"Charge! Ram the 'Black Tulip'!" Odis shouted the order.
He knew perfectly well that the flagship of "Hell Admiral" was a ghost ship far more powerful than the "Skull" and the "Ghost," and that a single "Spirit Wave Cannon" shell would be utterly incapable of destroying it.
It appears to have sunk, with only a small portion of its hull floating on the surface, but it should be able to return to the surface at any time.
Klein understood Odis's concerns and kept an eye on the "Black Tulip" on the deck, ready to strike at any moment.
This book is first published online by 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
The "Golden Dream" followed closely behind, preparing to join the "Argo" in a further pincer attack on the "Black Tulip".
Currently, the "Future" ship carries Gadria, Anderson, and others who do not require assistance.
If Odis and Edwina were to board the ship with their subordinates without warning, it might lead to misunderstandings.
Then it would be better to launch a full-scale attack on the "Black Tulip." The combined forces of "Admiral Mystery" and "Vice Admiral Iceberg" should theoretically be enough to take down "Admiral Hell."
Of course, this is only in theory, because there is still the huge variable of the "Black Tulip".
At the level of "Pirate Generals," the ships they pilot are by no means ordinary vessels.
Whoosh~
Just as Odis had predicted, the Black Tulip flipped itself up from the seabed shortly after the Argo's attack began.
The attack of the "Spirit Wave Cannon" was very sudden. By the time "Hell General" Ludwell sensed the danger, Odis had already given the order to fire.
So Ludwell took emergency measures, causing the Black Tulip to capsize completely into the sea and summoning the undead for protection.
But it was a giant ship over a hundred meters long; it wasn't something that could be capsized so easily.
The violent explosion and turbulent roll had already damaged the "Black Tulip," with one mast broken and a large section of the hull severely displaced, as if that section of the hull could fall apart at any moment.
Even for a ghost ship, such damage would be quite severe.
Upon seeing the Argo and the Golden Dream charging towards him, the "Hell Admiral" immediately summoned a massive "Gateway to the Underworld" adorned with intricate patterns.
With a creak, the door swung open suddenly, filling the surroundings with an indescribable sense of profound stillness and death.
Inside the gate was an impenetrable, boundless darkness, like a black hole, seemingly swallowing all the light that shone through.
In the darkness, it seemed as if countless indescribable eyes were hidden in the deep gloom, densely packed everywhere, yet their specific forms remained unseen.
Then, one after another, skinless, bloody arms reached out and firmly grasped the "Black Tulip".
Black vines, resembling the faces of infants, stretched out and tightly bound the "Black Tulip".
They were struggling to pull the flagship of "Hell Admiral" so that the giant ship could enter "the underworld" as soon as possible.
Odis immediately ordered, "'Spirit-Destroying Cannon', charge up!"
The two mechanical rods that extended from the "Lingbo Cannon," which had a mechanical aesthetic, suddenly slid to the sides of the cannon, and the two bone-white mechanical rods immediately extended out of their original positions.
This is also a new design, which allows for the rapid replacement of the "barrel" when changing guns.
At this point, half of the "Black Tulip" had already entered the massive bronze gate.
Once Odis had finished charging, he immediately ordered: "Target, 'Gate to the Underworld,' launch!"
A pale beam of light shot out and struck the "Gate of the Underworld" almost instantly.
The enormous "Gate to the Underworld" trembled violently, and the arms and dark blue vines that stretched out from it were instantly shredded by the "Spirit-Destroying Cannon".
The undead on the "Black Tulip" were also affected, with most of them lying on the deck and turning into real corpses.
The remaining undead stood there motionless, and Ludwell was unable to give them any commands.
Even Ludwell himself dared not look directly at that pale white beam of light.
For a moment, the "Black Tulip" was stuck there, half in the "underworld" and half in the real world.
Ugh~
The "Gate of the Underworld" suddenly emitted a strange "wailing" sound, first tilting, then tilting faster and faster, before crashing into the sea.
However, before the "Gate to the Underworld" could completely collapse, it suddenly became illusory and eventually disappeared from the real world.
Then, as if a cold wind was blowing in all directions, it stirred up many icy waves.
This sight once again left Klein and the crew of the "Golden Dream" speechless with astonishment. They had never seen the "Gate to the Underworld" being "smashed down" by an extraordinary weapon before!
Not only them, but even "Admiral" Ludwell was stunned. He had almost escaped, but now he was back in the real world.
Having had similar experience before, Odis and his crew remained calm and, taking advantage of the previous opportunity, had already approached the "Black Tulip".
"Activate 'Sharp Edge'!" Odis shouted the order again.
