Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 275 Alger, the Master Sailor

How many boats have you prepared here?

Upon hearing Roger's question, Alger's first reaction was to inquire about the number of ships Roger had prepared.

Three ships.

Roger answered immediately.

For today's exploration, Roger selected the "Star Lord," the "Moon," and the "Saturn" as a separate team and informed all the captains of his arrangements in advance.

The reason for choosing these three ships is quite simple.

It's about both strength and experience.

The "Star Lord" is undoubtedly the flagship, and the captains of the "Moon," Ophina and Dionysius, are both experienced pirates with mid-tier strength, making them well-suited for this kind of independent exploration mission that involves a certain degree of danger.

In addition, there are considerations regarding the ship's maneuverability.

Roger envisioned that for such exploration missions to be safe, each ship must have at least one "navigator" at the helm.

Ophina King's first mate, Heisenberg Davis, was a true "navigator," and because Dionysius and Adonis's teams had a good relationship, Adonis was also invited by this "briber" to temporarily steer.

As for the flagship "Star Lord", it will be personally steered by "Wind Favorite" Alger. Roger also wants to take this opportunity to let Zeus and Philip learn more from Alger, as such opportunities are truly rare.

"A very reasonable configuration. Have you investigated the situation at 'Blackwing Reef'?"

Alger, the "Hanged Man," nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I did some research beforehand... especially about the 'fog' part, which I also explained to my crew."

In the Blackwing Reef area, the reefs not only move on their own, but the tidal cycle also seems to be influenced by some supernatural force, making it unlike the unpredictable waters of ordinary seas.

However, Roger still managed to glean some general patterns from the decades-old logbook using the reading abilities granted by the "Knowledge Guardian" glasses.

Based on this pattern, Roger predicted that there would be a drop in sea level near "Blackwing Reef" tonight, during which many reefs would reveal their positions, which would undoubtedly help the "navigator" make a better judgment.

However, during low tide, there is a high probability that a fog that can cause hallucinations will rise over Blackwing Reef, which can affect the safety of navigation. This is one of the main reasons why this area has always been sparsely populated.

Therefore, the three ships are not only the maximum number of ships that the entrance to "Blackwing Reef" can accept at one time, but they can also use lights to verify the current status of their ships.

If enough people can see the lights of the other two ships at the same time, they can be sure that the ship they are on has not gone astray.

If there are too few lights, people can be easily misled; if there are too many lights, people can be easily distracted.

Therefore, three ships is the maximum number of ships a fleet can have at one time through "Blackwing Reef".

"Now that you understand the situation, let's set off immediately."

Alger nodded and began to speak.

As per the pre-arranged plan, the "Star Lord" would lead the other two ships to travel at full speed through a relatively dangerous area of ​​the Raging Sea, using the "Secret" mode's blackout isolation to achieve the effect of taking a shortcut.

In this way, they can reach the "Blackwing Reef" as quickly as possible. After the exploration is completed, Roger will use the "Magnification" ability of "Fallen Earl" Chunus Korg, combined with "Philimon's Bell," to send Alger back to Gilain, while he will use the "Traveler's Dice" to return to the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord."

Alger was also able to fulfill his agreement with Roger to explore the "Blackwing Reef" together within a single night without anyone noticing, and to get his share of the benefits.

"Then, let's go."

Roger grabbed Alger and then threw the "Diviner's Dice".

"This is... a sealed artifact..."

Although Alger had met Roger before, he had never seen Roger use any extraordinary abilities or sealed artifacts.

At this moment, he widened his eyes, wanting to observe Roger's every move clearly.

After all, the methods of a demigod are extremely rare!

The next second, Alger felt a slight distortion around him, and a faint blue light flashed by.

When the "Hanged Man" came to his senses again, he found himself in a captain's cabin.

At this moment, the "Star Lord" has already set sail and seems to have been away from Port Gilain for some time.

"This is... Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune's' captain's cabin?"

At this moment, he realized that Roger had most likely used a seal related to the "Apprentice" pathway, and that its level was no lower than Sequence 5.

It's extremely difficult for ordinary people to own a Sequence 5 sealed artifact, but Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" casually pulled one out.

Judging from his expression, he didn't value the item very much, as if Roger had more than one similar item.

