Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Based on his experience from watching many detective animations, Klein believed that someone who wore a scarf to conceal his face and hid his physical characteristics with an overcoat was likely problematic. He probably hid an unspeakable secret, especially when it wasn’t winter yet and the temperature in the Berserk Sea couldn’t be considered cold.
However, this has nothing to do with me. Even if a locked-room murder mystery happens, the one having a headache would be the Captain… I should head above the gray fog later to do a divination and see if this trip will be smooth… Klein didn’t mind the matter, but he still thought about it conscientiously.
He retracted his gaze and looked at the Desi roasted fish that was being served by the waiter.
After having dinner, he returned to his cabin and completed a divination above the gray fog. He obtained the conclusion that there wouldn’t be drastic changes to the environment he was in and that everything would happen smoothly.
This allowed Klein to fall asleep peacefully without relying on Cogitation as he slept till daybreak.
With a whistle from the steam engine, the liner began moving and departing Halman Harbor.
The harbor could still be vaguely seen as Klein saw a figure there.
The figure wore a white shirt and a dark blue coat. He had a rather high nose, deeply recessed eyes, light blue eyes, and brown curly hair. His face was rather cut and his chin was slightly raised. He gave off a supercilious look.
With a sweep of his gaze, he quickly locked onto the liner which Klein was on.
At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened as though a door leading into the pitch-black land of illusions had formed.
A deafening typhoon stirred up from the seabed, surging upwards with massive amounts of blue mass. Dark lightning flashed like rifts in the void. They kept appearing and kept healing themselves until they disappeared.
This completely blocked the vision of those on the liner and at the harbor, putting them in two seemingly different worlds.
The Berserk Sea had once again shown its horror.
The liner failed to avoid or resist, and it could only continue cruising forward along the safe sea route that had relatively weaker storms.
What a coincidence… This likely isn’t a coincidence… Standing behind the window of his cabin, Klein first sighed inwardly before coming to the conclusion that this sudden anomaly in the Berserk Sea was due to unnatural reasons.
Although it was common for the weather in the Berserk Sea to change suddenly without notice, to actually change at a particular point in time still left one suspicious.
The man at the dock is tracking the suspicious tourist from last night? And that tourist decided to change the weather upon realizing that he had been exposed, doing so that he can force the liner to leave? Klein made a guess when he made the connection.
And if that really were the case, it means that the suspicious passenger who hid his face with a scarf might very well be a demigod or someone who carried a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact!
After all, with Klein’s present strength and items, it was impossible for him to trigger such a weather anomaly without the use of Sea God Scepter.
Of course, he also had other means like throwing out Azik’s copper whistle to see if he could cause the entire Berserk Sea to go berserk.
Seriously? I just want to be a normal tycoon that’s heading to the Southern Continent. Why would I encounter a pursuit at the level of demigods… Sigh, I’m under too much stress that my Sequence doesn’t deserve… Klein gave a self-deprecating laugh and finally chose to believe the divination he made last night.
Amidst the storm, the wobbling liner cruised along a rather calm stretch with apocalyptic scenes around it. And most of the tourists wore calm looks as though they were very accustomed to such conditions. Only a few people who were on their first trip across the Berserk Sea were trembling, grabbing tightly to anything they could grab at.
Time ticked by as the gales and lightning gradually calmed down. Bit by bit, the sky brightened.
At this moment, Klein, who was on the deck, felt his spiritual perception trigger. He subconsciously looked in the direction of Halman Harbor.
Above the undulating dark blue waves, beneath white scattered clouds, there was a white radiant flame flying over at high speeds from afar.
The flame increased in size and became increasingly clearer until it revealed its complete form. It was a gigantic flaming spear!
The flaming spear tore across the sky and landed at the bow of the liner’s deck. However, it didn’t ignite anything. It burnt through half a wooden plank and spread out before materializing into a figure.
The figure had a high nose, deeply recessed eyes, and blue eyes. He was none other than the man who had previously appeared at the dock!
He looked middle-aged as he slowly surveyed the area and walked through the wide-eyed and agape tourists before walking into the cabin.
The similarly agape Dwayne Dantès silently heaved a sigh of relief when he confirmed that the person wasn’t here for him.
The way he appeared sure is cool. As expected of a demigod… Now, the only issue is that they do not come to blows. Even if the conflict cannot be helped, it’s best they go to a neighboring sea to fight. Otherwise, there’s no way this ship can withstand it… I can Teleport away quite successfully, but all these tourists… I’ll only be able to save a few… Klein habitually drew the sign of the crimson moon on his chest, praying for the Goddess to bless them.
