Chapter 2351: The Captain’s Intelligence

Chapter 2351: Chapter 2351: The Captain’s Intelligence

In the midst of excited whispers among the crowd, two twenty-sided dice were handed to the two participants.

The ivory dice provided by Mrs. Frei were for internal use in the Parsifal Club. As for why such a high-end entertainment venue had dice, Shard guessed it was likely to allow the ladies to play games with ease.

The card game had reached its final stage, and even the captain looked excited. So the two of them picked up the dice together and threw the dice, stained blue and red respectively, toward the center of the table.

At that moment, nearly everyone around held their breaths, and the clattering dice collided at the center of the table.

Both Shard and the captain were Inner Ring Sorcerers, skilled in controlling their power. The colliding dice rebounded almost back through their original paths, eventually stopping near their hands.

"So, who won?"

Those in the back who couldn’t see the dice results began to anxiously inquire from the guests in front.

Captain Rudolf let out a breath, rubbing his face; in front of him was his blue five-point die. As for Shard, the upper side showed the red ink deeply embedded in the small numeral "20".

"This one is mine."

Shard said, picking up the card that had just been thrown onto the table, [Ancient Alchemy: Dragon Transformation Stone]. Regarding the 75 Krone won in the card game, Shard planned to find a time to donate it. He still disliked gambling, so even when participating in such activities, he wouldn’t keep the money.

"Speaking of which, should card game winnings be taxed?"

The final duel of the "Dice Duel" had excited the spectators of the match. This classic card game would quickly spread around Moon Bay, even without promotion by the local Prophet’s Society.

Thus, the Roder Card game held at the Parsifal Club officially concluded. Mrs. Frei even organized a small award ceremony, with the club’s ladies presenting awards to the three semifinalists.

Besides receiving their prizes, the three participants were also informed by the flamboyant woman holding a feather fan that henceforth, they could enjoy a ten-percent discount on any club consumption.

Shard was pleased to have obtained a new card but felt that if the girls at home found out, he would be mocked for a long time.

After the card game, Mrs. Frei also fulfilled her promise to tell Shard about the origins of [Ancient Alchemy: Dragon Transformation Stone]. Unlike the [Holy Sword: Dragon Slaying Sword], which was willingly sold by the deceased merchant, the card newly acquired by Shard was actually hidden in the merchant’s home when he died:

"The gang searched his home but couldn’t find the three cards; it was later that the investigating police found them. However, the two officers seemingly had ulterior motives, so they quietly hid the cards, and as for how they came into my possession... the buyer they found couldn’t repay a favor he owed me. After deciding to move away from Moon Bay last weekend, he gave me the card for free."

I was hoping for someone capable like you to buy the card information from me and then buy more cards from him. I hoped he’d suggest you repay the favor as compensation for buying the card, so I could have you do some things for me. Such a pity~"

The flamboyant Mrs. Frei again used her fan to cover the lower half of her face, making her smile appear very reserved:

"By the way, to avoid detection after stealing the cards, the two officers also destroyed some other things. Although I don’t know the whereabouts of the other two cards, my current information indicates that one of the three cards is worth more than the combined value of the other two."

Shard’s pupils slightly contracted; the value between [Ancient Alchemy: Dragon Transformation Stone] and [Holy Sword: Dragon Slaying Sword] wasn’t significantly different. This suggested that perhaps the most valuable was the third mysterious card, which he still was unaware of. And the missing MI6 agent likely died because of it.

"Thank you for offering the information, Mrs. Frei. What do you need me to do for this intelligence?"

The woman asked with a smile:

"Can’t I help you generously? I see you are not an ordinary person; think of it as investing in you, or perhaps I fancy your face. Interpret it however you like, but if you find the other two cards someday, remember to inform me about them."

Hesitating a moment, Shard then said:

"[Holy Sword: Dragon Slaying Sword]."

"Is it in your hands?"

This time Shard didn’t reply, and Mrs. Frei didn’t pursue the matter further, instead smiling knowingly and nodding:

"I knew those introduced by ’Boatman’ wouldn’t be ordinary."

Later, Mrs. Frei also kindly offered a room on the third floor for Shard and the three to talk with the captain. Captain Rudolf followed by two sailors as attendants, who attentively stood guard at the door after entering the room.

The four Circle Sorcerers carefully checked the room using their respective methods, then avoided the central red heart-shaped bed and seated themselves at the adjacent table.

