Inside a hotel somewhere on the main island of Moncarlo, Dorothy sat on the sofa in a luxurious room, her expression focused and serene. At this moment, her thoughts were concentrated on the Corpse Puppet Ed, located in a coastal park in the southwest of the main island. Through him, Dorothy had received suggestions on how to find Sherinpu, but she still had many questions about this advice.
"Edward. Gibbs... the ruler of Moncarlo, a former great pirate... It's not surprising that he has the means to find a Crimson Tier'Shadow' in his territory, but as far as we know, dealing with him might be very difficult."
Sitting on a park bench, Ed, under Dorothy's control, analyzed the information he had just obtained and murmured. The blue-clothed woman next to him then spoke.
"More than difficult, it's extremely difficult. I heard that Edward is very suspicious, and he's gotten worse as he's gotten older. Now he basically lives alone in his fortress, secretly controlling the situation in Moncarlo, and rarely interacts with outsiders. To the local mortals in Moncarlo, Edward is an ancient figure who died a long time ago."
The blue-clothed woman said this, and listening to her words, Dorothy also began to recall the information she had gathered about Edward.
Many years ago, Edward, who founded Moncarlo, retreated behind the scenes and no longer appeared publicly. The current Moncarlo is overtly ruled by a few of the most outstanding among Edward's many descendants. The reclusive Edward will not meet any outsiders unless there is a particularly major matter. Normally, only his most trusted children can see him.
"According to our information, the difficulty of meeting Edward is a bit high..."
As Dorothy pondered, Ed said thoughtfully. At this time, the blue-clothed woman spoke again.
"That's right, now that old pirate only occasionally meets outsiders for particularly important matters; otherwise, he only sees his children. However, there is currently a Sister from the Shining Light Church visiting Moncarlo, which might be when he comes out to meet people. You might be able to contact Edward through this gathering."
'Meet Vania? I'm sorry, that old guy is unbelievably arrogant. There is no mention of meeting Edward in Vania's itinerary in Moncarlo.'
The blue-clothed woman suggested this. After hearing her suggestion, Dorothy immediately grumbled in her heart. Knowing Vania's entire itinerary, she knew that Edward had no intention of seeing Vania from beginning to end. It is estimated that only the Archbishop himself visiting could get him to move.
"Although Vania Chafilun is currently very popular and famous, she is ultimately just a young Saint Item Inspector. In terms of diplomatic level, she has not reached the point where Edward has to personally receive her... Besides this, do you have any other suggestions for conveniently contacting Edward?"
Ed denied this to the blue-clothed woman. Listening to Ed's words, the blue-clothed woman's face couldn't help but sink, and then she said with a frown.
"Ah... If he doesn't even meet that Sister, I can't think of any other way to contact him for now..." Scratching her head, the blue-clothed woman said with a hint of distress on her face. Ed then continued to ask.
"Even if we can successfully contact Edward, what means should we use to persuade him to use his trump card to help? That kind of thing isn't something he'll use just by asking, right..."
"Hmm... I'm not too sure about this aspect either. In short, if you can offer Edward a benefit that he finds valuable as a bargaining chip, he should be willing to help in exchange..."
"So, how big is the bargaining chip that can move a Crimson Tier great pirate, the master of Moncarlo? The Misty Scale Cage was originally your property, we are just borrowing it, so it's impossible for us to be the only ones to provide this chip. Can you offer a chip that will make Edward's heart flutter?"
With a rather serious expression, Ed then said to the blue-clothed woman in front of him. After hearing these words, the blue-clothed woman's expression became even more troubled. She touched her chin and said with some difficulty.
"This... Uh... About this... Cough cough... To be honest, our side has been severely weakened since being heavily damaged by the Moth faction, and a bargaining chip that can move that old pirate... We really can't come up with one for a while...
"How about this! If we can't come up with a plan that can move that old pirate, then let's not ask him for help. Think about it, although he himself is a Crimson Tier Extraordinary, he is not in charge of the 'Light' and does not have the perspective of a Church rank. The Crimson Tier who can find the'Shadow' is very likely relying on some powerful Extraordinary item. Perhaps we can find a way to sneak into his fortress and steal that thing!"
The blue-clothed woman said this. Listening to her words, Dorothy, who was sitting on the sofa in the guest room in the distance, couldn't help but slap her forehead. Then, controlling Ed with a hint of helplessness, she said to the blue-clothed woman with the ridiculous suggestion.
"Stealing something in the territory that a Crimson Tier Extraordinary lord has managed for many years is not a simple matter, not to mention that we don't even know what that thing is. Even if we miraculously steal that thing, it will anger Edward. At that time, coupled with Sherinpu, we will have two great enemies in Moncarlo. Are you ready to fight two Crimson Tiers simultaneously?"
"Ah... This... It seems a bit dangerous to provoke two Crimson Tiers at the same time..."