Just as he had such a thought, he saw a figure fly out of the cabin, slamming heavily onto the deck. It was none other than the suspicious tourist who had covered his face with a scarf.
This man had already revealed half his face. The tip of his nose was red and he had a thick beard around his mouth with saliva staining them.
His nearly triangular eyes were filled with horror. He held his hands to the deck as he kept crawling backward.
“Who got you to carry that item and put on such a disguise?” At the cabin’s entrance, the middle-aged man with the high nose and blue eyes slowly walked out. He spoke in Intis with a heavy voice.
The suspicious tourist shook his head frantically.
“No, I don’t know. He was also wearing the same. H-he gave me 100 pounds to take this ship to the Southern Continent before returning by myself!”
The middle-aged man silently watched with his penetrating glare that seemed to tear through his soul.
This made the tourist break out into a sweat as his body convulsed. He once again stammered his explanation, but there weren’t any changes to it.
The man retracted his gaze before his body burst into white radiant flames.
Following that, he transformed into a gigantic flaming spear and shot towards the region where Halman Harbor was.
The flaming spear quickly disappeared into the distance, leaving a twinkling speck.
During this entire process, apart from at the very beginning, the demigod didn’t take a second look at the surroundings tourists. It was as though they never existed.
A simple but smart ruse… By getting someone to disguise as himself and board the ship, then using certain means to control the weather; thus, creating proof that he’s on the ship, but in actual fact, he had been at the harbor the entire time. Once the enemy starts the pursuit, he can then attempt to escape… Enlightened, Klein made a judgment.
This made him suspect if the pursuee was once a Conspirer, Magician, or other Beyonder that was good at coming up with ruses.
As for the person who transformed into a burning-white spear, his arrogance, detestable nature, and his usage of the Intis language had made Klein believe that he was probably a demigod from the Hunter pathway. It was possible that he was an Iron-blooded Knight.
I’ve no idea why there was a conflict… Klein shook his head and returned to his cabin.
On the deck, the tourists finally snapped to their senses as they discussed the supernatural phenomenon they had just seen in murmurs.
A person could transform into a flame, and the flame could reform into a human!
Amidst the noisy commotion, the liner continued cruising forward on the safe sea route. It didn’t encounter any accidents midway, and it arrived at another harbor at midnight.
Like usual, Klein didn’t alight, afraid that he would encounter something.
He took out his gold pocket watch and opened it to determine the time to head to the restaurant.
Another half an hour… Klein silently muttered to himself as he looked up and out the window.
At this moment, many tourists who were bound for this harbor were heading for the dock along the gangway with their luggage in hand.
As he swept his gaze, Klein’s gaze suddenly stopped on a figure.
The figure wore a black bonnet. He had dark golden sideburns. His lips were tightly pursed and his facial features were clear and distinct, like an ancient, classical sculpture without any wrinkles.
He wasn’t carrying any luggage, and soon, he stepped onto the dock with the crowd, disappearing into the corner of the road.
Klein just watched motionlessly, as though his body wasn’t his.
He felt every drop of his blood turn cold as a name appeared in his mind: Ince Zangwill!
…
The street lamps on the harbor had already lit up. The liner’s many windows also lit up in concert with them.
Dwayne Dantès was waiting inside a first-class cabin in darkness and silence.
Klein had already sat down without showing any emotion. All kinds of thoughts couldn’t help but flash across his mind.
This is the first time I’m discovering signs of Ince Zangwill after the Great Smog of Backlund…
The demigod from before was probably tracking Ince Zangwill…
His tricks are more profound than I thought. He found someone to disguise as him and gave him items not to divert his trackers, but to create a mental blindspot. It made one subconsciously eliminate this ship from the possible options…
He was here from the beginning…
That coincidental change in weather was likely created by Ince Zangwill with 0-08…
Why would he be pursued by an Intis Hunter demigod… What is he plotting…
Amidst his churning thoughts, Klein suddenly took out the adventurer’s harmonica and blew it.
Silently, Miss Messenger Reinette Tinekerr with her four blonde, red-eyed heads in hand appeared before him.
Klein opened his mouth before closing them again. Picking up a pen, he quickly wrote:
“Mr. Dwayne Dantès has discovered traces of Ince Zangwill on Waypoint Island in the Berserk Sea.”
Folding the letter, Klein handed it along with a gold coin to Miss Messenger.
“Send it to the mailbox at Backlund’s 7 Pinster Street.”
The four heads in Reinette Tinekerr’s hand turned at the same time as the eight eyes looked at Klein.
She didn’t say anything and bit onto the letter and gold coin.
