Old Hans was busy in the shipyard with most of the non-combat personnel and ordinary sailors.
Salman, in contrast, led thirty or so main combat members to stay at an inn named the Rosemary next door.
When Byron found Salman in a separate courtyard, Salman had just furiously ejected a heavily made-up courtesan.
As the courtesan was forced past Byron, she muttered, "Pah! To ignore my charm, you must be impotent."
Byron paid no attention to her muttering, walking straight inside without a sideways glance.
After paying his respects, Byron explained the ship renovation plan, already approved by Old Hans, to Salman.
"Haha, Mr. Byron, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Although I know nothing of shipbuilding, I can see the potential in this new sail configuration. Let Old Hans and his team go for it."
"You shouldn't believe all the gossip on the ship. What's a mere position of first mate? Once the Man-Eating Shark recruits more members and seizes a second pirate ship, truly becoming a Pirate Group, you, Byron Tudor, will definitely be the first captain under my command!" Salman said.
As expected, Salman accepted the pirate ship renovation plan quite comfortably when he saw it.
However, besides offering verbal encouragement, he gave no rewards.
"The Captain flatters me; this is all my duty. All for one and one for all, glory to the collective. Compared to the greater good of the Pirate Group, what does my personal loss or gain count for? I plan to make you vermicelli with scallops, braised prawns, and lamb soup paired with dark beer tonight. Then I'll move to the shipyard to supervise the construction and ensure not a single mistake is made."
Byron, very "big-picture" oriented, readily accepted the pie in the sky Salman offered, even volunteering to take on more responsibilities.
"Right, while I have the time, I'm going to study 'Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook' again. The recipes in it have truly opened my eyes; they're even more numerous than the ones I know. So, I must excuse myself," he said.
He left after the usual respectful bow, pushing the door open to depart.
Watching Byron's retreating back, Salman, who even before nightfall began to feel intense pain, couldn't help but reflect deeply: The greater good, indeed. A real model crew member who thinks of the big picture, ten thousand times better than all the other crew members combined. The longer I work with you, the more I feel I cannot do without you. How I wish I could find another chef good enough to take your place and be consumed by the 'Cookbook,' but my Curse can't wait any longer.
Had Salman not been absolutely sure that Byron was not a Transcendent of some Sequence, he might have believed that this noble steward was actually a loyal Knight strictly adhering to all eight virtues and knightly codes.
His feelings were mixed at the moment, hoping to get the Blood of Metamorphosis soon but also wanting Byron to last a little longer. The slower he was consumed by 'Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook,' the better the quality of the Blood of Metamorphosis would be. This offered more hope of lifting him from his torment. Mr. Byron, with your consideration for the greater good, you won't blame me, right?
Regrettably, this pirate captain only poorly imitated noble manners, never learning the essence of noble scheming. He did not realize that in this world ruled by nobles, where the strong prey on the weak, only those with vested interests constantly speak of "the greater good."
If someone apparently did not look like any sort of vested interest, then he... must certainly be the "greater good"!
「Time quickly advanced to evening.」
In another corner of the Pirate Harbor, a group of people clad in cloaks left the inn where they stayed and blended into the throng of inebriated individuals on the main street. They were as inconspicuous as countless pirates lingering in places of debauchery.
Stopping by the seaside a street away from the Rosemary Inn, they hastily entered an old-looking windmill. The massive windmill rotated with continuous CREAKS, its noise thoroughly masking the low conversation of the group. They were clearly very cautious.
Upon reaching the mill's crudely constructed second floor, "Magic Mirror" West, captain of the White Crystal, immediately ordered his crew to conduct a thorough cleaning. He himself moved to the window and looked down at another building not far away.
"Point Monkey, is it over there?" he asked.
The diminutive youth, his ugly face made more sinister by a fresh sword scar, immediately nodded. "It can't be wrong. The brothers who tailed them confirmed it repeatedly: it's the Rosemary Inn, just one street away from us. The straight-line distance won't exceed a hundred meters. You can unleash the strongest power of your Spells from here."
