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Stepping through the carved wooden doorway, Aaron arrived at the telecommunications room in the middle of the ship.
What greeted his eyes was a massive copper frame, hung with telegraph machines and keys, each machine possessing a complex mechanical structure, some even emitting noticeable Beyonder characteristic fluctuations.
Between the frames, intricate specialized copper wires were laid, transmitting telecommunication signals from one place to another.
As a ship traversing the Berserk Sea and even the Sonia Sea, this was its greatest feature apart from its luxurious decor.
Even though the Berserk Sea and Sonia Sea experience drastic weather changes and numerous factors affecting electromagnetic propagation, it could still receive telegrams from Loen and the Southern Continent.
Upon seeing Lord Aaron enter, the mechanical din and the tapping of telegraph machines that had filled the entire telecommunications room diminished somewhat.
The military-clad man sitting in the corner quickly rose, picked up the documents on the table, and walked towards Aaron, saying, "Lord Aaron, these are the intelligence reports intercepted and deciphered over the past two days based on the frequency spectrum and cipher you provided. There are three reports on top."
"The rest are intelligence from Loen and the Southern Continent."
Aaron nodded slightly, taking the intelligence. The first page contained a line of Loen words:
"Helmosuin appeared at 46 Oak Avenue, Bayam. Arrest at 3 PM."
Aaron's pupils constricted slightly. He quickly looked at the time in the bottom right corner, realizing this was a telegram from yesterday morning.
Frowning slightly, Aaron continued to flip through. The next two pages of intelligence were both sent this morning, almost simultaneously.
One was an order for all intelligence personnel in Bayam to continue searching for Helmosuin, while the other was related to the "Admiral of Blood."
"The 'Admiral of Blood' has already arrived in Bayam, but unfortunately, the telegram doesn't have a detailed address, otherwise…."
Aaron regretfully put away the three intelligence reports. At least from the current information, Mr. Helmosuin had not been captured yet.
Aaron wasn't too concerned about the "Admiral of Blood." He was just a Pirate Admiral with a great reputation, merely a slightly more powerful Sequence 5.
The real reason Aaron checked the telegrams as soon as he woke up was that he had defeated the corruption originating from the Chained God in the Nation of Disorder, which in turn pointed to the Outer God, the Mother Tree of Desire.
Even with an Original Creator's Barrier and a dream separating them, Aaron couldn't be sure how much this Outer God, who acted so wantonly and ostentatiously, had perceived.
Currently, the simplest and most direct method he could think of was to make a judgment based on the Rose School of Thought's actions. The "Admiral of Blood" was a very good target.
Aaron continued to scroll down. There were two more intelligence reports. One was from Conant City in Desi Bay, a telegram sent by his father, Gusman Weil.
The content of the telegram was quite simple, merely bidding Aaron farewell. The fleet would depart in mid-February because Feysac's colonial area in West Balam was close to the coast.
Considering the potential for skirmishes along the West Balam coast, they would likely only reach the Loen Kingdom's colonial area in West Balam by late March to support the war there.
The last one was from Lloyd City in Paz River Valley, Southern Continent, sent by Glenn Weil, who had arrived over a month earlier. It contained only a few brief words: "Mission accomplished."
Looking at those brief words, a smile finally appeared on Aaron's face. He put away all the intelligence in his hand, nodded slightly to the officer, and then left.
Aaron stood on the deck, looking at the shimmering sea under the red moon and Bansy Harbor, which was enveloped by dark clouds nearby but still showed some discernible outlines.
Watching Bansy Harbor recede into the distance, Aaron's fingers lightly tapped the ship's hull. After much deliberation, he finally decided to investigate first.
He tossed a bronze-colored talisman to Bayer Baile, who stood nearby, which could help Aaron locate the ship in the Spirit World, making it convenient for him to return in time.
After preparing, Aaron returned to the cabin. Even without the aid of divination, relying on his spiritual intuition, which was almost comparable to a Sequence 5, and the Sheriff's enhanced extra perception of the Beyonder level, he finally found Evelyn, who was hidden by psychological invisibility, in a corner. After a friendly exchange, she "happily" perched on Aaron's shoulder and disappeared into the colorful blocks.
