Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 404 The Turbulent Sea

Upon hearing Alexis's words, Roger didn't react much, simply watching Jack Burton quietly.

Although "New Fog City" is currently one of the many organizations that believe in him, he does not want to interfere in the internal personnel coordination of this city-state in every detail. As long as Alexis and Jack can reach an agreement, he naturally has no objection.

Besides, Roger could also see that Alexis really wanted to hand over all the power of "New Fog City" to Jack, the very mature new leader, and take this opportunity to let go and relax.

After centuries of toiling for "Fog City" and "New Fog City," this Sequence 3 saint also wanted to change his way of life and experience a life he had never experienced before.

In the end, Jack Burton agreed, which relieved Roger.

Roger welcomed this outcome. With two Saints whose abilities complemented each other, Roger no longer needed to provide a sealing artifact as an aid. After all, Alexis, as the "Three-Headed Saint," already had an endless array of methods, so even if Roger were to bring out a Sequence 3 sealing artifact, it wouldn't make much difference.

The matter was finally settled. After the two city-states had gathered enough manpower, Roger, with the help of the "De La Hoya Giant Rat," transported them to the planet Butak.

While Greer and Alexis were marveling at the scenery of Butak like country bumpkins visiting a grand garden, Roger quickly communicated with Donovan about the situation and asked if he could help build some new houses.

To everyone's surprise, Donovan directly said that she didn't need it. She had researched a modular and simple construction assembly method from the information provided by the Steam Church, and said that she could settle all the new personnel in a maximum of five days.

In contrast, she was more concerned about when the oil extraction equipment provided by the Steam Church would arrive. Roger reassured her for the time being and said that another of his followers was conducting a quality inspection of the equipment, and that the equipment would all be in place in three days at most.

Hearing Roger say that, Donovan could only calm herself down for the time being. After thanking Roger, she watched the saint leave the planet Butak.

Roger first approached Fors and reconfirmed the arrival time of the equipment. He then purchased the potion recipe for "Judge," a Sequence 6 of the "Judge" pathway, from her at an extremely low price. Because of Hugh's previous promotion, she had already obtained the recipe from other channels, which saved Roger a lot of trouble.

His next destination was the "Everything" bookstore in Port Laus. Roger was worried that Amon would run away to other places to avoid him, but he was slightly relieved to see that the store was still open.

Unlike the previous stores opened by Amon, this bookstore actually had quite a few people reading. Some of them were college students, while others were elderly scholars. Their faces all showed very enthusiastic expressions, as if they were very interested in the content of the books in Amon's store.

This is understandable, after all, every time Amon opens a shop, he sells high-quality items that cannot be found elsewhere. Heaven knows how many good things this King of Angels has accumulated in his thousands of years of life, so that he can shock the market with just a little effort in any field.

"Boss."

Roger saw Amon behind the counter, legs crossed, reading a newspaper, and greeted him in a low voice.

"Oh."

Amon adjusted his monocle:
"What's going on today?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

After Roger finished speaking, he sat down in front of Amon and then looked around at the people in his shop.

“Just say it directly, they won’t hear you.”

Upon hearing Amon's words, Roger nodded slightly.

"I've got the extraordinary characteristics of the Outer God Angels that you mentioned last time."

"but?"

Amon raised an eyebrow, seemingly having seen through Roger's plans.

"...This extraordinary trait is the trait of 'Radiant Angel'. However, I have another option besides this one. I wonder if you would be interested."

Roger paused, then said:
“I intend to capture an angel on the ‘Unending Whispers’ pathway directly. I need His blood to complete my Sequence 2 advancement. After obtaining His blood, the Extraordinary Attribute can be given to you.”

"You can choose either of these, and I can choose either."

After Roger finished speaking, he stared intently at Amon.

As a remnant of the old order, Roger has a special attachment to nuclear fusion. If Amon can make concessions on this matter, he would like to find time to study the abilities of the "Radiant Angel" properly.

Of course, if the "Angel of Time" is not willing, there is nothing Roger can do, since both parties have agreed beforehand and he must abide by the contract.

"..."

Amon thought for a moment before saying:
"Although I know what you're planning, I have to say I know more about 'Radiant Angels' than you think."

"In comparison, I know relatively less about the 'Old Servant' or 'Voice of the Heart' under the 'Eternal Whisper,' so obtaining their extraordinary qualities is more valuable to me."

"On the other hand, it would be very interesting to capture an Outer God angel alive."

Hearing these words, Roger breathed a slight sigh of relief, because it meant that from Amon's perspective, He was not opposed to providing some assistance when he later captured the angels who were on the path of "unending murmurs".

