Chapter 783: Each One

Two days later, at a quiet spot on the dock in Banamo Port.

Jianna wore a black garment that resembled both a dress and a robe, gazing far off at the blue ocean shrouded in thin mist.

Her task was to monitor the dock and detect the flagship "Nuyins" of the "Deep Sea Admiral" the moment it arrived.

Of course, this was merely one direction she needed to watch; the most critical thing was to confirm that no pirate king's fleet had arrived in Banamo Port before the "Nuyins" did—if such a thing happened, she had to notify Lu Mi'an immediately so the unknown adventurer would vanish.

Jianna paced occasionally and sat down at times, waiting with remarkable patience for her target's arrival.

Suddenly, she saw a massive object rising from beneath the sea, pushing through the water.

The massive object was entirely black like metal, with torrents of seawater sliding off its surface; its shape resembled a spindle stretched upward into an oval, with a thin, curved metal pipe extending from its top, like a snail's eye elongated to absurd proportions.

The next second, the metal pipe bent and retracted; the upper half of the massive object split open and unfolded outward, revealing a broad deck, countless cannons, and hundreds of pirates, as masts and sails rose into the air.

Jianna stared in awe; though Lu Mi'an had described how "Bonebreaker" Rolle's "Black Octopus" dove, surfaced, and unfolded, nothing compared to witnessing it firsthand.

There was a powerful mechanical beauty to it!

Moreover, the massive object was no smaller than the newest steam-powered ocean liners, vastly superior to traditional sailing pirate ships.

Without needing further confirmation, Jianna knew this was the flagship "Nuyins" of the "Deep Sea Admiral" Hal Constantine.

At the same time, she preliminarily judged that the "Nuyins" had come alone to Banamo Port, without the "Black Octopus" accompanying it.

—Since "Vice Admiral of Dusk" Bratov Ivan became the "Dusk King," the other ships in the "Deep Sea Admiral's" fleet rarely operated alongside the flagship, because only the "Nuyins" and the "Black Octopus" could dive beneath the sea and sail in secret; other ships could not, and attempting to follow would expose Hal Constantine's whereabouts.

This was also one reason Franca had targeted this "Deep Sea Admiral."

"Such a colossal alchemical machine is truly beautiful…" Jianna gazed at the "Nuyins," silently marveling in her mind.

Her father had been a worker, and his deep appreciation for machinery had profoundly shaped her and her brother Julian.

Added to that, Trier was filled with all kinds of mechanical devices—useful or strange—and during his youth, her brother Julian nearly abandoned the "Eternal Sun" faith to join the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.

Jianna turned her gaze away, walking toward the edge of the dock, her thoughts turning with growing concern to one matter:

Her brother Julian would finish his exchange studies in just over a month and return to Trier; she did not want him to continue living in this metropolis built atop the "Crater." She wanted Julian to settle in a place where official power was strong but not as dangerously chaotic as Trier—Loser Port or other towns in the Trier District would be excellent choices.

Jianna knew she could not convince Julian: on one hand, her brother would worry about her; unless she married someone reliable, he would never leave. On the other hand, Julian was born and raised in Trier, where he had more opportunities—how could he possibly leave his homeland?

"I need to think of a way—something indirect, a subtle 'arrangement.' Temporary relocation would be easier to persuade him into; permanent departure from his homeland is something Julian would absolutely refuse. According to Franca's suggestion, start with three years, then another three…" Jianna did not consider having Anthony directly "hypnotize" Julian.

At that moment, two drunken pirates entered the dock and spotted Jianna, wearing a hooded garment resembling a dress or robe.

They scanned her up and down for several seconds, exchanged glances, then blocked her path.

"Woman, name your price."

"If you won't name a price, we'll just decide for ourselves!"

As the two pirates spoke over each other, they reached out their hands to grab Jianna.

In Banamo Port, such incidents were not uncommon; local women either became street prostitutes in bars under protection, or rarely ventured out, lest a pirate target them—then the best outcome was waiting for a constable to arrive and receive a small compensation, while the worst was being murdered on the spot by pirates unwilling to pay anything, thrown into the sea, or kidnapped onto a ship and sold elsewhere.

Before their hands could touch Jianna's arms or shoulders, they suddenly found themselves engulfed in black, evil, silent flames.

Instantly, they felt fear and pain; their drunkenness vanished, and they turned and fled in panic.

As they ran, they screamed in terror:

"Witch!"

"Witch!"

Jianna sensed a slight digestion of the "Witch" elixir through the pirates' associations, pain, and fear, then watched silently as they weakened under the black flames, collapsed mid-run, and twitched to death.

