The "punisher" coldly looked at the laughing crowd, and only after the laughter subsided did he say: "As long as you provide useful clues, you can get a reward of 500 pounds."
"If the clues you provide can help you determine the other party's whereabouts, you can get a reward of 3,000 pounds."
The laughter stopped immediately, and everyone focused intently on memorizing the blurry face in the portrait, preparing to mobilize all available resources to search for it once they returned.
It's rare to find a missing person mission with such a high reward, especially one where you get paid just for providing clues. Everyone would want to try their luck with such a mission.
Odis thought to himself: The Church of Storms has really gone all out this time; I bet "Sea King" is furious.
After the task of "substitute punisher" is issued, the transaction process continues.
As the intelligence exchange was drawing to a close, Odis received another note. He opened it and glanced at it: "I will be back in twenty minutes after the meeting ends. I hope to seek your help."
Odis put away the note and said to the person who had given it to him, "Okay."
Soon, the intelligence exchange reached the last row, where a man in his thirties with red hair said, "I'm selling an island where ancient ruins have been discovered."
Immediately afterwards, someone asked, "Did you find any amazing items or anything valuable there?"
"It looks like the place has been ransacked; we only found one very sturdy wall," the red-haired man said.
While this answer didn't elicit a burst of laughter, quite a few people did chuckle, and some even sarcastically remarked, "Are we going to transport that wall back and build another one in Bayam?"
Another person said, "It's not impossible, since you can't buy bricks in the North and East districts of Bayam."
This remark drew laughter from many people, because Bayam's industrial zone was in the southern district, where building materials such as bricks and cement could only be purchased.
The red-haired man blushed and said, "That wall is strange. I've tried many methods, but I haven't been able to damage it at all."
"Moreover, many ancient giant scripts were also discovered on it."
Everyone paused for a moment, then someone else said, "But, it's still a wall, isn't it?"
A wall is really not worth investing in.
After hearing that there was "Giants' script" on it, Odis became somewhat interested: "Are you sure it's Gibbons' script?"
The red-haired man quickly replied, "Yes, 'Captain,' I had a professional examine it, but he only knew it was 'Giants' script,' not what those characters meant."
Odis smiled and said, "I've been studying this script recently. Sell me this information, and I'll take a look when I have time."
"Okay," the red-haired man said. "15… no, 10 pounds."
Everyone thought this guy was really lucky to have met a buyer who was interested in "Ancient Giants script," otherwise no one would have wanted the information about this ruin.
"Fifteen pounds," Odis said generously. "But besides writing down the specific coordinates, you also need to mention any precautions you should take during the exploration, and what methods you will use to dismantle the walls."
"Alright, alright." The red-haired man took the paper and pen and immediately began to write furiously.
While the intelligence exchange continued, seven or eight minutes later, Odis received the intelligence he had bought for 15 pounds: the exact location was about 320 nautical miles southwest of Tiana Island.
Odis recalled the nautical charts he had recently looked at; it was at the western end of the Roside Islands, a distance that did not yet reach the Middle Island.
During the Age of Exploration more than a hundred years ago, three sea routes were opened up from the turbulent seas.
One route goes to the far west, passing through Cynos Island and Hakata Island, and reaching Caesar Port on the southern continent.
This was the first shipping route opened up by Emperor Russell, and it is currently mainly controlled by the Republic of Intis.
The central route starts from the western part of Dixi Bay, passes through Midway Island, and reaches the southern continent.
Although the northern section of this route is in the south of Rune, the Kingdom of Rune rarely uses this route because there are few ports where supplies can be obtained.
Only ships from the Kingdom of Fenneport and some small countries in the North Continent would use this route.
The third route is the eastern route controlled by Rune. It starts from Port Prydz, passes through ports such as Damir, Bansie, and Tiana, and arrives at the Roside Islands.
At this point, there were two options: one was to sail east to Bayam, the capital of the Rothschild Islands.
After years of development by Rune, this area became one of the more prosperous regions in the colony.
Alternatively, continue south, passing through the port of Tirenius, to reach the southern continent.
