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Forsaken Land of the Gods, City of Silver.
As it was an afternoon with frequent lightning, the guards observing the entire city from a high vantage point were the first to notice the anomaly in the sky.
The lightning and Darkness they were accustomed to, so familiar, had completely vanished in those few short seconds, without a trace.
The scarlet moon, occupying half the sky, was so distinct, so immense, illuminating everything with astonishing clarity.
Derrick Berg, not yet an adult, his height only reaching the abdomen of his parents, who were already Sequence 5 powerhouses of the Warrior Pathway, stared blankly at the red moonlight illuminating the black bread on the table.
Derrick Berg, who had already learned about the Moon from the general knowledge textbook's descriptions and corresponding illustrations, raised his slightly childish face to look at his stern-faced parents beside him, accidentally messing up his hair that his Mother had just combed: "Mother, is that really the Moon?"
A few seconds later, the Moon disappeared, and deep Darkness re-engulfed everything, with frequent lightning becoming the primary source of illumination.
"What just happened?"
"Did you see that red mass?"
"The Moon! That's the Moon!"
"That's the crimson moon!"
Waves of discussion came from the street outside, and Derrick's father finally came to his senses, gently patting the bewildered Derrick with his somewhat rough palm.
He exchanged a glance with his wife beside him, instructed Derrick to stay home and not go out, then left the house with other members of the exploration team and headed straight for the central Round Tower.
City of Silver, top of the Round Tower, Chief's room.
Lovia, wearing a black robe with purple patterns, with silver-gray curly hair and light gray eyes, sat quietly opposite Chief Colin Iliad, and both witnessed the incredible scene in the sky.
Unlike most residents of City of Silver, neither of them regarded this phenomenon as a good omen in mysticism; instead, their faces were solemn, and their brows were tightly furrowed.
After a long pause, Colin Iliad tapped his finger on the table and said to the "Shepherd" Elder opposite him: "Your proposal still needs discussion; after all, it's too risky. First, let's summon the Elders of the 'Six-Person Council' to a meeting at the Round Tower."
Lovia also knew the urgency of the situation and did not object, getting up to leave and notify the other Elders for the meeting.
At the base of the Round Tower, flickering yellow candlelight illuminated the complex and mysterious symbols and markings engraved on the surrounding walls.
In the shadows of the corner, a deep yet quite aged laugh echoed. An old man with a weathered face raised his head, looking upwards, and a crystal-like light condensed in his right eye, as if seeing scenes unfolding in the Astral World.
The curve of his mouth grew wider and wider, finally making a tsk sound, not caring if anyone would hear him: "How lively, how interesting..."
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Loen Kingdom, under the Tussock River Stele, Ruin No. 1.
Within the massive black mausoleum inscribed with numerous complex patterns, George III, wearing a crown, withdrew his gaze from the mausoleum's ceiling, the distorted symbols in his eyes gradually fading.
Prince Grove stood respectfully at the very bottom, like a subject audience with an Emperor.
George III remained silent for a long time, and the distorted order within the mausoleum became increasingly chaotic, causing fine beads of sweat to seep from the forehead of Prince Grove, who was already a Sequence 3.
"This is a win-win cooperation. Once I succeed, I will fulfill my previous promise, and therefore, I hope to see another Beyonder characteristic of the 'Prince of Abolition' as soon as possible."
The distorted order shrouding the entire mausoleum suddenly loosened. George III turned his head to look at the side of the throne, his "Eye of Abolition" staring intently at the area not covered by any rules, his tone gradually intensifying.
A priest wearing a simple white robe and a silver cross pendant slowly materialized. His benevolent face belied eyes that regarded everything with indifference, and his gentle voice even calmed the chaotic order within the mausoleum.
"Matters in the Astral World are none of your concern. Since that is the case, why be anxious?"
"The future I declare will surely unfold and become reality..."
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Berserk Sea, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, "City of Generosity" Bayam.
The weather in May was already starting to get hot. Alger Wilson, with deep features and a rugged outline, silently walked onto the dock. He had already disguised himself, preparing to go to the Waves Church for his debriefing.
Ever since that "Blood Moon King" thoroughly enraged the Church of the Lord of Storms and the Central Sonia Sea Navy, peripheral members like him also began to act as intelligence brokers between various pirates, thus requiring regular baptism by the Storm to maintain unwavering faith.
Just as Alger walked out of the dock, he suddenly saw dark clouds gathering above the Waves Church not far away, forming a vague human face.
His forward steps immediately froze in place. Following the exclamations around him, he stiffly turned his head to look at the sea area in the direction of the dock.
Amidst a mix of dark blue and silver-white light, an enormous ship, so large it made Alger feel somewhat suffocated, impossibly materialized. The cloud-formed face above the Waves Church was staring intently at this uninvited guest, yet it hesitated to act.
A ghost ship? Such a large ghost ship?
His clogged brain slowly turned, the shock in the depths of his eyes undisguised. Alger, who had already attended a pirate convention, had once seen the flagship of the "King of the Five Seas" Nast, the Black Emperor. The ship before him, though slightly inferior, was not far off.
Inside the captain's cabin at the highest point of the "Morning Star", Aaron looked at the blurry face in the distant sky, playing with an emerald green crystal emitting a life aura in his hand, and said with a smile to Cavendish Lancer Pinto and Bayer Baile behind him:
"I thought we'd have to fight to talk properly, but it seems we don't need to. Tsk, tsk, this isn't like Jahn Kottman's style..."
Bayer Baile glanced at the silent "Scholar of Yore" beside him, then looked at Agalito's massive Devil body hanging in the most conspicuous position, as well as the other suspended "Death Knell" crew members, and silently maintained their silence.
Fortunately, last time, with the Evernight Goddess's protection, the "Morning Star" was preserved, and only Cavendish Lancer Pinto was unlucky enough to be polluted at the end.
This time, he brought all his helpers to Bayam, not truly to fight the "Sea King"; there was no benefit in that.
The fundamental purpose was still to announce the fall of the old King and the birth of the new King, and incidentally to collect the bounties of the "King of Immortality" Agalito and his crew members, after all, without proving sufficient strength, pirate King-level bounties are not so easy to collect.
And even if Agalito had the lowest bounty among the pirate Kings, when combined with all his crew members, it was no small sum.
Thinking this, the emerald green crystal in Aaron's hand turned into light and merged into his Life Imprint. This was the "Stone of Life" condensed from that "Blatherer" back then.
And as an item required for a Sequence 5 "Druid" to advance to Sequence 4 "Classical Alchemist", even the lowest quality "Stone of Life" requires sacrificing a demigod. Correspondingly, its abilities are also extremely powerful.
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