On the other hand, Amon's first half of his sentence also bothered him a lot. What did he mean by "He knows more about the 'Radiant Angels' than he thought"?
Could it be that Amon had previously come into contact with angels through the "Super Star Dominator" pathway?
Before Roger could think it through, he heard Amon say:

"There's one more thing I need to remind you. If you're going to the 'Misty Sea,' just do what you're supposed to do and don't get involved in things you shouldn't."

What do you mean by "things you shouldn't touch"?

Roger asked in return, somewhat curious.

“For example, Russell Gustave.”

Amon spoke up:

"Although I know that finding him shouldn't be too difficult for you, now is not the time."

Roger hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. To be honest, he had indeed considered visiting the island where Emperor Roselle's tomb was located, but after hearing what Amon said, he hesitated again.

"You will have a chance to meet, but not now."

Upon hearing Amon's words, Roger finally breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"it is good."

This is both a concession and a compromise with reality. After all, Roger doesn't know how to deal with the "fallen mother goddess" corruption on Emperor Roselle at this stage, so even if Roger can meet Emperor Roselle, he can't do anything else.

"Alright, go on, don't interfere with my business."

After saying that, Amon leaned back in his chair and began reading the newspaper in his hand.

"Goodbye."

After saying goodbye to Amon, Roger teleported to Alice Iman's mansion in Queensback Hill and rang the doorbell again.

The same middle-aged housekeeper opened the door as before. This time, she recognized Roger and immediately greeted him respectfully.
Good afternoon, Mr. Jones.

Where is Alice?

Roger asked as he walked through the open iron gate.

"Miss Alice is being interviewed by the Backlund Daily News. If you don't mind, you can wait a moment."

Roger nodded slightly upon hearing the housekeeper's words:

"Okay, please arrange a quiet room for me and don't tell the reporters about my appearance."

Roger's music is now popular enough in the North, which has brought him wealth but also unnecessary attention. If possible, Roger doesn't want to have too much contact with the media and tries to maintain his current status.

"Understood, please come with me."

The housekeeper looked knowing. She led Roger to a side room and served him tea, snacks, and the latest issue of Art Review magazine.

As Roger read the reports about the artists newly discovered by Dwalk Artists Agency, he couldn't help but sigh at the changing times.

Two years ago, the music scene in the North Continent was dominated by folk and classical music, and there was not much to see. Now, under the influence of Backlund, pop music artists all over the North Continent have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and the scene is thriving.

Even elementary school students can sing a few lines of popular music lyrics. If Roger hadn't fully understood the background, he would have thought the scene was completely out of place in the steam age.

About forty minutes later, Alice, still wearing her makeup, hurriedly grabbed her tulle skirt and rushed into the side hall:
"Teacher, teacher, I'm sorry, I just happened to be interviewed."

"It's fine."

Roger looked up at Alice, who, with her elven blood, appeared even more elegant after being made up.

He put down his teacup and said:

"I'm planning a trip to the Misty Sea. Would you be interested in coming with me?"

"The Sea of ​​Mist... Could it be..."

Alice thought for a moment, then opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes, it's related to your father."

Roger nodded slightly:

"I'm going to explore Koske Island to retrieve the last sealed artifact belonging to the Abraham family, as well as your father's remains and belongings."

"Of course, since I've never been there before, the journey might be very bumpy and take at least a month. If you're busy, you can go ahead with yours."

However, Alice shook her head:
"Teacher, it's okay, I'll go with you."

“I can temporarily hand over the company’s affairs to my assistant. I also want to find out what my father went through on Koske Island and what it’s like there.”

"Are you sure? The journey is likely to be very dangerous."

Roger raised an eyebrow.

"Even if you stay quietly in Backlund, there is still a risk of dying unexpectedly."

Alice shook her head, then gave a sly smile:

"Besides, we still have you here."

"You guy."

Roger gave her a chuckle.
"Alright, I'll give you one night and one day to pack your things and arrange your work. Is that enough time?"

"almost."

Alice nodded.
"Will you pick me up tomorrow, or will I go to the pier myself?"

"I'll pick you up directly at six o'clock tomorrow night. We'll most likely not enter the port at Rune to save time as much as possible."

Alice nodded after hearing Roger's words:

"Okay, teacher."

"Ah."

Roger patted the pastry crumbs off his hands and wiped his mouth:

"The tea snacks are nice. I can taste the pupa powder in the pastry. That's thoughtful of me."

"hey-hey."

