Chapter 262: Aboard the Future

Rekton, staying beside Jia Deliya, arrived at Frank's laboratory at the very bottom of the ship's hold.

Both of them halted simultaneously at the doorway of Frank's laboratory, and Jia Deliya turned to Rekton and said:

"Frank should still be conducting experiments; you can go in and find him yourself."

"Uhh, still"

"Al? My friend, you finally returned to the sea."

The laboratory's large door swung open, and Frank emerged dragging an exaggerated snake‑skin sack behind him. He looked at Rekton with a surprised expression, and his exclamation cut off Rekton's unfinished words.

Rekton forced a polite smile, gave a slight nod, and said:

"It's so late, haven't you rested yet?"

"Of course not. To cultivate crops that adapt to dark environments, I've been doing experiments at night and resting during the day."

"However, trying to breed crops that use the flesh of polluted monsters as nourishment, while keeping the contamination within edible limits, is extremely difficult; my experiments have been stuck at this point."

Frank said, pulling the snake‑skin sack he was dragging forward, opened it and showed Rekton the failed experimental products inside:

A charcoal‑black wooden block that was still twitching slightly? Brightly colored mushrooms with specks of golden‑yellow mottling that looked oddly appetizing at a glance; and clusters of mushrooms the size of a baby's arm, bearing a meat‑like texture.

Rekton blinked; these items seemed still far from success.

After a brief contemplation, he looked up at Frank and asked:

"Is it limited by your own sequence?"

Frank gave a slight nod:

"There is such a reason, but recipes from sea Druid are hard to come by."

"I'll go look for it for you; perhaps we can get it within this week."

Rekton gave a gentle nod; he recalled that Silver City possessed some high‑sequence formulas via the Mother Path.

We could trade normal food with them, though those Silver City residents of strong giant lineage probably have huge appetites.

Jia Deliya watched the scene from the side, furrowing her brow slightly, opening her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately hesitated and swallowed it.

Forget it; as a fifth‑sequence Druid, I should still be able to keep the situation on the Future under control. At least now Frank is absorbed in his experiment, so he won't have the energy to trouble the other crew.

Upon hearing that Rekton could obtain the Druid formula within the week, Frank's expression instantly brightened with surprise:

"Really? I'm so grateful, my dear friend!"

"I'll first deal with these experimental waste products, then start a new experiment later. Wait for me a bit, and we'll discuss new ideas about the experiment!"

"How will you dispose of these things—throw them into the sea?"

Rekton felt uneasy looking directly at the items Frank had stuffed into the snake‑skin sack, yet was curious: would dumping them straight into the ocean count as polluting the sea?

In this world, would polluting the ocean cause the Storm Lord to strike it down with a barrage of lightning?

Frank shook his head at the remark and said:

"Of course not; that could be exploited by malicious people, who could use divination to track future routes and positions."

"I first burn them clean with fire, then scatter the remaining ash into the sea."

"That's a thorough handling."

Rekton gave a slight nod, then found an excuse to decline Frank's invitation for later:

"I have another appointment later, and I don't have the habit of working at night and resting by day; let's discuss the experiment tomorrow."

"Alright."

Frank nodded in understanding, then dragged the exaggerated snake‑skin sack toward the deck.

Jia Deliya gave Rekton a deep look, didn't expose his off‑the‑cuff excuse, and said:

"Your room is still the same as before; if you need anything, just ask the crew—you're already familiar with them."

"No problem," Rekton gave a slight nod.

The two then left Frank's lower cabin together; Jia Deliya returned to her captain's quarters, while Rekton went to the room he had previously occupied.

As soon as he opened the door, a dark silhouette lunged at him.

Rekton slightly reached out, and an invisible air wall materialized in the middle; the black cat slammed against the wall and spun dizzy.

"Meow~ Who's that? How dare you attack me!"

Pas fell dazed onto the floor, never looking up to see who approached, and immediately began shouting.

"." Looking at the black cat whose personality had completely changed, Rekton fell silent for a moment.

Has it become the Future's resident pet? Its speech is so brash now—pirate tricorn hat, eye patch, fish‑bone pendant, ha, just missing a sailor's cutlass.

