Chapter 196: A Series of Coincidences
After an unknown amount of time, Luo En, who was lying on the floor, felt his eyelids flutter slightly and slowly opened his eyes.
Feeling the rocking of the ship, he shook his groggy head and unsteadily stood up, leaning against the wall.
"Cough… cough, cough…"
Taking a blazing sun charm at close range—though he didn't die, the taste was truly unpleasant.
He turned his head to look at Señor's completely cold corpse on the ground and let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, he saw Lachi, Danitz, and Cattelya also lying on the ground.
He quickly went over to each of them, checking their condition. Fortunately, they were only unconscious, their breathing steady; there shouldn't be any major problems.
After doing all this, he dragged his exhausted body to the shattered window and cautiously looked outside.
The storm on the sea had passed, and the sky had brightened, but all around was an endless expanse of unfamiliar waters.
It seems—we must have gone through a major storm, and the ship's position has completely deviated, Luo En guessed inwardly. Damn it! Why do I always encounter such accidents every time I go to sea!
Hmph…
After calming himself down, Luo En returned to the cabin, went to Señor's corpse, and began to examine it carefully.
He first activated his Spirit Vision, scanned it, and found that the spiritual response on the body had completely dissipated.
What a pity…
The corpse had been dead for too long; the spiritual body had completely dissipated, and he could no longer perform "spirit communication."
"If I could communicate with his spirit, I might know his true purpose and how he found us. But now… there's no way."
The Pirate General has a bounty of at least tens of thousands of pounds. It's just—the exchange of the bounty will be a bit troublesome.
Tens of thousands of pounds…
Luo En looked at Señor's pale face, calculating in his mind.
"Huh? What is this?" As he was searching for loot, Luo En discovered that the necklace Señor was wearing around his neck was somewhat peculiar. It seemed to be a Mystical Item.
He picked up the necklace, which had a pendant shaped like an ancient coin of the same color, and examined it carefully.
Soon, on the edge of the coin, he found a tiny inscription carved in ancient Hermes: "The luckier you are now, the unluckier you will be later."
This is—a Mystical Item of the Monster Pathway!
Thinking of Señor's almost bizarre "luck" during the battle just now, Luo En immediately understood the origin of this necklace.
He held the necklace in his hand, feeling it.
The Sequence of this necklace should be higher than mine, but not by much. Most likely—it's at the Sequence 5 level.
"Hmph…" Luo En couldn't help but sigh again.
How great it would be if it were directly a Beyonder characteristic. Mystical Items cannot be directly consumed as potions.
However, fortunately, this time, I didn't encounter that terrifying giant hand from last time, Luo En thought with lingering fear.
This is not that isolated primeval island. If I were forced to howl at the sky here again, there would truly be nowhere to hide.
Most likely—this small broken ship and I would be directly blasted into dust by the lightning descending from the sky.
Just then…
"Queen…"
A dream full of pain and pleading softly emerged from Cattelya's still unconscious mouth.
"Don't… don't drive me away." Her body trembled uncontrollably, as if she was experiencing something incredibly sad.
"Mother, don't abandon me…"
Suddenly, she sharply opened her eyes, startled awake from the nightmare. She rubbed her still throbbing head, dazed and slumped on the cold floor.
Just then, a hand reached out to her.
She subconsciously reached out her own hand. Immediately, someone pulled her up from the ground.
"You… you are…" Cattelya looked at Luo En in front of her, still a bit dazed.
"It's not your Mother, I'm truly sorry," Luo En joked with a cold tone.
A few minutes later, as the discomfort gradually receded, Cattelya slowly recalled what had happened earlier. She glanced at Señor's charred corpse on the ground and then at herself, completely unharmed.
She asked, "You saved me?"
Seeing Luo En nod, she asked again, "Queen… did she come?"
This time, Luo En didn't move, just looked at her silently.
Seeing his reaction, Cattelya's face showed no extra expression, but a hint of loss was undeniable in her deep eyes.
Is "Queen Mystic" her Mother? Or perhaps—someone as important as a Mother to her?
Coupled with the rumors that circulated at sea earlier about their falling out—and her sad and helpless appearance while she was unconscious just now—
Was she abandoned by "Queen Mystic"?