Jianna immediately fell into dilemma:

Should I maintain the "Witch's" mysterious, evil image—or follow my instinct and steal the money from these dead pirates?

…………

In a bar in Banamo Port.

Anthony sat on a high stool, sipping a beer, listening to a pirate across from him boasting wildly.

His task these past two days was to mingle among the pirates, monitor, and steer the direction of "public opinion."

Though Lu Mi'an had analyzed many possibilities, he still wasn't fully certain how the pirate community would react—after all, human nature was unpredictable; it was perfectly normal for some bizarre individuals to emerge among so many pirates.

When the "Conspirator" devised a conspiracy, he never claimed something would definitely happen, 100% certain—that was the power of the "Fortune Teller," "Prophet," or high-ranking "Audience." The "Conspirator" needed to prepare backup methods to ensure events unfolded as intended, not become helpless at the slightest deviation from the original plan.

Thus, he had Anthony frequent several of the pirates' favorite bars, make as many friends as possible, learn how pirates reacted to the unknown adventurer's provocation of the entire group, identify unusual voices with significant influence, then use his "Hypnotist" ability to subtly guide and alter the attitudes of a few influential pirates, ensuring the "public opinion" Franca described remained exactly what Lu Mi'an wanted.

This large-scale, covert guidance had also digested a considerable amount of Anthony's "Hypnotist" elixir.

Because it involved both actual "hypnosis" and what seemed like an indirect psychological guidance of the entire Banamo Port pirate community.

Glug, glug, the pirate beside Anthony gulped down a large mouthful of golden beer, gazing at his new friend with admiration.

In his eyes, this new friend was not only approachable but also one of those rare pirates who excelled at listening—never interrupting others during their boasts to showcase his own exploits.

"By the Storm, such pirates are so hard to find! I can finally finish telling my story without interruption!" Setting down his beer mug, the pirate Stidway sincerely praised the deity, then asked Anthony, "Interested in joining our crew?"

Anthony smiled and replied:

"I don't think my strength is sufficient to become one of you."

"Hah!" Pirate Stidway laughed triumphantly.

Anthony glanced around, lowering his voice deliberately:

"Have you heard about the unknown adventurer?"

Stidway's smile vanished instantly:

"I've heard. There are dozens of pirate captains here, yet not one has gone to teach that adventurer a lesson!"

"What are they waiting for? This is a chance to make their names even louder—perhaps even become the tenth Pirate Admiral!"

In his anger, Stidway never mentioned he himself could challenge the arrogant adventurer.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion erupt from somewhere in the bar's main hall.

"What happened?" Stidway muttered, raising his beer mug and heading toward that table.

After a while, he returned to the bar counter, exhilarated, and told Anthony:

"The 'Deep Sea Admiral' has arrived in Banamo!"

"The 'Deep Sea Admiral' is here?" Anthony's face lit up with surprise.

"Yes! Someone finally taught that bastard a lesson!" Stidway sat back on his stool, speaking eagerly, "That's a Pirate Admiral! Every Pirate Admiral was forged in blood, not by boasting—they could tie together every adventurer here and kill them all!"

When Stidway finished, Anthony nodded in agreement:

"I'm already looking forward to it."

Glug, Stidway lifted his beer mug again and took another sip.

He boasted:

"Actually, I'd already suspected it might be the 'Deep Sea Admiral' coming to end the disgrace of those so-called great pirates."

"Why say that?" Anthony asked curiously.

Stidway glanced at him:

"You don't know?"

Anthony smiled and explained:

"I'm from Intis, but our boss has long been intercepting ships in the Stormy Sea, rarely venturing deep into the Mist Sea."

"Ah, I see." Stidway nodded in understanding, lowering his voice, "We all suspect the 'Deep Sea Admiral' comes to Banamo Port every year to seek that legendary treasure."

"Treasure? 'The Lost Nuyins'?" Anthony reacted like a true pirate.

"The Lost Nuyins" was one of the six most famous treasure legends across the Five Seas, rumored to lie at the bottom of a certain stretch of the Mist Sea. It was said that once, this was a civilization of intelligent beings, now long destroyed; the surrounding waters frequently produced strange artifacts, all pointing to the ancient Nuyins.

"Yes." Stidway nodded firmly. "Think about it—the 'Deep Sea Admiral's' flagship was recovered from some ruin and named 'Nuyins.' Anyone would suspect that ruin is 'The Lost Nuyins'! Besides, the legend says the Nuyins sank not far from here."

(End of Chapter)