Alice laughed:
"Many people know that you like to eat Puba fruit. I thought you might come at any time, so I've been keeping these at home."

"sensible."

Roger said with relief, nodding slightly to Alice before being completely engulfed by a burst of blue light.

After leaving Backlund, he first went to Pulitzer Harbor to find Lindsay and the others, put them into the "Old Days Box," and then went back to Worston Gardens to bring Bandit back.

He then immediately returned to the "Underground Midnight City," where he found Zeus and his companions, who were already fully prepared for battle.

"You seem to be in good spirits."

Roger patted Zeus on the shoulder, then greeted Jack before leading his men back to the "Star Fleet" ship anchored on the west coast of the Eastern Continent.

“Turn the ship around, and I will help you uncover the secrets of the ‘Forsaken Land’.”

Upon hearing Roger's words, Zeus and Dionysius immediately began arranging for the crew to weigh anchor and set sail.

Returning to their ship filled the crew of the "Star Fleet" with a strange excitement and exhilaration. They realized that they had been in the "Forsaken Land" for far too long, and had even become unfamiliar with many things on board.

Fortunately, they were all experienced sailors, and it didn't take them long to get back to familiar with everything on the ship.

As the steam turbines roared to life, the ship turned west again. Roger, with his tabby cat Bandit perched on his shoulder, stood on the deck and stretched out his left hand toward the darkness in the distance.

"Darkness extinguished."

At this moment, Roger's ability to "leak secrets" had undergone a qualitative change. Almost instantly, he opened the curtain on the "Forsaken Land" and revealed the reefs and starlight near the "War of the Gods".

A sea breeze blew into the "Forsaken Land," invigorating everyone present.

Roger, as captain, pointed west and shouted:

"Star Fleet, set sail!"

"Yes!!!"

All the sailors were filled with enthusiasm, and they responded with a roar.

As the ship broke through the waves, the "Remnants of the War of Gods" and the starlight shone down, making the deck and flags of the "Star Lord" shine brightly.

The trip went relatively smoothly. Having learned from their previous experience, the two ships of the "Star Fleet" exploration team traversed the "Forsaken Land" relatively quickly this time and successfully rendezvoused with the "Saturn" and "Moon," which were already stationed in the eastern waters of the Cargas Islands. Philip Hoover was already waiting on the deck of the "Moon." Upon seeing Roger appear, he immediately rushed over to embrace Roger and the others.

When Philip saw Lindsay, he was clearly taken aback, because he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the man, but he didn't really know him.

"What, you don't recognize me anymore?"

Lindsay burst out laughing:

"Little Philip, you bastard."

"Linlinlinlinlinsaiya?"

Philip was taken aback:
"You've become a man? No, no, no, you've turned back?"

"What, you seem a little disappointed."

Lindsay looked at Philip with a teasing expression:

“My name is now Lindsay Louise, which is also my original name.”

"...Hey, this is something new."

Philip finally calmed down and grabbed Lindsay, looking him over. Although he had become an extraordinary person very early, he had never personally witnessed the bizarre gender-swap transformation of the "Dual Path of Calamity".

To be honest, Philip was a little disappointed, but he was also happy for Lindsay.

The story of Lindsay and Miranda would evoke sympathy in any normal person, including Philippe. Lindsay's ability to become a man again signifies that he has completely severed ties with the past and rediscovered himself.

"Congratulations, brother."

Philip spoke sincerely, and Lindsay laughed again. The two hugged each other tightly, pounding each other's backs vigorously.

"Lindsay, you're so strong now, aren't you afraid of beating Philip to death?"

Roger looked up at Philip, whose face had turned somewhat ashen, and said with some concern.

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm sorry."

Lindsay scratched her head a little embarrassedly and said.

"Captain, what do we do now?"

After Philip finally calmed down a bit, he asked Roger.

“We’re heading towards the ‘Sea of ​​Mist.’ You’ll come back to the ‘Star Lord’ as the first mate.”

Upon hearing Roger's order, Philip immediately stood at attention and saluted Roger.
"Yes, Captain!"

"Zeus will remain as second mate. Dionysius and Ophina, return to your own ships."

"Yes, Captain."

Dionysius and Ophina were originally the captains of the Saturn and the Moon, respectively. Roger had taken this into consideration, which is why he had Philip bring the two ships over in advance.

"Lindsay, you..."

Roger looked at Lindsay, somewhat hesitant. After all, the latter was originally in charge of arranging the team's meals on the supply ship "Fear," and now he was unsure whether he should let the guy go back to continue managing the supply ship.

"What, are you afraid I'll add something to the food?"

