Strange item? Klein instantly felt a headache, but he asked with an unperturbed expression, “What is it?”
“Fish with human fingers growing in them!” Without waiting for Gehrman Sparrow’s reply, Frank ran into the dining hall. Before long, he ran back and held a strange bluish-black fish in his hand.
The fish was of normal length. In the space where its eyes were, it had a face resembling a human. Its belly had been dissected, and three bloody fingers could be seen stuffed inside.
“It wasn’t inserted by me. It was originally like that! Look at its teeth. It’s very unlikely that it will eat something like that, so it can only be the case of the fingers producing themselves! Of course, I’m currently unable to determine what the fingers will do to its body,” Frank hurriedly explained his judgment.
Klein glanced at the fish and said after some deliberation, “It might also be stuffed inside by someone.”
“… Makes sense. Then it’s not the most unique fish.” Frank was stunned for a second as he appeared somewhat disappointed. “Fingers are considered flesh and blood. I’ll ask Heath. He’s an expert on such matters.”
As he spoke, he surveyed the area and found Heath Doyle who was huddled in a corner eating.
Frank quickly went over and placed the bluish-black fish before Bloodless.
Heath Doyle extended his hands and pressed his face to the fish.
Upon seeing this scene, Frank had a baffling feeling that something was amiss.
He soon reacted and laughed.
“No, this isn’t food for you. You’ve been eating fish all this time to the point that even your body smells of fish.
“What I meant was to ask if you know the fingers inside the fish’s stomach? Can you find its original owner?”
Heath Doyle stopped his leaning actions and carefully studied it for a few seconds.
“They belong to a Rose Bishop’s, at least a Rose Bishop’s.”
He took out the three bloody fingers and stacked them together.
After a brief moment, the fingers melted like wax, turning into a puddle of sticky flesh and blood.
The flesh and blood squirmed as they drew a word in blood-red: “Help!”
Fingers from a Rose Bishop… “Help”… Upon seeing this scene, Klein instantly made some connections.
He recalled the Saint of Darkness and Leomaster from the dream world!
This Aurora Order saint was in a particular ruin, and he was affected by the remnant powers of an angel or deity of the Spectator pathway, causing him to dissociate and transform into a kind character. This resulted in him being trapped there.
His good and evil side constantly fought, often clashing at the psyche level. The main persona, which was more inclined towards the darkness, gradually held the advantage as the good personality hid everywhere in the mind world in search for help.
Therefore, this is an attempt by Leomaster’s good side to call for help? As a saint of the Aurora Order, he might very well have advanced from a Shepherd, so it’s nothing strange to have the Beyonder powers of a Rose Bishop… Klein nodded in thought, believing that his judgment was likely close to the truth.
“Help? How?” Frank Lee turned his head at Gehrman Sparrow with a blank look.
You should ask your captain, not me… Klein shook his head.
“You don’t have to bother.
“There are too many oddities with these waters.”
The reason for giving this opinion was that, from the dream, Leomaster’s main persona held the absolute advantage. To really rescue him, he needed to make preparations to deal with a demigod. Although the good side would definitely interfere with it, all it could do was lower the Saint of Darkness’s strength to a certain extent. It would still remain a demigod.
Of course, with Queen Mystic on board the Future, to make any actual attempts wasn’t impossible. But if Leomaster were so easily rescued and have him become a completely good Saint of Darkness, Klein believed that the queen would’ve long done so. The reason why she didn’t take action had to be because it was unrealistic.
For example, the place where Leomaster is at causes one’s spirit to dissociate, so much so that Queen Mystic doesn’t even dare challenge it… Leomaster’s dream was only partially restored. It nearly made me face a situation I couldn’t deal with. Finally, I resolved the problem quickly with the Sea God Scepter. If I were to meet him in the real world, I’d really suffer a dissociation in personality, becoming a member of an asylum. I would have to find a way to borrow the Mental Terror Candle from Father Utravsky to have a chance of being treated… Heh heh. I can also get Miss Justice to treat me, but she’s still lacking in strength at the moment… Klein recalled the past as he jested inwardly.
“Yeah.” Frank Lee trusted Gehrman Sparrow a lot. “Perhaps the fellow who’s asking for help is long dead…”
Upon saying this, his eyes suddenly lit up as he stared at Heath Doyle.
“Can you wipe out the mental imprint left on this flesh and blood?”
“Yes,” Heath Doyle replied succinctly.
The ends of Frank Lee’s mouth cracked open bit by bit as he smiled like a two-hundred-pound child.
“I’ve always been very curious about the flesh and blood structure of a Rose Bishop.
“I’ve always thought of the outcome of using similar flesh and blood as the medium for crossbreeding.”