A white light appeared at the bow of the "Argo," which quickly solidified, as if an extra cone-shaped section of the ship's hull had appeared.
Thump~
The Argo, traveling at a speed of "forward four", collided with the Black Tulip, which was over 100 meters long, crashing directly into its hull, breaking the mainmast, and nearly splitting the Admiral in two.
The Black Tulip was much taller than the Argo; Odis and Klein had to look up to see Ludwell wearing a metal mask.
Meanwhile, the deck of the Black Tulip, and even the level below it, was higher than the deck of the Argo.
On the deck below, Odis saw two skeletons emitting a pale, faint glow, standing motionless.
The impact was so violent, yet they weren't knocked down.
Just as Odis was about to charge at the "General of Hell," Ludwell uttered a series of difficult syllables, the "language of the dead," which the living could not understand.
The two skulls in the cabin suddenly moved and turned to look at Odis and Klein on the deck of the "Argo".
They bent their legs, jumped over, and reached out to grab the two people on the deck.
Immediately afterwards, figures emerged from the cabin; they were either skeletons or visibly decaying corpses.
Without exception, they all emitted a pale white light, clearly distinguishing them from normal zombies and skeletons.
This is the culmination of the "Black Tulip's" long-term accumulation. This ship can enhance undead, evil spirits, and skeletons, but it will take a long time to complete the process.
If we hadn't stormed the deck of this ghost ship, we wouldn't have needed these enhanced undead artifacts at all.
At this moment, the skeletons and the undead swarmed out of the cabin. Klein and Odis both chose to retreat tactically, giving the undead and skeletons enough space.
Klein's gloves were suddenly bathed in a golden light. He made a gesture of embracing the sun, and a pure and holy light descended from the sky, purifying the few undead and skeletons charging in front.
Ludwell, who had originally planned to rush over together, stopped and chose to continue observing.
At this moment, more than a dozen "extraordinary puppets" had completed their formation and, under the command of Second Vice Admiral Rupert and others, were charging towards the skeletons and undead.
Odis suddenly shouted, "Let's go!"
He summoned "Star Sand" with his right hand and used "Flying" to fly towards Ludwell.
Klein immediately understood Odis's intention and used the "Sailor" domain spell as well, rushing towards "Hell Admiral" with him.
Ludwell looked at the two men, opened his mouth again, and uttered the "Words of the Dead".
Odis and Klein, who were flying in mid-air, suddenly felt their muscles stiffen and their joints become difficult to bend, as if their spirits were suddenly unable to control their bodies.
Klein quickly raised his hand, completing the spirit form switch in "Crawling Hunger": "Mental Pierce!"
Ludwell's "Words of the Dead" attack paused, and Odis and Klein immediately felt much better.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Odis immediately used the power of the "Travel Ring" to appear behind Ludwell: "Harvest!"
He sent Ludwell flying with a single punch!
Stepping onto the deck of the "Black Tulip," Oddis immediately felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet and spread throughout his body.
However, this chill wouldn't affect Odis immediately, and his combo continued: "Imprisonment!"
Ludwell, who had just fallen to the ground, lost his composure. The small skull pendant he wore around his neck suddenly cracked, emitting a puff of white smoke.
Odis's combo had reached its climax: "Death!"
Another heavy blow struck, and Ludwell was seriously injured. He quickly summoned the vengeful spirits that guarded the ship to shield him.
As Odis watched the shrieking vengeful spirits drifting out of the cabin, he tossed a "Spirit Explosion Scroll" over. After a silent explosion, a vortex seemed to form around the scroll, instantly pulverizing the nearby vengeful spirits.
Even the vengeful spirits that were farther away seemed to be thrown away by some kind of shockwave.
Klein, who was originally going to help stop these vengeful spirits, suddenly stopped in his tracks, feeling that he wouldn't be able to help at all by coming along.
At this moment, Odis faced Ludwell again and used her "battle hypnosis" ability to make the "Hell General" temporarily give up resisting.
At that moment, Odis and Klein both felt a strong sense of unease, and the two of them flew into the air again.
Suddenly, two enormous mouths full of sharp teeth appeared where the two of them had just been standing, and they bit down hard on the two people in mid-air.
Klein's gloves were once again enveloped in a golden glow, and a pure beam of light reappeared, meeting the two gigantic mouths, purifying and dispelling them.
At this moment, Odis and Klein noticed that the heavily damaged "Black Tulip" had suddenly undergone a significant change. The entire ship, which was approaching the "Argo," suddenly split open, like a giant, monstrous mouth, about to devour the "Argo."
Odis and Klein's spirituality immediately reminded them of the pendant around Ludwell's neck earlier, which was clearly a process of calling for help.
