Chapter 317: Changing Weather

Baiyam, Dock Area.

Even at night, ships would occasionally dock or depart from the harbor, though far less frequently than during the day, yet this still made the place quite lively.

Leikedun had just proposed his idea of wanting to establish deep cooperation with them; Yisang cautioned that this matter was quite important and needed to contact Mr. Pulake in two days before deciding.

Leikedun didn't care much about it; given the situation in the Southern Continent, Mr. Pulake would not refuse a cooperation he himself proposed.

After leaving Old John's Restaurant, the three walked among the constantly flowing crowd, and Ethan spoke with a hint of feeling:

"A prosperous city"

"Although I dislike many countries in the Northern Continent, I must admit that the Northern Continent's development is far superior to that of the Southern Continent. Clearly, we have more fertile land."

Leikedun shook his head slightly, half stating, half lamenting, and said:

"The Northern Continent has seven true gods, while the Southern Continent only has crowds of cultists."

"Your tone doesn't at all resemble that of a devout believer."

Yisang's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke with a hint of teasing:

Whoo~

The wailing wind gradually rose, showing a tendency to grow stronger, and dark clouds already layered in the sky.

The silently walking Feinikesi beside them suddenly spoke in a low voice:

"This weather is not formed by natural changes."

His sensitivity was keen, not like an ordinary Sequence Five; perhaps because of the ring on his hand? As he pondered, Leikedun's gaze lowered, glancing at the emerald-inlaid ring on Feinikesi's right thumb.

The brief observation yielded no extra clues for Leikedun; he retracted his gaze without a trace and casually said:

"The locals here believe in a 'Sea God,' but it has recently encountered some problems, teetering on the brink of collapse; if you stay a few more days in Baiyam, you might witness the downfall of a 'Sea God.'"

"It?"

"Kawituwa?"

Feinikesi seemed quite knowledgeable about sea matters, quickly identifying the "it" Rekton mentioned as the Sea God Kawituwa.

Boom—

A flash of silver-white lit the horizon, followed by rolling thunder.

In the sky, the originally low, heavy clouds swiftly split, revealing a faint crimson moon glow behind them.

"The 'Sea King' of the Storm Church has made a move."

Feinikesi lowered his gaze from the sky and said in a flat tone:

Leikedun raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone full of curiosity, and asked:

"Mr. Feinikesi, you seem quite knowledgeable about sea affairs."

"I know a friend who often operates at sea."

Feinikesi nodded slightly, his tone becoming more gentle.

Walking beside him, Yisang asked with a puzzled expression:

"A friend at sea? How would I not know about that?"

"You're just a wizard."

Feinikesi answered calmly:

There are many ways to hide things from you. Leikedun mentally filled in the words Feinikesi didn't say.

Immediately, he walked forward two steps, turned around, and faced Feinikesi and Yisang, saying:

"Both of you, if you've considered my previous proposal, you can come find me anytime; I think you should be able to locate me."

"It's late; I wish you both pleasant dreams."

"By the way, the weather lately probably won't be good, so try to stay indoors as much as possible."

As his words fell, Leikedun's figure quickly faded and disappeared from Ethan's and Yisang's sight.

Feinikesi and Yisang, still in place, glanced at each other; after a moment, Feinikesi suddenly spoke:

"He is not an astrologer, but a mystic scholar."

"A mystic scholar? Is that Sequence Four on this path?"

"He couldn't have been drawn here, could he?"

Yisang's expression quickly turned solemn, with a hint of worry.

Feinikesi shook his head slightly:

"No, he made a certain seal; it is just an ordinary item and will not attract a demigod through convergence."

"Besides, this is Baiyam, where that 'Sea King' holds sway; any notable disturbance will draw his attention."

Yisang nodded slightly, then asked curiously:

"How much do you know about that 'Sea King'?"

"Not much; I just heard a friend mention in passing that at sea, even the 'King of the Five Seas' and the 'Mysterious Queen' would not be his match."

As his words ended, he placed his left hand on Yisang's shoulder, and both of their figures quickly faded away in a patch of shadow.

Dock Area, inside an unmarked inn.

Latixia and her three companions sat at a long table; the room's atmosphere was somewhat gloomy and oppressive.