Hello, meow.

Suddenly, a somewhat childish and cute voice rang out beside Alger.

"you……"

Alger turned around and found a tabby cat looking up at him with a smile.

"The cat talked???"

Alger was greatly shocked.

At this moment, Alger's mind was filled with memories of the experiences he had with feeding extraordinary animals, which Mr. Wheel of Fortune had mentioned during the "Tarot Meeting," and he finally had a sudden realization.

"Hello."

So he finally composed himself and greeted Bandit politely in return.

“You recovered very quickly, unlike those other people.”

Bandit glanced at Alger and praised him.

“Thank you for your recognition.”

Seeing Bandit's nonchalant demeanor, Alger felt a chill run down his spine. He was a little unsure of the cat's background, so he became even more polite.

After all, this is a saint's cat, and its extraordinary characteristics might even be bigger than his own.

Roger smiled and glanced at Alger, then began to introduce him to the various layouts and facilities of the "Star Lord".

"...You mean, the entire ship is a giant sealed object, and the control core is this gem?"
"What an ingenious design! I've never heard of such skilled craftsmen in the Rose Island before."

Alger looked at the "Heart of the Star Lord" and marveled at it repeatedly.

"Yes, it is a Sequence 4 level seal."

Roger nodded and answered generously.

"Series 4, they're really rolling in money..."

Alger had just gritted his teeth when Roger continued:

"This entire system was designed and modified for me by Her Majesty the Mysterious Queen. This gem is the highest-level sealing artifact. Besides it, there are also many other sealing artifacts of the mid-to-low sequence and extraordinary characteristics."

A mysterious queen? One of the Four Kings?

At that moment, Alger felt his breathing become heavier.

That's one of the Four Kings, and the most mysterious of them all!
Legend has it that the "mysterious queen" was once the backer of the "Star Admiral", and now Roger's pirate title is "Galactic Admiral". Could there be some kind of connection between them?
Alger thought it was increasingly possible: Mr. Wheel of Fortune had only arrived at sea in the last two months, and then seized the ship of "The Executioner" Ludwig Sergei, converting it into the "Star Lord".

In such a short period of time, it underwent such a large-scale transformation, and the person who made the change was none other than the "Mysterious Queen," one of the "Four Kings."

This suggests that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" could not have met her during this period...

The two were already friends before!

Seemingly sensing what Alger was thinking, Roger interrupted his train of thought in a deep voice:

"I have some personal dealings with that 'mysterious queen,' but it's just a personal relationship between us and doesn't involve any other forces."

This almost completely negated most of what Alger had imagined. The "Wind-Centered One" clearly realized that Roger had guessed what he was thinking, so he smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

"However, speaking of which, the network of connections among the saints under the 'Fool's' command is truly remarkable..."

At this moment, Alger was completely determined to broaden his horizons by traveling with Mr. Wheel of Fortune. Even if he didn't gain anything of value from the Blackwing Reef, the experience of traveling with a demigod alone would be something Alger would savor for a long time.

As a seasoned captain, Alger understood one thing very well.

That is, people cannot obtain benefits beyond their own knowledge, so gaining knowledge is a better investment than direct benefits.

After carefully examining all the mechanisms of the ship, he accepted a cloak from Roger, covered his face, and then followed Roger onto the deck.

“Philip, Zeus, this is Mr. Wells, the assistant I brought for today’s mission. He is a mid-series Beyonder of the ‘Sailor’ pathway.”

"He is very experienced, a veteran captain. You can ask him any questions you have about sailing."

To protect Alger's privacy, Roger not only used a pseudonym that he had agreed upon beforehand, but also did not reveal his specific sequence level.

"Hello, Mr. Wells."

Philip and Zeus greeted each other politely, and then Alger took the helm and steered the ship toward the "Blackwing Reef" while giving instructions.

Soon, the ship arrived at the eastern part of the Raging Sea.

Lightning began to flash and thunder in the sky, and the wind and waves grew larger.

Although this place is very close to the Sunya Sea, it is still not a safe shipping route in the strict sense. However, in order to reach "Blackwing Reef" as soon as possible, this is a shortcut that must be taken.

"Mr. Wells, should we go into 'secret mode'?" Philip asked with some concern, watching the waves grow larger.

