A gust of wind suddenly swept across the sea, and Klein slightly lowered his head, pressing down on his semi-tall silk top hat, then spoke in a deep voice:
"A Marionettist possesses Beyonder abilities that are the most difficult to decipher below the demigod level. A Traveler can come and go freely, wander the Spirit World at will, and even record and store Beyonder abilities he has seen, using them when needed, including abilities at the demigod level."
"When you two put it that way, I suddenly feel like the Hunter Pathway's abilities are rather ordinary," Anderson said, twitching his mouth, somewhat speechless.
"You're getting off topic," Leyton reminded him.
Didn't you bring up this topic? Klein silently grumbled in his heart, then looked at Anderson, waiting for him to tell his story.
Anderson's expression showed a hint of helplessness, and he sighed, letting his hands fall naturally to his sides:
"This sea area is very dangerous, but it also hides many treasures. Many treasure Hunters have entered here in the past, seeking adventure. Although most of them didn't make it out alive, there are always some lucky ones who manage to acquire items and materials and leave smoothly."
Klein subconsciously glanced at Leyton, then quickly withdrew his gaze.
Anderson looked around, then sat down on the beach with a decisive movement, crossing his legs, and continued:
"This treasure hunting group was assembled by two former lucky individuals. They claimed to have figured out which ruins in the first half of the safe route couldn't be explored and which could be attempted."
"I've always been curious about this place, and I was successfully persuaded by them to join this treasure hunting group."
"And then?" Klein asked, looking at the strongest Hunter who showed no vigilance towards them.
Anderson paused, then sighed and continued:
"At first, our exploration went very smoothly, truly very smoothly. We avoided dangers, obtained many clothes from previous explorers, and hunted some Monsters, gaining several materials."
"Perhaps it was too smooth at the beginning, which led to the sudden and unexpected danger later."
"We discovered a temple on a submerged island. There were many well-preserved murals there, which this gentleman has also seen in the dream world."
He pointed his chin at the expressionless Klein.
Leyton, lying on a beach chair made of starlight, said without any change in tone:
"You touched a mural left by Ouroboros, and then you started to become unlucky. Yet, you, the unluckiest fellow, lived the longest."
Although he made no movements, his eyes were very deep, seemingly covered by a faint, vast whiteness. Through Anderson's narration, he was making certain prophecies, allowing the events they had truly experienced to reappear in his mind.
"Who is Ouroboros?" Anderson looked up in astonishment, his face showing shock, helplessness, and a fleeting excitement.
Then he repeatedly waved his hands to defend himself:
"No, I didn't touch that mural. As a treasure Hunter, I wouldn't be that careless."
"I was the first to reach that mural at the time. I just extended my hand and habitually sketched various lines in the air. Really, I didn't directly touch it, at least five centimeters away!"
"Who knew that could also cause an accident? The Angel in that mural seemed to open Its eyes at that moment, and I guess that's when I started getting unlucky."
That doesn't sound innocent at all. Klein silently scoffed in his heart, devoid of sympathy.
Slightly adjusting his expression, he said calmly:
"The Angel on the mural is 'The Tail-Devourer' Ouroboros. He is an Angel of Fate of the Fate pathway."
"An Angel of Fate?" Anderson asked, puzzled, and seeing that no one was going to explain further, he just laughed twice and continued:
"Then the treasure hunting group all gathered in front of the mural. Most of them were scared by my description, believing that we shouldn't continue exploring that temple, but the remaining one-third craved more treasure, so they continued deeper into the temple."
"I and the remaining two-thirds of the people waited for a whole day, going through three alternations of noon and night, but they never returned."
"We are all excellent treasure Hunters, and we knew that those who continued deeper into the exploration must have met with an accident. After a brief confirmation, we directly left the temple, as our gains were already quite substantial, and there was no need to risk further."
None of the three, Leyton, Klein, or Cattleya, commented. Seeing this, Anderson showed no particular expression, merely sighed to himself:
"After leaving that temple, we discovered some abnormalities in ourselves. On one hand, we became very unlucky; nothing went smoothly no matter what we did. On the other hand, we gained control over ourselves in the dream world, no longer being muddled, knowing something but unable to act."
"Because of this, the remaining portion of our companions, another one-third of the original number, chose to curiously explore deeper into the dream world. Heh, they never came back."
Cattleya, who had been quietly listening, asked curiously, "What about their bodies in the real world?"
Anderson took a deep breath, his expression visibly stiff, and said:
"They mutated into monsters and killed quite a few of the remaining companions."
"Although we successfully eliminated those Monsters, due to losing too many Sailors and encountering a series of unlucky events, we couldn't reach this island before the storm arrived."
"Our ship sank, and our gains sank with it. The few remaining companions either drowned, were struck by lightning, or were devoured by Monsters in the water. Only I, being relatively stronger than them and a bit luckier, was thrown by the waves after the shipwreck and successfully swam to this island."
"As for later, I tried to make a dugout canoe, but I broke my last axe, and it reflected in the dream, which you saw."
Anderson's mouth twitched slightly, and he looked up at the expressionless Klein.
