"Damn it!"
Ken Angus immediately cried out, "Vincent, organize a team, prepare for rescue."
"Wait a moment."
Lex quickly called out, "Captain, please let me go. Let me return to Windmill Island alone."
"There are unknown dangers on that island, and based on my interactions with the islanders these past few days, their deity, 'Astucca,' seems capable of responding to believers and unleashing divine punishment."
"A girl even told me that when pirates tried to attack Windmill Island, they all ended up disappearing, just like the Sea Cow. I don't know what caused this, but if you go to the island, you might very well disappear inexplicably, just like the pirates of the Sea Cow."
"So, let me go back alone. If it's just me, the target won't be too obvious. Besides, only I know the address of the High Priest on the island."
"I will bring Quincy back, if he is still alive."
The Captain carefully sized up Lex, then nodded and said, "Alright, Quincy is in your hands. Also, take this."
He pulled out a small scale from his pocket. It was cast in gold, with delicate textures, like a work of art.
"This is the 'balance of justice,' a magical item. It can set a condition that both sides, enemy and ally, must abide by, otherwise they will be forcibly punished."
"For example, if the enemy is a Rose Bishop, you can set 'Prohibit Recovery'; if the enemy is a Traveler, you can set 'Prohibit Departure'; if the enemy is a Hypnotist, you can set 'Mental Stability'."
"In short, use it to set conditions, block the enemy's greatest advantage, and tip the balance of justice in your favor. Remember, setting conditions does not require speaking them aloud; a strong intention is enough."
"As for its negative effect, after battle, the balance of justice will set a weakness for the holder. If triggered, there's a high chance of losing control. But don't worry, when you return, I will have people use divination, rituals, and other methods to determine it."
"As long as this weakness is not triggered within 24 hours, it will disappear on its own once the time is up."
Lex listened carefully, not missing a single detail. After the Captain finished explaining, he genuinely believed this was a relatively powerful magical item. Its power wasn't so much in being able to set conditions favorable to oneself, but in not needing to be spoken aloud, only requiring a strong intention.
This way, the enemy would have no idea that restrictions would appear when fighting him. And once violated, they would be forcibly punished.
He just didn't know the intensity of the punishment.
"I understand, Captain." Lex took the 'balance of justice' and hid it securely.
Ken made another gesture, and soon, the Boatswain came over with a box of bullets. These silver-white bullets had mysterious, intricate patterns and strange symbols on their tips.
"Demon-hunting bullets. They have a certain lethality against monsters and specters."
Lex unceremoniously grabbed a handful from the box, first replacing the ordinary bullets in his 'Blood Praise', then grabbing two more handfuls of demon-hunting bullets and putting them in his pocket, intending not to return them even after this incident was over.
"You should take these too."
Natalie, dressed in a men's shirt and beige trousers, walked out. The Miss Apothecary handed Lex two small bottles, labeled red and green respectively.
"The bottle with the red label contains emergency medicine. As long as the person isn't dead, have him drink the medicine, and he can last at least 24 hours. The bottle with the green label is a powerful stimulant. If he is unconscious, you can use it to help Quincy quickly regain consciousness."
The Miss Apothecary is really a good helper. I wonder if there's a charge, but even if there is, it's not my business; the Captain will cover it.
Finally, Lex changed into the attire of a Windmill Island resident: a dark jacket with a greyish-white linen shirt, paired with loose but ankle-tied trousers, and bare feet.
Just like that, he returned to the small boat.
By the time he rowed the boat to the beach, night had already fallen, and the sea was illuminated by the rising red moon, reflecting a faint reddish glow.
Lex took out the 'Thousand-Faced Traveler' he had retrieved earlier from his embrace. He put it on his face, then mentally conjured a brand new image. This was a rather gaunt middle-aged man with a high forehead and a stubbled chin. His cheekbones were high, and his cheeks were sunken.
His skin was bronze and spotted with sunburn marks. He was shorter, at least a few inches shorter than Lex, and he had a brightly colored large bird tattoo on his chest…
A moment later, Lex opened his eyes. Without needing a mirror, he knew he had transformed into the image he desired.
An ordinary fisherman from Windmill Island. This image was a temporary identity he had fabricated by grasping the characteristics of the island residents through his interactions over the past few days.
With this face of an island resident, a shorter stature than 'Mr. Rayleigh', and bronze skin with sunburn marks, Lex stealthily approached Mrs. Hilda's garden villa.
A moment later, Lex could see the villa from behind a patch of bushes.
Only the outer corridor of the building had a wind lamp hanging, illuminating a small corner. The other areas were either plunged into darkness or bathed in the crimson moonlight.
Lex casually picked up a pebble, observed his surroundings, and flicked his wrist to throw it.
The pebble bounced and changed direction between several large trees, finally landing in the garden with a 'clack' sound. If someone were to judge his position solely by the trajectory of the pebble, they would certainly be misled.
Having used the tactic of 'throwing a stone to test the path', Lex patiently hid in the bushes, observing the villa.
Leanna had said yesterday that Mrs. Hilda had to leave in the afternoon. She needed to prepare for the 'Ritual' and would remain in the 'Sacred Mountain' until the ritual concluded.
Now it seemed that not only had Mrs. Hilda left, but even her maid was not in the villa.
Lex cautiously moved to the back of the villa wall, picked up another pebble, and used the same technique, but this time he made the pebble smash the kitchen window, creating a distinct, crisp sound.
If anyone were inside the house, they would definitely hear it and not miss it.
However, the villa remained silent.
"Well, if I had known this would happen, I should have brought the 'Seer coin' with me."
"Although divination cannot be fully trusted, it can at least give me a reference."
"Forget it, I can't rely too much on divination."
Lex quietly crept towards the villa wall. He didn't rashly climb over it. He carefully scaled the wall, meticulously checking his surroundings. He soon discovered an inconspicuous alarm mechanism. Lex smiled, maintained his balance as he walked along the top of the wall, and then leaped onto a banyan tree by the wall.
He was as light as a cat, using the branches of the banyan tree to cross the lawn below and land on the second-floor balcony.
Lex tried pushing the balcony door and found it wouldn't budge, but a window not far away was open.
A moment later, Lex climbed through that window into a storage room, which was filled with boxes and crates, especially crates, ranging from wicker baskets woven with tree vines to simple boxes pieced together from wooden planks. These crates were piled up haphazardly, some forming a small mountain, some even having fallen to the ground, spilling their contents.
Lex shrugged, having no choice but to tiptoe, stepping through the gaps between these assorted items. When he reached the doorway, he saw the floor covered with photos.
They were all 'photos of the deceased' like those hanging on the living room wall.
Lex didn't want to linger, but one of the photos caught his attention.
It was a man, unkempt, wearing a hat. Lying on the ground, he wore shorts, revealing two hairy legs.
On his face, like the other deceased, a coin was pressed over each eye.
He was the Ship's Officer, Noah!