Conquest Sea, the route to Iweig.
On the vast sea, the huge cruise ship was completely stopped on the surface due to an explosion in the boiler room. The Shining Light pilgrimage fleet in the distance, upon seeing the signal flag requesting rescue from the cruise ship, immediately changed course and approached the distressed vessel.
"Captain, we are approaching the Shining White Pearl. The vessel has completely stopped, and it appears the power is severely damaged."
On the flagship of the escort fleet, the man dressed as a Vice Captain reported to the military officer Jode standing beside him after observing the condition of the Shining White Pearl in the distance. Jode, upon hearing this, carefully examined the situation of the distant cruise ship and then spoke.
"Hmm... According to the signal flag they just responded with, the accident over there must be quite serious, and it's starting to take on water. In that case, we must go all out to rescue them."
Jode said with a solemn expression. At sea, when a ship has an accident, vessels generally help each other. Moreover, they were a fleet heading to the Holy Mother's sacred land for pilgrimage. According to the Holy Mother's teachings, they were obligated to help in such a situation.
"A passenger ship of that size must have at least one or two thousand passengers. Our rescue must be timely and swift to save everyone before the ship completely sinks. Santos, relay the order: all ships in the fleet prepare for rescue operations, and all lifeboats are to be used. After approaching the distressed vessel, use the lifeboats to transport passengers in batches, distributing them among the various ships."
"Also, hang a signal flag to inform the other crew to gather the passengers on the deck in an orderly manner, set up gangways, and prepare for passenger transfer."
Jode said. As he was speaking, a loud explosion suddenly occurred again on the distant cruise ship. After hearing this explosion, Jode's brows furrowed, and he continued with a heavy tone.
"Another new explosion has been heard. It seems the accident over there is still worsening. We can't wait too long. Act quickly."
"Yes, Captain Jode!"
The Vice Captain said. Just as he was about to go down to relay the order, he suddenly seemed to remember something and continued speaking to Jode.
"By the way, Captain Jode, just in case, should we conduct Extraordinary detection on those passengers? If there are any heretical Extraordinary mixed in, bringing them into the fleet will become a hidden danger."
Listening to the Vice Captain's words, Jode pondered for a moment, then immediately
"Hmm... You have a point. It should indeed be checked. However, we cannot delay the rescue due to overly complicated inspection procedures. How about this... You arrange for people to conduct a preliminary Extraordinary detection on every passenger who boards our ships. Just take a quick look at everyone. Remember, saving lives is the priority now."
Jode instructed. Although the Shining Light fleet had enough "Lights", conducting Extraordinary detection on over two thousand passengers was still a considerable expenditure of Spirituality. If the level of inspection was too high, it might lead to a general lack of Spirituality throughout the entire fleet for a period, potentially putting them in a passive position if other crises arose.
Currently, it appears that the Shining White Pearl is experiencing a normal maritime accident, with no signs of Extraordinary intervention. Therefore, after careful consideration, Jode decided to only conduct a preliminary Spirituality detection on the entire ship, roughly to the extent of using detection and quickly glancing at everyone.
"Yes, Captain, I will arrange it immediately!"
Responding, the Vice Captain withdrew to execute the order, while Jode remained standing there, looking at the massive cruise ship that was getting closer in the distance.
...
At this moment, on the deck of the Shining White Pearl, Costa was standing by the railing, his eyes wide, staring at the Shining Light fleet approaching in the distance. Inside the cabin behind him, the bodies of Bins and the other two still lay there. Since seeing Bins dead, the furious anger in Costa's heart had intensified beyond measure.
"Damn Thief... Was all of this within your calculations? You really wanted to pretend to be a normal passenger and infiltrate the Shining Light fleet, didn't you?"
Muttering through gritted teeth, Costa stared at the distant fleet with hateful murmurs. The railing he was gripping was already bent and twisted. At this moment, he felt a deep despair in his heart.
