"This can't be happening, right? Under the Holy Light's illumination, all evil beings and false gods should have nowhere to hide," Clark said incredulously.
"I felt divine power, which means we might have found an important target," Theodore said.
"How important is this target?" Clark asked curiously.
"If we manage to capture it, we can return to Rome immediately," Theodore explained.
Clark's eyes lit up with excitement, "You mean..."
Theodore cautiously added, "Even though it's not certain, we need to capture him first. If we can't, then we eliminate him."
After speaking, he licked his fingers, opened the Bible, and began to recite scripture: "Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters were divided..."
A strong Holy Light shone from the book, lighting up the sea, and a huge rift opened up on the surface, exposing Linley in the water. Linley was completely bewildered, not knowing what was happening.
"The weapon of Holiness!" Theodore shouted.
The Holy Light formed into a spear, quickly striking at Linley. The speed of the Holy Light spear was so fast that Linley couldn't dodge it, and the spear instantly pierced his body. Linley felt a burning pain but also a surge of strength. He desperately flapped his wings and plunged into the sea.
More light spears rained down from the sky, hitting the sea and making the water boil, but the spears quickly shrank. Linley swam desperately, but the sea soon split open again, exposing him.
Linley was terrified and quickly flew back towards the water, but before he could enter, he was pierced by another light spear. He continued swimming, but each time the sea parted, he was struck by a light spear.
Linley endured multiple light spear attacks, his body in agony, but he didn't dare stop, desperately swimming until he was exhausted, his transformation undone, his mind in chaos.
The sea split open again, and Pandora swam from somewhere, grabbing Linley's hand and pulling him to the bottom of the sea, hiding under a rock. Pandora leaped out of the sea rift, conjuring an illusion and transforming into a giant mermaid, lunging towards the surface.
Dozens of light spears fell, piercing through Pandora's illusory body, most of them missing, but one spear struck Pandora's true form.
Pandora let out a scream of pain and fainted. The priests approached with their staffs, confirmed it was her, and tied Pandora up with ropes, dragging her onto the flagship.
Theodore looked at Pandora, somewhat disappointed, "It's just a mermaid?"
"A mermaid!" Clark exclaimed, "It's my first time seeing a mermaid, it's... so beautiful."
Theodore glanced at Clark.
Clark quickly explained, "No, no, don't get me wrong, I was just amazed. I heard mermaids are good at illusions. So, the dragon we saw earlier was just her illusion?"
"Probably, but I still feel something's not right," Theodore fell into deep thought, then looked at the sea again, finally deciding to confirm once more.
He flipped through the Holiness scriptures again, opened the seabed, carefully observed, and found nothing. After all, he wasn't Moses; keeping the sea parted was difficult, so he had to revoke the divine spell and let the sea close again.
"So, did we win?" Clark asked.
"I think so," Theodore replied.
"Good. Find the nearest port to dock," Clark said, looking at his fleet.
The sea kept splitting and rejoining, causing waves to surge and the ship to take some minor damage. Although it seems fine for now, prolonged sailing might cause cracks and leaks.
"The nearest port is Andros Island," a crew member said after checking the map.
"Andros Island? Isn't that a small port? Can we even fit everyone there?" Clarke asked.
"If it's just for repairs, we should be fine," the crew member replied.
"Forget it, let's head to a bigger island," Clarke said. "Crete shouldn't be far from here, right? Let's go to Crete."
"Lord Clarke," Theodore said, "I understand that leading such a big fleet is tough. But we're not in a rush. Let's go to Andros Island for repairs first, then find the Dionysus and complete our mission."
Clarke was a bit troubled. A fleet this massive hadn't been seen in decades, and everyone on this expedition had high hopes of making a fortune. Andros Island is tiny, with just twenty to thirty thousand people. Even if we looted everything, it wouldn't be worth much, and we can't just capture everyone to sell as slaves, especially with a Roman fleet already stationed there.
On the other hand, Crete was much better. With hundreds of thousands of people, it was a trade hub brimming with wealth. By placing a few statues of the Dionysus in wealthy merchants' homes, we could confiscate their property. Our troops could also take over the docks, rob passing merchants, and sell them as slaves, claiming they were followers of the Dionysus.
But all this would take time. Crete was so big it would take at least a month to loot it thoroughly. During that time, we could only send out scouts, and the main force would be stuck. Theodore obviously couldn't go out on adventures with small units, and even if they encountered Linley, it would be difficult to capture him.
"You are already forty-five years old. If you want to enter the Senate, you must achieve great merit," Theodore reminded.
Clarke certainly understood that capturing the Dionysus would indeed be a great achievement, but merit alone was not enough; he also needed money and connections. The purpose of this voyage was to make money; otherwise, even if they killed the Dionysus, it would be of no use. Without money, it was impossible to enter the Senate.
He also couldn't offend Holiness. Clarke himself was a follower of Holiness, and if Holiness didn't allow him to run for the Senate, no one would vote for him. Offending Theodore, the cardinal, would also prevent Clarke from becoming a senator.
"After capturing the Dionysus, you will get a complete list of the Dionysus's followers," Theodore said. "Then I will fully support you in pursuing the followers of the Dionysus, confiscating their property, cutting off their heads, and selling their families as slaves."
Theodore's implication was that no matter whom Clarke targeted or whose property he wanted, Theodore would back him, allowing him to plunder directly in Rome and not just in the Greek world. All he had to do was label the person as a follower of the Dionysus.
Under this promise, countless families would be broken, countless people would be separated from their loved ones, and nobles would be reduced to slaves, while Clarke would rise to prominence and enter the Senate.
Clarke no longer hesitated and ordered, "We will go to Andros Island for repairs. After the repairs are complete, we will set sail immediately and continue searching for Dionysus Linley!"