Chapter 32: The Selfless Caesar?
The setting sun hung at the edge of the sky, painting a peaceful little town in gold. The hour and minute hands on the clock tower stood perpendicular, the time fixed at six in the evening.
Dong~, dong~
The chime echoed into a church. The long pews inside were all empty, except for a nun kneeling beneath a cross, her hands clasped with fingers intertwined.
On the back of this nun's right hand was a black tattoo. It looked like a building, or perhaps two symmetrical black towers.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting its glow upon the nun. The church door was pushed open, and a burly figure draped in a blue coat stood at the entrance.
"Where is she?"
The burly man spoke. Just standing there, he exuded an aura of authority without anger. It was the Duke.
"Duke, how long has it been since we last met?"
The black tattoo on the nun's hand emitted a faint glow. Seeing this, the Duke understood what was happening. The Twin Towers Empress was possessing her subordinate's body.
The Twin Towers Empress hadn't come in person. Finding her actual location was difficult. Every time she appeared, it was through consciousness and a medium, temporarily taking over one of her subordinates' bodies.
The nun—no, the Twin Towers Empress—rose from the cushion and sat on the front pew of the church.
The Duke stepped forward, maintaining a distance of several meters from her, and also sat on the front pew.
"You came to ask me for the Sea King's Horn?"
The Twin Towers Empress removed her veil, letting her long black hair cascade down. Her hand lightly brushed across her cheek, satisfied with this body she frequently used.
"Yes."
The Duke was a man of few smiles. Most of the time, he remained silent.
"What if I refuse?"
The Twin Towers Empress's thin lips curled up, giving the Duke a charming smile.
"Then you die."
"Duke, you're still so arrogant. This is my territory."
The moment the Twin Towers Empress finished speaking, the Duke stood up with a whoosh. The blue coat draped over his shoulders fell off. The clothes on his body bulged, with some places tearing at the seams. It looked like the Duke, who was about 1.9 meters tall, could transform into a ferocious monster over 3 meters tall at any moment.
"Refuse, and you die."
The Duke's body swelled dramatically, his clothes becoming tattered. He casually tore off the strip-like remnants, revealing an upper body covered in silver-gray fur.
In an instant, the Duke transformed into a half-man, half-wolf monster. His brownish-yellow eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and his sharp claws took on a metallic sheen.
With a sharp crack, several windows of the church shattered simultaneously. A total of three figures burst into the church, all women in tight black clothes with white masks on their faces.
One of them was the fastest. She lunged at the Duke with a short sword, the poisoned blade aimed straight for his brow.
The Duke swung his arm. His fur-covered claw struck the black-clad woman's head. Her neck was instantly snapped by the immense force. Her masked head flew out like a cannonball. The headless body spun rapidly in midair, blood spraying from the severed neck everywhere.
Thud!
The head smashed through the left wall of the church, leaving a hole several meters in diameter. The head flew over half the town, then far out over the sea before finally plunging into the water.
Inside the church, the Duke's eyes widened. A wave of force spread out. The two black-clad women who had flanked him suddenly froze. The Duke pressed his claw onto one of their heads, twisted hard, and let go. The woman's body immediately twisted like a pretzel.
The Duke shifted his gaze, looking down at the last black-clad woman. His brownish-yellow eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting to pinprick size.
"Ah!"
The last black-clad woman screamed, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed. Her soul had been shattered by the pressure of his aura.
The ground beneath the Duke's feet caved in. He lunged to the wall, reached out with one hand, and pierced through it, grabbing the person hiding outside. It was an Eighth Rank Contractor.
Boom!
A fist shadow slammed into the Duke's wolf-like head. A shockwave exploded, nearly shattering the entire church.
The Duke tilted his head back slightly, baring his bloodstained teeth. He bit forward with a speed that left afterimages.
Crack! The contractor, held aloft by the Duke's single hand, had his entire head and part of his torso bitten off. His body trembled, his hands drooped, and he went limp.
The Duke chewed the crushed bones and flesh in his mouth, then tossed the corpse aside like trash. He returned to the pew near the Twin Towers Empress, sat down, picked up his blue coat from the floor, took a clean napkin from the breast pocket, and wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Have you thought it over?"
The Duke looked at the Twin Towers Empress. This beastly gentleman of a man could snap and kill at any moment.
"Duke, the Sea King's Horn is actually the horn of a powerful sea beast..."
"I know that. Don't waste my time with nonsense."
"Let me finish. You men are all the same, always in a hurry."
The Twin Towers Empress licked her thin lips. This simple action sent a tingling sensation through anyone watching. This female pirate's real Charm Attribute was definitely over 200 points.
"Legend has it that if you piece together the Sea King's Horn completely, you can control that sea beast. That beast is the king of the sea, commanding all sea beasts on the Demon Sea. You and I both know what that means."
