Chapter 301: I Want to Be on the Mural! (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 301: I Want on the Mural! (Subscription Requested)

Kevin piled up the sand, pushing the egg little by little toward the ocean waves. Once the seawater submerged the egg, Kevin scrubbed it meticulously with his paws, buried it in the sand, and scrubbed it again, repeating this cycle several times.

Finally, Kevin pressed his nose close to the egg and sniffed. Satisfied that no scent remained, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, lowered his head to take the egg in his jaws, and dashed away from the shore.

After running for a long time, Kevin stopped to rest. He spat out the egg, opening his jaws to pant with his tongue lolling out.

"You possess... wisdom... You should understand... what course of action... is most advantageous to you..."

Kevin tilted his canine head, staring at the egg that still, even now, did not forget to whisper its temptations.

"I can... help you... fulfill your dream..."

Kevin smiled.

His dream had always been simple: to completely erase the Sea God, and the Church of the Sea God, from the face of this earth.

Having caught his breath, Kevin took the egg back into his mouth and ran toward the landing point.

At last, he approached the vicinity of the landing site, but there he paused. Spitting the egg out, he scraped together a few stones to obscure and cover it before running forward once more.

Before he had gone far, Vanni's figure materialized before him.

Kevin stopped immediately, offering Vanni an innocent, honest grin.

"You're finally back. Karen and the Captain have been looking all over for you."

Vanni reached out to rub Kevin’s head, her fingertips brushing against his bald patch.

Then, Vanni tapped the blue seashell hanging by her ear and said, "Captain, the dog has been found."

Karen and Neo arrived shortly after. Seeing Kevin, Karen felt a wave of relief wash over his heart.

Kevin trotted over of his own accord, nudging the hem of Karen’s trousers with his head.

"Alright, let us evacuate first," Neo said.

The others had already retreated to a cluster of reefs not far from Corona Island, a place safe enough to wait until the reinforcements from the Church of Order arrived.

Just as Karen prepared to leave, he felt Kevin tugging at his trouser leg with his teeth.

Karen halted, and the Captain stopped too, looking back over his shoulder.

Kevin offered the Captain a grin.

The Captain nodded and said, "Vanni, let us first inform Peg and the others to recall the team."

"Yes, Captain."

The Captain led Vanni away, leaving Kevin to guide Karen to the place where the egg was buried.

Karen stepped forward and knelt. Brushing away the stones, he saw the purple egg resting beneath.

Accompanied by a rhythmic, pulsing throb, Karen felt a momentary trance. Was this an egg, or was it a heart?

"Enshrine me... serve me... and I shall grant you... a vast future..."

"I shall grant you lard and chopped scallions, and cook you into the most delicious fried egg."

Ignoring its siren song, Karen picked it up and looked down at Kevin.

"You ran off all by yourself just for this?"

Kevin nodded.

"I know it must be something good, and I can guess that you believe it will be of great use to me. But I still think your behavior, leaving the squad alone as a single dog, was far too reckless.

If you had lost your dog life for the sake of this egg, it would have been a terrible loss for me."

Kevin blinked at Karen.

Karen raised the egg as if to smash it, then drew it back and slipped it into his pocket.

"Just pretend that I just shouted, 'I almost lost a dog for this egg!' and then threw it away, and you leaped through the air to catch it, returning it to my hand.

Time is short, so let's just assume we've already gone through that sequence, understood?"

"Woof!"

Kevin nodded with a grin.

"Heh."

Karen patted Kevin's back and walked with him to the shore, where Aceros was already waiting. The beast opened its mouth to let the man and dog inside, then turned to carry this latest group over to the reefs.

The reef was divided into several distinct areas. Karen led Kevin toward the large section where Purr and Alfred were stationed.

No sooner had he sat down than Mr. Wood approached, accompanied by his wife and daughter.

Just as Mr. Wood was about to speak, Karen raised a hand to stop him.

"Wood, I am occupied at the moment. Save your words of thanks until this matter is concluded."

"Yes, Young Master Karen."

Mr. Wood immediately led his wife and daughter back to their previous position.

As Karen was about to pull the egg from his pocket, a plume of black smoke materialized behind him, revealing the Captain's form.

