Tim and his companions had only been on Castlemania Island for a short time. They were divided in seconds as a result of Tim and Kou entering the population ahead of the others, while the crew members who stayed aboard decided to dock their ship behind the nearest mountain, out of sight of the population. Tim was dragged into a restricted area due to his love of meat and entered the castle's sauna, where he met a "Sea Noble," Empress Oriyana, and her two female assistants, Rika and Tinna. Tim was caught off guard and was nearly executed in exchange for being injected with a chemical that changed his hormones to the opposite. He tried to flee, but became exhausted; however, just as he was about to fall, a stranger came to his rescue and retreated into the forest.
Ayuka and the rest of the company migrated from the ship to the dynamic terrain, packed with people, in the heart of Harventona Town, congregated around the Park. Karisa appeared perplexed.
"Well, I can tell you that there isn't a single clue pointing to Tim and Kou's whereabouts, much alone the large number of people who surround the center; they may be everywhere."
"We can't keep looking for these 'Special Artifacts' to which Tomomi's soul may be linked, which is why we need to track down Tim. Don't you know where this island is? Ralphie, you were on the outskirts of it."
"I haven't been to Castlemania before, although I did once as a kid, however, I don't know anyone who could help us craft the relic, save Oriyana, who is one of the "Sea Nobles," known as the Empress Oriyana."
"Another "Sea Noble,"? It wasn't long ever since we fought one! Why is there a second one so close?"
"I believe Oriyana isn't the worst "Sea Noble" in the Vast Expanse, and she's been treating people nicely, until they bother her at a special event or break the rules of invading her privacy, which is why she has a less of a bounty than other "Sea Nobles."
"At the very least, unlike some of the other people we've met, she doesn't enslave others. That makes sense because I wouldn't want someone invading my privacy, but I'm not sure they'd be delighted to see us, and I doubt she'll be of much assistance in curing Tomomi's illness."
They heard Natan's deep voice slithering with a planned execution out of nowhere. "I suppose $98 million is a decent prize..." Almost everyone turned around to face Natan and screamed angrily at him in protest of his sudden greediness.
"Hush! We didn't come here to create a racket! Do you want to fight again?! If you think we'll let your greed win, you're nuts!"
"How do you plan on stopping me...?"
In a flash, Natan was encircled by a tight rope, with Ayuka pressing her foot into his spine and Tomomi resting on Codey's back. Natan became bored in the face as she drew the rope back and forcibly crushed his body together. "Such as this..."
The sweat began to flow down his brow as everyone else, especially Codey and Elliott, began to laugh at him from afar. Ralphie began spinning around, filled with heated desire of burning love, while Karisa became more perplexed.
"That's a great idea, Ayuka-dear! Even when you're tying somebody up, you're still as beautiful as a goddess!♥"
"I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling that this Ayuka we met on our previous tour. I believe she is slightly insane..."
Ayuka shifted her gaze past Natan's shoulder and swiftly turned to face Codey, who had taken a breather during his speech. "What was that...?"
"Nothing..."
Elliott, meantime, stood next to Codey. He appeared envious of Ralphie's reaction at first, but then he watched him suddenly turning serious and coming up with a good idea that others were prepared to use.
"If the residents of Castlemania haven't figured out who we are or when we arrived, perhaps we have a perfect plan to gain access to the castle. The inhabitants of the castle are usually willing to receive anyone willing to surrender a high-bounty pirate. They frequently utilize them to conduct experiments on the 'Sun Soldiers.' We may pretend like we're enemies and take Natan to the 'Sun Soldiers' so we can follow them inside to see their leader, because we have him tied up and many people know his title as the 'Shadow Rider.'"
"Empress Oriyana, the "Sea Noble," works under the command of the castle's lord. Empress Oriyana's 'Sun Soldiers' are of a lower rank, and she is generally the one who passes on the high bounty pirate. We can meet her in the palace and request her help. There's just one other individual who can assist us create an artifact for Tomomi, so it's a hazardous plan. He's a friend of mine, but even he rarely has all of the ingredients needed to make such a unique object."
"Oh, I see what you're saying. If we use Natan as bait and take him to the palace to pass him on to Oriyana, we'll have an opportunity to appeal for her cooperation, and it'll be our only path into the palace. Ralphie, that is an excellent suggestion. I knew you'd come in handy!"
"Anything for you, Ayuka-dear!♥" Ralphie's heart began to pound out of his chest as he was surrounded by pink hearts, while Elliott screamed an outraged response. "I had that idea too!" With a solemn, unimpressed, and skeptical expression on her face, Ayuka slowly turned to face Elliott.
"Oh, really? Then why didn't you share it with us?"
Natan became uneasy and dismissed their suggestion, expressing his skepticism and hatred for the concept. "Why should I be the one who has to be tethered? People began to recognize the name 'White Hair Pirate' Tim, which was not my."
"As you can see, Tim is not among us at the moment and you two are the only two members that have a bounty, and because we've already made up our minds, I believe you'd be ideal bait to pass on. Don't worry, we won't actually abandon you with the others; this is simply a one-time vacation."
"This is the first time I dislike having a bounty on my head. Should've known that these people weren't safe to travel with..."
"But, before we go, I believe we should consult with my friend. He might be able to give us some advice on how to deal with the people within the castle. So I believe we may untie Natan for the time being..."
"I imagined I'd be able to drag him behind me with a strange flavor in action... Okay, I suppose you can be free for now, but when we're ready to confront Empress Oriyana, you'll be tethered again."
Natan regained his comfort and dropped his arms next to his hips once Ayuka loosened his body. "This isn't the kind of melody I was expecting to hear on this fortress island..."
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After discovering that there was no trace of Tim in the area where he had been traveling, Kou gave up. He'd just bought a new delicious foam and was out of energy, virtually mumbling his anger.
"If I don't want them to yell at me, I can't go meet with the others without Tim. When he flew away from the ship, I should have just left him alone. Look at me now; I'm trapped on the side of the street, and darkness is approaching. I don't even have a place to stay, and even if I went to the ship, I might run across other people. You'd think an active person like Tim would be easy to locate, rather than getting lost yourself."
He looked up at the sky and noticed how the weather was increasingly deteriorating. The skies began to darken, and small splatters of rain began to fall on him. "Naturally, the one time I got lost on my own, the weather *had* to make things worse! For the time being, there has to be somewhere to hide. But I have to find Tim before others find him..."
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A woman went through the forest, holding a gigantic leaf as a cover for her head, somewhere outside of Castlemania's main mansion, behind a large forest. She appeared to be very suspicious of her surroundings, and when she heard a silent melody whispering through the forest, she swiftly stepped behind one of the trees and waited for the melody to pass her by, then stepped out and rushed through the damp mud, her shoes splashing in the pools of water. However, she was unaware that she was being watched by blazing red eyes in the darkness and dashed inside a cave.
A person followed behind her in quiet, waiting for her to enter the cave deep enough for his eyes to lose track of her. The person was mostly silent, and black ghosts hovered around them, singing a witchy melody. The individual stepped back into the forest and away from the cave in a short amount of time.
To be continued...