Fog Sea.
Edwina was true to her word. After waiting a full hour for Christine, she gave the order to set sail, heading west—she planned to return to Lenburg for a while.
She sat in the captain's cabin with a thick book open on her lap, flipping through its pages. Red-haired Helene rested her chin on one hand by the window, staring out at the endless ocean with an expression of sheer boredom.
Suddenly, Edwina sensed something and looked up. The next second, both Phoenix and Edward simultaneously stepped out of the spirit world and landed on the Golden Dream.
The sudden appearance of someone new caused the crew to tense up immediately. But once they saw it was Edward, First Mate Bru Walls broke into a grin and said, "Well, well, long time no see, Mr. Sparrow. Looking for Danitz? Too bad—he got off the ship a while ago and hasn't come back since."
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Where'd he go?"
"Said he was off to 'play the Conspirer.' Didn't mention where exactly."
"…Guess that whole incident really left a mark on him," Edward shrugged. "But today, I'm actually here to see Captain Edwina."
"The captain?"
Bru Walls immediately grew more alert. "What for?"
"What for?"
The seven or eight nearby crew members who had been working immediately surrounded him, glaring with open hostility.
Edward: "..."
Damn. I really can't with this ship full of simps.
"Mr. Gehrman!"
A surprised voice called out. It was a young man—little Carlo, the one whose bones had once been shattered head to toe. He ran up with a look of excitement, then bowed deeply. "Thank you, sir. Thank you for killing that bastard Senor. Thank you for saving me!"
Faced with his adoring gaze, Edward could only offer a few encouraging words before striding into the captain's cabin.
Before Edwina could say anything, Helene blurted out, "When can I get off the Golden Dream?"
"Uh…"
Truth be told, Edward had completely forgotten about her.
Seeing her now reminded him of Vice Admiral Ailment—Tracy. Last time, she'd had Alger deliver intel about the Demoness Sect to him, which had indeed been helpful.
And as for her desires, there were really only two:
First, to become a man again.
Second, to find Helene.
Thinking of this, Edward said, "Have you considered giving Tracy another shot? She actually treats you quite well."
"…"
Helene's eyes went wide. "No!"
"…Fine. Then the next time the Golden Dream docks, you can leave."
"What?"
Edward added, "But think about it—if you still plan to wander the seas, you won't find many places safer than this ship."
She bit her lip. "But if I don't have freedom, what's the difference between being here and staying with Tracy?"
"…Whatever makes you happy."
Edward motioned toward the door. "I need to speak to Captain Edwina about something."
Helene turned on her heel and left, making sure to shut the door behind her.
Edwina looked at him curiously. "You're a Traveler now?"
"That's right."
"…"
Even with her typically stoic demeanour, Edwina couldn't help but be shocked by Edward's rapid progress. How long had it been? When they last met, he was still just a Sequence 7. And now, barely a month later, he'd risen two whole levels?
This kind of advancement was unheard of.
"You…You are sure you fully digested the potions before advancing?"
"Of course. I'm very fond of my own life, you know."
Edward then pulled out Groselle's Travels. "I've figured out the secret of this book."
Edwina's gaze sharpened.
"This was created by a high-sequence Spectator. How high? As high as you can possibly imagine."
He continued, "On the surface, it's just a book—but within, it contains an entire world. If someone keeps it for long enough or gets their bodily fluids on it, they'll be pulled into that world."
As he spoke, he flipped open the book and pointed out the figures other than Groselle. "These people were all drawn into the book over the past few millennia. Each time someone enters, a new page is added to record their story."
"In other words, when you enter the world inside, you become a character in the book and must join the protagonist, Groselle, on an adventure."
Edwina listened quietly. When he finished, she asked, "So…some of these people have been in there for thousands of years?"
"Not necessarily all of them."
"And there's no way to get back out?"
"There is. You just have to follow the protagonist to the end of the story. Once you reach the conclusion, you're free to leave."
Edward flipped to the back of the book. "There are still a few blank pages left. We'll need a few more people to enter."
Edwina pondered for a moment. "When do you plan to go in?"
Edward gave an apologetic smile. "Might be a while. A certain Angel of the Spectator Pathway seems to have plans for this book."
And that was indeed the truth. Even though he'd shaken off the influence of the Mind Dragon thanks to Bernadette's help, he didn't need to guess to know that "He" still had other tricks up "His" sleeve.
Edwina didn't seem disappointed. "I understand."
"I'll be heading back to Lenburg soon," she added. "Looking into more clues about that painting. If I find anything, I'll let you know."
Edward quickly thanked her. "I really appreciate it."
"Oh, and if it's not too much trouble," he added, "could you also help look into whether any members of the Edwards family from Roselle's era left behind clues…maybe something pointing to a 'Primordial Island'?"
"Sure."
