Moncarlo, inside Jun Hai Fort.
Inside the grand audience hall, the old pirate, clad in a dignified navy uniform, sat upon his throne. His mouth was slightly agape, and his cloudy eyes were fixed on the object in his hand. What he held in his withered hand at this moment was a short braid, a dry braid intertwined with a dry, dead snake.
"I didn't expect... after a few hundred years, you still kept this thing ah..."
Looking at the object in his hand, Pirate Edward spoke slowly in an aged tone. Across from him, on the red carpet laid out in the audience hall, a figure responded to his words.
"Naturally. This thing was your symbol when you were Captain Bloodwave. The Church would naturally keep it."
The man named Tonic, wearing a cloak and with a bald head, looked at Edward on the throne and said indifferently. He seemed to have no reverence whatsoever for the ruler of Moncarlo before him, and Edward did not seem to blame Tonic for his rudeness, but continued to look at the braid in his hand and murmur.
"Captain Bloodwave... a truly nostalgic title. I haven't been out to sea myself for thirty years. I would have forgotten this title if you hadn't brought it up. The Church still specifically remembers it, how thoughtful ah..."
"Heh... how could we not be thoughtful? You were the one among the Captains who betrayed us back then who caused the greatest loss to the Church. Many people in the Church will remember you for a lifetime. If you don't die, they can't sleep well..." Staring at the old man on the throne, Tonic said seriously, while Edward put the braid in his hand aside and responded.
"Yes... I also remember, back when I first changed factions, the assassins and killers who came for me were endless. Fortunately, the Fanatics of the new faction valued me, otherwise I don't know how many times I would have died. Later, my territory grew, my foundation deepened, the Church weakened, and assassins posed no threat to me... Let me think... it's been almost a hundred years since I was last assassinated by Scarlet... Since then, I haven't encountered any impactful assassination attempts, the minor ones can all be handled by the juniors outside...
"So... did the Church send you to continue this game? After all this time, they still want to eliminate me, this great traitor?"
Silently watching Tonic below, Edward then slowly spoke, while Tonic spread his hands and shook his head in response.
"No, no, no, the Church lost interest in killing you a long time ago. Anyway, your time is running out. Even if we don't do anything, you'll be finished soon enough..." Tonic said this, his tone carrying a hint of obvious mockery towards Edward. Edward's gaze sharpened because of Tonic's words, and his expression became a bit gloomy. He gripped the armrest of the throne with his withered hand and said in a deep voice.
"So... the Church sent you just to humiliate this Old thing in my final days?"
"Of course not, respected Captain Edward. My purpose here is neither to kill nor to humiliate you. On the contrary, I am here to save you. The Church is prepared to show great mercy and save your pathetic, lingering life, putting aside past grievances..."
With a strange smile, Tonic spoke to the old man on the throne who was emitting a dangerous aura. Edward, after hearing Tonic's words, was slightly startled, and a hint of disbelief appeared in his eyes.
"You... what did you say?"
"Ah? Are your old ears too deaf to hear clearly? Then I'll say it again, I am here on behalf of the Church to extend your pathetic life, using the Water of Youth that can reverse aging and restore vitality..." Tonic continued to smile and speak to Edward. When Edward heard the term Water of Youth, his eyes widened, and he even trembling stood up directly from his seat.
"Water of Youth... Water of Youth! The Gift of Abundance... Water of Life! You've found it? You've occupied it?" Edward said excitedly and trembling, with a tone of disbelief, while Tonic spoke as if it were nothing.
"What do you mean 'occupied it'... That was originally the Church's property; it's just being returned to its rightful owner now. Old thing, let's not beat around the bush. I'll tell you directly that the Church has prepared a bottle of Water of Youth for you, enough to extend your pathetic life for another fifty years. As long as you are willing to repent and re-enter the immersion ceremony of the Lord of the Abyss, then this bottle of spring water will be yours..."
Tonic said this to Edward. Hearing Tonic's words, Edward, who had been showing excitement and even some loss of composure, suddenly paused and calmed down again. Beneath his frozen expression, he seemed to be silently pondering something. After a moment, Edward looked at Tonic again and spoke silently.
"Returning to the Church... and gaining another fifty years of life... At first glance, this seems like a worthwhile deal for me... But in fact, the price I pay is much greater. If I publicly declare my return to Ebergrass... Moncarlo, which I have managed for many years, will disappear in the holy war bombardment of Holy Mountain.
