fantasy novels Chapter 251 Trading
Chapter 251 Trading
Chapter 251 Trading
"Since you've already revealed your identity to me, I won't hide it from you anymore."
"Alice" looked at Alger and said slowly,
I've been wanting to find a ghost ship for a long time, so I've been paying close attention to news about ghost ships. Naturally, information about the great pirate Alger and his ghost ship is now on my desk.
"Your ghost ship has always been in my sights, but I didn't know you were a member of the Church of Storms before. Now that I do, it means that the ghost ship doesn't actually belong to you, but to the Church of Storms. You only have the right to use it!"
Alice paused, and seeing that Alger wasn't offended by her words, continued:
"Since you don't own the property, I can't possibly offer you a price based on the normal market rate!"
Alger did not refute this. He did not have a seal that could change his appearance. As long as he met Mr. "Power", he would be unable to hide his identity. This was a situation he had anticipated before coming.
So whether for his own safety or to increase the weight of the transaction, he put on the Storm Church priest's uniform, which he rarely wore.
At the same time, Alger was also somewhat glad that he had agreed to the meeting and deal, because he knew from Alice's words that his ghost ship had been on his list of considerations before.
Without this transaction and a face-to-face meeting, the two Tarot Club members might have ended up fighting each other without knowing it.
Alger had no confidence in defeating Mr. Power, given that his own rank and power were significantly weaker than Mr. Power's. It would be even more unjust to die at his hands.
Alger nodded in agreement with Alice's words, and then asked a question that puzzled him:
"Now that you've confirmed that my ghost ship belongs to the Church of Storms, you can use your status to negotiate with the church."
"I'm a little confused that you're still thinking about continuing the previous deal."
Alice thought for a moment and felt there was nothing to hide, so she explained:
"I intend to place this ghost ship in the soon-to-be-established strategic support force of the Kingdom of Rune. There is great resistance to the formation of this army, especially within the navy, and you and I both know about the relationship between the navy and the Storm Church."
Therefore, if I don't want to incur additional costs in building this strategic force, I can't directly negotiate with the Church of Storms.
Robert is now considered one of the Storm Church's spokespeople in the Loen political arena, but he is only one of them. The biggest spokesperson is still the Conservative Party's bigwig, the Duke of Negan.
Robert could seek help from the Church of Storms and mediate with the old guard in the Navy represented by Duke Negan when forming the Strategic Support Force, but this would come at a great cost, and their influence might be weakened, which is something neither Robert nor Evan wants to see.
This is also why Ivan wanted Robert to affiliate this strategic support force with the Navy, in order to minimize resistance from the Navy.
Therefore, it is impossible to negotiate with the Church of Storms if you want to obtain the ghost ship from Alger.
"That means I'm very important to you now that I'm in control of the ghost ship. After all, without my cooperation, it would be very difficult for you to take down this ghost ship."
Alger realized that Mr. Power couldn't get rid of him and went directly to the Church of Storms to make a deal. Feeling reassured, he prepared to rip off Alice.
Alice glanced at Alger, guessing what he was thinking, and said with a smile:
"Indeed, as you said, with your cooperation, I could easily take down the ghost ship."
But I must also remind you that your public identity is that of a pirate, not a member of the Storm Church. Therefore, I can directly seize this ghost ship under the pretext of fighting pirates, without having to face the censure of the Storm Church.
"You can certainly do that, but don't forget that even if you defeat me and steal the ghost ship, you won't have to face the church's accusations."
However, it's hard to guarantee that the church won't demand the ghost ship. Like you said, there are probably many people who don't want you to get the ghost ship, and they'll likely push things along behind the scenes.
Alger showed no weakness in the face of Alice's undisguised threat of force, and responded directly with a reassurance.
Alice was not moved by Alger's counter-threat, because both sides knew that this was actually a bargaining game, revealing the cards they held.
Alger was a smart man; he firmly believed that Evan needed his cooperation to guarantee the capture of the ghost ship.