Listening to Ed's words, the blue-clothed woman also said thoughtfully. Seeing her current appearance, Dorothy realized that continuing to discuss with her would not yield any results, so she had Ed sigh slightly and then said.
"Alright, Miss, the information you provided is very useful to us. Next, I need to go back and report this information and discuss countermeasures with my companions. Please accept this. If anything happens in the future, we will contact you through it."
Saying that, Ed took out a small notebook from his outer coat and handed it to the blue-clothed woman next to him. The blue-clothed woman took it and began to examine it curiously.
"This... Is it an Extraordinary item? How is it used?"
"It's very simple, you just need to look at the floating writing and reply with a pen..." While responding to the blue-clothed woman's words, Ed got up from the park bench and said. Then, after taking another look at the blue-clothed woman on the seat, he picked up his hat, bowed slightly, and then said.
"Then, I will take my leave now. After we discuss a countermeasure, we will contact you. See you again, Miss Fox."
After saying that, Ed turned around and quickly left. Listening to Ed's words, the blue-clothed woman was momentarily stunned in place, and it took her a while to react.
"Miss Fox... He knows I'm a fox? This... When did I reveal myself..."
...
After a brief meeting with the Little Fox in the dream, Dorothy controlled Ed to quickly return. Dorothy had communicated with that Little Fox many times as the Dragon Paturnax, knowing all her tone habits clearly. Although the other party came in disguise this time, she did not disguise or change her habits in language, which almost allowed Dorothy to recognize her identity at a glance.
'Heh... This Little Fox is clearly childish when interacting, she doesn't seem very old, and lacks experience in all aspects. The Butterfly faction not only sent such a person to perform tasks in the Dream World, but also pushed her forward in such an important task. It seems there are really no more people left, and the situation is truly not optimistic...'
While controlling the Corpse Puppet Ed to return, Dorothy thought in her heart. Then she slowly got up from her sofa and walked to the balcony, leaning on the balcony railing and looking north.
In the distance in Dorothy's line of sight, on the northern edge of the Moncarlo City, Dorothy could see a huge fortress built against the mountain and rising from the ground.
The castle walls were almost slightly taller than the high-rise buildings in Moncarlo City. Behind the city walls were highly excavated and modified mountains, covered with various towers and fort. Blockhouses were connected to the city walls, and solemn and large stone buildings were built against the mountain. That was the meticulously crafted fortress of the great pirate Edward. In the chaotic era of the past, it was used as his base and headquarters. Now, this fortress still protects the safety of the great pirate, and its stern and terrifying image also declares Edward's absolute authority over Moncarlo.
Looking at the fortress in the distance, which was almost a symbol of Edward, Dorothy couldn't help but think deeply in her heart.
'To get the level of help from the great pirate that requires him to use his trump card... how easy is that? Not to mention, the cost is something I can't afford and won't bear... and trying to steal something from him is even more difficult... But if I don't borrow Edward's power, how can I find a Crimson Tier "Shadow" on this island?
'Whether it's negotiating with Edward or stealing from him, I must first get close to Edward, and just this point alone is a bit difficult to achieve...'
Standing on the balcony, Dorothy stroked her chin and kept thinking. After thinking for a while, she decided to perform a remote reconnaissance on Edward to see how much information she could gather.
With this thought, Dorothy began to control the corpse puppet bird that was already circling over Moncarlo, directing it to fly towards the northern pirate fortress. While carefully maintaining altitude and distance, Dorothy's bird corpse puppet flew above the fortress.
Above the massive pirate fortress, Dorothy activated her Spirituality vision, looking down through the bird corpse puppet's perspective. She then saw that the entire pirate fortress was enveloped in a very faint halo. After careful observation, Dorothy discovered that it was actually a very thin mist of Spirituality.
This mist of Spirituality, composed of the Spirituality of the "Lamp" and the "Cup", covered almost the entire pirate fortress. The closer to the interior of the pirate fortress, the higher the concentration of the mist. The highest concentration was inside the buildings, invisible from the outside. But upon seeing this mist of Spirituality, Dorothy immediately recalled the scene of her first contact with the two Chalk from the Sea Abyss Church on the shining white pearl.
'This mist... is the mist released by a Water Manipulator... Chalk Tier Water Manipulators can sense if someone is sneaking close by detecting changes in the humidity of the surrounding air. Those two Chalk back then used the method of humidifying the room's air to counter-reconnaissance... The situation at this pirate fortress now looks like a super-enhanced version of that situation...
'This invisible spiritual moisture covers the entire fortress. Any creature entering it is likely at risk of being detected. The higher the concentration towards the interior, the greater the risk of being detected. This spiritual mist... is probably personally created and enhanced by Edward... it's an extension of his ability...
