After extracting the desired information from Donovan, Bairon returned to his room.
Sitting at his desk, he penned the name "Vivian" on a piece of paper, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his inner pocket.
Just as he finished, Seasoft gently knocked on the door, which he had left ajar.
Without waiting for Bairon's response, she said, "Let's talk again, in that previous room."
Evelyn cast a puzzled look at Bairon.
"I'll be right back," he assured her, gently ruffling Evelyn's hair as he stepped out.
They soon arrived at the room previously occupied by Dave Padorn.
Closing the door behind them, to Bairon's slight surprise, Seasoft began to undress.
"What are you doing?" Bairon asked, a hint of consternation in his voice.
"You saved me from the dark magus," Seasoft replied.
Bairon chuckled, "I've never heard of Elves offering themselves as gratitude for being saved. Of course, I can't say for half-Elves."
Seasoft lowered her gaze.
"You don't need to repay me in any way," Bairon continued, "We fought together earlier, saving you was the right thing to do."
"So, we are comrades?" Seasoft queried.
After pondering for a moment, Bairon nodded in agreement.
"Then can you return the Leaf of Rendil to me?" she asked, a hint of hope in her voice.
Bairon grimaced.
It seemed Seasoft's offer was not solely out of gratitude but also a ploy to retrieve that Legacy Treasure.
It was the first time Bairon had heard the artifact referred to by that name.
However, it no longer mattered as it had already been absorbed by the Dark Tower.
Bairon said resignedly, "I will provide you with a new Divine Artifact, but it will take some time."
Seasoft fixed her gaze upon him.
After a tense silence of five seconds, she declared, "Until I retrieve the Divine Artifact, I'll stay by your side."
"Very well," Bairon agreed with a nod.
Having a beautiful half-Elf accompanying him seemed like an unexpected blessing.
However, that would only hold true as long as her naivety didn't lead to any major complications.
At that moment, a sailor approached the door and bowed, saying, "Master Magus, the captain requests your presence."
Bairon stepped out of the room, then turned back, "Take care of Evelyn for me. If anything happens to her, forget about ever getting your Divine Artifact back."
"Despicable!" Seasoft muttered to the empty room, voicing her displeasure.
The sailor escorted Bairon to the deck.
There, spread out before him, were emaciated, foul-smelling new passengers, kneeling on the deck.
These were the commoners imprisoned by the dark magus aboard The Death Ship.
Due to their frantic rowing, The Death Ship had managed to swiftly catch up to the White Gull.
Of course, in addition to these slaves, there was also a smaller group: pirates. Favored by the dark magus, they were in charge of managing the sundry tasks aboard The Death Ship.
Frank directed the sailors to carefully assess the group.
The pirates and commoners were separated into two contingents, each confined to different quarters.
Once the White Gull reached San Sorus, they would be handed over either to the Magus Tower or the guards of the Civic Council.
"Master Magus, we've found the ship's treasure chest!" Frank approached Bairon.
Beside him, the first mate held an exquisitely crafted small chest, its lid secured with a pure gold clasp embedded with a sapphire.
"Inside are 1,956 gold coins, 420 silver coins, and a pair of silver goblets," the first mate added.
The chest was heavy, a challenge for the first mate to hold, but the wide grin on his face belied his strain.
No one ever complained about the weight of gold coins.
"Take it to my room," Bairon instructed.
Bairon didn't bother questioning whether any of White Gull's sailors had pilfered any gold coins; he knew they wouldn't dare.
"Of course, Master Magus!" The first mate nodded, more than willing to spend a bit more time with the chest, even if only to carry it.
After scanning the surroundings to ensure privacy, Frank whispered, "Master Magus, we've apprehended a pirate leader. I believe it's in your best interest to meet him."
Frank's expression was odd.
After a moment's contemplation, Bairon nodded in agreement, "Very well."
"Please, follow me."
Frank led Bairon into a cargo hold.
A pirate was bound inside, his mouth gagged with a rag.
The sight of newcomers caused the pirate to thrash, his muffled protests filling the room.
"Take a look at this, Master Magus."
Frank pulled back the pirate's collar, revealing the man's chest.
