Lex only glanced once before immediately flashing back behind the window. His expression remained unchanged, but a storm raged in his heart.
Something is wrong!
Windmill Island really has a problem!
What are those people doing, running out of their homes in the middle of the night without sleeping? They were even wearing pajamas!
Where are they going?
Are they still human?
Lex wondered if Barry's family was still in the hotel if he were to sneak down to the ground floor now. Or perhaps, they had already joined the 'parade' outside?
Ultimately, Lex chose to go to bed.
The spiritual fluctuations that melted into the darkness earlier concerned him greatly. Moreover, he had only come to the island to inquire about pirate news and 'interview' the local customs and traditions to understand the local beliefs.
There was no need to take risks.
Even so, Lex didn't dare to let himself fall asleep. He used meditation to both rest and stay awake.
It wasn't until dawn, when the morning light rose, that Lex slept for only two hours.
When he got up again, it was already 8 AM. Lex pulled back the curtains, heard the gulls crying from the Sea, and saw early-rising fishermen hoisting their sails to go out to Sea. The dock was a bustling scene.
Who would have thought that such a normal scene would transform into something else in the dead of night?
On the dark streets without lights, the residents of the small island left their warm beds in groups, walking through the night with stiff movements like Zombie, not knowing where they were going.
Lex shook his head, and after washing up, he went downstairs.
After breakfast, Lex went to the reception. Behind the counter, the hotel owner with gray hair and beard was looking at bills. Lex knocked on the counter, and Barry put down what he was holding and looked up.
"Mr. Barry, I need a guide to help me more accurately promote my wine to the restaurants on the island. Do you know where I can hire a guide?"
Lex smiled and took out a Loen Kingdom gold coin: "I hope you can introduce me to a good guide."
He placed the gold coin on the counter, thinking he would expense it to the captain when he returned.
"You are very generous." Barry stood up and took the gold coin. "In that case, I'd be happy to let Midiya take this job. She grew up on the island; you could say she knows every single stone on it."
"Midiya, Midiya!"
Barry called out a few times, and Midiya, still dressed as a boy today, came out. She was wearing a dark canvas jacket and a baseball cap, and she held a rag, seemingly helping out in the kitchen.
"Did you need me, Father?" Midiya glanced at Lex again. "Good morning, Mr. Rayleigh."
Barry said: "Don't work today. Be Mr. Rayleigh's guide. Go change your clothes and take Mr. Rayleigh around the island."
"Okay." Midiya seemed very willing; she responded happily and quickly walked back.
Lex sat on a nearby sofa, waiting for Midiya to arrive. Suddenly, his spiritual intuition was stirred, and then he heard an unreal knocking sound.
Knock, knock, knock—
The sound came from outside the hotel's main door.
Lex glanced at Barry at the reception, who had started looking at the bills again and was lamenting that a certain type of fish had become more expensive. So, Lex lowered his voice and nodded towards the door, softly calling: "Come in."
After getting permission, the headless messenger, still dressed as a butler, passed through the door and came to Lex's side.
He took a letter from his bolsa and placed it by Lex's hand. Lex was stunned, because it was the letter he had asked to be sent to Fors last night.
Before he could ask a question, he saw Mr. Butler take out a notebook and present one of its pages to Lex, which read: The recipient has moved.
After Lex finished reading, Mr. Butler closed the notebook, bowed, and retreated, exiting the hotel.
Miss Fors has moved?
Why did she move? Could it be to avoid me?
No.
There's no need for that. Could it be that those two Young Misses are in danger?
Wait a minute.
If the letter is returned, is the postage not refunded?
Thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps approached, and Midiya, who had changed into a long dress with a floral pattern, arrived. She also wore a straw hat with a bow tied on it with a silk ribbon.
The Miss, after changing clothes, was indeed a few shades brighter than before, looking very pleasing to the eye. So Lex temporarily put Fors's matter aside, asked Barry for a few bottles of wine he had stored there yesterday, and then left the restaurant with Midiya.
Midiya was a warm-hearted girl. She was very diligent, and in just one morning, she took Lex to several restaurants on the island. Lex's wine was almost all sold, with only one bottle remaining.
They had lunch at a restaurant near the Sea. In the afternoon, Midiya took Lex outside the town.
As they passed by the Sea, the Miss looked at the distant sails, her eyes swirling, lost in thought.
"Have you ever left Windmill Island?" Lex asked casually.
Midiya shook her head: "Since we were old enough to understand, we've been told not to leave Windmill Island."
"Why? Your parents don't allow it?" Lex thought, that's a bit too authoritarian.
"Not really."
Midiya looked around, and seeing no one, she lowered her voice and said: "It's because the great Astucca doesn't allow it. If any island resident leaves the island and doesn't return within seven days, they will die."
Lex was slightly startled, unable to believe it.
"Someone once left, but a week later, his body was floating on the nearby Sea. So, we have never left Windmill Island. Everything about the outside world we hear from outsiders like you."
"And even if we need to go out to Sea, we have to return within a week."
Is this a coincidence?
No, if their deity responds to believers, then it's normal to kill believers who dare to defy divine will. This is called divine punishment.
Lex thought of another thing: "I haven't seen any Soldiers or police on the island. What do you do if pirates come?"
Midiya laughed as if she had heard something incredible: "We are not afraid of pirates. We have never been attacked by pirates, because the great Astucca will protect us."
Your faith is very firm, Lex smiled, not quite believing it.
Seeing that Lex seemed unconvinced, Midiya said with a hint of pride: "It's true. There have been a few times when we discovered pirate ships approaching. Everyone was very worried and prepared to respond."
"But we soon found that those pirate ships just stayed on the Sea and didn't leave. So, some fishermen bravely boarded the ships to search, and found that there wasn't a single person on board."
"But in the warehouse, we found food, water, and wine, and sometimes even jewelry. After this happened a few times, we knew that the deity was protecting this island."
"Even if pirates try to attack us, they will disappear and then give us the things on their ships."
Lex was dumbfounded this time, thinking, could the pirate ship the captain was looking for have encountered such a situation?
At the same time.
On the Sea 20 nautical miles from Windmill Island, the Wavebreaker discovered a sailboat. It was quietly anchored on the Sea. On the main mast, a black flag fluttered in the wind.
On this black flag, a white skull with bull horns was drawn, which was the pirate ship Ken Angus was searching for: the Sea Cow.