Chapter 37: Clues
On a moonless night, pitch-black darkness shrouded the southern side of Ring Wasteland Island. The barren grassland was eerily silent.
A small thatched hut stood abruptly on the wasteland, with no farmland or even a path nearby. It looked as if it had been uninhabited for a long time.
Under the cover of night, the hut resembled a monster crouching in the wilderness, waiting for a lost traveler to arrive and swallow them whole.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang's low bark came through. It meant: 'The person in the hut is sleeping.'
With this information, Su Xiao stepped forward toward the hut. Just as he reached the door, he heard steady snoring from inside.
The door was pushed open, and the snoring abruptly stopped.
Su Xiao entered the hut, placing the oil lamp he carried on the ground. He saw a man in his forties, with a slightly dark complexion, lying on a pile of dry grass.
The middle-aged man's face was sallow, and his bare upper body was wrapped in tattered cloth strips. His body trembled slightly, and his condition was dire.
This man was the one Black Sea King had mentioned: Feld. He didn't have the demeanor of a fanatical cultist; instead, he was on the verge of death.
Lying on the dry grass, Feld's eyes had already grown dull, clearly not long for this world. His miserable state was due to being betrayed by other followers of the Ancient God.
The followers of the Ancient God usually kept a low profile, secretly recruiting believers. Feld, once a fisherman, had unwittingly been drawn into this crooked path. The hardships of struggling to survive quickly turned him into a fanatic.
Unfortunately, even as a fanatic, it couldn't solve his lack of talent in the mystical arts or his intellectual shortcomings.
In the port city of the 'Füding Kingdom,' Feld became a follower of the Ancient God. He then ignored all objections, gave up fishing, and devoted himself entirely to serving the deity.
This troubled the other followers at that stronghold. Feld ate more than anyone else but was clumsier than anyone at work. If he had continued fishing, he could have supplemented the stronghold's kitchen, but instead, he did nothing all day but pray and listen to the deity's will.
The local leader of that stronghold was at a loss. Kicking Feld out would be problematic—he was a fanatic, damn it, more devout than anyone else. Doing so might affect the new believers.
But keeping Feld around meant he contributed nothing except wasting food. The leader once suspected that Feld had only joined the faith to freeload and wait for death.
Unable to use force, the leader chose another path. Half a month ago, he contacted a group of pirates they had previously worked with. Then, with great solemnity, he told Feld to go to Ring Wasteland Island to establish a new stronghold, representing the deity to reform the pirates there, to stop their pillaging and join the faith instead.
Hearing this, Feld was delighted. He boarded a pirate ship and arrived at Ring Wasteland Island.
The result was predictable. On his very first day on the island, Feld was hit by a lead bullet that shattered part of his liver, nearly killing him. In panic, he fled to the southern part of the island and hid in this thatched hut to recover.
"You... finally... came."
Feld spoke weakly. Due to the dim light and the high fever caused by severe wound inflammation, he mistakenly thought Su Xiao was also a follower of the Ancient God.
Su Xiao was momentarily puzzled. He glanced at the bloodstained cloth strips on Feld and his trembling body, quickly deducing that the man was delirious with fever and had mistaken him for someone else.
"Feld, you've done well."
Though Su Xiao didn't know the full story, a compliment was always safe.
"Mm!"
Feld choked up a little. He had endured so much suffering, and now, receiving recognition, his face was filled with satisfaction and pride.
"Come back with me. You're too badly injured."
"No, I haven't completed the task entrusted to me by Lord Lingji. These pirates here still need me. The goodness in their hearts can surely be awakened."
"Have you received new guidance?"
"Guidance? Yes, guidance. The Twilight God is guiding me. The night will shelter me. I won't die, won't die."
Feld muttered to himself, unaware that he had just sold out the Ancient God he worshipped. Su Xiao had obtained crucial information: the Twilight God.
"Lingji asked me to tell you something."
Though Su Xiao didn't know what position 'Lingji' held, from Feld's earlier words, it was likely some kind of leader.
"What?"
Feld, dazed, was blank for a moment before pressing his index finger to his forehead.
"I'm ready."
Feld struggled to sit up.
"Lingji is in trouble. He only trusts you. You must return immediately."
"What happened to Lord Lingji!"
Feld was agitated, which nearly caused him to faint in his weakened state.
"He's dead."
"Impossible! Lord Lingji is a big shot in the 'Füding Kingdom.' How could he die? How..."
Hearing this, Su Xiao learned an important piece of information: the 'Füding Kingdom.'
Though Feld was not fully conscious, he instinctively concealed Lingji's true identity, only saying he was an important figure.
"It started over the ownership of a gold mine. The kingdom went to war with the Black Sea King three days ago. Lingji held a high position in 'Füding,' making him a primary assassination target for the pirates. He trusted you deeply, and the others in the 'Füding Kingdom' need you too. So you have to go back now."
"I... I..."
Feld, burning with fever, was both confused and flattered. For the first time, he felt so important.
"Take me back now. Take me to Siren Port. Right now."
"Alright."
Pfft.
A short blade formed of crystal slashed across Feld's throat. Su Xiao flicked his hand, and the crystal dagger embedded itself in the wall.
"Füding Kingdom, Siren Port, Lingji, Twilight God."
Su Xiao muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the hut. The moment he exited, flames began to spread, and soon, a raging fire consumed the thatched hut.
He was quite lucky. Feld's state had made it easy to extract information. Of course, even if Feld had been fully conscious, it would have only cost 1 durability point from the [Endless Darkness] collar.
Returning to the pirate gathering point on the eastern side of the island, Su Xiao knocked on the door of a weapons shop. The drowsy old pirate wasn't very enthusiastic. He woke up his neighbor as well, and after a brief three-way negotiation, the old pirate and the crippled neighbor bought the ghost ship for 170 gold coins.
The ghost ship was indeed heavily damaged, but the keel was intact. The price of 170 gold coins was relatively low, but considering this was just a small island, plus repair and transport costs, it was fair. If towed to a kingdom's port for sale, it might fetch around 300 gold coins.
Su Xiao now had a total of 206 gold coins. He spent 35 gold coins to get a sea chart from the cripple—a mediocre one, as sea charts in this world were expensive, since getting lost at sea was almost certain death. Then, he spent less than 1 gold coin to stock up on food, fresh water, and other supplies.
With everything prepared, Su Xiao returned to the Doom Number, set sail, and headed for the Füding Kingdom.