There is another shipping route in the Sunia Sea that leads to the southern continent. Starting from Sunia Island, the route passes through the Gargas Islands and then sails along the Sunia Sea, bypassing the raging sea, to reach the southern continent.
The problem is that after resupplying in the Cargas Islands, there will be no ports for resupplying during the subsequent voyage until reaching the southern continent.
The Fusak Empire once wanted to use this route to establish colonies in the southern continent, but it was too far away and difficult to resupply.
Although the Sunia Sea is calmer than the "Raging Sea," it is still a vast ocean, and due to the influence of the "War of the Gods" in the eastern part of this sea area, it often experiences severe weather.
On such a vast ocean, once a ship is damaged in bad weather, it is virtually impossible for it to reach its destination.
Along with the ship, the carefully trained sailors also sank.
The Fusak Empire quickly realized that this shipping route was unprofitable. Therefore, the Fusak Empire currently travels through the Misty Sea, around half of the northern continent, and then uses the eastern or central sea routes to reach the southern continent.
Of course, the claim that shipping routes are controlled by a certain country simply means that country has built a naval base there.
However, the ocean is simply too vast, and those military bases are simply unable to blockade the entire shipping route.
The shipping route was usually frequented not only by ships from other countries, but also by pirate ships.
Only in wartime can the naval vessels there freely attack ships from other countries, but they can only intercept a portion of them.
During the intelligence exchange meeting, the red-haired man provided the location of the island, which was between the central and eastern shipping routes.
There are no safe shipping routes, no large or famous islands, and many areas of the sea with "violent" weather.
But those places were a paradise for pirates and adventurers. Because they had little economic value, the navy rarely patrolled them, making them almost powerless zones.
Below this intelligence report was a detailed description of the island by the red-haired man: there were no large wild animals on the island, so there was basically no need to worry about that kind of danger.
But one strange thing is that the vegetation in a certain area will suddenly disappear and then reappear after two or three minutes.
We tried digging down, but found nothing.
However, be careful not to stand in that spot for too long, because if a person disappears for two or three minutes and then returns, they will turn into a monster.
To prevent any accidents, we marked that location.
The wall stands in front of the island's only mountain, not far from some ancient buildings, but most of them have collapsed, and everything has been moved away.
Strangely, the thick wall was built right up against the rock face, as if it were blocking the entrance to a cave in the mountain.
We tried many methods, even using powerful explosives, but none of them caused any damage to the wall.
This must be an unusual wall, but unfortunately we don't understand why it's so unusual, or what treasure it hides.
After reading the description, Odis also felt that this place was very unusual and worth taking the time to explore.
A dozen minutes later, when the last participant completed their transaction, the intelligence exchange session officially ended.
Everyone felt a little unsatisfied; they had never imagined that trading intelligence could be such a simple matter, and so efficient.
I will definitely attend the next exchange meeting like this.
Odis smiled and said, "It was a successful gathering. I think many of you got the information you needed, or sold it for a good price."
"Such gatherings will become the norm. Everyone should pay attention to the GG column on page three of the Rosde Daily News. Whenever a GG is published about buying large quantities of herbs, there will be information about the gathering time."
"The third number in GG plus 2 is the date of the meeting, the fourth number plus 2 is the time of the meeting, and the last number, ignoring any 0s, is the score for the meeting."
The reason why Odis still convened the gathering with the GG who was buying herbs was because herbs are not usually bought in large quantities.
Moreover, herbs have fixed sales and acquisition channels, so almost no one else would choose to publish such GG in the newspaper.
So this is practically Odis's exclusive channel.
"In addition," Odiston paused and then said, "I also sell some extraordinary materials of the 'low sequence', such as the 'Azure Toad's Tongue,' 'Colorful Poppy Fruit,' and 'Firebird Tail Feather' that I have on hand right now."
"The price is £150. If you are interested, please contact me after the party."
"Yes, as I just said, there will be someone on duty here, and the person on duty can contact me."
"If you need any other extraordinary materials, you can try your luck here, but at the moment I only have 'low-sequence' materials."
The attendees were all taken aback, not expecting that the "captain" had such a channel.