Rekton ignored the noisy black cat, stepped over it to the bedside, glanced at the scattered cat hair, and suddenly entertained the idea of throwing that brash black cat into the sea.

He turned, glared at the black cat behind him that had now settled down and was trying to sneak away, and said:

"You aren't staying by Nina's side; why are you messing with my bed for no reason?"

"I refuse to sleep with that woman; she'd crush me into a cat biscuit!"

Pas shook his head repeatedly, flinging off the already tilted pirate hat from his head.

Cat biscuit? This guy's a word master. I really want to toss this cat in front of Arodos; the scene would be funny. Rekton raised an eyebrow, glanced at the black cat, now smug again, and said nothing further.

He gave the room a brief sweep, a faint blue light shimmering in his eyes.

The next moment, a whooshing vortex rose out of nowhere inside the room, sweeping all the cats Pas had dropped into the air; they were incinerated into ash by a pale golden flame and, through the open window, were carried into the night sky.

After cleaning up the cat hair Pas had left, he clapped his hands again, and a spiritual energy spread outward, forming deep‑blue waves that rolled outward.

Following the wave sweep, the surroundings were bathed in intense gold, layer upon layer expanding outward, evaporating all moisture in the room; the purifying light disinfected the entire space.

Having finished all that and preparing to lie down, Rekton saw Pas re‑enter from outside, raised an eyebrow, and asked curiously:

"Why did you come back?"

Pas's eyes darted around haphazardly, and he said offhand:

"Hm, why did you bring back a crow, and that stupid rabbit? You don't want it?"

"I placed it in foster care with a friend."

"You gave it away to someone!"

Pas let out an exclamation.

"What have you learned aboard the Future?"

Rekton glanced at the black cat, then ignored it and got into bed to sleep.

Pas clanged for a while, then, seeing that Rekton and the raven ignored it, wore a human‑like dejected expression.

It looked at the bed Rekton had tidied, hesitated, then leapt onto it, curling up in the foot of the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.

In a hazy dream, Rekton suddenly woke up; around him the sunset and waves were frozen, and ahead stood a grand ancient palace, its proportions exaggerated as if built especially for giants.

"This is the sight of the Giant King's Court, the Giant King's Court as I once remembered it."

A familiar voice rang around, and Rekton, sensing something, looked down at his feet.

The shadow beneath him suddenly surged, writhing upward, twisting into a humanoid shape that gradually clarified.

He had black hair to his shoulders, slightly wavy, and a pair of eyes that seemed to cover the shadows.

He wore a black robe etched with complex symbols and adorned with ornate accessories; layers of ethereal black wings draped from his back, covering most of his body.

He smiled at Rekton as he approached, his voice calm, even somewhat soothing, saying:

"This should be my first time appearing before you in a true, complete form."

"So, upon first meeting, although I haven't yet figured out whether you are a remnant of the old days or a newborn sage."

Rekton's smile, which had just formed, froze; he recalled that when he met the God of Knowledge, the deity had called him a "newborn sage."

At the time I thought it was because I possessed a sage's trait, but now it seems not so simple.

"Helabogen, as the current Omniscient and also your partner, should know quite a lot."

"However, I think you needn't rush to find answers; sometimes letting things develop naturally may be better."

"Is this… your prophecy?"

Rekton looked toward Sasilier opposite him, his voice tinged with doubt and anticipation.

"No, just some experience and intuition."

"The Hanged Man's path holds no authority over fate; perhaps I, who once wielded the first defiling stone slab, can make a prophecy for you."

Sasilier shook his head slightly, steering the conversation away:

"Keep that conqueror trait for now; I will request it from you when the time is right."

Rekton gave a noncommittal gentle nod; after all, it's a Sequence One trait, and he also hoped to dissect a bit more. But the right time? To use it against Adam?

Sasilier's gaze passed over Rekton, looking toward the sea surface behind him, bathed in sunset.

His eyes grew distant, as if sinking into deep memories; after a long while, He spoke to himself:

"Between Adam and me lies a struggle of humanity versus divinity; though it's not a life‑or‑death battle, we both prefer to act according to our own will."

(End of chapter)