Facing Trollope's plea for help, Lex quickly made a decision: "Sir, please seek assistance from the relevant Navy personnel. I will immediately rush to Devil's Throat to investigate, but as you know, it's guarded by the Navy, so I'll first go to the Storm Church to see if they can offer any help."
"At least, to prove I'm not a suspicious person."
Dalena excitedly cried out, "Will Harry be on that ship? If so, I want to go too!"
"No, Madam. There might be danger there. Your staying here is the greatest help to us." After rephrasing 'burden,' Lex didn't linger and left the writer's house.
He easily hailed a taxi carriage on the bustling street, telling the driver to head straight for the Storm Church. He, himself, carefully concealed his staff of resentment and covered it with his cloak.
Upon arriving at the church, Lex rushed in and grabbed a random priest in the prayer hall: "I need to see Your Excellency Duvale. Something has happened at Trollope's house."
The priest immediately led Lex to the bishop's room. Seeing the tall Duvale, Lex briefly explained the situation and said, "Your Excellency, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Although he had promised Trollope he would go to Devil's Throat first, he was, after all, an 'employee' of the Storm Church now, so it was more appropriate to consult his 'boss' before taking any action.
Duvale's eyes flashed with approval, and he nodded forcefully: "You've handled this very well, Mr. Rayleigh. You're very different from the hunters I know, and I truly appreciate your style of handling things."
"Just as you told Trollope, you go to Devil's Throat first. I'll prepare a bit and then follow."
"Before I arrive, if there's anything unusual with the black star, please do your best to stall."
Lex nodded without hesitation: "Alright, but what about the Royal Navy…?"
Duvale chuckled: "At this time, you can show them our storm emblem. And, if you need to, you can use force. As long as you don't kill anyone, I can explain and resolve everything afterward."
Lex happened to have the storm emblem with him. Hearing this, he immediately put it on a prominent spot: "Then I'm off."
He left the church and had the driver take him to Devil's Throat. In the lantern light, the driver's expression was a bit surprised, but seeing Lex emerge from the Storm Church, he said nothing and focused on his work.
Soon, they arrived at the parking platform. Lex paid the full fare and rushed down the cantilevered stairs without looking back, passed the rocky beach, and entered the cave. A moment later, Lex had already reached the large lake deep inside the cave and saw the Shining Black Star still moored on the lake.
The cave was very quiet. The Navy had placed two braziers on nearby rocks, with flames burning and rising within them. They illuminated the left side of the black star, while the right side of the ship bordered the darkness, making it impossible to see what was happening there.
But.
The cave was terrifyingly quiet!
The Royal Navy was guarding the black star here; there was no reason for it to be so quiet. Thinking of this, Lex, at the entrance of the great lake, quietly took out Blood Praise.
If a fight was necessary, he would only show the power of a normal Sequence 7, without using other magical items or over-the-top powers like 'Plasma Jet.' Tonight, I'm just an extra… After setting his limits, Lex cautiously walked towards the ship.
To prevent being ambushed by undead, Lex activated his Spiritual Vision. After walking for a while, a figure suddenly appeared in his eyes.
A Navy Soldier lay on the ground. He seemed to have heard footsteps and struggled to lift his head, extending a hand towards Lex: "Save me…"
Before he finished speaking, his face was stained with an inky blackness. This strange black quickly spread over his clothes, his arms, and his fingertips.
The Soldier, now completely black, had wood-like textures appearing on his body and clothes, giving him a heavy, hard feeling, like a wooden sculpture.
Lex calmly watched all of this, then stopped all movement and retreated.
He wasn't going to go any deeper.
Something he couldn't understand was happening here.
He believed that the Navy officers and other Soldiers he saw during the day had met the same fate as this gentleman before him.
They had turned into wooden sculptures.
Lex didn't want to become a wooden sculpture for display, so he chose to retreat and would leave everything here for Bishop Duvale to handle once he arrived.
But at this moment, the black star, which had previously been half-immersed in darkness, now began to glow faintly. These faint lights floated around the hull, outlining its shape and illuminating the darkness on one side of the great lake to a limited extent.
Suddenly, strange green lights lit up on the deck. More and more of these lights appeared, and then they transformed into nearly transparent 'people.' These green-glowing 'people' on the deck moved busily, like Sailors preparing for departure…
A thought suddenly occurred to Lex: The black star is leaving!
But.
How could it leave?
It wasn't a spirit body, but a real ship. It couldn't just pass through the mountain to leave, could it?
It was precisely at this moment, right on the deck, that Lex saw a figure run past.
Harry!
That little boy!
He scampered around the deck like a puppy, using both his hands and feet, sometimes climbing the mast, sometimes leaning over the ship's rail, his expression excited.
Lex suddenly understood why the black star was leaving: because Mania had found her 'child,' and she was returning to Intis!
It cannot be allowed to leave!
Lex gritted his teeth, preparing to take a gamble. Not entirely for Harry's sake; a large part of Lex's motivation was for the so-called 'secret treasure.'
He wanted to know what that thing was.
"Madam Mania, that is not your child."
Lex shouted, his voice echoing through the cave, but the 'people' on the deck showed no sign of stopping. They continued to busy themselves, and Lex saw the black star's anchor being raised. As the chain was reeled in, the heavy black anchor rose from the lake water.
"Mania Beth, how old are you, still so naive? You can't possibly think that by bringing a child back, that person will marry you, can you?"
"Your love was destined to be fruitless from the very beginning!"
Lex's voice rang out again. This time, the 'people' on the deck stopped. Whatever they were doing before, at this moment, they all ceased their movements.
They turned around and silently looked at Lex, shadowy figures, dozens of numb, empty eyes, all fixed on Lex.
Then, on the black star's bride figurehead, those eyes suddenly flipped open….