Cattleya was also sizing up the uninvited guest before her.
During this period, the Storm Church's counterattack had grown increasingly fierce. Sailing outside made it very easy to encounter hunting squads from the Storm Church.
To reduce unnecessary casualties, she had chosen to steer the fleet toward the outskirts of the Sea of Ruins, using the natural barriers here to conceal their tracks.
Although the Sea of Ruins was a famously dangerous sea region, as long as they did not venture deep inside, the level of danger was not particularly high.
The figure that had suddenly appeared before them was very likely an illusion created by the Sea of Ruins, so they needed to deal with it carefully.
"I'm just passing through." Hastur spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping past Cattleya toward the golden sea of ruins.
Even from a great distance, the ancient aura mixed with madness and chaos still came rushing toward them.
That was the place where the Ancient Sun God had fallen. The golden ocean was formed from the divine blood of the Ancient Sun God.
After passing through this dangerous sea region, one could enter the Forsaken Land of the Gods through the projection of the Giant King's Court. He did not know whether the True Creator would welcome his visit.
"Are you also here at the Sea of Ruins to seek refuge, or are you here to explore?" Cattleya still did not let down her guard.
"I am returning to the kingdom that belongs to God." Hastur glanced at Cattleya. "The figure you follow is now also following a figure that is beyond reach."
A panic surged through Cattleya's heart, as if all her thoughts had been seen through.
Bernadette was a believer of the Stars. This information was no longer a particularly obscure secret on the sea.
"Who exactly are you?"
Hastur did not answer the question. His figure blurred, and he passed straight through the Future, leaving behind a sentence as he passed by Frank.
"Your mushrooms are growing quite well."
Frank's face lit up with delight. He instinctively raised his head, but could only see the back of the figure heading toward the Sea of Ruins.
After thinking for a moment, he came before his captain and said excitedly, "He's affirming my research. What a discerning person!"
That certainly was a rather unusual sense of discernment. Cattleya glanced at Frank but said nothing.
After a while, when Mr. A's ship passed by, all the cannons aboard the Future immediately turned and aimed at it.
Mr. A calmly said, "I have come here to explore the kingdom of the Lord. I have no intention of coming into conflict with you."
"You're a member of the Aurora Order?" There was a hint of disgust on Cattleya's face.
"I am merely a devout believer of the Lord."
The Future's third mate's face turned cold, and he was about to make his move. Members of the Aurora Order were all lunatics. Whenever they encountered one, killing them and sinking them into the sea to feed the fish was perfectly normal.
Cattleya waved her hand to stop them and asked, "Is there only you aboard this ship?"
Mr. A smiled. "I am merely a follower, heading toward the kingdom belonging to the Lord under the Lord's guidance."
His cryptic words made Cattleya somewhat displeased.
"Captain, don't waste time with these lunatics. We should deal with him quickly so we can leave this place." Third Mate voiced his opinion.
Cattleya looked toward the silent Second Mate, Heath Doyle. He was also a Beyonder of the Hanged Man pathway.
Sensing Cattleya's gaze, Heath Doyle spoke with a complicated expression, "Has the Lord truly given you guidance?"
Ever since he had embarked upon the Hanged Man pathway, he too had heard those mysterious whispers that were enough to drive people mad and make them lose their reason.
He had also once entertained the thought of going in search of the Lord's divine kingdom.
Unlike Mr. A, however, he had not chosen to join the Aurora Order.
"Haven't you already seen Him?" The smile at the corner of Mr. A's mouth gradually spread.
"??!"
Everyone felt an inexplicable chill spreading through them, as if countless tentacles were crawling across the surface of their skin.
Heath Doyle shuddered even more violently. Terror appeared in his eyes as he subconsciously looked toward the figure that had already gone far away.
Cattleya said coldly, "That joke isn't funny at all."
"The Lord is waiting for me. If you also wish to witness a miracle, then come forward with me." A gradually fanatical expression appeared on Mr. A's face as he spoke in a restrained yet fervent tone. "The Lord is in His divine kingdom, waiting for our arrival. He is calling to us."
"Let him leave."
Cattleya still chose not to attack. This was what her spiritual intuition told her.
Her spirituality told her that the mysterious figure from earlier had once been aboard this ship.
Especially since she had personally seen that coffin placed inside the cabin.
The moment she said these words, the surrounding gloomy and terrifying sensation instantly vanished without a trace.
Heath Doyle remained silent for a long while before saying, "May your journey go smoothly."
He had already grown accustomed to life aboard the Future. The search for the Lord's kingdom was simply too distant for him.
Mr. A stood at the bow of the ship, gazing toward the Sea of Ruins, and said regretfully, "You have missed a divine miracle."
At this moment, the Sea of Ruins, which had been relatively calm, began to boil, as if it had been disturbed by some kind of force. Golden waves began surging outward.
The surrounding sea was instantly illuminated, dyed in a brilliant golden radiance.