Facing the Shining Light fleet, he dared not display even a hint of Extraordinary ability. Once detected by them, there would be only a dead end. He could not prevent the Shining Light fleet from coming here to rescue people and could only watch helplessly as that Thief, mixed in with the passengers, infiltrated the Shining Light fleet and completely escaped his control with the deep blue heart.
The Shining Light fleet was getting closer and closer. Reason told Costa that after formal contact with the Shining Light fleet, his situation would be very passive and dangerous. The best option now was to take all his subordinates and quietly jump into the sea to escape before the Shining Light fleet arrived, using the ability of the Wave Path to dive away from the Shining Light fleet, and then swim to the nearest shore after they left.
However... doing so would be equivalent to watching Thief K successfully escape with the deep blue heart. Once the other party returned to land on a Shining Light ship, he would never be able to find him. With the sacrifice ritual messed up and the deep blue heart lost, Costa dared not imagine what awaited him back at the Sea Abyss Church in this situation?
Currently, Costa had three choices: First, take his subordinates and jump into the sea to escape, return to the Sea Abyss Church on shore, accept punishment, and live a life worse than death from then on. Second, also take his subordinates and jump into the sea to escape, but immediately leave the Sea Abyss Church upon reaching shore, and live a miserable life from then on, pursued by both the black and white paths. Third, break the pot and smash it, immediately expose Extraordinary traces to the Shining Light fleet, causing the Shining Light fleet to conduct a deep detection of everyone on the entire ship, allowing the Shining Light Church to directly find that Thief K.
Among these, if the third point was handled well, he could even jump into the water to escape immediately after exposing the traces, and with luck, he might even escape the Shining Light's pursuit by relying on his advantage in the water. If successful, the Shining Light would inevitably conduct strict detection on all passengers, and that Thief K would most likely not be able to escape.
Thief K was very likely a member of the Eight Point Nest, and for the Shining Light Church, he was also an evil heretic. If caught by the Shining Light Church, he would not have a good outcome. Although the deep blue heart would end up in the hands of the Shining Light Church this way, that hateful Thief K would also pay a corresponding price! He might be tied up and burned by the Church!
'Huff... Huff... What should I do... What should I do now... The people from the Church are coming soon, what should I do now? Should I immediately jump into the water and escape quietly, and go back to accept punishment. Or should I jump into the water and escape... escape to a place where even Captain Sword Scale cannot find me, and live a life of constant fleeing to avoid divination. Or should I give that damn Thief a surprise before jumping into the water, letting him be caught by those Fanatics and suffer the consequences, and with luck, I might still be able to escape...'
At this moment, Costa's heart was filled with hatred for Thief K. He desperately wanted Thief K to be punished, desperately wanted him to pay the price, whether this punishment came from himself or the Church. If he was truly going to live a life of constant fleeing, why not let that damn Thief pay the price before escaping?
'Yes... That Thief... must be secretly gloating in some corner now, thinking I can't do anything to him. He must be full of hope, welcoming the Church's ship now. He must think I don't dare to risk exposing myself! Humph... You really underestimate me...'
'This Shining Light fleet only has two cruisers as large warships, which means there are at most a few Chalks on board, no Scarlets. If I focus on diving and escaping, with my stamina and ability, it's not impossible to escape right under their noses after causing Extraordinary signs... But that Thief is different... On this vast sea, under the full detection of so many Fanatics, he absolutely cannot escape!'
'I... even if I have to live a life of fear and fleeing from now on, I won't let you have it easy! Humph... You think I don't dare to reveal Extraordinary traces to attract the attention of the Light Worshipping Zealots? You're completely wrong! Even if I get caught by the Light Worshipping Zealots, I will make you pay for your arrogance! Besides, on this vast sea, if I use my ability and run, they might not even catch me!'
Gritting his teeth and staring at the distant fleet, Costa thought with a twisted expression. After being repeatedly toyed with by Thief K, his biggest wish at this moment was to make that Thief K pay the price no matter what. In his angry heart, the deep blue heart even gradually became less important. Because he understood that in this situation, the deep blue heart could not be recovered no matter what, it would either be taken away by the Thief or fall into the hands of the Shining Light Church. So, rather than letting that Thief continue to be arrogant, it would be better to give the deep blue heart to the Church, which could also punish the Thief.
