Chapter 38: To Face It

Chapter 38: To Face It

Amid the dark-blue waves of the Berserk Sea, which seemed as though they would never cease, the Future was like a leaf, at times thrown high and at times slapped down.

In these waters, there were still some pirate ships sailing. They were already so accustomed to such conditions that they felt them as natural as the rising of the sun.

After Admiral of Stars Cattleya returned to reality, she pondered for only a moment before spreading out paper and picking up her pen to write a letter.

She wanted to ask the Queen whether anything major had happened recently.

In truth, before Mr. Fool announced that He would enter slumber, Cattleya had already scented the arrival of a great change.

Whether it was the sudden closing of doors and windows, or the meteor shower streaking across the sky and illuminating the world, all of it had caused her, as a Prophet, to receive a certain amount of inspiration and glimpse some blurry scenes.

Of course, limited by her level, status, and identity, she did not understand enough of what had specifically happened. It was difficult for her to grasp what exactly had prompted Mr. Fool to choose slumber. She could only ask the Queen Mystic, Bernadette, who had long since advanced to angelhood, led a mysterious organization, and controlled many powerful Sealed Artifacts.

Cattleya had just summoned her messenger and had the finished letter taken away when she suddenly froze.

At that moment, the purple in her eyes became prominent, turning exceptionally dense and flowing slowly like river water.

She sensed that Mr. Fool had entered slumber.

Uncontrollable confusion, bewilderment, and a touch of sorrow welled up within the heart of this Admiral of Stars.

For some reason, she felt an indescribable throb in her heart, and two tears slid unconsciously from the corners of her eyes.

She seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing. She only knew that no one knew how long it would take for Mr. Fool to awaken from this slumber.

Removing the heavy glasses perched on her nose, Cattleya wiped the corners of her eyes and restored her emotions to normal.

She then walked to the window and looked toward the deck.

Frank Lee was warmly inviting the crew to taste his newly brewed “beer,” but not a single pirate dared to try it.

Good thing I sent Sharriff to the Queen in advance. Now I only need to keep watch over Frank… Without Mr. Fool’s gaze, I must be even more cautious and pay more attention. Mm, I have to find something for Frank to do besides research. He’s the first mate. He can’t always neglect his actual duties… Admiral of Stars Cattleya thought with a rather grave expression.

After deciding how to watch Frank, and how to transfer the small number of pirates belonging to the Earth and Moon pathways to other ships so they would not frequently come into contact with Frank, Cattleya shifted the focus of her thoughts to the matter of the Hidden Sage.

Although she was already one of the Ten Pillars of the Moss Ascetic Order, because of her origins and the fact that she had been less affected by the Hidden Sage, she had never been especially trusted by the president or the other high-ranking members. She existed on the organization’s fringes, with her own circle and corresponding forces—a marginalized figure.

In a certain sense, her relationship with the Moss Ascetic Order was closer to that of a collaborator. One side needed a force and a powerful figure to carry out its will across the Five Seas, while the other longed to obtain corresponding knowledge and materials.

But if she wanted to obtain information on the Hidden Sage, the symbolic deity who had suddenly come to life, and confirm His present state, she had to become a core member of the Moss Ascetic Order.

“With my current identity, there is no problem with participating in the Moss Ascetic Order’s internal decision-making. Only by truly taking part in those matters can I come into contact with more information and raise my own position… However, this will be quite dangerous. Even if the Hidden Sage’s state is abnormal and He does not interfere much in the Order’s specific operations, the other high-ranking members will retaliate to a certain extent because their authority has been infringed upon and because of the suspicions they have always had… Among the Ten Pillars, there are at least two whom I cannot see through. They make me instinctively feel danger…

“And confirming the Hidden Sage’s current state will be even more dangerous. The slightest mistake, and I will immediately be corroded and contaminated by Him…” The more Admiral of Stars Cattleya thought, the more difficult she felt Mr. Fool’s mission to be.

She had always remained on the fringes of the Moss Ascetic Order and remained active as a pirate precisely because of such concerns. She feared that becoming too deeply involved in the Order’s internal affairs would expose the fact that she was still in contact with the Queen Mystic. She feared that one day, the other Ten Pillars would all simultaneously identify her as a spy and eliminate her on the spot.

At that moment, Cattleya even wanted to give up Mr. Fool’s mission and her identity as one of the Ten Pillars of the Moss Ascetic Order, and return to the Dawn—to the Queen’s side.

In that way, she would no longer need to worry about these things. If there was any problem, the Queen would be able to block it.

Ever since leaving the Dawn, ever since every matter had needed to be borne by herself, Admiral of Stars Cattleya had always felt a sense of exhaustion. Her shoulders had always felt heavy.

However, that thought only circled once before Cattleya abandoned it.

She sighed softly, understanding that she could never return to the carefree state of a little girl.

What she carried now was not only her own life, but also the fates of Frank, Heath, Nina, and the other crew members.

Moreover, she had also foreseen the arrival of the apocalypse. She hoped that when that time came, she could become the Queen’s strongest helper and do something for this world together with her.

