Ashes gazed at the distant horizon, gradually calming his thoughts. Let's sort this out again. The slaves plundered from East Balam on the Southern Continent have to go through four nodes:
Aurora Order → Painting World → Mad Captain → Kaping → Loen Royal Family.
But this process could easily be simplified to:
Aurora Order → Painting World → Loen Royal Family.
The two middle steps seem completely unnecessary. But Kaping is a puppet supported by the Loen Royal Family, and it's reasonable to assume that the Mad Captain might be associated with the Aurora Order. Their purpose is to act as "filters" and "spokespersons" for both sides.
"No, that's not it."
Ashes thought for a long time, then lightly shook his head, overturning his own speculation. Although the Mad Captain is "mad," he's clearly not as insane as the true lunatics of the Aurora Order; at most, he's recklessly bold. When they fought earlier, the Mad Captain was even prepared to negotiate with him. The lunatics of the Aurora Order would never do that. Moreover, the Mad Captain didn't seem to follow the "Secret suppliant" pathway.
This means that the Mad Captain is either also connected to the royal family or belongs to a third-party force. Ashes leaned more towards the latter possibility. If the Mad Captain were part of the royal family, the entire handover process would look like this:
Aurora Order → Painting World → Royal Family → Royal Family → Royal Family.
If that were the case, the royal family would have to be completely out of their minds. Furthermore, the "Hanged Man" had mentioned that the Mad Captain was under the command of "Disease Maiden" Tracy. Ashes had previously speculated that she might follow the "Assassin" pathway. And "Assassin" pathway Beyonders are typically associated with the Demoness Sect.
So the entire process should be:
Aurora Order → Painting World → Demoness Sect → Kaping → Ruen Royal Family.
"Aurora Order, Demoness Sect, Loen Royal Family."
"Tsk, are they all in cahoots?"
Ashes clicked his tongue. Mixing with two heretical organizations, the Loen Royal Family isn't any better. As for why these three forces use such a complicated handover process, he could guess the reason—it's because they don't trust each other.
The royal family doesn't trust the Aurora Order, so they don't want to trade directly with them. They let the Demoness Sect act as intermediaries, but since they don't fully trust the Demoness Sect either, they involve Kaping as well. Alternatively, it's possible that the royal family believes they are dealing with the Demoness Sect, but the Demoness Sect secretly outsourced the task to the Aurora Order.
In other words, if Ashen wants to continue his investigation now that the Mad Captain has died without yielding, his best lead would be the Demoness Sect. And at sea, there is only one known witch—
The Disease Maiden.
"Perhaps Mr. Hanged Man could provide a clue."
Ashes pondered for a moment but was suddenly distracted by a glimpse of a golden "sun" appearing on the horizon. Moreover, this "little sun" was rapidly growing larger and moving closer. Eventually, the entire outline of the "little sun" came into Ashen's view.
It wasn't a sun but a ship shining with golden light under the sunlight. Ashes expression shifted slightly. Although the "Hanged Man" had promised to find him, searching for a ship on the vast ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Now that a ship had finally appeared, he certainly wouldn't want to let it slip away easily.
However, just as he was about to move before the ship left, he noticed that it seemed to have adjusted its course and was heading toward him. He was sure that they must have noticed something unusual about his ship. But instead of fleeing, they approached him directly. Was it out of curiosity? Or were they confident in their own strength?
The golden ship, which shone so brightly that it seemed to blind the eyes, quickly approached and then began to slow down as it drew near, finally aligning itself with the "One-Eyed Skull."
The ships were so close that Ashes could see the sailors on board, notice the wariness on their faces, and the gleam of weapons tightly gripped in their hands. It seemed they were preparing for a boarding action. And indeed, they were.
Almost immediately, a warrior clad in full plate armor led a group of sailors onto the deck, their faces full of vigilance as they watched Ashes.