After a while, a young-looking man whose face still bore traces of immaturity spoke in a low, muffled voice:

"If we announce that the 'Book of Heavenly Calamity' has been snatched away, would that be of any use?"

An older man spoke with a voice full of mockery:

"Before you even said that, those adventurers or pirates eyeing the bounty had already captured you and thrown you into the Sea Wave Church."

"Well, I didn't say it."

The young man who had just spoken pursed his lips, then lowered his head and remained silent.

Silence fell again in the room. After a moment, as the leader, Latixiya spoke in a calm voice:

The Storm Church's investigation is too intense; fleeing would actually expose our whereabouts.

The strong one who took the Book of Heavenly Calamity might be able to send us away from Baiyam using extraordinary means, if he is a member of the Mosu Ascetic Society.

If he really is a member of the Mosu Ascetic Society, why not reveal his identity instead of directly seizing the Book of Heavenly Calamity?

The man dressed as an adventurer who had not spoken until now said, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

No one responded to his remark, and the room fell silent again.

After a long silence, Latixiya spoke with a hint of fatigue:

Let's rest first, get ready; if the Storm Church's people discover this place, we'll be in danger.

After saying that, she rose and returned to her own room, closing the door behind her, then leaned wearily against the wooden door:

The Storm Church's reaction is too strong; could it be that they've discovered something special about that Book of Heavenly Calamity?

Under this large-scale sweep, at most by tomorrow our tracks will be exposed.

She leaned wearily against the door, feeling that a Punisher could burst in from outside at any moment.

In a daze, starlight suddenly filled her vision.

"Huh?" she instinctively lifted her head, looked around the room, but found nothing, and her voice suddenly turned despondent:

"Did I see wrong?"

A pallid, crudely cut paper figure drifted down from the Spirit Realm, covered with many strange magical symbols and sigils, with a prominent Eye of Insight symbol drawn on its head.

Leikdun's voice came from the paper figure:

The Book of Heavenly Calamity you took is an important item sustaining the faith of the local inhabitants in their Sea God.

Now, that Sea God is about to collapse, and before collapsing it will make a final backlash.

Latixiya's face turned deathly pale; even without the Storm Church, they would likely perish in the disaster brought by the Sea God's dying backlash.

The Book of Heavenly Calamity actually causing the Sea God's collapse, the Storm Church will surely pursue it to the end; and the Mosu Ascetic Society—I lost the Book of Heavenly Calamity. Thinking of this, she lifted her gaze to the floating pale paper figure in midair, her voice tinged with sorrow:

You came to deal with me?

Deal with?

You couldn't possibly expose any problem.

From the small paper figure floating in midair came Leikdun's calm voice.

As he spoke, bright lightning flashed repeatedly through the room's bay window, accompanied by the thunder's roar and the wind's wail outside.

The small paper figure floating in midair turned halfway, propped its chin with a hand, and spoke in a thoughtful manner:

That Sea God can't do anything; its dying backlash is completely suppressed by the Storm Church's Sea King.

Then it turned around, suddenly drifted close, and pressed against Latixiya's face; she startled, her head jerked back, and she slammed heavily into the door, producing a thud—

Latixiya, what happened?

Outside Latixiya's room, a companion's voice of inquiry soon came.

It's fine, I accidentally bumped into the door.

Latixiya suppressed the welling emotion, slightly turned her head, and replied.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the paper figure near her face retreat a little.

Leikdun's voice, transmitted through the paper figure, reached Latixiya's ears clearly:

Your Reader's Magic Potion will take a few days to be ready; right now, hardly any wild extraordinaries dare gather in Baiyam, so magic ingredient supplies are temporarily unavailable.

I—I can go buy the materials myself.

As long as you can send us away from Baiyam—no, from the Luosde Archipelago.

Latixiya said without much confidence.

Leikdun made the paper figure nod slightly and said:

Sure, where do you want to go?

The Mosu Ascetic Society? Without the Book of Heavenly Calamity, can you even return there?

Latixiya's face grew even darker; she lightly bit her lip, pondering where else she could go.

After a brief pause, Leikdun's bland voice came from the paper figure:

How about listening to my suggestion?

How about going to the Southern Continent.

(End of chapter)