Pace glared at Leyton, baring its teeth. Just as Leyton thought it was about to pounce and scratch his face to defend its dried fish, it turned, picked up the remaining dried fish from its plate, and nimbly leaped onto a table on the other side of the dining room.
"Haha, Al, you still love teasing it so much."
Nina, who had been sitting on Pace's other side, laughed heartily as she watched the scene unfold.
As her upper body moved, her exaggerated chest size bounced a few times, attracting the attention of the pirates around her, who couldn't tear their eyes away.
Nina also noticed this, but she didn't restrain herself. Instead, she puffed out her already impressive chest and said with a contemptuous tone:
"What? Does anyone here want to spend the night in the same room with me?"
The pirates around her all swallowed in unison, their expressions showing interest but also some restraint. After all, sleeping in the same room could mean one on the bed and one under it, and they had all been tricked by Nina in this way more or less.
Just as the atmosphere in the dining room was about to turn ambiguous, Cattleya's voice suddenly rang out, magnified by a spell, echoing throughout the Future.
"There's an island two nautical miles ahead. We'll dock there and wait for the storm to Paces."
"In this sea, whenever noon and night alternate, there's a high probability of a terrifying storm. I'm not sure when it will come, but I think it's safer to wait for it to Paces before continuing our voyage."
Cattleya's explanation this time was much more detailed than before, and the pirates on board had no objections. The Sailors who had finished lunch began preparing for docking under the command of Quartermaster Ottolov and Boatswain Nina.
After most of the Sailors in the dining room had left, Klein carried his plate and sat next to Leyton. He lowered his head, eating his lunch, and asked with some curiosity:
"What did you discover in that Giant King's Court in your dream?"
"Unable to approach," Leyton replied simply.
"Unable to approach? Why?" Klein looked up in confusion. He had thought the other party would at least have reached the opposite mountain peak by now. Although the previous night hadn't lasted long, it had been half an hour.
"I don't know. Perhaps it was just a projection in the dream, not actually existing within the dream."
Leyton shook his head, his gaze fixed on the bright sunlight outside the window.
Without much delay, the Future adjusted its course and arrived in front of an island covered with tall trees, finally docking on the leeward side of the island.
In less than half an hour, the previously sunny noon grew dim. Heavy dark clouds appeared one after another, quickly covering the entire sky.
Boom!
Amidst a tremendous roar, a dazzling silvery-white lightning bolt struck down.
The violent wind collided with the air, creating an explosive sound. The air currents spun rapidly, and an unrestrained tornado suddenly rose from the ground. It connected the clouds above and the sea below, like a terrifying Giant intent on destroying everything.
This tornado brought mountain-sized waves, as if to sweep away all obstacles. Lightning bolts as thick as tree trunks struck down one after another, some hitting the sea, some hitting the island, stirring up scattered sparks that were quickly extinguished by the strong winds and rain.
The Future continuously pitched and rolled in the terrifying, apocalyptic storm. Raindrops lashed against the deck, giving the pirates sheltering in the cabin the illusion of being submerged.
In the dining room, Leyton, leaning back in a wooden chair, tossed up a transparent, dazzling crystal ball. The brilliant starlight within the crystal ball reflected outwards, causing Stars to twinkle one after another around the Future. With an indescribable sense of weight, it warped the surrounding gravity, causing the waves that struck nearby to dissipate into nothingness.
Klein looked at the transparent crystal ball floating in mid-air with some surprise, feeling the sudden increase in weight on his body. He fell into thought for a moment:
A mystical item that can manipulate gravity, which pathway and Sequence does it correspond to?
It shouldn't be the Mystery Pryer pathway. Neither Al nor Miss Hermit, although they both displayed Beyonder abilities related to starlight, did not involve gravity or gravitational forces. Moreover, judging from the performance of this crystal ball, its corresponding strength is only around Sequence 4. The core ability of a Savant at this stage is Mystical Reenactment.
The Mystery Pryer pathway, which can be interchanged with Savant? Not quite. The Great Emperor's diary didn't mention anything related, and judging from the performance of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Beyonders, their Beyonder abilities are mostly related to machinery.
The storm at sea didn't last too long. About fifteen minutes later, the tornado connecting the sea to the dark clouds in the sky disappeared, and the waves subsided. The midday sun once again bathed the sea area.
Cattleya walked at a steady pace to the captain's cabin window. She calmly surveyed the island ahead, then spoke:
"You can move around on the island, but don't go too deep. You must remain within cannon range."
"Yay!"
"Long live the Captain!"
The pirates on the ship cheered excitedly. Some went to the island in groups, while others lay on the deck to relax.
Stepping onto the soft sand, enjoying the sunlight and sea breeze, Leyton suddenly felt a sense of release from his long-suppressed emotions.
Enjoying life is the best way to treat psychological problems… He sighed inwardly. Leyton stopped, gently rubbed his fingers, and created shimmering starlight all around him. These starlight instantly solidified, forming a perfectly angled beach chair.
After lying down comfortably on the starlight-formed beach chair, he created some dim starlight above his head, making the sunlight less dazzling.
Leyton's actions quickly attracted the attention of others around him. The black cat Pace swiftly burrowed under the starlight-formed beach chair, lying on its back on the soft sand, a human-like expression of enjoyment on its face.
