Layers of pea vines that appeared as though they were capable of weaving into a stairway into heaven dropped and shrank back into the soil.
Be it the Saint of Darkness's main persona or Leomaster's good side, they vanished. Only Cattleya stood at the top of the boulder, surveying her surroundings with a blank look.
Queen Mystic threw Leomaster's main and good side back into his own dream? Or did she pull them elsewhere in an attempt to understand the unique traits necessary for entering the Forsaken Land of the Gods?
It seems like it's impossible to pull these two personalities into different dreams; otherwise, Queen Mystic would've long conversed with the good Leomaster individually, as well as agree to help him defeat the devil in exchange for relevant information, without going through so much trouble...
Of course, to truly kill off the Saint of Darkness's main persona, perhaps one will have to enter the dangerous ruins in the real world. Even Queen Mystic wouldn't dare to attempt it, as it might produce an evil queen who abides by "do as you wish, and do as much harm"... Klein turned his head once again in thought, looking at the nearby buildings around the black cloister's door. He saw that the figure belonging to Bernadette had vanished behind the clear floor-to-ceiling windows.
Klein didn't attempt to seek her out to figure out if Queen Mystic had obtained more information from Leomaster's good side. This was because he remembered Gehrman Sparrow's core persona—Mr. Fool's Blessed!
And Admiral of Stars knew very well that, in Mr. Fool's Tarot Gathering, The Sun came from the City of Silver in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. To say that Mr. Fool didn't know the method of entering the Forsaken Land of the Gods was unbelievable.
Therefore, as a Blessed, Gehrman Sparrow definitely lacked the motivation to delve deep into the matter!
There are many matters where the case is true that a persona which brings you success will also make you fail. This is a flaw for Faceless... Klein retracted his gaze and looked back at the shadow of the Giant King's Court on the opposite mountain, only to realize that the frozen sunset was slowly returning to the horizon.
On the same mountain, the boulder remained standing as Cattleya slowly sat down again, hugging her knees.
...
Noon and night switched thrice, but the actual amount of time that had passed in the outside world was just the daytime of a single day.
The Future circled around the dangerous ruins and dodged the latent dangers hidden in the safe sea routes, before finally arriving near the entrance of those waters.
Klein and company once again saw the ruin which was mostly submerged with seawater from the very beginning. They saw the gray stones and columns, as well as the huge dome at the top.
Previously, they could hear loud and clear panting sounds. Bloodless had even painfully pointed out that a corpse was hidden in those ruins!
And that corpse was very likely to be the source of the panting!
At that moment, the ruin that hid immense danger no longer brought fear to the people on board the Future, but joy. This was because it meant that they were about to leave the ridiculous and terrifying waters!
At some point in time, Nina had already climbed up to the tall crow's nest and said loudly as she looked at the ruin, "Eh, there's a ship!"
Ship? Klein circled around Anderson Hood, who was blocking him, and approached the shipboard as he focused.
Indeed, on the right of the stacked stones and stone columns, there was an ordinary three-mast sailboat docked by it. As there was something in the way, it would be difficult for the people on board the Future to notice it if they weren't viewing it from a high vantage point or looking carefully.
The sailboat floated there without a single sailor on board. The silence made it terrifying.
"It's as though it was all eaten by the ruin." Anderson came over and shook his head with a sigh. "In these waters, one mustn't go close unless one knows the ruins well."
A person who dares outline the mural of an Angel of Fate doesn't have the right to say that... Your treasure-hunting team claimed to be rich in experience, but in the end, aren't you the only one left from it... Klein didn't turn his head as he lampooned.
At this moment, Cattleya also came to the deck as she looked at the sailboat docked by the ruin.
During this entire process, she didn't give Gehrman Sparrow a glance; it was as though he didn't exist.
After a brief moment of silence, Cattleya raised her hand to remove the heavy glasses on her nose bridge. The deep purple hue in her eyes swirled as though she was trying to outline one complex symbol after another.
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared above the empty sailboat; they were a pair of illusory, translucent dark purple eyes!
The pair of eyes slowly moved and circled the deck once before entering the cabin.
This Beyonder power is very useful... Speaking of which, based on the means demonstrated by Queen Mystic and Admiral of Stars, the Beyonder powers of a Mystery Pryer has some of the highlights of fairy tales! Man, will Queen Mystic be able to turn people into frogs? Also, is the mystery prying of a Mystery Pryer demonstrated here, on their eyes? Admiral of Stars's eyes are somewhat odd. I have to take note... Klein silently made a guess as he awaited the outcome of Cattleya's remote exploration.
After a while, the dark purple hue in Cattleya's eyes finally dimmed.
She rubbed her brows, wore her glasses again, and said to Anderson Hood and Frank Lee, "There's a problem inside."
As she spoke, she took out a handful of colorful powder from her classic warlock robe, and she suddenly threw them outwards.
The powder didn't scatter onto the ground and instead formed a realistic color picture.
