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Upon reaching the beach, Bugs Bunny eagerly leaped from Leyton's shoulder, only to be swiftly caught in mid-air by Leyton.
"Wooah~ Boss, put me down!" Bugs Bunny flailed his four legs in the air, struggling.
"Don't get yourself covered in sand, or you'll have to walk back by yourself later. I'm not letting you perch on my shoulder all dirty," Leyton said, lifting the hand holding the rabbit a little higher.
"Alright, fine, but I still want to taste the seawater!" Hearing the threat of walking back to the hotel, Bugs Bunny finally stopped struggling.
"That's simple," Leyton said softly.
Bugs Bunny felt something was off and was about to say something when he was thrown out by his boss. A chubby rabbit in a black cloak arced through the air, landing in the nearby waves.
Leyton then scattered a handful of iron-black powder into the air, chanting a spell. An invisible giant hand steadily caught Bugs Bunny as he fell towards the sea.
Bugs Bunny, who had been frantically flailing his paws in the air from fright, found himself caught by an invisible hand. He skillfully straightened his disheveled clothes, pretending as if nothing had happened.
He then lay down and, with the help of the invisible giant hand, took a sip of seawater.
Leyton saw expressions of vivid panic and regret on his rabbit's face. Bugs Bunny lay on the invisible giant hand, spitting continuously.
Leyton controlled the invisible giant hand, lowering Bugs Bunny a little. Bugs Bunny, still spitting, was startled and immediately jumped up, cursing in rabbit-speak on the surface of the sea.
Only when the spell was about to expire did Leyton control the invisible giant hand to send Bugs Bunny back.
"Does seawater taste good?" Leyton asked, suppressing a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Wooh~" Bugs Bunny covered his mouth and shook his head frantically.
Leyton brought the dispirited rabbit back to the hotel room. Bugs Bunny hugged a water cup in the room, drinking incessantly, wishing he could swap out his mouth.
After resting for a night, Leyton and Bugs Bunny boarded the ship and set off early the next morning.
This ship was only passing through Desi Bay; the final destination was the Southern Continent. Leyton planned to stay in Desi Bay for a few days to determine Admiral of Stars's range of activity before taking another ship. Leyton felt that relying solely on the Beyonder characteristic Convergence was not very reliable.
The day after the ferry left Seville's dock, the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence failed to attract Admiral of Stars's Future, but a group of pirates was indeed attracted.
Leyton gazed at the ship approaching the ferry he was on, its sail adorned with a large skull and cutlass emblem.
"These pirates are quite flamboyant, but why do I have no impression of this pirate group? The information I got from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom doesn't seem to mention them either?" Leyton pondered, leaning against the ferry's deck railing.
"Don't worry, this is just a small pirate group. Our Steamship is the most advanced; its speed at sea is far beyond what these pirates, using ancient ships, can match," a hearty voice came from behind him.
Wearing a shirt and vest underneath, a black trench coat over it, and a semi-tall silk top hat, he looked like a very fashionable gentleman with a pair of blue eyes that seemed to hold wisdom and knowledge.
Leyton politely greeted the man, then casually asked, "Lenberg native?"
"Oh? You can tell even that?" The fashionable gentleman showed a hint of surprise.
"Just by looking at your eyes, it's quite easy to discern. Of course, if you wore glasses, it would be even more obvious," Leyton said, his gaze sweeping over the man's blue eyes.
"Haha, it seems I might have to learn to dress like you young people!" The fashionable gentleman said with a smile.
He then added, "My name is Mr. Russ Coral, a merchant from Lenberg. What should I call you?"
"Al Tines, a scholar currently traveling around," Leyton said naturally, stating his temporary identity.
"I thought you were traveling with an elder; you're not much older than my child," Mr. Russ Coral said with slight surprise.
"Boom!" A loud explosion from inside the cabin interrupted their conversation, and the Steamship's hull vibrated slightly.
Bugs Bunny instinctively hugged Leyton's pant leg, nervously looking around.
