"He's very powerful, Jolick. Do you think he might be a Beyonder?"
In an inconspicuous corner of the bar, a girl with two ponytails and orange-yellow hair tugged at her male companion, who was wearing a long red coat.
The man, in his thirties, held a glass of wine, observed Lex, and shook his head: "That big oaf and the bouncer are ordinary people, so they can't be used as valid references. To deal with these guys, you don't need a Beyonder; a seasoned ordinary Adventurer can handle it."
"Although this person looks a bit dark-skinned, his features are still very young. I can only say he has good combat experience, but whether he is a Beyonder…"
He shrugged: "I can't tell."
The girl with the twin ponytails pouted: "What a pity, I wanted to recruit him. But never mind, with you and Berte this time, I think it's enough."
"Heh heh, Hana, when adventuring, more people aren't necessarily better. Good chemistry is more important."
The man named Jolick scanned the bar: "Besides, you're not the only one who wants to recruit him."
At the bar.
Lex finally finished eating everything. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and said: "Nanville Beer should be between 5 and 6 pence. Potato bread is roughly that price. This plate of cured meat, considering it's a specialty of Damir Port, let's say it's 1 pound."
"You just said the beer and potato bread were complimentary, meaning they're free. So, I just gave you 6 pounds. How much change should I get back?"
The Bartender stammered: "5 pounds, sir."
"Very good." Lex smiled and spread his palm.
The Bartender quickly ran out from behind the bar, fumbled in Logan's pocket for the 5-pound note Lex had given earlier, and placed it in his hand.
Lex put away the money, bit on a toothpick, and left the bar.
He believed that his 'performance' just now had attracted the attention of some interested parties, and those people would help spread the word. Tonight's events would help enrich his Adventurer 'resume'.
The next day, Lex inquired about the location of a herbal shop from the innkeeper. After breakfast, he went to find it.
It didn't take much effort for Lex to find the herbal shop. It had no sign and looked like a back-alley pharmacy.
Lex entered the pharmacy. The light inside was dim, and a strange scent hung in the air. Behind the counter, someone was busy, wearing a black robe with peculiar symbols, looking like a village witch doctor.
Lex clenched his fist and cleared his throat.
The pharmacy owner turned around: "What do you need?"
"You wouldn't happen to have 'mummy powder' here, would you?" Lex asked tentatively.
The pharmacy owner scrutinized him, then nodded, took a bottle and two packets of herbs from the back counter, and placed them on the table, saying: "Mummy powder taken with these two packets of herbs works even better."
"But you must be careful, only drink it once a week, otherwise, it will kill you. Also, it works best when taken before 'doing business'."
Lex was stunned, taking a long time to understand: "Doing business? What kind of business?"
The owner chuckled: "What kind of business would someone buying 'mummy powder' from me be doing? Of course, it's business in bed. Don't worry, my goods here are genuine, everyone who has used them says they're good. I can guarantee that after you use it, women will both love and hate you."
Alright, I probably know what these medicines are.
"So, what's their price?" To avoid arousing the owner's suspicion, Lex had no choice but to go along with it and buy the powder along with the herbs.
"5 pounds, that's fair."
It was indeed fair; for something that could make a man magnificent in that regard, gentlemen were willing to pay the price.
Lex counted out 5 pounds, placed it on the counter, picked up the herbal powder, and quickly left with his head down.
When he reached the alley entrance, he stopped because someone was blocking his way. It was a man in his thirties, well-proportioned, muscular, with dark skin, clearly someone who had spent many years at Sea.
Then he looked at his attire.
A black cloak, a sailor's shirt underneath, and a headscarf, making him look like a pirate.
"Is something wrong?" Lex asked.
The man gave a dry laugh: "Your 'performance' in the bar last night was impressive. We need partners like you, sharp in skill and decisive in action."
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I am the Second Mate of the Blood Shark. I don't know if you've heard of the Blood Admiral; we are pirates who serve that Admiral. Our Captain once drank with that Admiral."
"If you join us, you'll be able to sleep on piles of gold coins, and you…"
He glanced at the herbs in Lex's hand and then said: "You'll have endless women. If you wish, I can take you to meet the Captain now. Of course, I'm only responsible for recommending; whether the Captain hires you depends on your ability."
"Who is your Captain?"
"Quint, 'Blood Shark' Quint!"
He sounds like a guy with blood on his hands. A Captain under the Blood Admiral? Then I wouldn't mind turning him into gold coins.
Lex shook the packet of herbs in his hand: "Perhaps you can tell, I'm busy right now. How about tonight?"
"Tonight is a perfect time. I'll wait for you at the Flying Fish Bar. I hope we can drink together on the ship someday." The man, who introduced himself as the Second Mate, chuckled and walked out of the alley, disappearing from Lex's sight.
Lex first returned to the inn, then used the Thousand-Faced Traveler to go to the Flying Fish Bar, where he found 'Blood Shark' Quint's name on the bounty wall.
"2400 pounds, that's the worth of a great pirate. He should be a Sequence 7 or Sequence 8 Beyonder."
Using the 'Butcher' as a reference, Lex easily came to this conclusion, then left the bar without attracting any attention. On the way, he bought a sturdy wooden staff from a small stall before returning to the inn.
After taking off his mask, Lex summoned the spirit world treasure chest, took out the Wraith's beyonder characteristics and the residual spirituality of the ancient vengeful spirit, then prepared the wooden staff and the mummy powder. Only then did he summon the mystical book.
Turning to the 'Creation' page, Lex pressed his hand on the page and gave a strong intention: I want to create a staff of resentment!
After the numbers of the dimensional crystal changed, the items on the table floated up in a dazzling, unreal, multicolored Light. First, the 'Wraith' characteristic was cast into the wooden staff. Immediately, pale, almost transparent faces appeared on the staff.
Eugene's face!
Under the influence of mysterious power, the beyonder characteristics were rapidly combining with the wooden staff. During this process, the residual spirituality of the ancient vengeful spirit and the bottle of mummy powder were also rolled up by an invisible force and thrown into the wooden staff.
A cold wind immediately swept through the room, swirling within the spiritual wall Lex had erected. The spirit world treasure chest, which had not yet departed, shrank back, seemingly very afraid of the staff.
The originally wooden staff gradually deepened in color and took on a cold luster.