Chapter 789: The Answer of the Magic Mirror Divination

When "Great Shark" Jorg and others reached the dock, the spot where the "Newins" was moored was empty, with only blue waves gently swaying in the faint mist.

In that instant, Jorg and the other sea pirates froze, as if witnessing a painting beyond imagination.

Soon, overwhelming panic surged through them:

The Admiral fled aboard the "Newins"—what do we do now?

That unknown adventurer failed to kill the Admiral and let him escape—will he turn his attention to us and take out his rage on us?

He used illusions to deceive us—he truly came to hunt the Admiral…

In a flash of thought, "Great Shark" Jorg and his men turned and ran, fleeing the dock area.

They intended to find several contacts of the "Newins" in Bannamo Port, using their local knowledge to hide in secret places, then contact the "Deep Sea Admiral" to confirm their next steps.

…………

Inside the captain's cabin of the "Newins."

Hal. Constantine, having re-worn his semi-transparent octopus mask, gazed at the nearly dark, shifting sea beyond the thick glass window, feeling his physical and spiritual wounds gradually heal under the aid of healing potions.

He couldn't help reliving the encounter—though excruciating, it had granted him an unparalleled ecstasy he'd never known, leaving his soul nearly blank.

It far surpassed the pleasure brought by the women sent to the ship; even Hal. Constantine's willpower nearly craved experiencing it again.

Huh… Hal. Constantine exhaled, grateful he had activated the "Newins"' defense system in time—otherwise, under the influence of that ecstasy, he would have been killed effortlessly the next second.

He believed the assassins had sensed the "Newins" had become extremely dangerous, prompting them to abandon their attack and flee before they could be targeted.

He did not regret not activating the defense system at the start—he had been caught off guard and had no time to act.

Hal. Constantine now wondered when the seed of ecstasy had been planted within him, causing it to erupt fully the moment he saw the "witch's" true face and beautiful form.

He murmured to himself:

"Is this why the male assassin never struck?

"He didn't want to attack me—he couldn't. He had to wait until the seed of ecstasy was truly planted in my soul?

"What exactly do these people want? Beyond assassinating me, what else are they planning? Is their true target the secret of the 'Newins' and the 'Lost Newins'?"

The "Deep Sea Admiral" Hal. Constantine lacked sufficient clues to make a valid judgment; he could only suppress his emotions for now, planning to contact his Bannamo Port contacts once his body and soul fully recovered, asking if they had noticed anything unusual.

He instinctively reviewed the encounter again, seeking investigable details—only to find that, stripped of the assassins' true intent, the entire event resembled two "witches" and their companion deliberately delivering him an ecstasy so intense, and his near-death within it was merely ordinary—this world had no shortage of humans who died on the bodies of lovers without being attacked.

Thinking of this, Hal. Constantine glanced around and spotted a gleaming gold louis lying near the cabin door.

It had been left by the two "witches."

Watching the gold louis, pushed by the current to the door and clearly treated to prevent tracking, Hal. Constantine suddenly formed a ludicrous thought, falling into an inexplicable silence.

…………

In the rented room of the inn in Bannamo Port, where Lu Mi and others stayed.

Jianna quickly removed the golden brooch shaped like a broomrape flower and dropped it into the aluminum-white military flask Lu Mi had given her.

Almost simultaneously, Jianna sensed clear changes in the gazes of Lu Mi, Furanca, and Anthony.

They revealed unmistakable disgust, aversion, and malice.

Jianna had once felt malice from some people on Trilbasde Street, in the market's bars and dance halls—but it usually carried desire and longing, unlike now, where hatred and loathing dominated.

Of course, Jianna also noticed that Furanca's disgust and aversion contained a trace of desire—like seeking satisfaction through cruelty and domination.

Lu Mi's expression remained mostly normal, though his eyes had changed.

This was due to the "Ascetic's" capacity for endurance.

He nodded to Jianna and said:

"The negative effect of the 'Decency' brooch has activated. Go to the adjacent room and wait an hour."

"I know." Jianna glanced at Lu Mi, recalling the past.

Back then, she had been assigned to protect Lu Mi while he endured the brooch's negative effect—and she too had wanted to punch him.

She had always regretted not painting dog shit on his face while she had the chance.

Recalling the memory, Jianna smiled faintly, stepped out of the room, and went to wait in the neighboring room—also part of their team's quarters—for the negative effect to pass.

