Chapter 490: Anderson's Misfortune

Pas snarled, baring his teeth as he glared at Reketon, and just as Reketon thought it would rush forward to protect the dried fish and grab his own face, it turned, seized the leftover dried fish from its tray, and with a swift, fluid motion leapt onto a table on the far side of the dining hall.

"Ha ha, Al, you still love teasing it so much."

Nina, who had been sitting on the opposite side of Pas, laughed heartily as she watched the scene.

As her torso rose and fell, her exaggeratedly large chest bobbed up and down a few times, and the surrounding pirates were unable to look away.

Nina also noticed the scene; she didn't hold back, but instead puffed out her already proud chest and said disdainfully:

"What? Does anyone here want to spend a pleasant night with me in the same room tonight?"

The surrounding pirates all swallowed in unison, their expressions eager yet restrained; after all, sharing a room could mean one on the bed and one under it, and they'd each, to varying degrees, been caught by Nina in that way before.

Just as the atmosphere in the dining hall began to turn ambiguous, Jia De Li Ya's voice suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the Future with magical reinforcement.

"Two nautical miles ahead lies an island; we'll dock there and wait for the storm to pass."

"In these waters, each time noon and night swap, there's a high chance of a terrifying storm; I'm not sure when it will arrive, but I think it's safer to wait it out before continuing our voyage."

Jia De Li Ya's explanation this time was much more detailed; the pirates on board raised no objections, and the sailors who had finished lunch, under the direction of navigation chief Aotuoluo Fu and chief sailor Nina, began preparing for docking.

After most of the sailors in the dining hall had left, Kelei En finally carried his tray and sat beside Reketon; he lowered his head to eat his lunch and, curious, asked:

"What did you discover in that dream giant's royal court?"

"Can't get close," Reketon replied simply.

"Can't get close? Why?" Kelei En asked, puzzled, looking up; he had thought the other had at least reached the opposite peak, even though the recent darkness hadn't lasted long, about half an hour.

"I don't know; perhaps it's just a projection in the dream, not actually existing within the dream."

Reketon shook his head, his gaze solemnly turning toward the bright window.

Without taking much time, the Future adjusted its course to the front side of an island covered with tall trees, finally docking on the island's leeward side.

In less than half an hour, the previously bright noon grew dim; heavy clouds piled up, quickly covering the whole sky.

Boom!

Amid the massive roar, a dazzling silvery-white streak fell.

The violent wind collided with the air, sounding explosive; the airflow spiraled rapidly, and an unrestrained tornado suddenly rose from the ground, connecting clouds above and sea below, like a terrifying giant intent on destroying everything.

The tornado brought mountain-sized waves, as if to crush all obstacles; lightning of varying thickness struck repeatedly, some hitting the sea, some the island, sparking scattered flames that were quickly extinguished by the gale and rain.

The Future bobbed continuously in the apocalyptic storm, rain pelting the deck, giving the pirates sheltering below deck the illusion of being submerged.

In the dining hall, Reketon, seated on a wooden chair, tossed a transparent glittering crystal sphere; the brilliant starlight within reflected outward, causing stars to flicker around the Future, bearing an indescribable heaviness that warped the surrounding gravity, making the nearby wave impacts vanish.

Kelei En looked at the floating transparent crystal sphere with surprise, feeling the sudden added weight on his body, and fell into thought:

Which path and which sequence does this gravity-manipulating marvel correspond to?

It shouldn't be the Seeker of Secrets path; whether Al or the 'Recluse' lady, they both display star-related abilities but not gravity, and from the crystal sphere's performance its intensity is only around Sequence Four, whose core ability at this stage for Seeker of Secrets is "Mystic Reappearance."

The Generalist path interchangeable with Seeker of Secrets? Unlikely; the Great Emperor's diary doesn't mention it, and the Steam Church's extraordinary beings mostly have mechanical abilities.

The sea storm didn't last long; about a quarter hour later, the tornado linking sea and sky vanished, the waves calmed, and the noon sun bathed the sea again.

Jia De Li Ya walked at a measured pace to the window of the captain's cabin, calmly surveyed the island ahead, then said:

"You may explore the island, but don't go deep; you must stay within cannon range."

"Yay!"

"Long live the captain!"

The pirates on board shouted excitedly, some forming groups heading toward the island, others lying on the deck to relax.

Standing on the soft beach, enjoying sun and sea breeze, Reketon suddenly felt a release of his long-suppressed emotions.

"Enjoying life is the best cure for mental troubles," he thought, stopped, gently rubbed his fingers, creating sparkling starlight around him; the starlight instantly solidified, forming a perfectly angled beach chair.

After lying on the starlight-formed beach chair, he created some dim starlight above his head, making the sun less glaring.

Reketon's swift action drew others' eyes; the black cat Pas quickly slipped under the starlight-formed chair, belly up on the soft sand, showing a human-like expression of enjoyment.

"Is this guy on vacation?" Kelei En's mouth twitched slightly; if not to maintain his Ge Er Man Si Pa Luo persona in front of others, he would have already gone over to get a beach chair for himself.

