A well-proportioned, handsome, and extraordinary young man, who looked like a rich young man, stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror as tall as a person, adjusting his clothes leisurely and calmly, with a faint smile on his lips.
From bottom to top, he is wearing casual leather shoes, dark grey trousers, a brown leather belt, a plaid shirt, and a short leather jacket. He looks very young and lively.
"Sir, the car is ready."
A gentle and respectful voice came from the side. An old man with a mustache and wearing a neat suit stood upright next to the young man, looking like a butler.
"Ah."
The young man nodded silently, and walked out of the villa accompanied by the old housekeeper. His steps were leisurely, and it didn't seem like there was anything important.
Passing through the gate of the villa's front yard, he took the hat handed to him by the butler and put it on, then stepped steadily into the dark green three-wheeled closed light carriage parked at the door.
After sitting firmly on the bench, he said "go" to the coachman, and the exquisite carriage slowly moved along the elegant and quiet community path, accompanied by the sound of warm-blooded geldings and hooves and the watchful eyes of the old housekeeper.
As it was still dark and there were no lights on in the car, the light inside the car was very dim. The young man leaned against the wall of the car, his hands resting on his knees, his eyelids closed, as if he was resting his eyes, and he looked very relaxed.
The wooden wheels rolled over the paved roads in the villa area, the asphalt roads in the civilian area, and the rammed earth roads outside the city. As the sky gradually brightened, the dark green carriage arrived at a block outside the Lookout City.
With the driver's whistle-like sound calling the horses, the three-wheeled carriage stopped in front of a store that looked like a shop.
Above the open door, there was a wooden plaque nailed to it with the words "Mana Tide" inscribed on it.
Get off the car and walk in. There are already several people in the store who are dressed like waiters busying around. When they see the young man, they all stop what they are doing and bow to him:
"Mr. Shattuck, you are the first one to arrive."
The young man called "Mr. Shatak" smiled and nodded, walked past several service staff who continued to work, and went deep into the "Mana Tide" store.
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It’s the last day of March, please give me your monthly vote~!
The school is closed, so I can’t go home for Qingming Festival...
Chapter 404 Meeting and Answers
He passed through several doors and walked down several corridors until he came to a rectangular room.
The place was brightly lit and candlelit, with a simple long wooden table in the center and armchairs on either side.
There is also a high-back chair with armrests on the top of the wooden table, but it is larger and made of more high-end and luxurious materials, with soft and delicate cushions and carved patterns.
At first glance it looks like a meeting room.
At this time, there was no one on either side of the long table. Old Mr. Shattuck walked to a chair near the top and sat down, crossing his legs and waiting quietly.
Ten minutes later, people started to enter the room. They were dressed differently, some were well-dressed in suits and ties, and some looked like ordinary laborers, some even wearing muddy and old boots.
There were more than ten people, men and women, young and old.
But they have one thing in common: when they see old Mr. Shattuck as soon as they enter the door, they will all salute him, but their etiquette varies. Those who look decent will do a very standard hat-taking and bowing, while those who are dressed casually will just smile and nod.
However, it can be seen that among all people, Mr. Shattuck has a very high status, and almost everyone has high respect for him.
About twenty minutes later, two-thirds of the seats on both sides of the long table were occupied.
Then, a waiter appeared at the door. He bowed respectfully to the dozen people in the room and said humbly:
"My Lords, you may begin now."
After saying that, he took a few steps back and gently closed the door.
Old Mr. Shattuck, who was sitting closest to the top, leaned back on his chair, propped up his hands in front of him like a tower, looked around for a while, and smiled calmly:
"Well, without further ado, let's continue with our last topic."
Following his magnetic words, everyone present focused their attention on this young-looking man.
His seat was on the right hand side of the top seat, and the seat opposite was empty, and the gorgeous and high-end high-back chair was also empty.
It is obvious that he has the highest status among the current participants.
The scene was silent for a few seconds, and then a gentleman in a suit with a beautiful mustache sitting at the back spoke up:
"Yeke's fleet has completely lost contact two days after entering the 'Raging Seas'. I'm afraid it's in danger.
"However, we have foreseen this possibility in advance, and the additional land team we sent out has already bypassed the Twilight Sea and is about to enter the territory of the Star Confederation.
"If nothing goes wrong, they will arrive at their destination in a week at the latest and begin formal preparations for crossing the 'Mountains of the End'."
Old Mr. Shattuck nodded without changing his expression. He slowly turned his neck and cast his gaze towards a fat middle-aged man next to the gentleman with the mustache.