At that moment, the member of the "punisher" immediately said, "I want the 'firebird's tail feather'."
That is one of the main materials for becoming a "Singer". Generally, people in the Storm Church will immediately buy the main materials for the "Singer" path.
Even if it gets moldy in the warehouse, I will buy it without hesitation.
Odis nodded: "Okay."
As he spoke, he took out the materials contained in a wooden box and completed the transaction with the "punisher" member.
"Now we will proceed with the final part of this gathering," Odis said with a smile. "I will appoint six official members."
"At the next gathering, these six official members will be able to attend directly without purchasing admission tickets."
"Furthermore, at the end of the next gathering, two more official member slots will be added, and I and the six official members will decide which two applicants to admit."
At this point, Odis reiterated the rules for "official members," and the participants were no longer as indifferent as before, all hoping that the "captain" would choose them.
Next, Odis quickly selected six people, including the seller and buyer who initiated the first transaction at the gathering, as well as four attendees who were clearly part of an organization.
For example, the "Substitute Punisher" member, at sea, everyone needs the power of the Church of Storms.
Moreover, this member was very proactive in the transaction process, and he completed five transactions on his own.
The codename chosen by the members of "The Punisher" is "The Wave".
After everyone had assigned a code name, Odis announced the official end of the gathering.
Many people left visibly disappointed at not becoming official members, having already forgotten their earlier disdain for the so-called "official members."
He also forgot his earlier resolution: he would definitely not attend the party that required a £5 fee.
At this point, they actually felt that the five pounds were well worth the money if it was just to have the "captain" verify the authenticity of the intelligence.
After everyone had mostly left, Bishop Dean stepped forward and smiled, saying, "This gathering is absolutely the most efficient I've ever seen for exchanging information."
Odis smiled and added, "Soon, this place will become the intelligence trading center of the Roside Islands."
"I look forward to that day." With that, Bishop Dean took his leave.
After all the attendees had left, Odis said to Bazel, who was tidying up the venue, "You don't need to do this work."
"In the afternoon, find me two clever male servants. Pay them a bit more, since this job is somewhat dangerous."
"Also, here, take this first."
Odis took out a round button: "As long as I press the button, my pocket watch will light up, and I will know that you need to contact me."
Bazel carefully took the button: "So convenient!"
"No need to be so careful," Odis smiled. "To prevent accidental activation, I deliberately made it so that it requires some force to press."
Bazel nodded, but still carefully put it away.
Odis added, "I won't be in Bayam for the next few days. If you need anything urgent, please use this button to contact me."
"But I'll be here this afternoon and tonight."
Because there are follow-up matters to be handled after the gathering.
Just then, the man who had passed the note earlier, hoping to return and meet Odis after the party, knocked on the open door: "I hope I didn't disturb you."
"No," Odis said. "Come in."
As he spoke, he sat back down in the "captain's" seat.
As the man entered, he removed his mask and exaggeratedly spread his arms wide: "My friend, I never expected you to have planned such a grand event."
He was Rupert Shawn, a man with dark brown hair who was clearly very talkative just by looking at him.
Rupert was one of the few people in the hall wearing a mask, and he hardly spoke at all, yet Odis didn't recognize him.
This made Odis wonder: Was his sociability a pretense, or was his taciturnity a pretense?
He stood up and smiled, "I didn't expect you to attend the conference either."
Overall, Odis had a good impression of Rupert.
The two shook hands and sat down opposite each other again. Rupert looked at Bazel and said, "What I didn't expect was that you would become the 'Captain's' assistant."
Bazel just smiled and said nothing.
Rupert didn't continue the topic, but instead asked Odis in a more serious tone, "Could I ask you for a favor? Well, it's a bit dangerous."
Odis also became serious: "What kind of payment can you offer?"
It's fine to treat someone to a drink or something casually, but when it comes to serious business, we definitely need to have a serious talk.
"A charm that can temporarily make yourself lucky or make your target unlucky." Rupert smiled helplessly, "But I don't have one on hand. I can only get it after I've finished helping out."
