Chapter 643: Invitation

On the Southern Continent, Kasti Port in the northeast of the Northern State is the most prosperous port city in the Northern State aside from the destroyed Beren's Port, and it is now the largest port in all of Xibailang.

On the dock, a massive sailing ship glinting golden in the sunlight is moored here; no other vessel dares to approach, leaving a relatively wide stretch of sea around it, and amid the crowded pier this scene stands out markedly.

On the deck, a lithe figure swiftly climbs the rope ladder dropped over the rail and boards; he wears a black cloak, his eyebrows are sallow, his eyes deep blue, and his features clearly bear the traits of the Dintis‑Lunburg area.

On the deck, the boatswain Daniels, seeing this, called out a question:

"Hey, Daniz, why did you board a day early?"

Daniz waved his hand, showing an unwillingness to elaborate, walked over to Daniels, who was sitting on a wooden barrel, and sat directly on the ground, exhaling a long breath as he said:

"Huh—don't bring it up. This cursed place is nothing for a treasure hunter. At least I can finally leave the Southern Continent. If I stay longer, the priest of the Knowledge Church will fill my head with knowledge; just thinking about it is terrifying."

"You'd better not let the captain hear that. Last time, Yue Desen, who complained like you, was subjected by the Moss Ascetic Sect's so‑called 'Knowledge Per Person' for a month, and still hasn't deciphered those encrypted teachings; he looks like he's falling apart."

As Daniels spoke, a curve lifted at the corner of his mouth that he couldn't suppress, seeming to delight him.

Anderson quickly showed the same mocking grin as Daniels; after laughing enough, he felt it was unkind to mock his companion behind his back, cleared his throat twice, and asked curiously:

"Can't that guy just steal other people's memories? Why bother learning? Just steal, right?"

"If it were that easy, I'd already be a scholar like the captain."

The protagonist Yue Desen, who had been the subject of Daniz and Daniels' discussion, stepped out of the cabin and weakly defended himself with a sentence.

His once decent face was now sullen; lake‑green eyes surrounded by heavy dark circles, a stubble the length of his fingernails around his lips, and his golden‑tinged hair a tangled mess as if battered by sea wind and bird claws.

He took a few steps on the deck, then sat directly on it, back against the cabin, and calmly explained: "What you 'steal' never truly becomes yours, especially ideals, dreams, and memories that are deeply personal. Steal too much, and it easily distorts one's self‑perception."

"Before becoming a demigod, a 'Thief' cannot rely on 'stealing' to become erudite; at most they 'steal' a bit of knowledge when needed."

Daniz paused for a second, then realized the person was Yue Desen; he clicked his tongue, looked at Daniels in surprise, and asked, "What kind of torment turned a image‑obsessed playboy into this? He's even messier than those pirates."

"Ha, messiness? That's nothing. Try filling your head with all sorts of chaotic, useless information; they'll echo in your mind, grab your attention, make you study them, find patterns, crack codes, and master them."

"Damned bastards, they're harsher than the Knowledge Church. The captain only tells us to read and gives lessons; those Moss Ascetic Sect folk just pour knowledge straight into our heads—can't block it, can't escape. I even feel like swapping my brain out."

As he spoke, Yue Desen's expression grew feral; he pressed both hands hard to his head, shaking as if he wanted to dump everything inside in one go.

Daniz watched the scene, shaking his head, thought for a moment, and offered a less comforting remark:

"In the Moss Ascetic Sect's terms, that's called using asceticism to counter loss of control."

"I'm a playboy, not an ascetic," Yue Desen retorted weakly.

Daniz and Daniels fell silent; having no better solution, they could only suggest each other see the captain, read more, master the relevant knowledge, then decipher and fully assimilate the encrypted teachings in their minds.

A school in the Pa Si River Valley teaches this kind of knowledge; Yue Desen may need to study abroad for further training.

As thoughts drifted, a hooded, cloaked figure suddenly appeared in Daniz's sight; he reflexively rose from the deck, assumed a defensive stance, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"

Lei Ke Dun turned his head, glanced at the wary Daniz and Daniels, sighed, brushed his hand across his face, dispelled the illusion on his body, revealing a somewhat pale, translucent form.

After a period of recovery, he shed the half‑flesh, half‑starlight amalgam, returning to a human appearance, though beneath his surface skin seemed an abyss of darkness where dazzling starlight swirled, distorting into countless cold, indifferent, wildly insane eyes.