"May I listen in?"

"No."

"So stingy?"

"It's a secret."

"Very well." The Captain dissolved back into black smoke and departed.

Karen produced the egg and handed it to Alfred.

"Alfred, you keep custody of this."

"Yes, Young Master."

Alfred took the egg and stowed it away.

Karen did not worry that the egg would corrupt Alfred; indeed, they could fight poison with poison.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Alfred spoke up, translating, "This is an egg in its fourth stage of evolution. The first stage possesses a white shell, the second is black, the third is blue, and the fourth is purple. What is incubating inside is a heart—or, in the parlance of the Sea God Church, the Heart of the Sea God."

"The Heart of the Sea God?" Karen pursed his lips. "Once the heart is fully formed, does it still need to find a body?"

"Woof, woof, woof!"

"Yes. Because the soul and consciousness are both concentrated within this heart, once incubation is successful, it must seek a vessel. Generally, they use a believer nurtured from a blue shell to serve as the carrier. In this manner, their body can achieve a flawless alignment with the ocean."

"Is this heart of any use to me?" Karen asked, cutting to the core of the matter. "It won't require me to replace my own heart, will it?"

He believed that Kevin would not have gone to such lengths to retrieve this egg unless it possessed a purpose far beyond becoming a poached egg.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

"There is no need to replace your heart. We must find a way to wipe out the consciousness residing within the egg, then condense it into an essence to draw into your own body, using it to stimulate your own heart's evolution.

It is like a single spark; though difficult, it has the potential to ignite the entire pyre."

Purr spoke up, "Stupid dog, is it really that simple to call it difficult? If it could be done that easily, why would they bother crawling into eggshells to evolve time and again? This isn't even a matter of difficulty anymore; under normal circumstances, such a trigger is fundamentally impossible to achieve."

"Woof!"

"Kevin says that for you, Young Master, it isn't difficult because your body was remade by it."

Karen pointed toward the position of his own heart. "I can?"

Purr instantly demanded, "Stupid dog, did you transform your heart back then? You actually accomplished that? You didn't happen to infiltrate the Sea God Cult and practice their system just for revenge, did you?"

Raniandal had once remade Karen's body, a vessel prepared for the Evil God's descent; since it claimed Karen could use it, the necessary foundations and preparations must have been laid down back then.

Upon hearing this, Kevin immediately shook his head in a huff, his emotions growing rather agitated. "Woof, woof, woof!"

Alfred translated, "How could I ever degenerate so low as to lurk inside another church? Doing something so utterly devoid of class, woof!"

"Ahem." Alfred nodded. "That last 'woof' was literal."

Yet after completing the translation, Alfred furrowed his brow, while Purr grinned with malicious glee.

Kevin turned his head to look at Karen, instantly realizing he had misspoken.

"Woof~ woof~"

"Alright, let's get back to business," Karen said, steering the conversation back on track.

"Woof, woof!"

"Kevin says that back in the day, he thoroughly enjoyed hunting down high-ranking members of the Sea God Cult, treating their hearts as snacks and eating them frequently. As he kept eating, he discovered a massive accumulation of those specific elements, or essences, within his own body. Over time, his own heart gradually began to transform—or rather, become 'polluted'—but the results were quite excellent."

Many things that defied common sense became far easier to accept when built upon an equally nonsensical premise.

For instance, taking the hearts of elder-level existences and eating them like jellybeans; over a prolonged period, toxins accumulated, and the pollution succeeded. The logic was perfectly coherent.

Purr asked with concern, "Will there be any side effects?"

Kevin nodded and let out a sound. "Woof, woof."

Purr fell silent.

Alfred was also stunned.

Karen waited for a moment before urging, "Translate, will you?"

Purr turned her face away.

Alfred spoke up, "Once the heart transformation succeeds, it equates to possessing the pulse of the ocean, which will greatly enhance blood and oxygen supply. The sole side effect is that... *that* particular capability will become far stronger, making it rather difficult for one's significant other to endure."

A smile spread across Kevin's canine face.

Karen, however, inquired, "Aside from the Goddess Mils, have you ever even had a significant other?"