As they spoke, the pirates they had brought with them had already cleaned the second floor spotlessly. They even used special potions to polish the broken floorboards until they shone, leaving West, who suffered from severe germophobia, completely unable to find fault.
"Alright, none of you need to stay here. Everyone leave and keep watch outside. Don't let anyone come here to disturb me while I conduct the ceremony."
"Magic Mirror" West waved his hand, ordering Point Monkey and the other crew members to go downstairs. He himself took out a canvas bag and began to set up the ritual on the ground.
The majority of Forbidden Knowledge essentially involves Ritual Witchcraft. Through specific ritual procedures, an individual's Spirituality becomes connected with a certain world law, Spiritual Bodies, unknown higher beings, or other such entities. By temporarily setting aside one's own consciousness, their Spirituality could resonate with a higher existence. This activated abilities beyond their own limits, or even those they did not normally possess.
West first used sea salt mixed with white crystal powder to draw a pentagram on the ground. Then, at each of the five points, he placed ritual candles of five colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and black. These corresponded respectively to Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and the Fifth Element—Spirit.
He also took out five bottles of essential oils from different symbolic plants and set them before him.
Wintergreen, symbolizing: protection, healing, and Demon Break.
Wormwood, symbolizing: mental strength, protection, and Summoning of Spiritual Bodies.
Skunk Cabbage, symbolizing: legal matters.
Mugwort, symbolizing: mental strength, prophetic dreams, and Starlight Projection.
Haircap Moss, symbolizing: love and hunting.
Finally, he placed a silver mirror half his height in the center of the pentagram, and knelt before it, slowly entering meditation.
When the bustling sounds of the Pirate City outside eventually ceased, the time silently approached 1 o'clock in the morning.
"Magic Mirror" West suddenly opened his eyes. The silvery Spiritual Radiance in his pupils illuminated the second floor of the mill.
"The time has come."
He took out a silver tinderbox and lit the ritual candles at each of the five points. Then he dripped the essential oils from the five herbs onto each candle's flame.
WHOOSH—!
A Spiritual Wind blew through the mill, forming an invisible barrier that shielded it from mystical scrutiny. The Skunk Cabbage, symbolizing "legal matters," took effect. Consequently, the laws of Iron Anchor Bay lost their basic surveillance power over this area.
He then took out a "blood-stained" white cloth from the canvas bag—a trophy from Point Monkey. Alcohol evaporates much faster than water. By the time the assassin, Point Monkey, had dashed to his captain, his body temperature had already evaporated most of the alcohol. The Blood of Metamorphosis and Bloody Eye Salman's blood, which had been dissolved in the alcohol, remained. Only a faint smell of alcohol was left.
Even West, who was severely germophobic, failed to notice anything amiss. After all, wasn't it perfectly normal for a pirate to smell of Rum?
He used the white cloth, soaked in rosewater, to draw a circle on the mirror's surface that carried both fragrance and the scent of blood.
The temperature of the entire second floor dropped sharply. Although the room was lit with candles, the silver surface of the mirror quickly dimmed until it was pitch black. It was as if a mass of shadows in another world behind the mirror were continuously rolling. The very scenery within the mill seemed to twist and collapse toward the mirror's surface, drawn by the candlelight as if everything was being pulled into the mirror.
West's expression remained unchanged as he recited in the runic language:
"Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me where my enemies are?"
He repeated this three times.
In the impenetrable, thick darkness of the mirror, a pair of bright silver eyes suddenly opened.
It was a Demon Spirit from within the mirror!
Just as the Blood of Metamorphosis is the core of various Blood Brew formulae, all methods of "Magic Mirror Divination" were also based on this mirror Demon Spirit.
The instant West locked eyes with the mirror Demon Spirit, he closed his eyes and his body slumped.
The effects of the other four herbal essential oils manifested one by one: Summoning of Spiritual Bodies, Starlight Projection, Hunting, and Demon Break.
Amid the rich aroma, the mirror Demon Spirit suddenly took on a humanoid form. It flickered like a skipping frame, then plunged deep into the Mirror World.
In actuality, using the Mirror World as a conduit, it had entered another mirror just a street away!