After passing through the noisy lobby, Lex arrived at his room, lit the gas lamp, and took out two beyonder characteristics from his pocket. One was contributed by the captain with the silver-white iron hook, and the other belonged to the first mate who had been possessed by him and committed suicide by shooting himself.
Lex summoned the 'spirit world treasure chest' and directly threw these two characteristics into it, having no urge to appraise them.
After all, the previous captain himself had said that their strength was on par with Quint's, and Quint was even more skilled in combat than the iron hook captain. It was likely that these two characteristics were only Sequence 7 or Sequence 8.
Adding the two beyonder characteristics he had obtained on the 'Blood Shark' before, there were quite a few characteristics in the treasure chest now.
"I wonder if I can sell some at the Tarot Club. They're no use just sitting with me. Or I could go to Bayam and find a Beyonder gathering to fence them."
Lex lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling and muttering to himself: "I've already informed the Storm Church of the Blood Admiral's plan. By then, Bayam is sure to be lively."
"The livelier, the better. That way, I can fish in troubled waters and successfully board the 'Golden Dream'."
"The Blood Shark earned me 2,660 pounds. I wonder how much this pirate operation will earn. The Storm Church shouldn't just give me 70% of the bounty, right? A major church shouldn't be so stingy. Let me calculate, once the 'Three Brothers Pirate Group' bounty is also issued, just these pirates alone will have earned me six or seven thousand pounds."
"No wonder everyone comes to the Sea to adventure. Those pirates are practically walking gold coins."
"I still have some money in my anonymous account. When the steel mill shares in Backlund are cashed out, I should be able to earn another ten to twenty thousand. This way, my assets will be close to 30,000 pounds."
Lex shook his head: "30,000 pounds seems like a lot, but it's still far from the goal of purchasing land and buying a noble title from the Kingdom."
"Hmm, once I have more than 20,000 pounds in savings, I'll take a trip to Backlund and see if Lynn has any other profitable projects."
Turning over, Lex fell asleep.
The next day at breakfast, just as Lex had finished washing up and changing, there was a knock at the door.
He distinguished the sound slightly, realizing it wasn't the kind of knock made by a headless messenger, and calmly said: "Come in."
The door opened, and Uchidi, looking rather shrewd, walked in: "Good morning, esteemed Mr. Rayleigh, would you like to visit the 'black star' this morning?"
"Yes, but that will be after breakfast." Lex picked up the 'staff of resentment' and used the white skull at the end of the staff to tap the brim of his hat.
Uchidi glanced at the skull on the staff with some apprehension, then smiled: "Then, would you like me to recommend some restaurants?"
"That's exactly what I was going to say." Lex smiled.
After breakfast, Uchidi hired a carriage, taking him and Lex to the 'Devil's Throat' cave. Along the way, Uchidi dutifully gave Lex a brief introduction to the cave.
"This cave is located at the southeast corner of our Sea Island, a certain distance from here. It's a completely natural cave. My grandmother said that when she was a little girl, this cave didn't exist yet."
"But one night, a terrifying sound came from the southeast corner of the Sea Island, like someone was pounding something under the Sea, or like a giant Sea monster was crashing into that corner."
"She very seriously told me that at that time, she saw all sorts of strange lights appear in the sky above the southeast corner, and huge lightning bolts crackled down. This abnormal phenomenon lasted for a very long time, and even after she couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep, those phenomena hadn't stopped."
Uchidi described vividly: "When people woke up the next day and went to check, they found a cave had appeared on the originally steep cliff face. That's the 'Devil's Throat' we're going to now."
It sounded like an incredible folk legend, but this was a world of mysteries. So, it might have actually happened, perhaps the result of some mysterious forces converging here.
Lex viewed Uchidi's 'story' from the perspective of a Beyonder.
Then he said: "Can you tell me about your beliefs? I've been to many places, and different beliefs mean different things to pay attention to. To avoid unpleasant incidents, I hope to understand the beliefs of Skye Island."
"There's a Storm Church here, so you must believe in the Lord of Storms, right?"
Uchidi laughed: "Not really. Although the Lord of Storms' priests often preach to us, we have our own beliefs. We believe in the Guardian of the mountains and forests, the God of the Sky, the great 'Astucca'."
"We believe that the divine protects Skye Island and protects us, which is why our Sea Island can be as prosperous as it is now."
It was the same belief as Windmill Island!
Lex couldn't help but become vigilant: "What kind of things do you need to pay attention to, for example, not going out at night?"
Uchidi said in confusion: "Why can't you go out at night? We have a proverb here: true life begins after the sun sets."
"At night, every bar on Longshore Street is packed with people. If you get drunk, you can lie down anywhere without worrying about danger, because every night, we have dedicated personnel walking the streets, stopping criminal incidents and providing security. This is how we attract more tourists to the island."
So, last night I did hear that the streets were very noisy, even in the early hours of the morning.
Lex secretly shook his head. In this environment, if there were any abnormalities among the island residents, they should have been discovered very early on.
Moreover, there was also the Storm Church on the island. So, this Sea Island only shared the same beliefs as Windmill Island, but didn't have those strange phenomena found on Windmill Island?
Lex thought for a moment and said: "Do you have a High Priest?"
Uchidi shook his head without hesitation: "We haven't held a sacrifice for a very long time. Only on March 6th each year, every household prepares some flowers and takes them up the mountain to offer to the Guardian of the mountains and forests."
"Then, sixteen newly adult young men and women offer the 'Dance of Wind' to the great 'Astucca'. All of this is presided over by our beloved Elder Akalin, but he is not a High Priest. He even serves as a secretary in the Sea Defense Department and receives a salary from the Loen Kingdom."
It seems I was overthinking. This Sea Island is much more normal than Windmill Island. As he thought this, Lex saw a platform appear outside the window, where two carriages were already parked.
The carriage they were in also arrived at the platform and stopped. Uchidi stood up and said: "We're here, Mr. Rayleigh. From here, we must walk to the 'Devil's Throat'. Although we've taken all safety precautions, I still need to remind you to be careful along the way."
Lex pushed open the door and heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore reefs. Then he saw that right at the edge of the platform, there was a stone staircase descending. One side leaned against the mountain wall, while the other faced the Void.