They're here.
They finally couldn't hold back.
At that moment, Derrick was surprisingly calm. He swiftly pushed the suitcase back under the bed and concealed it, then turned to glance out the window.
Right now, the frequency of lightning had dropped to its lowest—only one bolt every minute or two sliced across the sky, illuminating the air briefly. For most of the time, the entire world, including the City of Silver, was shrouded in deep darkness.
Knock, knock, knock!
Duck knocked three more times, his tone now slightly impatient.
"Even if you don't want the mushrooms, you still have to come to the gathering, right? We have something important to discuss!"
Derrick let out a quiet sigh. Even if it was about planning an expedition, wasn't that something for the exploration captains or the elders to decide? What qualification did regular team members like them have to discuss such matters?
"Just a moment," he replied, then walked over and opened the door.
"Why didn't you light a candle?"
Duck glanced into the pitch-black room, frowning in confusion.
"I was asleep just now."
Derrick stepped back into the room. As he did, he slipped one hand into his hidden pocket and loosened the wall of spirituality around the iron box containing the All-Black Eye, allowing a narrow crack to open. He retrieved a candle and lit it.
"I'm not going," he said calmly. "You can go ahead and discuss it without me."
Duck still wore a smile.
"Why not? Are you deliberately avoiding us?"
"I'm not. Don't we train together every day?"
"But that's only in public. You've never approached us in private."
Derrick replied, "But I never approached you in private before, either."
"..."
Duck was momentarily speechless. A faint bloodshot haze appeared in his eyes.
"Then you can start now. Join us. We'll give you delicious mushrooms, give you power, give you the protection of the Lord."
By the end, his arms were spread wide, his smile growing twisted and manic.
"I'll pass," Derrick refused without hesitation.
"..."
Duck's voice turned cold. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why? Why won't you join us?"
"Why? Why won't you eat the mushrooms?"
"Why? Why are you rejecting us?"
"Why? Why? Why?!"
Derrick's heart was racing, anxiety mounting. But he clenched his teeth and answered, "Because I don't want to."
As he spoke, he fully dissolved the spiritual wall around the iron box. A faint, indistinct whisper and an aura of evil and corruption began to leak subtly into the air.
In that instant, the smile on Duck's face vanished. His expression darkened, and faint streaks of crimson flickered in his blue eyes.
"What did you do?"
Derrick gripped the Axe of Hurricane tightly, his gaze calm and focused on Duck.
"What did you do?"
Duck repeated the question. His voice was losing its human quality.
"What is that thing on you?
"What is that thing on you?
"What is that thing on you?!"
Suddenly, bulges appeared all across Duck's tight black uniform—like a nest of venomous snakes slithering and squirming underneath his clothes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Bloodied fleshy tendrils burst through the fabric and lashed toward Derrick.
Prepared for this, Derrick dodged the strikes while swinging the Axe of Hurricane with full force, slicing through several tendrils. He rolled to the side, and with his free hand, made a praying gesture before his mouth and nose.
Silently, a column of flame-wreathed holy light descended from thin air, striking the writhing mass of flesh. Duck let out a scream of agony, and the blood-colored tendrils charred, snapped, and fell to the ground.
At the same moment, the candle's faint flame flared violently, transforming into a mystical and illusory door.
This was the scene Derrick had rehearsed countless times in his mind over the past few days.
With a faintly unreal creaking, the door of howling wind opened. Inside, countless indescribable transparent silhouettes floated, along with seven pure beams of differently-colored light.
Above those lights lay endless grey-white mist…and the ancient palace that loomed over the fog.
At that moment, the hidden observer in the room couldn't sit still any longer. He transformed into a black shadow and surged toward the two.
But Derrick suddenly pulled the iron box from his inner pocket and hurled it into the phantom door formed by the candlelight.
In the next second, the iron box vanished. With a clang, the door covered in strange runes and markings shut tight—and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Derrick immediately collapsed to the ground, face contorted in a frenzied expression as he fainted. From his hand, a bizarre insect fell to the floor—one with twelve translucent rings encircling its body.
Having dealt with the monstrous Duck, the observer turned his gaze to Derrick. His eyes widened in brief surprise upon seeing the strange bug on the ground.
