"King of the Black Throne?"
Silas repeated the Queen's words.
Sounds like another Pirate King...
Although he had occasionally heard about the Four Kings and Seven Admirals, he hadn't yet learned exactly who they all were.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Silas's expression changed slightly.
The moment he recited that name, the illusory tide of the sea automatically reacted, wrapping his consciousness in layers and thereby dispelling a hidden power. This power had infiltrated his consciousness, seemingly intending to subtly influence the depths of his spiritual world.
What the hell?
Silas thought to himself.
If the tide hadn't automatically activated and forced this power to reveal itself, he would never have detected it and would have been influenced without knowing!
"King of the Black Throne, Barros Hopkins."
The Queen looked at the old man in the wheelchair on the opposite ship with a serious yet contemptuous expression.
She continued explaining to Silas, "A guy who excels at concealment, who likes to hide in the shadows scheming with conspiracies and tricks."
"Well, you don't need to pay too much attention to him, and you wouldn't be able to pay attention to him...
This name carries a peculiar influence that makes people unconsciously overlook him."
Sounds very much like an ability from the Spectator pathway.
Silas thought with surprise.
He had a guess.
The power just expelled by the illusory tide was most likely this "King of the Black Throne's" special ability!
Thanks to the illusory tide, he shouldn't be affected and wouldn't overlook him afterward.
"Hehe, Your Majesty the Queen, compared to me, your actions this time seem more sneaky, don't they?"
On the opposing sailing ship, the old man sitting in the wheelchair remained calm.
He looked affable and ordinary, completely lacking the majesty and dominance of a sea king. He simply smiled at Bernadette.
"Taking advantage of my absence from the sea to steal my things away, it's truly lamentable..."
"That's not your thing!"
Bernadette said coldly. "It belonged to my father. You're the thief!"
Boom!
The aura of a Sequence 3 Saint erupted from her body.
The ocean paved with shattered gold seemed to pause for an instant because of this, then leaped violently!
"Ugh."
Silas's eyebrows jumped sharply as he felt invisible pressure, as if someone was tightly gripping his heart.
He finally understood what the Queen had been doing yesterday.
From the conversation between these two just now, it seemed she had exploited a gap while the King of the Black Throne was away to take something from him.
And this thing had originally belonged to her father, Roselle!
"Emperor Roselle was a great monarch, but unfortunately he has already passed away."
The "King of the Black Throne" Barros Hopkins on the opposite ship wasn't affected and smiled faintly.
"The things he possessed have scattered among the common people. I obtained them through legitimate means, not theft... So, could you please return it to me?"
"Dream on."
The Queen replied calmly but firmly.
"That's very unfortunate then."
Barros sighed.
The Queen looked at him calmly.
The next instant, transparent bubbles suddenly surged from all parts of the "Dawn."
These gorgeous bubbles reflected rainbow-colored light under the midday sun, like a beautiful and fleeting dream.
"Pop, pop."
Silas's vision was blocked by the endless bubbles before his eyes.
When all the bubbles burst, he discovered that the environment surrounding the "Dawn" had changed.
The nearby islands and ruins had all disappeared, replaced by several other ruins and islands in different positions.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that this sea area was still shrouded in scorching sunlight.
At this moment, the Dawn was approaching a nearby island. That island was hazy and indistinct, emanating an unsettling atmosphere.
"This is..."
Silas looked outside the ship in surprise.
It seemed the Queen had teleported both the ship and its passengers here.
Though he didn't know exactly where, it was likely still somewhere within the sea region of the Divine War ruins.
"Sorry, it looks like this exploration will have to end early."
Bernadette said, her expression somewhat grave. "I'll send you to a safe place, and we'll contact each other later."
She seemed unwilling to fight with the King of the Black Throne.
"Not going to fight him?"
Silas said.
That Pirate King should be at the same sequence as the Queen, with equal strength between them.
But if he could provide assistance, the scales of victory should tilt toward their side.
"No."
The Queen refused with simple words, not giving him much explanation.
Perhaps it's because the item she obtained must be properly secured before she can respond...
Silas thought.
Then, a massive shadow abruptly appeared in his field of vision.
It was a giant ship blocking the sunlight.
On the ship's deck, the old man in the wheelchair was smiling at them.
The King of the Black Throne!
He and his ship had once again, in an inexplicably strange manner, sailed before them!
"Swoosh!"
On the giant ship where "King of the Black Throne" Barros Hopkins was located, figures suddenly appeared on what had been an empty deck.
These people were in various states, old and young, men and women, from gentlemen to beggars, all kinds... Silas even spotted among them a waiter he'd seen at last night's restaurant!
Initially, these people looked confused and terrified, seeming completely unaware of why they had come here.
But as an invisible wave spread across the ship, the expressions on their faces changed.
As if awakened from a long dream, they took on the demeanor of pirates, looking savage and fierce.
Their attire also changed with the wave, transforming into sailors' garb!
"Prepare for battle."
"King of the Black Throne" Barros said.
"Yes!"
The pirates responded in unison, quickly running to various parts of the giant ship with practiced, swift movements, as if intimately familiar with this vessel.
The crew on this giant ship actually existed in this state!
The crew members took their positions, and the black giant ship moved accordingly.
Like a giant beast awakening from slumber, revealing sharp fangs, all the cannons uniformly aimed at the Dawn, while other crew members simply drew their weapons and ran to the ship's side, preparing for boarding combat!
"Your Majesty!"
Silas shouted.
From the looks of it, they couldn't escape and could only fight a battle here with this king among pirates!
"Hmph!"
Coldness flashed in the Queen's eyes.
Invisible servants manifested from her side and flew to various parts of the ship's cabin.
They too began operating the ship's cannons!
Not just servants, Bernadette also summoned her army.
It was a group of normal human-sized toy soldiers wearing bright red uniforms, with rifles in their hands aimed at the pirates on the opposite ship!
"Boom!"
The King of the Black Throne's flagship opened fire first, heavy cannonballs bombarding toward the Dawn!
"Clang!"
Although the two sides were very close, this cannonball didn't cause damage because the transparent barrier rising from the Dawn's surface blocked the attack.