She agreed so readily that Edward felt a little guilty. So, he offered, "Uh… is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"Knowledge. Any kind of knowledge."
For those on the Reader Pathway, it was almost a given that they enjoyed preaching or teaching others. But the precondition to doing so was possessing knowledge that surpassed others. Their desire to pursue knowledge was in no way inferior to that of a Mystery Pryer.
Edward thought for a moment and said, "Are you interested in information about the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
"Of course!" Edwina's eyes lit up. "You know something about it?"
"To be honest…I just came back from there."
"?!!!"
She was stunned again.
Wasn't that a place even deities couldn't touch?
And yet Edward was saying…he just came back from there?
Her first instinct was disbelief. It couldn't be true.
But then again, Edward had no reason to lie to her about something so absurd.
She took a deep breath and, in a rare show of humility, sat like a student and said, "Please go ahead."
——
Outside the captain's cabin.
A group of overly curious crew members—who also wouldn't dare get too close—were racking their brains trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside. What were Edward and the Captain talking about?
Yet all they saw was…Edward pulling out a blackboard, explaining something with chalk in hand.
And their Captain—Edwina Edwards—was sitting upright, seriously taking notes like a student.
Everyone froze.
In their minds, it was always their captain doing the teaching. When had someone else ever taught her?
Suddenly, Orpheus burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, I get it now! I get it! If you want to conquer the Captain, you first have to conquer her with knowledge! From this day forward, no one bother me! I'm going to start studying seriously!"
Everyone around him looked as if they'd been enlightened.
Helene leaned against the railing, rubbing her temples helplessly.
What is wrong with these people's brains…?
But in her heart, a thought surfaced, Maybe Gehrman was right…Staying on the Golden Dream might really be the best choice for me.
———
Woooo—
With a long, deep whistle, the steam train pulled into the Tingen City station, trailing black smoke behind it.
Klein jumped down from the train, suitcase in hand. After nearly two months, he had returned—but this time, in a completely different appearance. Even if he stood in front of Benson and Melissa, they wouldn't recognise him.
Yes.
Just the night before, he had successfully advanced to Sequence 6: Faceless.
Although he had already decided to take on the identity of a traveller and head out to sea, he still hesitated and chose to make a stop in Tingen. But even now, he hadn't fully decided whether to reveal himself to his brother and sister—or tell them the truth.
Previously, he had been afraid that a miraculous "resurrection" would only bring them trouble.
Now, he felt that simply being a Beyonder was enough of a burden in itself.
But Edward's words had a point—if this world were truly peaceful and harmonious, then Benson and Melissa could live safe and happy lives as ordinary people. That wouldn't be so bad.
But…was the world truly peaceful?
Were ordinary people really safer than Beyonders?
Not necessarily.
Take the smog catastrophe, for instance. Its origins had nothing to do with ordinary folk.
Just a mad emperor's attempt to become a god…
Just a witch trying to digest her potion…
And thousands of innocent people lost their lives without ever knowing why.
And at times like that, only Beyonders even had a chance at survival.
Could another Backlund-level disaster happen in Tingen again?
No—it almost had.
Tingen had already faced a similar disaster in the past, and it was only thanks to the Nighthawks that it had been averted. If not for them, who knew how many people would have died?
As that thought deepened, Klein felt the scales in his heart gradually tipping.
He gripped his suitcase tighter and followed the crowd out of the train station.
——
[Daffodil Street]
Klein once again arrived at this familiar yet now strangely distant street.
All around were rows of connected townhouses with polygonal, four-sloped roofs. The exteriors were a dull bluish-grey, with tall chimneys rising up from them.
He still remembered how happy his whole family had been when they first moved here—full of joy and hope.
Finally escaping the lowest rung of society, they were ready to begin a better life.
But because of Ince Zangwill, all of that had been destroyed.
This time, before he could even exact his revenge, Ince had taken the initiative and killed him first.
Thinking about this, Klein clenched his fingers tightly.
Before he realised it, he found himself standing in front of Unit 2.
The wooden door was just a few meters away…yet his feet felt like they were filled with lead.
Maybe…maybe I should wait a little longer?
Footsteps approached from behind. Then a familiar voice said, "Hello, sir. May I ask who you're looking for?"
Melissa stood before him, a basket in her arms filled with long loaves of bread and some vegetables.
She'd probably stopped by the market after school.
Melissa, why didn't you take the public carriage again…?
The question almost slipped out.
Klein forced a small smile. "Yes, I'm looking for someone…"
"Who?"
Melissa added, "I know most of the people who live around here—maybe I can help."
She glanced down at the basket. "But please be quick…I still have to get home and cook dinner."
At that moment, Klein took a deep breath, removed his hat, and spoke in his original voice:
"Melissa…I'm home."
"!!!"
The basket slipped from her hands.
Melissa stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.