While Klein bowed, the purple tint in black-haired Cattleya’s eyes converged as they seemed to turn into an abyss that could suck up souls. What already exuded an air of mystery had turned even more obvious.
She saw that the Astral Projection deep inside Gehrman Sparrow’s Ether Body was pure darkness. In minute areas, there were dark flows with unending changes.
She saw that Gehrman Sparrow’s left hand was bright and lustrous, but it was stained with a sanguine color that couldn’t be dispersed.
She saw a blue luster by Gehrman Sparrow’s wrist and a silver flow on his left pocket. The colors were bright and obvious as though they were connected to the illusory, stacked spirit world. There was the sound of the tide and the illusory sounds of wind surrounding the items.
She saw an intermix of green and black lusters by Gehrman Sparrow’s right pocket, as well as two points of golden, silver, and bronze under his armpit. At his chest, there was a deep grayish-white like rotting death.
She nodded as well.
“Good evening, Mr. Sparrow.”
Even as a powerhouse who was famous across the seas, a senior member of the seven pirate admirals, she seldom saw people who armed themselves to the teeth with Beyonder items.
Of course, she had also seen people with more mystical items, Beyonder artifacts, and spirituality charms, but they had secret organizations backing them. They typically had several ships and more than a thousand pirates under them. Many things needed to be turned in, split and shared, as well as sold in order to maintain and strengthen one’s faction. Few things could be left in their possession as a result.
However, “few” was relative. They could compare with what Gehrman Sparrow presently had, but Cattleya had reduced her items to only two after several trades. They were two items that were sufficiently powerful and mystical enough to match her identity as a pirate admiral.
Apart from the lusters representing different items, Cattleya’s black eyes, which were slightly purple, could also tell that Gehrman wasn’t real enough. He seemed to be hidden behind thick curtains.
Meanwhile, she mocked herself, believing that some of her guesses about The World and Gehrman Sparrow were somewhat funny.
After exchanging greetings, Cattleya didn’t engage in further small talk. She led Klein towards the cabin.
At this moment, the Future, which had been docked, set sail again. A long contour was drawn on the surface of the sea as it cruised east of the whale fishing route. With that, the tense atmosphere at the Nas Harbor dispersed.
Gazes from various sailors were cast over. Klein didn’t show any signs of pressure as he surveyed the area and said with a tone as though he was back in his own home, “There are fewer people than I expected.”
Cattleya turned her head and glanced at him before answering simply, “East of the whaling route is very dangerous. Only Ludwell heads there frequently as though he’s searching for something.
“Apart from the Future, the pirate crew’s other ships wouldn’t join us. Similarly, a large number of sailors have been placed on the other ships. Only the minimum number needed to guarantee the successful voyage of the ship has been maintained.”
This was Gehrman Sparrow’s bearing.
He silently observed his surroundings and realized that the deck, the cabin, and spars were covered with mysterious and abstract symbols. As a whole, it looked like a gigantic ritualistic magic ceremony.
Waiting here was a man in dungarees and a white shirt. He was in his thirties and looked strong and fit. He had thick body hair. As for his forearm, which was exposed outside, it seemed like he was downing a brown sweater.
He wore a circular hair with a depression in the middle as he revealed a smile and stretched out his right hand.
“The first mate of the Future, Frank Lee.
“Good evening, Mr. Sparrow.”
Considering how Gehrman Sparrow didn’t have the habit of shaking hands, he bent his back slightly and said, “Good evening.”
Frank Lee retracted his right hand and glanced at Cattleya. He said while maintaining his smile, “You seem to know me? That’s right. The picture I took before is on my arrest warrant.
“Don’t mind the Poison Expert title. I’m a very friendly person, as long as I’m not facing those darn bastards! My greatest hobby is to study soil and figure out cross-breeding techniques. Believe me, this is the future of humanity.”
“But the people from the Church of Mother Earth don’t believe him.” Cattleya gave Klein an introduction in the most subtle manner.
“… You are indeed an adventurer who doesn’t share the viewpoint of the common man! Excellent! Excellent! There are just too few people like you!” Frank Lee’s blue eyes revealed a clear look of pleasant surprise. “I’ve only tried cross-breeding a bull, a cow, and wheat together, allowing calves to be born like wheat. For that, I was almost sent to court by the Church of Mother Earth. My benevolent mother, they don’t understand your true will at all!”
He maintained a stoic expression without providing any further explanation. Under the lead of Frank Lee, who was reeling in a sudden bout of enthusiasm, Klein walked through the corridor beside Cattleya.
After stepping on the steps and arriving at a higher level, Klein’s spiritual perception stirred as he cast his gaze to a shadow beside him.
A figure grew out of the distorted darkness—a thin and tall but pale figure.
His cheeks were nearly transparent, and his nose bridge was disharmonious and tall. His entire being gave off a sickly feeling.
“This is the second mate of the Future, Heath Doyle,” Frank Lee introduced with a smile.
Heath nodded as a greeting before receding back into the shadows.
“He’s a Rose Bishop.” When turning around to head for the captain’s cabin, Frank Lee warmly mentioned Heath Doyle’s situation.
He secretly glanced at Cattleya and discovered her masked exasperation.
“Are you puzzled and worried that he’s a devout believer of the True Creator, a lunatic who has been tainted? No, haha. He’s a lucky fellow. Due to an incident, the ordinary him was scattered with the potion concocted from a Rose Bishop’s Beyonder ingredients. The potion seeped into him, bit by bit, and he survived the ordeal. Finally, he became quite a special Beyonder. As he didn’t experience the Listener stage, he wasn’t tainted, nor did he become a lunatic. As long as he doesn’t proactively use the Beyonder power, Listen, he remains an ordinary person,” Frank Lee said in a flaunting tone.
Cattleya pointed inside.
“Your room is diagonally across from here. Frank will send you over. If there’s anything, you can come to me directly.
“You can have your meals at the dining hall at any time. You can also get Frank to send someone to bring food to your room. What you choose is dependent on your preference.”
He took this opportunity to glance at the layout of the captain’s cabin, discovering that it contained a bookshelf, a full-body mirror, a table, and a carpet.
At this moment, having seen their conversation come to an end, Frank Lee passionately promoted, “Mr. Sparrow, would you like a serving of roasted potatoes tonight?
“When you chew it, it’s like beef and its taste is like beef, but it’s certainly potatoes.”
“Alright then.” Frank Lee drooped his shoulders and was just about to lead Klein to his room.
Cattleya suddenly thought of something and said, “Mr. Sparrow, you’ve likely hunted quite a number of enemies and have received several spoils of war.
“I’m curious about the number of Beyonder characteristics you have left. Perhaps, they can be used to reduce the remaining price of the trip.”
Klein considered for a moment and answered frankly, “Most of them have been sold.
“There’s Interrogator, Pugilist, and Lunatic left.”
He didn’t mention the All-Black Eye or the Beyonder characteristic of Nightmare.
“I want Pugilist.”
She had a Warrior subordinate from the Gargas Archipelago who had long made enough contributions to apply for an advancement.