"Father!" A slightly panicked female voice came from the crowd nearby.
A mature and charming lady, dressed as a noblewoman, approached with a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. The little girl's blue eyes bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Mr. Russ Coral's.
"The Steamship is slowing down. It seems some pirates have boarded with us," Leyton keenly noticed the Steamship's speed beginning to drop, as if it had lost power.
"No wonder they dared to plunder with such an ancient pirate ship," Mr. Russ Coral said, his tone a bit angry.
"It seems we've run into big trouble!" Mr. Russ Coral exclaimed, looking at the once again chaotic crowd around them.
"Father, we'll be alright, won't we!" The young girl seemed to already know what was coming, anxiously tugging at her father Mr. Russ Coral's hand.
Mr. Russ Coral gently patted the girl's head, calming her unease.
"I'm here! Nothing will happen!" Mr. Russ Coral softly told his daughter and wife.
"Wooh~"
Bugs Bunny impatiently tugged at Leyton's pant leg.
Leyton, as if sensing something, activated his Spirit Vision. A group of undead were rapidly passing through obstacles, floating towards the ferry's aft deck.
"Why are there so many undead on this ship?" Leyton muttered to himself.
After gazing at the aft deck for a moment, Leyton bent down, pulled Bugs Bunny onto his shoulder, and walked towards the aft deck.
"Are you going to look for a lifeboat? That area is most likely already controlled by pirates. I'll go with you; there's more hope with more people," Mr. Russ Coral said, seeing Leyton preparing to leave towards the aft deck, and quickly spoke up.
Leyton was silent for a moment. Following that group of undead would most likely lead to a fight.
"Didn't you hire bodyguards to accompany you?" Leyton turned around and asked.
Mr. Russ Coral gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "No, this isn't a freighter. I originally just wanted to take my family to Desi Bay for a trip first, and then depart with the freighter."
Leyton nodded in understanding. This could only be considered bad luck. The shipping route from Feynapotter to Desi Bay was actually quite safe. Leyton had previously thought of inquiring about Admiral of Stars's news only after reaching Desi Bay, not encountering a pirate ship here.
"Do you have firearms? Or, can you protect the two ladies behind you?" Leyton changed the question.
The thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl clung tightly to her Mother's embrace. Mr. Russ Coral turned back and gave them a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, if I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have suggested going together to find a lifeboat," Mr. Russ Coral said.
"Hmm, be careful. There's a high probability of danger over there," Leyton nodded.
Since the other party was confident, Leyton felt that looking for a lifeboat along the way was also acceptable. If they couldn't deal with these pirates, they would truly have to flee for their lives.
Following the traces left by the undead, Leyton led Mr. Russ Coral and his family closer to the ferry's aft deck.
"Father, it's so scary here!" The little girl whispered, tugging at her father's sleeve.
"If you feel uncomfortable, you can go to a sunny spot and bask in the Sun!" Leyton told the three people behind him.
There were traces of a large number of undead gathered here. The lingering cold and the erosion of death aura would make ordinary people feel uncomfortable.
A ghastly-faced undead, with damp marks on its body like someone who had drowned, abruptly emerged halfway from the lower deck of the cabin.
"Ah!" The little girl screamed in fright.
This terrifying undead was less than half a meter away from her, almost hitting her face.
Mr. Russ Coral and his wife, who quickly turned around, only saw a black shadow suddenly emerge from the ground and then disappear.
"There's a ghost!" The little girl's voice was full of fear.
She pointed in the direction where the undead had just appeared, then threw herself into her Mother's arms, telling her parents.
Leyton's brows furrowed. That undead just now didn't seem like an ordinary one; it was very likely an undead formed after a Beyonder's death. It had already reached the Sequence 8 level.
Leyton took out a handful of grey-black Sunflower powder from his jacket's inner pocket. As if sensing danger, the undead aura that had been gathering suddenly stopped.
"This group of undead has a leader, or a manipulator!" Leyton secretly guessed in his heart.
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