LORD OF THE MYSTERIES: THE LUCKY ONE

While patiently savoring the marinated meat, Alice kept her ears perked, listening to the conversations of other patrons in the restaurant.

At the harbor's eateries, the most common patrons were not pirates, adventurers, or sailors, but rather passing tourists and wealthy merchants.

As for those other types of people… Alice pondered briefly and quickly understood: they were more likely found in taverns and casinos than in proper restaurants.

So, harbor taverns were probably more dangerous… Wait, did that mean they might also be more lucrative?

Alice blinked twice, recalling the church's wanted notices.

Then, she remembered her pitiful combat skills and silently lowered her head.

Alright, it seemed that path to quick riches wasn't for her. A better option might be to gamble at the casino… No, if she won too much, she'd surely attract trouble from the casino itself, wouldn't she?

Alice quietly covered her face with her hands.

In other words, if she wanted to earn money through gambling, she would need to constantly switch casinos and control how much she won at each one… Too complicated. Not worth it.

She might as well fantasize about the "Sunken Laurel"!

According to legend, over a century ago, this ship was loaded with gold, jewels, and other treasures acquired by Loen from the East Balam region. Unfortunately, it veered off course and sank somewhere in the Furious Sea or the Sonia Sea, remaining undiscovered to this day.

It's said the cargo onboard was worth millions of pounds.

From what Alice knew, Loen had recently started selling noble titles. A baronetcy—essentially a rank just below baron—cost a mere 300,000 pounds, while a barony itself was 800,000 pounds.

In other words, if someone successfully salvaged the "Sunken Laurel," they'd be able to afford at least a baron title, possibly even a viscount or earl title!

Moreover, this ship wasn't just filled with treasure—it was liquid wealth worth millions of pounds!

This was entirely different from owning assets worth millions. Just look at Miss Justice. Most wealthy people only owned fixed assets, and their actual liquid cash wasn't as abundant as one might think.

Injecting millions of pounds of liquid cash into the market could cause inflation in Backlund.

If the invisible hand of the market couldn't rein it back in, and the state failed to intervene effectively, Loen would face the risk of an economic crisis… No, stop, stop thinking about this!

Alice quickly interrupted her own chaotic thoughts and focused on another question.

In her memories, such treasure-laden, sunken ships weren't uncommon in her era. But things were different now. This was an age of Beyonders and True Gods.

If the Laurel hadn't been found after over a century, there could only be one explanation: the rewards of retrieving it weren't worth the effort.

Alice believed that finding and salvaging a shipwreck through supernatural means wasn't difficult. If it still hadn't been found, there had to be something wrong with it—something unusual, perhaps even dangerous.

Maybe there was some kind of cursed artifact onboard… Hmm, it sounded like a hidden quest or secret dungeon. Complete the prerequisites, trigger the quest, and you could earn massive rewards…

Alice suddenly found herself intrigued. She coldly sliced another piece of marinated meat and popped it into her mouth, using the spices that spread through her palate to sober herself up.

…Stop thinking about it like that!

Successfully reigning in her wandering thoughts, Alice refocused on the special marinated meat before her.

She succeeded, but also failed.

As slice after slice of marinated meat disappeared, Alice began to feel somewhat full, leading her to ponder another question:

Could high-sequence Beyonders eat without worrying about overeating? Or did any pathways grant abilities related to this?

Hmm, the Thief pathway might work, right? Could Amon steal the food from her stomach?

Alice found herself missing Amon again but quickly snapped out of it, cutting off this dangerous line of thought. Other "Thieves" might just steal the food, but Amon? No way. He'd steal her entire stomach. Or maybe just the gastric lining, leaving the stomach acid to eat away at the rest.

Wait, did Amon study biology or anatomy?

Alice blinked twice, realizing her question was redundant. Even if Amon hadn't studied it, as long as the knowledge existed in this world, she had no doubt Amon had stolen it.

…In that sense, wasn't Amon essentially a walking encyclopedia?

Amon, the Encyclopedic Thief, remained blissfully unaware of these musings.

Finally finishing the marinated meat, Alice reluctantly left the restaurant.

After the incident in Bansy Harbor, all ships traveling from Pritz Harbor to Bayam followed a standardized route. These passenger ships usually stopped at Damir Harbor and Tiana Harbor to replenish fresh water and supplies before reaching Bayam.

At this thought, Alice paused mid-step, recalling the significantly pricier inland food on the menu and comparing it to the meals typically served on passenger ships. Her mood turned a bit complex.

Even without maritime experience, Alice quickly realized that not all ships would have fresh food like the Saint Fran onboard.

If a ship couldn't dock every few days to restock supplies, the shelf life of its food would become a critical factor.

Alice shuddered at the thought of surviving solely on compressed biscuits, salted meat, dried fish, and canned food for extended periods.

Sure, she understood that the sea itself could serve as a food source if necessary, but that wasn't much better, was it?

Gazing toward the docks, Alice murmured to herself:

"If only the fish in the sea came in many flavors…

"Like milk-flavored fish, beef-flavored fish, bread-flavored fish… All sorts of flavors.

"Kind of like genetically modified organisms… But can GMOs even do that? I don't think so, at least not as far as I know.

"Speaking of which, the Mother Goddess of the Earth can create hybrids, right? I wonder if she could make that happen…

"If she could, eating would become like opening a mystery box. You'd never know what the next bite would taste like… Hmm, that sounds fun!"

Alice felt a spark of excitement at the thought but quickly dismissed it, happily heading back to the ship.

As for local specialties? Those were something to consider on the return trip.