During the time he had been carrying Miss Sharon with him, Hastur had been constantly thinking about one question.
For so many days, Miss Sharon had been staying inside the mirror. Didn't she need to deal with basic physiological needs?
He knew Sharon's current Sequence was Wraith, but her essence should still be a human body, right? Humans couldn't perform photosynthesis. According to the law of conservation of energy, well, she should also need to regularly replenish energy and nutrition.
This was a question he could only ponder silently in his heart. He definitely wouldn't do something as foolish as asking her directly.
If the person were Maric instead, Hastur wouldn't have so many concerns. He might even be interested in dissecting him.
"Here, take it back." As soon as Sharon came out of the mirror, she handed Hastur a talisman covered in various twisted lines representing time.
This was the talisman Hastur had deliberately given her when the Black Emperor was approaching the ferry. He said that as long as she carried it with her, it could conceal parts of her related fate, allowing her to hide more safely inside the mirror.
Things indeed developed just as Hastur had predicted. Hiding in the mirror, she successfully avoided the perception of that King of the Five Seas. Even though she had been hiding on Hastur for several days, her whereabouts were still not exposed.
This item was far too precious. Hastur didn't take the Fate Talisman. Instead, he placed it back into Sharon's palm and smiled.
"When I gave it to you earlier, I already said that this Fate Talisman would count as the payment for you accompanying me to Southville County."
"I'm not worth that much."
"Whether it's worth it or not is decided by me, the employer."
"No."
"Then I can extend the employment period until you believe it's enough to repay the value of this Fate Talisman."
"..."
"With this Fate Talisman on you, it'll be easier for you to do certain things. The indulgence faction of the Rose School will also have a harder time discovering your traces."
Seeing Sharon still hesitating, Hastur added another sentence.
"Alright." In the end, Sharon put away the Fate Talisman. It was extremely useful to her. Combined with her Wraith abilities, it could deceive many high-sequence Beyonders.
"Miss Sharon, do you want to eat something tonight to replenish some nutrition?"
"Yes. But I don't want fish for now."
"Ariella is the same in that regard. Recently it needs to eat some vegetables so its nutrition stays balanced. It's already gained several pounds since leaving Backlund."
"Meow?" Ariella's eyes widened. It looked down at its slender and elegant figure. It was obviously thinner than when it was at home!
"Stop looking. Your little belly is about to droop down."
Hastur gently rubbed Ariella's belly a few times before handing it to Sharon. Then he went out and headed downstairs to order some food to be sent up to the room.
Holding Ariella, Sharon walked to the chair beside the window and sat down. She lowered her head and carefully smoothed out the messy black, glossy fur that Hastur had ruffled.
"Meow?" Ariella licked Sharon's finger and tilted its head slightly to look at her.
Sharon didn't speak. Her expression was much gentler than usual. It was as though the ice in her eyes had melted into flowing water.
Downstairs, after Hastur finished ordering the menu, he originally planned to return to the room and wait. But by coincidence, he overheard people discussing the coastal defense issues of Southville County.
They didn't have the courage to present suggestions to the current Grand Duke of Southville County. But they certainly had the courage to discuss national affairs here after drinking a little alcohol, and quite a lot of courage at that.
Although some of their suggestions weren't mature, there were still a few commendable ideas.
Hastur listened quietly for a while before asking the owner here for a map of Southville County.
This map only had a few place names marked in a very superficial way. It didn't even have a rough outline.
The owner explained quietly that the more detailed a map was, the less likely it would be sold. It would be more convenient to directly find someone who knew the terrain well.
When Hastur asked about suitable candidates, the owner smiled and recommended someone.
Hastur paid him 1 gold pound as a consultation fee. The owner immediately smiled even wider and recommended another person.
This time, Hastur didn't give him any gold pounds. Under the owner's stunned and regretful gaze, he simply left.
When he returned to the room, the dishes he ordered had already been delivered.
Smack.
Hastur slapped away Ariella's small paw that was secretly reaching toward the dried fish and smilingly placed two bright green spinach stalks in front of it.
"Meow?" Ariella's eyes widened again. Hastur then added a piece of broccoli.
Angry, Ariella waved its paw, jumped off the table, landed on Sharon's lap, lay down, closed its eyes, and looked as though it had the heroic determination to go on a hunger strike.
"Being picky about food isn't good, right, Miss Sharon?" Hastur smiled and added a spoonful of diced carrots to Sharon's plate. Then, under Sharon's cold gaze, he silently placed a piece of tender beef rib onto his own plate.
At the harbor in the evening, the setting sun hung just above the distant sea. A soft sea breeze carried heavy moisture, gently brushing against people's faces in a very comfortable way.
