Chapter 265: Golden Dream

On the deck of the Future, Beiernadai and Sasilier had each gone their separate ways; Leikdun, no longer sleepy, simply leaned against the rail, gazing at the distant sea and slipping into a brief reverie.

Should I go fooling a few pirates into spreading my doctrine? Or never mind—a bunch of uncultured pirates aren't fit to propagate a knowledge‑based faith.

Hoo— a long exhale, Leikdun's gaze turned toward the sea ahead to his side.

The rippling surface rose and fell gently, and silver‑white flying fish periodically leapt from the water, soaring in mid‑air.

These fish can 'fly' and swim, and fishermen and sailors usually regard them as kin of the 'Storm Lord'; even when hauled aboard, they're released back into the sea.

Hmm, I wonder what they taste like. Leikdun watched the silver flying fish spring from the sea under the crimson moonlight, and the thought flashed unbidden through his mind.

Immediately, his eyes deepened, a faint azure gleam emerging; extending his right hand forward, an invisible giant hand sliced through the air, snatching several silver fish that were 'flying' aloft.

Leikdun withdrew the invisible hand, and a few silver flying fish fell onto the deck, hopping about, trying to return to the sea.

One silver fish struggled, leapt into the air, then was swatted down by a tiny black paw.

"These flying fish made into dried fish are delicious; we can't let them escape, Meow~"

Pas skillfully knocked the struggling silver flying fish on the deck unconscious, then piled them together.

It licked its lips, its face excited as it faced Leikdun and said:

"Quick, quick! There are many more on the sea; let's snatch all these dried fish. We'll split fifty‑fifty later; otherwise, when Nina and the others notice, they'll toss the tasty dried fish back into the sea again."

Leikdun raised an eyebrow. This cat is really keen on dried fish; I'd just caught a few, and it already came running.

He then chuckled lightly and said:

"These fish are all caught by me; why split fifty‑fifty?"

"And where did you pop out from? Were you hiding in the shadows all morning?"

"Not at all, Meow~ you still owe me dried fish! If it weren't because you caught these tasty dried fish, you wouldn't even have the right to split fifty‑fifty with me, Meow!"

Pas threw his head back and shouted loudly; his loose pirate tricorn hat fell off from the exaggerated movement.

"My captain's hat~"

With a gasp, it clumsily readjusted the tricorn hat.

Leikdun glanced at the role‑playing black cat, shook his head slightly, turned back to the rail, and summoned the invisible giant hand to scoop up a few more silver flying fish.

Pas bounced excitedly, knocking the still‑struggling silver fish unconscious.

"Remember to hide your dried fish; if the ship's sailors see them, they might toss you and the dried fish overboard."

"Of course I know, I've hidden them all in my secret base."

Saying that, Pas clutched a plump silver fish in his mouth and darted forward.

You still have a secret base on the Future? It must be a cat‑cave prepared by Jadeliya, Leikdun thought, glancing at Pas's vanished direction, muttered two words to himself, and then paid no further attention.

He picked up two larger fish from the ground, intending to take them to Frank's laboratory for processing. It had been ages since he'd had roasted fish; he hoped Pas's palate wouldn't differ too much from a human's.

In the lower hold, Frank's laboratory.

"These fish are said to be kin of the 'Storm Lord'; killing them at sea brings misfortune."

"But they're indeed delicious; you have to sneak them each time."

Frank ate the freshly roasted fish in big bites, murmuring his explanation.

Leikdun nodded lightly; the fish truly were tasty.

After quickly finishing a roasted fish, he walked to Frank's workbench, where a pile of vividly colored, splendid mushrooms lay.

"I never imagined I'd ever describe mushrooms as 'splendid'; a faint violet glow flickered in his eyes."

Under the gaze of the Eye of Secret‑Viewing, the internal structures of the mushrooms and their general effects materialized before him.

Staring at the mushrooms for a while, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh and said:

"Frank, do your mushrooms need to be cultivated with local monsters? I can help you find some."

"Local monsters? Does such a place really exist? A completely dark environment, filled with mutated, terrifying monsters—calling it a abyss would be believable."

"But having the corpses of those monsters would be best; mushrooms grown on them would be most suitable."

Mentioning the experiment, Frank suddenly became animated, voiced a question, then began rambling on.