"I think, for the Church, what they want is not just a not-so-useful Scarlet combatant like me, right? The entire Moncarlo and my special status in the current Hidden Realm and Mortal Realm are also very valuable, aren't they? If the Church wants me to abandon everything and publicly return, then is fifty years a bit too little of a bargaining chip?"
Edward said this slowly, and Tonic did not deny his response.
"That's right. The resources you control with your current status would indeed be a waste to simply discard. Therefore, the Church will not require you to publicly announce your return to the Church. Your return will be carried out in secret. You will continue to rule Moncarlo under your current identity and work for the Church in the shadows."
"Oh... As expected, the Church is still thoughtful..."
Listening to Tonic's words, Edward couldn't help but nod thoughtfully in response. A hint of cunning appeared in his originally solemn eyes.
"Alright, I agree to this proposal. I will secretly return to the Church. As long as the Water of Youth is in place, I will secretly serve the Lord of the Abyss in the Shadow... So now, where is the item?"
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Edward looked at Tonic in front of him and spoke, while Tonic sneered and spoke.
"Hmph, the item isn't that easy to just give to you... Old Fox, don't think the Church has forgotten your two-faced nature. If I were to hand the spring water directly to you, you would likely immediately embezzle it, then turn around and tie me up to hand over to the Church, showing loyalty and claiming credit."
"How could that be? I am a man of great credibility! As long as you give me the spring water, I guarantee you can return safely, and I will also fully serve the Church in the shadows in the future..."
"Your credibility is bullshit! Edward, even if you let me go back, you won't be truly loyal to the Church. Instead, you will continue to maneuver between the Church and Holy Mountain, trying to please both sides and profit from both, giving us all sorts of perfunctory responses. When it comes to making a final decision, you will definitely choose Holy Mountain over the Church!"
Without hesitation, Tonic immediately exposed Edward's calculations, causing Edward's expression, which had seemed much milder, to sink. Then he spoke with a hint of severity in his voice.
"So, what exactly do you want?"
"What do we want? It's simple. You can have the Water of Youth, but you must also provide a pledge, a pledge proving your genuine return to the Church. As long as you provide it, the Water of Youth will be delivered to your hands immediately."
Spreading his hands again, Tonic spoke directly to Edward, while Edward frowned slightly and spoke.
"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
"You should know, that Sister from the Holy Mountain Church who's been making waves recently, she's now been appointed as a Saint Relic Patrol Officer, and she's chosen your side as the first stop on her pilgrimage..."
"Sister? Are you referring to Vanya Chafiren? The benefactor of Adus and Natsuki, the treasure of the Redemption Faction now? You want me to make a move on her? That's no different from openly declaring war on the Church." With a solemn tone, Edward said to Tonic, who immediately shook his head and spoke.
"We don't intend for you to do anything openly to that Sister. What we need is for you to take advantage of her coming to your sister's side to subtly influence her, to put it directly, to corrupt her without her noticing. We will give you some medicine and gifts. When you meet that Sister, find a way to mix them into her food and have her take them, and then give her that gift."
"These things... are a seed to lure that Sister into corruption. As long as she accepts these seeds, we can use it as an opportunity to gradually begin our corruption plan. This process of corruption will be long. It will take a long time for Vanya to go from accepting this seed to finally becoming one of us. Even if she is eventually corrupted and the Church discovers something abnormal, that will be a long time from now. During this time, that patrolling Sister will have traveled to who knows how many places and experienced who knows how many things. No one will know where she encountered this initial corruption... This won't threaten Captain..."
With a slight smile, Tonic said to Edward. His plan actually had an implicit point: to give Edward a handle held by their side. Once he had a handle, Edward would not be able to casually jump back and forth in future collaborations. With concerns, Edward would be more easily controlled by the Sea Abyss Church.
After listening to Tonic's proposal, Edward instantly understood the other party's intentions. Therefore, he did not immediately respond but thought in silence, beginning to ponder deeply. Seeing Edward like this, Tonic was not in a hurry but just stood below and waited.
Finally... after thinking for a while, Edward slowly focused his gaze, staring at Tonic and speaking again.
"I cannot make a decision now. Let me consider it for a few days first."
"Alright, then you consider it carefully. You have time to consider until that one leaves Moncarlo. I will patiently wait for your reply here... Captain Bloodwave..."
Tonic said this, then after bowing to Edward, he slowly withdrew.
...
