Odis was slightly taken aback, not expecting that it was "Red Gloves" who asked him for help.
He said, "Please tell me, and if it is within my ability, I will certainly provide the corresponding assistance."
Dean smiled and nodded. Odis didn't mention payment, but first said he was willing to help, which made him look good in front of his peers.
"Wait a moment," he said. "I'll go and invite the 'Red Gloves' men in."
The "Red Gloves" members from Backlund were in the carriage outside, listening to their conversation with a sealed artifact, which is why Bishop Dean was so satisfied with Odis's reaction.
Soon, a young man with black hair and green eyes, who was very handsome and wearing a black trench coat, followed Bishop Dean in.
It was Leonard Mitchell, a young member of the "Red Gloves".
Odis had met him once when he was in Backlund.
The other person smiled and asked Odis, "Should I call you Gandalf the Wizard, or 'Chief'?"
Odis held out his hand: "We're at sea, you should call me captain."
The two men burst into laughter and shook hands.
Bishop Dean, standing to the side, was slightly taken aback: "You two know each other?"
"We met once before," Leonard said. "The wizard… the captain made a deep impression on me."
Odis smiled and said, "Please sit down."
Then he said to Bazel, "Go and close the door. We won't be receiving any guests for now."
"Yes." Bazel, who went to close the door, was surprised that the captain knew a member of the "Red Gloves."
At the same time, he asked the servants to go out first and personally made tea for Leonard and the others.
After the group sat down again, Leonard said to Odis, "Bishop Dean said before that you are well-informed and have a ship, so we thought of asking you for some help."
The Church of the Goddess of Night has almost no power on the high seas; if they encounter trouble at sea, they usually ask the Church of the Storm for help.
However, the Church of Storms is not always able to provide timely assistance. For example, this time, they did not have enough captains and sailors of sufficient caliber to help Leonard complete his mission, so they suggested sending a pirate ship to provide assistance.
Bishop Dean then recommended Odis and his "Argo" to them.
The news that the Argo had wiped out the Red Lion pirate crew had spread throughout Bayam. Undoubtedly, the ship was powerful enough to provide assistance to the Red Gloves.
Instead of using a pirate ship with ties to the Church of Storms, it would be better to use a ship from Odis, which has a partnership with the Church of Tranquility.
Others might not know that the captain of the "Argo" was the same "captain" who held the intelligence exchange meeting, but Bishop Dean knew, because he was well aware that Bazel was now Odis's first mate.
After learning that the captain of the "Argo" was the "leader," Leonard agreed to Bishop Dean's suggestion, and that's how they came here together.
Odis asked, "What exactly do you need me to do?"
Leonard briefly explained, "We've received concrete information that 'Iron Hand' Balk is plotting a conspiracy against the Rothschild Islands, and we hope to stop him."
Odis pondered for a moment before asking, "Why not leave this to the Church of Storms?"
"Iron Hand" Balk is also a "great pirate," and it is said that his flagship is a ghost ship. According to some information obtained by Odis, his strength is close to that of a "pirate general."
For pirates as difficult to deal with as these, the "Red Gloves," who are not skilled in naval warfare, could simply hand the case over to the Church of Storms.
But they didn't do that, and they weren't even willing to wait for the Church of Storms' help, which was very unusual.
Leonard considered for a moment and then said, "We hope to ask Balk a few questions in person."
Odis nodded in understanding. It seemed that stopping Balk's plot was just a side matter; their main goal was to obtain some information from Balk.
Then he asked, "Is it okay to ask questions using 'psychic' methods?"
"I doubt he would have answered our questions willingly while he was alive," Leonard chuckled.
"That makes things easier," Odis said.
The task becomes more difficult if the goal is to capture the enemy alive.
Odis took a sip of tea, considered for a moment, and then said, "According to the information I received last week, Balk seems to be active near Norhaus Island. I wonder if he is still there this week."
At the last intelligence exchange meeting, Odis learned roughly how Balk was located through an intelligence deal.
