Chapter 511: Ironclad Merchant Ship

And she possesses power like a verbal curse... When the madness doesn't break out, she is in a confused state acting on instinct, her expression is pale, and her eyes are spiritless... This is very similar to the initial infected person Pierre described... Lumian read the letter sent by Franca and had a further grasp of the details of this disaster.

The speculations he had made earlier based on Pierre's answers, performance, and the contradictions in his actions were surprisingly close to the real situation.

The only difference was that he guessed the initial infected person was a true madman acting on instinct, while the information provided by the authorities showed that this was a humanoid sealed artifact, but it did rely on instinct. Whether in a normal state or when the madness broke out, it didn't have much wisdom involving spirituality.

Of course, Lumian's speculation and reality weren't necessarily contradictory. Perhaps it was because that young woman had been subjected to some kind of pollution or had lost control, becoming a true madman who spread madness by instinct, which was why she needed to be sealed.

As for why it was a seal instead of a direct cleanup, Lumian could probably guess the reason:

That ability to say who dies will die, even with various restrictions, still made people covet it. Whether it was the Tribunal, "Heart of the Machine," or Bureau 8, on the premise of having a way to seal such a dangerous creature, they would definitely prioritize sealing it. In the future, it might even be used to solve other disasters.

Lumian moved his gaze down and read the content behind this letter:

"Other information, that is limited by the principle of confidentiality and cannot be provided.

"You should pay attention to young women with that image. Once discovered, immediately pull away the distance and report it to the authorities."

No detailed origin, sealing method, actual performance of verbal curse ability, how to treat and clear the madness, etc. information... Also didn't say the specific sealing level and number... Judging from the abnormality in Dadel Town and the description in the previous part, even if it isn't a "Level 1" seal, it should belong to that very special and terrifying kind within "Level 2"... Lumian pondered for a while, turned around, and stuffed the letter into the "Traveler's Bag," not burning it on the spot.

At this time, Lugano was looking behind him with suspicion.

He had opened his "Spirit Vision" and still found nothing.

Lumian's messenger, the "Penitent" Bayinfeir, had long since left.

"Let's go." Lumian sighed, stretched out his hands, and grabbed Ludwig and Lugano's shoulders respectively.

What he regretted most now was that at least one-third of the 400 Vergold train fare would be wasted.

And he still had to find a few cafes for Ludwig to eat breakfast later—he couldn't eat his fill in one, or the abnormality would be discovered.

The next second, Lugano felt like he had walked into the Spirit World he had just seen, changing from an observer's role to delving into those layered and rich color blocks, truly bathing in the illumination of seven different colors of pure brilliance from the absolute heights, and under the gaze of one indescribable face after another and one indescribable figure after another, "speeding" toward an unknown destination.

He felt dizzy, but after only ten seconds, he stepped on solid ground, and buildings in off-white, brownish-red, and pale yellow appeared around him.

Lumian didn't "teleport" too far, choosing Foss City, to which Dadel Town belonged.

Under the illumination of the morning sun, Lumian put on the "Lie" earring, took out a woolen coat from the "Traveler's Bag," changed his appearance and height on the spot in a quiet alley where no one was, and changed his clothing.

In less than a minute, he had become another person.

Although it wasn't the first time he had witnessed it, Lugano was still slightly shocked by this scene:

What a magical item, what a powerful ability!

Whether it was the silver-white earring that allowed one to adjust one's height and appearance at will within a certain range, or the coin bag that could pull out all kinds of items as if there were no limit to its capacity, these were things he hadn't seen before, only occasionally hearing other bounty hunters mention that some official Beyonders had extraordinary-level disguise techniques.

Lumian threw the "Lie" earring to Lugano and said to him without any sense of being an outsider:

"You go get three fake identities and buy steam train tickets to Gatti Port today."

Am I a translator, a guide, or your attendant and follower? Lugano thought while catching the magical silver-white earring.

He squeezed out a smile and said:

"I haven't been to the Foss region and don't know who to find to get a fake identity."

"The principles are common. I believe in your experience." Lumian responded with a smile.

Fine, for the sake of you paying... Lugano muttered silently, taking out a change of clothes from his hand luggage.

When getting a fake identity at the Trier North Train Station, Lumian had already given him 1,000 Vergold for expenses and told him that subsequent similar expenses would be covered.

After the little boy Ludwig put on the "Lie" earring, Lugano carried his hand luggage and walked out of the alley.

Lumian immediately activated "Niser's Face," changed his image again, and led Ludwig, who was still adjusting his height and appearance, to follow Lugano from a distance.

He wanted to see what this "Physician" would do after arriving in a strange place and what kind of performance he would have, to judge what kind of problem was hidden behind him.

In order not to let Ludwig protest, Lumian pressed the wide-brimmed hat on his head and threw a few long loaves of bread to this guy.