Noticing his gaze, the middle-aged man said with a slightly awkward look:
"Everything is going fine in Tucson. Based on our experience last time, we estimate that we will be able to prepare a sufficient amount of 'Golden Keys' in less than half a month. Including the time for transportation...if we rush, it won't take more than a week.
"After the team sent by Mr. Nightmare arrives at the destination, they will have to set up camp and hire men and followers. This will take about two weeks, which is just the right time."
After he finished speaking, he nervously glanced at Mr. Shattuck's face, and found that the handsome young man was still staring at him. His fat face immediately broke out in sweat, and he no longer tried to hide his feelings, and hurriedly added:
"Well, you told me to find Tucson before the meeting to ask about the situation... But, due to some unexpected events, I was unable to catch up... In order to attend the meeting in time, I, I didn't go to find him...
"I am very sorry, sir, please punish me..."
"Confirm as soon as possible after the meeting to ensure that there are no surprises and no time is wasted."
Old Mr. Shattuck said without a word, ignoring the fat middle-aged man whose cheeks were burning because of the unfinished task, and turned his eyes to the third person:
A worker with dark skin, thin body and ragged clothes.
The old worker with wrinkled face smiled shyly and said a little uncomfortably:
"Sir, I have completed all the work you asked me to do. More than 80% of the workers have accepted the book you sent them and said they would take a closer look after returning home... But since we can't read a few words, I don't think many people will actually read it..."
"It's okay, just accept it."
Discussions and presentations like this were staged one after another in the spacious and bright conference room. The seated participants reported to Mr. Shattuck one by one on the status of their "tasks", some of which were completed successfully, while others encountered obstacles.
If someone observes their behavior and words carefully, he will be surprised to find that this small meeting of more than a dozen people has members from a wide range of classes.
From ordinary nobles to wealthy businessmen, craftsmen, adventurers, mercenaries, navigators, lower-level priests, and even farmers, workers, guild helpers and other lower-level people are all on the list.
It is not limited to the citizens of the Templar State. There are several people who are obviously from the Glorious Plantagenet Empire. There are also citizens from major countries in the human world such as the Cresto Dynasty, the Star Confederation, the Menjie Kingdom, and the Linked Islands.
It can be said to be the embodiment of all living things in the human world.
These people, who may not have much chance to interact with each other in society or even have fundamental conflicts, gather together at this time and carry out various activities step by step and in an orderly manner under the command and arrangement of the same person.
From the perspective of common ideas in today's society, such scenes seem extremely grotesque, even to the point of blasphemy.
If the ruler of the country saw such a scene, he would certainly be furious and arrest all the participants on charges of treason.
As for Mr. Shattuck, who was at the center of it all, he just listened silently most of the time, occasionally asked questions, inquired about some details that the other party did not mention, and announced the next work.
Everything seemed in good order, like a sophisticated and complex machine, running steadily under the control of a certain center.
However, none of the dozen people present noticed...
A petite figure wearing a long black cloak and with flowing black hair was sitting on a high-backed chair at the top of the long table with her arms folded across her chest, silently watching their every move.
"The End Mountains..."
Qi Ji, who was in an "invisible" state, with his slender and well-proportioned legs crossed and his feet dangling in the air slightly, was listening to the orderly discussions and stories of the crowd unilaterally.
The doubts that had accumulated in his heart were gradually answered one by one. His delicate and beautiful eyebrows were no longer wrinkled, but gradually relaxed:
"So the Gray Forest where Hill is... is somewhere on the other side of the 'Mountains of End' in the east of the northern continent? And to enter that land, one must rely on the power of the divinity of the 'Dawn' realm?"
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It’s the first day, please give me your monthly vote!
There is another chapter at 8pm.
Chapter 405 Sea Adventure!
Qi Ji was able to find this place thanks to the magical skill of divination.
She certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to look for him among the millions of people in Lookout City based on a name that was obviously a code name, but in the absence of a divination medium, it would be difficult to directly find out the whereabouts of "Mr. Shatak" through this method.
However, after contacting scholar Tucson, she got a new clue...
If you want to do "divination", you must have a "medium", and the "medium" of divination is generally a physical object that has a certain connection with the target. The deeper the connection between the two, the more detailed and realistic the result of divination will be.
So… if this “Mr. Shattuck” wants to deliver the antidote to Tucson, there must be a way, right? For example, sending someone to transport it.
In this case, as long as we use Tucson's body tissues - hair, dandruff, etc. - as a medium for divination, we will definitely be able to find out who sent the antidote to him.
Then find that person and repeat the same trick, using his body tissue as a medium for divination, and obtain information about his superiors...
If we continue to trace back along this thread, theoretically it won't take long to find the guy at the top.
"But that's about it."
