Mercenary Wars

Chapter 223 Fitzroy's Prophet's Express
A single performance can last eight hours.

This is mainly because most of the people who come to the Bainaohui Opera House to watch plays are upper-class people who only need to work zero hours a day. They have plenty of leisure time, even too much.

For a group of people who have nothing better to do, an eight-hour performance is not long at all.

Moreover, entertainment options in the world of Ferraro are not particularly abundant. Among all formal entertainment, perhaps nothing can compare to the opera performances at the White Agate Club.

But Gaucano clearly doesn't think so.

Throughout his two lifetimes, he had many regrets, but none of them included not having seen a particular performance.

So after the initial novelty wore off, he gradually began to feel impatient.

If it weren't for politeness towards Sibel, he probably would have left halfway through.

Even so, as the performance progressed into the second half, his attention was no longer on the stage; he was either looking around or talking to Sybil.

The two started talking about divination.

Whenever the topic of divination comes up, Gao Jiano unconsciously asks a lot of questions, trying to take the lead in the conversation.

After all, he didn't want Sybil to press Amaro about the direct cause of his death.

"Which fortune tellers are skilled in Ax?" he asked.

Hibel: "Ax has many excellent diviners, but if I had to pick the most outstanding one, I think it would probably be Professor Anthony of the Magic Academy—he is also the only chair professor of the School of Prophecy."

"Then he must have made a lot of extra money."

Hiber shook his head: "No. As far as I know, Professor Anthony rarely does divination, let alone divination about money. He seems to have a unique and more rigorous set of divination principles."

Gao Jiano: "Which fortune tellers do you usually consult?"

“The Fitzroy fortune-telling shop,” Hibbel said.

Gaucano thought for a moment: "That FitzRoy from the FitzRoy family?"

“Yes.” Hibel changed the subject. “Of course, I don’t ask the fortune tellers directly very often. I mainly get the necessary information through their ‘Fizroy Prophet’s Bulletin’.”

Fitzroy Prophet's Express?

Gao Jiano couldn't help but become interested: "What kind of divination information can be recorded in the newspaper?"

Hippel: "For example, weather, tides, the throat of the tides... these unpredictable natural phenomena are the most regular content of the FitzRoy Prophet's Express."

“In addition, the FitzRoy Prophet’s Express also records some important recent news. And if you are willing to pay a higher subscription fee, you can also receive personalized divination messages regularly,” she added.

Gaucano nodded thoughtfully.

He then asked, "Where is the Fitzroy fortune teller's shop?"

“They’re just south of the opera house, a ten-minute walk along King’s Road, and you’ll see their sign,” said Hiber.

Gaugano spent almost the entire day at the opera house.

After the eight-hour performance, what impressed him most was the tea at the opera house.

After all, the official name for the halftime break is "tea break," during which the audience can take a short break and have a cup of tea.

The tea served at each tea break is different, but they are all rare varieties with distinct flavors.

The next day.

Gaucano crossed King's Road again and headed south.

Before long, the huge sign of "Fizroy's Fortune Telling Shop" came into his view. The sign had a dark blue background with the shop's name written in silver magical script, shimmering in the sunlight and appearing both mysterious and solemn.

FitzRoy.

Gaucano had actually heard of this surname before. In fact, the name had a resounding reputation throughout the entire continent of West Fararo, and almost everyone with a modicum of knowledge had heard of it.

After all, the Fitzroy family is the most prominent family in the Mosa Kingdom, having produced many famous figures over the centuries, including a naval admiral, two vice-principals of the Ax Academy of Magic, and countless court diviners, wealthy merchants, and renowned scholars. The chief diviner of the Saen royal family is also a member of the Fitzroy family, and it is said that their family's private library has a collection of ancient books that is even more extensive than some city libraries.

However, prior to this, Gaucano was unaware that the FitzRoy family had a business called the "FitzRoy Prophet's Express".

the reason is simple.

Southsea Town is too remote; the Fitzroy Prophet's Express simply cannot be delivered there.

