On the observation deck of the liner, the bugle was sounded. It tore through the obstacles put up by the wind and rain, awakening all the passengers on board.
Unable to dress up in time, they could only don a coat or their pajamas, rushing barefoot to the window to observe the situation outside.
Half of the passengers quickly saw a gigantic sailboat that didn't adhere to common sense. They saw its three pitch-black sails and the blob of pale flickering yellow amidst the dark environment.
Together with the howling winds, spattering rain, and the moonless and starless night sky, many passengers felt as though the ship was approaching them from hell, bringing with it an inexplicable sense of horror and dominance.
After a brief pause and frenzy, a name surfaced in their minds: Black Emperor!
Anyone who had been out at sea for some time, or people who lived in port cities in the various colonies, more or less knew the existence of such a pirate ship!
"Sigh, may the Storm be with you and me."
"May the Goddess watch over us!"
"Holy Lord of Storms!"
As the passengers subconsciously made prayers, they were filled with horror and helplessness.
These passengers knew very well that the owner of the Black Emperor had the highest bounty on the Five Seas. In a particular sense, he was the King of Pirates, and was a powerful figure who could remain alive despite the campaigns of the various fleets from different nations. He was definitely not someone the cannons and crew of a liner could resist.
This meant that they were about to fall into the hands of pirates!
Many women couldn't help but imagine being raped by the pirates and being sold to unfamiliar lands. Some trembled while others collapsed to the ground. Some rummaged for daggers or revolvers; it was unknown if they wanted to resist, or if they were unwilling to face the worst outcome. Having failed to find weapons, some moved a clothes rack to their side.
The men didn't react any better. Apart from a number of them drawing weapons in a bid to organize themselves to resist, the remaining froze in a daze or sought places to hide. Other cursed the darn liner and the King of the Five Seas.
Finally, the captain's voice boomed into the ears of every passenger via the broadcasting equipment or something else.
"Silence! Don't be afraid!
"The owner of the Black Emperor has his own code. He's not like other pirates. His subordinates can only plunder for items and wealth, nothing else!
Such words were repeated a few times as the panicking passengers finally calmed down and no longer exhibited such horror.
Compared to the outcomes they had imagined, being able to live and not be raped was an excellent outcome.
Almost a minute late, a number of passengers were overwhelmed with sadness and cried upon realizing how their hard-earned savings would be wiped out.
Some of them were doing business through loans. If they were unable to pay their loans, it was possible that their family would end up on the streets, relying on the workhouses for survival.
Upon having this thought, they hurriedly took action and hid their wealth in all kinds of hidden compartments, hoping to keep as much as they could from the pirates. After doing this, they held their weapons tight, prepared to fight the pirates to the death at critical moments.
Even feral beasts would fight back when cornered, why not humans?
At this moment, many of the pirates on the Black Emperor were waiting by the broadside according to their orders. They were prepared to jump onto the prey once the distance was closed.
Their second mate, Horror Viscount Bird Mustang was holding a telescope as he observed the liner opposite him without much thought. He was inwardly calculating how much longer before the two ships met.
This pirate, whose bounty had exceeded ten thousand pounds, wore an Intis-styled shirt with complicated patterns on his sleeves and collars. He donned a dark red captain's attire, as though he was awaiting the commencement of a ball, and not a pirate attack.
Suddenly, his vision blurred and he could no longer see the liner!
Bird Mustang hurriedly searched with his telescope, but regardless of the direction he aimed it at, there was nothing but stormy waves and red-headed sea eagles who enjoyed hunting fish during storms.
Such a huge liner had vanished!
The light in Bird Mustang's eyes flickered as he failed to make an accurate judgment.
"Where's the ship?"
"Where did such a huge ship go?"
"It was still around!"
The pirates on deck also noticed something amiss as they exclaimed.
A ghost ship? No, there aren't any ghost ships with such a make. This is a steam and sail hybrid that got popular in recent decades... An illusion? Someone had hidden a liner with a large-scale illusion? An illusion at this scale has to have been done by a demigod... Bird Mustang's thoughts raced as he retracted his telescope and headed for the cabin.
During this process, the distance he traveled seemed to distort. In about eight steps, Bird Mustang covered quite a sizable distance and arrived in front of the captain's cabin. He reverently bowed and said, "Earl Nast, something abnormal has happened with the hunt."
On the Black Emperor, King of the Five Seas Nast continued having himself addressed as an earl, as it was a title conferred upon him by Emperor Roselle.
Of course, he had publicly announced that it was a matter of time before he established a pirates' kingdom, becoming a duke, king, or even an emperor.