"Whew, the negative effect of the 'Decency' brooch is intense…" Furanca sighed in genuine awe.

Lu Mi glanced at her and chuckled:

"I think your hatred and aversion aren't pure enough."

Furanca immediately grew embarrassed, forcing a nervous laugh:

"Sometimes, hatred and aversion can spark desire.

"Ask Anthony if you don't believe me!"

Before Lu Mi could turn to him, Anthony spoke up:

"It's true—the human mind and soul are strange. Different people can experience identical desires from different stimuli.

"Some find pleasure in pain, others in jealousy, others in breaking taboos, others in being scolded, others in abusing others, others in receiving affection through self-sacrifice—endless variations beyond your imagination."

"In short, this world has a lot of perverts?" Lu Mi mocked Furanca.

Furanca, unperturbed, frowned slightly, her expression solemn.

After emerging from the "Decency" brooch's negative effect, she recalled the images she had seen.

She carefully said:

"Did you all notice that the 'Deep Sea Admiral's' true appearance resembles Harrison from Resurrection Island?"

Lu Mi recalled and replied:

"You mean they both have distinct Eastern features?"

He had seen Furanca's sketch of Harrison.

"Yes, but more like someone resembling Harrison mixed with Nothern Continent people like Intisians," Furanca said thoughtfully.

Since Anthony was present, she avoided mentioning the crossing-over incident, steering the conversation toward Resurrection Island instead.

Lu Mi nodded slightly:

"Draw a portrait of Hal. Constantine. We'll write to the Major Arcana."

"Not yet to Lady 'Judgment' or Lady 'Magician.' I'll try 'Magic Mirror Divination' first," Furanca responded immediately.

She began setting up the ritual in the room, sketching Hal. Constantine from memory—his face resembling Resurrection Island natives, slightly pointed ears, thick dark-blue nearly black hair, and the tentacle-like dark veins bulging on his hands as he gripped the obsidian trident.

Some details she hadn't noticed during battle but had seen—now, through the ritual, she reproduced them from memory.

Lu Mi picked up the portrait, studied it for a moment, and said:

"There's definitely an Eastern style to it."

Furanca hummed in agreement, her expression grave as she prepared the "Magic Mirror Divination."

Soon, the mirror on the desk turned pitch black, its depths echoing faintly with the sound of rushing water.

Furanca lifted Hal. Constantine's portrait and asked the "Magic Mirror Divination":

"What does this appearance signify?"

She avoided directly asking about his origin or homeland, fearing the mirror might not answer.

A hoarse, ancient voice emerged from the mirror:

"This is an elf."

Elf? Lu Mi's temple throbbed.

A legendary supernatural race!

Lu Mi had only known elves as mythical beings, once living on Sunya Island in the Sunya Sea; only after reading their creation myth in New Silver City did he learn the elf race had once been mighty—their king, Sunyasolem, was one of the Eight Ancient Gods, ruling sky and sea.

In the real world, since the Fifth Era, encountering a true elf had become exceedingly rare—only elf descendants with diluted bloodlines, barely showing racial traits, appeared occasionally.

Furanca was equally startled, blurting out:

"Is he an elf, or an elf-human hybrid?"

"A hybrid," came the hoarse, ancient voice.

Though a hybrid, Hal. Constantine's physical traits suggested his elf blood was still very strong… theoretically, Rank 5 "Ocean Singer" shouldn't cause such drastic changes… elf-human hybrid? Could elves' ancestors have been crossers, then reproduced in this world? Elf legends belong to the Second Era… Furanca's thoughts multiplied, growing heavier—she nearly forgot to ask her third question.

She gathered her thoughts, pondered for a few seconds, then asked:

"Is the 'Lost Newins' an ancient elf relic?"

Though ancient elves had dwelled on Sunya Island, if they once ruled the seas, leaving ruins elsewhere was plausible.

If Hal. Constantine was a relatively pure elf descendant, his disguise as a sea monster descendant made perfect sense—the Church of the Storm Lord was said to despise elves and pure-blooded elf descendants…

The hoarse voice in the mirror answered Furanca's third question:

"Unknown."

"Alright…" Furanca ended the "Magic Mirror Divination," sinking into prolonged silence.

She suddenly regretted treating Hal. Constantine merely as an object to digest "Ecstasy"—had she known, she'd have skipped team training and fate exchange, let Lu Mi act alone while she and the others assisted, and tried to capture the elf alive.

(End of Chapter)