On the Conquest Sea, Moncarlo.
In the afternoon in Moncarlo, inside a cafe next to a street. Dorothy, who had finally found a cafe after searching through dozens of bars and pubs, was now sitting in a window-side booth overlooking the street. She was drinking iced coffee while looking at a large bag of cash on the table. This cash was new bills she had just exchanged at a nearby bank by controlling a Corpse Puppet. William had warned against the Hook Shark Gang tampering with the money or bag, so Dorothy chose to spend a little extra to exchange it all.
"Wow… so much money again, and it's all cash… That 'cup' drug transaction is incredibly profitable…" Sitting across from Dorothy, Naifnis couldn't help but exclaim as she looked at the stack of bills on the table. Dorothy took a sip of her coffee and replied casually.
"Naturally. Once addicted to the 'cup' drug, one's craving for it is uncontrollable. For ordinary people, they often spend everything they have just to keep taking the 'cup' drug. Therefore, the profits generated by the 'cup' drug are also very high."
Dorothy said this, while also thinking to herself that the extremely high profits of the 'cup' drug were only relative to mortals. Compared to transactions involving Extraordinary items, it was still far less. Although these two thousand plus pound seemed like a lot, it would only take Dorothy a few minutes to spend it all if she really wanted to.
"The 'cup' drug business is so profitable, no wonder there are secret societies that specifically develop techniques to turn people into 'cup' drugs for sale… By the way, Miss Dorothy, are those people who were sold all right?" Naifnis continued. Dorothy replied.
"Don't worry, they have all been taken back by the official city guards of Moncarlo. For the sake of the Church, Moncarlo will help them solve their 'cup' drug problem."
Dorothy said this. She had controlled the Corpse Puppet An De to reach the originally planned transaction with the Hook Shark Gang, the local power in Moncarlo, under the name of the Food Intestine Society. This wasn't simply to earn these two thousand plus pound, but also contained the idea of properly settling these human 'cup' drugs.
Ever since dealing with the two members of the Food Intestine Society on the cruise ship, Dorothy had been considering how to handle the dozen or so human 'cup' drugs they had brought. Obviously, for Dorothy, these dozen or so blood livestock who were highly brainwashed and severely addicted to the 'cup' drug were difficult to deal with. They were so deeply brainwashed that it was useless to reason with them and tell them they were deceived. Their addiction was so severe that if they were left completely unsupervised and allowed to find their way home, they would go mad after a long period without the drug.
In this situation, it would actually be best for Dorothy to hand this group of human 'cup' drugs over to the Moncarlo officials for processing. However, based on Dorothy's understanding of Moncarlo from various sources, she knew that the officials here were exceptionally corrupt, especially many grassroots law enforcement officers who colluded with gangs. Handing these human 'cup' drugs directly to the Moncarlo city guards might result in them being killed and sold off one day.
Therefore, when handing the people over to the Moncarlo officials, Dorothy deliberately set up a scheme. She designed a runaway among this group of blood livestock who knew the "truth", who would openly complain in front of Vanya and the Moncarlo official representative during their visit, making the entire reporting process happen under Vanya's watchful eyes. Because the entire matter was witnessed firsthand by Vanya, who represented the Church, it meant that the Church was paying attention to this matter. The Moncarlo officials, out of respect for the Church, would certainly not do something like killing and selling the rescued victims for money.
And the runaway Dorothy chose was Dioro. He had overheard the truth on the ship… successfully broke free from his restraints when he was about to be sold… and was even intercepted all the way during his escape onto the path that Vanya and the Moncarlo representative were sure to take… All of this was the result of Dorothy's deliberate guidance through the Corpse Puppet.
Ultimately, after this series of events, Dorothy not only properly dealt with these human 'cup' drugs but also earned over two thousand pound, and even boosted Vanya's reputation, who had just arrived in Moncarlo. From all perspectives, it was a complete gain.
'Last time it was a will involving a dead person to seize inheritance, this time it's impersonating someone else to obtain cash through a transaction… The ways the Rose Cross makes money are truly diverse…'
Looking at the pile of cash in front of her, Naifnis couldn't help but think to herself. Then she changed her mind, turned her head, looked at Dorothy, and continued to ask.
"Since the money is now in hand and the people have been dealt with, Miss Dorothy, what are your plans for the next step? If I remember correctly, we should be here in this city to find someone, right?"
"Yes… The main task is to find someone. So now our primary task is to gather intelligence. Coincidentally, in a while, I will be meeting a key figure. From him, we might be able to obtain important intelligence regarding this operation."