The reinforcements they summoned were at least at the level of demigods.
However, this sea area is extremely dangerous for demigods, so that demigod must be hiding in the underworld, maneuvering the "Black Tulip" to launch a counterattack.
In other words, under the control of the demigod, the "Black Tulip" has more uses.
Without a second thought, Odis and Klein immediately chose to retreat.
Even though the demigod couldn't show himself, it was still extremely dangerous for the two of them.
"Full speed back!" Odis shouted the order!
However, the Argo seemed to be stuck and could not reverse.
As the crack in the Black Tulip widened, the bow of the Argo was now caught in the grip of the Black Tulip.
Just then, a cylindrical, rich, golden light suddenly struck the "Black Tulip".
The light pierced through the ghost ship, leaving a huge hole in its open mouth.
Odis and Klein saw that the "Golden Dream" had come to their aid and attacked the "Black Tulip" with the "Purification Cannon".
The "Purification Cannon" only has its extraordinary effects when five "Priests of Light" perform the ritual together, and it can only be used ten times. After ten uses, five "Priests of Light" must be invited to perform the ritual again.
Without the church's backing, such a cannon simply couldn't be maintained.
However, the "Purification Cannon" was also very powerful, causing the "Black Tulip" to unleash the "Argo".
The Argo was then able to reverse and leave the danger zone.
Immediately afterwards, another huge "Gate to the Underworld" appeared on the sea surface. With a "creak," it opened instantly, and the next second, the wrecked "Black Tulip" entered the "Underworld."
Thump~
The "Gate to the Underworld" quickly closed and disappeared into the void.
If it weren't for the living corpses and skeleton remains on the deck of the "Argo," one would have the illusion that the fierce battle had never happened.
Odis ordered the "Extraordinary Puppet" to clean the deck, while simultaneously using flag signals to express his gratitude to the "Golden Dream".
Then Odis said to Klein, "So close! We were almost there, fifty-five thousand pounds."
The bounty for "General of Hell" is 55,000 pounds, and that's a national bounty. If we activate the relevant channels of the Church of the Goddess of Night, we should also be able to receive the bounty from the Republic of Intis. Even if we don't receive the full amount, we can still get a little over 100,000 pounds in total.
Klein also felt it was a bit of a pity, because if he had given "Mr. Garr" at most three more seconds, he could have taken down "Hell General".
Klein then gained a new understanding of Captain Garr's strength: he could kill a lone Sequence 5 within 10 seconds.
Then Odis looked at the sea with some frustration: "After searching for so long, we haven't caught anything."
Klein said, "Given what happened just now, we're lucky we even managed to escape."
Odis laughed and said, "You really know how to comfort people."
With the deck cleared, the Argo and Golden Dream returned to rejoin the Future, by which time the monsters on the Future had been eliminated.
After a short rest, the crew held a funeral for the crew members who had just died on the deck of the "Future".
After resetting its course, the fleet continued forward.
After sailing for more than an hour, the "Argo" and "Golden Dream" separated from the "Future" at the designated location. A few dozen nautical miles ahead, they reached the approximate location of the "psychedelic red coral" mentioned by the old man Kent. The island with mermaids was in another direction, and they would have to sail for a while longer.
Seeing that everything was normal on the sea, Odis returned to his studio. As soon as he sat down, he felt that something was wrong.
Suddenly, he stood up from his seat and opened the bedroom door.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Bernadette, dressed in dark trousers and a top, was reclining in an armchair, looking at the sea through the porthole with a contented expression.
Odis was taken aback: "You didn't go with Cattleya?"
Bernadette smiled slightly: "What? You're not welcoming me?"
"Welcome," Odis said. "I feel relieved with you here."
After all, Odis was unsure what would happen on the rest of the voyage, and felt somewhat uncertain.
Odis, seated in his chair, asked, "Has the purpose of our voyage been achieved?"
"Soon," Bernadette replied simply.
Then she asked, "Do you know whose dream it is after nightfall?"
Odis shook his head: "I don't know."
Bernadette took a deep breath: "Try not to actively explore that dream; it's very dangerous."
Odis smiled and said, "I know."
He leaned back in his chair and said, "Why didn't you make a move just now? We could have even split Ludwell's bounty."
"That would only trigger a battle at the demigod level," Bernadette said. "I don't dare to mobilize too much power in the waters near the 'Ruins of the Gods'."
Odis said "Oh": "That demigod was lucky, otherwise he would have become the 'Mysterious Queen's' spoils."
Bernadette laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. Demigods who use the 'Death' pathway are very difficult to kill."