Ludwig didn't complain about wanting something hot and good, gnawing on the food very obediently, letting Lumian lead him to follow Lugano.

It was early morning, the bars were closed, and Lugano went straight to the nearest market, found a "patroller" suspected of being a gang member, and used money to pave the way, knowing who to find to get a fake identity.

Throughout the process, he behaved no differently from a normal bounty hunter.

Lumian was neither disappointed nor happy about this, following Lugano until he bought steam train tickets for another shift, then dispelled "Niser's Face" and met with this companion.

Upper Coastal Province, Gatti Port, inside a luxury hotel room near the sea.

Lumian stood in front of the large glass window, seeing the azure sky as if it had been washed by water, and the clear and pure ocean below, which looked like a gemstone, setting each other off.

The clear and high-pitched calls of seagulls echoed, and one bright figure after another shuttled between white clouds, white beaches, and the masts of ships, allowing Lumian to intuitively feel the cool wind from the sea even without opening the window.

This was one of the main ports for products from industrial cities on the west bank of the Mid-Sea to enter the Fog Sea, famous for trade and shipbuilding, and quite prosperous.

Unlike what the citizens of Trier thought about the north having less sunshine, Gatti Port had abundant sunshine all year round, and autumn wasn't cold either.

Amidst Ludwig's chewing sound, Lumian admired the sea view outside the window and the port in the distance, waiting for Lugano to buy boat tickets to Santa Port in the Feynapotter Kingdom.

At this moment, the "Penitent" Bayinfeir, wearing a black clerical robe and having an exceptionally tall figure, walked out of the void again, silently handing a letter to Lumian.

"Thank you." Lumian said habitually.

Then, he took the letter paper and unfolded it:

"The madness in Dadel Town has been controlled. Severely infected town residents have been cleared, and those with mild infections have been treated, but that sealed artifact hasn't been found.

"According to information collected at the scene, she returned to a normal state several days ago and left Dadel Town, her whereabouts unknown. The subsequent spread of madness was based on the spiritual ocean that had been severely polluted and spread on its own.

"The abnormal behavior of town residents not wanting to leave Dadel and not forgetting to tell passing travelers about the madness should also come from the polluted spiritual ocean. Well, according to the new professional term Anthony learned, it is the collective subconscious ocean, which, together with personal consciousness islands and spiritual sky, constitutes the spiritual world.

"You should be careful later. I'm afraid you will be attracted to another occult disaster created by that sealed artifact."

Didn't catch that sealed artifact, huh... Lumian felt a headache and "tsk"ed.

Honestly speaking, he had no way to deal with this. When he arrived at Dadel Town, the other party had already left, and the disaster was still continuing and developing.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Lumian took Lugano and Ludwig and boarded the merchant ship "Flying Bird" bound for Santa Port in the Feynapotter Kingdom.

They chose a first-class cabin, which was a suite with a master bedroom, a children's room, a servant's room, a living room, a washroom, and a dedicated attendant providing service, with access to the highest-end restaurant and the only cigar room, worth 700 Vergold, close to a year's income for Charlie when he was a hotel waiter.

Lumian cared about money and didn't care about it. He cared because past experiences and his sister's teachings made him instinctively calculate and feel heartache. He didn't care because his money came relatively "easily," for example, taking advantage of the night to sneak back into the Breeze Dance Hall and taking 30,000 Vergold from the safe in one go. What he spent now was only a very small part of it.

Moreover, he already had the potion formula, main materials, and some auxiliary materials for his next sequence, so he had no motivation to accumulate money for the time being.

Besides, as a loyal reader of the "Great Adventurer" series, he knew very well that there were many mobile human-shaped treasures on the sea. If he really lacked money, he would be very happy to imitate his idol and have a harvest.

The "Flying Bird" was the latest type of steam-powered ship, built entirely of steel, no longer erecting sails, only having chimneys spraying mist and masts providing observation towers.

It was iron-gray overall, with red and gold colors intertwined in some places. The deck was wide, and there were many gun positions. Whether it was displacement, number of passengers, speed, or sturdiness, it far surpassed classical sailing warships. Comparing it with those guys from the backward era was like an adult looking down on a child.

Before the incident in Cordu Village, Lumian had also thought about traveling by sea, like the great adventurer Gehrman Sparrow, and used this to cajole his sister, but Aurora had advanced this matter to after his university graduation.

Inside the spacious and bright living room of the first-class cabin, Lumian looked at the azure ocean outside the window, his thoughts flying to who knows where.

*Woo! *

Amidst the steam whistle, mist sprayed from the chimneys of the "Flying Bird."

This huge ironclad merchant ship slowly drove away from Gatti Port amidst the movement of various machines starting to operate, sailing toward the depths of the ocean.

*Coo-coo-coo*, the calls of seagulls echoed between the clouds.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 512 =====