Continuing to drink a glass of iced coffee, Dorothy said leisurely. Listening to Dorothy's words, a hint of confusion arose in Naifnis's heart.
"Key… figure…"
...
In the afternoon in Moncarlo, dusk was approaching, and the sun in the sky was gradually setting towards the horizon between the sea and the sky. The dim light of the setting sun enveloped the vast Moncarlo. Although the sky was still only slightly dark, the streetlights along the roadsides had already begun to light up sporadically. This city, overflowing with desires everywhere, was about to transition into its even more prosperous nighttime.
In the southwest corner of Moncarlo's main island, there was a small protruding peninsula extending towards the outer sea. On this small peninsula, a not-too-large seaside park was built. Due to being somewhat far from the main urban area, there weren't many people in the park. At this time, only a few scattered figures were lingering here, enjoying the sea view.
In the park, a gentlemanly man, dressed in a sharp suit, wearing a short top hat tied with a thin purple ribbon, holding a cane, with an aquiline nose and deep-set eyes, a standard gentlemanly appearance, was standing here, observing the surrounding scene. In front of him was a large four-story cylindrical gun emplacement. There were no soldiers on it maintaining vigilance; this defensive structure located within the park seemed to have been abandoned long ago.
Standing in the leisurely park, Ed observed the largely damaged gun emplacement in front of him, which had been abandoned for who knows how many years, seemingly imagining the scenes of war here in the past. Just then, a figure slowly walked towards him from behind in the distance. Soon after, Ed heard a sound from behind.
"Mr., I found a small flower wreath over there. Did you drop it?"
What Ed heard was a female voice. When he turned around to look behind him, he saw a short-haired woman in her twenties, wearing a light blue dress and high heels. At this moment, she was holding a flower wreath in her hand and looking at Ed, asking. After seeing the flower wreath, Ed thought for a moment before replying.
"This flower wreath looks a bit familiar, it seems to be mine, but I can't remember where I dropped it. Miss, where did you find this?"
"Where I found it… Let me think… It seems to have been in a dream…" The woman thought for a moment while answering Ed's question. After hearing the woman's reply, a slight smile appeared on Ed's lips. Then he pointed to the park bench near the coast over there and said.
"If that's the case, then let's go over there and have a good talk about dreams."
"Oh… okay."
Listening to Ed's words, the woman holding the flower wreath also nodded. Then the two walked towards the seaside, and finally, under the sea breeze, Ed sat down first on the large bench. Then he saw the woman behind him walking with slightly hesitant steps, and she also sat down not far from Ed. After this, Ed scanned the surrounding environment, and then asked the woman beside him.
"At first, Captain said this meeting point was a wasteland, very hidden with nothing there. After coming here and seeing such a large park, I thought I had come to the wrong place, but thankfully, the person I was waiting for still arrived."
"Uh... according to the information we know, this place was indeed just a wasteland before, but I didn't expect Moncarlo to develop so fast. In such a short period of time, it was actually built into a park here. Time really flies..." Hearing Ed's words, the woman was slightly startled, then said as she looked around. Ed looked at her a few more times, then spoke again.
"Miss, you didn't come here in your own body, did you? Is this the sleepwalking body you control in your dream?"
"Ah, no... you, how did you know? Did you secretly detect me?" Hearing Ed's words, a trace of surprise appeared on the blue-clothed woman's expression. She asked Ed in surprise, and a trace of vigilance and dissatisfaction appeared in her eyes. In this kind of Extraordinary meeting, using Extraordinary detection on the other party as soon as you come up is a very impolite and offensive behavior.
"Hehe, Miss, you've misunderstood... I didn't use any detection methods, nor did I have any extra Spirituality to do these meaningless things. The reason I knew you weren't using your own body was just the result of simple observation." With a slight smile, Ed said to the woman in front of him. After hearing this, the woman couldn't help but be startled and speak.
"Simple... observation?"
"That's right, this body of yours is clearly wearing high heels, but you look very uncomfortable in the shoes on your feet when you walk. The clothes on your body have a certain slimming effect, and your movements also inadvertently reveal your unaccustomedness to this kind of slimming, so I guessed that what you are using might not be your own body... If you are looking for a control object in the future, it's best to find one that fits your dressing habits."
Ed said with a smile, explaining to the woman in front of him. Hearing Ed's words, the woman was suddenly enlightened, then frowned and looked at her body for a while, then complained in a low voice.
"Hmm... I also thought this Miss looked so beautiful that I wanted to use her body... I didn't expect beauty to have a price, it's so uncomfortable to wear..."
Hearing the words of the woman in front of him, the smile on Ed's lips remained. He didn't continue to discuss this topic in depth, but cut to the chase and spoke.