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Bayam, inside an ordinary residential building not far from the Governor's Mansion.
In the spacious basement, candles burned quietly, casting a dim yellow light around.
"Silver-White Viper" Odell had taken off his hooded robe and looked at the middle-aged man opposite him with a slight tremor, saying in an unsteady voice, "Lord Senior, I also don't know why Helmosuin suddenly disappeared."
"Your… Your second mate's item has been destroyed by the Sea King of the Church of the Lord of Storms who arrived later…."
By the end, his voice was almost trembling.
Senior wore an old tricorn hat. His eye sockets were deep-set, and his face was terrifyingly pale, looking more like a Wraith than a human.
He raised a hand to wipe the two black mustaches on his lip. His light brown eyes coldly swept across Odell's face, causing the renowned adventurer to involuntarily lower his head.
After silently observing the other party for a few seconds, the "Admiral of Blood," dressed in white trousers and a red jacket, spoke in a low, hoarse voice:
"How many subordinates died?"
For him, who had a strong desire for blood and even slaughtered his comrades, subordinates were merely useful tools. The only reason he cared about their lives was that the upcoming mission required cannon fodder of a certain strength.
"No, your first mate, your second mate, they only suffered minor injuries. It's just that the item your second mate provided, once released, could not be retrieved and was thus destroyed by Sea King Jahn Kottman, who arrived later."
"Silver-White Viper" Odell hastily agreed, hoping the "Admiral of Blood" wouldn't think it was his incompetence that led to the failure of the operation to capture the great scientist Helmosuin.
He knew very well how cruel this Pirate Admiral was to subordinates who made mistakes!
Senior glanced at Odell and sneered:
"But no matter what, you failed."
"If it weren't for you and your mistress, who gave me much pleasure, I would make you pull out your own intestines!"
"Go mobilize all your spies in Bayam and drag that old man out. That's the only thing you can do right now."
Upon hearing this, Odell silently breathed a sigh of relief. He looked fearfully at the "Admiral of Blood" and the bloody altar in the dark room behind him, respectfully replying:
"Yes, Lord Senior!"
He had just thought he would become part of the sacrifice.
After Odell exited the basement, "Admiral of Blood" Senior turned to look at the altar covered with human heads, internal organs, limbs, and blood, and said with an even more respectful attitude than Odell had shown him:
"Lord Jax, was the ritual successful?"
"It was successful. Now we just await the God's response," a cold, emotionless voice came from behind the curtains hanging around the altar.
Then, the curtains seemed to come alive, rolling back on both sides, smoothly tying themselves into a knot, and falling in the center of the altar.
A slightly transparent figure appeared by the altar at some unknown point. His skin was brownish, his face deeply furrowed with wrinkles, and his white hair was as sparse as autumn leaves, as if he had lived for many, many years.
It was Jax, a high-ranking member of the Rose School of Thought, a Sequence 4 Puppet of the Prisoner Pathway.
He looked humbly at the candlelight, his brown eyes unmoving.
"Admiral of Blood" Senior dared not speak again. He stood beside Lord Jax, waiting for the altar to change.
Suddenly, the candle flames took on various colors, each seemingly corresponding to the observer's different desires.
The human heads, internal organs, limbs, and blood on the altar moved without wind, piling up layer after layer, and appearing to melt like wax.
Before long, they formed a short tree of flesh and blood, its surface uneven like a walnut shell, with black and red intertwined branches spreading out.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Inside the tree of flesh and blood, a heart seemed to be beating, strong and powerful.
Just as Senior was about to be unable to bear the noise, the tree of flesh and blood withered, decayed into mud, and spread out.
Where it had been, a fleshy, wet, sticky small ball remained.
Soon, the small ball grew limbs and a head, transforming into a palm-sized humanoid creature.
Its face had no eyes, no nose, no ears, only a hole-like mouth.
From that mouth, dark golden mist exhaled and then retracted, repeatedly, without stopping.
Jax devoutly and fanatically chanted "Mother Tree of Desire" many times, then humbly reached out and picked up the strange little figure.
Silently, all the candlelight extinguished, but for Wraiths with night vision, this did not affect their ability to see.