"All we know is his location from two weeks ago," Leonard said, shrugging. "That's where we need your help; we can't pinpoint his exact location now."
Odis grunted in agreement and said to Bazel beside him, "Go to the 'Sea Lion Bar' and ask Pas if he has any updates on the 'Skull' pirate crew."
The leader of the "Skull" pirate crew is "Iron Hand" Balk.
Perth, who frequents the "Sea Lion Bar," has access to the corresponding channels on Nohaus Island.
Through two intelligence exchange meetings, Odis had gotten to know most of Bayam's intelligence dealers and knew roughly what channels they had access to.
Bazel agreed and immediately went out.
After the door closed again, Odis said, "I'm willing to help, but I have two conditions."
Leonard nodded and said, "Go ahead."
"First of all, if this operation involves naval combat, I will be in command," Odis said.
"No problem." Leonard was quite agreeable: "After all, you're a professional."
"Secondly, all the spoils from this operation are mine, and you will need to help me collect the corresponding reward."
Leonard immediately agreed: "No problem, but there are some extraordinary features that we hope to purchase with gold pounds."
Odis took a sip of tea: "That's all."
Leonard and Bishop Dean were both taken aback. They had thought that the "captain" would take the opportunity to ask for some other compensation that the Church of the Goddess of Night would have to pay.
Odis didn't mention it at all because it was a favor, and it would be pointless to bring it up now.
That way, when they need to repay favors in the future, they will be even less likely to refuse.
After agreeing on the ownership of the spoils, Odis opened the nautical chart: "My ship is expected to reach Chacker Island this evening; we have some business to attend to there."
"Nohaus Island is northeast of Chacker Island, which does not conflict with this operation. We will stop there briefly and then head to Nohaus Island immediately."
"If we sail through the night, we expect to reach the relevant sea area by tomorrow morning and search for the 'Skull' pirate crew based on intelligence."
This was Leonard's first time at sea, and he didn't see anything wrong with the arrangement.
Bishop Dean sensed something amiss: "So fast?"
Odis smiled and said, "I've heard that ships that can enter the spirit world are even faster than this."
For example, the "Black Emperor" can almost offer a "one-day tour of the five seas".
The Ghost, which Odis had just captured, could only temporarily hide in the Underworld. Sailing in the Underworld would be quite dangerous due to the lack of adequate protection.
Or rather, most ghost ships don't have the capabilities of the "Black Emperor".
Bishop Dean assumed Odis was reminding him that his ship was a ghost ship capable of fast navigation, so he simply said "Oh" and didn't say anything more.
After roughly planning the route, Bazel returned: "Captain, it is said that yesterday morning, the 'Skull' was spotted in the eastern part of Norhaus Island."
"Furthermore, Pass also provided information that there are rumors that the 'Skull' pirate crew has a secret base near Norhaus Island."
Odis nodded: "It seems that if we patrol around Nohaus Island, we should be able to find them."
Then he asked Leonard, "Did you come by yourself?"
Leonard replied, "There are two other colleagues."
When can we set off?
"We can set off right now."
After thinking for a moment, Odis said, "You can choose to come aboard with me now, or you can choose to have me pick you up tomorrow morning."
"Let's get on board now," Leonard said. "I hope to get some time at sea beforehand to get used to it."
Although he has a rather easygoing personality, he can become serious when it comes to making sufficient preparations.
"Alright, please have your two colleagues come in." Then Odis said to Bazel, "Get ready, I'll pick you up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Yes." Then, Bazel took the opportunity to report: "The bounty will be collected tomorrow. I have already contacted my former subordinates, and they have already started working for 'Dawnbreaker'."
Odis nodded: "Give them small bonuses regularly, and this money will come from the pirate crew's public funds."
At this point, Odis felt she should find someone to manage her money.
As he has more channels to spend money and uses more funds, he can't possibly keep his own accounts, can he?
It would be possible to hire professional accountants, but Odis is now a pirate, and his income and expenditure are illegal. It is unknown whether the accountants will be obedient.