Lindsay raised an eyebrow and joked.

"No, I just think it's a bit like using a cannon to kill a mosquito for a demigod like you to cook for everyone."

"After all, you're the one leading the team now. If I ask you to cook again, what will your men think?"

Roger laughed:

"Here's what we'll do. I'll transfer a few hardworking people from the 'Star Lord' to cook. From now on, the 'Fear' will serve as your troop transport ship, except for the kitchen area."

"Then, Captain, what about the supplies?"

Lindsay blinked and asked.

"I have a solution."

Roger shrugged. Fortunately, the storage capacity of the "Original Motion Core" was now very reliable, so he didn't have to worry too much about the fleet consuming too many supplies on the way or his own supply not keeping up.

Because Lindsay and his men had purchased a large amount of supplies in the past few days, the regular storage compartments of the four ships, plus the "Original Dynamic Core," were more than enough to hold them all. They could sail at sea for at least four months without any problems.

Hearing Roger's arrangement, Lindsay had no objections and followed the arrangement.

Seeing that it was already 6 PM Backlund time, Roger teleported directly to the Queen District of Backlund and picked up Alice, who was already ready to go, and brought her onto the ship.

This was the girl's first time at sea, and she was curious about everything. Many of the crew members on the "Star Lord" recognized Alice as a famous singer and surrounded her, asking for her autograph.

Roger initially wanted to stop her, but Alice seemed to be annoyed by it, and eventually even Jennifer and Ophina joined in, making it even harder for Roger to say anything.

After the noisy scene finally subsided, Roger called Philip into his captain's cabin and asked:
“Philip, your ‘Interrogator’ potion should have finished taking effect by now, right?”

"Yes, Captain."

Philip nodded in reply.

“I’ll just promote you to Rank 6 ‘Judge’ directly. Your strength is already far behind the main force. You’re a first mate of a Star Lord, yet your Rank level is the same as Deler’s. What kind of behavior is this?”

Roger made a joke about Philip, and then the latter said with a serious expression:

"The captain's reprimand is correct; I know I was wrong."

This put Roger in an awkward position. He had only meant it as a joke, but he hadn't expected Philip to take it so seriously.

He had no choice but to continue:

"However, I understand that you wasted too much time digesting the previous potions."

"The upcoming exploration may be quite dangerous, so you need to become stronger as soon as possible so that you can help me."

"Yes, Captain, I will follow your instructions."

Philip nodded. As a former soldier, he was always very methodical and would do whatever Roger told him to do.

Having already acquired the "Crimson Gem of Pantax," a Sequence 6 sealed artifact, he felt his combat power was more than sufficient and hadn't proactively suggested a promotion. Now that Roger had said so, he naturally accepted.

Roger then prepared a "Judge" potion for Philip using the potion recipe provided by Fors, along with the "Judge" extraordinary property he had previously retrieved from Mr. "Fool" and various auxiliary materials.

The potion was the color of molten brass, with black and white specks of light appearing intermittently in the center, giving it an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Philip swallowed the potion, and Roger left him alone in the captain's cabin to gather the potion's power, while he himself went up to the deck with his hands behind his back.

After the war, due to the further development of trade, the Kingdom of Rune tightened its control over the Sunia Sea. The number of warships patrolling near the islands increased significantly, seemingly ready to provide protection for merchant and passenger ships arriving at the surrounding ports.

Of course, this protection is ostensibly aimed at the Kingdom of Rune and the Kingdom of Fennepot, which are currently allied in trade—but in reality, they will also try their best to coordinate protection if ships from the Fusak Empire encounter difficulties.

For example, Roger just saw a ship flying the flag of the Kingdom of Rune accompanying a cargo ship of the Fusak Empire, which was not small in tonnage but seemed to be damaged, into the port of Oravi. Although the latter had lowered its flag, Roger was still able to tell the ship's origins with his "Secret Insight".

This was actually part of the arrangement by the Church of the God of War. This righteous church, which was still independent on the surface but was secretly under the jurisdiction of the Goddess of Night, Amanisis, naturally could not allow the Fusak Empire to have difficulties in its open diplomatic relations in order to obtain a stable anchor.

Thus, in the postwar "negotiations," most of the rights and interests of the Fusak Empire were preserved. Apart from the territory south of the Intersea being "managed" by the Kingdom of Rune, their governmental power, royal power, and trade activities were not greatly hindered.

Of course, only the country's top officials know the truth, but Roger judged that after this incident, even if the Einhorn family's angels could obtain the extraordinary characteristics of the "Red Priest" pathway sequence 1, it would be difficult for them to advance further.