"This time, I must leave a few more alive," Ashes silently reminded himself as he gripped his Black Knight's greatsword. But after thinking about it, he realized the greatsword killed too quickly, so he quietly switched to the Irithyll straight sword.
But in the end, they didn't fight. Because Ashes paused when he saw the sun emblem on the warrior's chest armor, he didn't make a move. And because a beautiful lady stood quietly by the ship's side, they didn't attack either.
The lady had a delicate oval face, a high nose bridge, thin lips, and light blue eyes as clear as a spring. Her brown hair was parted in the middle and tied into a simple yet elegant knot at the back of her head, then flowed smoothly down. She wore no hat, dressed in a beige coat with a cinched waist, and a large white lace decoration shaped like a flower spread from the collar downwards, giving her a refined beauty. She also wore dark trousers and leather boots, adding a touch of vigor to her elegance.
"Captain, be careful!" A sailor beside the lady cautioned her with a look of concern. Not only him, but several other sailors subtly moved closer to the lady, forming a protective semicircle in front of her.
"Captain?" Ashes was slightly surprised. Compared to the stereotypical image of a pirate captain, she looked more like a wealthy lady on a sea voyage. Moreover, standing among these fierce pirates, she appeared more like an innocent girl who had been kidnapped.
"Would you like to hitch a ride?" The beautiful lady suddenly spoke, her voice cold yet melodious. For some reason, she spoke in Ancient Feysac, a language Ashen wouldn't have understood if not for the "Eye of Wisdom" he wore.
"Captain!" The sailor next to her was visibly alarmed and tried to dissuade her, but the lady simply looked at him with her light blue eyes. After hesitating for a moment, the sailor gritted his teeth, took two steps back, and said no more.
"Would you like to come aboard?" The lady asked Ashen again, her voice gentle.
"All right," Ashen replied after a moment's thought, nodding slightly. It was obvious that there was something unusual about inviting a stranger who had slaughtered an entire crew onto the ship right after meeting him. But Ashen didn't mind. If they were genuinely offering him a ride, he wouldn't mind accepting. However, if they were trying to send him on a different kind of journey, he wouldn't mind returning the favor.
With that in mind, Ashes lightly leaped and landed steadily on the deck. Despite wearing heavy armor, he made no sound during the jump, and when he landed, it was as light as a cat's step.
This sight caused a flash of admiration in the beautiful lady's eyes.
"Edwina Edwards." The lady suddenly extended her hand toward Ashes and introduced herself.
"…." Ashes remained silent for a moment before extending his gauntleted hand and softly replying, "Ash Black."
"Ash Black?" Upon hearing the name, Edwina frowned slightly for some reason. The nearby sailors noticed their captain's expression change and quietly tightened their grip on their weapons. But Edwina's frown lasted only a moment as if she had thought of something else.
"Mr. Ash," Edwina asked softly, "May I ask why you're here?"
"Because of an accident," Ashes replied after some thought.
"An accident?" Edwina seemed intrigued by his story and asked, "What kind of accident?"
Ashes didn't answer, simply gazing at her quietly.
"Apologies, that was rude of me. You don't have to answer," Edwina quickly realized her mistake and apologized for her behavior.
"Where are we right now?" Ashes pondered for a moment before asking.
"Sunya Sea," Edwina replied calmly, as if not surprised by his question. "If you're asking for a specific location, we're southeast of Toskat Island, about 1,500 nautical miles from Toskat Island and around 3,500 nautical miles from Balam."
Ashen appeared thoughtful, though he didn't recognize either place. After thinking for a while, he politely asked, "Could you prepare a room for me? I'd like to rest."
"Of course," Edwina nodded slightly. "Bruce, show Mr. Ash to a room."
"Yes, Captain." Bruce Walls, the first mate with short gray curly hair, adjusted his monocle and responded with a hint of respect in his voice. "Please follow me, Mr. Ash."