He casually tossed the leftover fish bones into the pile of colorful mushrooms, and the previously tranquil fungi instantly sprang to life.

Some began to swell rapidly, writhing their bodies; others cracked open, sprouting scarlet mouths and teeth.

The fish bone was quickly devoured clean by the revived mushrooms, which then split into new mushrooms.

Leikdun's brows twitched as he watched; a mushroom that should simply move had absurdly turned into a zombie straight out of a plant‑war zombie!

He turned to the unfazed Frank and asked curiously:

"Why do you favor mushrooms for experiments? Their fungal advantages?"

Frank grinned and said:

"There are reasons, but mainly because they're easy to cultivate and process; after all, I drift at sea and can't plant or raise things as freely as on land."

"Given enough nutrients, they proliferate rapidly, easily feeding the entire Future."

Leikdun expressionlessly nodded, then brushed the topic aside:

"If your experiment yields results, remember to write me; I'll come to collect some products for testing."

"Write a letter? Aren't you planning to stay on the Future?"

Frank asked, somewhat surprised.

Leikdun nodded slightly and said:

"I'll leave tomorrow, heading to the Furious Sea."

"When the Future reaches the Divine War ruins deep in the Sunia Sea, I'll return."

Morning, inside the Future's cabin.

Leikdun leaned against the headboard, eyes half‑closed, praying to the God of Knowledge:

"Power of knowledge, power of reason, God of wisdom."

I pray to you.

Soon, an image of the sea appeared in his mind:

A huge sailboat glided silently on the sea surface, reflecting a golden hue in the morning sunlight.

Some flecks of golden light in the air formed two lines of words: the Sea of the White Whale, Jia'erjiasi Qundao.

It seems the Iceberg Lieutenant General has already shaken off the Blood General, or perhaps that picture belongs to the future and hasn't happened yet?

After a brief ponder, he no longer cared about this question.

Immediately rising from the bedside, he greeted the crow Aunu, waited for it to land on his shoulder, then picked up the leather satchel placed on the nearby table, and went to bid farewell to Jiadelinya.

He made a trip to the Future, mainly to confirm Fulanke's experimental progress, and also to keep the appointment he had made with Beiernaidai.

After bidding farewell to Jiadelinya, he also suggested that if the Future later heads to the depths of the Suniya Sea's Divine War ruins, he should be notified in advance, as he intends to take a ship there.

Although Jiadelinya had some doubts, she still nodded in agreement.

After Lei Kedun gave a slight salute, he turned and stepped into the Spirit World; passing through the Spirit World, he directly crossed the Lu'en Kingdom and all the way reached the Raging Sea.

Afterwards, he continually changed course on various islands, finally arriving near the Jia'erjiasi Qundao close to the Sea of the White Whale.

Relying on the positioning of his prophetic ability, he successfully located the drifting Golden Dream.

On the deck, Lei Kedun's silhouette quickly took shape.

Who are you?

A man wearing a monocle, with short gray curly hair, standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, shouted, keeping a safe distance, his wary gaze fixed on Lei Kedun.

«Gourmet» Bru·Wols, first mate of the Golden Dream, bounty.

Eh, the information given by the Church of Knowledge didn't mention the bounty. Although he's a pirate under his own church's forces, this is too lax.

Lei Kedun recalled and spoke the information about the man opposite, pausing when he reached the bounties of several official forces, then shook his head helplessly.

«Bounty? » this friend, this is the Golden Dream—are you looking to become a bounty hunter here?

A decent-looking young man let out a lewd laugh.

He approached from another direction, likewise keeping a safe distance, together with other crew members appearing one after another, openly or covertly surrounding Lei Kedun.

Lei Kedun slightly raised his eyebrows, his gaze sweeping around, finally landing on the third mate of the Golden Dream.

His hair leaned gold, neatly flipped to both sides, his pupils a light lake green, his nose bridge high, his lips thin, very much the image of a playboy.

«Flower Necktie» Yudeson, Fire Stealer of the Erroneous Path Sequence Six.

Lei Kedun exchanged a glance with him, then let out a light chuckle and said:

«Are you surnamed Jacob? Or Solorayast? »

Yudeson's complexion changed, then returned to normal; his gaze remained fixed on Lei Kedun's right eye, as if trying to discern something.

(End of Chapter)