Chapter 54: Local Faith

Chapter 54: Local Faith

What? Hunting Admiral of Blood? Danitz almost raised his right hand to dig at his ear.

His first reaction was that he had misheard.

But Gehrman Sparrow’s smile, with madness hidden beneath it, and the slight movement in his captain’s brow, both reminded him that the words just spoken were real!

This… Gehrman Sparrow, that lunatic, actually dares to think of it! This is one of the seven pirate admirals, not some figure who can be compared with Steel Maviti! Danitz’s pupils contracted, and in his heart he was practically roaring.

Setting aside Admiral of Blood Senor’s own power, the great pirates and famous pirates under his command alone were enough to make people shrink back. His first mate, third mate, and the captains of his various ships were each capable of splitting off and independently leading a large pirate crew!

The group Steel Maviti had brought to Bayam was far from the only such combination within the Blood Pirate Gang!

Back then, Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos had died silently in Backlund like a wild dog mostly because he was away from his pirate crew. Admiral of Blood Senor was different. He rarely left his flagship and rarely separated from the crowd of subordinates surrounding him.

Even if one returned to Senor’s own strength, that too was extremely terrifying. He was mysterious, strange, and one of the few powerhouses on the sea second only to the Four Kings. Even the captain could not say for certain that she was stronger than him… A madman’s boldness is simply beyond imagination. No, he does not know what fear is at all! The death and replacement of a pirate admiral would absolutely shake all five seas! Thought after thought tumbled through Danitz’s mind, but in the end, he strangely calmed down.

That was because he remembered that Gehrman Sparrow himself was a powerhouse at the level of the seven admirals, and that behind him there might also stand a hidden and terrifying organization.

After several seconds of silence, Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina said, “Do you know the Rose School of Thought?”

I not only know them. I have killed their people and stolen their mystical items… Wait. Why am I describing myself like a villain… Klein restrained his smile and said without any change in expression, “I have hunted their members.”

Edwina fell silent again. Beside her, Danitz once again produced thoughts such as, What are they talking about? What is the Rose School of Thought? Where am I? Whose dream is this?

After a brief quiet, Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina said, “After the great battle with Vice Admiral Twilight’s pirate crew, Senor’s fleet lost its traces. At present, no one knows where they are. We must wait patiently.”

Is that a yes? Klein once again revealed a smile.

“I do not lack that.

“How should I contact you?”

Edwina turned her head and looked at Danitz.

“He knows how.”

Me? The Spirit Descent Ritual? Wait, Captain, does this mean I have to follow this lunatic Gehrman Sparrow for a while? No! No one knows when this fellow will go mad! Danitz shuddered and hurriedly spoke.

“Captain, I have already been away from the Golden Dream for too long. I have missed too many lessons! I cannot wait to return!”

He worked hard to make his eyes appear sincere and filled them with a thirst for knowledge.

“I think you could switch someone else in. For example, Tinplate. Or Barrel…”

Before he could finish, Edwina suddenly raised her right hand and pressed it to her ear.

She tilted her head slightly and said, without much expression, “What did you say?

“I cannot hear you anymore.

“The Roselle Dream Bestowal Spell is nearing its limit…”

The pirate admiral’s skirt shifted slightly. She took one step backward, and her figure rapidly faded, transforming into fragments of light.

Danitz’s remaining words stuck in his throat. His right hand reached out as if trying to grab something, only to fall back weakly.

Roselle Dream Bestowal Spell? The Emperor’s presence in mysticism is quite strong too… Vice Admiral Iceberg’s full name is Edwina Edwards… Edwards… Is that not the surname of one of Emperor Roselle’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? A descendant? But Vice Admiral Iceberg’s tone suggests that she is not familiar with the Emperor’s eldest daughter Bernadette, and they may not even know each other… Klein glanced at Danitz, whose expression had completely collapsed, and let out a low laugh.

“Perhaps one day, I will call you Mr. Ten Thousand Pounds.”

…Danitz’s back straightened at once in fright. Then he saw Gehrman Sparrow’s figure directly vanish from his dream.

If I am only Sequence 7 but carry a bounty of seven or eight thousand pounds, then wherever I go, I will become a target for others… Danitz remained in the dream, thinking until his head ached more and more.

…

At dusk, Danitz looked at Gehrman Sparrow, who was dressed like a local, and said, “The people we are visiting today are a local force. Perhaps you can find some good things there. Heh. They have considerable demand for Beyonder materials, grain, and weapons.”

At this point, Danitz looked Gehrman Sparrow up and down, finally finding a rare sense of psychological advantage. He laughed and said, “Their area is full of locals. There are not even many mixed-bloods. If your clothes are even slightly unusual, you will be noticed.

