Near Symeem Island, in a reef-strewn sea, several pirates were washed onto the reefs by the crashing waves.
Their clothes were loose and disheveled, as if roughly torn open, and their lips were slightly parted, revealing a unified silly grin, with viscous, transparent saliva drooling from the corners of their mouths; they didn't even notice the seawater filling their mouths, and their faces were flushed with an abnormal redness.
Another wave crashed, and after the high-splashing water receded, a seductive and enchanting figure appeared on a nearby reef. Her black hair cascaded smoothly down to her waist, and her strands were remarkably thick, about the size of a baby's pinky finger, like living tentacles.
Her exposed skin had a faint, reddish tattoo, like strange symbols, or perhaps a layer of fine scales hidden beneath her skin.
Her lower body was submerged in the cold, dark seawater, making it impossible to see clearly, only giving the impression of an extremely charming woman.
She leaned against the reef, her gaze lingering on the pirates whose faces were still flushed, then she moved her eyes away with a look of disdain.
Points of brass-colored light suddenly surged from the void, swiftly moving through the air, outlining an illusory, massive door covered in mysterious symbols.
A headless corpse, dressed in a charred and ragged suit, fell out from it, with specks of black and dark red mixed fluorescence precipitating from his body.
Then, the Prophet Clone also walked out from the illusory door, his left arm bearing a charred mark with a hint of crimson.
This was the damage caused by the lightning that had entered the illusory door; although he had used the demigod's corpse as a shield at the first opportunity, his left hand, which was pulling the corpse, still suffered some damage.
The Prophet Clone simulated the ability of a Wind-Blessed, summoning a swirling gale that lifted his body and gently landed him on the reef.
He then extended his spirituality, reaching out to draw a symbol representing hidden in mid-air, while softly chanting an incantation in Dragonese:
"Concealment!"
A layer of night, carrying a sense of peace and tranquility, suddenly descended, completely concealing this area of reefs.
Only after completing all this did he have the energy to examine the captured pirates.
The Prophet Clone's calm gaze swept over them, taking in their condition, finally resting on their crotch area, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
They were essentially ruined. The abnormal flush on their faces wasn't just due to excessive excitement; it was also because they had already contracted diseases, were feverish, their kidneys and other organs were failing, and they also had pneumonia, blood diseases, and their mental state seemed off. There was no saving them, at least not without means of the "Life Transmutation" level.
He then turned his head to look at the "Sea Monster" half-reclining on another reef. The other party also looked back with a smiling face, her expression full of allure, carrying the power to charm people's hearts.
Snap! The Prophet Clone raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Points of light blue fluorescence floated, like insects swimming in the air, quickly engulfing the "Sea Monster's" body, transforming her back into a palm-sized black figurine.
The moment the figurine took shape, it flew automatically into the Prophet Clone's hand, defying natural laws.
He lowered his head and examined the figurine in his hand. Its expression was still a seductive smile, but with a hint of satisfaction.
"I came too hastily and haven't named you yet. You don't have a fish tail, so calling you Siren seems a bit inappropriate..."
As the Prophet Clone muttered to himself, Klein's voice was transmitted to Leyton's mind through "Mind Connection":
"Don't worry about the name. After using the sea god scepter several times in a row and even employing the characteristics of a Conqueror, my spirituality is almost exhausted. Remember to collect the remaining spirits of those pirates; I'll use them for spirit channeling later."
Before the Prophet Clone could reply, Klein unilaterally cut off the "Mind Connection."
Noticing that the "Mind Connection" had been severed, the Prophet Clone shrugged and redirected his gaze to the demigod's corpse, which was precipitating characteristics.
He gently rubbed his fingers, creating points of brass-colored light that swiftly moved over the corpse, outlining one mysterious symbol after another.
The speed at which the corpse precipitated characteristics suddenly accelerated. In less than half a minute, the Beyonder characteristics had coalesced:
Piece after piece of black crystals interspersed with dark red, irregularly clustered together to form a strange crown, with a dark red eye in the center.
He sealed the precipitated Earl of the Fallen characteristics in a pre-prepared square iron box, then took out several light brown glass vials, poured out the pre-prepared herbal powder, and softly chanted an incantation.
The spiritual energy, which had not completely dispersed, solidified in mid-air, melting into translucent drops of liquid that were collected into the glass vials.
After completing all this, he took two steps forward and bent down to remove the black leather glove from the corpse's right hand. The glove had azure patterns resembling layers of ocean waves.
