"The blessings of an Angel or higher existence."
Colin's murmuring voice gradually faded. If there were Angels, the City of Silver wouldn't be so difficult.
After a moment of silence, he looked up at Leyton and said, "Sequence 2 of the Mother pathway is called 'Desolate Matriarch.' Beyonders of this Sequence have already mastered part of the authority in the life domain. They can create plants that adapt to any extreme environment, and can also cause life within a large area to wither, rivers to dry up, and soil to turn into desert, with no new life being born."
"Sequence 3 is called 'Pallbearer.' They can exploit, and even to a certain extent reverse, the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death. They can cause life to undergo good or bad mutations, which are then passed down through generations."
"Sequence 4 is called 'Classical Alchemist,' also known as 'Human Alchemist.' Their greatest characteristic is their ability to achieve extreme 'life alchemy,' creating ordinary humans that can exist for a long time."
"In addition, they can also command unintelligent Beyonder creatures, temporarily reduce their level of madness, create different puppets for combat and various tasks, and make their surroundings full of vitality, allowing both plants and animals to flourish and reproduce quickly."
Leyton nodded understandingly, and under Colin's gaze, he asked, "Do you have the potion formula for 'Classical Alchemist' or 'Pallbearer'?"
Colin nodded gently and said, "We only have the potion formula for 'Classical Alchemist.'"
He wasn't too surprised by this question and was even prepared, taking out a yellowish-brown parchment from the drawer of the desk in front of him.
As he threw the rolled-up parchment in his hand towards Leyton, he said, "You should be a Beyonder of the Mystery Pryer pathway, right? Your eyes are very special."
"I plan to reorganize the exploration of Afternoon Town. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"
Leyton tilted his head slightly to look at the ceiling above Colin's head. His eyes flickered, becoming extremely deep, like the sea before a storm, clearly losing focus and appearing vast and indistinct.
This state lasted for a few seconds before his eyes regained clarity.
He looked at Colin, who was quietly waiting for his answer opposite him, and nodded gently, saying, "There will be no unexpected dangers, nor will there be unexpected gains beyond the plan."
Colin stood up from the chair behind the desk and bowed, saying, "I understand. Thank you for the hint."
Leyton nodded expressionlessly. His body instantly became transparent, then illusory, turning into a pile of foam.
These bubbles, illuminated by the candlelight, reflected a dim yellow color, scattering and drifting away, vanishing in an instant.
In the Rorsted Sea, on the leeward side of Symeem Island.
Specks of brass-colored light shot out from the void, constantly moving in the air, outlining an illusory gate composed of mysterious symbols strung together.
The Prophet Clone, wearing a light brown woolen overcoat, walked out of the illusory gate. He was holding a crystal ball with a layer of mist inside, which Leyton had transferred from the Forsaken Land of the Gods through a ritual of sacrifice and bestowal.
A demigod who needed to conceal himself and did not carry powerful mystical items, and one from the Black Emperor pathway which he lacked understanding of—although appearing in the Rorsted Sea was somewhat risky, he still couldn't help but want to enrich his collection.
Just as Klein liked to hunt pirates, he also liked to collect Beyonder characteristic, especially those of high Sequences.
The Prophet Clone stood atop the towering stone wall, gazing down at the sailboats bobbing in the deep blue water below. On both sides of the sailboats, there was a white skull pattern wearing a single eye patch.
"Mad Captain Connors's Single-Eyed Skull. It seems my luck is not bad. Now is the right time. The Church of the Lord of Storms's existence is not only pressure for me, but for this military demigod as well."
After muttering a few words, he softly chanted The Fool's honorific name in ancient hermes.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era; the Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog; the King of Yellow and Black Who Holds Good Luck…"
Klein's response was swift; he responded almost as soon as the honorific name was chanted.
Dense Gray Fog surged in the Prophet Clone's eyes. Soon, a tall Angel with twelve pairs of burning crimson flame wings appeared before him, the flickering crimson wings enveloping him layer by layer.
"Mind Connection" was also silently established at this moment.
"How could you appear here?" Klein's voice echoed in the Prophet Clone's mind, he made no attempt to conceal his confusion.
"Looking for some suitable materials to create mystical items, and incidentally experimenting with a new gadget I just made. It sounds like you also intend to cause trouble for this Mad Captain?"
"He is helping the Loen Royal Family and the Demoness Sect traffic people. I plan to investigate."
The Prophet Clone, as if he had just learned about this matter, pondered for a moment before responding in his mind, "There's a demigod on the ship. I'll lure him out later. The remaining pirates shouldn't be able to stop you."
"Okay. If you need help, just communicate with me. At sea, the sea god scepter can exert its full power."
Above the Gray Fog, Klein beckoned towards the pile of sundries, and a short staff made of white bone automatically flew into his hand.