One day, you will die amidst your experiments. Thankfully, I’ll be leaving this ship soon… Klein had the baffling impression of a brattish child entering an armory.
Heath Doyle, whose face was nearly translucent from the paleness, was taken aback for two seconds before sincerely saying, “Thank you.”
“Why thank me?” Frank Lee scratched his head, looking completely puzzled.
He’s probably thanking you for being able to hold back your curiosity and not using his flesh and blood as the experimental subject. You are a partner worth trusting… The corners of Klein’s mouth twitched a bit in an attempt to interpret the reason. He realized that the Future’s first and second mate had rather strange thought processes.
…
Afternoon Town. In the half-collapsed cathedral.
Colin stood by the side of the ecclesiastic in white and softly asked, “Who are the Kings?
“What is the huge calamity?
“Who tempted Sasrir?”
The ecclesiastic didn’t seem to hear him as he continued prostrating to the ground. He repeated his words of penitence as though he was an illusory recording left behind by the environment.
A wraith, specter, or an evil spirit? Derrick looked in that direction, feeling somewhat nervous.
Seeing no response from the ecclesiastic, Colin reached out his right hand, inching his silver sword towards the person.
However, despite the sharp blade tip reaching the back of his head, the ecclesiastic remained in penitence, as though nothing had changed.
Colin Iliad retracted his silver sword as he surveyed the area with dark green symbols in his eyes.
Then, he walked diagonally to the altar ahead as he cast his gaze onto the candle emitting a yellow light.
After a few seconds of silence, he reached out his left hand and extinguished the entirety of the candlelight.
The collapsed deity statue in the middle of the altar suddenly turned dim as the prostrating white-robed man finally stopped his penitence.
He slowly lifted his head. It was a gloomy green, and his gaze was filled with hatred.
Before Derrick, Haim, and Joshua could react in time, the devout ecclesiastic had pounced forward with an exceedingly fast speed, drawing out an afterimage.
Colin was already prepared for it. He took a step diagonally forward with his right foot, turned his body halfway, and swept backward with the silver sword in his left hand.
On the sword, spots of light soared, instantly forming a gigantic storm.
The storm that was formed purely out of light swept the surroundings, leaving the ecclesiastic frozen in midair before he was completely devoured.
The storm quickly came to an end as Colin looked at the ecclesiastic whose body had been infused with the light of dawn. Then, he repeated his previous questions again.
“Who are the Kings?
“What is the huge calamity?
“Who tempted Sasrir?”
The ecclesiastic whose figure was already very indistinct replied in a dazed manner, “The Kings are Sasrir, Ouroboros, Medici…”
Just as he was about to say the fourth name, a transparent flame tore through him from the inside!
The flame instantly engulfed him, burning him into a spreading black gas.
*So the Kings refer to the Kings of Angels… What’s the fourth name? Why did he self-destruct just as he was about to say it? Is it the one who tempted Sasrir, or someone else? *Derrick was filled with questions.
As the ecclesiastic died, the streets outside and the entirety of Afternoon Town suddenly produced roars that sounded like wild beasts.
Derrick subconsciously looked out the window and saw a gigantic face.
The glass where it was originally plastered to had grown a single unique eye. On its face was short and dense black hair.
*Tap! Tap! Tap! *Another similar monster rushed out from inside the cathedral. It had the build of an ordinary human and two eyes, but the surface of its body was similarly covered with short black hair that resembled a beast’s.
“A degenerate town that has been completely corrupted…” Colin sighed as he faced one of the monsters.
Derrick, Haim, and Joshua also took up battle positions in a bid to fend off the remaining monster.
…
The Future continued cruising in peace before encountering a brief night once more.
After Klein entered the dream world, he found himself back in his original position—by Admiral of Stars Cattleya’s side.
He was just about to look at the shadow of the Giant King’s Court on the opposite side of the mountain to seek out more possible clues when he suddenly heard Cattleya ask heavily while hugging her knees.
“Have you met her?”
Klein acknowledged tersely without hiding the truth.
Cattleya pursed her lips and asked, “She’s on the ship?”
“Yes.” Klein turned his head and looked at Admiral of Stars as he said in passing, “You have very deep feelings for her.”
Cattleya’s expression wasn’t as lost and dazed as before. Biting her lips, she said in a self-deprecating manner, “That’s right.
“I was by her side before I was three. Heh heh. That’s what they say, but I no longer have any actual memories of that.
“She taught me, and she held me by the hand as we adventured. She watched me grow up. To me, she’s my captain and my teacher, as well… as well as my mother…”
As Cattleya spoke, she suddenly fell silent.
