The Sonia Sea, Passau Island.
The summoned Blue Avenger had finally arrived at the Storm Church's headquarters, docking at one of its harbors.
Alger removed the cloth strip wound around his head, leaped directly from the ship's side, and under the embrace of the wind, landed steadily on the dock surface.
The "Grace of the Wind" potion he had newly consumed had long since been digested. The reason he did this was to make his behavioral style more aligned with the others in the church, so they would feel a sense of familiarity.
The various things he had encountered over so many years had taught Alger that most of the time, it was best to stay consistent with those around you and not appear too unconventional—especially when harboring considerable secrets of your own!
"Haha, Alger, rein in your impatience." A man who had been waiting on the dock greeted him with a laugh as he approached.
He had soft blond hair and wore a robe embroidered with lightning patterns. He was Alger's former partner, but later one chose to become a ghost ship captain, continuing to drift upon the seas, while the other returned to the clergy system.
Alger showed a smile, raised his right hand, and struck his left chest with a fist:
"May the Storm be with you."
"May the Storm be with you." The blond man in the prime of his life responded with the same gesture and a smile.
He then lowered his voice:
"I hear you've already adapted to the 'Grace of the Wind' potion?"
"Yes, it was very simple. Just make yourself fly every day, maintain a floating state, and frequently use the wind to travel between different places. You'll adapt quickly. I already sent a telegram back to report on this matter." Alger let a hint of pride creep into the corners of his eyes and brows.
The blond man glanced left and right, then maintained his previous volume:
"No wonder they recalled you.
"I hear that, because the war continues and manpower is stretched thin across the board, the College of Cardinals has decided to organize a group of 'Grace of the Wind' users to advance to Sequence 5 as quickly as possible. You should be in that batch—truly enviable. I just became a 'Grace of the Wind' myself. No such opportunity for me."
Organize a group of "Grace of the Wind" users to advance quickly… Having prior knowledge that a world war might be coming, Alger Wilson felt no sense of surprise. A single word surfaced unbidden in his mind:
Cannon fodder!
In fact, based solely on his contributions during the Banchi Port incident, Alger—who had been merely a "Seafarer" at the time—could have advanced all the way to "Ocean Singer" without obstruction. Moreover, he had been toiling tirelessly, completing who knew how many missions, and yet had only become a "Grace of the Wind," forced to wait in line for an opportunity to possibly advance to Sequence 5.
And now, without needing to do anything, he was suddenly placed on the reserve list and would soon step into the church's upper echelons. He couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Sure enough, once a total war broke open, the order that had been holding back people like us would crack apart… But the most important thing was still to survive the war. Only by surviving would everything gained have meaning… As Alger's thoughts raced, he asked with an expression of surprise:
"Seins, really?"
"I can't say for certain. Anyway, that's what I've heard. Come on, let's gather together. If you have a chance to become a High Deacon or a Cardinal later, don't forget about us!" The blond man named Seins reached out and patted Alger's shoulder.
Alger sidestepped the gesture without a trace and replied with a smile:
"Sure enough."
…………
After the exploration team brought back news that there was an ocean on the other side of the "Giant King's Court," all the residents of the City of Silver briefly fell into a state of excitement.
After two days of waiting, Derrick Berg finally received notification from the "Council of Six" to go collect the potion formula for the "Classical Alchemist."
This meant the higher-ups of the City of Silver had agreed to exchange that batch of peculiar mushrooms.
"The advancement ritual is to personally refine a 'Life Stone'… What exactly is a 'Life Stone'? There's no explanation here…" Derrick glanced at the parchment in his hand and began preparing the ritual without much concern.
In his mind, Mr. "Fool" would certainly know what a "Life Stone" was, so there was no need for him to worry on Mr. "World's" behalf.
After setting up the altar, he took out two thin metal tubes, each containing the blood of himself and a "Dawn Knight" of the City of Silver.
——The "Dawn Knight" had reached an age where his body could no longer withstand the erosion of toxins present in most foods. As everyone had foreseen, he had gradually approached the end of his life. Two days ago, his granddaughter had personally delivered the final sword strike.
Derrick had obtained the chief's consent beforehand and taken the opportunity to collect some of the deceased's blood.
As for the demonic blood that Mr. "World" needed, the City of Silver's reserves didn't currently have any, but Chief Colin Iliad said that as long as those mushrooms could satisfy some of the City of Silver's food needs, he would organize a small hunting party to patrol areas where demons were known to appear.
After placing the two thin metal tubes and the parchment on the altar, Derrick took two steps back, faced the lit candles, and began performing the ritual of offering and bestowing.
After a period of effort, a phantom gate formed by the fusion of flames and spiritual materials opened heavily, collecting the offered items and leaving behind a mass of dim radiance.
The radiance slowly faded, revealing a large quantity of mushrooms of various appearances before Derrick's eyes.
As for whether their "appearance" was strange, Derrick didn't even consider it, since he had only ever seen mushrooms once before, and those were abnormal ones at that — he simply lacked sufficient reference points.
Recalling Mr. "World's" descriptions of the appearances and functions of different mushroom varieties, Derrick quickly began sorting them, placing them into different small leather pouches.
Immediately after, unable to contain his excitement, he picked up the "Cross Without Darkness," intending to head to the Circular Tower.
But the moment his hand touched the verdigris-covered cross, he felt a slight burning sensation and a prickle of pain. It seemed as though light was seeping from within the rust, shining toward those mushrooms.
"They are evil… they need to be purified…" Derrick was momentarily confused, but ultimately decided to trust Mr. "World."
He concealed the "Cross Without Darkness," picked up "Wrath of the Thunder God," and made his way to the Circular Tower, where he met Chief Colin Iliad.
"Are these the mushrooms?" As he spoke, two complex dark-green symbols appeared in the eyes of the "Demon Hunter" Colin, his gaze sweeping across the various mushrooms — some pure white and plump, others with a fleshy, meat-like appearance.
"Yes…" Derrick began introducing them one by one.
Colin returned to normal, remained silent for a few seconds, then said:
"There is an aura of evil and impurity, but it's very faint. It's bearable.