Odis felt that she should find a trustworthy person to watch over her money, so that at least the finance staff would not dare to falsify accounts.
After a brief chat with Bazel, Odis brought Leonard, along with his two colleagues (one male and one female), to the Argo's workshop in two separate trips.
Next, Odis led the three of them to the restaurant and called over all the crew members to introduce them to each other.
Leonard and the others greeted the crew while glancing out of the corner of their eyes at the "extraordinary puppet" busy in the kitchen.
They had never seen such a "puppet" before and were very curious about it.
After a brief chat, Odis arranged for them to stay in the crew quarters and had the boatswain Salina give them a tour of the "Argo".
The three members of the "Red Gloves" came up to the deck and saw the boundless sea. They immediately felt as if they had just entered another world.
At that moment, Leonard noticed the "Ghost" behind them: "That's..."
"That's the ghost ship we just captured!" Salina introduced. "Now we have a fleet."
Leonard glanced at the large ghost ship: "Didn't the newspapers say that 'Red Lion' Taylor's flagship was destroyed?"
His colleague Eve said, "I did hear some new information this morning that 'Dawnbreaker' has defeated the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew."
"That's right, we did it!" Salina chuckled.
Leonard was slightly taken aback and glanced at the ghost ship behind him again. He hadn't expected that the "leader"... or rather the "captain" was so powerful!
Meanwhile, Odis, in his studio, first went to the "wilderness of knowledge" and used the "time bonus" there to prepare the materials needed for "The Scroll: From Beginner to Expert".
Then he returned to the real world and designed the "Land-based Extraordinary Machine Gun" and the "Land-based Spirit Wave Cannon" to protect Cruise Island.
Since it is "land-based", it has a larger space and can therefore be more powerful.
However, with the "Extraordinary Potion Production Line", Odis's design philosophy changed. Since he had many extraordinary properties that were not in use, he could try equipping them on those weapons.
With this idea in mind, the power of the "Extraordinary Machine Gun" could be made even greater.
The theory of "Extraordinary Machine Gun" is actually similar to that of "Flaming Arrow". After gathering spirituality, normal spirituality is compressed and transformed into extraordinary cannonballs using a magic array.
Currently, the "Extraordinary Machine Guns" on the "Argo" and on the ships built for the "Elemental Dawn" represent the limits of Odis's previous research.
At that time, Odis was somewhat stubborn and wanted to solve any problem with spirituality.
Now Odis's thinking suddenly expanded: since this world has extraordinary characteristics, there must be a reason for its existence, and its existence cannot be ignored.
This made Odis realize a problem: perhaps the combination of extraordinary characteristics and living beings is the root of all chaos and instability.
As for the "Lingbo Cannon," it was the most crucial part of all of Odis's research.
It is also the most cutting-edge application of spirituality. Even the scholars who had been studying with Odis for over a month during the "Elemental Dawn" period did not understand the principles behind this weapon.
In fact, the theory of the "Spirit Wave Cannon" is similar to a "nuclear fusion reaction". Odis uses a magic circle to compress spiritual energy to a certain degree, and then releases it suddenly after firing it a certain distance. The spiritual energy rubs against the molecules in nature, producing a violent explosion.
The reason why the "Spirit Wave Cannon" currently only has such great power is because Odis's magic circle can only provide such great pressure.
If the pressure is greater, the power can be even greater; perhaps one day we can actually create an "extraordinary nuclear bomb".
While its power cannot be increased further, it can be developed in a direction that makes it more portable.
Odis is currently trying to design a small "spirit wave cannon" that can be operated by three "extraordinary puppets" and carried all over the world.
While its power is certainly not as great as the "Lingbo Cannon" on a ship, it can easily destroy a fortress or city wall.
Before the "Craftsman's Pocket Watch" existed, Odis would have had difficulty designing these things. With the addition of this magical item, Odis now possesses the corresponding abilities.
By 5 p.m., Chacker Island could be seen in the distance.
Odis summoned all the crew members for an early dinner. Leonard sat at the table and asked, "Do you have any plans for later?"
