Chapter 162: Laughter

Chapter 162: Laughter

Klein could not go against his own wishes and comfort Frank Lee, nor could he bring himself to say directly that the inability of red-wine fish to reproduce was a good thing. He could only act as though this were an insignificant issue and offer no response at all.

He stepped diagonally around Frank, arriving at the edge of the railing, and gazed out over the uneven rise and fall of the sea.

At that moment, the clouds high above had grown thinner and paler. The crimson moon’s light brightened the gloomy night by a small degree.

In that environment, Klein could make out a scene not far away. There, layer upon layer of dark clouds hung low and heavy. One could see materialized hurricanes rampaging back and forth, shrouding an unknown expanse of sea.

Illuminated by one silver-white bolt of lightning after another, dense rain danced with the wind, creating an apocalyptic scene.

That terrifying disaster was only a few nautical miles from the Future—perhaps even closer. Yet this side was barely affected. Only the wind had grown a little stronger.

This is the meaning of a safe route—traveling through the gaps between storms… Without a qualified navigator, perhaps simply sailing normally would still mean being swept into disaster… Klein turned his head toward the front of the ship. The light there was dim and fog filled the air; visibility was extremely low. It was difficult to distinguish dangerous areas from safe ones with the naked eye alone.

Such situations had not been too obvious west of Olavi Island. But once they reached this side, once they entered a secret route, they became normal.

Klein was about to withdraw his gaze when he suddenly noticed an enormous, dark shape seeming to hide at the edge of the storm.

A sea monster? He instantly recalled the maritime rumors he had heard in various bars:

Once away from the safe routes, it was easy to encounter all kinds of monsters. Some were vast in size and highly aggressive. If they surfaced, they could swallow a ship in a single bite.

The Future did not stop moving forward. Before long, it had closed the distance with that gloomy, enormous thing.

Klein finally saw it clearly and discovered that it was not a sea monster, but a sailing ship even larger than the Future.

The ship was nearly two hundred meters long. Both its bow and stern rose high, making the whole vessel resemble a crescent moon.

Its surface was painted black. Along its sides, cannons were arranged in three staggered rows, ordered from top to bottom. Apart from its masts, the portions protruding above deck were likewise towering and massive, at least equivalent to a five-story building.

The strangest thing about the ship was that it had only a single sail, upon which a black tombstone was painted.

“The Death Knell…” A grave voice sounded beside Klein’s ear. Frank Lee had, at some point, discarded the silver-scaled fish whose blood was red wine and come to his side.

This first mate, who carried a 7,000-pound bounty, had a heavy expression. Every muscle in his body was tense, as if the slightest change from that gigantic sailing ship would make him attack.

The Death Knell? Klein was first startled. Then he remembered what that name represented.

It was one of the most famous and legendary ships across the five seas.

It was the flagship of the Undying King, Agalito!

We actually ran into one of the Four Kings… Klein clicked his tongue inwardly, unable to stop himself from entering a state of high alert.

However, his surface remained indifferent and calm. He continued gazing at the Death Knell.

Thinking of the Undying King’s second mate, “Slaughterer” Gilchies, with a bounty of 9,500 pounds, who had recently appeared in Nas and warned him, Klein quickly felt relieved. He was no longer puzzled about why they would encounter the Death Knell not far from the Gargas Islands.

After letting that question go, he recalled even more rumors. Among them, some could be confirmed as true descriptions:

“The Undying King, Agalito, is a middle-aged man so pale he looks as though he might rot at any moment;

“His bounty from a single country reaches 100,000 pounds;

“Those who once opposed him—pirates, adventurers, even a certain naval fleet—have all perished. Only the other three among the Four Kings still live;

“He has never directly clashed with official demigods. In that regard, he appears extremely restrained;

“Almost no one knows his exact Sequence, and almost no one understands his Beyonder abilities;

“He is cruel by nature, addicted to killing, and may attack any person or any ship at any moment;

“He likes finding excuses to tear up promises. Aside from the title ‘Undying King,’ he is also widely known as ‘Faithless.’”

Fortunately, I’m currently aboard the Future. The Undying King should show Admiral of Stars some respect. After all, Madam Hermit is also one of the seven pirate admirals… No, the Four Kings and the pirate admirals can coexist peacefully only at the pirate conference convened by the King of the Five Seas. Under normal circumstances, they both cooperate and oppose one another, with the latter being more common. A few months ago, Admiral of Blood and Vice Admiral Dusk fought a major battle… Add the Undying King’s style to that, and this may not stop at a chance encounter! The thought had just flashed across Klein’s mind when he heard a low horn blast.

Woo!

The sailors resting in the cabins instantly woke. With no time to put on clothes, some rushed toward different gunports, while others came to the deck, preparing for boarding combat. The Future instantly shifted from peaceful sailing into wartime readiness.

Klein looked back and upward. The window of the captain’s cabin had opened, and Admiral of Stars Cattleya, still dressed in her black robe, stood there, gazing in the direction of the Death Knell.

She no longer wore those thick glasses. Her black eyes were tinged faintly with deep purple, profound and mysterious.

