Chapter 313: Chapter 272: There’s a mole, keep trading!
Byron put away the automatically retracting Gungnir, leaving only a bright blue orb of blood in his hand. If one listened carefully, it seemed to still carry the surging sound of ocean waves.
This essence of blood from the heart was also a top-notch material for various rituals of Mysticism.
He handed it to Violet without hesitation.
Looking at the sea where the octopus Warship had vanished, he shook his head with some regret. "I saw it clearly just now. The octopus Warship, much like an octopus with three hearts and nine brains, actually had three hearts growing inside its cabin. Though we managed to destroy one today, dealing it a heavy blow, it probably won’t kill this Infinite Evolver. It will heal sooner or later. I speculate that only by destroying all three of its hearts at once, or even Balboa himself, could we interrupt its infinite evolving process and truly kill the monster."
The Sailing Logbook of the May Wind, however, did not end its history there, which indirectly confirmed his speculation.
Byron had originally listened to Sister Teresa’s prophecy through Herman’s ears with crystal clarity: "Calamity of Raging Blood, Parasitic Coral; the Luanyan Epoch awaits your dreams."
Balboa was not a run-of-the-mill type like Blue Hair Halding. After being contaminated by something on the New Continent, his power had surged, and his survivability had skyrocketed. If he were so easily killed, it would somewhat betray Sister Teresa’s prophecy.
"That fellow will probably disappear for a while," Byron mused, "but it won’t take long before it reappears in these waters, stronger than ever. According to the nun’s prophecy, the Calamity of Raging Blood is just the beginning. The real drama is likely still to come. The latter part, ’the Luanyan Epoch awaits your dreams,’ is probably the main course that will let me glimpse the root of this calamity. By then, there should be taller players entering the game... right?"
As Byron looked around, he suddenly realized that after the Governor of Havana, Velazquez, and Blue Hair Barbarossa Halding had been overthrown one after the other, he seemed to have become one of the ’tall players’ in this power vacuum period of the Bantaan Archipelago, or at least one of its poles.
When he withdrew his gaze, he found that Violet had already concocted a bottle of bright blue, beautiful Magic Potion with the blood of the octopus Warship and was staring at him eagerly.
"Byron, the fresher the blood of a Deep Sea Demon Monster, the better its effect. Let’s tattoo it onto my body right now."
Byron had no objections and even called over a large Barnacle Crab, taking its translucent blood and allowing Violet to concoct a second bottle of pale green Magic Potion.
Then, the girl dragged him toward the Captain’s quarters, which had not yet been used.
Before entering, Violet asked him to wait outside for a moment. She slipped in by herself.
Soon after, the sounds of rustling clothes and splashing water came from behind the door. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that her voice, tinged with shyness, called out, "You can come in now."
Byron pushed the door open and entered, stepping into his own room for the first time.
The Captain’s quarters of the new Golden Deer had been personally arranged by Violet during the fitting-out phase. Coming from the hands of this Gunpowder Artist from the Vienna Art Academy, the furniture, decorations, and living utensils were all exquisite and possessed a remarkable style.
However, what was more remarkable at that moment was Violet, sitting quietly by the bed.
She had clearly just taken a bath. Her brilliant silver hair draped naturally over her shoulders, and she wore a pure white silk nightgown with lace trim. Her figure might not be as voluptuous as Catherine’s, but it was still delicate and proportionate, soft and lovely. Especially her slender, smooth arms and calves, which were exposed. Her skin was as radiant as snow, shimmering like an undeniable source of light in the dim cabin.
The small Captain’s quarters was also filled with a pleasant, faint floral scent, prompting Byron to subconsciously take a deep breath.
This...
Even for someone like him, who wasn’t entirely human, he suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
Even after all this time, Violet and I still can’t quite reach the level of familiarity I have with Catherine, he realized. Byron would dare to invade Catherine’s bathroom, urinating openly and confidently in her Golden Toilet right in front of her. But with Violet, my heart rate picks up with just a bit more intensity.
In such a situation, when one person is nervous, the other naturally becomes more relaxed. Violet chuckled and beckoned to him. "Come on! I’ve chosen these two Runes. All you have to do is follow the pattern and tattoo them on."
Byron fought back the girl’s beauty, which seemed to transcend racial barriers, relying on the limits of his own particular preferences.
Gathering his wandering emotions, he stepped forward and saw the original copy of the Forbidden Book, "Calamity Curse," spread out on the bed. It was filled with dense Runes.
There was an ancient epic passed down among the Bayfolk, recounting how Woden, God of Prophecy, Authority, and the Mad Hunt, invented the Runes:
"I hung for nine nights from a wind-battered tree, pierced by a Spear;
Offered to Woden, myself to myself, on that tree whose roots no one knows;
Without bread to sate hunger, nor a drop of water to quench thirst;
I looked down and seized the Runes;
Shouting aloud, I fell from the tree."
These transcendent letters, invented by the god Woden, contained the world’s most core secrets. In the Mythological Era, the script of the North Bay Folks was composed of Runes. These were gradually replaced by the common tongue as they entered the Silver Era.
Looking at these characters, Byron felt the same sense of déjà vu he had experienced when seeing the ’Hunt’ and ’Tame’ Runes on Gungnir. With just a glance, it’s as if I’ve penetrated their secrets, Byron thought. Compared to Violet, a well-trained witch-in-training, I seem equally insightful.