"Yes," Odis said. "You don't need to lift a finger; just sit in the entertainment room and play cards."
Leonard then asked, "Can I watch from the sidelines?"
"That's possible." Odis took a bite of bread. "But I won't be responsible if you get hurt."
Leonard laughed and said, "We'll protect ourselves."
Odis dipped his bread in the soup, then took a bite and asked, "How does it feel to be on the sea?"
"The boatswain knows the sea very well," Leonard said. "Old Mr. Iritz's nautical lessons were also very engaging."
Currently, besides a few navigator trainees like Ilzer, the only other people on board are Odis, Cleveland, Salina, and Boris.
Boris was afraid that his hard-won opportunity to become a crew member would be lost, so he kept his mouth taped shut.
Cleveland was a man of few words, and the navigators were busy with classes and lectures, so only Salina took the initiative to describe life at sea to the guests.
Leonard added, "I originally thought that as a captain, your daily task was to drink coffee and chat with the crew. I didn't expect you to be so busy."
"That's just an ordinary captain," Odis remarked. "The ability to 'travel' sounds great, but it keeps you constantly busy."
"I haven't finished here yet, and I have to get busy over there. In the end, I don't have any time at all."
"It's better to be on an ordinary ship. Once you're out at sea, you won't get any news. That would be much more peaceful."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Salina, shoveling her steak into her fork, said, "In that case, I'd envy those who can get news from the shore anytime."
Odis smiled and said, "Indeed, humans are indeed insatiable creatures."
Leonard took a sip of coffee: "Your conversation has suddenly risen to a philosophical level."
Salina was taken aback: "Really?"
Leonard was suddenly unsure whether to put down his coffee or take another sip.
After a simple dinner, the bustling port could be seen from the deck. Odis then used "travel" to fetch Second Officer Rupert and Neuer and ordered them to prepare for battle.
Because the island hosted a large number of pirates every day, the "Dawnbreaker" fleet did not attract much attention.
However, many people noticed this fleet because just a few days earlier, the "Dawn Sword" pirate crew had set off from here, and on that same day, news of "Red Lion" Taylor's murder reached this place.
The fleet did not immediately enter the port, but instead lined up in front of the port.
Everyone immediately understood what they were up to and quickly left the dock to hide.
At this moment, in the bridge of the Argo, Odis, sitting in the captain's chair, ordered: "Fire three shells at the open spot on the dock."
The "extraordinary machine gun" on the bow was repositioned and fired in bursts toward the dock.
It was only then that Leonard belatedly realized and said, "You're going to rob this port."
"Yes," Odis said, "Pirates, of course they have to look like pirates."
Leonard paused. He had thought he was quite easygoing, but suddenly he felt like he had encountered an even more easygoing pirate crew.
They had been talking a good game before, and they often fought pirates, giving Leonard the impression that this pirate group was an unofficial force of the Church of the Goddess of Night.
But the sudden robbery seemed to remind Leonard that he was on a pirate ship.
However, Leonard still had to remind him: "You want to... rob someone in front of an official Extraordinary?"
"Don't worry, I have no penchant for killing ordinary people," Odis said. "It's just that some things are easier to obtain by robbery."
At this moment, the coastal defense guns on Chacker Island began to return fire, and for a time the sounds of gunfire and explosions were incessant.
But they soon discovered, to their embarrassment, that the coastal artillery shells were just out of range of the Argo.
In fact, the most advanced coastal defense guns currently available have a longer range than the "Extraordinary Machine Gun," but this is, after all, an island outside the main shipping lane, and is not equipped with the most advanced coastal defense guns at all.
There's no need to equip them, because such coastal defense guns are sufficient to deal with pirate ships.
Odis, in the driver's cab, continued to give orders: "Fire both guns simultaneously, fire freely, and destroy all the coastal defense guns."
Leonard saw that the "extraordinary machine gun" on the bow of the ship had been repositioned again, firing three shots in quick succession.
After firing three shells, they adjusted their position and fired again.
