Under the frantic efforts of the sailors, the sailboat cut through the tumultuous waves and finally docked at a pier that had yet to be completely destroyed.
Feeling the scorching heat in the air, though mentally prepared, Lauder couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the harbor reduced to mere rubble. The smile on his face grew even more eager than before.
"Mr. Lauder, you've finally arrived. I thought you had already sailed across the sea," Lin En said as he boarded the sailboat, accompanied by Qioni and the unconscious Dove.
"Hahaha, you jest, Master Sorcerer... How could that be? There was a sudden change of plans, and without your subsequent orders, we had no choice but to drift on the sea and wait," Lauder explained with a hearty laugh, masking his unease with practiced calm.
Lin En made no effort to expose the lie. After all, he and the [Ship Gang] had no real connection. Their cooperation was merely a temporary alliance, formed out of mutual need to combat the Church's threat and to cross the sea to the land of sorcerers.
So, even though he suspected Lauder might have considered abandoning him, Lin En felt no anger.
"Mr. Lauder, is there a healer on board?" Qioni interrupted their conversation, her voice urgent as she inquired.
Lauder glanced at the unconscious Dove and immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation. He quickly ordered his first mate to summon the ship's healer. After all, he had prepared a variety of herbs to handle any emergencies during their sea voyage.
However, after examining her, the healer could only shake his head helplessly. "This young lady's external injuries are not severe. The real issue might be... something else entirely..."
Hearing this, Qioni instantly recalled how Dove had used the [Soul Scream] to attack Anrioke, only to suffer a backlash. It was likely a wound inflicted on her soul.
Seeing that the ship's healer could do nothing, the silver-haired witch turned to Lin En, clinging to a last shred of hope.
'071,' Lin En called out silently in his mind.
[Preliminary analysis indicates severe mental trauma. Immediate transfer to a Federation medical center and professional neurological examination is recommended.]
Lin En felt a pang of helplessness. He needed to return first, and though the Federation's technology was advanced, their understanding of consciousness and the soul was quite limited. Much of that research was classified and far beyond his access.
Under Qioni's hopeful gaze, Lin En could only shake his head, filled with regret.
Qioni's beautiful sapphire eyes dimmed, but suddenly, she felt the girl in her arms tremble.
"Dove..." Qioni whispered in surprise.
"So cold... My head hurts..." The young girl curled up, her eyes shut tight, lips slightly parted, her breathing growing more rapid. She murmured incoherently, like one caught in a dream, her voice weakening as she unconsciously called out the names of her loved ones. Her hands trembled, as if trying to grasp something elusive...
Tears streamed down Qioni's face as she held Dove close, her sobs choking her words.
Watching this unfold, Lin En could only sigh. He couldn't do everything, and so he approached slowly, gently holding Dove's trembling hand, offering what little comfort he could.
[Unknown energy detected... Extract?]
The system's prompt echoed in his mind, causing Lin En to pause. As he watched the girl's life force fade away, he hesitated, then finally responded silently in his mind.
"Yes."
In his enhanced vision, a faint, barely visible glow flowed from Dove's arm into his body. After about half a minute, it stopped.
[Special energy absorbed. Estimated conversion: 12% energy reserve. Use immediately?]
"No!" Lin En quickly answered in his mind.
He wasn't sure what the system had absorbed, but it was clear that it wasn't mana, as that had been previously recorded. The only remaining possibility was… a soul?
The unsettling thought flashed through Lin En's mind. Yet, as tragic as the situation was, he had witnessed many deaths by now, even causing several himself. But this was the first time the system had provided such a prompt.
Was there something different about Dove?
As these mixed emotions churned within him, Lin En's expression changed once more as Qioni suddenly collapsed beside Dove.
Everyone on board was startled, with Lauder glaring at the healer, urging him to do something. If the sorcerers grew angry, they could all be doomed!
After a hurried examination, the healer's final diagnosis brought a collective sigh of relief—Qioni had merely fainted from exhaustion and grief.
Lauder immediately ordered a few female attendants to take Qioni below to rest, then cautiously glanced at the prone Dove and nervously asked, "What should we do about this young lady?"
Lin En remained silent, kneeling beside Dove, placing his hand on her abdomen. Frigid ice crystals formed around the girl, eventually encasing her in a massive ice coffin, sealing her within.
Though he couldn't save her now, perhaps upon reaching the land of sorcerers, those who mastered the arcane arts might have a way…
"Look! The fire in Harbor Town seems to be dying down!" a sailor suddenly shouted.
Lauder and the others quickly turned to look. By now, the sailboat had already left the harbor and entered the Misty Sea, yet even from this distance, they could see the crimson glow over Harbor Town slowly fading...
The Church's reinforcements must have arrived... Lin En realized. Previously, the Archbishop Anrioke had been powerless against the white phosphorus fire, so the one resolving the crisis in Harbor Town must be a higher-ranking cleric!
In the next moment, a colossal, translucent projection of a goddess appeared above Harbor Town, her crystal-clear form reflecting the brilliant light of the silver moon. The sight was so awe-inspiring that it invoked an overwhelming urge to approach, to kneel, to prostrate oneself and confess all sins...
[Ayla], was it?
Lin En struggled to suppress his own awe, while Lauder and the others, trembling in fear, cowered on the deck, their heads bowed.
The goddess's shadowy gaze slowly turned toward them.
But just then, the thick fog surrounding them surged, and the entire sailboat vanished into the sea...