Chapter 297: One of Our Own!

Chapter 297: One of Us!

Karen looked at the golden retriever, who was striking an attitude of "hostility" directly toward the sea, then raised his head to look at Kevin's puppet standing beside him, and asked:

"Kevin, can't your puppet speak?"

The Purr puppet opened its mouth and said, "His can't."

"You didn't make that function?" Karen asked, puzzled. "Yours can speak."

Purr replied, "There's nothing wrong with the puppet, but he just can't speak."

"Can't speak?"

"You can understand it as a kind of restriction, or perhaps, a curse."

Karen shook his head and said, "But I've heard Kevin speak, that one time."

That time, Ranedal tried to take the opportunity to snatch back the body. As a result, the backup plan his grandfather had arranged in advance caught Ranedal from his own chest, and then Mr. Hoffen sealed him into the dog's body.

"Maybe the state is different. The stupid dog has a physical body now. When we got the puppets to try out, the stupid dog couldn't use the puppet to speak."

"Is that so? Was it a curse laid down by some god?"

Kevin turned his head around at this moment, looking at Karen. He had been baring his teeth just now, but now he showed a simple and honest smile, and even deliberately ran to Karen's side, rubbing against Karen's leg.

"What do you mean by a fundamentalist Poseidon believer?" Karen cut the topic back.

"Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!"

"Kevin says it's the most primitive and purest way for a believer of the Poseidon Religion to advance. Because in the mythical narrative of the Poseidon Religion, the prototype of the Sea God is a sea beast. Therefore, to follow in the footsteps of the Sea God, believers will transform their own bodies.

Because in their view, only in this way can they get closer to the emotions of the ocean, perceive the power of the ocean, make themselves more compatible with the ocean, and comprehend the true meaning of the ocean advocated by the Sea God.

From these eggshells, it can be seen that this batch of believers completed this transformation not long ago."

Karen asked, "Was the Sea God like this too?"

Outside the third window of Ranedal, Karen had seen Ranedal suppress and kill the Sea God. The Sea God's body was extremely massive. Whether it was the giant beast Dorons or the sea beast Aceros, they would seem very pocket-sized in front of the Sea God's body.

"Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!"

"Kevin says, yes, and no. Because the Sea God had shed his own body several times. His original appearance and body, even he has not seen. It should be sealed somewhere, or long lost, just like a snake shedding its skin.

The true Poseidon Religion has collapsed and split, just like the remnants of the Light now. It is very difficult for them to receive divine edicts from the God of Light anymore. The Poseidon Religion is even more so; the main line of faith has long been interrupted.

So legally speaking, the path for these fundamentalist Poseidon believers has been blocked tightly for so many ages.

Now, they have reappeared, and they have completed the transformation of their bodies. This means that changes have occurred in certain aspects. Under the grand background of the return of the gods, that one also wants to return!"

"Hasn't the Sea God already been suppressed and killed?" Karen asked. "Can he still return?"

"Woof!"

"What a god fears most is not death, but... oblivion."

Karen nodded and said, "Alfred, how many eggs are there in total?"

"Young master, there are 9 in total. One died inside, so the ones that broke out of the eggs should be 8."

"Will those 8 all look like this?" Karen asked Kevin.

"Woof, woof!"

"They look like this when they first break out of the eggs. In a few days, their bodies will be covered with a layer of colloid, and they won't look much different from ordinary people."

"8, which means it is these 8 guys who controlled the Wood family and attacked Gendi's team. So, what is the general level of strength of these ones that broke out of the eggs?"

"Woof, woof!"

"There's no way to measure it specifically. This is just a process, just as the difference in strength between different inquisitors can sometimes be very large."

"Alfred, go cut off that thing's head so we can take it back for the captain to see. Be careful."

"Yes, young master."

Alfred slid down into the pit, pulled a dagger out of his cuff, shaved off the head of that evolutionary failure, and then came up again.

Karen said, "I think there is no need for us to continue exploring. Let's go back and wait to gather."

Returning to the gathering point, the other three teams had not returned yet.

"When we start later, will the puppets of you two become a burden?" Karen asked.

"A little bit." Purr nodded. "So we promise to stand far away. If things change significantly, the stupid dog and I will immediately abandon the puppets and run away. We won't be a burden."

"Woof!"

Obviously, Purr was very worried that Karen would make her and Kevin go back into Aceros's belly first.

"Figure it out clearly yourself," Karen reminded, not forcing Purr and the others to take refuge first.

The members of the three groups returned one after another.

Neo saw the human head beside Alfred, directly reached out to pick it up, played with it in his hand, and said:

"A fundamentalist Poseidon believer?"