The explosion was then heard from the shore, indicating that a coastal defense gun had been destroyed.
Chaotic shouts came from the shore, and Leonard saw that the people on the coastal artillery positions were fleeing their posts.
But the "extraordinary puppet" did not stop attacking. Explosions continued, and the shore was quickly disarmed. At this point, the port defense team's white flag had only been raised halfway.
Odis immediately ordered, "Sail into the harbor!"
This order surprised even Leonard: "This...this is too risky, isn't it?"
Odis smiled confidently and said, "Let them use whatever they're capable of."
He had previously gathered a lot of information about the port from the bar here, and after taking a stroll around the port, he was almost certain that there were no demigods in a port of this size.
There might be Sequence 5s, but the mayor of this city doesn't have the power to hire them. Most of the Sequence 5s here are just passing through; they won't bother with these things unless the shells hit them.
As for the pirates in the port, there's even less to worry about. They're probably already itching to make their move, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to rob some more.
As the fleet entered the port, the entire city descended into chaos, with everyone scrambling to escape.
Just as the Argo was approaching the dock, a wall of fire suddenly came from the shore, but was blocked by the Argo's protective shield.
Odis ordered, "Fire at the target in short bursts!"
Bang~ Bang~ Bang~
As several shells were fired, a figure suddenly emerged from the source of the wall of fire, his body engulfed in flames, nimbly dodging the shells.
"These are extraordinary individuals hired by the mayor," Odis said, putting on his gloves. "Rupert, you're in charge here. I'm going to fight them."
"Captain, do you need our help?" asked Cleveland, the combat captain.
At this moment, several extraordinary individuals ran towards this side, indicating that this port had hired more than one extraordinary individual.
"No need," Odis said, putting on his metal gauntlets. "We're not here to kill."
As soon as he finished speaking, a phantom door appeared beside him.
Odis opened the door and went in. The next second, he appeared next to the man on the shore who was covered in flames. He swung his fist, which was covered in metal gauntlets, and sent the man flying.
"Harvest!"
The flames on the man's body suddenly went out, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, indicating that he was seriously injured.
"Imprison!" Odis immediately raised his gloved hand, "imprisoning" one of the charging extraordinary beings, and then rushed forward: "Death!"
He sent that extraordinary individual flying again, leaving him severely injured.
At this moment, Odis had already rushed close to several extraordinary individuals. Only then did these extraordinary individuals realize the strength of their opponent, and they all dodged to the side, preparing to launch a siege.
Odis suddenly threw an "explosive scroll" at his feet and used the "travel ring" to enter the spirit world.
Boom!
The massive explosion sent several extraordinary individuals flying, and even the hardened dock collapsed.
Leonard, who was watching from the deck, was stunned. The "Captain" was stronger than he had imagined, and he already had the strength of a Sequence 5!
The extraordinary one who was covered in flames just now should be a Sequence 6 "Conspirator," and the second one who was knocked away should be at least a Sequence 7.
Those who were blown away, some of whom fainted on the spot or needed emergency treatment, should be "low-sequence" extraordinary individuals, while the two who still had the strength to avoid vital organs should be "mid-sequence" extraordinary individuals.
In less than ten seconds, all of the opponent's extraordinary power was eliminated.
Leonard recalled the process of blowing up the coastal defense guns and felt that it was a waste of the "captain's" talent to lead the "Sword of Dawn" to raid such a port.
Up until now, Leonard has shown no intention of stopping them, because he has also realized that the "captain" adheres to the principle of not killing if possible.
The battle has raged on for so long, and although it looks very intense, at most only a few artillerymen have been injured.
At this moment, Odis reappeared on the dock and shouted, "Tell your mayor that I would like to ask him for a favor."
The injured extraordinary individuals thought to themselves: Should we ask the mayor for help with the cannons?
"What do you need, Captain Gal?" A round-faced middle-aged man in a formal suit walked quickly, followed by several armed guards.
Odis asked, "Are you the mayor?"
