Chapter 635: Meeting

*The smell of canned wolf-fish is really pungent... Not only is it

smelly, but it's also disgusting... It's practically a biological

weapon!* Klein crouched in the corner and took nearly a minute

to recover.

Before that very instant, he had underestimated canned wolf-fish. He had

failed to take the necessary actions to deal with the situation. He

could've used Paper Figurine Substitutes or create an invisible air tube

to pretend that he was using Underwater Breathing, but he had done none

of that.

Now, he finally got a deep understanding of how wise it was to ban

opening canned wolf-fish in public!

Phew... Klein exhaled as he slowly stood up. Carrying his

suitcase, he slowly walked towards the harbor.

His first impression of the city named Nas was one of many white houses,

with stone being a common material for the buildings. The second

impression was that it wasn't too far north, but the temperature was

rather cold. Even though it was already April, it was still only a few

degrees Celsius. The third impression was that there were many whaling

houses. Gigantic beluga whales were being dismembered for their skin,

flesh, fat, bones, and "gray amber."

The latter two could be used to make pannier for banquet dresses or

top-grade scented materials. Whether it was for incense or perfume, they

were considered luxurious goods that only the wealthy and nobles could

enjoy.

As for the skin, flesh, and fat of beluga whales, they also had their

own uses. They were used separately to make clothes, food, or

oil-related products. In Nas and the Gargas Archipelago, the culinary

methods for preparing beluga whale had transformed into a unique

culture. There were all sorts of techniques and famous restaurants.

Klein passed by the various whaling houses, seeing separated fat being

carried out on cargo carriages towards nearby factories that spewed

black smoke. They were oil refineries which were very unique to Gargas.

Beluga whale fat could be refined into whale oil which could be bottled

and made into outstanding incendiary material and the lifeblood of

particular industries.

Very unique... Klein exhaled some mist as he stopped and

watched for a while.

Out of the harbor and into the city district, a cacophony of Feysac

inundated his ears.

Having mastered ancient Feysac---the source of the Northern Continent's

language---Klein was long familiar with the language of the Northern

Continent barbarians. He turned his head upon hearing the din and saw

the tall populace with slightly blonde hair raising horizontal banners

as they protested on the streets.

The horizontal banner right at the front clearly wrote the reasons for

their protest.

"Oppose the poaching of beluga whales! We need sustainable development!"

Pfft... Klein nearly lost his cool as he believed that the

concept of "sustainable development" was highly likely to be "invented"

by Emperor Roselle.

As he swept his gaze, he looked at the banners behind it and understood

the goals of the protest.

"Whaling for survival, not entertainment!"

"Humans aren't more important than beluga whales!"

"Greedy devils should leave Nas!"

At this moment, a policeman dressed in a gray uniform held a shield,

riot fork, and baton to stop the protesters from advancing.

After a brief argument, the scene quickly turned violent.

Many protesting youths threw opened canned wolf-fish, as well as Molotov

cocktails. The police didn't show restraint as they forged forward,

raising their shields and striking with their batons.

Klein pinched his nose as he watched the fire burning on the street. He

realized that many passersby were completely unfazed. Apart from a small

bunch of spectators, the rest continued proceeding to their

destinations.

*It appears that such things happen often in Nas... Do protests develop

into riots? As expected of the Feysac Empire...* Klein mumbled

to himself, circled the street, and casually found an inn to stay.

He continued registering as Gehrman Sparrow, unworried that the news

released by Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy would cause the Church of the

Evernight Goddess to view him as a Faceless. This was because he had no

plans on traveling through the whale fishing routes to find mermaids who

were believers of the Goddess. He planned on heading to the dangerous

region farthest east from the Sonia Sea.

As for the safety in the Gargas Archipelago, there was nothing he needed

to worry about. This was a colony of the Feysac Empire. The only legal

Church was the Church of the God of Combat. They were enemies with the

Church of the Evernight Goddess.

Klein was originally worried that he would encounter many Faceless here,

meeting seven or eight Faceless simply from going next door to enjoy

some whale cuisine. However, after serious consideration, he rationally

eliminated this possibility.

First, Beyonders from the Seer pathway were rare to begin with. Klein

had only met three Beyonders who were beyond Sequence 8, and second,

Sequence 6 Beyonders weren't commonly seen. Even in a playground for

pirates, those who had 5,000-pound bounties were considered rare

creatures. Third, once a Faceless had many preparations, they would seek

out mermaids on a whaling boat. They would either begin having faith in

the Goddess, sink to the bottom of the ocean, or become research

personnel. Otherwise, the extremely smart ones would seize the

opportunity and successfully advance before leaving safely. It was very

rare for them to stay on Gargas Archipelago for long.

*In all of Nas, excluding myself, there wouldn't be more than two

Faceless...* Klein straightened his clothes as he wasn't in a

rush to contact Admiral of Stars Cattleya. He came onto the streets in a

good mood and began searching for delicacies according to what he heard

on his travels.

*Raw beluga whale slices, fried whale steak, whale oil with skin,

roasted whale meat...* Like a standard traveler, Klein

restaurant hopped thrice and sampled different food.

