Lord of the Mysteries

Klein already had a basic understanding of Danitz’s character, so he didn’t take the initiative to ask about the legends. He continued sitting in his chair and calmly looked at him.

Danitz, who hadn’t been interrupted, shook his head.

“Legend has it that 300 years ago when the Loen army first occupied this island, more than 500 soldiers mysteriously disappeared after a fog. Not long after that, a lot of bones appeared by the beach and on the mountain, and similar incidents happened several times. This continued until the Church of Storms built a cathedral here and sent a bishop.”

Although historians accredited the official start of the colonial era to when Roselle sent a fleet to find a safe route to the Southern Continent, in reality, for a long period of time before that, the countries of the Northern Continent had explored the surrounding seas and gradually colonized a few islands. The only difference was that these operations weren’t systematic or wide-scale enough.

Disappearing mysterious in the fog... Bones appearing by the beach and on the mountains... Klein thought of the Forsaken Land of the Gods for some baffling reason. According to Little Sun’s description, there was no sun there, with only lightning and the night. Furthermore, when humans were “surrounded” by darkness without a sliver of light, they would encounter strange or terrifying events.

Looking at the lighthouse that stood out in the setting sun, Danitz continued, “And according to the tombs and murals excavated on the island, the natives here seem to have a tradition of cannibalism.

“This island experiences intense weather changes, making it often encounter earthquakes, storms, and heavy fog; thus, the natives experience disasters time and time again. In order to survive, they began worshiping a God of Weather they created for themselves. Every year, they would hold four rituals. Heh, the rituals involve killing chosen worshippers as they shared in the blood and flesh before burying the worshippers’ heads in the sacrificial altar.

“However, a similar tradition has long since been replaced by the Storm’s sacrificial ritual, and the original language of the natives has also disappeared.”

God of Weather... A conquered island that had once retained the tradition of live sacrifices... Klein made his preliminary judgment.

Danitz retracted his gaze and casually said, “Because of these legends, there are two unique customs in Bansy Harbor. One is to close the door tightly on nights with heavy fog or huge changes in weather. They don’t head out or respond to any knocking.

“The other is that they love the blood of all kinds of animals and have learned from migrating elves to add salt, solidifying the blood into strange lumps which are tender and fragrant when matched with the acrid condiments native to this land.”

Isn’t that blood cake? Klein was stunned for a second, his eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement.

“Elves?”

According to the stereotypes he had formed in his previous life, elves were supposed to be elegant vegetarians. How could they research the correct method for eating blood, as well as the hundred methods involved in making blood cakes?

“That’s right. Rumor has it that many elves like solidified blood.” Danitz spread out his hands in response. “Unfortunately, it’s already very difficult to find such creatures who have good culinary skills.”

... Little Sun previously mentioned that the ancient god of the Elves, Elf King, Soniathrym, wielded the authority of the storm. In that case, the elves should be a race equivalent to Beyonders of the Sailor pathway... Hmm, so it’s not inconceivable that elves enjoy blood-related food... Perhaps, they even possess the attribute of being irritable as well... That’s quite a scene to behold... Klein’s thoughts raced, and he gradually turned his attention to blood cakes.

It’s been a while since I ate that... He suddenly had the urge to alight from the ship and taste the delicacy.

At this moment, Danitz took the initiative to suggest.

“There’s a Green Lemon Restaurant here that’s very famous. Pig blood is especially delicious. Do you... Do you want to try it out?”

He kept having the feeling that being alone in the same room with Gehrman Sparrow was very dangerous. He was worried that this monster in human skin would suddenly go crazy.

He should be more restrained in places with more people... Holy Lord of Storms, I hope this trip comes to an end as soon as possible! Danitz prayed without confidence.

As a pirate, he also believed in the Lord of Storms, but he didn’t have enough respect for the Church.

After hearing Blazing’s suggestion, Klein, who already had such intentions, was immediately moved.

However, the legends and customs Danitz had told him of made him feel a little uncomfortable. Thus, he took out a gold coin and performed a divination right in front of Danitz.

The result was that there were no dormant dangers in Bansy Harbor for him.

Hmm... Klein looked at the gold coin in his hand without moving his eyes away for a few seconds. He still felt uneasy.

As Danitz watched this scene, he suddenly understood that this monster in front of him was skilled in divination.

This... Even if I were to secretly flee, it would still be very easy for him to find me...Blazing felt a wave of depression as a faint sadness welled up in his heart.

He had just recovered from his disconsolate mood when Klein suddenly stood up and walked over to the washroom.

Before closing the door, Klein expressionlessly turned his head around and said, “You can use this opportunity to escape.”

With that, Klein slammed the washroom’s door.

Danitz spread his hands open and clenched them tightly, took two steps towards the door before coming to a halt.

The unknown was the scariest. He didn’t dare take the risk of creating conflict before he had any clear understanding of Gehrman Sparrow’s Beyonder powers.

At-at least he’s kind enough to me and hasn’t actually hurt me... He’ll likely let me go when we get to Bayam... Danitz’s hopes of him getting lucky had taken hold of his mind.

In the washroom.

Klein pulled out a paper figurine, disguised it, and took four steps counterclockwise to head above the gray fog.