The smile on Kevin's canine face collapsed instantly.

"So, my body is capable of undergoing this transformation, correct? After a successful transformation, will the effectiveness of my Sea God's Armor increase because of it?"

Kevin nodded vigorously. "Woof, woof, woof, woof!"

"Even if one possesses the power of Light to facilitate the transformation, upon reaching a certain threshold, the utilization of other system powers will inevitably face an upper ceiling. At that point, one must seek a vessel to break through that bottleneck.

Just as the Eye of the Dark Moon can drastically elevate the effects of the Blade of the Dark Moon, the Heart of the Sea God will also drastically elevate the effects of the Sea God's Armor. Furthermore, the spiritual power reserves of the Sea God Cult inherently hold an advantage over other belief systems, much like the vastness of the ocean itself; the Heart of the Sea God can open up an additional reservoir for spiritual power.

Once both the Blade and Armor receive such massive enhancements, and factoring in your already terrifying spiritual power reserves, Young Master, your true combat capability will become completely decoupled from your actual realm."

Purr remarked, "Just like Dis—an eternal Inquisitor."

Alfred corrected her, "The Young Master is still merely a Divine Servant at present."

Purr nodded. "Fair enough. That makes it even more absurd than Dis."

Alfred then spoke, "Once we return, I shall take charge of handling this egg."

Karen nodded, signifying the conclusion of the meeting.

Aceros surfaced, opening its massive maw to spit out a bountiful catch of fish and shrimp.

Although there was no firewood on the reef, everyone could use spells to conjure fire for a barbecue; if they chose not to be particular, eating it raw as sashimi was also perfectly fine.

Karen spread his hand, and the Flame of Order surged forth, but after being roasted by the Flame of Order, the fish's appearance turned bizarre, carrying a thoroughly wretched aura.

Eating it felt rather like consuming a zombie fish.

Tossing that one aside, Karen reached out to pat Purr's head. Purr pouted slightly but summoned two fireballs to help everyone roast the fish.

On the other side, Mr. Wood was also helping with the grilling.

After eating their fill, everyone began to rest. Surrounded by the sea on all sides with Aceros lurking beneath the surface, there was no need to fear a surprise attack, making it highly secure.

Karen lay down upon the reef with Purr curled up in his embrace, and Kevin huddled close as well, quickly drifting off to sleep.

After sleeping for a few hours, Karen was startled awake by a commotion in the distance. Sitting up, he spotted two steamships alongside two ironclad warships of the Wien Imperial Navy appearing on the horizon.

In the sky, over a dozen hawk-like demonic beasts bearing Knights of Order were circling overhead.

The reinforcements had arrived.

This also meant that everything on Corona Island was drawing to a close.

No one... no, no faction whatsoever could find room to act recklessly once the Church of Order took the matter seriously and extended its hand.

Purr spoke up, "Aceros, go on back for now. I'll call you out to play again in a while."

A stream of bubbles rose from beneath the water, and soon after, the colossal shadow receded into the distance.

The Captain and Memphis began crafting black crows. Having long run out of their original spell parchment, they simply tore fabric from their own divine robes to make them.

Twenty minutes later, a warship first docked at Corona Island before turning around to approach this reef area, allowing everyone to board.

The Captain went to handle communications with the Church official aboard the warship, while Karen and the others entered the cabin, where hot soup was arranged for them.

Soon, the warship arrived at the Corona Island harbor once more. Over a dozen squads of the Whip of Order had already landed on the island and begun a sweeping search across the entire territory; Karen also spotted figures clad in black armor, indicating that a portion of the garrisoned troops had been deployed as well.

The area where the ship had previously sunk was cordoned off, and the Church of Order would send personnel to handle the salvage operation next.

Karen stood on the deck, gazing into the distance, occasionally catching the faint sounds of distant combat.

The Captain walked up to Karen's side and remarked, "It's quite surprising. Although a few Sea God Cult believers commandeered other ships at the harbor to flee, the vast majority actually remain on the island even now. Tell me, what exactly is it that keeps them so utterly infatuated and lingering, to the point where they neglect even to flee for their lives?"