"Admiral of Blood" Senior looked up at Jax, hearing the Lord say in a low voice:
"We have been preparing for this ritual for a long time, and the God's grace can help us sense the target's presence over a considerable range."
"Then, we can accurately find him with the glasses made by members of the Life School of Thought!"
As he spoke, Jax took out a monocle from his inner pocket. It looked normal, but in the Darkness, it shimmered with a luminous white glow.
"Lord Jax, what do we do next?" Senior respectfully asked.
Jax, with his deeply wrinkled face, put the monocle back and thought for a few seconds before saying:
"In the sudden blood moon a few days ago, I sensed the God's will."
"That mysterious person who, along with Queen Mystic, severely wounded Mahmosi in the Sonia Sea, or the organization behind him, has attracted the God's attention."
"Our main task now is to pursue that mysterious powerhouse."
"Coincidentally, the instigator of that incident, the traitor Sharron, is in Bayam. Capture her and try every means to get clues from her."
Senior remained bowed, not daring to straighten his body, and hesitated before asking with some concern:
"What if that mysterious powerhouse wasn't drawn by Queen Mystic, but by Sharron? Even Lord Mahmosi was severely wounded; relying only on us…"
A flicker of emotion, difficult to detect, crossed Jax's withered face. After a moment of silence, he placed the strange little figure over his heart and spoke with devotion and fanaticism:
"If she has a powerful helper, we will monitor her to prevent her from leaving our sensing range, then patiently wait for Lord Suah to arrive."
"If she has no protector and is in poor condition herself, then we will act directly."
When he heard the word Suah, "Admiral of Blood" Senior's forehead clearly twitched, as if that Lord's name alone could inspire fear.
He slowly took a breath and said:
"Yes, Lord Jax!"
After replying, Senior instinctively touched the necklace hanging on his chest.
This necklace appeared to be made of pure silver, with a matching pendant shaped like an ancient coin. Both sides were covered with mysterious patterns and symbolic symbols, and inscribed with an ancient Hermes inscription:
"As lucky as you are now, so unlucky will you be later."
This item originated from a member of the Life School of Thought, a Sequence 5 Winner of the Monster Pathway, and one of the important members of the Life School of Thought provided by Enzo after his defection.
After dying at the hands of the Rose School of Thought demigod Jax in the Southern Continent, his Beyonder characteristic, his own spirit, and an ordinary silver necklace he carried combined to form a Mystical Item, which was finally bestowed upon Senior.
-----------------
Bansy Harbor, inside an unoccupied room in the port area, Aaron and Evelyn emerged from the colorful, distorted world of oil paintings.
Looking at the dim streetlights outside the window and the slightly thin mist, Aaron habitually touched his right wrist, where his divination pendant used to hang.
After feeling nothing, Aaron sighed, unaccustomed, and finally understood why Klein always divined before doing anything.
On one hand, it might be out of caution, as a Seer doesn't fight unprepared battles. On the other hand, it might truly be due to habit.
Suppressing the thoughts in his mind, he tossed Evelyn to the door, motioning for her to guard the room, then walked towards a side compartment. A thought inexplicably flashed through his mind:
"Caution saves one from disaster; one cannot be careless…."
Seeing the compartment door close, Evelyn, shedding her previous docile demeanor, fiercely bared her teeth at the compartment, stood up, and made a few phantom grabs at it, before turning around with a vigilant expression to watch the door and windows.
Aaron skillfully set up the ritual and ascended above the dark golden mist. Using the true vision provided by the Sefirah, he continuously raised his perspective, looking through the thick dark clouds gathered high above, overlooking the entire port area and the coastal mountains outside Bansy Harbor.
Under true vision, a patch of grayish-white mist appeared deep within Bansy Harbor. Within the mist were a faint street and rows of terraced houses.
The coastal mountains outside the harbor, on the other hand, were a swirl of crimson, blazing white, or orange flames within the grayish-white mist.
In just an instant, Aaron severed the transmission of true vision. After summoning the black emperor card, he carefully examined himself, and only after confirming that he hadn't been corrupted by any obscure pollution did he relax.
After all, that was a Sefirah. Even sealed, the leaked corruption could make an Angel wish for death. Aaron had to be careful and avoid igniting true danger before the hunting plan was completed.
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