Chapter 745: Exploration (Thanks to Old Koller for Supporting the Silver Alliance)

On the surface of the dark sea, the ancient vessel "Azure Avenger" swayed gently with the waves, surrounded by endless mist and sunlight that struggled to penetrate.

Lu Mi once again saw "Stormbringer" Alje.

The holder of the "Hanged Man" card stood on deck, his dark blue hair still wild, as if constantly battered by sea winds; his clothing had changed—he no longer dressed as a sailor, but wore a captain's coat of blue fabric with golden embroidery.

"Explore on your own," Alje said, nodding steadily toward Lu Mi beside the "Magician," "I have no experience to share. If I did, I'd have uncovered all the ghost ship's secrets long ago."

These details had been confirmed by the "Magician" lady; Lu Mi had no doubts, thanked him, and stepped onto the wooden deck, walking forward step by step.

He immediately activated the residual aura of the "Blood Emperor" in his right palm, yet no terrifying energy leaked out.

Instead, his palm felt icy cold, while the pain burned like fire deep within.

Lu Mi raised his right hand, glanced at it, and saw the faint reddish scar mark had grown slightly more vivid—but the skin covering it had turned even paler, lifeless and dead.

Could the residual aura of the "Blood Emperor," sealed by the "Netherman," be unable to activate the ghost ship's most critical features…? Lu Mi circled the "Azure Avenger"'s hull, troubled and uneasy.

During this, he was not attacked by ropes nor affected by anything else.

"It seems the residual aura of the 'Blood Emperor' still has some effect—otherwise, it wouldn't be this calm…" Lu Mi murmured silently, entering the hull and exploring room by room.

"Hanged Man" Alje did not follow, standing at the front of the deck, watching from afar.

When Lu Mi's figure vanished into the depths of the hull, the "Magician" raised her right hand and lightly traced a circle in the air with her index finger.

A spark of brilliant starlight emerged, first coalescing into a transparent crystal ball, then expanding into a circular, dreamlike curtain.

On the curtain, Lu Mi's figure appeared, wandering through the captain's cabin, occasionally extending his right palm to touch various objects.

"There will be gains," the "Magician" said in a mystic tone.

The "Hanged Man" gave a slight nod, asking neither what gains would come nor what changes they would bring, for the "Magician" lady could not divine a certain future, and the "Hermit" lady could only see blurred images.

—Since the "Fool" gentleman fell into slumber, the Major Arcana have explored the "Azure Avenger" multiple times, yet none have unlocked its core secret or found the treasure left behind by the Tudor Dynasty.

Due to the "Apprentice" path's unique affinity in this regard, the "Magician" merely helped the "Hanged Man" uncover other secrets, unable to reach the deepest one.

The "Star" gentleman's explanation was:

"The 'Azure Avenger' is not only influenced by the distorted authority of the 'Lawyer' path, but also clearly possesses the ability to exploit errors, alter positioning, and graft spatial characteristics.

This aligns with the actual situation of the Tudor Dynasty:

Among the five noble families under the 'Blood Emperor' Alista Tudor, Amon was the 'Thief,' the Angel-King of the 'Error' path, later even becoming the corresponding True God; Abraham's ancestor, the 'Door' gentleman, was the Angel-King of the 'Apprentice' path; Antigonus's ancestor was the Angel-King of the 'Fortune-Teller' path; the Jacob and Tamara families each had an Angel of the 'Error' path and one who once produced an Angel of the 'Apprentice' path.

They clearly possessed formidable abilities to exploit errors, alter positioning, and graft spatial traits.

If not for the prerequisite that the 'Azure Avenger' must remain intact and its treasure undamaged or unlost, the 'Magician' believed she could unlock the ghost ship's core secret—but then, the 'Azure Avenger' would be shattered into irreparable fragments.

Under the "gaze" of the two Major Arcana, Lu Mi searched every room on the upper deck, triggering no anomalies.

He encountered Qiba sailors one after another; all had been ordered by the captain not to disturb his exploration.

Arriving at the staircase leading to the lower hull, Lu Mi glanced at the pitch-black, endless depths below, maintained activation of the "Blood Emperor"'s residual aura, and stepped downward with creaking sounds.

As he walked, he suddenly smelled an unusual odor.

He had descended for thirty to forty seconds—normally, he should have already reached the lower hull's floor.

The distance between the upper and lower hulls of the "Azure Avenger" could not possibly be so extreme that even a "Reaper" couldn't traverse it in seconds!

Lu Mi felt no fear—only joy.

An anomaly meant it was working!