"The number of wealthy people in Moon Bay is impressive; with a registration fee of 20 Krone, there are still so many people willing to pay."

Shard said, this sum of money is roughly the income of three to four years for an ordinary worker in Tobesk.

"The disparity between nobles, merchants, and commoners in this era has reached an unprecedented level in civilization."

Mr. Albert said softly, and the other three nodded as well.

"Speaking of which, do you know the legend of the Dragonstone?"

Captain Rudolf asked again, and although he was indeed somewhat disheartened after losing the game, he had already adjusted his mood. This captain was quite affluent:

"It is an actual ancient alchemical product. It is said to be the pinnacle of alchemical products created by humans in pursuit of the power of ancient dragons, desiring to transform themselves into ancient dragons. The complete ’Dragonstone’ is said to have endless effects, with one fundamental trait being the ability to directly transform humans into dragons, but the ’Dragonstone’ was already shattered in the Third Era.

Now the stone is divided into two parts, the ’Higgs Dragonhead Stone’ and the ’Hafana Dragon Body Stone.’ The latter has been lost for a long time, while the former is now a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic. I heard it was originally held by the Zaras Literary Academy but later ended up in the hands of the famous Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer ’God Summoner.’"

The "legend" of the Outlander is now widely spread across this world; it also counts as the mark he left in this new world.

As for the "Higgs Dragonhead Stone," it was a gift from a professor of the Zaras Literary Academy who was fighting a bone dragon. Shard saved him in the Interstice of Life and Death during the Milestone incident last year, after delivering a letter for him... Thus, that professor was indeed more generous than Marquis Mosen.

After some brief pleasantries, Mr. Benhart took the initiative to bring up serious matters. He first inquired about Captain Rudolf’s health and heart issues, and then, with a surprised look on his face, he brought up the encounter the three had with Marquis Mosen outside the city this morning at the "Silver Stables":

"Earlier, while you were playing cards, I was worried you might faint from excitement."

Captain Rudolf asked rather seriously:

"Even Mosen can’t withstand that curse?"

"It’s not exactly accurate to call it a curse. The Prophet I found said it’s a relic of the Destiny category."

Shard corrected him as the captain took a deep breath and touched his chin:

"I understand what you mean. If that is indeed the case, then the situation is truly serious... Are you turning to me for clues? But I don’t have much to offer. Oh, Viscount Benhart said he was going to visit, so the letter is with me, for you."

He handed the letter to the three, and once again, the content was very brief—

[Quit gambling, you should repent!!]

"In fact, although I like to gamble, I’m not heavily addicted. For games with bets like today’s, I participate perhaps three or four times a year."

Captain Rudolf defended himself a bit, so the coroner asked:

"So, have you recently dreamt of strange things, or noticed any unusual signs?"

The tall vampire kind immediately shook his head:

"Ptolemy, you know me. Unlike Marquis Mosen, my Circle Sorcerer System leans towards physical enhancement. My inspiration is relatively weak even within the same level, and I haven’t systematically developed our race’s dream talent either."

He thought carefully:

"However, I can tell you something else. Although my ship is a cargo vessel, it sometimes takes on passengers willing to pay for trips between the north and south. It was probably this spring, yes, when the first Randall Flower bloomed in the Randall Valley, my ship set to sail and temporarily took on a solitary woman.

As you know, women who dare to travel alone are never easily provoked, and she had a very unique aura... whenever I got close to her, I felt extremely cold, a chill that went to the bone. Later, I tested her, and she was indeed also a Circle Sorcerer. Before disembarking, she offered to give me a divination and said I would encounter a life-threatening situation this summer."

"A Diviner?"

Mr. Benhart was very interested:

"What exactly did she say?"

"Of course, I don’t really understand. She said the breath of death was already surrounding me. Although not a certain death, it would be as dangerous as walking a tightrope. She also said... let me think... she said the cause of impending death was my lifestyle. She said an emissary of justice would come to judge me, and I should be careful... I didn’t take it to heart at the time, but now that I think about it, it seems like she was referring to this matter."

Shard suspected that this captain had encountered two familiar faces, Ms. Maria Handel and the Spiritual Body of Joey Barton. In the late winter of early 1854, they had helped him in the Randall Valley before leaving. It was indeed possible for them to appear in Moon Bay, but there was no need to verify these things.