This was the busiest time for the dockworkers. Fishing boats that had ventured far into the sea were continuously returning.
Hastur held Ariella in his arms, with Sharon beside him, as they walked along the street toward a clothing store.
More than ten sets of clothes and living supplies such as his cane that he had brought from Backlund were destroyed in the steam train explosion.
The things he bought afterward were also crushed into powder in the ferry cabin by the King of the Five Seas.
Two hours later, the sun had already set and the crimson moon began to rise.
Only then did Hastur and Sharon leave the clothing store. Hastur carried a suitcase in one hand, while Sharon carried another.
Ariella, whom no one was holding, lay on Hastur's right shoulder, secretly rejoicing.
Fortunately, the clothes specially tailored for it during the New Year had already been burned. It didn't need to wear those troublesome things that restrained its body anymore.
It truly didn't understand why its master and Miss Sharon insisted on wearing clothes.
....
At night, the dim sea was pitch black. Waves surged, shattering the reflection of the crimson moon again and again.
Amid the increasingly violent waves, two empty oak barrels were tied together side by side with ropes, swaying on the sea surface.
On top of the barrels, Ince Zangwill lay there with a tired face. His originally not-so-fair skin had turned pale from being soaked in seawater. The skin on his fingers and toes had peeled away.
Neither his clothes nor his hair had been dry for even a moment.
Fortunately, he had already seen a beacon of hope. Not far away stood a tall lighthouse, guiding ships that had yet to return.
Ince Zangwill raised his head slightly and revealed a reluctant smile. His unfortunate fate had finally encountered a turning point.
During his last battle with the King of the Five Seas, he used the script-weaving ability of 008 to attract two powerful spirit world creatures. Amid the chaotic battle, he successfully escaped the spirit world.
His landing point was the vast ocean. As soon as he left the spirit world, he fell into the sea, so he could only swim desperately to move farther away.
Fortunately, there happened to be a drifting oak barrel on the sea, allowing him, who had been swimming for half a day, to finally have a tool to save effort.
But one barrel wasn't enough. He could only hug it with both hands and half-lie on top of it while his lower body remained submerged in the seawater.
And since he had no suitable tool for paddling, he could only drift along the direction of the ocean current.
Fortunately, on the third day, he found another oak barrel floating on the sea. Finally, his lower body could leave the seawater.
Although the posture of lying on two barrels like a frog wasn't elegant, it was already the most comfortable position for him.
He had also tried using 008 to write a script where a ship would just happen to pass by and rescue him from the sea.
However, the script he was waiting for never happened. He could only continue drifting endlessly across the ocean.
He knew this was 008 deliberately trying to kill him using this opportunity.
In his incomplete state, he simply couldn't compete with 008 for control over writing the script. He could only barely resist, preventing 008 from writing him to death.
He also thought about escaping the current predicament through spirit world traversal. But those two spirit world creatures he had summoned were still wandering nearby.
Compared to returning to the spirit world, staying in the real world was safer. Although the situation was difficult, his life wasn't in immediate danger.
As a Beyonder, his physique had been strengthened through repeated advancements. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have endured the scorching sun during the day and the damp waves at night.
Fortunately, fate had not completely abandoned him. Drifting along with the ocean current, he wasn't carried into uninhabited waters. Instead, he was approaching a harbor marked by a lighthouse beacon.
In the latter half of the night, Ince Zangwill had already reached a place about five hundred meters from the shoreline. But the surging waves couldn't push him ashore. Instead, they kept pushing him away, making him drift farther and farther.
At this point, he could only abandon the saviors that had accompanied him for several days and rely on the primitive method of swimming, struggling against the incoming waves.
Unfortunately, his perseverance had no audience.
When the sun began to rise at the horizon where sea and sky met, the raging waves finally calmed.
Ince Zangwill finally swam to the beach. For a moment, he almost felt like crying. The feeling of standing on solid ground was so wonderful.
Barely leaving the seawater-soaked sand and moving to slightly higher ground, he stopped his difficult steps. His exhausted body collapsed onto the beach, lying on his back, chest rising and falling as he gasped heavily.
Ince Zangwill tilted his head slightly and looked at the orange-yellow sun, revealing a satisfied smile of surviving a disaster.
On the coastline, Hastur pushed open the window facing the sea, letting the newborn sunlight pour into the room.
Sharon, who had rested inside the mirror for the night, also stepped out of the mirror. Holding the lazy Ariella that was lying in her hands, she came to the window to admire the magnificent view of sea and sky.
"Good morning, Miss Sharon."
From the window of the neighboring room, Hastur's head popped out as he greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Hastur."
Sunlight fell on Sharon's face, as if revealing a faint smile.