Cattleya then closed her eyes briefly and murmured, “Then I’ll face it.”

She would truly integrate herself into the Moss Ascetic Order and collect the corresponding information.

After making this decision, Admiral of Stars Cattleya no longer concealed her strength. She raised both hands and used a fairytale magic.

In the eyes of the crew members on the pirate ships sailing nearby, the Future and its subordinate vessels simultaneously became illusory, turning into countless bubbles.

Under the illumination of light, those bubbles reflected dreamlike colors.

Then, little by little, they melted into the seawater.

The Future and its subordinate fleet disappeared just like that before everyone’s eyes.

Many knowledgeable pirates first felt shock and astonishment. Then, at the same time, a thought arose in their minds:

A new ruler had been born upon the sea.

The Queen of Stars!

…

Backlund, inside a house.

Xio, who had just returned to the real world, had not yet had time to sort out her thoughts when she saw Fors’s figure rapidly outline itself before her. Fors shouted, “That mission of yours is far too dangerous!”

Xio froze for a moment, then instinctively pointed out the other party’s problem.

“You didn’t knock.”

This was the worst part of living with a demigod of the Apprentice pathway.

Fors first reflected on herself for one second, then said with absolute righteousness, “You didn’t close the door.”

She pointed at the half-open bedroom door.

I actually didn’t close the door. Right, this was a temporary gathering. There was no preparation beforehand… Xio opened her mouth, but failed to say anything.

The two of them looked at each other wordlessly for a while. For quite some time, neither broke the silence.

Finally, Fors decided to forget the accusation just now and return the focus to the mission itself.

“A mission involving Sequence 1 and a Uniqueness is truly too dangerous.”

After saying this, and after thinking that Xio had already accepted Mr. Fool’s bestowment, her eyes reddened uncontrollably. She could not help mumbling, “Remember to ask me for help. At least… at least I can take you and run.”

To the two of them, the things they had experienced before involving the level of Sequence 1 were very few. Apart from matters related to Mr. Fool and The World Gehrman Sparrow, they had at most perhaps been watched by a certain existence whose name could not be spoken.

At other times, they had done only very small amounts of work at the edges of corresponding incidents. They had never directly faced an enemy who could be called “He.”

Therefore, the moment she thought of how her friend’s mission involved Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, even a Uniqueness and a true god, Fors could not stop herself from feeling tense and worried.

Xio smiled and said, “It’s only searching for clues and investigating the truth. I don’t need to directly face Them.”

She paused for a second, then said, “The apocalypse is approaching. We have to do something.

“Look—even Mr. Fool has to enter slumber. What about little people like us? If we cannot become demigods as soon as possible, perhaps we won’t even have a way to do anything. Now… now there is at least some hope. At least we can still try to awaken Mr. Fool.”

Fors had also experienced many things and had long understood this principle. What had happened moments ago had merely been an emotional outburst, and now she had calmed down.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, “What will you do next?”

“Investigating by myself will definitely be very difficult. I’ll have to use MI9’s intelligence network. I intend to find a suitable opportunity to let them know I’ve already become a Sequence 4 demigod. To avoid suspicion, this might require Miss Justice to give some hints and make certain arrangements,” Xio answered seriously.

Fors’s thoughts spun swiftly.

“I’ll write you a script. Uh, I’ll play the villain and simulate a madwoman attempting to advance to Sequence 4 Law Mage. Then you defeat me…”

As she spoke, a story had already taken shape. She immediately sat down beside Xio’s desk, took out pen and paper, and began writing rapidly.

“Once the story is written, we’ll ask Miss Justice to make some revisions, so it seems sufficiently reasonable,” Fors said as she wrote.

As a Secrets Sorcerer, she could unquestionably prevent their conversation from leaking.

After considering for a moment, Xio said, “Isn’t your most important mission right now to write biographies and stories?”

“Ha, that’s simple. I’ve already thought of too many plots in my mind. I have a lot of material. No, I don’t…” Fors muttered a few lines, then threw herself wholeheartedly into writing a script for Xio and obtaining MI9’s recognition.

Seeing her friend focused on her matter, a faint smile gradually appeared on Xio’s face.

She then turned her gaze toward the half-open room and heard her younger brother, Lo Dilcha, seemingly reciting Ancient Feysac words. This was a required preliminary step for studying law and becoming a barrister.

Meanwhile, their mother was instructing two servants, telling them to remember to clean the living room.

Those voices entered Xio’s ears, causing her expression to gradually turn resolute.

Although she did not know what result she would face when meeting MI9’s higher-ups, although she did not know what danger she would encounter while completing Mr. Fool’s mission, and although she did not know what the arrival of the apocalypse would be like, Xio knew one thing: if she did nothing, if she refused to bear any risk and simply enjoyed the beauty of family, then in the end, she would be like most unprepared people facing a flood, struggling twice before being completely submerged.

And now, at least there was still a road covered in thorns. At least, on that road, a sliver of light still shone.

It required the resolve to sacrifice and the courage to grasp it.