On the second day after arriving at Port Enmat, the Nighthawks from Tingen City finally met the local captain, Edward Crawford.
"Welcome to Port Enmat."
He had thick brown hair and decent features, though his somewhat high cheekbones and narrow eyes made him look rather mean-spirited.
"I'm the local Nighthawk captain, Sequence 6 'Soul Assurer,' Edward Crawford."
One sequence higher than the captain.
Silas thought to himself. Port Enmat was more prosperous, with a large and complex urban area.
It indeed required more Nighthawks and higher-sequence Beyonders stationed here.
That said, this was the first time he'd learned the name of Sequence 6 of the Sleepless pathway. Soul Assurer… it sounded like it was related to wraiths.
After he finished speaking, the group from Tingen began their self-introductions:
"Leonard Mitchell, Sequence 8 'Midnight Poet.'"
"Klein Moretti, Sequence 9 'Seer.'"
"Silas Londor, Sequence 9 'Secrets Suppliant.'"
As soon as Silas finished speaking, the atmosphere changed. The Nighthawks standing behind Edward's expressions shifted slightly. They turned their bodies, exchanging glances with each other, looking both surprised and uneasy.
The corners of Edward's mouth twitched up almost imperceptibly.
"I heard before that Dunn made a very risky decision, allowing a Beyonder from a dangerous pathway to join his team.
I never thought it would actually be true. His bravery is admirable."
His implication was that Dunn was reckless and foolish for letting someone like Silas infiltrate the Nighthawk ranks.
"I'm very grateful for the help Captain Dunn has provided me.
His generosity and kindness are truly admirable," Silas heard the undertone in the other's words and returned the favor without courtesy. "Wouldn't you say so, Ms. Daly?"
Hearing him say this, Daly, who was standing behind them, seemed to want to laugh. Her eyes curved slightly before she held it back.
Edward's face turned cold at being countered this way.
He was a Sequence 6 powerhouse, yet he was being challenged like this by a low-level Beyonder.
His expression showed considerable displeasure.
"Furthermore, this deployment was arranged by His Excellency Cesimir from the Holy Cathedral. If you have any objections, you can send a telegram to inquire."
But Silas didn't give him another chance to speak, continuing, "If you really don't need our help, I'd be happy to return early."
"This is an order from a Senior Deacon. You think I wanted to come clean up your mess? You don't want me here — fine. I don't like you either. So what if you're a Sequence 6? You're still nothing compared to the Senior Deacon."
The murmuring among the other Nighthawks grew louder, seemingly surprised by Silas's attitude.
Edward narrowed his eyes, fixing Silas with a cold stare. Then, after a pause, he smiled.
"Of course, I support Lord Cesimir's decision. Let's begin."
With that, he turned and led everyone toward the underground secret space.
Similar to the Blackthorn Security Company, the Port Enmat Fishing Club's confidential matters were also hidden underground.
Considering that the local Church of the Evernight Goddess was just across the street, the underground structure was probably basically the same.
Walking down the spiral staircase, the gas lamps on the walls dispelled the darkness. The sound of footsteps echoed chaotically between the stairs.
Silas's brow gradually furrowed.
The deeper they went, the thicker that depraved aura belonging to the True Creator became.
Even with the footsteps covering it, he could still hear faint murmuring. The surrounding Nighthawks, upon hearing this sound, began to look uncomfortable.
The murmuring gradually grew louder, like invisible tentacles coated with filthy slime surging into their ear canals, licking back and forth on their eardrums, polluting everyone's minds.
Leonard and Klein also showed obvious discomfort.
Reaching the bottom and walking along the central corridor to Chanis Gate, Silas saw the thing imprisoned before the door.
What should this thing be called?
Perhaps it had once been human, with a normal body and limbs. But now, its body had swollen to more than twice its size.
Its bright red flesh was bloated and twisted, with protruding fingers at the ends wriggling endlessly like some kind of flesh-colored earthworms.
Looking closely, remnants of cloth still clung to the monster's body.
What had been its face was now a blurred mass, leaving only a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, emitting twisted and incomprehensible sounds.
Silas heard the heavy breathing of his two companions beside him. Clearly, this twisted monster and the sounds it made were making his two colleagues uncomfortable.
The monster was imprisoned in a cage resembling a birdcage with bars.
The cage's surface carried an inexplicable majesty, suppressing the monster so it couldn't move, only emit terrifying sounds.
The two Nighthawks guarding either side of the cage were pale-faced, looking like they could barely hold on, persisting only through willpower.
"This is the only surviving crew member from that slave ship. Because he was controlled in time, he avoided being silenced."
Edward introduced it this way. "But because he's turned into this horrible state, we haven't been able to get any useful information from him. Besides him, we haven't obtained any other leads... because everything was handled very cleanly."
In other words, this monster was the only lead.
Silas understood the situation and nodded.
"Have you tried spirit channeling or divination?"
Klein spoke up to ask.
"Two of our brave support staff made attempts. Both suffered varying degrees of pollution and are still receiving treatment."
Spirit Medium Daly said from the side, her expression grave.
Pollution?
Klein couldn't help but draw a breath and didn't ask any more questions.
"Well then, Mr. Secrets Suppliant, do you have any solutions?"
After Edward finished introducing the situation, he turned to look at Silas, asking in a seemingly friendly manner.
"Can I get closer?"
Silas asked.
"Of course."
After receiving an affirmative answer, he approached the cage and circled the monster twice. He was so close to it that anyone else would probably have already succumbed to the murmuring's attack and fallen unconscious. But the illusory tidal waves in his mind blocked the influence for him.
The Nighthawks in the distance saw his calm demeanor and showed some surprise in their eyes.
After finishing his circuit around the cage and staring at the monster for a while, Silas looked up. "No problem. I can extract clues from him."
Hearing him say this, the crowd couldn't help but stir, but they quieted down again under Edward's glaring look.
"How will you do it?"
Edward asked Silas.
"Flesh and blood have been implanted inside his body, turning him into a bomb. I can use a ritual to extract this flesh and blood, then use its spirituality to track down its owner."
Silas said slowly. His mind's rich repository of rituals provided him with many options. He just picked the most useful one.
Then he saw Edward shake his head across from him, seemingly with regret.
"So you're saying you want to perform an evil god's depraved ritual in front of the Goddess's sacred Chanis Gate?"
"I'm very sorry, but if that's the case, allow me to refuse this ritual."