"Captain, there are warships blocking our way."

Just as Roger was looking around, Zeus suddenly ran over and reported.

"Ok?"

Roger looked up at the flagship flag hanging on the "Star Lord" and was momentarily stunned.

Normally, given my current relationship with the authorities, I shouldn't be being intercepted. Heaven knows what's wrong with these soldiers that they would try to extort money from me.

"Don't panic."

Roger shook his head and went straight to the bow of the ship, looking at the rapidly approaching Rune cruiser.

"A cruiser, not a battleship, so it's not a big problem."

Seeing this, Roger immediately understood what was going on.

Currently, the navies of the countries in the North Continent still follow the old-fashioned naval layout, with battleships with maximum defensive and offensive capabilities as the main combat force, frigates responsible for fleet protection, and cruisers responsible for conventional cruises and coastal defense.

Because of its role as a cruiser, it is generally lighter in tonnage and has better maneuverability, but its armor and gun configuration will not be too high and the accompanying troops will not be the main combat force.

The presence of a cruiser blocking the ship here indicates that the Rune Navy is not targeting Roger—after all, with Roger's strength, even a whole naval main battle group would have little chance against him unless they used torpedoes to directly destroy the ship. However, the fact that the cruiser was able to get close means that there are no torpedoes underwater.

Soon, a major-level officer led a group of people onto the ship.

The major was 36 years old, wearing a blue naval cap. He was not tall, but his face was resolute. When he saw Roger walking towards him after boarding the ship, he was stunned for a moment, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Captain West, this is a misunderstanding."

He immediately backed down and explained to Roger:
"I didn't recognize you."

"It doesn't matter."

Roger shook his head, then asked curiously:
"Major, I've already raised the flag, why are you still making a mistake?"

"Is such that."

The major breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that Roger hadn't made any moves.
"Recently, there have been many pirates impersonating the 'Star Fleet' at sea. They collect protection money everywhere and rob merchant ships."

"That's why we now instinctively assume that any ship displaying the name 'Fleet of Stars' is a pirate posing as a pirate, and we instinctively go up and check it out."

Upon hearing this, Roger finally frowned.

He had heard Fors Wall talk about her involvement in a conflict with pirates impersonating the "Star Fleet" when he helped her advance to "Traveler," and now, hearing the major say this, he immediately sensed that things were not so simple.

After all, it's understandable if it's just a small group impersonating the pirate king—anything strange can happen on the five seas—but such a large-scale impersonation is very unusual.

This shows that someone not only wanted to ruin Roger's reputation, but also tried to make his activities at sea more difficult.

Right now it's just a Roen cruiser, but it's possible that battleships will open fire on it later, especially once it reaches the Sea of ​​West Sonia, where the situation will only escalate.

It should be noted that the Sea of ​​West Sonia is close to the territory of Intis, which is also an important pass on his way to the Misty Sea. If his fleet is besieged, not to mention how many casualties there will be, his plan to reach the Misty Sea will definitely be greatly hindered.

Most importantly, despite the unique appearance of the "Star Lord" ship, this cruiser from the Kingdom of Rune still approached, which means that someone was even imitating the "Star Lord's" paint scheme.

This made Roger realize that the situation he was facing was not so simple; it seemed that someone did not want to see him go to the Misty Sea.

"Major, what should I say?"

Roger glanced at the other person. Although he already knew the other person's name, he still had to go through the usual procedure and ask a question.

"Lieutenant Commander Sisyphus Gonzalez, serving in the Third Fleet of the Rune Navy."

After the major solemnly announced his name, Roger nodded slightly.

"Major Gonzalez, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Are there many cases like this, where someone impersonates my subordinate at sea?"

"Yes, Captain West."

Sisyphus González nodded:

“We have uncovered two cases in the past three months, and there are still a group of such pirates being held in the prison on Orawi Island.”

"I see."

Roger nodded slightly, then whispered:
"I have a favor to ask."

"Could I meet these pirates? I have some questions I'd like to ask them."

"This……"

Sisyphus González hesitated for a moment. Roger, seeing that he dared not disobey orders, said again:
"Take a step to speak."

"You guys go and thoroughly inspect the deck, and help Captain West check for any potential leaks."

Gonzalez made up a reason to send his men away, and only after confirming that there were no more Loen soldiers around did Roger show Gonzalez his "Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division of MI8" badge.

"I now suspect these pirates are spies from an enemy country, and I'd like to interrogate them on behalf of the Special Operations Division. Is that alright?"

Roger smiled and looked at the shocked Gonzalez.

(End of this chapter)