They don't want me to try anymore.

In this way, he can interfere with the other side while continuously obtaining clues through feedback from the mole on the Standard Fruit side!

And shortly after Richard began writing.

Alice, carrying several stacks of books, also came to the palace under the pretext of attending afternoon tea.

But in reality, she was there to help Richard analyze intelligence—out of absolute trust, Richard eventually told her the truth and asked Alice for help, to which she naturally agreed.

Whether looking at her overt knowledge or her hidden memories, Her Highness's understanding of monsters and alchemy surpasses Richard's, making her indeed well-suited for this mission.

On the way, Alice walked through the courtyard and saw Katyusha with Langley, the little girl who had witnessed the blue gloves earlier. Katyusha was teaching Langley to read and do math, and there was a wooden sword beside them.

"What's that child doing here?" she asked Richard after entering the house.

Richard looked out the window and explained, "Her father needs to recuperate for a long time, during which time her family will have no adults or source of income. Katyusha happens to like her quite a bit, and she herself is willing, so I brought her in to train as a potential combat maid."

This is one of the common ways for the royal family to replenish its servants.

However, generally speaking, such opportunities are reserved for the children of wealthy families or even nobles in the city—don't be fooled by the status of a servant, ordinary people can't get such a job, for example, Alice's own maid was the second daughter of a baron.

Therefore, it is indeed quite rare for Richard to choose a fisherman's daughter, especially since he also specifically taught her mathematics...

Alice was slightly surprised, but then she recalled Richard's actions in the simulation—promoting compulsory education and suppressing the power of the nobility—and couldn't help but sigh:

No wonder he's the man I've set my sights on!

"Senior, did you discover anything today?"

"Yeah, of course."

Alice snapped out of her reverie, took an old book from her bosom, and opened it to show Li:

"On the list your friend gave me, there's an alchemical ingredient called Boto Fruit. As far as I know, it's a food that a rare marine creature really likes..."

On the page, Richard saw a strange monster that looked like an octopus with a crab shell.

"Dreamcatcher Sea Spider?"

Chapter 131 The Fisherman Will Never Go Home Empty-Handed

Yes, that's it.

Alice pointed to the faded illustration and said, "It was first discovered by navigators seven hundred years ago, and there have only been twenty or so sightings since then. I originally thought it was extinct."

Richard asked curiously, "What's so special about it that makes the Empire so eager to pursue it?"

"Hmm... there are very few records about it. Only two alchemists have mentioned it. It is very intelligent, knows some simple mental spells, and its eyeballs can be used as medicine to increase a person's mental strength or bind souls together."

Alice blinked and said hesitantly, "But none of this is very certain. I haven't heard of anyone in Vanderbilt who has actually seen or used such a potion."

"It's okay, having a direction is good."

Strictly speaking, the clues Alice found weren't even enough to confirm that the other party was chasing the so-called Dreamcatcher. Maybe they wanted the Boto Fruit to eat it themselves?

But Richard could continue to explore in this direction.

"correct!"

Then Alice produced a few more tattered pages that weren't even books: "A fragmented travelogue says that these creatures enjoy listening to mermaids sing..."

"Um?!"

Mermaids and such, that woman should know very well where they appear, right?

Richard narrowed his eyes, and a plan immediately formed in his mind.

Perhaps he could take the initiative to lure the other side... but this can't be rushed; careful planning is needed...

Across from her, Alice watched Richard deep in thought, feeling both relieved that she had helped again and instinctively sensing that something was amiss.

This expression...

Was my junior thinking about other women in front of me?

Hmm, I need to subtly find out the details!

three days later.

Offshore in Connaught.

"Tough luck, bad luck, bad luck!"

Ned looked at the black ink covering his entire body and was almost driven mad with rage.

He felt incredibly unlucky these past few days!

First, they encountered seagull droppings, which capsized their ship. After switching to another ship, they were attacked by a group of careless fishmen, and their new ship was also punctured. Then, they encountered a whale carcass floating on the sea...

