From his words and demeanor, it was clear that Doctor Strange knew me well—he was confident I'd be able to cash in the bounty. What's more, he seemed unfazed by the possibility I'd keep the money for myself… Could he be an acquaintance? Maybe someone high-ranking in the Church who knows my identity in disguise?
If that's the case, directly reporting Doctor Strange might be inconvenient…
As his thoughts raced, Alger made up his mind. Ignoring the daydreaming Mikhail, who was crafting poetry, he stashed Gravina's head and returned to the cabin to call the sailors back up.
"Bishop, what's the situation?" asked the boatswain, holding his revolver.
"That man was just here for the poet. It's got nothing to do with us," Alger calmly reported, leaving out his exchange with Doctor Strange.
As for whether Mikhail might accidentally spill the beans, Alger wasn't worried—he'd noticed that Mikhail had no memory of the bounty commission. Doctor Strange had evidently tampered with his mind before leaving.
"That's great news!" cheered the sailors, emerging from their hiding places in the cabin. The boatswain, visibly relieved, asked, "Bishop… Captain, should we set sail now?"
"No rush. That person's gone, and there's no danger nearby. We should take the chance to salvage some loot from the King's Blade… While he may not care about it, for us, it's a big payday," Alger said with a smile.
Hearing this, the sailors' eyes lit up with excitement, and they raised their right fists, pressing them against their left chests, saying, "Captain, may the Storm be with you."
With newfound zeal, the sailors maneuvered the Blue Avenger back to the site of the battle and eagerly dived into the sea to explore the recently sunken King's Blade.
Seeing everything go as planned, Alger allowed himself a brief smile at the bow.
As a captain of the Church of Storms, he was always under his crew's watchful eye. If he suddenly presented the head to claim a bounty, the Church might suspect him of making secret dealings with Doctor Strange. In the worst case, he could be put under investigation. So, Alger chose to let his crew "discover" it!
This way, even if he did choose a different channel to claim the reward and the Church found out, they'd likely view it as him seizing a side hustle rather than hiding something important…
Of course, choosing an alternate channel meant higher fees, and he'd also need to pay his crew to keep quiet, so it would probably only yield around 4,000 pounds for Doctor Strange… I hope he's alright with that.
Having decided, Alger didn't waver. After most of his crew had entered the water, he too dove down, relying on his Seafarer abilities to dive deeper and longer than any sailor. There, he carefully placed Gravina's head in a prominent location.
When he returned to the Blue Avenger, carrying a chest of bone china, the boatswain discreetly handed him a certain head with a knowing grin…
…
In the eastern waters off Twin Islands, Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy watched with a dazzling smile as Poisonfire Booz abandoned his flagship and fled in a rowboat. The sight left even her red-haired companion, Elaine, momentarily dazed.
Smoothing her slightly tousled black curls, Tracy turned to her third officer, "The Silver-Tongued" Misol, and ordered, "Take control of the Blood Rose and bind the remaining sailors. If Agalito wants his men and ships back, he'll have to pay a pretty penny."
The Blood Rose, Booz's flagship, had been abandoned after its mast was shattered by chain-shot, leaving him no choice but to escape on a smaller vessel.
Misol, tearing his gaze from his captain's chest, stammered, "Right away!"
Tracy thought a moment, then added, "Send someone to inform Agalito that Booz started this fight. And tell the first officer to set sail once Misol returns; we shouldn't linger here."
Once the orders were given, Tracy's surroundings grew quiet. Smiling, she strolled over to Elaine, tilting her chin up playfully, "Well? I chased off that scoundrel who wanted to take you, so you're safe now."
Momentarily dazed by Tracy's smile, Elaine quickly averted her eyes, feigning indifference. "I thought you'd kill him… And don't pretend I didn't notice; Booz was after you, not me."
