Puning Port.
Without that "Eye of the Goddess" present, the remaining members of the Red Gloves squad were, in the eyes of a group of playwrights, practically running around naked, free to be "painted" however others wished.
Even though Hastur, the very target of their investigation, was right under their noses, they were completely unable to detect him.
Hastur couldn't be bothered with them and focused instead on handling port affairs.
Some time ago, Duke Southville, pressured by Backlund, had handed over three ports to Hastur. If the Southern Continent were to launch an attack, these three ports would most likely become the battlefield.
To manage things properly, Hastur personally took charge of Puning Port, while assigning others to guard the remaining two.
Reclaiming command authority over the port garrisons went smoothly, after all, few people here dared to defy Duke Southville's orders.
With authority in hand, Hastur's first move upon taking office was to cut half of the garrison.
Most of these soldiers were unfit for use; new blood was needed.
Once things stabilized, he planned to eliminate another portion.
As for who to remove first, it was simple. Start with basic physical tests, then follow with a written exam. Combining both would roughly distinguish who needed to go.
Considering that compulsory education wasn't widespread here, Hastur put extra thought into the written test, adding picture-based questions and matching exercises.
The fastest way to recruit new soldiers was money.
Puning Port was a major harbor in Southville County, with many merchant ships from the Southern Continent choosing it as their primary docking point.
However, due to Duke Southville, most profits were taken by him, leaving local residents with generally low incomes.
As long as military pay exceeded the average, recruitment would be easy.
Not to mention that in many people's eyes, the Southville navy was a cushy job, drawing salary without doing much.
In just seven days, Hastur completed the initial restructuring. Seeing good results, he had the other two ports follow suit.
If there weren't enough strong young men locally, they would print notices and spread them to nearby towns and cities to attract more manpower.
Next, Hastur drafted a one-month training plan, mainly divided into two parts: basic physical conditioning and familiarization with naval combat.
After a month, he planned to lead them out to eliminate some pirates, building experience, courage.
Soldiers who had seen battle and blood were entirely different from those who only trained.
Once everything was arranged, Hastur finally had time to rest.
Holding Ariella, he walked along the port docks, observing the local customs and commercial activity.
Puning Port's main tax income came from merchant ships, calculated based on the estimated total value of their cargo, very expensive.
Passenger ferries, on the other hand, were charged per head, with roughly half to two-thirds of the profits taken.
It seemed Duke Southville understood the principle of not exhausting the source, he hadn't squeezed too hard.
Hastur merely observed, with no intention of changing anything.
Developing port commerce wasn't his concern right now.
Once war began, the more prosperous a port was, the more spectacular its destruction would be.
He had no desire to see a port he painstakingly built reduced to ruins.
It was like in a game, while your opponent mass-produces troops, you stay home building wonders. Then the opponent arrives, praises your beautiful construction… and blows it apart with cannons.
…
At night, Hastur arrived at the Hall of Stars. As usual, he scanned the stars before focusing on the point of light beside the star of the High-Dimensional Overseer.
The small town that had initially begun spreading the faith now had over half its residents believing in the High-Dimensional Overseer.
But they didn't worship that title, instead, they called it the "Star-Wandering God."
They believed the pair of white crystal eyeballs that had suddenly appeared atop the clock tower were thrown from beyond the skies, from the depths of the starry sky,
A gift from a god.
According to a devout believer's missionary handbook:
"That is a god who delights in wandering the stars, casually scattering blessings upon the world."
"These two spheres, like white crystal, are objects He keeps floating above His palm, playing with them, they are called the Wandering Stars, His favorite toys."
"If one can return these Wandering Stars to the cosmos, they will witness a dreamlike Gate of Stars. At that moment, He will appear from within, riding a carriage carved from starlight."
"Upon seeing His beloved toys returned, He will be pleased, granting three wishes to the kind soul, and allowing them entry into His eternal divine kingdom."
After reading the handbook, Hastur had to admit, it was quite well written.
There was probably some guidance from the High-Dimensional Overseer behind it; perhaps even a divine oracle had been issued.
Otherwise, that devout believer wouldn't dare fabricate a god's image so boldly, nor use a title like "Star-Wandering God."
Perhaps this was the Sequence 0 of the Overseer's pathway.
The only part that felt slightly out of place to Hastur was how the handbook portrayed the Overseer as an innocent, childlike figure.
Not metaphorically, but literally as a half-grown child.
The child reclined slightly in a starlight carriage pulled by majestic horses, as if just awakened. In his left hand, he held a small, exquisite wand-like object. His features were indistinct, his form somewhat blurred.
Still, this kind of depiction made it easy to gain favor, at least it wouldn't provoke hostility.
People tended to be patient and affectionate toward children, lowering their guard.
Even Hastur found the image pleasing at first glance.
And portraying a god as a child aligned well with common myths of gods being easier to deceive.
Overall, Hastur would give this move a nine out of ten, he'd reserve the final point for future surprises.
After observing for a while longer and finding no abnormalities among the believers, he let things continue, using this to better understand the High-Dimensional Overseer.
…
On the sea, a ship drifted slowly along the ocean currents.
After a period of consumption, supplies onboard were running low. Mr. A decisively threw surplus crew members into the sea, kindly giving each of them an empty oak barrel.
He didn't know where the Forsaken Land of God was, and now, he no longer cared as much.
As the ship drifted forward, his sense of pilgrimage grew stronger. He calmed down, his mind filled with unprecedented peace and comfort.
He no longer needed to think too much. The Lord was with him on this journey, that was enough.
Now, aside from his daily devout prayers, he spent the rest of his time sitting cross-legged at the bow, gazing into the distance, emptying his mind.
When Hastur arrived and saw this, he couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.
"Free of attachments, therefore without fear; far from delusion, reaching ultimate nirvana."
This passage suddenly surfaced in his mind, it suited Mr. A perfectly.
Had he accidentally cultivated a Buddhist disciple?
No… "awakened one" might be more fitting.
Hastur smiled, not disturbing him, and opened a Spirit World gate to leave.
He didn't have the leisure to stay on the ship, contemplating nature and life alongside Mr. A.
Traveling swiftly through the Spirit World, Hastur had already locked onto the ship of Nast, King of the Five Seas.
He had wanted to talk with him before, but Bernadette's presence had delayed things.
Now that Madam Lisa had finished the script, he could conveniently pin this shiny black blame squarely onto Nast.
A King of the Five Seas seizing "008" from Ince Zangwill, perfectly reasonable.
Drawing the attention of Adam and the Evernight Goddess, also perfectly reasonable.
When Hastur descended onto the Black Emperor, Nast's first reaction was to break into the Spirit World and escape.
But in the next instant, Hastur appeared directly in his captain's cabin, standing face to face with him.
Nast fell silent for a moment, then gave up resisting and sighed in resignation.
"I knew you would come again."
"Not a bad intuition."
Hastur casually sat down, his clear gaze sweeping lightly over Nast, yet making him feel completely seen through.
"What do you want from me?" Nast asked directly.
Having roamed the seas for years, he understood that this mysterious visitor had come to use him.
Hastur glanced around, then said with a faintly amused tone:
"Your Black Emperor is quite a fine ship."