In the Fog Sea, which hadn't been engulfed by war, the Future slowly began to sail towards the Berserk Sea amidst a convoy of ships.
Admiral of Stars Cattleya hadn't had much to do recently. All she had to do was wait for the Moses Ascetic Order to respond to her request. As she strolled the deck, she enjoyed the sunlight that shone through the thin mist.
With a sweep of her gaze, she saw Frank Lee.
This first mate of the Future, the second most important person of the Star Pirates, was wearing light blue pants and a white shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, revealing thick brown chest hair. He was like a humanoid giant bear.
He stood at the bow of the boat, looking into the distance. It was unknown what he was thinking, but he looked rather down.
Cattleya involuntarily slowed down a little as she turned to enter the cabin.
"Captain!" Frank noticed her and looked over with anticipation, as though he was waiting for this Admiral of Stars to answer his questions.
Cattleya's figure paused as she adjusted the heavy glasses on her nose and asked in a seemingly casual manner, "What are you stumped with?"
Frank thought about how to phrase his question and replied in a serious manner, "I'm reevaluating the inventions and creations I've created over the years."
"...What are your thoughts?" Cattleya asked cooperatively.
Frank nodded and said in distress, "There are too many matters I need to reflect on.
"The most important thing is that the things I've created are still missing the most important thing."
Cattleya was puzzled, but she didn't wish to ask further. In the end, she still held onto the thought of taking responsibility for all the crew members on the Future. She deliberated and said, "What is it?"
Frank's expression instantly turned solemn.
"They all lack souls!"
"It's a good thing that malt, grapes, and mushrooms don't have souls..." Cattleya subconsciously advised before saying, "This isn't something you can dabble in right now. You're only a Sequence 5 Druid."
Frank's eyes lit up when he heard that as he blurted out, "I've got it!"
Cattleya frowned indiscernibly.
"What... did you get?"
Frank was no longer depressed.
"I understand the problem. That is, the creations I want have exceeded the limits of a Druid's abilities.
"Therefore, Captain, I'm not going to be a Druid anymore. I want to become a Classical Alchemist!"
This was Sequence 4 of the Planter pathway, the starting point of a demigod.
Cattleya's expression froze for a few seconds before she took on the posture of a captain and a demigod. She nodded gently and said, "Having a goal is a good thing, but you have to understand how difficult it is."
Underlying those words, she wanted him to not hold any hopes and not to take this goal seriously.
Frank Lee nodded heavily after receiving her "encouragement."
"I will do my best!"
To prevent Frank Lee from acting rashly, Cattleya decided to take the progress of the matter into her own hands.
"I will help you too."
When the time came, even if she had any progress, she could inform Frank Lee that she had tried to no avail.
Frank was very happy as he thanked his captain from the bottom of his heart before continuing, "I'll also write to Gehrman Sparrow and ask him for help.
"He's my good friend!"
What Frank didn't know was that the letters he had written for the past half a year had gone through a rather convoluted process:
The letter went to the messenger before being delivered to Fors. Fors would then transfer it to Gehrman Sparrow or request Mr. Fool's help at the Tarot Gathering.
Cattleya nudged her thick glasses again and, without another word, turned and entered the cabin.
She returned to the captain's cabin. Before she could think about what had just happened, she saw a letter on the desk with the brass sextant.
Cattleya was delighted. Ignoring the use of her Beyonder powers, she quickly walked over, picked up the letter, and opened it.
It was from Bernadette. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, she wrote:
"If you are free anytime, you can come to La Cha incognito."
La Cha was a rather hidden island in the Fog Sea. It hid Queen Mystic's palace, also known as "Emerald City."
Cattleya repeated the sentence a few times before the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.
...
Backlund, West Borough, within the Odora family's villa.
Emlyn White once again met the middle-aged, gentlemanly Sanguine Baron, Cosmi Odora.
"What did Lord Nibbs say?" Emlyn controlled his emotions, trying his best to appear less eager.
Cosmi looked at Emlyn's bright red eyes and said, "He only wanted me to tell you that the entire Sanguine race doesn't have any excess Earl Beyonder characteristics. You can only wait for the present Earls to die of old age or accidents, leaving behind their inheritance."
Compared to humans, the Sanguine had a long lifespan. Even without a noble title, ordinary ones could live about three hundred years old. Under such circumstances, they could slowly accumulate and occupy every level, preventing any excess in Beyonder characteristics.
Therefore, it wasn't easy for ordinary ones to advance to Baron or become a Viscount. They either waited for the existing nobles to die, or they would obtain it from external sources. Otherwise, they would have to make sufficient contributions and receive the precious inheritance.
