telling me all this, and thank you for avenging Bonova."

After Ophina finished speaking, she paused for a moment before continuing:

"However, I have nothing to repay you with. Now I am also helpless, and even the 'Tide Whirl' has been assigned to a new fleet."

"Blatov, right?"

Roger shook his head:

"He's dead. I killed him."

"what?"

Ophina's previously calmed emotions were once again thrown into turmoil.

While she could still accept what had happened before, what Roger was saying now was completely beyond her comprehension.

She had heard that not only did Bulatov have the support of the Fusak Empire and even the Church of the God of War, but he himself also possessed a Level 1 sealed artifact.

Add to that the bizarre, modified "Sunset," which Bratov had once successfully crippled the "Undead King." From any perspective, killing this resilient and powerful "Guardian" is an extremely impossible task.

"Don't you believe it?"

Roger glanced at Ophina King and took out the "Demon Slayer" directly from the "Old Box".

"what is this?"

Ofina King stared, her eyes wide, and asked blankly.

Intuitively, she sensed that this thing was extremely dangerous, but she didn't know the reason why.

"...Oh, right, you haven't seen this sword before."

Roger then realized that with Ophina's Sequence 6 level, Bratov wouldn't even need to personally intervene. He could simply send Julius or Ludwig to wipe out everyone on the "Tide Whirl," let alone have a chance to meet the "Demon Slayer."

"This is the 'Level 1' sealed artifact from Bratov."

Roger gave a brief introduction, his expression remaining unchanged.

"..."

Although Ofina was reluctant to believe it, with the groundwork laid by what had happened before, accepting this new information was now much easier for her than before.

"You killed my subordinate in Bayam too?"

She thought for a moment, then asked again.

"Yes, the Obsidian is under my protection."

Roger nodded:

“I know your men are deeply involved in this matter, but I can give you a chance to make amends.”

"What do you need me to do?"

Upon hearing this, Ophina quickly showed a look of compromise.

Roger had both avenged the "Mad Blade" and dealt with Bratov, so Ophina had no reason to refuse him.

Moreover, Roger was also very powerful. Ophina had attacked the Obsidian, so she had no bargaining chips. Otherwise, she would have been pushing her entire crew to their doom.

"You don't need to overthink it. I'd like to invite you to join my fleet."

Roger clasped his hands together:

"It's called 'Fleet of Stars'."

"Star Fleet? What's your relationship with that 'Star Admiral'?"

Ophina listened, somewhat lost in thought; the name naturally reminded her of Cattleya.

"Don't get me wrong, we have nothing to do with each other... at least not right now."

Roger thought for a moment and then asked:
How many sailors do you have under your command?

"I can do it myself, and so can my first mate, Heisenberg Davis... He's a Sequence 7 'Navigator'."

“My second mate Jessica used to be able to do it too, but she has passed away.”

Ophina paused, then continued:
"In addition, I previously trained a group of trainee crew members as reserve officers, letting them learn to sail under Jessica's guidance. Now they should be able to handle most nautical situations..."

Roger was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this:
How many such reserve cadres are there?

"Not many, five people."

Ophina looked at Roger with some suspicion: "Do you need them?"

"Correct."

Roger took a deep breath: "I currently have seven ships anchored in Bayam, including at least three combat ships and one supply ship that are lacking reliable pilots."

"Seven, seven ships?"

Ophina was taken aback. She had thought that Roger's fleet was at most a little larger than Bonova's three-ship fleet, and certainly smaller than the "Twilight Fleet". But now it seemed that she had been naive.

In fact, she wasn't wrong to think that way, because Ludwig had previously led three ships away from the main force to intercept the "Obsidian," but Roger ended up cooking them in an iron pot and even took the largest ship, which was then converted into the "Star Lord."

This led Bratov to eventually find a way to add a new supply ship to the "Twilight Fleet," but at its peak, the "Twilight Fleet" had a terrifying size of nine ships.

In fact, such strength is extremely rare among pirates, after all, this is a pirate secretly supported by the Fussac Empire, and its combat power is almost on par with that of a regular army.

Combined with the power of the powerful sealed artifact "Demon Slayer," the "Twilight Fleet" is capable of holding off at least two ironclad warships during wartime, which can play a crucial role in critical moments.

"Yes, seven ships."

Roger shrugged:

"To be honest, I didn't expect to produce so many all at once. Now I don't lack ships, but I lack manpower, a lot of manpower."

"I understand."

Ophina King nodded:

"In my personal opinion, the reserve officers on the 'Tide Whirlwind' and my first mate can be seconded to assist in the integration and transition of the fleet. However, in any case, we still need to bring in fresh blood."