Within that dazzling golden light, illusions began to take shape one after another, while mysterious whispers surged in from all directions.
"Leave this place immediately!"
Cattleya did not hesitate in the slightest. She ordered the fleet to use their full power and leave this sea region, which had already become extremely dangerous.
The last two ships that were unable to get far enough away were swept up by the golden waves and turned into eternal background scenery.
The Future appeared to have moved away from the golden waves, but the sea ahead seemed to have suddenly been cut off, and they could no longer see their original route.
Whoosh! Hah!
At this moment, huge and slow breaths began entering the ears of every crew member aboard the Future in a rhythmic pattern.
Cattleya's expression changed slightly. The other crew members also hurriedly picked up their weapons, watching the surface of the sea on high alert.
This was the outskirts of the Sea of Ruins. Logically speaking, they should not be able to hear these breathing sounds. Only after venturing deep into those ruins would they be affected.
Heath Doyle covered his head with both hands and groaned painfully, "There's a corpse..."
"There's a huge corpse there, breathing..."
He only managed to say these two sentences before letting out a low roar. His body began to mutate, becoming covered in tumor-like blood sacs threaded with blood vessels.
Cattleya murmured an incantation, causing purifying light to descend and fall upon Heath Doyle's body.
The third mate cursed from the side, "Damn it! It must be that member of the Aurora Order who provoked something, causing this disaster!"
Heath Doyle, who had regained a little of his sanity, hurriedly said, "Quick! Follow that small boat, or we'll all die here!"
Cattleya looked into the distance and only then discovered that the seemingly insignificant small boat was actually sailing calmly across the golden ocean without the slightest abnormality.
Even the sea around the small boat was far gentler and quieter than elsewhere. The passage it traveled through seemed like a path of starlight running through the golden ocean.
"Change course! Follow that small boat!"
Cattleya decisively made her choice. The Future changed direction and proceeded along the trail left behind by the small boat.
The Future quickly caught up with the small boat where Mr. A was. He came to the stern and looked at the Future, which had deliberately slowed down to follow behind.
Heath Doyle, who had gradually returned to normal, volunteered, "Captain, let me go talk to him. I have many questions I want to clear up."
"I'll go with you." Cattleya also had many questions in her heart.
Mr. A merely watched in silence as Cattleya and Heath Doyle approached.
Heath Doyle impatiently asked, "Did the Lord really descend a divine oracle?"
A smile appeared on Mr. A's face. "Haven't you already seen the Lord?"
The exact same sentence sounded completely different this time, carrying a far more shocking impact.
What they had thought was a joke was actually true? Was that mysterious person just now the incarnation of the True Creator?
Was that possible? It was far too dreamlike. The incarnation of the True Creator had actually just passed them by like that?
But if it was not the protection of a god, how could such a small boat sail steadily through this dangerous sea?
"If it weren't for the Lord's protection, I would have already fallen into the abyss forever the moment I entered this sea region." Mr. A's gaze fell upon Heath Doyle, and he spoke very seriously. "If you are also a believer of the Lord, then you will witness the greatest divine miracle."
"I... I am not worthy of seeing the true appearance of the Lord..." Pain appeared in Heath Doyle's eyes.
His faith was not that firm. At this moment, it was only because of the brief miracle that his faith had awakened somewhat once again.
"What a pity." Mr. A sighed. He truly wanted to share the joy he was feeling at this moment with other people.
Cattleya calmly asked, "Can you tell us about what you experienced along the way?"
"I would be very happy to share the Lord's grace with you."
Mr. A slowly began recounting his journey. It was a journey as plain as water, with little that could truly be praised.
Rather than calling it a journey, it would be more accurate to call it the insights Mr. A had gained along his pilgrimage.
Cattleya still patiently listened until the end, hoping to piece together the true course of events from a few scattered words.
Heath Doyle listened very attentively. In particular, when Mr. A mentioned that the Hanged Man symbolized bearing and sacrifice, he gained a sudden enlightenment.
After finishing his account of the journey, Mr. A gazed toward the sky, where the stars had grown dim, and murmured, "Dawn is almost here."
Cattleya's heart stirred.
She wanted to ask whether those words had some special meaning, but she suddenly felt her body being enveloped by some kind of force. In the blink of an eye, she was sent back onto the deck of the Future.
The person who was equally shocked was Heath Doyle.
Was this the power of a god?
While Cattleya was shocked, she also felt a deep sense of fear.
The True Creator was by no means a benevolent true god. He was an evil god, a symbol of corruption and pollution.
Perhaps the reason He had caused such a disturbance was to use the Future to perform some kind of sacrificial ritual.
...
Morning arrived, and a new day began.
Puning Port.
Hastur woke from his sleep, with some lingering pain in his head.
Last night's descent of the god had consumed too much of his power, causing his spirituality to suffer a loss. Even now, it had not yet recovered.