This guy, is it on vacation? Klein's mouth twitched slightly. If it weren't for maintaining his Gehrman Sparrow persona in front of others, he would have already walked over and asked the other party to make him a beach chair too.
Cattleya looked at this scene with a slightly complex expression. After moving a little closer, she spoke:
"That mystical item you used to calm the waves earlier, which pathway does it correspond to? That ability to manipulate gravity, I've never seen it on any Beyonder."
Hearing Cattleya's question, Klein, who was about to walk further away, stopped. He was also very curious about this question.
Leyton chuckled twice, extending his right hand towards the somewhat dim starlight above his head. As he gently distorted his hand, that patch of starlight transformed into a brilliant night sky.
Gazing at the night sky before him, he said in a calm voice:
"Astronomy Aficionado. It's normal that you haven't seen it, because it's not among the 22 Divine Pathways."
"The Sequence corresponding to that crystal ball is called 'Heavybringer,' possessing the ability to alter a planet's gravity. Of course, it can only alter gravity within a certain range. To alter the gravity of an entire planet, one would need at least Sequence 0."
"Not among the 22 Divine Pathways?" Cattleya's eyes widened slightly, appearing somewhat incredulous. This information had shattered her occult knowledge.
"Why isn't it among the 22 Pathways?" Klein couldn't help but press curiously.
Without waiting for an answer, Klein suddenly turned his gaze to the other side. His Spiritual Perception detected a figure approaching.
He was wearing a white shirt, black vest, and black trousers, a medium-built young man with blond hair and blue eyes.
Klein's pupils constricted slightly; he had already recognized the other party.
Without hesitation, he directly pulled out a white tin charm from his right pocket and uttered an ancient hermes word:
"Storm!"
With the infusion of spirituality, the white tin charm immediately became prickly, as if tiny blades had grown from it.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several light green, sharp blades shot out, all aimed at the young man who was smiling and waving happily not far away.
The young man opposite hadn't even had time to speak when he sensed danger. He agilely rolled to his side, dodging the wind blades attacking him.
"Stop! Stop!"
"I have no ill will!"
The young man not far away shouted loudly while nimbly dodging the wind blades.
"Anderson Hood?"
Cattleya looked at the person who had suddenly appeared here with some doubt and spoke his name.
Klein glanced at Cattleya beside him in surprise. He didn't rush to activate the charm he was holding, but said in a deep voice:
"I met him in a dream at night. He has already mutated."
"He's just a bit unlucky, but nothing unlucky enough to cause him to mutate has happened yet."
Leyton, sprawled on the starlight-formed beach chair, explained to Anderson Hood in a calm voice.
Anderson raised both hands, indicating he was not dangerous, while cautiously approaching, continuously saying:
"That's right, that's right, that's how it is. I'm just a bit unlucky, that's all."
"Besides, if I had gone exploring too, how would I still be alive and well?"
"I just wanted to make a joke at the time, to liven up the atmosphere. Don't you think the environment at the time was perfect for telling some horror stories? It's just that I didn't have time to explain to you and ask for help before that dream ended… Damn it! I'm really too unlucky!"
"That is indeed unlucky," Klein muttered to himself, reluctantly accepting the other party's explanation.
"He's very famous in the Fog Sea, known as the 'Strongest Hunter.' You can listen to what he encountered," Cattleya said calmly, looking at Anderson opposite her.
"No, not the Strongest Hunter."
Anderson shook his head seriously, then chuckled twice and added:
"If Admiral of Stars insists on calling me that, it's best to add a qualifier: below demigod."
"I am the Strongest Hunter below demigod!"
"Heh, below demigod? You haven't been beaten up by a Shepherd, have you? Hmm… you probably haven't encountered a Marionettist or a Traveler either."
Leyton, lying on the starlight-formed beach chair, spoke with disdain, his tone flat.
Klein turned his head and glanced at him, thinking of Elder Lovia from city of Silver… A Shepherd who has pastured enough, or strong enough, souls can indeed be called the strongest Beyonder below demigod. They are powerful and versatile.
"Uh…" Anderson froze for a moment. He looked at Leyton with a somewhat solemn gaze. Both the other party's leisurely vacation posture and the subtle sense of danger emanating from him made him feel that the other party was very formidable.
Demigod. This guy is a demigod, or he carries a very dangerous mystical item… Various thoughts flashed through Anderson's mind. He chuckled ingratiatingly twice and said:
"I indeed haven't encountered any of those types of Beyonders you mentioned. Do they have anything special about them? That they would be considered the strongest Beyonders below demigod by you."
Cattleya pushed up the thick glasses on her nose and said in a flat voice:
"A Shepherd can devour others' souls, including vengeful spirits and evil spirits, into their bodies and drive these souls in a unique way, just like pasturing lambs for a deity. The extent of their abilities depends only on how many extraordinary souls they have devoured."
Anderson's expression froze for a moment, then he shrugged and sighed:
"Alright, that's indeed very powerful. It's a pity there are no Shepherds at sea to contend with me for the title of Strongest Hunter, otherwise I'd be happy to give it to him."
"What about the Marionettist and the Traveler? What kind of Beyonder abilities do they possess?"