"I hope my credibility will convince you to pay me in kind for now."
After thinking for a moment, Odis said, "Tell me what kind of help you need."
"My teacher is in danger, and the danger comes from some extraordinary individuals with considerable strength," Rupert described. "However, before that, we had agreed that if he suddenly disappeared, I would go find a farmer named Claire Collin."
"But the problem is, I've been looking for days. There is a farmer named Blair around Bayam, but he doesn't have the surname Colin."
"However, I learned from a slave trader that he had recently transported a group of slaves to the central part of Blue Mountains Island, including a farmer named Blair Collin."
He paused and then said, "The reason why slave traders remember so clearly is because very few slaves have names and surnames, and it's quite a pleasant-sounding name like Blair."
"Just as I was preparing to head to the central region of Blue Mountains Island, I suddenly learned that the slave trader had been murdered."
"It's clear that my teacher's enemies are also looking for him, which makes me realize that it would be best to find help before entering the central region. I hope to get your help."
After a large number of traitors suddenly appeared within the "School of Life," Rupert could no longer believe that his friends within the "School" were likely traitors, or had been turned by traitors.
Previously, "Potions Professor" Beverly failed to capture Rupert, which led the traitors to post a high bounty for Rupert at many extraordinary gatherings!
This made Rupert somewhat uneasy about his friends outside the "school".
After all, those friends were mostly bounty hunters, and they couldn't possibly ignore such a bounty.
Finally, Rupert thought of the "gourmet" named "Garr". First of all, the two had some connection, and "Garr" also seemed to belong to an organization of extraordinary individuals. As long as he revealed that he could obtain a charm that would make people "lucky", the other party would most likely not use himself to exchange for the bounty in order to open up a channel for the organization.
But Rupert suddenly discovered that he still couldn't contact the other party.
At this moment, Rupert's passive ability as the "Lucky One" came to his aid once again; he heard that someone was going to hold an intelligence exchange meeting here.
He originally intended to post the quest to find "Garr" here, but after the exchange meeting had been going on for a while, he noticed that the organizer of the exchange meeting, "Captain", was "Garr"!
That's why Rupert handed "Garr" a note, hoping to meet after the party.
After listening carefully to Rupert's description, Odis thought for a moment before asking, "You are an Extraordinary being of the 'Monster' pathway, right?"
Rupert paused for a moment, then said, "Yes...yes."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis then asked, "Is your teacher a 'senator'?"
Rupert was immediately surprised: "You..."
Then he chuckled and said, "I should have realized sooner that you are not an ordinary extraordinary person."
In fact, Rupert realized this when he saw Odis using a sealed artifact with the ability to "travel".
I'm only saying this now to fit the occasion.
Bazel, who was listening in, realized that "Captain Gar" had already seen through Rupert's true nature, while Rupert was still unaware of "Captain Gar's" true nature.
He smiled slightly: With such a well-informed captain, it's entirely possible to avoid launching battles based on misjudging the enemy's strength.
Rupert considered for a moment and then said, "My teacher's teacher is a 'senator'."
Members of the "Life School" of thought.
Odis nodded slowly, then pondered for a moment before saying, "What I want in return is for you to come aboard my ship and become my second mate."
Rupert was slightly taken aback: "You...you have your own boat?"
"It will be ready soon," Odis said with a smile. "At that time, I will go out to sea as a pirate and hold intelligence exchange meetings at the same time."
This answer surprised Rupert, who had initially thought that "Garr" was a representative or intelligence officer sent to Bayam by some organization.
He pondered for a moment and then asked, "What are your specific plans for going to sea? Or rather, who are your specific targets for robbery?"
"Pirates and merchant ships."
"Not robbing passenger ships or ordinary people's boats?"
"It's pointless, I won't rob it," Odis said. "Besides, I'm also very interested in finding treasures at sea."
Rupert smiled and said, "Fighting pirates, robbing merchant ships, and finding treasure."
"Haha, this is the goal I've always dreamed of! Alright, I'll join your pirate crew!"
Odis smiled slightly: "Then, I won't take any reward for helping you find a teacher this time, but all the spoils of the operation are mine."
