Edward wasn't some emergency responder. He wasn't about to go rushing off to help every person in trouble.
"You know where you just went?"
"Tiana Island," Phoenix replied.
Edward fell into thought.
"All right, then I need you to go find Edwina and tell her what's going on with the blond guy."
"Okayyy~"
Lilith had been watching the spot where Phoenix vanished. Now she turned to Edward and asked, "Edward, when can I travel through the Spirit World too, like it does? Just go wherever I want?"
"Uh…"
That detail hadn't been explicitly explained in the original novel. But the Demoness of Unaging Katarina, a Sequence 3, did seem able to use mirrors to teleport—maybe that counted as a kind of Spirit World traversal?
So he replied, "Probably not until Sequence 3."
Lilith immediately pouted.
"Ugh? That's gonna take forever and ever and ever."
"Why not try learning Apparition in the meantime?"
"I tried. It's soooo hard…"
Edward pulled her close and smiled. "Then just wait until I finish digesting this potion and don't have to 'drift around' anymore. Wherever you want to go, I'll take you. If I can teleport, then it's basically the same as you being able to teleport, right?"
The little one turned her head away with a hmph.
"Yeah, right. I don't believe you. Even after you digest Sequence 5, you'll still have Sequence 4. And after that, Sequence 3. You're never gonna be free…"
Lilith spoke like a kid whose dad was always too busy with work to spend time with her—and had heard one too many "next time, I promise" excuses.
Edward pinched her cheek.
"Even if I have to keep playing roles nonstop, I can still carve out some time, right? Want me to sign a contract with you right now?"
Lilith shook her head.
"No need~ Then Miss Lilith will believe you one more time."
Just then, a thought struck her.
"Wait a sec—if that bird can travel through the Spirit World, couldn't we use it to make a teleportation artifact?"
"???"
Phoenix, who had just poked its head out of the Spirit World, froze mid-flight—uncertain whether to keep emerging or retreat entirely.
This evil little cat!
All I did was steal one steak from you a long time ago…and now you want to turn me into a magical item?!
Edward rapped Lilith lightly on the head and said to Phoenix, "Don't listen to her nonsense. What did Edwina say?"
Phoenix huffed, "She said she doesn't know either. The blond guy just told her he was going ashore to begin his Conspirer roleplay. They haven't been in contact since."
"I see."
Edward stretched lazily and then waved Red-Hair over. The man quickly scurried up.
"Mr. Sparrow, sir! You called?"
"You said your boss is Fire Fist Ace?"
"Yes."
"You sure about that?"
Red-Hair hesitated.
"I…I don't know for certain. I was just following orders from above."
"'Above'? Who's that?"
Red-Hair's expression turned conflicted.
Edward said coolly, "Do I need to use my powers again to force a proper answer out of you?"
Panic flashed across Red-Hair's face.
"I—I'm a follower of the Church of the Sea God. I only became a pirate captain by chance. Not long ago, I suddenly received an order from the Church. We were told to claim allegiance to either Gehrman Sparrow or Fire Fist Ace—and to stir up as much trouble as possible."
The Church of the Sea God?
But their "god" was just a Sequence 3 sea serpent driven insane…Why would they give such an order?
"Why?"
"I don't know. But I heard I wasn't the only one. There are others. Word's spreading across the seas that Gehrman—you, sir—are forming a fleet to become the next Pirate Admiral."
Edward was speechless.
So this is the plan you all cooked up for me, huh?
If he had to mingle in the pirate scene, he'd at least aim for Fifth Pirate King status. Pirate Admiral? That was a bit too…weak.
"You know where Tiana Island is?"
Red-Hair nodded quickly.
"Yes! It's not far from Bayam."
"How long to get there from here, at best?"
"Five or six days."
Edward raised a brow.
"That long?"
Red-Hair gritted his teeth.
"Four days! We can make it in four!"
"I never said I was going there." Edward waved a hand. "Go on, back to your duties."
But Red-Hair didn't leave. He hesitated, then spoke cautiously, "Mr. Sparrow…there's something I didn't tell you."
"Oh?"
"Before you captured me, I sent a signal to other Church of the Sea God's pirate ships in nearby waters. They…might show up soon."
Edward's eyes lit up.
"Oh? And what kind of reward do you want for that?"
"???"
Red-Hair was stunned.
"Can you still contact others from the ship?"
"Yes!"
Red-Hair explained, "With a live sacrifice, we can get a response from the great Sea God. We use the fish in the ocean to relay messages."
"And how do they pinpoint your location?"
"Same thing—through sacrifices. The fish help lock in the position."
Edward rubbed his chin.
"So your Sea God is actually pretty useful. It's like having a divine GPS on this vast, endless ocean."
Sea God Navigation—always at your service, huh?
Red-Hair had no idea what Edward meant but laughed along nervously.
Edward suddenly chuckled.
"You being so honest…means you don't plan on returning to the Sea God Church?"
Red-Hair was quiet for a long moment.
"I…I just want to stay alive."
I don't want to die.
I've learned the potion formulas from Sequence 7 to 4 on the Hunter Pathway. I know the incredibly rare Acting Method. I've heard so much priceless occult knowledge. If I can just stay alive and grow stronger, I could do far more than any high priest of the Sea God Church!