Then the corpse swelled up until it exploded, releasing an incredibly foul-smelling liquid that soaked everyone!

Finally, today, the fishing net still didn't catch anything, but it did bring up a bunch of squid. Ned was thinking of using them to improve his meals, but unexpectedly, all the squid suddenly sprayed ink!

As luck would have it, it sprayed all of it into people's eyes!

He and Hunter were both Silver, which was fine, but the rest of the crew were caught off guard and were rolling around on the deck groaning in pain.

Damn it, why?

Is this a test from the gods?

"Damn it, so how far are we from it?"

As a church elite, Hunter had kept a straight face the whole way, but now he's starting to show some signs of unease.

Hearing Ned ask the same question countless times, he gritted his teeth and answered:

"It's almost here, it's really almost here this time!"

He took out a small silver basin from his pocket, which contained some kind of gray liquid. As he muttered a spell, the liquid surged in a certain direction, creating ripples.

"It hasn't changed direction for several days; it seems to be attracted by something and is very excited..."

Hunter said in a deep voice, "This time, we're absolutely going to catch it."

"It better be this way!"

Ned said in a shrill voice, "Otherwise, I'm afraid that tomorrow, when our men are using the toilet, swordfish will coincidentally emerge from the sewer!"

Upon hearing this, the men behind him tensed up.

Although this sounds outrageous... but considering my experiences over the past few days, it doesn't seem so outrageous after all.

Damn, I guess I'll just use a piece of paper as a makeshift toilet paper on the deck to poop tomorrow...

Richard had no idea that his few pages of brilliant writing had just successfully made several Imperials jerk off.

However, even if he knew, he wouldn't have the time to laugh, after all, he himself was in a dangerous situation...

"So, you must be Miss Veronica?"

"Hmm~ So you must be that famous princess?"

That evening, Richard and Alice secretly boarded a small boat and met Veronica on board.

Having heard that dream-catchers might enjoy listening to mermaids sing, Richard naturally wanted to find a group of mermaids to wait and see if he could observe the creature himself.

He didn't mean to make direct contact; he just wanted to observe secretly before deciding on his next move.

How can he find a group of mermaids to use as bait?

This question, of course, should be asked of the magical sea... pirate Veronica!

After several discussions, Veronica suggested a karaoke spot commonly used by mermaids off the coast of Connaught, and invited Richard to stake it out that night.

Alice, naturally unwilling to leave Richard and the female vampire alone, followed along.

Thus, the current situation of two women and one man has emerged.

Alice politely lifted her skirt, bowed slightly, and smiled: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Veronica, and thank you for your help to Richard. He was so worried that he lost his hair, which broke my heart to see him like that."

Princess Vanderna started with an elegant straight punch, just like when she faced Luvia, and spoke as if she were the mistress of the house.

Veronica, on the other side, merely sneered, and then...

He strode forward, wrapped his arms around Richard's neck without any hesitation, and pressed his full lips against the latter's cheek!

"Your Highness, I also want to thank you. If it weren't for your discovery of the clue, I wouldn't have been able to see Richard recently."

On the ship, the air seemed to freeze.

Alice was stunned at first, then her eyes narrowed, and her azure hair moved without wind, like hundreds of hissing venomous snakes.

Veronica showed no sign of backing down, covering her mouth and saying sweetly, "Your Highness, you don't look well. Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, I'm just a pirate and don't know much about noble etiquette. I only know some country greetings..."

Okay.

Are you a barbarian? Shameless enough to just lay hands on me? Even Luvia wouldn't dare do that openly!

It was a twist of fate that somehow managed to subdue the princess...

Richard, surrounded by the fragrance of the female vampire, was not in the mood to enjoy the perks. After muttering to himself for a while, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Before Veronica could finish speaking, he forcefully broke free and shouted:

"Stop! Stop fooling around! Our mission today is very dangerous!"

"……snort!"