Luo En roughly guessed Cattelya's current situation in his mind.
"Don't think too much," he tried to comfort her in a calm tone, "At least you're saved, and you're alive and well, aren't you?"
After calming herself down, Cattelya looked up at Luo En again and said in a sincere tone, "Thank you."
"Heh heh," Luo En chuckled, then changed the subject, "Madam, I think you should first return the fifteen hundred pounds deposit to me."
Hearing this, Cattelya was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but show a hint of a smile.
"No problem."
The two chatted briefly.
Luo En no longer felt any hostility from Cattelya, and his spiritual intuition was also normal.
This eased his tense expression slightly. After all, with Tracy as a precedent, his vigilance against these pirates was extremely high.
As for Señor, Cattelya said she could help with the bounty. If the Beyonder characteristic on the corpse needed to be sold, she could also help contact buyers.
Luo En did not directly refuse the offer, but the specific details would need to be discussed thoroughly between them later.
Afterward, the two went to the deck together, surveying the unfamiliar sea view around them.
"It seems we've been through a big storm and were blown to this place," Luo En said. "Can your ritual still be activated? Can it send us away directly?"
Cattelya observed the surrounding currents for a few moments, then shook her head: "No. The distance is too far, and the previous battle also caused some irreversible damage to those ritual materials. They can no longer be used."
"Then we won't get lost at sea?" Luo En's mouth twitched slightly.
This plot… why does it feel a bit familiar?
Last time, it was drifting with Vice Admiral of Disease Tracy. This time, it's with Admiral of the Stars Cattelya.
Am I destined to never escape the sea in this life—he complained inwardly.
"We should be in the waters around Olavi Island now," Cattelya said calmly. "If we're lucky, it won't take long to reach Olavi Port. I have my own stronghold there."
"Understood," Luo En nodded.
Then, Cattelya took the initiative to ask, "Are you an adventurer?"
"More or less."
"I originally thought," Cattelya looked at Luo En, hesitating for a moment before saying, "that you would have accepted Señor's suggestion, or—killed me and taken both bounties."
Luo En showed no expression: "I know Señor's reputation, so I never believed his words from the start."
"As for the latter—" he paused, "I already said I wouldn't let you die. How could I go back on my word?"
Not letting me die at Señor's hands? Cattelya recalled Luo En's earlier words and felt a warmth in her heart.
"How are your injuries?" she asked with some concern.
"I'm fine, no major issues."
2
Then, Luo En sighed: "Oh, and regarding the matter of Blood Admiral dying by my hand, please keep it a secret for me."
"I'm not the kind of person who likes to be famous."
"Of course," Cattelya replied.
Just then, on the distant horizon, a huge ship, painted entirely black, suddenly appeared. On its mast,
A white flag with a giant skull was fluttering!
"The Black Death," Cattelya said suddenly, looking at the ship.
"Vice Admiral of Disease's Black Death?" Luo En subconsciously asked back.
"Mm," Cattelya nodded.
Damn it! Why would I run into her here again?!
Is it because Bayam and its surroundings are blockaded by the Storm Church, so Tracy also came to these waters?
Seeing Luo En's expression instantly turn somewhat grave, Cattelya analyzed, "Don't worry, we should be safe now."
She spoke in the tone of an experienced pirate: "Our current ship is too small; in their eyes, it's probably just an ordinary fishing boat, with no value for plunder whatsoever."
"Moreover, look at the Black Death's current full-speed ahead. They probably have something urgent to do and won't specifically stop to attack 'small fry' like us."
"My current condition is also fine; you don't need to worry."
"Mm," Luo En responded, but still indicated that he would go into the cabin to avoid them.
Looking at Luo En's hurried back, Cattelya showed a thoughtful expression.
Inside the luxurious yet gloomy captain's cabin on the Black Death.
Tracy, wearing a loose men's overcoat, sat quietly in the captain's chair. Her fingers unconsciously caressed the barrel of a strangely shaped shotgun, over and over again.
"Brando."
From time to time, she would softly utter this name, and a trace of nostalgia would appear in her eyes.