"No, it's too early here."

Alger shook his head and then said:

"Zeus, notify the sail commanders of the three ships to adjust the ships to first-class sail reduction. Also, tell the steam turbine room to turn the horsepower to maximum. We need to accelerate."

"Yes, Mr. Wells."

Zeus had previously received instruction from Alger, and by this time he almost regarded the experienced captain of the "Wind-Cowherd" as his mentor.

Upon hearing Alger's command, he nodded immediately and ran to carry it out, just as he would upon hearing Roger's command.

……

"You mean, the second mate just informed us that they need to increase the steam turbine's horsepower and also reduce the first-stage sail?"

On the deck of the Saturn, Dionysius looked at the sailor who had come to report the orders of the Star Lord with some confusion.

"Yes, Captain."

The sailor gave an affirmative answer again.

Generally speaking, when entering the turbulent seas, it is necessary to start preparing for secondary sail reduction to avoid serious dangers such as the mast being blown off by the wind or the hull spinning and capsizing.

Dionysius had done the same thing before, but now the instructions from the "Star Lord" not only did not require a second-level sail reduction, but even required a reduction in the sail reduction level.

This was undoubtedly a very dangerous idea, leaving Dionysius momentarily unsure of what Roger's temporary helper on the "Star Lord" was really up to.

"...First, notify the gas turbine room to increase the power. I'll keep an eye on the sails and will hoist them once the ship is stable."

Although Dionysius had some doubts about Alger's decision, he did not disobey orders but instead adopted a relatively cautious approach.

After all, it was his first time working with Alger, and he didn't know how capable Alger was.

Every pirate has his own experience and habitual way of thinking. In his view, once the ship gets faster, the stability of the hull will decrease. Only by opening the sails after confirming that it is safe can the risk be minimized.

Soon, the roar of the steam turbines grew much louder, and the speed of the Saturn increased accordingly.

However, under Dionysius's watchful eye, the "Star Lord," which was not initially in a leading position, quickly widened the gap between itself and the "Moon" and "Saturn" in just over ten seconds!
The person piloting the "Star Lord" had an exceptional insight into the relationship between ocean currents and sea breezes. He was using this complex, almost chaotic relationship to counteract the adverse effects of the sea breeze on the sails, while simultaneously utilizing the originally negative factors of waves and turbulence, thus instantly increasing the speed of the "Star Lord"!

During this process, the "Star Master" evaded several less obvious reefs and whirlpools with an almost serpentine maneuver, as agile as a sea serpent weaving among the corals.

Adonis was equally shocked. Although he was a "navigator," he was not very adept at digesting potions, so his intuition and experience in piloting ships were far inferior to Alger's, who had been a "Windbringer" for several months.

"First-level sail reduction!"

Adonis and Dionysius shouted at the same time, giving the order to the sail commander to open the sails.

By this time they realized that the helper Roger had hired was an experienced boatman.

They had never seen such a master before!
However, at this very moment, the same sailor from before ran over again, drenched in sweat:
"Captain, the Second Officer has just given us a message: full sails!"

WC……

Dionysius was cursing, but this time he dared not delay and immediately gave the order to set sail.

Soon, the three ships seemed to be racing, speeding across the raging sea in an extremely bizarre manner.

Fortunately, Adonis and Heisenberg are both genuine "navigators." Although they are not as experienced or aware as Alger, they can keep up with the pace if they simply follow the "Star Lord's" course.

Soon, something even stranger happened.

The two of them felt that their "Navigator" potion was being digested!
Adonis, in particular, whose potion digestion was not as good as Heisenberg's to begin with, was now filled with surprise and delight.

"Is this what it feels like to be carried by a master?"

As the two men marveled inwardly, the three ships sailed at high speed with full sails for about two hours before the waves suddenly became even more intense.

Fortunately, at this moment, the surrounding starlight suddenly disappeared, and all three ships entered the "Secret" space created by the "Star Lord" using the "Star Lord's Heart".

This means that the three ships have entered the most dangerous ocean area, to the point that even a ship as steady as Alger has to take extraordinary measures to avoid some risks.

After about ten minutes of this dark environment, the darkness disappeared again, and the three ships entered a relatively calm sea area.

