A few minutes later, Byrne bid farewell to Helder and departed from the Black Sail fleet. Afterward, he did not immediately return to Puspe's Ship-Nation, but instead walked alone through the Sea Market.
This gamble had already exceeded his expectations from the moment he set foot on Lusaka. The Apex had been sabotaged, Natalie's squad was missing, the Louvielle legends, the curse of Darussel Bosa, and now Helder's ancestral ship-plate—everything seemed entwined by invisible threads, with Aventurine acting as the one holding them.
Thinking of this, Byrne pulled out a pendant. It was crescent-shaped, with a blue crystal embedded in the center, a faint halo flowing across the surface of the gemstone. According to Helder, this pendant could sense the location of the ship-plate; the closer he got, the stronger the resonance would become.
Looking at the pendant in his hand, Byrne recalled Helder's final words before he left.
"Aside from this pendant, we will set out for the Tears of the Mother Goddess once the market concludes."
"When we arrive, I will provide you with a boat stocked with enough fresh water and food for a month, along with a set of diving gear."
"It is forged from a special alloy and can easily withstand the high pressure of the deep sea at several thousand meters. Only the bravest divers of my Black Sail fleet are worthy of wearing it."
Byrne's fingertips brushed against the blue crystal. The cold sensation spread from his fingers to his heart, allowing his chaotic thoughts to settle slightly. Helder's tone had held no trace of a joke; that entrustment was both an obsession with his ancestors and an expectation of Byrne as an outsider. Perhaps in Helder's eyes, only an outsider like him would dare to ignore the curse of the Mother Goddess and step into that forbidden zone.
He walked slowly along the intersecting metal walkways, the noise of the market still in his ears, but his mind had already drifted toward that blacked-out sea area.
"Brother Byrne!"
A crisp shout interrupted Byrne's contemplation. He turned to see Liam running toward him, clutching his shell ornament. His short legs moved quickly, as if afraid he would lose Byrne if he looked away for a second.
Reaching him, Liam held up a fist-sized shell in front of Byrne. "Look! This is the treasure I traded for. It's called a Moon-Glow Shell. it can glow at night! Pretty cool, right?"
Byrne took it and examined it closely. The shell was fan-shaped, with colors as brilliant as a rainbow. Even setting aside the glowing property, it was an exceptionally beautiful shell.
Handing the shell back to Liam, Byrne smiled and said, "It's beautiful. You have good taste, Liam."
"Hehe." Liam scratched his head sheepishly. His gaze shifted, landing curiously on the pendant in Byrne's hand. "Brother Byrne, that pendant is so pretty. Did you trade for it at the market too?"
Byrne tucked the pendant into his pocket and explained, "In a way. I got it from the Black Sail fleet."
Liam nodded half-comprehendingly, then suddenly remembered something and leaned into Byrne's ear. "Brother Byrne, I heard the people from Black Sail are hard to talk to. You won't get in trouble going to them, right?"
Byrne shook his head. "Don't worry. I was just asking about some things. They won't do anything to me."
Liam still looked uneasy, frowning as his small hand gripped the hem of Byrne's coat. "But Grandpa says the Black Sail people are very fierce. They spend the whole year in the far deep sea and have seen many terrifying things. Their tempers have become strange, and—"
Before Liam could finish, Byrne patted his pocket and reassured him, "Don't worry. It was just a simple transaction."
Byrne offered only a brief explanation, omitting the details of the actual trade and Darussel Bosa. He didn't want the child to worry about him.
Calculating the time, the market would continue for another three or four days. Besides making extra preparations, Byrne wanted to ask as much as possible about the whereabouts of Natalie's squad. He didn't want to give up even if there was only a sliver of hope. Having one more person meant having more help before the operation began.
Afterward, the grandfather and grandson stayed with Byrne as he continued to browse the market. Liam acted as a little guide, while his grandfather walked beside them, occasionally reminding Byrne which Ship-Nations to watch out for and which things were taboo for the Louvielle.
During this time, Byrne would occasionally ask people from different fleets if they had seen any other travelers from the stars like himself. However, after asking a dozen people, they either shook their heads or avoided the topic with wary expressions. Some hot-tempered crew members even picked up their harpoons and drove him away with hostile glares before he could finish speaking.
Natalie's group were company elites, well-equipped and experienced in combat; even if the Apex had crashed, it was unlikely they would be completely wiped out. The fact that there was still no trace of them after all this time was highly abnormal.
Byrne didn't give up easily. The Sea Market gathered most of the Ship-Nations in the Lusaka region. If Natalie's squad was still alive, it was impossible for them to leave no mark at all. He wove through one fleet after another. Occasionally, someone had seen an outsider, but the descriptions were far removed from Natalie and the others.
Liam's grandfather watched Byrne's efforts and advised, "Young man, don't waste your energy. If your companions were in the same situation as you, they would likely have been rescued by a nearby fleet. But if they were carrying weapons, that's another story—"
The old man paused, looking toward the deep sea, his voice lowering. "Many years ago, there were cases where crashed outsiders used their weapons to rob the Ship-Nations. Since then, whenever the Louvielle see armed outsiders, they either hide or strike first."
The old man's words were like a bucket of cold water on Byrne's heart.
Without realizing it, the sun began to set, casting golden light over the sea. After a full day, Byrne had visited nearly half the market without finding the clues he wanted.
Liam gave a small yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Brother Byrne, let's go back. The wind gets strong at night."
Liam's grandfather added, "Let's call it a day. The market isn't peaceful at night. Some fleets only do business in the dark, and naturally, those aren't honest dealings."
The three of them returned to their Ship-Nation's berthing area.
Meanwhile, on the distant planet Nova.
In Aventurine's office, on the holographic screen spread before him, a new message flashed beside the coordinates for Lusaka.
[Strategic Investment Department has arrived at Lusaka.]
Aventurine let out a light chuckle. "The game is finally starting to get lively."
He picked up the glass on his desk, took a sip of wine, and whispered, "Professor Ratio, now it's up to you."