Looking at the oriel window that reflected the light from the gas lamps, the hooded and masked Alger was about to ask about the details of the operation when he suddenly saw a shadow grow out of the thick darkness beside him. It turned into a thin, tall, pale, and sickly young man.
Bloodless, Heath Doyle … Alger quickly recognized him as the second mate of the Future.
Heath didn't look at him as he directly said to Admiral of Stars Cattleya,
"Captain, they didn't notice anything unusual. They turned those mushrooms into cream soup and prepared fried fish as the main course for tonight."
"Very good." Cattleya took off the heavy glasses on the bridge of her nose and looked at the dining room, which was separated by a wall, with her purple eyes that revealed a mysterious light.
Heath Doyle didn't waste any time. His figure instantly darkened and returned to the shadows. No one knew where he had gone.
After hearing their conversation and combining it with what Ma 'am Hermit had said, The Hanging Man Alger had a rough idea of what the core elements of tonight's operation were.
Mushroom!
Poisonous mushrooms!
Although he didn't know what method Admiral of Stars had used to render the Beyonders' spiritual intuition ineffective, preventing them from distinguishing between ordinary and poisonous mushrooms, Alger believed that it wasn't impossible in mysticism.
He hesitated before speaking.
"Will this cause Artisan Charve's death?"
A wild Artisan was rather rare. Alger didn't wish to lose such a "friend" while there was still room for negotiation. To him, the most ideal solution was to imprison this fellow and make him an exclusive Artisan for himself and The Hermit.
"I won't." Cattleya calmly shook her head and casually explained, "Whether it's the information you provided or the details observed by my crew, they all mentioned that Charve doesn't like to eat fish. In fact, he even hates it. This may have something to do with him having a fishbone stuck in his throat when he was a child."
Because of this, Cattleya finally chose the "mushroom tactic", which could effectively destroy the enemy's strength and minimize the risk on her side.
The mushrooms that could reproduce by devouring flesh and blood in the dark had been eliminated by Admiral of Stars from the very beginning. This was because they could allow Beyonders with sharp spiritual perception to directly sense abnormalities, as though they were facing poison. In addition, Beyonders who believed in the Primordial Moon had a high chance of having a deep understanding of herbs, plants, and fruits. Just by looking at them, they should be able to identify dangerous mushrooms.
The only way to hide it from them was if the food itself was harmless and mutated through contact with other things.
The mushrooms that Frank had created previously were just right for this!
If the two conditions of fish and water were not present, the mushroom would be a normal mushroom. It would neither poison people to death nor cause diarrhea. It would be digested bit by bit, broken down into different components, and finally excreted from the body. At this stage, fish and water would be useless.
For this, Cattleya specially got Frank to redo the experiment that had been temporarily abandoned and obtained a batch of mushrooms. She also promised to hunt an Aurora Order Rose Bishop for him in the future.
"Hates eating fish …" Alger muttered, feeling that he was once again unable to keep up with The Hermit's train of thought.
He had clearly asked if the poisonous mushrooms would cause Artisan Charve's death, but the other party had answered that the Artisan wouldn't die because he didn't like eating fish and even hated it.
Is there a need for this to be connected? Alger was puzzled as he muttered to himself, but he didn't ask.
He maintained his silence and decided to pay more attention to the situation.
After a while, a scream suddenly sounded from the house, accompanied by painful grunts and vomiting sounds.
"Take action." Cattleya gave the order in an abnormally simple manner.
Her figure instantly turned transparent, as though she had turned into a statue formed from countless starlight.
The statue shattered as resplendent starlight surged and suddenly arrived at the door of the house, entering through the gap.
The starlight gathered inside as Cattleya's figure appeared.
Then, she heard the howling of the wind and the banging of something.
The door frame shook as it opened. The hooded and masked The Hanging Man, Alger, entered the target building in no way slower than Admiral of Stars.
He swept his gaze and quickly took in the situation in the dining hall.
Artisan Charve retreated in horror, distancing himself from the long table.
On the ground were two men and a woman, constantly vomiting out mushrooms. Between their chests and abdomens, their clothes had already torn apart as mushrooms grew out one after another.
Upon sensing someone enter, the few of them subconsciously looked up. White mycelium had already appeared on their faces, forming clumps after clumps.
Alger's masked face couldn't help but twitch.
Although he was experienced and knowledgeable, making him a Beyonder who had never seen such a terrifying scene, such a scene still gave him an intense visual and psychological impact.
Cattleya had expected it, but she never expected it to be so horrifying. She was taken aback for a moment before she covered her mouth with her right hand and whistled.
Illusory ropes emerged from the ground, coiling around the three Primordial Moon believers like snakes to tie them up.
"Is there a way to stop it?" Cattleya turned her head to the shadow in the corner.