If there were no anomalies at all, it would mean the residual aura of the "Blood Emperor," sealed, had lost its function!

Lu Mi exhaled, calmed his emotions, maintained a composed but unhurried state, and continued stepping forward, the wooden stairs creaking as he walked into the darkness.

After walking for an unknown duration, he saw no more wooden steps beneath his feet—instead, black stone slabs, radiating a metallic chill, lay ahead.

Is this it? Lu Mi had just thought this when his vision was flooded with blinding white firelight.

He saw row upon row of blazing white flame-spears, dense as a storm, hurtling toward him, obscuring everything above.

It was as if an entire legion had launched their flame-spears at once.

No escape. No evasion.

Lu Mi instinctively prepared to swap places with his shadow, hoping to use this rapidly deployable ability to survive the first assault, then seek a chance to "Teleport" away.

At that moment, a thought struck him.

A wildly dangerous thought.

Lu Mi's expression twisted with a hint of madness; facing the torrent of flame-spears, he activated no ability and adopted no evasive posture.

He straightened his back and thrust his right palm forward.

The right palm sealed by the "Netherman" and charged with the "Blood Emperor"'s residual aura.

Both had been activated.

The torrent of blazing white flame-spears froze instantly.

They halted simultaneously in midair—neither advancing nor falling.

Seeing this, Lu Mi could not suppress a sigh of relief.

I won the gamble!

Gradually, the blazing white flame-spears dimmed, faded, and vanished completely.

Before Lu Mi could observe further, bright flames ignited on both sides.

They resembled wall-mounted lanterns, dispelling the thick darkness and revealing his surroundings.

He stood in a deep, spacious hall—but not as vast as he had imagined.

When the blazing white flame-spears had surged like an endless flock of crows toward him, he had felt he stood on an ancient battlefield spanning kilometers; yet this hall was no larger than the main prayer hall of Saint Vief Church.

His gaze suddenly locked, his heart seeming to stop.

At the hall's depths stood a massive throne forged of black iron.

Its surface bore patches of reddish stains—whether rust from centuries of erosion or dried blood spilled long ago, he could not tell.

Atop the throne sat a figure!

The figure resembled a giant, draped in a deep red ceremonial robe, crowned with an iron-black diadem, right elbow resting on the armrest as it propped up its sunken head.

Long strands of hair shimmering with faint bloodlight cascaded down, veiling the figure's face.

Lu Mi was not unfamiliar with this figure—he had seen it at the "Samaritan Woman's Spring," though its attire then differed somewhat from now.

It was the figure of the "Blood Emperor," Alista Tudor!

Yet this figure lacked the terror, brutality, madness, and Qixi of war and destruction present at the "Samaritan Woman's Spring," and carried no tangible pressure or aura of conquest; had he not seen it directly, Lu Mi would have sworn the iron throne was empty.

A phantom? Lu Mi closed his eyes and relied solely on his other senses and spiritual perception.

In this perception, the iron throne, marked with reddish stains, held nothing.

Lu Mi's heartbeat gradually returned to normal; he reopened his eyes and gazed at the iron throne.

The figure remained motionless.

Lu Mi restrained himself from observing the figure's weaknesses and did not activate the "Eye of Calamity"; he shifted his gaze to examine other parts of the hall.

Beneath the iron throne's nine steps stood five weathered stone chairs—two on the left, three on the right.

"Couldn't they have added one more, for symmetry?" Lu Mi muttered inwardly.

He knew these five stone chairs represented the five noble families of the Tudor Dynasty.

These ancient, weathered chairs had been smashed by someone—some split open and ruled by fissures, some shattered into countless fragments yet still retaining their shape, some with broken backs, some missing their seats, others melted as if scorched by prolonged fire.

Had a battle occurred here? Lu Mi tried to find traces on the black stone slabs, the supporting pillars, and the surrounding walls—but found nothing.

Nor were there any artifacts… Wasn't this supposed to hold part of the Tudor Dynasty's lost treasure? Had it been stolen? Hmm—Telmipolos had previously said that if I lacked sufficient level and forcibly explored the "Azure Avenger," I might trigger Alista Tudor's resurrection within me… From this, one could infer that there should be something here—or some arrangement… Lu Mi began walking forward again.

As he walked, he kept his eyes fixed on the figure atop the iron throne, observing every detail.

Suddenly, he saw a pair of eyes—iron-black and cold.

The figure atop the iron throne slowly lifted its head.

ps: Thank you to Old Koller for supporting the Silver Alliance—

(End of Chapter)