It wasn't that the information couldn't be delivered; it's just that by the time it arrived, the valuable information was already outdated. Unexpected events can occur, business is constantly changing, and war is a race against time; the most valuable information is often the easiest to become obsolete. Furthermore, the *Fitzroy Prophet's Bulletin* was quite expensive, and no one would pay a premium for a pile of outdated information. Therefore, in Southshore, this newspaper had no place to survive. Locals preferred the gossip brought by the bards in the taverns—at least it didn't cost them money.

In fact, only those large cities with portals could access the Fitzroy Prophet's Bulletin. After all, only through portals could the timeliness of the message be guaranteed, allowing the predictive information to play its due role.

For the Duchy of Nordanron, there is only one such city, namely the Duchy's capital, Nordanron City.

As Gaucano pushed open the door of the Fitzroy fortune-telling shop, a faint scent of incense wafted out, mixed with the aroma of parchment and ink.

The interior was spacious, exquisitely and mysteriously decorated, with various star charts and divination tools hanging on the walls, and crystal balls emitting a soft glow under the magical lights. For one thing, the divination tools in the Fitzroy Divination House were unbelievably numerous, far exceeding Gaucano's expectations.

He entered the divination shop and soon came to a round table covered with a dark purple velvet tablecloth. He said to the waiter in front of him, "I need to subscribe to the Fitzroy Prophet's Express."

"There are three subscription types: Basic, Premium, and Customized. Which one would you like?" the waiter asked.

Customized versions are definitely out of the question. Not only are they too expensive, but more importantly, Gaogano doesn't even know what to customize.

My own future and destiny? That's a bit too much for a fortune teller to figure out.

All he needs is information about the opening of the Tidal Lands so that he can fully utilize his plant-based perception abilities.

For this level of need, a basic subscription is more than enough.

Therefore, without hesitation, he said, "Basic version."

The waiter then added, "The advanced version of the Prophet's Bulletin also includes price forecasts, local rumors, and war risks. It's printed daily, and the annual subscription fee is six gold coins. Wouldn't you like to consider it?"

As he spoke, he placed the two sample copies in front of Gaucaneau for comparison.

This information also sounds very valuable.

The subscription fee is six gold coins a year, which is not cheap. Even in a place like Ax City, only a small number of people can afford it.

However, Gao Jiano was quite confident in his earning ability. As a level six named individual, coupled with his plant perception ability, making money wouldn't be difficult if he used it properly. Although he was currently a little short on cash, he could still easily come up with six gold coins.

After the waiter tried to sell him something again, he finally changed his mind: "Okay, I'll subscribe to the premium version."

The waiter's attitude immediately became more enthusiastic: "Okay, sir, please tell us your address, and we will send you the latest Prophet's Bulletin every day."

After completing the formalities and paying the money.

"Could I have a copy of today's Prophet's Bulletin?" asked Gao Jiano. "Of course."

Subscribing to the premium version makes you a VIP, so the waiter immediately brought Gaogano a copy of today's Prophet's Bulletin, along with copies of the past few days' Prophet's Bulletin.

Gaucano browsed through the recent issues of the *Fizroy Prophet's Express*, carefully examining each page. The newspaper's layout was professional, the font clear and easy to read, and the various information categories well-organized.

The content is also very rich.

In terms of time, the content of the news bulletin can be divided into four categories: "Recent News", "Short-term Forecast", "Medium-term Forecast" and "Long-term Forecast".

The credibility of the four types of content decreases in that order.

"Recent News" records events that have already occurred, with an accuracy rate close to 100%, while "Long-Term Predictions" span several years, and their credibility is barely worth mentioning.

The FitzRoy fortune-telling shop understands this, so it marks the credibility of each prediction as a percentage, with the percentage decreasing as the time span increases.

But there is no doubt that even if the credibility is limited, future information will still have enormous value.

For example, tidal flats.

According to the list provided by the Prophet's Bulletin, over a dozen Tidal Lands suitable for Level 6 Named Beings will open on the continent of West Falaro within the next year. The list details the expected opening time, duration, number of consecutive high tides, and possible loot for each Tidal Land.

Even if half of the predictions are wrong, they can still provide important reference for Gaugano's plans for the following year. He can use this information to plan his itinerary and prepare in advance.

Moreover, recent predictions have been quite accurate.

Gaucano's gaze stopped.