Then she asked, "What are your thoughts on the monster that attacked the 'Future' just now?"
"I didn't expect there to be remnants of the power of the 'Earth Mother Goddess' here." Odis said, "Since entering the 'Ruins of the Gods' War,' higher-level powers such as the 'Singer' pathway, the 'Reader' pathway, and the 'Sleepless' pathway have appeared."
Bernadette said, "There are also the powers of the 'Mystic' pathway and the 'Audience' pathway."
Odis pondered for a moment: "You mean the sea area where the panting sound came from? And the 'stone giant' we killed earlier?"
Bernadette nodded, while Odis frowned and said, "A battle involving so many high-level beings inevitably brings to mind the 'Great Cataclysm' at the end of the Third Epoch."
"So, it's possible that we can find an entrance to the 'Forsaken Land' in this sea area." Bernadette clearly had a similar guess.
At this moment, the light outside began to dim again, and night quickly descended upon this sea area.
Odis quickly lay down on the bed, and before closing her eyes, she heard the "mysterious queen" say, "I need to confirm something. In the dream, I won't continue discussing the previous issue with you."
Before Odis could react, he found himself in a long corridor.
The doors to each room were open, and inside were rows and rows of bookshelves filled with neatly arranged books.
Odis then realized that Bernadette seemed to be able to perform more actions in the dream.
He wasn't surprised by this, after all, this was a demigod.
Odis guessed that he was currently inside the Black Monastery, which was indeed quite dangerous, and it was best not to explore it.
However, those dangers are usually inside closed doors. Open doors like the one in front of us don't pose much of a problem.
So Odis decided to read a book in his dream. Stepping into the room in front of him, Odis saw Edwina reading a book in front of the bookshelf.
Sensing someone enter, Edwina looked up and said, "I thought there was no one else here."
Odis was taken aback: "You can maintain consciousness in a dream?"
"After seeing the information you mentioned in your letter about the 'Ruins of the Gods War,' I made some preparations," Edwina said. "Among them was finding a secret technique that allows one to remain conscious in a dream."
"However, in actual application, the effect is not very good. Once you enter the dream, you can only stay where you are and cannot explore the surroundings."
Odis nodded slowly. No wonder he didn't see "General Iceberg" when he entered the "Shared Dream" last time.
"Are there any good books here?" Odis asked, walking toward Edwina.
After taking only two steps, the two seemed to sense something and looked towards the doorway together.
A woman in her thirties appeared at the doorway. She was dressed in a classical robe, wore a classical wizard's hat, and held a staff.
She smiled and said, "It's been a long time since anyone has come here to read."
Odis and Edwina immediately became alert, because the woman was not a crew member on the three ships, including the Argo.
Of course, Odis appeared quite relaxed on the surface: "We just met, and I didn't expect there to be so many books here."
He then introduced himself, saying, "My name is Gar. What is your name?"
"My name is Teresa," the woman said with a smile as she entered. "This used to be the library of our 'Morse Ascetic Order'."
Odis paused for a moment: Back then? The Morse Order?
The woman who called herself Teresa had just said something so revealing that Odysseus was momentarily at a loss for words.
Edwina, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Ms. Theresa, your staff is very special. Is it a 'Guth Staff'?"
Theresa smiled and said, "I didn't expect anyone to recognize the 'Guth's Staff'."
Odis had never heard of such a staff, so he asked, "What kind of staff is it?"
"I also saw it by chance in a book," Edwina said. "It is said that the craftsmanship of that kind of staff originated from the Elven race, and that the craftsmanship was lost in the Fourth Age."
Edwina emphasized the phrase "Quaternary Period," and Odis immediately understood what she meant: she was guessing that the person in front of her was not a modern person!
Odis examined Teresa again and saw that her clothing was indeed very different from modern clothing, but it was not the "asymmetrical" style of the Quaternary period.
"This is one of the three existing 'Guth's Staffs'." Theresa was clearly pleased that the staff in her hand had been recognized. "This lady is a learned person."
Odis nodded in acknowledgment; in many respects, he was indeed less learned than someone "native" like Edwina.
Then he asked, "Madam, what is your purpose in coming to this area?"
"Of course we're here to find the library that rightfully belongs to us!" Teresa said. "I'm lucky to have found this place after going through so many hardships."
She looked at the rows of bookshelves and smiled with satisfaction: "Then I stayed here to protect them."
Odis said politely, "I'm sorry, we looked through the books here without your permission."
"It's alright." In response to Odis's politeness, Teresa also said very politely, "The great 'sage' once said that kings and beggars have the same right to learn. Whoever comes to the library of the 'Morse's Ascetic Order' should not be stingy in imparting knowledge to them and discussing issues with them."