The staff head was inlaid with tiny bluish-green gems, some stained with profound black, some veiled in dawn light, surrounded by countless pure light points. Illusory and ethereal prayers emanated from it, layering upon layer, extraordinarily sacred.
Klein held the white bone staff in one hand and a peculiar crown covered in rust and bloodstains in the other, standing calmly beside The Fool's high-backed chair.
Before him was a scene condensed from deep Red Light, precisely where the Prophet Clone was located.
He tried to zoom out the picture, revealing the sailboat constantly bobbing in the waves—Mad Captain Connors's Single-Eyed Skull.
The Prophet Clone's eyes, standing atop the towering stone wall, suddenly turned light blue. Mysterious symbols were outlined one by one in his eyes.
Brass-colored light points rapidly gathered around him, establishing a wondrous and stable connection with the spirit world. His figure then transparently vanished, reappearing several hundred meters away.
After several consecutive flashes, he arrived at the scorched rocks near the towering stone wall.
Even in the leeward area, the howling wind still made walking difficult, and surging waves occasionally submerged the reefs.
With light blue radiance flowing in his eyes, the Prophet Clone simulated the Wind-Blessed's ability, calming the surrounding strong winds and waves to prevent himself from being pushed into the sea.
Then he took out a palm-sized figurine, predominantly black and red, from his woolen overcoat pocket.
The figurine was of a graceful woman, her upper body making a shushing gesture, while her lower body was a mass of huge tentacles with suckers, faintly visible amidst the black waves.
The Prophet Clone poured roughly one-third of his spirituality into the figurine before it came to life.
Its surface was covered with a slippery liquid, causing it to slide directly from Leyton's hand into the sea.
Amidst the churning waves, a few thick tentacles could vaguely be seen wriggling beneath the surface, and an unusual aura spread around.
"What is this thing? A mermaid? Or a sea monster?" Klein's voice echoed in his mind.
The Prophet Clone glanced at the dark tentacles gradually disappearing beneath the waves and muttered to himself, "I haven't had time to name it yet. I combined the characteristics of Demoness of Afflictions and Ocean Songster, plus the deceased Naga body provided by Adamantine Veer, to create this Witch series figurine."
"Series? How many Demoness of Afflictions are you planning to persecute?" Klein, above the Gray Fog, muttered a low complaint, silently mourning for a second for the Demoness of Afflictions who didn't yet know their characteristics were being targeted.
"The more, the better. Anyway, I won't complain about having too many characteristics and mystical items in my possession."
While answering Klein's question, the Prophet Clone waved his right hand in mid-air, outlining a symbol representing "Concealment."
Tiny, dim, starlight-like points flickered a few times, and his figure was quickly concealed.
On the sea surface not far away, the Single-Eyed Skull bobbed up and down with the crashing waves.
All the crew members on board had hidden in the cabin. Only a few crew members led by Mad Captain Connors remained near the cabin entrance, wearing cloaks and pulled-up hoods, keeping watch outside.
"In this kind of weather, we should be in the Red Theater, hugging women and drinking strong liquor!"
A pirate wearing a cloak and hood peered over the ship's railing, complaining as he looked out.
His companion beside him agreed, pulling up his cloak, saying, "You can say that again. I heard the Red Theater recently got a new batch of goods. I really want to try them."
"How did you know?" a pirate next to him casually asked.
"Heh heh, of course, I heard it from the boss..." the first pirate to speak said with a reminiscent smile on his face.
"Did you forget? Among the last batch of goods, there was a runaway noble young lady. Her skin, her figure, it was simply…"
His words were cut short by a pirate next to him:
"Is someone singing? I seem to hear singing in the wind, and it's quite beautiful."
"You're so obsessed with women you've gone crazy, singing? This damned place only has waves and wind..." a pirate next to him said, patting his shoulder with a disdainful tone.
The pirate sitting closest to the deck also joined the conversation: "I think I heard it too."
At the cabin entrance, a group of pirates, while scornful, pricked up their ears to carefully distinguish the sounds from outside.
"Na~ na~ nana~"
"Na~ na ~"
"Damn it, I think I really heard it..." the first pirate to speak said, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
He glanced around, but no other pirate paid him any mind. Everyone was intently listening to the singing mixed with the sounds of waves and wind, their expressions somewhat entranced.
The gentle, unusually melodic singing in his ears became increasingly clear. The voice was so melodious and pleasant that for a moment, he even forgot to be on guard, just standing there dazedly, listening to the lingering melody in his ears.
Their faces began to show an abnormal flush, as if from life, or perhaps a physiological reaction.
The melodious singing mixed with the waves and wind suddenly became faint, almost disappearing. At the same time, the surrounding wind became much clearer and louder, completely covering the singing.
Those pirates in a state of infatuation gradually came back to their senses, though the abnormal flush on their faces had not yet receded.
☰