"Captain, this thing is a believer of the Poseidon Religion?" Fanny asked

"Yes, I believe this is exactly why they are controlling the mayor, hoping to use his connections to help them secure a ship capable of an ocean voyage as quickly as possible."

Geri spoke up, asking: "Captain, but it doesn't make sense. Shouldn't they flee immediately? If there are only nine of them—oh no, just eight—then a small boat should have been enough for them to leave right away."

"Just because nine eggshells yielded eight hatchlings doesn't mean there are only eight people. Did these nine eggs group up and drift here from the ocean on their own? Someone had to be responsible for bringing them across.

Furthermore, we only saw the hatched eggs; perhaps some of them haven't reached their time to incubate yet.

It's not that they don't want to leave immediately, but rather that they need a ship large enough, and this ship still needs to be fully stocked with ample provisions... perhaps even taking along living humans to serve as blood banks.

Therefore, for the next round of investigation—Karen, you know Mayor Wood, right?"

"Yes."

"Take your two friends and your valet into the town and try to make contact. The rest of you will follow me to re-investigate the docks, focusing on ships with hull damage that have been berthed for a long time without setting sail.

They shouldn't be hard to find. Smuggling ports are generally fast-in, fast-out operations that dislike delays, so long-term berthing is rare."

"Captain, if I go and make contact directly, what if we alert them?"

"We have no choice even if we do alert them, because we still don't know their exact numbers and strength. Perhaps if they are alerted ahead of time, we might still have time to withdraw from this island to call for reinforcements. In short, go ahead with a free hand. It might very well be them who end up frightened. Their first reaction when retreating will definitely be to look for their original ship, and maybe I can seize the opportunity to spring an ambush on my end."

"Very well, I understand, Captain."

"Alright, resume the operation. Remember to communicate using signal flares. Fanny, give them to Karen."

Fanny handed three signal flares to Karen, which he could fire using his own spell pistol.

"Firing one signal flare means the enemy's strength is too great and we need to retreat. Firing two or more means we have the capacity to eliminate the enemy and can go all out."

"Understood, Captain."

...

The town after nightfall remained remarkably bustling. The people staying or working here neither lacked money nor hesitated to spend it; money shaped the clamor of this place.

Karen and the others walked into a tavern and opened a private booth on the second floor. This tavern stood diagonally opposite Mr. Wood's office building.

"Your captain knows a great deal," Purr said while eating. "And the way he assigns tasks is rather peculiar, too."

"He is always like this, but it is always effective," Karen replied, keeping his eyes on the office building.

"One signal flare means running away. Truly, no one but a genius commander could come up with such a setting." Purr jumped onto the window sill with a piece of dried fried fish in her mouth, then immediately spat it out. "Oh, someone is coming out."

Two figures in black robes emerged from the office building and walked straight into this very tavern. Soon, each carrying a large cask of wine, they walked back out.

Moments later, another four or five robed figures stepped out of the office building. When the two parties crossed paths, they exchanged a few words. At this point, it was visible that both sides had bandages wrapped around their faces, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed to the outside.

After a short while, the four or five robed figures left the tavern, each carrying two large baskets of food in their hands.

"The captain was right. Their numbers must be quite substantial. The eggs in that pit might have been just one batch."

"Shall I go inside to observe?" Purr offered.

Karen shook his head and said, "It is better if I go myself."

"I am a cat. It is more convenient for me. Who would care about a cat walking past a window?"

"I am not at ease."

"Do you care about me that much, little Karen?"

"If something happens to you, we won't be able to summon Azeroth when we retreat."

"..." Purr.

"Young master, more people have come out. Just how many of them are hidden inside? Is all this food and wine still not enough?"

"There might also be living captives being held. Alfred, come down with me."

Karen stood up, placing the pistol and the signal flares on the dining table. Purr nodded to Karen, indicating she understood.

Subsequently, Karen and Alfred walked out of the private booth.

...

"We are guests invited here by the mayor. Please do not pry into our identities. Unnecessary curiosity can sometimes bring you great trouble."

"Yes, yes, I understand," the tavern owner replied immediately, offering a placating smile as he apologized. He had previously been indiscreet enough to ask why it had been only them entering and leaving the office building these past few days.

"Is there any more wine?"

"There is, there is, in the storeroom. I will go and bring it out right away."

"Santos, wait here. I will head back first."

"Very well, Chief."

In the passageway beneath the stairs, only Santos remained standing, while the owner went to the storeroom in person to fetch the wine.

Suddenly, Santos's body shuddered, and his hands instinctively clutched his head.