After a moment of silence, Heath Doyle's voice sounded.
"Frank said that he hasn't figured out a way to stop it from his experiments. All he can do is cremate them."
Cremate … Cattleya's brows pricked up slightly as she immediately took out a handful of powder from her secret pocket and threw it over.
The powder seemed to have a life of its own as it accurately landed on the three Primordial Moon believers and the various mushrooms.
Without a sound, scarlet flames rose and quietly burned everything they came into contact with.
Artisan Charve had long been dumbfounded when he witnessed the anomaly. After someone barged in, he had planned on using his mystical items to resist, but he quickly recognized that it was Admiral of Stars Cattleya. Therefore, he rationally gave up and decisively stood in his spot to wait.
He believed that he still had some value. No matter where he went, he wouldn't be killed immediately. Furthermore, Admiral of Stars never had a bad reputation.
The worst case scenario is to join the Star Pirate Crew … Furthermore, this pirate admiral is even better looking than the portrait on the wanted poster. He has a completely different temperament … Charve tugged at his wolf fang necklace and put on a fawning smile, waiting for the intruder to state his purpose.
Cattleya glanced at him and carefully examined his appearance. She could only confirm that he was a typical Intis patient and did not see any similarities between him and the Queen.
The pirate admiral deliberated before speaking.
"I originally wanted to get you to create a mystical item through a friend's introduction, but I realized that you were with the Primordial Moon believers.
"The three of them aren't that strong. They can't restrict you at all. Why do you still want to stay here?"
One of Cattleya's main imaginary enemies for this operation was actually the Artisan himself. This was because she couldn't kill him, but she had to restrain him. Furthermore, he had many mystical items that matched perfectly. He was definitely a powerful enemy, but she never expected things to go so smoothly.
Charve smiled sheepishly.
"Their earliest experts were in Bayam, and through the fragrance and powder of a certain flower, they infected me with a strange disease and made me weaker."
Cattleya casually sized him up and said,
"Now that you've recovered, why don't you find a chance to escape?"
Alger watched quietly from the side. He did not speak, lest his voice betray him.
Artisan Charve chuckled dryly.
"While I was under their control, they told me that as long as I believed in the Primordial Moon, I would be able to treat my chronic ailment through a certain ritual. I couldn't resist the temptation and gave it a try. In the end, I succeeded. I found the feeling of being a man again …"
Upon saying that, he came to an abrupt halt. He realized that he had said too much and exposed his hidden ailment.
Is it because I've indulged myself too much with women that I'm gradually losing my abilities? Alger secretly scoffed.
Charve looked up at the two in front of him. Seeing that no one was mocking him, he coughed lightly and continued, "That wasn't because of drugs.
"That wasn't because of drugs. I really recovered to the state of my youth. After that, I dreamed of the bloody and alluring moon twice.
"I believe that I have indeed become a believer of the Primordial Moon, so I didn't dare escape."
Cattleya and Alger communicated silently with their eyes. At the same time, they sentenced the Artisan to death in their hearts.
As long as a person truly believed in an evil god, devil, or some secret existence, unless they were willing to continue doing so and slowly become fanatical, even if they regretted it and were protected by the official factions, it was possible that they would silently strangle themselves in their sleep a few years later!
This was almost irredeemable unless one had the qualifications to obtain the blessings of a Grounded Angel at the level of the various Churches' popes, or accept the isolation of certain Sealed Artifacts, allowing them to live underground forever.
Of course, under such circumstances, there were many who lived to old age and died of natural causes without doing anything. However, most of them were ordinary people. They were easily overlooked by evil gods, devils, and secret existences. As for Charve, he was a very useful Artisan.
Cattleya didn't mention the matter of the Primordial Moon's believers. To her, it wasn't a big problem if the Artisan believed in an evil god. As long as they could communicate and come to a deal, as long as they didn't go crazy from time to time, they could cooperate. The other matters weren't something a pirate needed to worry about.
She changed the topic.
"What mystical items do you have now? I'll choose some and leave a few for you. "
With regards to such a development, Charve wasn't surprised at all. He was a pirate, not a police officer. It was perfectly normal for him to snatch one in passing. He felt that he should sincerely thank him for leaving a few for him.
In fact, with his level and items, he might be able to successfully escape if he risked it, but he lacked the courage.
"Alright." Charve first took out a pair of grayish-white-framed glasses from his chest pocket. "Gargoyle Glasses. As long as one's gaze makes contact, it will paralyze the person's entire body as though they have been petrified. There are two negative effects. First, if one were to wear it to look in the mirror, it will also paralyze oneself. Second, one's body will become heavy, making one's actions less agile."
Isn't this the item I ordered … So it's already been successfully made … Looking at the Artisan, Alger couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
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