'Hiss... this is troublesome. Before, I was able to bypass the humidity counter-reconnaissance of those two guys on the shining white pearl mainly because that humidity didn't carry Spirituality and had no connection with the people who created it. I used electrolysis to make the Corpse Puppet not get wet, allowing me to bypass the humidity counter-reconnaissance and eavesdrop on information. After all, the principle of this counter-reconnaissance method is to create a high-humidity environment, increasing the moisture on the hidden person moving within the environment, and the Water Manipulator senses the change in moisture to detect the hidden person. So, as long as the Corpse Puppet is dry, it can bypass this kind of counter-reconnaissance.
'But now the situation is completely different. The humidity here contains obvious Spirituality. Although they were also created by a Water Manipulator, they are connected to the Water Manipulator and are a move that can be controlled by the Water Manipulator at will, just like water arrows that a Water Manipulator controls in the air. This mist is not an environment created by the Water Manipulator, but an extension of the Water Manipulator's ability. If I still try to bypass the moisture counter-reconnaissance here through electrolysis or evaporation, I will be discovered quickly. It would be like my own body being electrocuted or burned...'
Using the corpse puppet bird to overlook the situation at the pirate fortress, Dorothy analyzed in her heart. As someone who was half an Elementalist, she had a good understanding of the use of spiritual elemental power, so she could roughly determine what the spiritual mist covering the fortress was all about. To put it simply, Edward used his ability to cast a mist spell, then reduced the mist to the thinnest possible degree, and maintained it continuously. Anyone who entered this almost invisible mist would be sensed by him because it was within the scope of his move.
"As expected of a Scarlet... continuously maintaining such a large-scale ability release for decades, his Spirituality is truly abundant..."
Looking at the scene before her, Dorothy sighed. This large-scale, almost seamless counter-reconnaissance spiritual mist rendered her best Corpse Puppet reconnaissance useless for a time. And without being able to approach Edward to investigate his information, Dorothy had no way to either steal things or negotiate with him.
"It seems... I can only start from other directions..."
Sitting on the chair on the balcony, Dorothy continued to ponder. As she thought, she seemed to have an idea in her heart.
...
At dusk, in an alley in Moncarlo far from the main road, in front of a hidden tavern.
The setting sun shone on the alley floor, and dry bloodstains seeped into the cracks between the stone slabs. The fierce conflict that had erupted here not long ago had ended. The victorious Moncarlo City Guards were guarding the key passes here. The defeated Hook Shark Gang members lay on the ground, either injured and bound, or dead.
In Moncarlo, when the City Guards enforce the law against gangs, there is no leniency. They often just go in with real swords and guns without question, and even small crimes like petty theft can result in several deaths due to violent enforcement. This extreme style of enforcement has been inherited from the era of the Pirate City. Only in this way can authority be established among the desperadoes in the city. The only way for local gangs to avoid violent enforcement is to give the City Guard officials enough respect. However, in the case of the Hook Shark Gang this time, no matter how much money they showed respect with, it could not be avoided.
At the tavern entrance, the corpses of Hook Shark Gang members lay across the ground, while the remaining injured wailed and rolled under the City Guards' watch. A Sister in white was at the conflict scene, healing the injuries of those wounded in the conflict. Inside the tavern, among the more dead and injured, an interrogation was taking place.
Inside the chaotic tavern, in the ruins of the smashed bar counter, Glass, covered in blood and with a broken arm, lay there, looking in terror at the familiar figure standing before him. He opened his ugly mouth, missing several teeth, and almost cried out.
"Young... Young Master, please spare my life... Spare me... I know I was wrong, I will never do this kind of business again... When I go back, I will give you a year's worth of respect directly... Spare us..."
Looking at Glass, who was covered in injuries and seemed unable to stand, Lao Lan's expression was cold. He slowly spoke with his hands behind his back.
"Glass... this isn't about respect or not. Do you know what day it is today? You still dare to do this kind of business, you're tired of living, aren't you?!"
"Day... Day... What day?" Glass, lying in the ruins, continued to gasp, his expression showing a trace of confusion and daze, while Lao Lan spoke sharply.
"Today is the visiting day of the Church's pilgrimage Sister! Do you know what significance this has for Moncarlo?! You idiot!"
Listening to Lao Lan's words, Glass's expression became puzzled. After thinking for a while, he spoke.
"Significance... the significance of that famous Church Sister? Uh... uh... Let me think, it seems like it's just making a lot of prostitutes in the city's brothels dress up as Sisters all of a sudden, and they're wearing uncommon white ones. The exquisite makeup is drawn according to the Sister's photos in the newspaper, and they even prepared wigs... Hehe... It feels so good to use!!!"
With a lewd smile, Glass expressed his view on the significance of the Church's pilgrimage Sister visiting Moncarlo. His words caused Lao Lan's face to darken. He directly raised his foot and stomped hard on Glass's still intact hand, breaking the entire arm. Glass then let out a heartbreaking scream of pain.