Just moments before the two ships collided, aboard the ship of the Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing.
Spade K stood at the bow, watching the ship crash around the dangerous sea area like a headless fly, feeling extremely annoyed. At this rate, when would they find the Cape of Submergence.
The sea breeze carrying a salty and fishy scent rushed at them, messing up the short hairs on his forehead. The dense grey fog had begun to spread silently, rapidly swallowing everything in his vision.
“Cult Leader, this fog came too suddenly,” a tall, thin man in grey and white robes approached cautiously, his voice laced with unease. “Continuing to sail might be very dangerous. How about… lowering the sails and waiting for the fog to dissipate?”
Spade K frowned, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. He turned around, his gaze slicing like a knife over the follower who dared to question his decision. The other immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.
“Are you questioning me?” Spade K’s voice was very light, yet it made the surrounding air seem to freeze.
“No, I wouldn’t dare!” Cold sweat beaded on the tall, thin man’s forehead, his voice trembling. “I’m just worried about the danger of sailing in the fog…”
“Danger?” Spade K sneered, raising both hands. “My God has shown me the path ahead. This fog is the cover He has bestowed upon us.”
He turned to face the dense fog, casually pointing in a direction. The reason – perhaps the fog was thicker there, or perhaps thinner, who knew – his voice suddenly rose: “Full speed ahead in that direction, the destination is ahead! God’s will cannot be defied!”
The followers exchanged glances. Although they felt that everything was improper, they could only obey the order due to Spade K’s authority and quickly adjusted the sails. The ship plunged into the dense fog like an arrow released from a bowstring.
However, what was astonishing was that even though the speed was at its maximum, the expected fatal roaring of the hull colliding with reefs did not occur. It was as if an invisible hand guided them through the jagged and perilous reef clusters. The hull only occasionally emitted startling slight scraping sounds, or dull tremors as the bottom brushed against huge obstacles. Each time, it made the hearts of the people on board stop, yet miraculously, they were safe from harm.
The helmsman’s eyes widened, staring disbelievingly at his hands operating the rudder, then at the unfathomable mist ahead. He couldn’t see what was ahead at all. This smooth, eerie sailing was by no means achievable with his skill.
A miracle! This was a miracle!
“The Cult Leader’s divine might!”
“The path guided by my God is indeed invincible!”
Spade K’s back was to the crowd, the corners of his mouth curving into an almost imperceptible arc. But in reality, even he himself couldn’t understand why they hadn’t crashed into the reefs while sailing in such dense fog. Previously, before the fog had rolled in, they had almost sunk and fed the fish in this God-forsaken sea area several times. Perhaps it was just luck.
But as a Cult Leader with professional ethics, Spade K would never show it. He pretended to be profound, raising his hand, his ruby cross-inlaid gem ring emitting an eerie light in the fog: “Silence, this is a test bestowed by my God. The real trial is still ahead.”
Before he finished speaking, the ship suddenly lurched violently, and Spade K’s legs went weak, almost sending him tumbling into the sea.
“Enemy attack!” someone screamed.
Spade K’s heart tightened. Had the Disciplinary Bureau caught up? He steadied himself and looked up through the thick fog, seeing a much larger ship blocking their path. The two ships had collided, tearing huge gashse in each other. If they weren’t repaired in time, they would likely both sink to the bottom to feed the fish.
“For Eternal Life! For the Blessed!” Spade K decided swiftly, shouting loudly, “Take them down!”
After that, he quickly gave Heart A a look. This old employee, who had invested early, rolled his eyes at him, but at Spade K’s strong insistence, he silently said, “Remember this month’s bonus,” and then led the charge without hesitation.
With someone taking the lead, the suddenly unsettled followers of the Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing seemed to find their backbone, following Heart A in a boarding battle.
Spade K watched from the rear, calculating whether to try to repair the ship first or escape by small boat after the battle. He didn’t think they would lose, firstly because they had more people, and secondly because his subordinates were not afraid of death.
But soon Spade K was dumbfounded. He watched as Heart A, that woman, was slapped to death like a blood-engorged mosquito by a burly man, her flesh and organs splattering everywhere.
Isn’t this a bit too over the top? He knew Heart A’s level clearly; she was a full fifteen levels, far ahead of most players at the moment. Although it was stacked by RMT means and had no real substance, she was still a top player in the current version. Yet, she was killed instantly like a stray dog.
“This…” Cold sweat beaded on Spade K’s forehead, and he subconsciously took a step back, thinking if he should flee quickly. Just then, he felt an icy gaze penetrate the chaotic battlefield and pierce directly at him.
In the dense fog, a cloaked figure stood quietly by the enemy ship’s mast. The gaze under the hood locked onto him like a tangible thing. Spade K’s heart trembled, and he tried to calm himself, thinking, “What are you looking at? Can you fly over?”
As soon as this thought arose, he saw the figure suddenly leap into the air, his cloak fluttering in the wind like a giant black crow swooping down at him.
“Holy cow!” Spade K blurted out, turning to flee. However, a soft sound came from behind him. He looked back and saw a young man in priest robes standing by the ship’s side at some unknown time. His pale eyes were as calm as water, yet they carried an irresistible oppressive force.
With wolves in front and tigers behind, Spade K’s face turned pale, and he instinctively reached for the dagger at his waist. However, Li Wen was faster. She landed lightly on the deck and kicked him in the lower back.
Losing his balance, Spade K rolled a couple of times on the deck, and his dagger disappeared somewhere. At this critical juncture, he looked at the ruby cross ring he wore and quickly raised his hands:
“I surrender! I surrender! Don’t kill me, I still have value!”
It wasn’t that he was afraid of death. In fact, few people in the player community were afraid of death, as they could revive anyway. It was just that Spade K had gone to great lengths to come to this cursed place, and was only one step away from the legendary treasure, so he was naturally unwilling to give up.
Therefore, he could even pretend to surrender now.
The battle lost its suspense the moment the Cult Leader was captured. The followers of the Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing came to their senses, never imagining that their mysterious and powerful Cult Leader would also be defeated. They exchanged glances, and nobody knew who threw down their weapon first, but soon the clanging sounds became a chorus. Remington directed the sailors to confiscate weapons, tie up the prisoners, and at the same time, assigned personnel to urgently repair the damage to the Adventurer.