"This is…"
———
Above the grey fog, within the towering ancient palace.
As he toyed with the All-Black Eye, Klein suddenly saw the crimson star representing the "Sun" swell with light, which condensed into a humanoid shadow. The power of the mysterious space was stirred ever so slightly.
Through the illusory door, just before it shut, Klein saw the strange insect Derrick had tossed aside—and let out a sigh of relief.
So far, everything had unfolded just as The Hanged Man had planned.
Duck's corruption would force City of Silver to re-examine the other team members.
The Worm of Time Derrick left behind would serve to make City of Silver's high-ranking figures aware of Amon's existence, while also neatly shifting Derrick's "evil god" faith over to Amon's image.
As for Derrick himself…whether he could survive the suspicion that followed would be entirely up to him.
With that thought, Klein picked up a paper figurine and tossed it toward the crimson star representing the "Sun."
"When all that can be done has been done, when every effort has been made, then all that's left is to await the will of fate. May the result be a good one…"
———
The night passed uneventfully.
By the next day, life aboard the ship had grown increasingly dull.
Granted, the White Agate did have a billiards room, a bar, and even a casino among other forms of entertainment. Klein and Edward had gone to explore these venues, only to discover they weren't particularly interested in any of them.
Well…that wasn't entirely accurate. Klein was quite interested in winning money at the casino. Unfortunately, after a few rounds, he ended up losing several soli. Sure, he could have used Beyonder powers to cheat, but since everyone onboard was just an ordinary passenger looking to relax, using supernatural abilities to win their money would have felt rather low.
So, after making the rounds, Klein returned to the deck where Captain Elland and First Mate Benjamin were lounging, and casually struck up conversation. Through small talk and leading questions, he attempted to gather more intel on Gehrman Sparrow, as well as sea rumours and legends.
As for news about "Gehrman," naturally, Elland and the others weren't about to say anything reckless in front of the man himself. But when it came to legends of the sea, even though they found it odd that the fearsome Gehrman Sparrow was asking about such things, the sight of Lilith wide-eyed and brimming with curiosity softened them up. Elland chuckled and said:
"There are plenty of legends about the sea. The most common are treasure legends, though most of them are rubbish." He laughed. "The six most famous stories are repeated the most often. Ranked first is The Death's Key. They say somewhere in the hidden reaches of the Berserk Sea, a treasure left by Death awaits someone with a special key to unlock it. But no one knows what the key looks like, or where it might appear."
"Second place goes to the Fountain of Unaging, supposedly located deep within the Sonia Sea. According to rumours, one of the Four Kings, the King of Immortality Agalito, once drank from its waters."
Lilith blinked. "Does it…taste good?"
"Uh…"
Elland was momentarily speechless. Most people would care whether drinking from it would actually make them young forever…not how it tastes. Definitely a kid…
So he laughed and replied, "That you'd have to ask the King of Immortality himself. But...that Pirate King has been around for ages. I caught a glimpse of him once, back when I served in the navy—briefly, in the Storm Strait of the Berserk Sea. He didn't show the slightest sign of ageing."
Then he grinned. "Actually, the legend I've always longed to uncover is the one about the Sunken Laurel. Over a hundred years ago, that ship was carrying millions of pounds worth of gold, jewels, and valuables the kingdom had acquired from East Balam. But it went off course and sank somewhere between the Berserk Sea and the Sonia Sea. It hasn't been found to this day."
Klein's heart raced wildly. Millions of pounds? That was a mind-boggling fortune. If I found that treasure…I'd drink one potion and throw out another—just to flex!
Edward, hearing the Sunken Laurel mentioned again, raised an eyebrow. According to the rumours, the ship was loaded with treasure, but Christine had insisted it carried the Abraham family's relics, and that Russian Priest kept pestering him to find it.
Who knows what sort of secrets are hidden in there…
Don't get curious. Don't go poking around. Nine times out of ten, it's a trap!
After thinking for a moment, Edward asked, "Mr. Elland, do you know which direction we might head in to increase our chances of running into pirates?"
"Hm? Why would you want to run into pirates?"
"Oh, well...I've always heard about Pirate Admirals and the Four Kings. Just curious, is all." He made up a casual excuse.