“Your wide-legged trousers and brown jacket are passable, but inside you cannot wear a shirt. Real locals wear Taraba shirts, similar to sailor shirts, except entirely blue or entirely white. They do not wear flat caps either. They wear headscarves, or nothing at all.

“Also, with your obvious Loenese appearance, you will encounter extremely serious rejection and hostility there. It will be like a vicious wolf slipping into a flock of sheep, completely unable to hide its presence…”

Before he could finish, he saw Gehrman Sparrow turn his head and glance at him. The sharp features swiftly softened, and his pale skin instantly took on a bronze hue. In the span of a single motion, he had become an unmistakable, unremarkable local.

“…” Danitz fell silent at once. Only after several seconds did he laugh dryly as if nothing had happened. “I am the same. A proper disguise is necessary.”

Your disguise? Heh… Klein removed the flat cap and sat down.

“What local force?”

They actually purchase Beyonder materials, grain, and weapons?

“Cough. To put it simply, cough, rebels.” Danitz suddenly became unsure whether Gehrman Sparrow had some degree of connection with Loen’s authorities.

Klein’s mind froze for a second.

“Rebels?”

Danitz laughed awkwardly.

“They are the group shouting about independence and locals managing local affairs. Their base is deep in the jungle and out on the sea. They cooperate with many pirates and adventurers. Of course, the ones mainly supporting them from behind are the Feysacians and Intisians. Missionaries of the God of Combat and the Eternal Blazing Sun often sneak over here.”

Bayam is not all that peaceful… Only after leaving the kingdom and coming out to sea did Klein truly understand what international politics meant. This was not something that could be compared to reading in the newspaper about a war breaking out in East Balam.

He nodded lightly, not objecting to visiting this local force.

Leaving the Azure Wind Inn, Klein followed Danitz, whose face had been darkened with soot, through streets and alleys, all the way southeast.

After leaving the earliest developed part of the City of Generosity, they entered a district with a vastly different architectural style. There were houses raised on wooden piles with empty ground floors, as well as three- or four-story row buildings evolved from Loen-style small houses.

The roads between them were narrow and filthy. On both sides were numerous street stalls selling head ornaments, earrings, and bracelets made from every sort of stone. Among them, bright red and variegated colors were especially common.

“What a group with strange taste. They like colors that are especially bright, just like poisonous snakes in the jungle,” Danitz muttered softly.

You Intisians are not much better. You worship gold, luxury, and refinement. The flavor of nouveau riche practically overflows from you… Klein silently mocked him.

Passing one thin, dried-looking native after another, whose skin was darker, and crossing alley after alley with laundry hanging overhead, the space before them abruptly opened up, revealing a not particularly large square.

In the square, a group of locals surrounded the central fountain. Some knelt. Some prostrated themselves. Some murmured to themselves. Some sang softly. Their expressions were devout yet numb.

The moment they noticed someone approaching, they sprang up in panic and fled into the surrounding alleys.

Windows on the second, third, and fourth floors of every nearby building shut one after another with loud clangs. The square became rather quiet, but Klein’s inspiration told him that many people were behind the windows, at alley corners, and in dark corners, watching the strangers who had abruptly intruded into this world.

Danitz lowered his head and pressed his voice low.

“Do not mind it. This is how they protect themselves.”

“Mm?” Klein expressed his confusion.

Danitz gave a heh.

“Before they were completely colonized, the natives of the Rorsted Archipelago always believed in Sea God Kalvetua. They believed this deity, who often appeared as a gigantic sea serpent, protected all the islands here and prevented them from being swallowed by earthquakes and tsunamis.

“Now, on the surface, that faith has already been banned. The Church of Storms has also always been striking at pagans. Even the Churches of Evernight and Steam cannot expand their influence here. They have only a few churches.

“But in reality, how could a belief passed down for hundreds or thousands of years be erased so easily? Bayam, Blue Mountain Island, and the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago still have many believers of Sea God. Even if a batch of people is arrested every month or two and executed in various cruel ways, it is impossible to reverse the situation in a short time. Those rebels’ main pillar is precisely the believers of Sea God.

“In my view, it will take at least another hundred years of suppression before the faith in Sea God disappears completely. Of course, that assumes there are no other factors interfering.”

Sea God Kalvetua… His image is a gigantic sea serpent… Klein listened thoughtfully, following Danitz into a four-story building on the front right. They climbed the narrow staircase all the way to the top floor.

Knock, knock, knock! Danitz knocked on the door to their left.

“Who is it?” someone inside asked in a low voice.

Danitz chuckled and answered, “A friend bringing fine liquor and roasted meat.”

“Where?” the person inside asked an odd question.

Danitz stepped back and said, “At sea.”

Creak. The door slowly opened. Klein saw a bare arm.

On that arm was tattooed a ferocious blue-green sea serpent.