Qi Ji, who was sitting at the head of the long table, saw that this mysterious meeting was coming to an end, so he stood up lightly, walked out of the meeting room with them, and left the "Mana Tide" along the corridor.
It was as if she was a participant in the meeting.
During the whole process, "Old Mr. Shattuck" just sat in his original position with an elusive smile on his lips. He watched more than a dozen people leave without making any sound, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking in his heart.
Qi Ji did not think that the young man called Mr. Shatak was the supreme leader of the Order of Saint Xudela.
After all, judging by the seats at the conference table, there should be at least one person of equal status to him. In addition, don't forget the high-backed chair at the top that was occupied by Qi Ji but should have been empty.
However, Qi Ji did not secretly intercept the hair or dandruff from Mr. Shatak's body for divination as he did before, so as to obtain higher-level intelligence information.
Because when she saw this young man, she realized...
This guy is not simple.
This "not simple" is not to describe his strength, but Qi Ji subconsciously discovered that he is very likely to have the protection and blessing of a divine being.
It is similar to the situation of the former leader of the Church of Life, the top magician Bona: he accepted the protection provided by one or more divine beings. If someone attempts to divine or communicate with him, it will attract the attention of that divine being.
For Qi Ji today, this kind of "protection" is not impossible to break, and she can complete the divination without alerting the divine being, so before leaving, she still quietly pulled a small piece of hair from old Mr. Shatak.
but……
"Since we already know where to go next, there's no need to rush to uncover the final piece of the puzzle, right?"
After putting the small piece of hair into the storage subspace, Qi Ji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing an excited and slightly naughty smile:
"You just said you didn't have time to sail... Is the opportunity coming soon?"
She walked along the sidewalk toward the center of the city, and at dawn she came to a familiar street and stopped in front of a bustling five-story Western-style building.
Looking up, a plaque with the words "Hai Lan Guild" engraved on it is clearly visible.
——She returned to the Adventurer’s Guild in Lookout City.
The End Mountains, located in the east of the Northern Continent, are the eastern border of the Eastern superpower "Star Confederation" and the limit of human footprints and influence in the East so far.
Starting from Lookout City, if you take the land route, you must first cross the Great Forest of the East and enter the territory of the Glorious Plantagenet Empire, then follow the curved coastline of the Dusk Sea to bypass this inland sea, and then head east across the territory of the Star Confederation to reach the foot of the End Mountains.
The entire journey is nearly tens of thousands of kilometers, and it needs to pass through the territories of three major human world powers: the Templar State, the Glorious Plantagenet Empire, and the Star Confederation. It can almost be said that the entire human world is traveled.
In addition to the fatigue from long journeys, the troubles one has to face along the way include various cross-border inspections, checkpoints, exploitation by feudal nobles, etc., not to mention the dangers of bandits, alien species, monsters, getting lost, etc. along the way.
If an ordinary caravan does not have its own armed forces that can compete with the principality's army, there is a 99% chance that it will lose contact if it continues on this journey.
Even if nothing unexpected happened, with the strength of an average packhorse, it would take at least half a year to complete such a long journey.
In comparison, traveling by sea saves a lot of time.
Starting from the port of Lookout City, heading east along the coastline of the southern coast of the Northern Continent, crossing the strait of the Dusk Sea, and sailing less than 500 kilometers, you can directly reach the capital of the Star Confederation located in the coastal area - the "City of Steel".
This place is only a few days away from the End Mountains.
It is summer now, and westerly winds prevail in the southern sea of the northern continent. This is an extremely favorable factor for the voyage of sailing ships. The voyage from Lookout City to the Steel City usually does not take more than a week.
Of course, for Qi Ji, whether by land or sea, it would not be so troublesome. But since there is a chance to experience a sea voyage full of the atmosphere of the classical Age of Exploration, why not do it?
Thinking so, she stepped into the guild gate and went straight to the order panel amid the noisy conversation.
That’s right, she wanted to take a commission regarding the “Lookout City-Steel City Route”!
Facing the densely packed poster board, Qi Ji's eyes quickly scanned and suddenly noticed one of the commissions:
[Commission Difficulty: Level 3
[Client: Captain Mary, who is temporarily staying at No. 2, 3rd Floor, Card 11, 3rd Street, Harbor, Waterfront District.
[Commission content: Ms. Meili's two-masted light sailing ship "Challenger" will set sail on the 30th, heading to the "Steel City" of the Star Confederation to purchase local mineral specialties and sell sugar and cotton produced by the Holy Church. It is estimated that the outbound journey will take five to seven days at sea, and the return journey will also take five to seven days. During this period, it will stay in the Steel City for about three days. Now a righteous warrior or righteous mage is needed to escort her and her merchant ship.