However, not far ahead, there seemed to be a vast expanse of fog stretching across the entire ocean, with no end in sight.

Roger once again came up from the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord" and looked at the hazy mist.

He had given Bandit some more seasickness medication that the vampire guy had provided along the way; otherwise, with Alger, a seasoned veteran of the raging seas, speeding the boat at full speed, the cat would probably have vomited up all the cat food it ate the day before yesterday.

"Is it almost there?"

he asked.

"It should be, it went a little more smoothly than I expected."

"But the 'Blackwing Reef' is not something to be taken lightly. The real challenge begins when the fog appears."

Alger nodded slightly; Roger could tell that he seemed much more relaxed than before.

"There are some records about this fog in this logbook."

Roger paused:
"The owner of this log once saw the core area of ​​'Blackwing Reef', but was unable to enter due to the weather."

He spread out his old nautical logbook in front of Alger, and the two began to analyze how to get through the fog by the light of an oil lamp.

After about ten minutes, when they finally determined a direction to try, the sailors on the lookout tower of the "Star Lord" suddenly climbed down and said to Roger and Alger:
"Captain, there seems to be another ship that doesn't belong to our fleet at the ten o'clock position!"

"Ships that don't belong to our fleet?"

Roger and Alger were both slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and the latter narrowed his eyes as well.

"What is that ship doing? What does it look like? Did you get a good look at it?"

After a moment's thought, Alger asked.

"It is sailing, and it seems to be heading in the same direction as us."

"As for its appearance, all I see is that it looks very strange. It's all black and looks like a huge crescent moon."

The sailor thought for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"By the way, it's a single-masted sailing ship with only one sail, and the pattern painted on that sail is very strange."

What kind of pattern is it?

Roger pressed on with the question.

"It looks like a black tombstone..."

A crescent-shaped ship with black tombstones painted on its sails?
Roger and Alger were slightly taken aback, and then looked at each other at the same time.

"Your Excellency, this sounds somewhat like the 'Deathcaller,' the flagship of the 'Undying King.'"

The latter, after a brief recollection, cautiously began to speak:

"That's how it is, at least in my memory, but I don't know if the rumors I heard before were distorted."

"You're thinking the same thing as me."

Roger's expression was also somewhat solemn. He never expected that he would encounter Agaritu in a place like "Blackwing Reef".

Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?

He looked at his sailor again, and after receiving confirmation once more, he looked solemnly toward the ten o'clock position in the fog.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

Alger was somewhat worried. Although Roger was also a saint and most likely at the same sequence level as Agarito, he was, after all, a pirate king who had been famous for a long time and whose origins were unknown. If he rashly clashed with him, it could lead to serious consequences.

But at the same time, he was also looking forward to seeing how Roger would deal with the situation.

Soon, he saw Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" raise his head from his reverie:

"Since Agaritu appeared at 'Blackwing Reef' with only one ship, it means he likely knew the route to get there."

"If it's at the ten o'clock position, then it's quite close to the entrance we deduced earlier."

Alger was taken aback by this: "You mean, we should follow behind and let the 'Undying King' clear the way for us?"

This was clearly a very dangerous move, because Agarito was a very treacherous and cunning man. He was cruel by nature, loved killing, and could attack anyone or any ship at any time.

On the other hand, he also liked to find excuses to break promises, and was therefore widely known as a "faithless person".

The fact that the sailors on the Star Lord have spotted the Deathsbane means that the crew on the other ship must have also spotted the Star Lord.

At such close range, Agarito seemed to have anticipated that Roger would choose to follow, and deliberately led the "Star Lord" deeper into the "Blackwing Reef," which is hard not to see as a pre-set trap.

But Roger remained calm, because he knew in his heart that this was indeed a trap, but also a test.

Agarito had one condition for taking action against the "Star Lord": he had to be certain that he could easily defeat Roger and his lieutenants with his own strength. Otherwise, the "Undying King" was no fool and would not have willingly sought death.

However, if he insists on challenging Roger, the latter is not intimidated at all.

Regardless of the fact that Roger's own strength was already equivalent to that of a demigod who had fully digested the Sequence 4 potion, he also possessed something that was extremely effective against Agaritu.

"I really want to know how this 'Undying King' will react when I pull out 'Demon Slayer'..."

(End of this chapter)