A thin layer of sweat had already formed on the other party's forehead. He had witnessed the strength of the "Dawn Sword" pirate crew, which was even more powerful than the "Great Pirates".
It should be noted that with the defensive capabilities of Chacker Island, even the most notorious pirates wouldn't dare to rob it.
At the same time, the mayor also noticed that Captain Gal did not seem to have any intention of killing, and only came over after hearing that the other party had a need.
Odis asked, "Do you have a construction crew here?"
The mayor was taken aback: "Wh...what?"
Leonard thought he'd misheard: "Construction crew?"
Odis patiently repeated, "Do you have a construction crew here? You mean the kind that builds houses and repairs roads?"
"Yes...yes..." The mayor had never heard of a construction team being robbed before, and he didn't react for a moment.
"Three construction teams, hmm, not too big, but they need to have all the trades." Odis seriously stated his conditions, thinking to himself, "You've never seen anyone robbed at the feet of a robber!"
The mayor finally realized what was happening: "Okay, okay."
He quickly said to a guard standing nearby, "Go to the city government and tell them that Captain Gal needs three construction teams that are not too large, but have all the necessary skills."
Odis nodded in satisfaction: "Are there any teachers in the city who teach grammar and mathematics?"
"have!"
"Two of each," Odis said.
The mayor nodded and then said to a guard, "Go to the city government again and find two grammar teachers and two math teachers."
Odis then asked, "Are there architects and road designers?"
The mayor thought for a moment and said, "It seems like we don't have that, but I can ask around for you."
Odis nodded in satisfaction: "Send someone to ask. You wait here for a while."
The mayor knew he was being held hostage, but after learning Captain Gal's demands, he didn't panic. He quickly ordered his guards to carry away the wounded extraordinary individuals and directed them to maintain order.
Odis shouted loudly to the fleet behind him, "'Ghost', dock!"
The mayor was taken aback: "Isn't the 'Ghost' the flagship of the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew?"
Odis took out his pipe, stuffing it with tobacco as he said, "The 'Deep Blue' pirate crew will no longer exist."
"Gulp~" The mayor swallowed hard: Where did this pirate crew come from? They took down two major pirates in just two weeks! And they even dared to rob a small city with coastal defense cannons and protection from extraordinary individuals!
Odis rubbed his thumb and forefinger together to light his pipe: "I remember there were a few brick kilns and a small cement plant on Chacker Island, right?"
On the high seas, these small cities have a lot of construction needs, and it's impossible to transport all the construction materials from other islands.
Especially for cheaper bricks, if they are transported from other ports, it would be better to spend money to hire a few craftsmen who know how to make bricks.
The mayor seemed to realize that Captain Gard's intention was: "Yes...yes."
"You now occupy Chacker Island?"
"That's right." Odis nodded. "In a while, I will also need a brick kiln and a cement plant. Prepare the necessary manpower, and I will transport them there in a few days."
The mayor gave a wry smile, feeling that these people wouldn't be able to come back alive after they left.
But he couldn't risk offending a powerful "pirate" for the lives of a few dozen laborers and workers, so he immediately agreed.
Odis then talked about metallurgical plants, steel forging plants, and other factories, which relieved the mayor, because only Bayam had such factories.
And "Dawnbreaker" would never go to Bayam to steal players.
Odis was already planning to send Bazel to Bayam to scout out the location and prepare for the kidnapping.
A dozen minutes later, the construction team members were brought in one after another by the guards, followed by a group of family members crying and shouting to see them off, and the dock was immediately thrown into chaos.
Odis put away his pipe and shouted, "If anyone causes trouble at the docks, I'll take him with me."
The family members who came to see him off quickly left the dock and stood at the port, weeping.
Next, four young teachers were brought in, followed by a family: a construction engineer from Backlund who was vacationing in the Rothschild Islands and his family. They had disembarked for dinner on a passenger ship that was passing by Chacker Island, and were subsequently arrested.
After everyone was put on the ship, Odis shook hands with the mayor: "Thank you for your help."
The mayor was both amused and exasperated: "Of course, of course."