Karen shook his head. "I don't know."

"Could I invite that dog of yours to come over to my place as a guest?"

"Hmm?"

"You know, I happen to be someone who rather likes pets."

"Captain, I didn't know that."

"Yes, well, originally I didn't care for them, but after the incident with Dorons, a soft spot somewhere in my heart was awakened. So I've been thinking about raising a pet. However, my personality makes me rather averse to trouble, so I wanted to borrow your family's dog to stay with me for a while, just so I can experience it before making a decision."

"Captain, you can just go and ask it directly. There's no need to spin such a long web of excuses."

"Is that alright?"

"It's fine. As long as it is willing, it's fine."

"Oh, excellent, I'll go ask it in a moment. Oh, right, after this incident, the Church seems to intend to establish a Tribunal on Corona Island."

"A Tribunal? For just this single island?"

"Strictly speaking, it also includes numerous deserted islets and reefs scattered across this region."

"And then?"

"If Mr. Pavaro is so inclined, he could pull a few strings to secure a transfer here."

"Captain, this is the first time I've ever heard of needing connections just to be exiled."

"I'm merely gauging your thoughts. If you find the seclusion here appealing, or if you have other designs best suited for such a place, you could come here. After all, when a mission arises, a half-day's notice would give you ample time to make landfall and reach York City."

"No, thank you. I have no intention of coming all this way just to fish."

"Mm. There is one more thing. For now, focus all your energy on preparing for the selection. If you make the final twelve-man roster, regional custom dictates you will certainly be promoted. If you can rise to form your own Whiplash of Order squad, you will serve the exact same purpose as Miss Ophelia coming here."

"I will do my utmost, Commander."

"Good, that will be all then." The captain turned and walked away, heading straight for a quiet corner of the cabin.

Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin were both seated on chairs; Purr perched upon the shoulder of her puppet, while Kevin, having lost his leash, had to make do with a clean table mat tied around his canine neck.

The captain walked over and crouched before Kevin, peering at him, and Kevin returned the gaze.

"Say, would you mind staying at my place for a while? I harbor a few uncertainties. I do not know if you are aware, but there are things left in my mind—he bequeathed to me not only vast knowledge, but also a wealth of doubts. I believe you could help me unravel many of them."

"Woof!"

"Is that a yes?"

"Woof!"

"A no?"

"Woof!"

"Could you perhaps nod or shake your head?"

"Woof!"

"Can you not speak?" the captain asked, bewildered.

"Woof!"

"Truly unable to speak?"

"Woof!"

Amused to the point of exasperation, the captain barked back at Kevin, "Woof!"

Kevin: "..."

The golden retriever was utterly bewildered by this response.

Watching the interaction between man and hound, Purr turned away, pressing her face against her puppet's neck as she endured the excruciating agony of stifling her laughter.

The captain simply sat flat on the floor, muttering in vexation, "An inability to speak makes things rather difficult. Can you write?"

Kevin raised his paw.

Pulling a logbook from his coat, the captain spread it open before Kevin, retrieved a fountain pen, uncapped it, and wedged it into the dog's paw.

Steering the fountain pen, Kevin began to scratch words onto the pages.

"Writing works just as well; we can still communicate. You have no idea—I used to be indifferent to those doubts, but the moment a glimmer of hope appeared to resolve them, my scalp began to itch. Truth be told, I was never one for scholarly pursuits..."

The captain froze mid-sentence.

For there, in a sprawling, scrawling hand, Kevin had written a single word upon the logbook:

"Secret."

Silently, the captain closed the logbook, slipped the pen from the canine paw back into his pocket, stood up with practiced elegance, and said:

"If the day ever comes when I descend into madness, remember, none of you are innocent."

...

In another cabin, Alfred sat cradling the violet egg, deep in study.

"I can... grant you... a future and hope... help you achieve... the deepest desires of your heart... if only you submit to me... serve me... you shall receive... everything you wish for..."

"Truly?"

"Of course... tell me... what is it... you desire..."

Faced with the temptation radiating from the egg,

Alfred cleared his throat, and then, adopting the exact same cadence and timbre, replied:

"I... wish... to... be... on... the... mural..."