After a brief silence, a solemn voice sounded from the captain's cabin:
"Circle around it."
"By your will!" Bird Mustang didn't ask why as he directly accepted the order.
Of course, he could imagine the reason.
Be it an illusion or not, to make such a huge steam and sail hybrid liner vanish from the scrutiny of hundreds of pirates, it was definitely not something a Low- or Mid-Sequence Beyonder could accomplish. The ship definitely had a demigod or a powerhouse wielding a demigod-level Sealed Artifact!
And to clash with an unknown demigod for an ordinary liner was definitely an irrational act. Even if the Earl of White Maple Nast, as the King of the Five Seas, he wouldn't do such rash acts unless there was something worth fighting for.
From this angle, the demigod was only hiding on the liner and had not launched any counterattack. This also implied that he didn't wish to clash with the Black Emperor and the King of the Five Seas. Therefore, he had only exhibited his existence for shock and awe purposes.
Bird Mustang immediately got the sailors to leave the broadside and turn the Black Emperor around.
At this point, a huge and heavy red-headed sea eagle suddenly flew out of its flock and headed for the Black Emperor, spiraling above the ghost ship.
Amidst the pirates' confusion, the red-headed sea eagle looked down upon the deck and spoke deeply in a human's voice:
"I wish to meet the Earl of White Maple."
Bird Mustang was taken aback for a second before he cast his eyes at the cabin.
King of the Five Seas Nast's solemn voice sounded again. Instead of directly answering the sea eagle, he instructed his subordinates, "Let him in."
Bird Mustang immediately followed the order as the sea eagle swooped down in the storm. Its body gradually changed and turned into a humanoid form.
When it landed on the deck, it was no longer a red-headed sea eagle, but a man with a tall top hat and tuxedo. His face wore a feathered mask.
Bird Mustang's eyes dilated slightly as though he was trying to take in the figure clearer.
But no matter how much he observed it, he was unable to discover anything abnormal about this exaggerated man. It was as though there wasn't a red-headed sea eagle from the very beginning.
A few seconds later, Bird Mustang's pupils dilated even more because he saw the figure's side profile when it walked past him.
This man, who appeared like he was an invitee at a banquet, was very thin. His side profile was about the width of two fingers!
At that instant, Bird Mustang felt as though he was seeing a walking paper figurine, but it was also slightly thicker than one!
A monster... He gulped with great difficulty as he watched the terrifying demigod walk towards the cabin.
The pirates on deck quickly retreated and leaned against the shipboard as though a nightmare had just walked past them.
To them, this abnormally proportioned man was something they had never seen before. It was more harrowing than the many monsters they had seen in the past.
At the third story of the cabin, outside the captain's cabin.
Klein held the handle, twisted it, and opened the door.
The reason he had made himself appear so strange was partially due to having no choice, but it was also partially deliberate. The former was because the red-headed sea eagle wasn't big enough, so after creating the clothes and mask, there was no way to create a normal human's body, even without the innards. The deliberate choice was because he was beginning to try out his theories on acting as a Bizarro Sorcerer. He had some ideas regarding this:
The term "Sorcerer" wasn't key. What was key was to use the methods of a sorcerer to appear bizarre!
With a light creak, the dark black door opened, revealing the interior of the captain's cabin.
Candle lamps drooped down from above, with 41 on the left and 40 on the right in an asymmetrical manner. At the end of it, a black platform rose up, surrounding an iron-black chair.
King of the Five Seas Nast's figure was relatively normal. He was slightly taller than 1.9 meters, unlike the nonhuman form which resembled a giant that Klein had previously encountered.
He was still wearing a miniaturized crown with a black robe with silver ends. He had a squarish face with slight wrinkles. He had a short black mustache underneath his chin, and his black eyes swirled with a red glow. It made one bow their heads without realizing it.
"I've never met you before," Nast said in a deep voice, "Mr. Bizarro Sorcerer."
Klein took off his hat and bowed.
"You know me now."
Nast made his voice which made Spirit Bodies tremble resound inside the captain's cabin.
"Speak. Why are you visiting me?"
"Emperor, I wish to know of your impression of Emperor Roselle. Everyone knows that you and your father have met ‘Him' in the past far more than once," Klein replied without being affected.
Nast swept the paper figurine-like demigod as his dark red light brightened significantly.
"Have a seat first."
Before he finished his sentence, Klein felt a potent suppressive force on him. His body involuntarily sat on a chair beside him.
However, he was only here as a marionette. With a flick of the Spirit Body Threads, the figure that was thin as a book had quickly restored its balance.
