Chapter 527

Chapter 393: Exhibition

Conquer Sea, Shining White Pearl.

On the surface of the sea in the early morning, a faint mist was spreading. Amid this thin sea fog, the massive cruise ship continued to slice through the waves as it moved forward.

Having finished a night of rest, the passengers of the Shining White Pearl started to emerge from their cabins after freshening up and gathered in the luxurious dining hall for breakfast. During this process, they clustered in small groups, discussing an strange event that had occurred early that morning.

“Have you heard? Someone wants to steal the Deep Blue Heart.”

“The Deep Blue Heart? Isn’t that the gem Mr. Massimo is going to showcase tonight? How do you know someone wants to steal it?”

“It’s a notice… Early this morning, many places on the ship, including here, found a notice written in Iwig. A guy called Thief K announced that he’s coming to steal the Deep Blue Heart.”

“A notice? Are you kidding? Who announces a theft beforehand? Isn’t that just asking for people to be on guard? This must be a prank.”

“Yeah… I think so too. I wonder who did it; are they just bored on the ship and trying to amuse us all?”

“Maybe. It would be fun to provide entertainment for everyone.”

…

In the spacious dining hall, countless brightly dressed passengers gathered with their trays, discussing the strange incident from earlier while having breakfast. The odd notice had been found all around the cruise ship that morning, and many tourists had seen its content. They were hotly debating the common signer of the notices, Thief K.

The passengers on the ship had different reactions to this thief who announced his theft beforehand; some were taken aback, some found it laughable, others thought it absurd, some just felt bored.

Though reactions varied, nearly all the passengers did not take the notices seriously. They viewed it as a prank, or perhaps a form of performance art. They were treating Thief K as a topic for light-hearted conversation to enrich their social discourse.

In one corner of the dining hall, Captain Costa of the Shining White Pearl stood with jeweler Massimo, both gazing at the commotion before them, their brows betraying a hint of unusual expression.

“What do you think about this so-called Thief K?” Costa asked Massimo, his hands clasped behind his back. After hearing this, Massimo snorted dismissively.

“What else is there to think? Just a clown trying to attract attention with some ridiculous method.”

Massimo spoke with such disdain for Thief K, regardless of who the thief truly was; the notices on the cruise ship were nothing but contemptuous provocations to him, and he naturally looked down upon them.

To Massimo, this so-called Thief K was simply trying to make a scene for attention. Not to mention he clearly wasn’t an extraordinary being, and in the mundane world, he likely had no respectable status. Massimo had encountered similar people before; he figured they were akin to clowns in a circus.

“Well… indeed, announcing a theft in advance… is an incomprehensible act. It likely is a prank, but we should not let our guard down. This Thief K managed to distribute these notices all over the ship without being noticed, so he must have some ability.”

Holding a notice in hand, Costa spoke. He viewed Thief K as likely being involved in a prank, but still possessing a bit of skill.

“Just a bit of ability… How dare he provoke me like this? If I find out who he is, I’ll have him on my dinner table before Haemohois gets him.”

Massimo said, for them, finding this prankster clown was not impossible, but it would consume precious extraordinary resources. Compared to the Storage Item of Enlightenment… Massimo, while disgusted by this obvious prank, decided not to expend more resources and energy to find the clown.

Just a prankster clown; in the end, he would likely meet his demise at the jaws of Haemohois, so there was no need to fret too much about it. Massimo was merely regretful that before reaching the final bl**d Sacrifice sea area, he, Costa, and the rest of the crew would have to evacuate, unable to see the scene of the entire ship, including that clown, being swallowed.

“Even if it’s a prank, it’s best to keep an eye on the situation regarding the Deep Blue Heart, just in case.”

Costa continued speaking to Massimo while holding the notice. The latter waved his hand lightly, reassured.

“Don’t worry, I just checked the state of the Deep Blue Heart; it’s still well where it is. Our people will keep a close watch on it; there won’t be a problem.”

As they spoke, Massimo and Costa walked out of the dining hall and onto the foredeck, looking towards the angel statue covered in white cloth at the bow of the ship. In front of the statue was the vast sea, while behind stood the crew members on duty.

“Moreover, we have more than just ordinary eyes to see the Deep Blue Heart, don’t we?”

Massimo continued to murmur. Although they could not see the Deep Blue Heart beneath the white cloth, thanks to the spiritual perception unique to the extraordinary beings of the White Chalk Tier “Cup,” they could still sense that the Deep Blue Heart lay right under that white cloth, in the hands of the angel statue.

With such spiritual eyes, the Deep Blue Heart could not possibly be stolen from beneath their noses.

…

Time passed slowly, and soon enough the morning had gone by. At noon, the arrangement for Massimo’s jewelry exhibition officially began. Inside the ship’s dining hall ballroom, numerous small display stands were set up, showcasing many beautiful and precious jewels.

Massimo’s jewelry attracted nearly all the passengers on the ship to come see it. The cabin serving as an exhibition area became quite crowded, with ladies surrounding small display stands of precious gems, expressing awe at Massimo’s collection.

During the on-site promotion, Massimo announced that the daytime jewelry exhibition was just an appetizer, with the main course happening on the foredeck that night: the exhibition of the Deep Blue Heart. All the passengers who heard Massimo’s words were filled with anticipation, and at the same time, rumors about Thief K spread among the passengers on the ship. Many began to wonder what kind of event would unfold that night.

Nephnis, having seen the daytime jewelry exhibition with her classmates and teacher, bid them farewell and returned to her independent state. She then started to head back to her cabin, and as she passed through a corridor, she saw a familiar figure.

“Miss Dorothy…”

Seeing the white-haired girl dressed in a winter dress in front of her, Nephnis spoke in surprise, while Dorothy smiled and walked over next to her, quietly saying.

“I’ve already spoken to the Great Shaman on your behalf. Just hold the ritual as soon as you return to your room later. Do you have enough offerings?”

“Um… I should have enough… But, Miss Dorothy, about that thing you asked me to do… I-I won’t have any problems, will I?”

Looking at Dorothy beside her, Nephnis spoke with a very anxious expression, while Dorothy patted her and comfortingly said.

“Don’t worry, as long as everything goes according to my plan, it will be fine. Your grandfather was also a great thief, right? You need to trust your talent in this area.”

“Even though my grandfather was a great thief… I’ve never stolen anything myself, and besides, my grandfather stole things from the dead. It’s completely different from what I have to do now…”

Nephnis continued to express her unease, while Dorothy spoke seriously.

“Believe in yourself… Nephnis, you have to understand that the lives of everyone on the ship are in our hands now. For everyone to safely reach their destination, we have to go through with it. I’ll do my best to support you, so you can rest assured.”

“Um… Ah… Okay… I’ll do my best…”

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Nephnis swallowed hard to calm herself. Indeed, if what Dorothy said last night was true, then the lives of everyone on board were in danger, and she had to act.

“Alright, go back and prepare seriously, then rest well. The real show is this evening.”

Dorothy finally said to Nephnis, then she stepped past her. Nephnis took a deep breath and kept walking forward.

Not long after, Nephnis entered her cabin, and after closing the door, she quickly took out a piece of white paper from her belongings and laid it on the ground. When the paper unfolded, what was revealed was a complex Magical Array of “Silence.”

“Soul Whiskers, please help me once more…”

Sitting cross-legged at the edge of the array, Nephnis whispered, and then she took out three iron coins imbued with the spirit of “Silence” from her pocket and placed them before the array.