Several days later, still at Jun Hai Fort in Moncarlo, in Edward's audience hall, Tonic still stood on the red carpet in the hall, in his original position, raising his head to look at the Old thing sitting on the throne, speaking unhurriedly.
"Have you considered it carefully? Captain, it's been seven days... You've been bargaining with me every day, but I can still tell Captain now that our request remains the same: to plant the seed of corruption in that benevolent Sister... Otherwise, the Fountain of Youth is out of the question!"
Tonic said loudly to Edward, but Edward did not directly respond to Tonic's words but sat on his throne, silently gazing at him.
"Now that Sister has arrived on Captain's territory... What are you still hesitating about? Let me think... Captain wouldn't think that Sister came to Moncarlo... with some secret mission from Holy Mountain, would Captain? For example, Captain thinks she brought something to extend Captain's life, and with Holy Mountain coming to save Captain, Captain wouldn't have to be threatened by me anymore..."
"I saw Captain's son when I came... Captain must have specifically sent him to accompany that Sister, right? So, did that Sister reveal any secrets to Captains? Or did she discover that the Divine Cult and Captain are secretly in contact? Or do they have some way to mercifully extend Captain's life... so they sent that Sister to bring it?"
Seeing that Edward did not respond, Tonic continued to speak in a high-profile manner with an unchanged tone. Listening to Tonic's words, Edward's mouth twitched slightly, then he lowered his eyebrows, looked at Tonic, and simply spoke.
"No... That Sister coming here didn't mention anything related to me... She is simply here for her pilgrimage..."
Edward said in a deep voice. Listening to his words, Tonic was slightly startled, then immediately laughed and spoke.
"Haha! As expected, Captain has been abandoned by them! Edward, Captain is an unstable factor that is difficult for them to control. They have long been displeased with Captain. It's entirely because Captain's contributions from defecting back then were too great, making it difficult to touch Captain. Now that Captain is finally about to die, they can't wait for Captain to die faster. How could they possibly send someone to extend Captain's life? When Captain dies, Captain's useless children won't have Captain's strength. Moncarlo will just obediently become a puppet of Holy Mountain or those Continental Royal Families!"
Tonic spoke in a high-profile manner. His words were very unpleasant for Edward to hear, but they were all facts. Therefore, although Edward's face became increasingly ugly, he did not retort a single word.
"Accept your fate! Now, if Captain wants to live, Captain can only beg the Divine Cult! Return to the embrace of the Lord of the Abyss, and Captain will be able to walk with Him again, until Captain witnesses us raising the tsunami of revenge against Holy Mountain once more! The greatest cult is now gradually approaching under the highest inspiration, and the reunion of the Lord of the Abyss and His brothers is just around the corner. Captain needs to choose Captain's position well in the coming epochal tide..."
Tonic continued speaking to Edward, his tone carrying an unconcealable madness. Looking at Tonic in front of him, the long-silent Edward slightly exhaled a breath, then slowly spoke.
"I accept the Divine Cult's conditions, to help Captain bury the seed of corruption in that benevolent Sister. Then... where is the Fountain of Youth now?"
When the continuation of his life was held in the other party's hands, Edward had no room for bargaining. He was forced to accept Tonic's proposal. Upon hearing Edward's surrender, the smile that appeared on Tonic's lips was even more sinister.
"Hehe... The Fountain of Youth is certainly not on me right now, but on Lord Sword Scale. He is also in Moncarlo at the moment, and only I can contact him through a special method."
"Since Captain has already agreed to our conditions, Captain needs to execute them. After the execution is complete, Lord Sword Scale will find an opportunity to verify Captain's results."
"How will he verify it?"
"Captain doesn't need to worry about the specific method of verification. Captain just needs to invite her to attend the auction three days from now after completing what Captain needs to do. That is the largest gathering of upper-class figures in Moncarlo recently. Lord Sword Scale will also secretly attend at that time and contact the Sister in his own way to verify Captain's results. After the verification is correct, he will hand the item to Captain in a way that will absolutely not arouse suspicion from others..."
Tonic responded to Edward with a smile, while Edward rubbed his temples, not knowing what he was thinking about.
And on the other side of the hall, a pure white Little Fox was sitting there at this moment, watching everything that had just happened in the hall from beginning to end, with unconcealable surprise appearing in her eyes.
And in the real world, Dorothy sat on the sofa in her room, recalling the dream scene she had seen through the Little Fox's senses, and couldn't help but murmur with a furrowed brow.
"Is it also the auction... three days from now?"