"Okay, now let's talk about business, Miss. First, let me introduce myself. I am 'Detective', a member of Rose Cross, responsible for contacting you in this operation. I have already learned about your general information from'Scholar', the followers of the Butterfly God."
Hearing Ed cut to the chase straightforwardly, the blue-clothed woman paused slightly, then stopped worrying about the clothes on her body, immediately adjusted her state and attitude, and began to discuss business.
"Ah, hello, follower of Aka God, subordinate of Mr. Paturnax... Are you seriously trying to seize the Misty Scale Incense Cage here?"
"Of course, didn't you say before that this time is a rare opportunity to regain the divine artifact that originally belonged to you? Since it is a rare opportunity, we must make good use of it. After the matter is done, the incense cage can be returned to its original owner, and what we need is only the right to borrow it at any time."
Ed answered as a matter of course. The reason why they gathered in Moncarlo this time was all because of the "Shadow" divine artifact.
"Okay, if the incense cage really has hope of returning, we will do our best to help you, but please don't expect us to help you too much. Compared to that big shot of the Moth faction who came to this island, our strength is very small..."
The blue-clothed woman said to Ed with a serious expression, and Ed nodded and continued to speak.
"It's okay, what we need you to provide is mainly information. How much more do you know about that big shot from Black Dream Hunter Group?"
Ed continued to ask, and the woman thought for a while, then spoke.
"That person's name is Selim Punasers, and his title in Black Dream is 'Ku Chi'. He is a fully feathered scale moth symbiote, and an important member of the leadership of Black Dream Hunter Group. In the mainstream Extraordinary system, he is almost a powerful Scarlet Tier Extraordinary. This time he came to Moncarlo to obtain the adventure spoils of the explorer Revana, which are kept here. It is said that this item is likely to be publicly auctioned at the large auction three days later." The blue-clothed woman described this to Ed, and Ed's expression paused after hearing it, then he asked in return.
"Then, Mr. Ku Chi, do you know what he wants to get?"
"I don't know, our intelligence is inferred from fragmented information sent back from a very deep secret line lurking inside Black Dream, and it is very incomplete. Not only is it unclear what Selim's purpose is, but it is also unclear what Selim himself looks like or what his characteristics are. This may require more searching on your side."
The blue-clothed woman said this to Ed. Listening to his words, Ed couldn't help but frown, then thought and spoke.
"The specific target is unclear... the characteristics are also unclear. Moncarlo is so big, it is quite difficult to find someone with these clues. However... if he is going to attend the auction three days later, we just need to get the list of auction guests to narrow down the scope of investigation... He can't use your kind of sleepwalking control method, but remotely control others to attend the meeting..."
"You don't need to think about that. According to our intelligence, Ku Chi is very cautious. He will definitely not go to the auction house, a place where Dragons and fish are mixed. He must control a puppet in his dream to go on his behalf. If Moncarlo were not too far from Black Dream's stronghold, and the risk of long-distance escorting precious items without the protection of a strong person's main body is too great, Ku Chi would not even come to Moncarlo and would complete the whole process by acting as a dream puppet."
The blue-clothed woman directly denied Ed's idea. After hearing that Ku Chi himself would likely not attend the auction, the expression on Ed's face became more serious, then he continued to speak.
"Then, in that case, it will be a bit difficult to find him..."
Seeing Ed beside her was deep in thought at this time, the blue-clothed woman also continued to speak.
"Actually... regarding how to find that Ku Chi, Cap... hmm, I have a suggestion. Perhaps you can ask the local forces in Moncarlo for help? For example, the local bosses here?"
"Local forces in Moncarlo? Are you talking about the local gangs here? These people are indeed good at finding mortals, but can they have information about a Scarlet Tier Extraordinary?"
"No, not these small local bosses, but the big local boss, the biggest one!" Hearing Ed's doubts, the blue-clothed woman continued to speak, and at this time Ed had already understood what she meant, and he said with a little surprise.
"The biggest local boss... are you referring to the official Moncarlo?"
"That's right! It's the Giant Shark of the South Sea, the Moncarlo Viper, the great pirate Edward. Moncarlo is a place he has managed for hundreds of years. He once traversed the sea and obtained countless Extraordinary treasures. He has many powerful means hidden here. Although he is old now, relying on these hidden means, he is still the undisputed King here.
"It was on this island of Moncarlo that Edward once relied on his foundation to resist the assassination of other'Shadow' Scarlet. You can try to find Edward if you can't find Ku Chi. He should have the means to find all the lurking people in Moncarlo."