Bruce led Ashes into the cabin, and as soon as they were out of sight, the second mate, Orpheus, who had just jumped back onto their ship, hurried over to Edwina. Removing his helmet, he revealed a face as chiseled as a statue. He quickly approached Edwina and spoke in a low voice, "I recognize that ship. It's the One-Eyed Skull, the flagship of the Mad Captain under Disease Maiden. It's the only ship he has."
"Moreover," Orpheus took a deep breath, "the Mad Captain has been dead for several minutes now."
"Dead?" Edwina's eyes flickered with surprise. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure," Orpheus replied in a low voice, "I made contact with my Master before boarding, and he's certain that Mad Captain is no longer in this world. He believes he died in a struggle with a powerful figure, though he can't confirm the identity of the other party."
"Powerful…" Edwina looked at the cabin where Ashes had just disappeared, her clear blue eyes suddenly taking on a look of contemplation.
"Do you think it's him?"
"I can't say," Orpheus shook his head, "But even if it's not him, he must have some connection with that person."
"What are your thoughts?" Edwina glanced at him, asking for his opinion.
Orpheus hesitated, then responded, "We can't be sure what his intentions are. He may not be hostile, but we can't rule out the possibility of him causing trouble. I suggest we try to avoid provoking him. We should keep a close watch on him, but there's no need to take unnecessary risks."
"Agreed," Edwina nodded thoughtfully, then looked at the cabin again, her expression complex.
"Keep a close eye on him."
"Yes, Captain," Orpheus responded promptly.
As Ashes followed Bruce into the cabin, he silently began to consider how to make use of this unexpected opportunity. He knew he couldn't stay on this ship forever, but perhaps it could help him get closer to the mysterious forces behind his current situation.
That night, Ashes was lying in his room, pondering the events of the day, when he suddenly heard a faint knock on his door.
"Who's there?" Ashen asked warily.
"It's me, Captain Edwina," came the soft reply from outside the door.
Ashes hesitated for a moment before standing up and opening the door. Edwina stood there, her expression calm, yet her eyes hinted at something more.
"What brings you here, Captain Edwina?" Ashes asked, maintaining a neutral tone.
"I've come to ask you something," Edwina replied softly, stepping inside.
The door closed behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the room. Edwina's demeanor was calm, but Ashen could sense the tension beneath the surface.
"What do you want to know?" Ashes asked after a moment's silence.
Edwina looked at him, her light blue eyes meeting his. There was a pause before she spoke, her voice low and serious, "Are you aware of the significance of the ship you were on?"
Ashes expression remained unchanged as he replied, "I have some idea."
"Then you should understand that your presence here raises questions," Edwina continued, her tone still calm but with an underlying edge. "Questions that need answers."
Ashes nodded slightly. "I can understand that. But I assure you, I have no ill intentions towards you or your crew."
Edwina studied him for a long moment before nodding slightly. "I'll take your word for now. But I must ask, why did you choose to join us?"
Ashes considered her question carefully. Finally, he answered, "Because you offered, and I was looking for a way forward."
Edwina seemed to consider his words for a moment before nodding again. "Very well. I'll trust you for now. But know this—my trust is not easily earned. If you betray it, there will be consequences."
Ashes met her gaze and nodded. "I understand."
There was a brief silence before Edwina turned to leave. But as she reached the door, she paused and looked back at him. "And one more thing… if you're going to stay on my ship, I expect you to follow my orders."
Ashes gave her a small nod. "Understood."
With that, Edwina nodded slightly and left the room, leaving Ashes alone with his thoughts.
The lady turned and walked towards the captain's quarters. Under the gaze of the others, she closed the door, cutting off their view.
Edwina walked to the table, took out a sheet of stationery and a fountain pen, and after long contemplation, she carefully began to write:
"Dear Teacher Klana…"
PS: Got stuck with writer's block, lost track of time while writing, sorry about that.
(End of the chapter)