The moment the black leather glove was taken into his hand, the Prophet Clone felt his own anger swelling.
The negative effects are quite severe. Just holding it makes one feel irritable and angry, making it easy to act impulsively and irrationally in this state. While sighing, a cold, light blue glint, carrying a sense of rational indifference, flashed in his eyes.
He held this glove in his hand and examined it carefully for a long time, until the hazy silvery-white covering his eyes gradually receded. The effects of this Mystical Item were roughly analyzed by him:
It corresponds to the Wind-Blessed of the Storm Pathway, Sequence 6, possessing abilities such as creating "Wind Blades," controlling gales for gliding, levitation, and flight, and water manipulation. It has good Beyonder abilities in both the wind and water domains.
The negative effects are: it makes the wielder prone to being struck by lightning, easily attacked by Monsters in deep sea or at night, and causes the wielder to enter an irritable and angry state, which accumulates over time. If this emotion cannot be released in time, it may lead to loss of control.
The Beyonder abilities it possesses are not strong for a demigod, and it has many negative effects. However, for a demigod of the Black Emperor Pathway, it is just right. He can distort the impact of the negative effects on himself, minimizing them, or he can "gift" it to an enemy. Moreover, "magnified" Wind Blades can easily achieve demigod-level lethality.
Since he hadn't prepared enough small iron boxes in advance, he simply put the glove into his coat pocket, relying on his rational state to suppress the influence of irritation and anger.
Then he turned his gaze to the three pirates lying on the reef not far away. Afflicted by disease, they could not hold on even before the Prophet Clone made a move, and points of light blue and crimson light began to precipitate from their bodies.
After a brief stay, he collected the precipitated characteristics and the sealed spirits, simulated and created a Travelers door, and then left this sea area.
Deprived of the Concealment, "Sea King" Jahn Kottman's "scan" of the entire sea quickly discovered this place.
A short while later, he rode the strong winds and arrived here.
His gaze was cold, full of anger, as he looked around and muttered softly:
"The person who took the Kalvetua characteristic is still lingering in the Rorsted Archipelago."
Above the Gray Fog, Leyton nodded to Klein, then turned his gaze to the table in front of him.
In addition to the crystal ball he had previously given to the Prophet Clone, there was now another item there:
A strange crown formed by irregularly clustered pieces of black crystals interspersed with dark red, with a dark red eye in the center.
It carried a peculiar sense of majesty and evil. The dark red on the black crystals intertwined into a strange pattern, seemingly following normal rules, yet full of incongruous meaning, as if a large amount of madness and chaos lay hidden within.
His gaze suddenly deepened as he examined the strange crown before him for a long time, until he saw all the details, then slowly retracted his gaze.
While he was in a thoughtful state, Klein spoke first:
"Are you planning to take this characteristic to the Forsaken Land of the Gods? Why? There shouldn't be a shortage of Monsters and characteristics there, right?"
"I keep encountering Amon recently. I need this ability to distort and exploit rules, at least to some extent to counter his 'Deceit.'"
Leyton tilted his head slightly, leaning against the back of the chair, his voice not very confident as he said this.
Klein was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"What if he directly steals this characteristic, or the Mystical Items on you?"
"...You should wish me well, you know."
Klein awkwardly changed the subject: "I have already channeled the spirits of those pirates and that demigod on the Single-Eyed Skull."
He paused, organizing his words slightly, then continued:
"That demigod was a Vice Admiral in the Loen Kingdom's military, named Charles. He represented a certain faction of the royal family and the military, cooperating with the Demoness Sect to collect and sell people at sea. He was responsible for the security of the pirate ships transporting people at sea, and when necessary, he was also responsible for eliminating witnesses and erasing the royal family's traces."
"He himself is a Sequence 4 Earl of the Fallen of the Black Emperor Pathway, but I remember that the Loen military only possesses part of the Pathway's formulas, which do not include Sequence 4 and above."
"Unless Solomon, the Trunsoest family, or the King of the Five Seas Nast were also involved."
As he spoke, he cast an inquiring gaze at Leyton.
Leyton leaned against the back of the chair, idly playing with the Earl of the Fallen characteristic, and said:
"The King of the Five Seas Nast is also a descendant of the Solomon family, but he shouldn't be involved in human trafficking. There's no benefit for him, and as a Pirate King, he doesn't lack that bit of money."
"Moreover, his current focus should be on perfecting the ritual he needs to advance to Sequence 2, and finding the corresponding Beyonder ingredients."
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