Jia De Li Ya's expression grew slightly complex as she watched, and after moving a bit closer, she said:

"The miraculous item you used earlier to calm the waves, which path does it correspond to? I haven't seen that gravity-manipulating ability on any extraordinary being."

Hearing Jia De Li Ya's question, Kelei En, who had been about to walk away, stopped; he was also curious about the question.

Reketon chuckled twice, extending his right hand toward the dim starlight above his head; as his hand twitched, the starlight transformed into a brilliant night sky.

Staring at the night sky before him, he said calmly:

"Astronomy enthusiast, it's normal you haven't seen it, because it's not among the twenty-two divine paths."

"The crystal ball's sequence is called 'The Heavy One', capable of altering a planet's gravity, though only within a limited range; to change an entire planet's gravity would require at least Sequence 0."

"Not among the twenty-two paths?" Jia De Li Ya widened her eyes slightly, looking incredulous; this information shattered her occult knowledge.

"Why isn't it among the twenty-two paths?" Kelei En couldn't help but ask curiously.

Without waiting for an answer, Kelei En suddenly turned his gaze elsewhere, his intuition sensing a figure approaching.

He wore a white shirt, black vest, black pants; a medium-built youth with blond hair and blue eyes.

Kelei En's pupils contracted slightly; he recognized the person.

Without hesitation, he pulled a white tin talisman from his right pocket and uttered an ancient Hermes word:

"Storm!"

As spiritual energy infused it, the white tin talisman instantly became sharp, sprouting countless tiny blades.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Several pale-blue razor-thin blades shot out, all aimed at the nearby youth who was laughing and waving cheerfully.

The youth opposite hadn't spoken yet when he sensed danger, swiftly rolling to his front-left, evading the wind blades.

"Stop! Stop!"

"I have no hostility!"

The youth nearby deftly dodged the wind blades while shouting loudly.

"Anderson Hood?"

Jia De Li Ya, somewhat puzzled, looked at the person who had suddenly appeared here and said his name.

Craine looked with surprise at Jia De Li Ya beside him, did not rush to activate the talisman he was holding, and said in a deep voice:

"I met him in a night dream; he has already mutated."

"He is just a bit unlucky, but nothing unlucky enough has happened to cause his mutation yet."

Rektorn, lying on the beach chair formed of starlight, spoke calmly and gave Anderson Hood a brief explanation.

Anderson raised both hands to indicate he was harmless, stepped cautiously toward them, and kept saying:

"That's right, that's right, exactly, I'm just a bit unlucky."

"And besides, if I went exploring, how could I still be alive?"

"I was just trying to make a joke, liven up the mood; don't you think the setting back then was perfect for telling some horror stories? But I hadn't had time to explain to you and call for help when the dream ended. Damn it! I'm just too unlucky!"

That was indeed a bit unlucky, Craine muttered to himself, and reluctantly accepted the explanation.

"He is famous in the Mist Sea, bearing the title 'Strongest Hunter'; we can hear what he encountered."

Jia De Li Ya looked at Anderson across from her and said calmly.

"No, not the Strongest Hunter."

Anderson shook his head seriously, then chuckled twice and added:

"If you insist on calling me 'Star General', it's best to prepend a qualifier: below demigod."

"I am the strongest hunter below demigod!"

"Ha, below demigod? You haven't been beaten by a 'Shepherd', have you? Hmm. You probably also haven't encountered the Master of Secret Pairs and the Traveler."

Rektorn, lying on the beach chair formed of starlight, said disdainfully in a flat tone.

Craine turned his head and glanced at him, recalling Elder Luo Weiya of Silver City. A 'Shepherd' who has herded enough souls or sufficiently powerful souls indeed qualifies as a below‑demigod strongest extraordinary being; they are powerful and versatile.

"Umm," Anderson was startled, his gaze solemnly fixed on Rektorn; whether it was the other's leisurely vacation posture or the faint sense of danger about him, it made Anderson feel the other was very frightening.

"Demigod—this fellow is a demigod, or perhaps carries a rather dangerous magical artifact—thoughts drifted through Anderson's mind, and he gave a flattering light laugh twice, saying:"

"I truly haven't met any of those extraordinary beings you mentioned; what special qualities do they have that would make you consider them the strongest below‑demigod extraordinary beings?"

Jia De Li Ya pushed up the heavy glasses on her nose and said in an even tone:

"A 'Shepherd' can swallow others' souls—including grudging spirits and malevolent ghosts—into its own body, and use them in a unique way, as if herding lambs for a deity; the extent of its abilities depends solely on how many extraordinary souls it has devoured."

Anderson's expression froze, twisted slightly, then he shrugged and sighed:

"Fine, that's indeed powerful, but there are no Shepherds on the sea competing with me for the title of strongest hunter; otherwise I'd gladly give the title to them."

"What about the Master of Secret Pairs and the Traveler? What extraordinary abilities do they possess?"

(End of chapter)