Emblazoned there was a tattoo: an upright, half-open, half-closed human eye. Around the eye, countless lines entwined, giving the illusion that the eye was suspended in midair.
"It's called the 'Eye of Judgment', representative of a vast power operating in the Eastern Archipelago," Frank said, his lips dry.
Bairon shook his head, "I haven't heard of the Eye of Judgment."
The White Tower does periodically send confidential documents to various Magus Towers, reporting on significant events across the Röntgen Continent.
In theory, every magus has the right to access these files.
But the Magus Tower in Sailport is tightly controlled by the miserly Rueel, who keeps these documents locked above the fourth floor.
Consequently, apart from him and his illegitimate son, Lawrence, no other magus gets to see them.
Unaware of the internal politics amongst the magi, Frank assumed it was simply a lack of communication, a common occurrence on the Röntgen Continent.
So, he patiently began from the beginning, "This organization has its origins in an apocalyptic prophecy from the Eastern Archipelago."
"The prophecy tells of The God of Darkness, who, in anger over humanity's defilement of the world, prepares a day of reckoning to cleanse the earth of its blight."
"In an effort to save the world, the magi of the Eastern Archipelago formed the 'Eye of Judgment', a group dedicated to adjudicating sin."
"I know it sounds ironic, but that's how they identify themselves," Frank said with a helpless shrug.
Indeed, it was ironic.
Most of the magi from the Eastern Archipelago were dark magi.
In this world, anyone could judge and condemn evil, even notorious pirates, but dark magi were the exception.
They were a group of fallen magi, wielding unique, destructive powers to indulge their desires, annihilating all that was beautiful in the world.
Even the century-old foes, the Pangboton Kingdom and the Provincial Alliance, could sincerely cooperate when it came to exterminating dark magi.
Bairon had little interest in the "Eye of Judgment", but the matter revealed a piece of information — the once fragmented Eastern Archipelago was beginning to unify into a singular entity.
However, Bairon didn't ponder on it much.
If indeed the end of the world were to come, the Provincial Alliance's White Tower and the Pangboton Kingdom's Meditation Tower would have to step up earlier than others.
"Captain, let me hear what he has to say."
Throughout Frank and Bairon's conversation, the pirate had been struggling incessantly, his eyes bulging with urgency.
Seeing his intense desire to speak, Bairon grew curious.
"Pirate mouths are often foul; be prepared," Frank warned as he yanked the cloth from the pirate's mouth.
"Are you the murderer of Worn and Chapman?" the pirate sneered at Bairon.
With a slight wave of Bairon's hand, a spike of ice pierced through the floor, impaling the pirate's leg.
Blood pooled on the deck.
Frank tensed up, his entire body rigid.
Writhing in pain, the pirate screamed, "You're doomed! You dare to disrupt the grand plans of the Eye of Judgment? The Dark Arbitration Court will not spare you!"
"The Dark Arbitration Court?" Bairon's brow furrowed.
"It's said to be the highest governing body within the Eye of Judgment," Frank explained.
"All members of The Dark Arbitration Court are Master Magi. Are you scared now?" the pirate taunted.
With another slight motion of his hand, Bairon conjured a second ice spike, piercing the pirate's other arm.
"Next time, I'll have an icicle pierce through your eyes," Bairon warned, his voice as cold as the ice he wielded.
Seeing the intensity in Bairon's gaze, the pirate felt a pang of fear.
"What do you know about the 'Sea God'?" Bairon demanded.
"The Sea God is the first deity sent from the Divine Realm by The God of Darkness to cleanse humanity of its corruption," the pirate responded.
"Were you specifically targeting the White Gull on this mission?" Bairon inquired further.
Frank turned and left the chamber.
Having learned from the "Rustwater Count incident," he didn't want to overhear any more secrets.
"I believe so. A few days ago, we reached a specific area and found no trace of any ships. Worn was furious and bit the helmsman to death," fear laced the pirate's voice.
"After that, we headed north along the route."
Bairon deduced that the pirate was referring to the period when the White Gull was sailing between Sailport and Sail Town, during which Donovan had bewitched Seasoft, causing chaos aboard.