At the corner of the stairs, Alfred, his eyes glowing with a faint crimson light, spoke immediately: "Young master, his consciousness of resistance is incredibly strong. I cannot suppress him completely without making a sound."

Karen was somewhat surprised. Even a errand boy carrying goods could resist Alfred's mental control?

What kind of level was the overall strength of this group of people, exactly?

Karen's form dissolved into a black mist, descending the stairs and condensing right behind Santos. At this moment, Santos was resisting the mental attack from Alfred and was entirely oblivious to Karen's appearance.

Karen reached out and yanked down the man's hood. Simultaneously, the Blade of Arius cut straight across, severing the man's head. The faint crimson power of the Dark Moon on the blade seared the wound shut, preventing any blood from spilling out.

Immediately after, Karen tossed both the sword and the head upward. Alfred caught them at once, while Karen hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and ran up the stairs as well.

Not long after, the owner carried a cask of wine out.

"Eh? Where did he go?"

Karen, who had already changed into the black robe and wrapped his face in bandages, walked down the stairs, picked up the wine cask, and stepped out of the tavern.

...

"Incredible. He can actually tolerate those bandages on that person's face," Purr lamented through the window, watching Karen as he walked toward the office building on the street.

Wrapping bandages around the face was truly not meant to hide one's features or identity, but rather because beneath the bandages lay a distorted and decaying visage.

"During a mission, the young master will not be bound by such constraints. I also did my best to wipe it clean for him."

"Fine, but this method of infiltration is terribly cliché."

"The young master wishes to first confirm the location and safety of Mr. Wood and the others."

"Uh-huh, I know."

The Purr puppet began loading the signal bullets into the chamber.

"The young master's gait seems a bit strange?" Alfred asked in confusion.

"Heh." Purr cast a glance and let out a laugh. "The wine cask must be too heavy."

...

The wine cask was indeed too heavy.

Without using spellcraft to augment his strength, relying purely on his own power to carry this cask of wine while walking was truly a bit difficult.

Halfway there, Karen had no choice but to set the wine cask down and catch his breath.

At that moment, a pair of hands reached over, grasping one side of the cask. Karen looked up to see someone also dressed in a black robe with bandages wrapped around their face. The other person nudged the wine cask, and Karen gripped it once more. With the two of them lifting it together, it became much easier.

Is the atmosphere in this crew really so collegial? Does everyone just love helping one another out? Then why on earth did they leave the corpse of that fellow stuck in the eggshell behind?

Karen noticed another five or six figures approaching along the path, draped in black robes with bandages wrapped around their faces, all carrying barrels of wine or baskets of food.

Pushing open the heavy main doors, Karen and his partner lugged the barrel inside together, while the rest filed in behind them.

Two black-robed men stood in the grand foyer beyond the threshold, both leaning casually against the wall, but as Karen’s group passed before their eyes, one of them spoke up, "Huh, why does it feel like fewer people went out than this?"

The other robed man called out toward Karen’s group, "Hold on, you lot. Stop."

Suddenly, the black-robed figures surrounding Karen drew guns and blades from beneath their garments, launching themselves directly at the two sentries.

Yet blue armor instantly shimmered into existence across the sentries' bodies; the spell-infused bullets and hacking blades merely forced them back without eliminating them on the spot, and the commotion immediately alarmed the entire office building.

"Boss, we’ve come to rescue you!"

Karen heard the robed man sharing the weight of his wine barrel shout, while simultaneously, the man swung a blade toward Karen without a shred of hesitation.

Damn it! You bastards are impostors too!

Karen threw his weight backward in a swift retreat, narrowly dodging the slash.

By then, nearly ten black-robed figures had already rushed out from the upper floors, the basement, and the other rooms on the ground level, swiftly launching an assault on the intruders.

The genuine robed men possessed no mean strength; with the Armor of the Sea God enveloping their forms, their offensive was exceptionally fierce, and the pretenders were soon cut down, collapsing to the floor.

They had technically succeeded in slipping inside to launch a surprise attack, but they had overlooked the colossal chasm between their own strength and that of their adversaries.

Karen could not help but marvel inwardly: the Captain truly possessed foresight; these people were indeed remarkably powerful.

Of course, if it were merely the individuals currently before him, Karen would not have felt much dread, but just as the clash began, he had sensed three formidable consciousnesses sweeping down from the upper floors—even mightier entities awaited above.

Having dealt with the other impostors, the two black-robed sentries advanced toward Karen, preparing to launch their attack, given that he had entered alongside the infiltrators.

The Armor of the Sea God instantly manifested over Karen's body,

and he spoke quite calmly:

"I'm one of you."

—

The next chapter will be quite late; everyone should just read it when you wake up in the morning.