But moments later, the softness on her face was replaced by a heavy gloom.
Mithor, that good-for-nothing!
He couldn't even handle a mere "Blazing"! (Translator's Note: This is referring to the Beyonder Pathway of the Sun, often associated with fire/flames, which is why the original text uses 'Flames'.)
Originally, given Mithor's grave dereliction of duty this time, Tracy had intended to execute him directly. But after some thought, she ultimately decided to give him one last chance to redeem himself.
She sent him to capture that damned "Blazing" Danitz.
As a result, he left and was never heard from again.
She had originally thought that the good-for-nothing had run away, afraid of punishment.
However, it wasn't until she was about to curse him using a reserved sample of his blood that she unexpectedly discovered—Mithor was dead.
Needless to say, he must have died at the hands of that "Blazing" Danitz or his accomplices!
"Useless! Useless!" Tracy couldn't help but curse in a low voice again.
After receiving this news, she had already planned to personally capture Danitz.
Who would have thought that her Mother would suddenly send her a message, telling her to immediately go to the nearby waters to meet her.
Hearing her Mother's unusually urgent tone, she guessed—she must have run into tough opponents from the Storm Church in Bayam, and it seems she suffered quite a loss. Tracy speculated in her mind.
"Captain," a Sailor knocked and entered at this moment, coming to report.
"What is it?" Tracy's tone was cold.
"Captain, ahead… a small boat has been spotted."
"A small boat?"
With vision far surpassing ordinary people, even without a telescope, Tracy could clearly see through the window that a small boat was indeed drifting on the turbulent sea in the distance.
"Such a small boat, why bother with it? Full speed ahead!" Tracy impatiently gave the order.
"Yes, Captain!"
On Luo En's side, the Black Death, just as Cattelya had said, completely ignored their inconspicuous "small fishing boat" and sailed past them at a very high speed, not far from their position.
What is that?
Through the narrow porthole, Luo En noticed that something seemed wrong with the Black Death's mast.
He looked intently and saw a blonde figure in a white dress, bound by ropes, hanging high on the mast, exposed to the wind and sun.
It seemed to be an extremely cruel form of punishment.
Did this person offend Tracy?
That's a bit scary—if I hadn't managed to escape back then, it might be me hanging up there now.
Luo En thought with lingering fear, looking at the figure swaying in the wind.
The Black Death was very fast, and soon, it completely disappeared on the horizon.
After some more time, and confirming it was safe, Luo En returned to the deck.
At this moment, Cattelya, who had been standing at the bow, suddenly turned around and came to his side, saying in a calm, factual tone:
"Monqi Brando?"
1
The moment he heard that name, Luo En's body stiffened slightly.
Although he quickly composed himself, Cattelya still noticed something: "It seems it's just as I thought."
"What do you mean?"
"Just verifying my guess," Cattelya replied. "Your reaction when you saw the Black Death just now clearly confirms that you and Vice Admiral of Disease seem to have some entanglement."
"And according to my intelligence, there's an adventurer recently at sea who has a hefty bounty placed on him by Vice Admiral of Disease Tracy."
Dealing with smart people is really troublesome—Luo En complained inwardly.
"What?" He looked up, meeting her eyes directly. "Do you want to turn me in for that bounty?"
"No," Cattelya shook her head. "I just feel that we should have a formal introduction."
?
Under Luo En's slightly puzzled gaze, she extended her hand, her tone gentle:
"Allow me to introduce myself. Admiral of the Stars, Cattelya."
Luo En looked at her serious expression, was silent for a moment, then also extended his hand:
"Monqi Brando."
"A new adventurer."
Soon, dusk arrived.
The small boat sailed some distance further on the sea.
Luo En stood on the deck, feeling the setting sun, and inexplicably felt a sense of leisure.
If it weren't for those accidents, the sea would still be beautiful—he sighed.
Huh?
Under the setting sun, he saw another ship sailing towards these waters.
It looks familiar—
It was a tens-of-meters-long, clean and tidy sailboat that reflected a golden-yellow color in the sunlight.
This—this is—Luo En was somewhat surprised.
The Golden Dream!