Rupert nodded: "Thank you, Captain!"
"From now on you can call me Captain Gal."
"Yes, Captain Gal."
Odis pointed to Bazel: "This is our ship's first mate."
"Hello, First Mate," Rupert said politely. "I've heard a lot about your deeds."
Bazel smiled and said, "I've also heard of you, and your recent bounty."
"But don't worry, I'm not a bounty hunter anymore."
Rupert chuckled and scratched his head. "Then I'm relieved!"
Odis asked, "When shall we depart?"
"Next Thursday, or the Thursday after next week."
Odis paused slightly, "It has to be Thursday?"
"Yes," Rupert smiled. "It was my teacher's instruction, and supposedly it was my teacher's instruction, who is very sensitive to numbers or things like that."
Odis nodded slowly. It must be that their spiritual senses indicated that the probability of success would be higher if they set off on this day.
Then he thought: Demigods who have reached the "monster" pathway seem even more like charlatans than "fortune tellers." Rupert's statement just now could also be put as follows: "I have calculated that Thursday will be a very auspicious day. It is a good time to go out, for teachers and students to gather, for petty people to stay away, for noble people to help, and for great things to be accomplished."
Of course, sunglasses and a goatee are also indispensable elements.
Thinking of this, Odis smiled slightly and asked Rupert, "Would you like me to send you to another island to take refuge for a while?"
"No need," Rupert said. "I think it's safer to stay in Bayam."
After all, this is the largest city in the Roside Islands, making it a good place to hide one's tracks.
After agreeing on the specific departure time, Odis told Rupert to leave first and come back to seek Bazel's help if he encountered any difficulties.
Next, Odis and Bazel continued to wait for people to come to them for help.
...
Bayam, Church Street.
In the building opposite the Sea Breeze Church, Tyr, who had just returned from an intelligence exchange meeting, didn't even have time for lunch. After quickly organizing the intelligence, he went to the captain's office: "Captain, look."
He handed the five intelligence reports he had acquired to the captain of the "Punishers".
The captain glanced at it, then suddenly looked up: "Is this all the intelligence you traded at the intelligence exchange meeting?"
"Yes!" Tyr smiled and said, "I didn't expect to get so much information about wanted criminals at this gathering."
The captain immediately said, "Call all team members to a meeting... Wait a minute, we can't catch so many people. You gather the team members first, and I'll go report this to the deacon."
Tyr was slightly taken aback: "Captain, it's lunchtime now."
"Now that you know the whereabouts of five wanted criminals who caused losses to the church, you still have the appetite to eat?"
Tyr paused, then said, "That's true."
He then gathered his colleagues, and at the next brief meeting, he was appointed by the church deacon as an "intelligence specialist" to participate in future intelligence exchange meetings.
...
Kent Blue Street, Wizarding Agency.
Around 1 p.m., the first person to trade the false information arrived.
He was a man in his thirties, dressed appropriately, and his appearance and demeanor were noticeably different from those of an intelligence broker.
Upon entering, he saw that "Captain" was still there, so he immediately took off his hat and said, "'Captain', I traded false information at the party this morning."
After a moment's recollection, Odis said, "I remember you. You traded information about the navy's procurement of supplies with another participant."
"Yes." The man smiled wryly. "Bideth told me that the Navy is going to purchase a batch of tables and chairs soon. Besides being an adventurer, I also do some business."
"I only found out when I contacted the Navy Logistics Department that they had already purchased that batch of tables and chairs."
"And Beatrice even sold this intelligence for a full 10 pounds!"
Doing business is a way for many adventurers to make money, or rather, most adventurers make money at sea by taking advantage of information asymmetry, or by looking for opportunities to get rich.
Not every adventurer is as crazy as Gehrman Sparrow.
Odis asked, "Do you know the person who sold you the information?"
"I didn't know him before the party," the man said somewhat nervously. "I just asked around, and his name is Bidis."
Moreover, he was a notorious local bully. After thinking it over for a long time, the man didn't dare to confront him, but he didn't want to suffer the loss, so he came to the "captain" to try his luck.
