Everyone present felt the aura that burst from the pendant. It was clearly some kind of signal. They stared wide-eyed in shock. Stari was even more stunned. “How can this be? Why did it react the moment you touched it?”
“Because I’m a summoner.” Debbie seemed to sense something ominous. She casually tossed the pendant back to Ye Chui and explained, “Summoners possess a unique spiritual force. This force lets us connect to the Heroic Spirit Realm and call forth heroic spirits to fight alongside us. What remains on this pendant is exactly that kind of summoner spiritual force. Ordinary people cannot detect it, only summoners can. And that force appears to have been triggered by me. It has now been released, like some sort of signal…”
Although Ye Chui could also summon heroic spirits, his summoner abilities were completely different from the orthodox kind, so he had not activated the aura. He studied the pendant in his hand, his expression grave. “Captain Dailin was patriarch of the White Ship clan. All twelve phantom-beast clans of the Tidal Empire are variants of summoners, or rather, they are summoners. Captain Dailin left this pendant so that one day a summoner might touch it and activate a certain aura…”
Yet many things remained unclear. The burst of aura just now felt more like something meant to attract others here, rather than a sea chart guiding people to a destination.
Ye Chui looked at Stari.
Stari clearly could not follow their discussion about summoners and phantom beasts. He looked utterly bewildered.
Ye Chui thought for a moment, then quietly left a mark on the pendant: a single drop of rum from the Pirates of the Caribbean world. If that drop touched the pendant, Jack’s compass would always be able to locate it. Immediately afterwards, Ye Chui returned the pendant to Stari. “There seems to be something odd about this pendant. You had better keep it safe.”
The pendant felt strange. Ye Chui did not want to keep it on him.
“Oh, alright…” Stari hurriedly hid the pendant on his person as instructed, his face still filled with enormous confusion.
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the wreck, accompanied by a girl’s shout. “Stari! Stari, are you there!?”
With that rather fiery voice, a girl ducked into the cabin.
She looked about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a gorgeous long gown, her hair styled like a noblewoman’s, faint makeup on her face. She was not the breathtaking sort of beauty that Freya or Celc were, but with fair skin and delicate features she would still be the kind every pirate in the bay would flock to.
Of course, judging by her attire and considering the usual occupation of women in Pirate Bay, Ye Chui, Debbie, and the others instantly assumed she was probably a…
“Elizabeth…” When Stari saw the girl, his expression turned awkward. He stood up. “What are you doing here?”
“I just heard from Calia and Battis that you’re trying to trick another group of outsiders into sailing with you.” The girl named Elizabeth said angrily. “How many times have I have told you? You are not allowed to go to sea!”
“I knew Calia and Battis would run and tattle to you.” Stari muttered under his breath, annoyed.
“I told them to keep an eye on you, you idiot. You’re simply not cut out to be a pirate.” Elizabeth accused furiously accused him. Her eyes suddenly turned to Ye Chui and the others, who were clearly enjoying the show. “And you lot, why are you messing about with him? He’s just someone who grew up in Pirate Bay and has never once left. He can’t even sail properly. You’re all so strong. Can’t you see he’s nothing but a con man?”
“Enough!” Stari shouted angrily at Elizabeth. “What I do is none of your business. You… you prostitute, you have no right to control me!”
At Stari’s harsh words, Elizabeth froze. The angry expression on her face suddenly flickered with hurt. Her eyes grew moist. She was clearly wounded to the core. Seeing her like that, Stari panicked and hurriedly tried to explain. “No, I didn’t mean… that is…”
Slap!
A crisp slap rang out. Elizabeth lifted her long skirts and stormed out of the cabin. Thump, thump, thump: the sound of her leaving the ship.
Stari clutched his cheek, turned around awkwardly, and found Ye Chui’s entire group each holding a bucket of strange food, eyes wide, watching him intently while tossing a few odd kernels into their mouths. Hmm, popcorn. Essential for watching drama.
“Sorry you had to see that…”
Stari said dejectedly. His face had already taken three slaps tonight, yet there was not a single red mark. The man’s cheeks were clearly used to it…
“Is Miss Elizabeth your friend?” Debbie asked curiously.