The Twin Towers Empress paused, noticing the Duke's gaze turning even more hostile. She got straight to the point: "Actually, the so-called king of the sea can only command one type of sea beast. The more important thing is the three arrows embedded in it."
"Go on."
The silver-gray fur on the Duke's body retracted into his skin. His size also shrank, returning to the burly man about 1.9 meters tall.
"Do I really need to continue? You've known all this for a long time. The West Sea King dared to cooperate with that witch, which means he also knows the secret of those three arrows. Otherwise, he wouldn't gamble his life. All the wealth and treasures offered by several ancient empires, the power to control the entire Demon Sea, and a thousand years of life—you're tempted too, Duke."
The Twin Towers Empress no longer hid the longing in her eyes.
"The 'evil spirits' on the Doom Number crave that power even more than we do. It's their only hope to break the curse."
Having said this, the Twin Towers Empress fell silent, waiting for the Duke's reply.
The Duke stood up in silence and walked toward the church exit. His attitude was clear: temporarily cooperate with the Twin Towers Empress.
...
Mingguang Island, in front of the dock.
The Doom Number was moored here. Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the deck, meditating as usual. Two hours ago, he had consumed the Golden Skull and 14,500 Demon Sea Gold Coins to lift the second-stage seal of the Doom Number.
Compared to lifting the first-stage seal, the second stage was much slower. Over two hours had passed, and the second-stage curse was still being lifted.
There was good news: that scoundrel Caesar had already left Mingguang Island to find Fulande. When Caesar heard about the potion trade earlier, his eyes nearly turned into searchlights, shining brightly.
As expected, Caesar 'selflessly' and 'resolutely' refused the gold coin split. Caesar's exact words were: 'My dear friend, I misjudged you. You actually think Caesar would covet gold coins?! This is an insult to Caesar's character! A trampling of Caesar's integrity! Rest assured, leave this to Caesar. This time, Caesar will help you for free.'
If Caesar hadn't let out a sly laugh at the end, his words might have had some credibility.
The 'selfless' Caesar took only half an hour to leave Mingguang Island. After entering and exiting a few times, this scoundrel set up a temporary teleportation array within the black mist of Mingguang Island.
Admittedly, Caesar's move was brilliant. If his spatial item were taken, outsiders entering Mingguang Island would start inside the black mist. What would happen then was anyone's guess.
With Caesar joining the profit chain, he could not only use the teleportation array to come to Su Xiao to pick up potions but also deliver gold coins quickly.
Just as Su Xiao was meditating, black energy surged from the deck beneath him, enveloping him in an instant. His eyes opened, ending the meditation. The Doom Number was about to lift its second-stage seal.
[Prompt: You are about to undergo the judgment effect of the Doom Number. If you fail this judgment, you will lose your status as the captain of the Doom Number and will be attacked and devoured by the Doom Number.]
[Soul Strength Judgment in progress...]
[Judgment Successful.]
The black energy on Su Xiao dissipated, sinking back into the Doom Number. The Doom Number's appearance gradually changed. The black deck planks spread out like unfolding ribs, as if the entire ship was about to come alive.
Thump, thump, thump~
The sound of a heartbeat emerged from within the ship's hull. Su Xiao pressed one hand on the deck. The Doom Number was indeed half-alive, but even so, it had no heart. He had checked the Doom Number before.
Su Xiao carefully sensed the entire Doom Number, his perception penetrating all the planks. After a long while, he opened his eyes. He hadn't sensed anything resembling a heart. The heartbeat he had heard earlier seemed like an illusion.
When the second-stage seal was completely lifted, the Doom Number's hull length reached nearly seventy meters. It was still a four-masted ship, but it had grown significantly larger.
[Doom Number]
Owner: Su Xiao
Specifications: Four-masted ship
Three-stage seal: Not lifted (This is the final stage seal.)
Health Points: 80,500 points (Increased by 12,500 points)
Defense: 194 points (Increased by 15 points)
Durability: 359/370 points.
Base Bonus: Sailing speed increased by 220% (Increased by 45%).
Maximum Crew: 197/800 (Cursed People)
Ability 1: Ship Hunter (Passive)...
Ability 2: Underwater Navigation (Passive), The Doom Number can submerge underwater, reducing sailing speed by 15% (Reduced by 3%).
Ability 3: Annihilation Cannon (Active)...
Ability 4: Curse Refinement (Passive), Can place secret treasures from this world, or the Hunter's own equipment, items, etc., into the Curse Box in the captain's cabin. Through the Doom Number's curse power, refine the placed items.
Prompt: Each Curse Refinement will determine the time required based on the item being refined.
Prompt: After the placed item completes refinement, the item will be fully converted to a curse attribute, with a significant increase in quality.
Ability 5: This ability is sealed. This is the ultimate ability.
...