"Ugh," Daniz's throat rumbled as he swallowed twice, gave a dry laugh, and asked nervously, "Did you lose control?"

"Not yet."

Lei Ke Dun replied indifferently, then turned to the now fully un‑playboy Yue Desen, his tone flat as he asked, "Do you wish to become a Parasite?"

Gurgle—Yue Desen, who had thought his emotions fairly steady and not as embarrassed as Daniz and Daniels, swallowed, and with a hint of surprise and anticipation asked, "Of course I do; that's a half‑human, half‑god existence. Do you have the Parasite trait?"

He paused, then sighed a bit wistfully:

"But I haven't even digested the Dream Thief's Magic Pill on me yet, and I lack the money to purchase demigod‑level traits or materials."

Lei Ke Dun paid no heed to Yue Desen's words and said calmly:

"There is a secret treasure left by the Jacob family that only Jacob's descendants can unlock."

"As a key, you can obtain a Parasite trait, and you may gather some people to explore that treasure; even that thing they dismissed could be a good gain for you."

"Who? A saint of the Zoroastrian family, or an angel?" Yue Desen's expression grew slightly solemn; after a long silence he suddenly laughed, "Sure, there are multiple Jacob descendants, but the treasure is scarce."

He paused again, then added, "But you need that Zoroastrian person to guarantee that the Parasite trait they give me has no issues, and they can't treat me as a supplement to restore themselves."

Lei Ke Dun looked at Yue Desen with some surprise; he hadn't expected Yue Desen to guess Pa Lie Si's partial identity so directly, and he was decisive, not taking the chance to raise the price for himself.

Yue Desen glanced back at Lei Ke Dun, smiling lightly, "If you need a Jacob descendant, it can't be a Jacob family member. Those interested in the Thief family's treasure and able to provide a Parasite trait aren't many."

"First, we can rule out A Meng; he certainly wouldn't need to consult anyone, nor even a key, to get in."

"With him excluded, the most likely are the Zoroastrian family members, who also hold the Thief's path, persecuted by A Meng; whether for self‑preservation or restoration, targeting Jacob's treasure makes sense."

"As for the adjacent path, A Meng exists on that route; who would mind a long life just to bring dessert after a meal?"

Lei Ke Dun nodded lightly, agreeing with his speculation, then asked in a flat tone, "Do we need to ask Edwenna for leave?"

"No need; I'll write a leave note to the captain and have a messenger deliver it to her."

Yue Desen waved his hand, rose from the deck, seeming eager to seek the treasure.

Walking to Lei Ke Dun's side, he suddenly recalled something, turned his head toward Daniz and Daniels, and laughed lightly, "I'll first scout the situation; if suitable, I'll write to the captain and organize the crew to explore the treasure."

As the words ended, Lei Ke Dun placed a hand on Yue Desen's shoulder; both bodies simultaneously dematerialized, fragmenting into tangled streams of knowledge, becoming a pure information‑flow entity that surged away like a torrent, sinking into the spirit realm.

After a period of 'spirit‑realm wandering,' Lei Ke Dun brought Yue Desen to Beckland.

【11】 In the Western District, inside Leonard's detached house, a terrifying torrent of chaotic information surged from the spirit realm, quickly coalescing in the living room and reconstituting Lei Ke Dun and Yue Desen's bodies.

West District, inside the detached cottage rented by Lun Na De, a flood of information, vast and complex to the point of terror, surged out from the spirit realm, quickly gathered in the living room, reformed the bodies of Lei Ke Dun and Yue De Sen.

Yue Desen surveyed the surroundings, remarking with a tone of awe, "That fast—I've previously stolen the 'Traveler's Gate' from a traveler, but both speed and distance pale compared to your information‑form 'spirit‑realm wandering.'"

Lei Ke Dun ignored Yue Desen, scanned the room with his gaze, then reached out to pull at the void before him.

A pale blue starlight unfurled before him, forming an illusory water‑curtain door, and Leonard was pulled out from the other side.

Staggering a couple of steps, then steadying himself, Leonard glared at Lei Ke Dun, angry yet helpless, and said:

"I've already gone downstairs; you didn't have to pull me over directly, right?"

"I still need to return to the Southern Continent," he explained briefly, then shifted the topic, looking at Yue Desen and saying:

"He is a Jacob descendant; before Pa Lie Si awakens, you can let him stay by your side, giving him a chance to reprise the role of a 'Deciphering Scholar.'"

(End of Chapter)