“We definitely can’t recruit people in Bayam. This is the administrative center of the Rothschild Islands, after all. Even the ‘Undying King’ would have to lie down obediently here.”

Roger nodded slightly:

"So, in your opinion, where should we recruit people?"

"Nagao Island is the preferred choice in this regard."

Without hesitation, Ofina King replied, "Secondly, East Bayron. Both places have their advantages."

"First of all, Longtail Island is the largest outlying island in the Rothschild Islands besides Simim Island. It has a large permanent population, a pleasant climate, and many experienced sailors live on Longtail Island."

"There is a good chance to find skilled sailors there, and if the salary is right, you can even recruit a lot of extraordinary people with sailing experience."

Seeing Roger gesture for her to continue, Ophina continued:
"As for East Bayern, that involves considerations from a different perspective."

"Because of the invasion of Northern Continent culture, people there are more tolerant, more hardworking, and their salary requirements are not very high."

"Most importantly, because of their culture, they are more adventurous than people in the Rothschild Islands region. As long as you treat them well, you don't have to worry about their loyalty at all."

Roger stroked his chin, carefully considering Ophina's words, and then said:
"You mean we can first recruit some experienced sailors from Longtail Island to get the entire fleet up and running, and then recruit more people from East Bayron to fill the organizational structure?"

"Yes."

Ophina nodded, acknowledging Roger's statement.

"That's quite interesting. I think it's a good idea."

Roger showed interest; Ophina's plan matched his own perfectly, as he already had plans to travel to the Raging Sea and the northern waters of East Byron.

So it would be great if we could recruit some people from East Bayron at a reasonable price.

"So, are you going to bring the 'Tide Whirlwind' with you?"

After discussing the sailor recruitment with Ophina King, Roger asked her about her plans:
"This is the most ideal arrangement."

Just as Roger expected, Ophina expressed her approval.

After all, the "Tide Whirl" is Ophina's home, and even though she has joined a new fleet, she hopes to take this ship with her.

"Alright, to be honest, all the ships in my fleet must be named after a star."

Roger tapped the table with his finger: "However, I understand your situation, so the 'Tide Whirl' can be an exception."

"Do not."

Ophina shook her head:
"For me, the most important thing is not the name 'Tide Whirlwind,' but the people who shared hardships with me."

"Now that we have a new beginning, we should also obey the new team arrangements."

"Excuse me, is the name 'Moon' already taken?"

Does the Moon correspond to the ruler of the tides?

Roger understood.

Although the name was a bit off-putting, he still nodded immediately and said:
"Then, from now on, the 'Tide Whirl' will be renamed the 'Moon'."

……

three days later.

On the calm waters of the South Sudan Sea, the eight ships of the "Star Fleet" were sailing at a relatively steady speed toward Longtail Island, carried by the east wind.

With Ophina King's active assistance, the Moon's integration into the Star Fleet is progressing very smoothly. In the past two days, it has successfully completed several collaborations with other ships, and Ophina herself often comes to the ship to chat with Linssaya and the others.

Roger, wearing the "Guardian of Knowledge" glasses, sat in his captain's cabin, flipping through a new stack of documents.

This is a collection of eyewitness accounts about the meteorite that fell into the Sea of ​​Frenzy in the early Quaternary period, which was just sent by Mr. "The Hanged Man" yesterday.

After a while, he stood up again and began to scribble on a huge nautical chart hanging between the portholes with a red ink pen, and then drew a circle.

"Based on the information, it can be basically confirmed that it is this area..."

Just as Roger was muttering to himself, a strange feeling suddenly filled the captain's cabin.

He was startled and instinctively turned around, only to find a woman who had appeared in the corner at some point.

To be precise, it wasn't an ordinary woman, but rather someone whose entire body was strangely translucent.

She wore an elaborate, gorgeous, and gloomy black dress. Strangely, this woman had no head; there was a clean cut at her neck, and her drooping hands held four identical heads with blonde hair and red eyes.

"You...are...Roger...Abraham?"

The strange woman's four heads opened in sequence, yet her entire body exuded an eerie elegance.

Roger's eyes widened instantly. He had never seen this woman before, but she looked very familiar to him.

This is none other than Renette Tinicol, the leader of the "Rose School" and the "Temperance School," Sharon's teacher, and one of the four angels of the future Tarot Society, the "Crippled Angel"!

While Roger was still in a state of surprise and uncertainty, for some reason, he blurted out:
“I…am…Roger…Abraham, what…does…you want?”

For a moment, the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord" fell into an inexplicable silence.

Roger then realized what was happening and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"I'm completely bewitched, actually provoking an angel, I really think I'm going to..."