“Yes. We grew up together. After coming of age she has always worked at the Rose Inn…” Even the name Rose Inn made its nature obvious. Stari clearly did not want to talk about it any more. He walked listlessly toward a side cabin. “Everyone rest here tonight. Those rooms over there are free. Tomorrow morning we set sail and leave this place!”
Watching Stari disappear into the cabin, Ye Chui and the others immediately began discussing excitedly.
“Classic childhood sweetheart situation. Sadly the girl took up an unsavoury profession, so the boy’s heart turned cold.” Green explained.
“Having a vast green prairie overhead must feel terrible.” Ye Chui nodded in agreement.
“Vast green prairie?”
“A figure of speech. It describes men like Stari.” Ye Chui explained briefly.
“Ye Chui, are you really planning to sail with him? He seems completely unreliable. He’s never left the bay even once.” Debbie asked.
“This lad might be hiding some secrets. That pendant really is Captain Dailin’s relic. Staying with him could lead to unexpected gains.” Ye Chui considered. “Tomorrow we’ll sail with him for now. If danger appears we have the flying magic vehicle anyway. No need to fear anything.”
Thus the matter was settled. Ye Chui told everyone, exhausted from encountering an iceberg and shipwreck on their very first day at sea, to rest properly. The cabins were assigned: Freya, Celc, and Debbie in one; Guni, Salome, the three Dragon Turtle treasures, plus Celty’s head in another (because they feared Celty’s head would frighten others, Ye Chui had previously kept the big sister in his [Storage Space]. Being an undead species, she was fine no matter how she was handled (Celty: …)).
In the end Ye Chui and Green laid bedding on the floor of the dining cabin and kept watch.
The lights in the cabins went out. Everything fell dark.
The place was very quiet. Even the nonstop clamour of Pirate Bay could not reach here.
Yet more than an hour later, Ye Chui, dozing lightly, was suddenly roused by faint sounds. He opened his eyes warily and saw Stari sneaking out of the dark cabin. Once Stari’s figure left the ship, Ye Chui sat up, used [Shadow Sneak], and silently followed.
All the way Ye Chui was extremely curious. What was the boy up to? Had he turned hostile and gone to gather people to ambush them? Soon, however, Ye Chui realised he had overthought it. Stari’s destination this time was an inn: the Rose Inn.
He was worried about hurting Elizabeth earlier and had come to apologise.
Ye Chui originally intended to head back, but curiosity got the better of him. He used wind magic to float into the air so he could peer through a second-floor window.
The Rose Inn provided lodging for pirates and also certain indescribable services. Through several open windows Ye Chui could see some indescribable activities taking place, though the sight was about as appetising as the bloody roast pig leg Guni had seen in the tavern earlier.
In one hall he spotted Stari and Elizabeth.
Stari was apologising to Elizabeth with a guilty expression. Calia and Battis stood nearby. Ye Chui now understood: earlier Calia and Battis had not slapped Stari over romantic entanglements. They were simply angry that he was trying to recruit crew and sail again.
Stari’s apology was evidently unsuccessful.
Slap. Elizabeth slapped Stari once more, then stormed off in fury.
Stari looked helpless, clutched his cheek, and prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Ye Chui quickly moved away, heading back to the wreck.
What Ye Chui did not notice was that when Elizabeth slapped Stari this time, something had fallen from Stari’s body. It was the pendant!
After both Stari and Ye Chui had left, Battis suddenly noticed the pendant on the floor. She picked it up curiously and walked to a nearby room. “Is this yours, Elizabeth?”
“It’s not mine… it’s Stari’s.” Elizabeth took the pendant, her face still full of anger. She stuffed it into her cleavage. “That idiot wants to use this thing to find the Pirate King’s treasure. I’ll keep it safe for him!”
…
Far out at sea from Pirate Bay, ghostly ships rapidly approached.
On the lead ship, the Death Monk with the thick red beard stood at the prow gazing toward Pirate Bay. In a hoarse voice he shouted to the Death Monks behind him, “The person is in Pirate Bay. Remember, whoever carries the pendant is our target…”