“As expected, she’s also worried the Undying King might suddenly attack…” Klein withdrew his gaze and looked once again toward the raised bow and stern of the Death Knell.

By now, the two ships were about to pass each other. The pirates on the opposite deck could be seen faintly.

Those fellows were likewise watching this side. Some stood quiet as statues, seemingly without any emotional fluctuation, while others waved sabers, blew across gun barrels, and did everything possible to provoke them.

At that moment, a single match would be enough to ignite the tension and make battle erupt.

In the end, the Death Knell made no move. It continued to remain quietly where it was, “watching” as the Future passed and gradually sailed away.

“Haa…” Frank Lee beside Klein exhaled without concealment.

His smile returned, and he said to Klein, “Heh, there have always been many rumors about the Undying King’s strength. Some say he really is a demigod. Others say he is only Sequence 5, relying on the Death Knell to reach the level of Sequence 4. But no matter what, he has already lived long enough. Uh… do you think hybridizing him with my fish could improve their survival cycle?”

Frank suddenly had inspiration.

First, you’d have to capture the Undying King—or make him interested in your fish… Klein lampooned silently before saying calmly, “You can discuss it with him.”

Frank Lee froze for a moment, then sighed dejectedly.

“He won’t agree. He’ll just plant me in the soil.”

No sooner had he spoken than the Death Knell, which had already put some distance between itself and the Future, suddenly turned its sail.

Sharp, malicious laughter traveled across several hundred meters and covered the entire Future.

“Hahaha!

“Hahaha!”

The laughter echoed continuously—sometimes hoarse, sometimes chaotic, sometimes like raving, sometimes like singing. One sailor after another on the deck collapsed to the ground, forcibly covering their ears while still twisting and struggling in agony.

Scales began growing across the bodies of some Beyonders.

Klein was affected as well. He felt as though his head had suddenly been stuffed full of all kinds of thoughts: good, bad, bright, dark.

They were exceptionally tangled. Combined with that constantly changing laughter, they produced a swelling sensation, as if his head might burst open.

Klein’s face twisted slightly. Small, barely visible granulations of flesh stirred restlessly beneath his skin.

If he had not already witnessed the ravings of the True Creator and Mr. Door’s cries for help, and if he had not repeatedly endured similar torment every time he crossed through the gray fog, developing a certain resistance to it, Klein would definitely have ended up like Toxin Expert Frank Lee beside him: pressing his head, crouching down, and struggling with a savage expression against the agony brought by that terrifying laughter.

Klein noticed that some short brown fur had grown on Frank’s face, making the man seem as though he were transforming into a giant bear.

At that moment, the symbolic signs and magical marks on the Future’s walls, deck, and masts lit up layer by layer, distinct and orderly, like a sea of dense stars gathered in a moonless night.

The sharp, hoarse, terrifying laughter did not weaken because of this, but it seemed to suddenly draw farther away from everyone, coming from a place more distant, hollow and illusory.

The swelling in Klein’s head immediately eased significantly. At last, he had the spare strength to raise his head and look upward.

Behind the open window of the captain’s cabin, Admiral of Stars’ face was marked by dark, sunken lines. They seemed ready to split open at any moment and grow something disgusting.

At that moment, both of Cattleya’s palms were pressed against the windowsill. Specks of starlight swirled around her, seeming to correspond one by one with the radiant ocean of the Future.

Woo!

A fierce wind rose out of nowhere. The sails adjusted on their own, and the Future, despite having lost the sailors’ control, did not slow. Instead, its speed increased as it swiftly moved away from the Death Knell.

Klein looked toward the room where mysterious eyes had watched the deck during the day. He saw that the window there was rattling loudly in the wind, showing not the slightest abnormality.

Woo!

Amid the fierce wind, starlight descended, forming a sheet of “floating ice” that supported the Future as it sped forward, almost as if “flying.”

Finally, the Death Knell vanished behind them. The terrifying laughter that could make people lose control or go mad grew more and more illusory, more and more distant.

Frank Lee lowered his hands and gasped for breath, barely recovering. The sailors on the deck still rolled and struggled in extreme pain, but their condition no longer worsened.

“The Undying King’s ability really is formidable. It’s practically impossible to defend against… No wonder he’s one of the Four Kings…” Klein frowned slightly, sighing inwardly.

Although he had plenty of experience and had seen quite a lot, this counted as the first time he had truly been attacked directly by a demigod. He discovered that even Agalito, who ranked last among the Four Kings, still made him feel fragile, as if he had no real possibility of resistance.

Given Agalito’s style, will he have the Death Knell keep chasing us? He most likely needs to wait for Slaughterer Gilchies to return, but it’s not impossible… If he catches up, I’ll pray to myself and use the Sea God Scepter to give him a whirlpool, a storm, and a full-scale lightning bombardment… After making up his mind, Klein looked once more at Admiral of Stars Cattleya.

The pirate admiral’s face had become extremely pale, but the dark marks were gone. The starlight lingering around her was slowly going out, little by little.