Edwina was about to ask: Is it the 'Hidden Sage'?
However, he was stopped by Odis's gaze, because he was not sure if the "Sage" was the "Hidden Sage". If he asked the wrong question, it would easily ruin the harmonious atmosphere of the conversation.
Odis pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, "You should be able to tell that I am an extraordinary individual on the 'Secret Seeker' path, and I long to join the 'Morse Ascetic Order'."
"I just didn't have the right channels, but I never expected to be fortunate enough to enter the library of the 'Morse Ascetic'."
He told the other party about his approach as a strategy: to be frank about his situation first, and then ask questions. Moreover, Odis estimated that the other party should be able to see through his approach.
Odis then asked, "I've heard that the 'Morse Ascetic Order' is a very ancient organization, but I'm not entirely sure what kind of organization it is. Could you please explain?"
"Of course," Theresa readily agreed. "The 'Order of Morth' was an organization founded by the great 'Sage' in the Second Age. The original members all saw the first profane tablet…"
Edwina was clearly taken aback, because as far as she knew, the "Morse Penitentiary" seemed to be an organization established during the Tertiary period.
However, she did not refute it, but chose to listen quietly.
Teresa continued, "...Our principle is to fight madness with knowledge and to fight distortion with asceticism!"
"In that long dark age, the 'Morse Ascetic' was a beacon of wisdom, illuminating the way forward for those who were lost."
"The great 'sage' and the equally great 'sun god' led humanity in fighting against the ancient gods, and ultimately established a third era dominated by humankind!"
"That period was referred to by extraordinary scholars as the 'Twin Era'..."
Odis almost showed a surprised expression: "Twins" refers to the "Sage" and the "Ancient Sun God"? I always thought it was the era when the ancient gods coexisted with the "Ancient Sun God", or it referred to the more active "Giant King" and "Elf King"!
He was well aware that the "sun god" Teresa referred to must be the "ancient sun god," because although the "Eternal Sun" was the currently recognized sun god, it had never called itself the "sun god."
Because if He calls Himself the "Sun God," His followers, when praying to Him or performing corresponding rituals, are likely to be referring to the "Ancient Sun God."
He calls himself the "Eternal Sun" to distinguish himself from the "Ancient Sun God".
The more learned Edwina also realized that the "sage" and the "hidden sage" were not the same thing. At least, the "Morse Ascetic" that Teresa mentioned was not the same as the "Morse Ascetic" in her memory.
Although the "Morse Ascetic" is not a particularly evil secret organization, it often creates some bizarre and extraordinary cases. It has no awareness or magnanimity to impart knowledge to ordinary people. It seems that all they teach is madness and corruption.
"Later, for unknown reasons, the 'Sages' always fell into a deep sleep," Teresa continued. "So in the middle of the Third Age, many extraordinary beings only knew about the 'Morsic Order' but were unaware of the existence of the 'Sages'."
"By the Fourth Age, the 'Sage' appeared even less frequently, only stepping forward when Outer Gods invaded..."
"Wait a minute," Odis said, thinking he had misheard. "You mean, the invasion of the Outer Gods?"
Theresa was taken aback: "You know about the Outer Gods?"
"All I know is that they are evil gods," Odis said. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics."
"It's better not to know," Theresa said. "If you at your level knew this knowledge, you would be corrupted."
Odis nodded, vaguely remembering that this knowledge was dangerous and could only be recalled in the "wilderness of knowledge".
Then he recalled the scene he saw in the "crystal skull" and roughly understood that the "sage" must be in a very poor state, so he often fell into a deep sleep and struggled with divinity.
Edwina listened intently, as she had only just grasped the concept of "Outer Gods" today.
"That history is indeed little known now," Teresa continued. "The barrier formed before the 'original creator' fell asleep was created unconsciously and has many flaws."
"During the Second Age, some Outer Gods attempted to corrupt the Ancient Gods by exploiting those loopholes. At the beginning of the Third Age, through the joint efforts of the Sage and the Sun God, the Barrier was modified, making it impossible for the Outer Gods to penetrate it."
"But when the 'Sun God' fell, all the efforts made back then were in vain, and the power of the Outer Gods became active again. Only the 'Sages' could fight against them."
Odis nodded, sensing that this must be very important information, but he also knew that such associations could only be made in the "wilderness of knowledge," so he simply memorized the information carefully.
Theresa added, "It is said that the 'Sage' has already devised a way to repair the 'Barrier,' but when I arrived in this sea, His plan had not yet been implemented."
Odis was taken aback: Could that plan be to have the Seven Gods "fill the hole"?