Before Elland could respond, Benjamin clapped Edward on the shoulder and laughed. "You young folks are always drawn to the sea, to freedom. You hear a few stories, get excited, and set sail. Then you start idolising pirate generals and the Four Kings. You're too green!"
"At the end of the day, those so-called pirate generals and kings are still just pirates. When faced with the navy's warships and cannons, they'll tuck tail and run."
"Take our White Agate, for instance. Even though we're just a passenger ship, we're equipped with the very best cannons in Loen and manned by top soldiers," Benjamin said proudly. "Even Pirate Admirals and Kings wouldn't dare pick a fight with us."
"So if you really like the sea, why not follow me, Benjamin? I'll show you firsthand how those so-called fearsome pirates panic when they face us!"
Edward smiled politely.
Clearly, Benjamin's competitive spirit had been stirred. He suddenly stood up and declared, "If you don't believe me, let those Pirate Admirals and Four Kings show up now. I'll show them how—"
His words choked mid-sentence.
He shot to his feet, expression shifting rapidly from smug to stunned, and then to pale horror. "Th-that's…"
Captain Elland burst out laughing. "Hahaha, don't tell me your jinx actually summoned pirates? Relax, even if pirates do show up, the White Agate has nothing to fear."
But sweat dotted Benjamin's forehead. "B-but…that flag…it's The Dawn, the ship of the Queen Mystic!"
"!!!"
Elland's face darkened immediately as he snapped his head toward the horizon.
There, several nautical miles away, a ship had silently appeared—its black hull faintly tinged with hues of yellow. Painted upon its vast sail was a radiant sigil symbolising the dawn.
The other people on deck began to stand up as well, some stunned, some confused, others terrified. While the ship itself wasn't especially large compared to the White Agate, the pressure it exuded was even more intense than any Loen warship.
After all, it was the flagship of one of the Four Kings—the personal vessel of the Queen Mystic.
Klein's nerves instantly tensed. His hand instinctively moved toward his gun—only for him to pause. Wait, that's not right. Not only is the Queen Mystic technically one of my followers now, but given her connection to Edward…there's probably nothing to worry about.
Edward, meanwhile, looked genuinely puzzled. That really is Bernadette's ship? Even if she's returning to her palace, isn't this a bit over the top? Why bring her flagship here just for that?
Benjamin finally snapped out of his daze and tried to flee, but Elland grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?!"
"I—I'm going to raise the alert! Prepare for battle!"
Elland's face was grim. "You don't seriously believe the White Agate can stand up to the Queen Mystic, do you? Send orders—cease all resistance immediately!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Benjamin bolted away.
By now, both the passengers and crew had noticed the Dawn. Most of them didn't recognise the ship or know who the Queen Mystic was—but they did understand that a pirate ship was approaching. Panic, screaming, and chaos erupted across the deck.
Lilith asked curiously, "What's wrong with them?"
Elland moved quickly, trying to calm everyone down. "Don't panic! Remain calm! Everyone return to your cabins immediately. Leave the rest to us—I promise no one will be harmed!"
As he barked orders, he motioned for the crew to maintain order and sent his officers to communicate with the Dawn using signal flags.
Meanwhile, Klein whispered, "What's going on?"
Edward shook his head. "I have no idea either. In any case, stay alert."
Soon, all the passengers had been ushered back into the cabins. Only Captain Elland, his officers, Edward, Klein, Lilith, and several dozen crew members remained on deck, nervously watching the Dawn approach.
It was then that they noticed another ship trailing behind it—a smaller pirate vessel.
When the two ships drew within seven or eight meters, the Dawn came to a halt. A middle-aged man wearing spectacles stepped out onto the bow. With a courteous smile, he called out, "My apologies for the disturbance!"
He swept his gaze across the deck and asked, "May I ask—who is Mr. Edward?"
Shff!
Elland, Benjamin, and the rest turned to stare at Edward, their faces filled with astonishment.
Edward stepped forward, puzzled. "That would be me."
The middle-aged man smiled. "I am the First Mate of the Dawn. I've been sent by Her Majesty, Queen Mystic herself…to deliver a few gifts to you."
———
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