As long as Evan doesn't lose interest in the ghost ship, his demands cannot be ignored.
The two sides argued for a while, even threatening each other, but they both wore warm smiles, making those who had been watching their conversation think that they were having a very pleasant talk.
"Just tell me directly, how many do you want!"
After chatting for a while, Evan got a little tired, and since both sides had already laid their cards on the table, he started asking Alger for his offer.
"Twenty thousand gold coins. Give me twenty thousand gold pounds and I will cooperate with your operation. I will be honest and fair."
Alger hesitated for a moment, then quoted what he considered a high price; if he owned the ghost ship, he dared to sell it for 100,000 gold pounds.
Unfortunately, what he was selling was his loyalty to the Church of Storms, so he could only offer this price.
"Ten thousand gold pounds. A Sequence 5 Extraordinary trait is worth ten thousand gold pounds. I think this price is reasonable!"
Alice, upon hearing Alger's offer, also quoted her own price.
Clearly, Alger couldn't accept the fact that his offer had been cut in half, and couldn't help but speak up in protest.
After much back and forth, the price of the transaction was finally set at 17,500 gold pounds. The eyeball of the "Dragon Eye Eagle," which had already been paid as a deposit, was worth 2,500 gold pounds, so "Alice" still had to pay Alger 15,000 gold pounds.
After agreeing on the price, Alice's eyes lit up, and she asked with a smile:
"Can I use materials or recipes to replace 15,000 gold pounds?"
Alger looked at the beautiful girl in front of him. He had the Sequence 6 potion recipe "Wind Favorite" in his hand, which was sold to him by Mr. "Power". Therefore, the recipe he wanted to use to offset the gold pound could only be a Sequence 5 recipe.
Even within the Church of the True God, those at Sequence 5 hold a very high position, with some even reaching the highest decision-making level. The pirate general who roams the five seas is none other than a Sequence 5.
Correspondingly, there has never been any gathering where Sequence 5 potion recipes were circulated or traded; only in legendary mysterious gatherings presided over by demigods have such items appeared.
It seems that Mr. Power's energy is far beyond my previous expectations!
Alger inwardly sighed, realizing he had underestimated Mr. "Power," and quickly said:
"Of course! I can even offer you a discount!"
The chance to obtain the Sequence 5 "Ocean Singer" recipe from the "Storm" pathway through channels outside the church is extremely rare, and Alger absolutely did not want to miss any opportunity. Therefore, even though he knew that Mr. "Power" was likely already waiting for him, he had no choice but to take the initiative to ask for it.
"I don't know the complete recipe for 'Ocean Singer,' I only know the corresponding promotion ritual. Are you sure you still want it?"
2
Alice looked at Alger with a calm and expectant gaze, watching his reaction.
Having just lost to Alger, Evan, who likes to take the initiative, was actually quite unhappy. Giving Alger a little hard time would help relieve his frustration.
As for the recipe for "Ocean Singer," Evan found it in the book "Lord of Mysteries" in his mind. It was given to Klein by the elven archer Shatas, and then Klein sold it to Alger.
Because Alger had already obtained Shatas's extraordinary properties in advance, he did not pay attention to the main and auxiliary ingredients in the recipe, resulting in no corresponding descriptions in the book.
Otherwise, Evan would definitely sell the complete "Ocean Singer" potion recipe for an exorbitant price, and might even make Alger lose money.
If Alice had the complete potion recipe, she would be willing to sell it to Alger, because he had always planned to bring Mr. Fool's Tarot Club under his control. Therefore, he would be happy to see Alger ascend to power faster than the original.
If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too hasty in the book!
Alice looked at Alger and thought to herself with schadenfreude.
As expected, the muscles on Alger's face became abnormally twisted and contorted, and his expression changed unpredictably, making him look quite unsightly.
This is a difficult choice, full of uncertainty, and it is clear that Alice will not give any more hints like Mr. Fool, leaving him to struggle alone.