"The Tier 3 Tidal Land of the Duchy of Annaye opened yesterday, and according to the predictions of several diviners, it will complete four consecutive high tides!"

This message immediately caught his attention.

In a Tier 3 Tidal Land, each high tide raises the level cap by three levels, and four consecutive high tides result in level twelve.

Of course, the third and fourth high tides were irrelevant to Gaugano; he only needed to focus on the second high tide. After the two high tides, those who received the sixth-level name could enter.

Gaucano then looked at the information about this tidal land.

"Located in the eastern suburbs of Anaye City, it was last opened on August 27th, 1421 of the Fangfuluo calendar. According to unconfirmed reports, it produced four pieces of Forget-Me-Not Moss..."

Historically, the output has been quite good.

A sufficient amount of time has passed since the last opening, and a certain amount of Eternal Forgetfulness Moss must have accumulated.

With this in mind, Gao Jiano immediately decided to go to the Duchy of Anaye and pick a few pieces of Forget-Me-Not moss.

The entrance exam for Ax Magic Academy is about twenty days away, so there should be enough time.

Of course, he needs to register first.

Although the entrance exam is still twenty days away, there are only three days left to register.

Gao Jiano took Dalis to the Ax Magic Academy to complete the registration procedures.

He immediately headed to the teleportation hall. The Tidal Land of the Duchy of Anaya had been open for two days, and to arrive before the second high tide, he naturally had to use the teleportation portal.

The teleportation hall is a special building.

The buildings in the Mage District are mostly elegant in style, with a slender and towering structure similar to elven architecture, giving people a light and ethereal feeling.

The teleportation hall is one of the few exceptions, with a completely different design concept.

Its area is very large, estimated to be several thousand square meters, ranking among the largest of all buildings in Ax.

However, it is not very tall, with most areas consisting of only one floor.

In addition, the walls of the teleportation hall are even thicker than some large fortresses, and they look extremely heavy.

These designs are said to provide a more stable environment for the portal.

Gaucano proceeded to the portal connecting to the Duchy of Anaye, an area on the west side of the hall.

Before using the portal, registration is required. During registration, he took out his "Champion of Nordanron" honor badge and handed it to the registrar.

There were two registrars, both sitting behind a long table.

One was older, the other younger; both were dressed in standard mage robes, with the insignia of the teleportation hall pinned to their chests.

The young registrar looked like he had just graduated from the Academy of Magic, and he couldn't even identify Gaucano's badge, so he had to ask another older registrar for help.

The older person had obviously seen a lot more.

He simply took the badge, glanced at it, and said to Gao Jiano, "The badge is fine; you can enjoy a 30% discount."

"A 30% discount?" Gao Jiano was taken aback. "Wasn't it a 50% discount?"

The registrar said calmly, "The Nordanron portal is 50% off, and other portals are 30% off. After all, you are a 'Champion of Nordanron,' not a 'Champion of Thane,' much less a 'Champion of Mosa.'"

"Ok."

During the registration process, Gaugano also had to undergo various examinations.

To some extent, it can be understood as a security check.

The main targets of the inspection were various spatial magic items.

After all, "nested space" would put a lot of pressure on the portal, requiring an additional fee.

High-level or special spatial magic items are strictly prohibited, as carrying them could lead to the destruction of the portal and death, posing an extreme danger. Therefore, a long list of prohibited items, containing hundreds of dangerous items, is posted on the wall of the teleportation hall.

Fortunately, Gaucano didn't have this.

After passing the inspection, Gao Jiano paid the teleportation fee. Despite the discount, the price was still not low, as the cost of teleportation was closely related to the level of the person being teleported; the higher the level, the higher the cost, and naturally, the higher the fee.

The registrar then handed him a badge.

"What is this?" Gao Jiano asked, looking at the badge in his hand.

The badge was unremarkable, without even any text, only a string of numbers.

The registrar said, "The spatial positioning badge can locate you during teleportation to prevent spatial deviations from dropping you into some deadly place."

“Once the transfer is complete, hand it over to the registrar on the other side,” he added.

"Hold on tight, no matter what happens, don't let go," he repeatedly instructed. "If anything unexpected happens, this is the only thing that might save you."

(End of this chapter)