He sat down at the end of the long bronze table, removed the pendulum from his left wrist, and wrote the corresponding divination statement: “There is danger dormant in Bansy Harbor.”

He hung his spirit pendulum and adjusted his posture. After muttering a few times, Klein opened his eyes and saw the topaz pendant rotating clockwise. Furthermore, it was with a high amplitude and frequency!

This meant that for Klein, there was a great danger lurking in Bansy Harbor!

How could this be? This place was colonized by the kingdom for more than three hundred years, and it has become an important port on the main trading route for over a hundred years. There have never been any rumors of danger being spread... Could it be that several powerful pirates are cooperating to sack this port? No, those cannons defending the port aren’t for show... Klein frowned, performing another divination on whether he would encounter any pirate-related mishaps, but the answer was no.

Hmm... He fell silent for a few seconds, then he allowed his spirituality to envelop his body before plummeting through the gray fog.

Returning to the real world, Klein pressed the mechanical button on the toilet, put away the paper figurine double, and went to the nearby washing basin to wet his hands with water.

In this short period of time, he quickly sorted out his thoughts and decided to do his best to hide. His priority was to stay safe.

Pulling out a tissue and wiping his hands, Klein opened the door and saw that Danitz was still standing in the middle of the living room.

A pirate who’s cautious to the point of being a little cowardly... In a sense, Rear Admiral Iceberg’s subordinates are all adventurers who are part-time pirates...Klein looked at him and calmly said, “To the first-class dining room”

“... Alright.” Danitz didn’t understand why Gehrman Sparrow had suddenly changed his mind, but in the end, he chose to not raise any disputes.

...

Walking down the gangway, Cleves suddenly said to Donna and the others, “Head to the Green Lemon Restaurant first.

“I have some matters to do with Captain Elland. I’ll join you soon.”

“Alright.” Although Urdi Branch was surprised, he wasn’t too puzzled.

Cleves was halfway aboard the ship when he met Elland with his straight sword at his waist.

“I’m going to visit Gehrman Sparrow.” Cleves turned around for the first-class cabins after saying that.

Elland was momentarily dazed, unable to understand his out-of-the-blue intentions.

There’s no need to inform me that you’re visiting Gehrman Sparrow... Elland was startled for two seconds before he vaguely grasped the true meaning behind Cleves’s words.

He’s telling me so that if—if anything happens to him, it would be because of his visit to Gehrman Sparrow... But if nothing happens to him, it means that his suspicions were incorrect and there’s no need to further disturb Gehrman Sparrow any further... Elland stopped in his footsteps and said to the first mate beside him, “Wait fifteen minutes.”

...

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Klein and Danitz, who were on their way out, heard a rhythmic knock on the door.

Danitz, who received a signal, hurried over and opened the door.

It was Cleves outside. He looked at Danitz, who had disguised himself again, before turning to Klein and said, “Blazing Danitz?”

At lunchtime, he had found Gehrman Sparrow’s friend somewhat odd and familiar, but he hadn’t connected the face to the picture on the bounty notice. It was only when Donna mentioned Danitz that the inspiration struck him, making him realize that the two were very similar.

As expected... Klein was about to nod and answer when Danitz said with a laugh, “My friend, you have the wrong person. Although I look like the famous pirate who’s worth 3000 pounds, I’m really not him. People have always had misunderstandings, bringing me a great deal of trouble.”

Klein raised his hand and covered his mouth. He almost laughed out loud and destroyed his persona.

He restrained his expression and calmly replied, “Yes.”

Sigh... My reputation... Danitz stretched his neck and looked at the ceiling.

“What are the two of you planning?” Cleves drew in a silent breath and asked directly.

Klein jerked his chin towards Danitz.

“Watching over him.”

“Watching over?” Cleves couldn’t understand Gehrman Sparrow’s words.

Sir, you must learn to make associations by yourself. Learn to infer on your own. You can’t have me explain in detail. That doesn’t match my persona! Confronted with the doubtful look in Cleves’s eyes, Klein casually said, “He boarded at Damir Harbor and I recognized him, so I decided to watch over him to prevent any accidents.”

After looking at Klein for a few seconds, Cleves nodded his head and said, “Will you be fine?

“Do you need any help?

“No,” Klein replied quietly.

Cleves glanced at the depressed Danitz and took a step back.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Just as he was about to leave, he was suddenly stopped by Gehrman Sparrow. He heard the mysterious young adventurer say, with some solemnity, “Return to the ship as soon as possible.

“There is danger dormant in Bansy Harbor.”

...

In the Green Lemon Restaurant, Donna had just laid out her napkin when she saw through the window that Uncle Cleves had arrived hurriedly downstairs.

At this moment, the weather in the port suddenly changed. Strong gales rose up from all directions, causing the trees to sway back and forth.

As expected of Bansy Harbor, the Weather Museum... Donna studied the outside scenery with interest.

She saw a man in a black cloak trudging through the wind with a lantern in his hand.

Seemingly sensing that he was being watched, that person turned his body sideways and looked up at the second floor of the restaurant.

Then, Donna discerned his appearance and saw that the area where the person’s head was supposed to be was empty inside the black cloak. There was only a bare neck with bright red blood spewing out of it.

The person slunk his body back down, pulled at his cloak before continuing forward.