Alger was a decisive man, so he didn't hesitate for long before making his decision and saying to Alice:
"How many pounds do you want this ceremony to offset?"
If it's too expensive, then give up. There's no reason to give up the gold medal that's within his grasp right now just for a ceremony. Alger made his decision in his heart.
"Three thousand gold pounds!"
Alice winked playfully and announced her asking price.
The extraordinary trait of Sequence 5 is usually worth 10,000 gold pounds, but due to its scarcity, it is normal for it to rise to 15,000 gold pounds.
The market price for a potion recipe is five thousand gold pounds, but it's generally impossible to buy one for eight thousand gold pounds.
Therefore, Alice's asking price of three thousand gold pounds was a price that touched Alger's psychological threshold, making him reluctant to give up, and he could only nod and agree to the price.
Having admired Alger's conflicted "Alice," she was in a good mood and didn't press him further, saying directly to Alger:
"The ritual to ascend to the rank of 'Ocean Singer' is to find an Orbness and consume a magic potion inside its belly!"
Alger quickly recalled the higher-level information he had accessed recently due to his promotion.
Obnis is an ancient sea monster that can swallow a sailboat whole. It has a huge, twisted body, up to three heads, and tangled tentacles. It is the protagonist of many sea horror legends and is also used by coastal residents to scare children.
Most of these sea monsters that could threaten shipping lanes have been tamed by the Church of Storms.
In the past, Alger only thought that the Church of Storms was maintaining maritime trade routes. Now that he knows about the ritual, he understands that the Church of Storms is preventing "sailors" who are not under the control of the church from being promoted to "ocean singers".
Where exactly should we look for the Obinnis Sea Monster, which is not under the control of the Church?
Alger did not suggest having someone verify the authenticity of the ceremony. He believed that Mr. "Power" would not lie to him for three thousand gold pounds, and besides, he needed Alger's cooperation to take down the ghost ship. It would be a loss for Mr. "Power" to lie to him now.
At the same time, he was secretly glad that Alice had offered three thousand gold pounds, which allowed him to complete the transaction.
Because this ceremony can indeed be planned and prepared in advance, he can simultaneously search for materials and prepare for the ceremony.
"How do you plan to pay? Will it be a bank transfer or something else?"
The largest denomination of currency in the Kingdom of Rune is '10 pounds'. Twelve thousand gold pounds is equivalent to twelve hundred banknotes. Alger glanced at 'Alice's' lace dress and confirmed that he could not carry that many banknotes.
"Of course, it's by offering sacrifices to Mr. 'Fool' to pay you. You suddenly have an unusually large transfer. You don't think the bank won't investigate, do you?"
While this can be circumvented, there's no such thing as perfect secrecy. Every bit of risk reduced is a risk reduction!
Alger hadn't expected such a response. He still held Mr. Fool in high esteem, and he felt somewhat guilty asking Mr. Fool for help with a deal that wasn't made at a Tarot meeting.
"Doing this might not necessarily reduce the risk; it might even increase it!"
Alger never believed in unprovoked kindness in this world. Although Mr. Fool acted very kindly, he never let his guard down.
So his words were both a reminder to Mr. "Power" and a test for him. He wanted to know why Mr. "Power" acted so relaxed towards Mr. "Fool".
Unfortunately, he was destined not to get the answer he wanted, because Alice could not possibly tell him that Mr. Fool was now just like him, a Sequence 7 Beyonder.
Alice simply smiled, not responding to his words, but instead giving him her final instructions:
"Whether at the Tarot meeting or now, you have never made a request to acquire the Blue Shadow Feather, which means you have relevant clues."
So get promoted as soon as possible, lest you die because of your weakness when the plan is implemented, which would be the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Remember, I can only give you a maximum of two months to prepare!
Alger's face darkened, but he did not refute it, because according to their plan, his lack of strength was indeed quite dangerous.
After saying this, Alice didn't even look at Alger's reaction. She picked up her makeup bag from the chair next to her, and gracefully got up and left.