"If I killed him here, that would mean open war with the King of Immortality. I'm not afraid, but there are other tasks I need to handle right now, so it's best not to make him a sworn enemy…"
Tracy raised her hand, revealing a few strands of Booz's black hair. "But don't worry, he won't live long. Once things settle down, I can take his life whenever I please."
The strands of Booz's hair in a Hexer's hands sealed his fate, and Elaine knew it.
Mollified, Elaine murmured, accepting Tracy's explanation.
"Now that the interloper's gone, we can resume our previous business… Where were we in that Roselle novel?" Tracy asked, settling into a deck chair and closing her eyes contentedly.
"You were reading about Doctor Strange traveling to a place called Nepal in search of a sorcerer…" Elaine reopened the book, resuming her reading for Tracy.
But she stopped abruptly.
Frowning, Tracy opened her sea-blue eyes, curious. "Why'd you stop?"
"There's nothing after this part," Elaine said, showing Tracy the end of the book.
"How can it end here? Strange had just met the Ancient One!" Tracy grumbled in frustration, then asked, "Did Roselle only write this much?"
"No, it's a series. This is just one volume," Elaine explained, glancing mischievously at Tracy. "However, the Hero series wasn't very popular over a hundred years ago, so it had a limited print run. Only large bookstores or libraries are likely to have the rest."
It wasn't entirely a lie—the Hero series was indeed unpopular back then, though attitudes had changed over time.
"Can we find it in Balam? I remember there's a large library there," Tracy asked after a pause.
Elaine lowered her gaze, nodding, "Yes, we should be able to find it there."
That library was close to the Intis consulate… where the chief military officer was close friends with one of her elders…
…
In the northern waters of Twin Islands, Admiral of Star Cattleya similarly opted not to kill the Second Fleet's commander, choosing instead to capture him for the Moses Ascetic Order to deal with.
The Order would no doubt be interested in a demon from the depths… With him as a prize, I'm sure they'll help divert the King of Immortality's wrath.
Maria, that's all I can do for you. I hope you've exploited the Second Fleet's absence to make your escape.
Lost in thought, Cattleya recited the appropriate spell, causing the glittering starlight to circle a massive amber prison containing a creature nearly three meters tall, with ram-like horns adorned with twisted patterns and bat-like wings.
At that moment, Frank approached, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Captain, may I study him? I've always wanted to understand a demon's toxin resistance… My recent rice hybrid produced high yields but is highly toxic… If I could cross it with a demon, I wonder if that immunity might neutralize the poison."
Cattleya blinked, momentarily stunned by Frank's absurdity, then composed herself and said, "If I release the Starlight Prison, he'll escape."
"Oh, that's a pity… I wonder when I'll get another chance to catch a demon," Frank said wistfully.
With thoughts like that, every demon within miles will steer clear. You may never meet another mid-sequence demon in this lifetime.
…
In the southern waters, the Golden Dream was heavily scarred, with debris from other vessels strewn across the surrounding seas.
Orpheus lifted Foul-Tongued Verland's lifeless head and wept openly.
Just as the crew approached to comfort him, the "singer" wiped his tears and broke into a rousing song:
"Winter has passed…"
"Though my sun has vanished…"
"I've found a new sun!"
At "new sun," he glanced at the "Vice Admiral Iceberg" Edwina, his gaze filled with gratitude, admiration, and affection.
Seeing this, the rest of the crew stopped in their tracks, though Danitz, who didn't catch the meaning, stepped forward and patted Orpheus on the shoulder.
At that moment, Edwina turned and looked northwest, murmuring to herself:
"Demi-god level power surge… did Maria use the Pale Justice again?"
…
On the Pale Maiden, Maria, having obliterated Agalito's Fifth Fleet with a single blow, sheathed her sword and knelt on the deck.
When Nika, Kent, and others moved to help her, she waved them off.
Letting her hair fall over her face as if to stifle something, Maria ordered sternly:
"Don't waste time!
"Leave this place immediately… I sense that the Death Announcer is close behind!"