His anxiety stemmed from the fact that he hadn't had the "captain" check the intelligence beforehand, and he wondered if the "captain" would be willing or dare to help.
Odis stayed here to deal with similar matters.
He had realized through recent observations that exchanging intelligence in Bayam was easier than in Backlund.
Because there are many people here who want to obtain some intelligence; some are intelligence officers for pirates, while others are informants for churches, the navy, or secret organizations.
Therefore, there are many more intelligence brokers here than in Backlund, because "intelligence" is a very popular commodity here.
However, this has also spawned a large number of unethical intelligence brokers. The so-called "spirit of contract" is basically a product of the joint control of the law and violent institutions.
Most of the Roseside Islands is a lawless place, so don't expect the people here to have a "spirit of contract." To them, adventurers like the man in front of Odis, who have no background but some money, are easy targets to swindle.
Odis held an intelligence exchange meeting in Bayam to reorganize the city's intelligence industry, so he had to take charge of this matter.
This is the only way to make the intelligence exchange conference a benchmark in the industry in the shortest possible time.
Odis then asked, "Do you know where Bidis is?"
"It's said he frequents the tuna bar and is an old friend of the bar's owner," the man quickly said.
At the same time, he realized that the "captain" was in charge of this matter!
This made him very happy, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Odis stood up with great initiative and said, "Let's go to the Tuna Bar."
He said to Bazel, "You stay here. If you encounter similar situations, make them wait and help them clarify their needs. Ideally, like this guy... Oh, by the way, I haven't asked you your name yet?"
The man quickly replied, "Benny, my name is Benny."
Odis hummed in agreement: "It would be best if we could know, or at least check the other party's exact location, like Mr. Benny did."
Bazel replied, "Yes!"
He watched the captain and Benny walk away quickly.
...
In the Bayam West district, in a dilapidated local building.
A member of the intelligence exchange group, codenamed "Coconut" and whose real name is Carter, is telling the bishop about his experience attending the gathering.
The bishop of the Church of Poseidon was somewhat surprised: "He really said that? Was that a battle between 'Poseidon' and 'Sea King' before?"
Carter immediately replied, "Yes, many people have heard his description."
The bishop pondered for a moment and said, "Wait outside for a moment, I will report this matter to 'Sea God'."
After Carter left, the bishop prayed devoutly to the "Sea God" and then told the "Sea God" that someone knew about the secret battle a few days ago, as well as the intelligence exchange meeting and detailed information about the "Captain's" appearance and characteristics.
He prayed repeatedly, and after about half an hour he received a reply from the "Sea God": to send someone to every subsequent gathering.
Klein, who was in the gray fog, was initially amazed that there were many hidden talents in Bayam, and that someone had managed to figure out the truth of the matter through seemingly ordinary clues.
But when he heard that the other person was wearing a mask, he felt something was off.
After thinking it over carefully, Klein realized that this guy was very likely "Mr. Garr"! After all, he was also in Bayam, and "Mr. Garr's" other identity, "Leader," was the famous intelligence chief of Backlund.
Leaving "Above the Gray Fog" and returning to the real world, Klein came out of the bathroom and saw Danitz had returned, sitting in a chair with a glass of water in his hand, lost in thought.
"Ahem." Klein cleared his throat.
Danitz was so startled that he almost dropped the water glass in his hand.
Klein, who plays Gehrman Sparrow, asks, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Danitz chuckled. "Just thinking about what to have for dinner."
Klein stared coldly at the other person, and Danitz felt sweat beading on the back of his head: "I...I met someone with incredibly good connections today..."
Klein immediately realized: "You went to that intelligence exchange meeting?"
"Yes." Danitz immediately realized, "You…you also know about that exchange meeting?"
Klein ignored the other person's topic and said in a commanding tone, "Draw the appearance of the summoner, and note his height, hair color and pupils."
Danitz was about to ask what the madman was up to, but was silenced by the man's cold glare and obediently went to draw the portrait.
Upon receiving the portrait with the mask on, Klein, who possessed the ability of the "Faceless Man," immediately realized: This is Mr. Gar!