Compared to the first two Sequences, it was even more difficult for a Viscount to become an Earl. This was because being a Sanguine Earl meant being a demigod, and he could easily live for more than a thousand years. Those Viscounts' descendants had to pass generations before they could wait for a chance of an Earl's passing.
And it was precisely because of this that, as long as there was a vacancy in the Earl position, it would immediately be distributed and not "in stock."
For Baron and Viscount characteristics, they existed in the Sanguine's treasury in the form of Beyonder ingredients and Sealed Artifacts, but the numbers were few and far between. Every bestowment had to be strictly administered. There really weren't any spare Earl characteristics.
This answer was within Emlyn's expectations. He looked at Baron Cosmi and nodded slightly.
"In other words, as long as any Count passes away, it will be my turn?"
"No." Cosmi shook his head. "Although you have contributed plenty, you haven't reached first place on the waiting list yet."
"What's my ranking?" Emlyn first frowned before relaxing his brows to prevent his eagerness from showing.
Cosmi coughed and cleared his throat.
"Twelfth."
...This might not even happen when the apocalypse arrives... Since the Ancestor has given me the important task of saving the race, why didn't "She" arrange all these matters? My Scarlet Scholar potion has been digested for months... Could it be that another test? Emlyn thought to himself silently for a few seconds before asking thoughtfully, "If I obtain an Earl's characteristic from external sources, will the race help me prepare the ritual?"
Cosmi exhaled and said, "Of course!"
Emlyn didn't stay any longer. He left Odora's villa and took a carriage back to his residence.
Ever since Feynapotter declared war on Loen, he had never been to the Harvest Church. He had only heard from The Star that the door had been smashed and many things had been stolen. It had become a place for the homeless.
As for Father Utravsky, he spent half a month in a cell behind Chanis Gate. The rest of the month was spent in a room on the upper level of Saint Samuel Cathedral, with the archbishop of Backlund next door. This arrangement was repeated over and over again.
This was because they were worried that if Father Utravsky were to stay behind Chanis Gate for an extended period of time, he would suffer irreversible damage. Under such a tense situation, the Church of Evernight wished to leave some buffer time so that they could use this opportunity to express their goodwill and begin negotiations.
Although Emlyn wasn't a believer in Evernight, and he even somewhat detested the cathedral, he went to Saint Samuel Cathedral twice a month to visit Father Utravsky.
Where can I obtain an Earl's characteristic... Emlyn, who felt that he had fallen behind and might not be able to bear the responsibility of saving his race, looked at the bleak streets while seriously considering every possibility.
He quickly had some ideas.
Ma'am Hermit had mentioned before that the Aurora Order's Saint, Saint Tenebrous, had Grazed a Shaman King. This corresponded to the Earl characteristic. If I could hunt this demigod of the Shepherd pathway like the Saint of Secrets, the problem would be resolved...
However, after the previous lesson, Saint Tenebrous probably wouldn't fall into a trap so easily...
There's also a possibility of directly attracting a King of Angels...
This was something everyone had discussed in the Tarot Club. The conclusion was that they had been attacking the Aurora Order for the past year, so it was best not to provoke them further.
Apart from Saint Tenebrous having a Sequence 4 Shaman King characteristic, Emlyn White could only think of one other option:
The Rose School of Thought!
Be it the Life School of Thought's Artificial Vampires or the Primordial Moon worshipers that originally existed in the Southern Continent, they were now part of the Rose School of Thought.
Of course, there were definitely some people who sought freedom. They hadn't joined any organizations yet, but either they were not at high Sequences, or they didn't have enough information to leak out.
Upon thinking of the Rose School of Thought, Emlyn instantly recalled a person.
Maric!
Maric represented the temperance faction of the Rose School of Thought. It was a faction that resisted the Mother Tree of Desire.
They also appear like they want to obtain something from the Rose School of Thought. Perhaps I can cooperate with them... Emlyn nodded slightly.
...
A number of residents in Moon City anxiously gathered at the entrance, casting their sights east from time to time.
They were the relatives of the people who had previously been led by the High Priest. They were also the representatives of most people in Moon City.
Finally, as the flames flickered, High Priest Nim, brought Rus and company closer to Moon City.
A man went forward and looked at his sister. He noticed that there were still traces of tears on her face.
This Moon City resident, who wasn't deformed, could sense her brother's gaze. She couldn't help but open her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"God, God is here to save us..." She started to cry. It was such a sad and free cry as she let out her emotions.
