Fortunately, Audrey did not say she wanted to search for the Fountain of Immortality.
The Fountain of Youth and eternal youth truly were irresistible temptations for girls.
Xio and Fors, who had overheard the conversation, also had their eyes light up. Although they remained outwardly composed, their ears were already perked up, afraid they might miss an important part of the conversation.
"I can't guarantee that we'll definitely find the Fountain of Youth."
"I believe in Mr. Hastur." Audrey's face was brimming with smiles.
"We believe in Mr. Hastur too!" Xio and Fors joined in, and even Susie followed with a bark.
"Mr. Hastur, everyone has very high expectations of you now." Audrey spoke with a slightly playful tone, looking especially charming and adorable.
Seeing that they were all interested in the Fountain of Youth, Hastur organized his thoughts for a moment before telling them about the legends surrounding it.
The legend of the Fountain of Youth had originally been spread by the Undying King Agalito. His purpose had been to take advantage of greedy pirates and use their lives to refine a genuine Fountain of Youth.
As for whether a true Fountain of Youth actually existed somewhere on the sea, Hastur wasn't certain. But if it did exist, it should be in the Sea of Ruins where the Ancient Sun God had fallen.
That place possessed the richest source of life in this entire sea.
The last time he had traveled to the Sea of Ruins as the Vessel of Stars and entered the Forsaken Land of the Gods, he had indeed sensed a place where the aura of life was particularly abundant. However, he hadn't gone there to explore at the time.
Something like the Fountain of Youth was of no use to him.
Generally speaking, after advancing to Sequence 2 and becoming an angel, there was basically no longer any need to worry about lifespan. As for maintaining a young and beautiful appearance, that was even easier.
Searching for the Fountain of Youth was more about satisfying Audrey and the others' fantasies about beautiful fairy-tale legends.
After a brief discussion, the Hope changed course and headed toward the Sea of Ruins.
At night, everything was silent.
Inside Audrey's room, Hastur opened a Traveler's Door. Audrey naturally wrapped both hands around Hastur's left arm and followed him through the door.
As for Susie, she remained behind in the room with an unhappy expression.
Golden Stream Harbor was named after the evening glow at sunset, which poured across the sky like streams of molten gold.
Late at night, the crimson moon was reflected upon the sea. When its light fell upon the coral clusters in the shallow waters, they emitted a dazzling array of colors, creating another scenery well worth seeing.
"So beautiful." Audrey simply admired the beauty before her. Dreamlike radiance fell upon her body as if draping her in a dress woven from colorful clouds.
Whenever the waves splashed upward, they shattered the light, scattering fragments of different colors across the water.
It was already late at night, and there was no one else around. Audrey lifted the hem of her skirt and crouched down, picking up a star-shaped seashell. Then her gaze shifted toward an even prettier shell nearby.
"Mr. Hastur…" Understanding her meaning, Hastur walked over and helped her gather seashells from the beach.
After collecting a small handful, Audrey finally said with satisfaction, "These are gifts from the sea."
Hastur found a small wooden box, cleaned the shells Audrey had found, and stored them inside. After finishing, the two strolled along the beach while looking toward the brilliantly illuminated Golden Stream Harbor in the distance and talking about various mysterious legends of the sea.
"Mr. Hastur, do mermaids really exist in the depths of the sea?"
"They do."
Hastur could answer this question with certainty. After all, when Klein advanced to Marionettist, he needed to consume his potion while listening to a mermaid's song.
"Are they really as beautiful as they are in fairy tales?"
"Probably not."
"Mr. Hastur, have you never seen a mermaid either?"
"I've only heard about them. They truly do possess enchanting voices."
"I really want to hear them." A look of longing appeared in Audrey's eyes.
"You'll have the chance." Judging by the time, Klein should have finished digesting his Faceless potion. Perhaps he had recently begun searching for the song of a mermaid so that he could advance to Marionettist.
"Really?"
"Mm, more real than pearls from the depths of the sea." After saying this, Hastur added, "Miss Audrey's expectant little gaze is always impossible to refuse."
"Mr. Hastur…" Audrey deliberately drew out her voice to conceal the little burst of happiness in her heart.
…
After Klein drew a mysterious symbol combining concealment and prying on the full-length mirror in his bedroom, the mirror emitted a dim yet pure light, like an undercurrent quietly surging along the bottom of a lake.
