Walsh carefully made his way towards the location he had arranged to et with that Noble.
The spot was a dense forest on the side of the road between Kemir Manor and South Los, which appeared no different from the other dense forests from the outside—utterly ordinary.
Only those who had entered this forest before, with guidance from soone familiar, could discover the hidden chanism—
"Death is as common and as special as breathing."
Rembering the Noble's words and guidance, Walsh climbed towards the thickest tree.
Once he reached a tree hollow concealed by branches, he didn't imdiately reach inside, but instead gently tapped one side of the trunk.
Thud! Thud thud!
One tap followed by two more.
Each tap was very heavy.
Suddenly—
Hiss, hiss!
In the hissing unique to snakes, a camouflaged poisonous snake that blended with the color of the tree bark and branches erged from the tree hollow and coiled around a branch.
The snake flicked its tongue, its cold eyes fixed intently on Walsh.
Under the watchful gaze of the snake, however, Walsh calmly reached into the tree hollow and began to search. When his fingers found an indentation, he imdiately flipped it upward.
Click!
Amidst the sound of the machinery, the obstructing plank completely moved aside, revealing the hidden ssenger Stone inside.
Walsh took out the ssenger Stone, verified it was correct, and quickly climbed down from the tree.
Throughout the process, there wasn't a trace of trembling, nor any hint of fear.
Because, the Noble had told him there was no need to fear.
He firmly believed that the Noble would not harm him.
And indeed, this proved true. The snake seed to have no desire to attack. After Walsh took the ssenger Stone, it returned to the tree hollow.
"Mr. Glast, this is Walsh!"
Beneath the tree, concealed within the tree's shadow, the young mber of the Pale Hand reached out to the Noble.
The ssenger Stone quickly started to flicker.
"Walsh, did anything unexpected happen over there?"
The deep voice carried a hint of concern.
"No!
Everything is normal!
Moreover, I have made a significant discovery!"
The young mber of the Pale Hand felt moved, then quickly recounted the situation he had witnessed firsthand.
"The Lady of the Eternal Night is pregnant with the child of South Los's 'Spirit dium'?"
Clearly, the mber of the Pale Hand on the other end of the ssenger Stone was also taken aback by this news, so much so that the tone involuntarily rose, adding a sharpness to it.
However, Walsh did not notice these subtleties.
The young mber of the Pale Hand simply continued affirmatively.
"Yes, sir.
The Lady of the Eternal Night's morning sickness is quite severe."
"Is that so?"
The voice on the other side lowered again.
Then, it directly commanded—
"Walsh, go to location number 2 now.
There you will et soone. No need for any conversation, just give the ssenger Stone to them, then return to South Los and continue to stay undercover."
"Yes, sir."
The young mber of the Pale Hand imdiately set into motion.
Unlike location number 1, location number 2 was beside a small river between South Los and Kemir Manor.
When the young mber of the Pale Hand arrived, soone was already standing there.
The person had an ordinary appearance and wore the distinct attire of a servant, even though the bowtie at the collar was long gone, Walsh could still confirm this detail.
"A noble's servant?
A rchant's attendant?"
The young mber of the 'Pale Hand' subconsciously guessed, but his actions were swift. He rembered Mr. Glast's words, exchanged no words, and simply handed the ssenger Stone to the other person before turning away.
But the next mont—
Puff!
The young 'Pale Hand' mber looked down at the Longsword piercing through his chest, his face a mask of shock and confusion.
Walsh wanted to turn around to see the person behind him.
He wanted to ask why they had attacked him.
Were they not afraid of Mr. Glast holding them accountable?
But the person behind him didn't give the young 'Pale Hand' mber a chance, pulled out the Longsword, and kicked Walsh in the lower back.
Bang!
Walsh's body flew up and then fell into the river, quickly disappearing from sight.
Soon after, the ssenger Stone flickered again.
"It truly is 'Bloody John' indeed.
Even against an unsuspecting child, there is no rcy shown.
Are all pirates that terrifying?"
The voice from within the ssenger Stone grew sharper, carrying an unmistakable hint of laughter.
"Heh, compared to you, a freak who harms his own followers, every pirate would seem like a kind-hearted saint,"
dressed in servant's attire and just having slipped away from the grand hall of Kemir Manor, 'Bloody John' chuckled coldly.
"You will never understand the allure of death.
Just as you do not comprehend the ceremony that death requires—Walsh was a fine young man, who was loyal to , appreciated , and even wished to die for .
So...
I chose to let him die for .
Isn't that a kindness?"
the mber of the 'Pale Hand' on the other side of the ssenger Stone retorted.
Bloody John' clearly didn't appreciate such twisted words.
The pirate leader chuckled coldly once more and decided not to linger on this topic, saying directly—
"The item you wanted has been presented as a gift to the 'Spirit dium' of South Los by the Swordsmanship Chief of Baron Haus, so let us cancel our arrangent.
I am not confident in retrieving that item from the 'Spirit dium' of South Los."
"Oh?
Is the fad 'Bloody John' giving up just like that?
This is the clue to the 'Key' of the Pirate King's Treasure you've been obsessed about."
The voice on the other side of the ssenger Stone was full of amusent.
"Do you know why I am so renowned?"
'Bloody John' curved his lips into a smirk.
"Why?"
The voice on the other side of the ssenger Stone was curious.
"Because I have lived long enough—the sea is never short of rising stars, but most of the ti, they are just short-lived spirits.
I, on the other hand, am long-lived.
Because I am cautious, I avoid any unnecessary risks.
Even if...
it is the treasure I have long chased."
Having said that, 'Bloody John' did not waste further words with the person on the other side of the ssenger Stone, raised his hand to crush the ssenger Stone, and then turned into a puddle of water rging into the little river, disappearing from sight.
He had already delayed too much ti.
Though he didn't believe that anyone would notice one missing person among so many in such chaotic circumstances, a lingering unease still made the pirate leader exceedingly cautious.
Just as the pirate leader disappeared, a Crow flew across the sky, and from the bushes erged the head of a dog.
Shortly thereafter, the Crow flew off, while the dog burrowed deeper into the bushes.
Only leaving behind—
A Swordsman wrapped in bandages, slowly erging.
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