He quickly spoke up:

"Just kidding, ma'am. May I ask what's the matter?"

"I...have come...to deliver a message."

Fortunately, Renette Tinicol remained "restrained" and did not hold a grudge against Roger.

After she finished speaking, she took out a letter and handed it to Roger.

"Klein's letter... just as I expected."

At this moment, Roger finally realized this. He thanked him, took the letter, and opened it.

"Roger, it's like seeing you in person. I hope you're doing well."

"I don't know if that card has been used up. If so, please pass it to me. I need it urgently."

"Please keep this confidential. If you cannot guarantee this, you may arrange a meeting with me. I am currently in Bayam."

“Your friend Klein Moretti.”

Damn it...

Roger then slapped his forehead, finally realizing that he had forgotten about this.

He had previously borrowed the "Black Emperor" blasphemous card from Klein to negotiate with Bernadette, but then forgot to return it. Now, Klein must have encountered some trouble that required the use of this "blasphemous card" to suppress a certain status, which is why he contacted him.

He hurriedly replied:

"Klein, I'm fine. I hope everything goes well for you too."

"Sorry, I've been busy and forgot to return that item."

"I will have my messenger deliver it to you shortly, so please do not worry."

After saying this, Roger handed the letter to Renette Tinicol and watched the woman, who looked like an exoskeleton, disappear from the spot.

Klein was very cautious. He probably had just hired Renette Tinicol and hadn't fully figured out the messenger's background yet, so he didn't directly try to deliver the "Blasphemy Card" through the messenger. Instead, he reminded Roger to keep it a secret and even interrupted his role to meet Roger in person.

This is for safety's sake. After all, the "Black Emperor" card is a rare item that contains an entire divine path, and there can be no mistakes.

“On the other hand, Klein’s concerns are indeed justified. In that case, my decision to have the ‘Rat of De La Hoya’ pass the ‘Black Emperor’ card was indeed a bit risky.”

Although Roger knew that the powerful figure whose true form was most likely an angel was unlikely to plot against the "Desecration Card," Klein was unaware of this information.

So he still used the secret ritual of the "Key to the Gate" to seal the aura of the "Black Emperor" card. The opportunity to break this seal was when Klein read out the words "Bernarde".

Of course, Roger didn't forget to write a letter, subtly reminding Klein of this, and then summoned the "Rat of Dela Hoya," paying five nuts to have the half-rat, half-rabbit creature deliver the letter to Klein.

After doing all that, Roger stretched, activated his routine "Star Lord" "Secret Guard" mode, then opened the door, walked through the corridor, and arrived at the upper deck.

At this moment, the sky turned pure black once again, but the people on the "Star Lord" seemed to have gotten used to it and were all busy with their own things.

However, Bandit, Zeus, Linseria, Philip, and Ophina, along with their cat, gathered together, chatting and laughing.

This piqued Roger's curiosity, so he stepped forward and said:

"What are you talking about? Are you so happy?"

"captain."

Upon seeing this, the group all stopped and greeted Roger.

"fine."

Roger waved his hand.

"Captain, we're discussing what title you should use."

Ofina spoke first.

"title?"

Roger was somewhat suspicious.

"Yes, every pirate must have a title; it's the rule at sea."

I'm not a pirate...

Roger's lips twitched. Ever since Ophina King, the veteran female pirate, led the Moon to join the Star Fleet, he seemed to have become increasingly obsessed with the pirate persona, to the point of no return.

"So what title do you think I should be given?"

He asked with great interest, then looked at Linseria:

"You speak first."

"Captain, I think when we're out in the world, we need to have a resounding name."

Linssaya immediately spoke up:
“We have just eliminated ‘Twilight Admiral’ Blatov, and according to the rules, you should also inherit the title of Pirate General.”

"Since our fleet is called the 'Star Fleet,' I think you should be called 'Vice Admiral Star.'"

Roger laughed after hearing this:

"Forget it, after all, someone else is already called 'General of the Stars,' and if I call myself 'Lieutenant General of the Stars,' it would make me seem like their vassal."

"Exactly, Lindsay gave a terrible idea."

Zeus immediately agreed:
“I do not agree with ‘Generals of the Stars’. To be precise, I do not agree with either ‘Stars’ or ‘Generals’.”

"So what do you think I should be called?"

Roger asked.

"The lieutenant general is not worthy of your strength at all, Captain. You must surpass that 'Star Admiral'... Besides, haven't you been preparing to search for that meteorite lately? So I think you should be called 'Falling Star Admiral'!"

Zeus, completely ignoring the way Philip and Bandit were looking at him like he was an idiot, spoke without thinking.

(End of this chapter)