I seem to have a particularly unique affinity with the Mad Hunt Deity Woden, Byron realized. Even the Sailing Logbook doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.
"I’ve memorized them," Byron said, his mind focused. "One is ’Profane,’ and the other is ’Abyss.’ I’m starting now."
Once he entered a working state, Byron’s mind cleared of all distracting thoughts, and he achieved a hundred percent focus in a Flow State.
First, he disinfected Violet’s delicate skin with the high-proof liquor from the Warrior’s Cup.
Holding her slender and smooth left hand with one of his, and pinching a sharp Mithril needle soaked in the bright blue Magic Potion with the other, he plunged the first needle into the edge of her jade-pale hand.
"HISS!"
The girl involuntarily shuddered. Clearly, as the books described, the process of engraving a Curse Seal was extraordinarily painful. She couldn’t use anesthetic and had to endure the pain with grit—something she could never do by herself.
Byron’s needling was steady. He had even taught Violet the Flow State, and his control over his own body was already at its peak. Even as her muscles twitched, his needling remained fast and firm.
No matter how painful it was for the girl, now that it had begun, she had to see the job through.
After about ten minutes, he finally finished tattooing the first Curse Seal, ’Profane.’ Violet was soaking wet, as if she had been fished out of water. It felt like an entire century had passed.
Yet, reluctant to waste the effect of the other Magic Potion, she extended a damp little foot onto Byron’s lap, bit her lip, and said firmly, "Continue, I can still hold on.
"But let’s keep some distance between two consecutive marks; tattoo the second one on my foot."
Byron nodded. It’s like how typewriters prevent jamming by arranging commonly used letters in different positions,
he thought. I’m familiar with this strategy.He cradled the girl’s pure white and immaculate right foot, almost sculptural in appearance, and disinfected it with liquor once more.
Switching to a new Mithril needle, he dipped it in the pale aqua Magic Potion and swiftly tattooed a chain of Runes around the edge of her pale foot. Her foot was clearly more sensitive than her hand.
By the time he finished the second Curse Seal, ’Abyss,’ she was lying on the bed, drenched in sweat, panting and on the verge of collapse.
The first Curse Seal, ’Profane,’ corresponding to the octopus Warship, and the second Curse Seal, ’Abyss,’ corresponding to the Barnacle Crab, both glimmered faintly as they finally solidified.
Byron mixed 10 ml of Blood Brew, 30 ml of gin, 15 ml of egg white, 15 ml of lemon juice, 8 ml of red pomegranate syrup, and ice cubes to make her a ’Blood Brew: Pink Lady’ cocktail, designed to alleviate fatigue and pain and promote sleep.
After feeding the drink to Violet, he helped her lie down in the bed that was meant for him and covered her with a blanket, watching her drift into deep sleep.
Perhaps it was an illusion, Byron thought, but in those moments of physical interaction, I felt her body soften as if her bones had melted away. That soft, boneless touch struck my heart. An involuntary shiver ran through him. I want to reach out and check again, he thought, but seeing her defenseless, sweet sleeping face, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to extend his hand.
I must restrain that beast within my heart!
At this point, one-third of the bloodline sublimation ritual "Retracing the Deep Sea" and the six Curse Seals required by the Beast Number 666 were completed.
Even though the entire ceremony was not finished, a deep transformation within her lineage had already quietly begun. Once Violet awoke, she should be able to use the corresponding Calamity Curse, greatly enhancing her combat capabilities and her methods against enemies.
However, what Byron did not know was that, after falling asleep, the girl entered a very special "dream" in her reserve status as a Calamity Witch.
「...」
Soon, Byron returned to Gornaf Island aboard the Golden Deer, where he found the remnants of the Lancaster Party.
Seeing him return safely after repelling the May Wind, they diligently approached him with respect. Particularly Beret Tanya, who possessed the ’Preempting the Enemy’ ability, stepped forward with a hand on his chest and asked, "Your Highness, do you need us to reorganize our team and join the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company? We are prepared and await your orders."
While there were only two high-level warriors of the Third Order in this contingent of the Lancaster Party, there was also a group of mid to low-level officers seasoned in battle. Those who had left the relatively comfortable conditions of the Old Continent to travel to the distant Bantaan Archipelago were those who wanted to build up strength to fight the York Family to the end; they were loyal and reliable enough.
With this core group, Byron needed only to add a batch of minimally trained soldiers to form an army immediately. At the very least, it would save him five or six precious years of training mid to lower-level Supernatural Officers from scratch.
Unexpectedly, however, Byron rejected his proposal and, smiling mysteriously at the gathered core members, said, "No, I want you to continue with the original plan of ’stealing home.’ Due to the Calamity of Raging Blood, the maritime defenses within the Bantaan Archipelago have been wiped clean. Even the Seagull Messengers of the Lighthouse Union, having lost their clients, no longer roamed the various routes delivering reports. Among the islands, each colony had become isolated. No one dared to enter the water to offer aid, regardless of any rumors they heard. It’s the perfect opportunity for action."
Turning towards the direction of Jamestown Royal Harbor, he activated Cognitive Revision to revert to Byron Tudor and said quietly, "Although the Calamity of Raging Blood has blocked our path to wealth, there’s no better opportunity than now to undertake something significant. How does that saying go? Ah yes, ’Boss, we’ve got an insider; continue the trade!’ And I just so happen to be that insider."
Hearing this, the eyes of everyone present lit up involuntarily.