*Not bad. It's pretty unique and it's not very fishy. Instead, it's very

appetizing and alluring... Burp...* Klein covered his mouth as

he came onto the streets. He discovered that the street lamps were

sparse, but the lights from the houses lining the streets were bright.

To a certain extent, they reduced the darkness of the night.

Ice-cold winds passed through the ocean, causing Klein to raise his hand

to prop up his collar. The blue cufflinks had their lusters restrained

as they were deeply embedded at his wrists.

Compared to rings, items like cufflinks were more suited to Gehrman

Sparrow's persona. Therefore, Klein didn't blame the Artisan for making

changes without his permission.

As for the harmonica that had fixed the summoning ritual of a spirit

world creature, it matched Klein's inward intentions completely. It

could be used for a year and a half. It was silver in color, exquisite

and beautiful.

When he received the harmonica, Klein had imagined such a scene---a

crazy and powerful adventurer playing a sad tune on the harmonica in a

silent night under the dark moonlight by the side of a boat.

Unfortunately, the harmonica couldn't produce any sound, and it could

only be used to summon Reinette Tinekerr.

Shaking his head indiscernibly, Klein steadily walked down the empty and

cold Nas streets before returning to his inn.

Using sleep to bring himself back to an optimal state, he went to Gray

Amber Street the next morning and entered a sundry store named Hot Whale

Dance.

Upon seeing the grizzled boss who was a head taller than him, Klein

tapped the counter and said in Feysac, "Whale oil."

The boss had wrinkles plastered across his face, but he only wore a coat

made of beluga whale skin. The light-colored patterns had a strange

beauty.

"How much?" The boss was drinking large mouthfuls of liquor, ignoring

the messy placement of the goods.

"One and a quarter buckets," Klein replied according to the

predetermined secret password.

The boss's drinking actions instantly slowed down as he placed the cup

of brownish-green alcohol onto the bar counter.

"Do you want to try some? It's many times purer than Nepos. It's

considered the mistress of all Feysac men."

This was a distilled liquor that's a specialty of Feysac. It's brewed

with potatoes or grain. The alcohol purity was high, as stimulating and

famous as Blaze. Compared to Sonia blood wine, its price was rather low,

and it was well-liked by ordinary Feysacians.

"There's no need." Klein shook his head.

The boss chuckled.

"What kind of man are you if you don't drink Nepos?

"Are there only women in Loen?"

He mumbled before drinking another mouthful.

"Who introduced you here?"

"Ma'am Gehrmuses," Klein said a name in the style of the local customs.

The boss exhaled, causing a strong scent of distilled liquor to linger

in the air.

He staggered as he got up, like a polar bear performing at a circus.

After giving the store employee instructions, he brought Klein to a tiny

room on the second story of the warehouse at the back.

"Let me search for it. Let's see..." the boss mumbled as he crouched.

Klein controlled the twitching of his facial muscles as he recalled a

widely-spread joke in the Loen Kingdom.

"When is a Feysac man not drunk? When he's in his mother's womb."

After waiting for a moment, Klein saw the boss find a pure crystal ball

from his rummaging.

Then, the tipsy "polar bear" had his back facing Klein as he rubbed his

hands on it, softly chanting the tongue-twisting ancient Hermes.

The room gradually turned dark as all the corners without light sank

like they were producing a strange attractive force.

The crystal ball quickly lit up, producing the figure of a woman wearing

a black, classic robe.

She had an oval face and had very fair skin. Her eyes were deep black

with a slight purple hue which was filled with mystery.

*I'm seeing another Tarot Club member's actual appearance

again...* Klein stepped forward and received the crystal ball.

On the opposite end of the crystal ball, The Hermit Cattleya could also

clearly see The World. He had black hair and brown eyes, with a thin and

angular face.

Her gaze paused for a moment before she hesitantly said, "Gehrman

Sparrow?"

She discovered that the true strength and standards of the Tarot Club

members were far stronger than she had expected. The World was actually

the crazy hunter, Gehrman Sparrow, who was considered at the level of a

pirate admiral!

*My various assumptions of The World were problematic... Controlled,

staid, experienced, and ruthless...* Admiral of Stars didn't

feel overly surprised.

"Yes, Ma'am Cattleya." Klein gestured for the boss to leave the room.

After it became extremely quiet, Admiral of Stars Cattleya asked once

again, "I'm very curious. How did you recognize my identity? I've been

very careful when participating in the gatherings."

Of course, she had jumped in fright when The World, who had chosen to

speak privately with her, immediately greeted her with "Admiral of

Stars."

And it was partly because of this that she chose to take on The World's

commission.

"A secret." Klein smiled politely.

As he didn't wish for her to make connections to Mr. Fool, he calmly

added, "Your eyes are very special."

"Can I understand that as a form of praise?" Cattleya smiled, feeling

somewhat enlightened.

She believed that The World had previously only relied on her eyes and

other details to suspect that she was Admiral of Stars, but she wasn't

certain. Hence, he had probed her with language, and her reaction told

him the correct answer.

Klein didn't respond as he switched to asking, "When can we set off?"