With such a desperate thought, Costa, staring at the distant fleet, slowly raised his hand, preparing to openly use his ability in front of the countless eyes on the Shining Light fleet, attracting their attention.
Just as he was determined to activate his ability, Massimo's voice from behind interrupted him.
"Hey, Costa, come and look at this thing?"
"Tch... what's there to see now!" Hearing Massimo's words, Costa turned away angrily. Then, he saw Massimo squatting on the cabin floor, pointing at Bins's corpse beside him, specifically at the corpse's hand. There, a black button was placed, looking as if it had been torn from clothing.
"This, this is..."
Looking at the button before him, Costa's eyes widened, while the squatting Massimo spoke seriously.
"Earlier, I saw Bins's hand was tightly clenched, which seemed unusual, so I pried it open to look. It turned out he was clutching this button in his palm. Neither Bins nor the other two people had such buttons on their clothes, Costa... whose button do you think this is?"
With a hint of a sly smile, Massimo spoke to Costa. Hearing Massimo's words, Costa's gaze gradually straightened, his eyes fixed intently on the black button in the dead man's hand.
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"This is... something from that guy? Bins tore it off him just before he died?" Costa murmured to himself, then he also squatted in front of Bins and began to carefully examine the button.
"It seems Bins struggled a bit before he died, and he even managed to tear off this thing. He tried his best... but unfortunately, with just this button, we still can't do anything to him."
Looking at the scene before him, Costa murmured, while Massimo beside him spoke again.
"Can't do anything to him? That's not certain, Costa, you can smell this button."
"Smell it?"
Hearing Massimo's words, Costa picked up the button and brought it to his hand, sniffing it lightly with his nose. Then, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
"This is... a scent!"
"That's right... that's right... there's a scent on it, and it's not just Bins's scent, but that guy's scent is on it too! That guy's scent is left on it! We can find that guy through the scent!"
With an excited expression, Massimo said to Costa. Looking at the button in his hand, Costa frowned slightly, then spoke again.
"No... didn't you say before? That guy knows how to remove scent, so you didn't smell him when he stole the deep blue heart. Because of that, you couldn't use the Finding Breath Seal to track that guy afterward. Therefore, he should have strictly removed his scent when he made his move. How could there be a scent on this? Could it be that guy deliberately put it in Bins's hand after killing him? To divert our attention?"
"Uh... I'm also a bit strange about why there's a scent on this. But I can be sure that this button was definitely held by Bins himself before he died, not put in by someone else and held for him. Look at Bins's hand, it's covered in blood, especially the back of his hand is completely stained with blood. But there are no impressions of pressure left on these bloodstains, which proves that no one touched Bins's hand after he died! This button must have been held by him himself!"
Massimo said so confidently. Perhaps it was to block an attack, but there were two knife wounds on Bins's hand holding the button. The flowing blood had almost stained the hand red, and the bloodstains on it were still very wet. However, although there were some scuff marks on these wet bloodstains, there were no signs of being pressed by another hand. Therefore, it is unlikely that the button in his hand was artificially placed and pressed into his hand after death; it should have been held by Bins himself.
Although Massimo's thinking was a bit slow, as a jewelry collector, he still had observational skills.
"It wasn't put in afterwards? So, this is really that guy's button then? But why? Why would he, who knows how to remove scent... be so careless this time and not cover his scent when he made his move..."
Costa murmured with a frown, carefully examining the button in his hand. Beside them, a Sea Abyss Church sailor who had looked at the button couldn't help but whisper with a frown.
"That button... it doesn't seem like a button from an outer garment..."
"Not an outer garment, that's right!"
Hearing the words of the Church member beside him, Massimo immediately understood and spoke.