The picture's background appeared like a captain's cabin. There was a picture on the desk and a portrait on the wall, both depicting the same person.
He was a man from Feysac, with broad shoulders, light blond hair, and deep blue eyes!
This... Klein first found it familiar before he recalled where he had seen the man before!
Back when he was in Nas, an adventurer had been pursued by the second mate of the King of Immortality, Kircheis, and ran into the Lærdal Bar to seek help from the members of the Adventurer Association. At that instant, among the powerhouses who stood up to provide protection was a muscular man from Feysac who was more than two meters tall. Klein had found him rather strong and placed him at Sequence 6 at the very least.
Why would his ship suddenly enter these waters, and why would he rashly explore a dangerous ruin? Amidst Klein's puzzlement, he carefully observed the supernatural picture on the deck.
This time, he saw a pool of blood on the floor, and beside the blood were a few words in Feysac: "The Fountain of Unaging..."
The last character had a drawn-out mark of blood before it was connected to clear smudges that extended out towards the door.
Klein's mind seemed capable of restoring the actual scene. The Sequence 6 Feysac man had suffered a sudden attack and fell to the ground, heavily injured. He tried his best to write down the source of his encounter, but just as finished the first few words, he was held by the legs or head by some unknown entity, and he was forcibly pulled away!
Considering how the red words weren't wiped away, Klein suspected that the entity that dragged the adventurer away wasn't a living person.
It should be the corpse of that ruin... he thought, feeling a headache.
"The Fountain of Unaging? They came here in search of the Fountain of Unaging?" Anderson Hood said in excitement.
"Clearly, but they didn't find it." Frank Lee shook his head in great disappointment.
He also looked forward to the Fountain of Unaging, believing that the fountain's waters could create qualitative changes to his various experiments.
The Fountain of Unaging... Slaughterer Kircheis was the one chasing after the young adventurer back then. He's the second mate of the King of Immortality... Rumor has it that the King of Immortality had once drunk the waters of the Fountain of Unaging... Kircheis even warned me—Gehrman Sparrow—to not interfere with the young adventurer's matters, claiming that it was the will of the King of Immortality... Klein barely reproduced the truth based on various tidbits of information.
The young adventurer obtained the secret of the Fountain of Unaging from one of the King of Immortality's aides, and he was thus pursued. Later, with the protection of some of the stronger members of the Adventurer Association, he barely escaped from Slaughterer Kircheis. Later, to hide from the King of Immortality and also to seek out the Fountain of Unaging, they finally chose to adventure into these waters. Who knew that they ended up being wiped out in that ruin...
Could it be that the Fountain of Unaging is hidden deep in that ruin? Klein looked at the stacked gray stones and stone columns as he vaguely made a prediction.
As he temporarily had no way to verify his theory, nor did he know whose corpse was buried there, he didn't have the urge to explore or take risks. He rationally retracted his gaze.
I can ask Will Auceptin or Arrodes... Heh, perhaps the Fountain of Unaging is the pus produced from that rotting corpse... Klein guessed with the most nefarious of thoughts.
At this moment, Cattleya, who heard Anderson's and Frank's conversation, thought and said, "If their death was caused by their search for the Fountain of Unaging, I do not believe that the owner of the portrait and picture would have the motivation to leave behind accurate information before his death. After all, the people who actually find him here wouldn't be his family."
Makes sense... If I were in his shoes, and if I encounter a monster in my treasure-seeking adventures, I wouldn't think of providing any hints to others before my death... Klein indiscernibly shook his head, failing to think of any reason for the time being.
Cattleya looked at Anderson and Frank who wore looks of anticipation.
"A successful adventure is a result of having detailed intel and sufficient preparation, but we lack all of that now."
Her voice suddenly turned loud as it resounded in every corner of the ship.
"Continue sailing.
"Leave these waters!"
"Aye aye, Captain!" Nina, who was on the crow's nest, gulped a mouthful of beer.
A few minutes later, the descent and ascent that violated common sense happened once again, but the prepared members on the Future were no longer in a sorry state like before. They easily overcame the stimulating scene of jumping over the ravine and being sent flying.
Soon, the Future landed over blue seas, and a distance away was a gigantic storm blotting out the sky.
Not far away, there was another ship floating there silently. It was two hundred meters long, its front and back curved up, making it look like a crescent.
Upon seeing the flag depicting the black tombstone, Klein's mind flashed with the corresponding name: The Death Announcer!
It was the flagship of the King of Immortality Agalito!
At this moment, Klein no longer felt fear and horror, but excitement and agitation.
With Queen Mystic on board, and with no need to hide this time... She, together with me, Admiral of Stars, Anderson Hood, and the crew of the Future will have the chance of wiping out the crew of the King of Immortality! Food for Creeping Hunger has been found! I've found a candidate for a marionette!
At this moment, the Death Announcer suddenly turned around, moving away at an unprecedented speed.
I-it fled... Klein instantly wore a blank look.
Soon, the Death Announcer had vanished from his line of sight.