This guy is really unlucky. No, it should be that this entire treasure hunting group is very unlucky. Klein lowered his eyes, drawing a Crimson Moon for them in his heart.
After recounting his experiences in this sea area, Anderson smiled at Admiral of Stars Cattleya and Leyton, who was leisurely lying on a beach chair made of starlight:
"Do I have the honor of boarding the Future?"
"I will pay for the fare."
He looked as if he would accept any price. Cattleya turned her head to look at Leyton, who was lying nearby enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze, seemingly asking him if he wanted to agree.
"He has no problems, apart from the bad luck given by Ouroboros," Leyton said calmly, implying that she was the captain, and whether to let him board was her decision.
Cattleya nodded thoughtfully, not speaking immediately.
Are you Mystery Pryers all this confident? You don't even need divination; you can just get a conclusion by looking? Or can your eyes replace the divination process? Klein inferred from their expressions and words that they were inclined to let this strongest Hunter board the ship.
Seeing Cattleya still somewhat hesitant, Anderson seemed a bit eager to add:
"I am very familiar with the upcoming route and can help you avoid most of the dangers on the safe route. I can tell you which ruins can no longer be explored, and also, how to timely evade the song of the mermaids."
"The song of the mermaids?" Klein almost couldn't control his expression. He had been searching for mermaids for so long, and he didn't expect this unlucky Anderson to have a clue.
Anderson suddenly understood something, glanced at Klein, and said with a light chuckle:
"Yes, sailing one more day from here, hmm… I mean one day in the outside world, past a ruin, at…"
He didn't finish his sentence, just smiled at Klein, his meaning very clear.
Klein thought for a moment, then, following his habit, took out a gold coin and performed a simple divination to confirm that Anderson had no ill intentions.
"Even if he has ill intentions, it won't affect the Future. His bad luck is more effective than any malice."
Leyton reminded him calmly.
Makes sense. Klein nodded in agreement in his heart, and tossed the gold coin in his hand again for another divination.
It wasn't until Klein completed two divinations that Anderson spread his hands somewhat helplessly and said, "Excuse me, can I board the Future and leave this godforsaken place with you?"
Cattleya glanced at the gold coin Klein held in his hand, then turned her head to Anderson and nodded:
"I can agree to your request, but once we leave this sea area, you must share half of your items with me. If you have nothing, then I will take nothing."
"Deal!" Anderson agreed to Cattleya's condition with almost no hesitation.
After finding a way to leave this sea area, he visibly relaxed a lot, and said in a joking tone:
"I must remind you that although my bad luck is limited to myself, you still need to be careful. The way bad luck takes effect can also be by attracting Monsters, but the Monsters attracted by my bad luck shouldn't be too much trouble for a Saint."
At this point, he paused, his gaze falling on Leyton, and his expression became serious as he said:
"I wonder if this gentleman has a way to resolve the bad luck on me? If so, what price do I need to pay?"
Leyton looked at Anderson with deep eyes, and chuckled:
"It can be said yes, and it can be said no."
"I am not a demigod of the Fate pathway, nor do I carry corresponding Mystical Items. If you are willing to remain in this unlucky state and wait for a not-so-short period, I can indeed remove the bad luck from you."
"How long is 'not-so-short period'?" Anderson pressed.
Leyton said expressionlessly:
"Perhaps half a year, perhaps a year, or maybe even longer."
"Uh, are there any other ways?" Anderson asked in a deep voice, lowering his head. In this state of bad luck, let alone half a year or a year, even just a month, he felt it would be hard to survive.
Leyton sat up from the beach chair made of starlight, and said with a slight curve of his lips:
"Pray to beings who wield the authority of Fate. If they are in a good mood, they might help you remove the bad luck from you."
"For example, the Angel of Fate Ouroboros whom you saw in the mural, or the President of the Fate Council, who is also an Angel of this Pathway, or perhaps 'The Empress of Misfortune and Horror,' the 'Shadow that Roams across Fate' who is a refined monocle, and also the King of Yellow and Black Who Holds Good Luck."
"These are all beings I can contact. For the sake of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, even though you are a failing student, I will give you some assistance as appropriate. Of course, it won't be free."
Anderson was stunned for a moment, his expression constantly changing, as if to show the complexity of his feelings at the moment.
Klein turned his head to look at Leyton, his thoughts couldn't help but wander. A refined monocle, that must be Amon. He even knows His honorific name, truly someone who stole from the Cathedral of Waves together. Speaking of which, these beings who hold authority in the domain of Fate seem to have intersected with me more or less. Is it a coincidence?
Anderson quickly composed himself, looked at Leyton with a complex expression, and defended himself:
"I just failed the exam; I'm far from being a complete failure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have become the famous 'Strongest Hunter' of the Five Seas at such a young age."
"You are from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Why don't I remember seeing you? To become a demigod at this age, you should be like Edwina, one of those who are highly regarded among the students."
As soon as his words fell, the entire island suddenly shook, and rolling dust billowed out from the primeval forest deep within the island.
"Monsters aren't coming out already, are they?" Anderson subconsciously opened his mouth, staring intently in the direction where the dust was rising.