"All right." Edward nodded. "Then next, I only need you to do one thing—keep offering sacrifices to your Sea God nonstop. Use them to summon every pirate you can reach in the surrounding area."
"Use tempting bait. Things like: a sunken ship full of gold, ancient ruins, a fat merchant vessel loaded with cargo…anything that'll get them to come."
"As for the sacrifices? Feel free to use those pirates outside."
Red-Hair clenched his fingers tightly.
"I…I understand."
"Go."
Edward watched Red-Hair grab another pirate and head into the hold, then muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like… my behaviour's starting to look a little not like a good guy's?"
Lilith chimed in instantly, "You shouldn't be a good guy!"
"Why?"
"Because good guys get bullied by bad guys!"
"Hmm. That's…very reasonable."
"Exactly!"
"But that's still not a good reason for you to become a bad kitty!"
"Okaaay…"
Krismona had always told Miss Lilith never to be a good person.
But now Edward wouldn't let her be a bad one either.
So…should she be good or bad?
Sigh…
Being a cat was hard. Miss Lilith let out yet another sigh.
———
Aboard the Nameless.
Early the next morning—
Klein was woken by the sharp, panicked scream of a woman.
Something had happened.
But he wasn't surprised at all.
It felt just like those detective novels he used to read. When a bunch of people were gathered together—especially on a journey—things going too smoothly was what felt unnatural.
Klein got dressed, put on his hat, and wrapped a thick scarf around his neck. Before stepping out, he lightly flicked a coin.
It landed with the numbers side up. No danger.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw a crowd gathered about six or seven doors down. Three or four bodyguards stood around the entrance, peering into the room with shock on their faces.
Klein became alert and walked over slowly. The bodyguards automatically parted to let him through.
"What happened?" he asked casually.
One of them answered grimly, "Miss Adelaide from Room 6…is dead. It was Miss Olivia, who came to wake her for breakfast, who found her."
"What was the cause of death?"
The guard hesitated.
"…Hard to say."
Klein entered the room and saw Aldrich bent over beside the bed, examining the body. Klein walked up and, upon seeing the corpse, finally understood the expressions on the guards' faces—and why the cause of death was "hard to say."
The body lying on the bed had skin as pale as ash, completely bloodless. What should've been soft, youthful skin was now shrivelled like tree bark, clinging tightly to the bones. It was a mummified corpse—her skeletal face still frozen in the terror of death.
Aldrich straightened up.
"Every drop of her blood was drained."
"Drained?" Klein echoed.
"Mhm. Look here."
Aldrich stepped aside and pointed to the visible bite marks on the corpse's neck.
Klein raised an eyebrow.
"Done by a vampire?"
He'd heard of vampires long ago. And he'd met Emlyn, a self-proclaimed member of the 'Noble' Sanguines, through the Harvest Church.
Through their interactions, Klein had come to understand that the vampires living in Backlund had long since reached a mutual agreement with the Church and the state: feeding was allowed, but never at the cost of a human life.
He hadn't expected to encounter what seemed to be a vampire murder while out at sea.
Aldrich shook his head, expression heavy.
"What worries me is—if it was a vampire, then it's likely still among us…and could strike again at any moment."
"Do you have any suspects?" Klein asked.
Aldrich gave a bitter smile.
"No idea."
Klein thought for a moment, then said, "From what I know, even when vampires feed, there's no need to drain someone dry and kill them. This seems excessive."
"Please step outside and keep watch. I'll see if I can find more clues."
"Understood."
Aldrich nodded and swiftly exited, closing the door behind him.
Klein clicked his teeth together lightly, activating his Spirit Vision.
"Just as I thought. Her spirit has already dissipated."
Thankfully, this wasn't a real detective novel—he didn't have to go around gathering clues and solving the case the hard way.
Klein stepped back a few paces, pulled out the appropriate ritual materials, and after a series of incantations, he sat down amid the cool air and distant fragrance surrounding him, softly chanting:
"The cause of Miss Adelaide's death."
"The cause of Miss Adelaide's death…"
As he chanted, Klein slowly sat down on the sofa.
His eyes turned black, and he leaned back, swiftly slipping into a trance.
In the hazy, illusory world, he saw Miss Adelaide lying quietly in bed. Perhaps due to the stuffiness of the room, she'd pushed aside the blanket, revealing her thin nightgown and a large expanse of pale skin.
Just then, the door creaked open silently. A shadowy figure entered and suddenly lunged onto her, one hand covering her mouth while the other bit into her carotid artery.
Blood gushed, and the figure drank greedily.
As Adelaide's blood drained away, her life force faded rapidly. Her once-soft and supple skin shrivelled at an alarming rate until she became the mummified corpse now lying on that bed.
The shadow stood up, then turned to reveal its face—blood still dripping from the corners of its mouth.
It was Olivia.
The vision shattered.
Klein's eyes flew open as he awoke from the dream.
Olivia—the same woman who had approached Edward aboard the White Agate, one of the two women who had come to him voluntarily. She was also the blonde Klein had seen exiting the cabin during his infiltration the day before.
And now…she was also the first to "discover" Adelaide's corpse.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.