"That's right, judging by the style and size of this button, it doesn't seem to be from an outer garment. This kind is smaller, it seems to be a button from an inner vest! I know why there's a scent on it! Because it's a button from an inner garment."
"General scent removal methods only work on the outermost layer of the body, using various means to wrap a thin layer of Stone Wisdom Powder on the outer clothing and exposed skin, creating a protective layer that suppresses scent. And this button is from an inner garment, which is within the protective layer! Therefore, there is the scent of that Thief on it!"
Massimo spoke with complete understanding. Hearing Massimo's words, a look of realization flashed in Costa's eyes. He stared at the button in his hand, frozen in place. After being stunned for a while, a smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of his mouth, and then he even laughed out loud.
"Hehe... Haha... Hahahaha!! Truly blessed by the Divine Serpent!! There is always a way out! How can one always row a boat without getting wet! At this crucial moment, you finally made a mistake, Thief K!!"
"You did well, Bins!"
Standing up straight, Costa said directly to the fallen corpse of Bins beside him, laughing excitedly. At this moment, the previous gloom in his heart was swept away, replaced by incomparable exhilaration.
The reason was that, among the three desperate choices at this time, he unexpectedly discovered a fourth choice! A choice that would allow him to regain the deep blue heart and report back to the Sea Abyss Church.
The reason Costa and the others couldn't regain the deep blue heart was that they couldn't find where Thief K was hiding? Who among these more than two thousand passengers had he transformed into?
But now it was different. Because of a mistake, because of Bins's struggle before death, they had obtained Thief K's scent information! With scent information, they could use the Finding Breath Seal to find Thief K's location among these more than two thousand passengers!
The protective layer of Stone Wisdom Powder used for scent removal cannot be maintained on a person for a long time; it will gradually disintegrate with movement and sweating, and reapplying a layer is quite troublesome and requires a private space. If Thief K escaped to the Light's ship, it would be impossible to reapply the protective layer under the Light's nose. Therefore... the opponent's scent will definitely leak out.
And they have already obtained the opponent's scent information. At that time, they can use the Finding Breath Seal to lock onto the opponent!
After locking on, after everyone gets off the Light's ship together, they can follow him all the way and make their move after they are far away from the Light! While the opponent thinks he is safe and sound after going ashore, they will deal with him!
If this happens, the deep blue heart can be returned to their hands, and they can at least give a minimum account to the Church.
To achieve all this, now is not the time to actively expose themselves to the Light fleet. On the contrary, Costa needs to continue to pretend to be ordinary people with Massimo, get on the Light's ship with that guy, find him through his scent after going ashore, and deal with him!
Looking at the button in his hand, the smile on Costa's face was fierce. Facing three desperate options, he had obtained the fourth, most hopeful option. Seeing hope, he did not hesitate to embrace it.
At this moment, Costa had given up the idea of exposing his Extraordinary abilities to the Light fleet and going down with Thief K in a desperate gamble. He turned his head to look at the Sea Abyss Church members beside him and spoke.
"The Light's fleet is coming soon. All Church members except me and Massimo, immediately prepare to sneak away by diving. All the Finding Breath Seals on the ship are for you. Plan carefully to make sure you can reach land."
"Massimo, prepare some things. We are going to get on the Light's ship with that guy."
As he spoke, the smile on Costa's lips remained undiminished.
...
On the shining white pearl, due to the continuous explosions, the passengers on the ship were so frightened that they were at a loss in their cabins. The entire ship was filled with an atmosphere of panic.
In this panic, Dorothy was sitting quietly by the window in her cabin, sipping a cup of hot coffee while watching the Light fleet gradually approaching in the distance.
"Those who lose hope are easily driven to a dead end. Those who are driven to a dead end are easily out of control. Those who are out of control can cause the greatest destruction."
"I don't like dealing with people who are out of control, so sometimes, giving hope is necessary, even if it's hope for the enemy."
After taking a small sip of coffee, Dorothy murmured to herself, looking at her reflection in the window.
"It seems it's time to bid farewell to the shining white pearl."