Immediately afterward, rows of ceremonial cannons appeared within it, firing volleys of fireworks into the sky.
Golden, silver, red, and other fragments of fireworks formed a line of words in midair.
"Great Master, your most loyal servant Arrodes has finally caught up with your footsteps once again."
Tsk, what an enthusiastic welcome. It manages to come up with so many new tricks every single time… Klein nodded slightly but did not speak.
"Great Master, what are your orders?"
"I have a question I need you to answer."
"It is my greatest honor to be of assistance to Master."
After those words, a tiny figure appeared, dancing joyfully.
"I want to know where I can find the song of a mermaid." Klein asked the question he most urgently needed answered.
His Faceless potion had already been completely digested, and he had gathered all the Beyonder ingredients required to advance to Marionettist. Now, only this final step remained.
To advance to Marionettist, he had to consume the potion while listening to a mermaid's song, yet mermaids were said to be on the verge of extinction.
"The easiest place to find mermaids is near the headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, in the waters around the Cathedral of Serenity. The Church of the Evernight Goddess specially raises mermaids there."
"But I'm certain Master would not choose that place."
"If you wish to find wild mermaids at sea, you will need to search the waters near the Sea of Ruins."
"Master must remember not to venture too deeply into the Sea of Ruins. It is extremely dangerous there, and many unknown secrets are hidden within."
Klein silently looked at Arrodes's answer, pondering how he should travel to the Sea of Ruins.
Mr. Hanged Man's Blue Avenger was a decent option. He could also choose Captain Danitz's Golden Dream.
The only question was whether either of them had plans to set sail for those waters anytime soon.
"What is the safest and quickest way to reach the Sea of Ruins?" Klein threw the problem to Arrodes.
This question seemed to stump Arrodes. Only after quite some time did it write in noticeably dimmer strokes:
"The evening after tomorrow, a ship called the Hope will pass through here. It is currently the safest vessel for traveling through the Sea of Ruins."
"The Hope?" Klein frowned slightly. Where had this ship suddenly come from? Why had he never heard of it?
"Great Master, I can only provide you with appropriate suggestions. As for exactly what you should do, Master must make the final decision yourself."
"Master, your loyal servant looks forward to serving you again next time."
All the light within the full-length mirror faded away. Arrodes had already departed.
Klein pondered in his room for a while before deciding to wait two days and see what exactly this Hope was like.
…
Two evenings later, Klein finally saw the Hope near the harbor. It had come here to replenish its supplies and fresh water.
The corners of his mouth twitched several times. He very much wanted to turn around and leave immediately, pretending he had never come here today.
The only thing worth celebrating was that he had changed his appearance. He was neither Klein nor Gehrman, but using an entirely new identity.
However, he wasn't certain whether Mr. Hastur, who had just disembarked from the Hope and appeared before him, could still see through his disguise at a glance.
The embarrassing scene from last time, when he had appeared dressed as Elaine only to run straight into Hastur, was still vivid in his memory.
Who knew what might happen this time?
He had just decided to turn around and leave before Mr. Hastur noticed him when, after only a few steps, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.
He didn't even need to turn around. He already recognized the owner of that voice as the very person he wanted to avoid, Hastur.
"Sir, I heard that you're searching for the legendary mermaids?"
"…" Klein's body stiffened for a moment. He took a deep breath before turning around and speaking as calmly as possible.
"I am a researcher of natural creatures and am very interested in the legendary mermaids of the sea. I'm currently looking for a suitable ship to escort me out to sea in search of them."
"So that's how it is." Hastur nodded and said with a smile, "We're also preparing to set out in search of them. If you're willing to pay a considerable fee, we wouldn't mind taking one more passenger."
"How much do you require?"
"1,000 gold pounds. It's a very reasonable price."
Too expensive! This is practically robbery!
Klein really wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but the other party's Hope was currently the safest vessel for traveling through the Sea of Ruins.
Moreover, the other party had most likely already guessed his identity. Otherwise, there was no reason he would so casually invite a complete stranger aboard his ship to head out to sea in search of mermaids.
"That is not a small expense. I need to think about it carefully." Klein genuinely thought it was far too expensive!
He had worked so hard hunting pirates, using part of the money he earned to repay his debt to Miss Messenger and most of the rest to purchase Beyonder ingredients. He really wasn't that wealthy.
After all, he wasn't Miss Justice from the Tarot Club, who could spend money like water.