Chapter 534

Chapter 396 – Decision

In the afternoon, on the stern deck of the Shining White Pearl.

By the railing at the stern of the Shining White Pearl, Massimo in a suit and Costa in a captain’s uniform stood here. Around them was a circle of sailors in uniform. One of the sailors was reporting to Massimo and Costa with a respectful expression.

“Gentlemen… We have conducted preliminary checks on the entire ship and all passengers, but unfortunately, we found no clues about that thief.

“We have checked the hands of everyone on board, and there were no injuries from water arrows. We also performed some spiritual tests on women whose features somewhat matched the thief, but we didn’t find anything. I apologize.”

The sailor apologized to Massimo and Costa. After hearing the sailor’s words, their expressions became even more solemn. Massimo directly interjected.

“Hmph… As expected, that thief is an ‘Shadow’ Extraordinary Being. It seems she has healed herself with some method. If she uses her spirituality to conceal herself fully, among the twelve hundred or so women on this ship, even if we use up all our ‘Lamps’, we might not be able to find her.”

Massimo said coldly, while Costa, after hearing this, quietly responded.

“Twelve hundred women? Heh… It’s probably not that simple. How can you be sure that she is a woman…”

“What? Isn’t it obvious? Her voice and appearance, what else could she be but a woman?!”

Listening to Costa’s words, Massimo responded surprisingly, while Costa continued seriously.

“Don’t let your eyes deceive you. Haven’t you figured it out yet, Massimo? Since she is a ‘Shadow’ and has self-healing abilities, and the smoke released by her items has characteristics of both ‘Cup’ and ‘Shadow’, this clearly points to the bl**d Darkness Path within the ‘Shadow’ domain.

“If that person is a Shadow Faced Man or even a Vampire, then how they look is entirely arbitrary. Even gender and age can be easily disguised by Extraordinary Beings on that path. The physical features you saw are completely unreliable! Not only women, but no one on the ship can be trusted!”

Costa said sternly. Hearing Costa’s words, Massimo suddenly understood.

“The bl**d Darkness Path… Yes, why didn’t I think of those bl**d-sucking spider people! By the way… last night when I was checking the Deep Blue Heart, I encountered something furry on it, and my hand suddenly started hurting and going numb uncontrollably, causing me to drop the Deep Blue Heart.

“Now thinking back, that thing on the Deep Blue Heart seemed like a spider! I must have been bitten by that strange spider. A spider that can bite so painfully isn’t ordinary; it must be a special breed cultivated by those bl**d-sucking spider people! It might even carry poison!

“So that’s why that person has counter-divination… They must be part of the bl**d-sucking spider people…”

Rubbing his right hand, Massimo said with a realization, as if he was convinced that he had accidentally dropped the Deep Blue Heart because he was bitten by a poisonous spider from the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

In an era where electrical devices were not widely available, ordinary people found it difficult to come into close contact with electricity, making it hard for them to understand what being electrocuted feels like. There were mainly three ways for people in this era to experience electricity: natural lightning, the electricity from telegraph offices, and static electricity in daily life.

The probability of being struck by lightning was very low, and generally, people did not come into contact with equipment at telegraph offices or get electrocuted. Therefore, the most common form of electricity they experienced was static electricity. However, Massimo was a member of the Abyss Cult and a practitioner of the Waves Path, living long-term in coastal cities and islands. These places had higher air humidity than northern regions, making it difficult to generate static electricity.

Thus, having never been shocked by electricity before, Massimo couldn’t comprehend what it felt like the first time he was shocked, leading him to conclude that he had been bitten by a spider from the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

“A spider that can bite you so painfully? Hmph… It looks like a species with neurotoxins. If you lost control of your hand due to a spider bite, it would further support the theory that Thief K is from the Eight Pinnacle Nest. But…”

As he spoke, Costa frowned, then continued seriously.

“But why would the Spider Queen suddenly interfere in our affairs? What is their motive? Didn’t those people recently mess up a plan and nearly get expelled from Prit by the Despenser royal family and the Church? Why do they have the leisure to meddle in our affairs? What are they trying to achieve by provoking us?”

Costa muttered with confusion. If Thief K truly belonged to the Eight Pinnacle Nest, their motives would be very unclear. On the other side, Massimo directly interjected.

“There’s no need to worry about why! With all these signs, there’s no doubt that Thief K is connected to those bl**d-sucking spider people! The Spider Queen is the God of Conspiracy. Although we don’t know what those spider people are plotting, it’s certainly nothing good!

“Our urgent task now is to catch that Spider K and retrieve the Deep Blue Heart. Once we have the person, everything else will fall into place.”

Massimo said matter-of-factly. Costa, after hearing this, responded impatiently.

“I know that catching him is crucial! But hiding among two thousand seven hundred people, how do you plan to catch a Shadow Faced Man or a Vampire?”

“That’s simple! Just k*ll them all! We gather everyone and k*ll them one by one. I don’t believe that person won’t fight back when it’s their turn!”

Pointing at the huge ship behind him, Massimo said with a calm expression, as if he were talking about a group of sheep.

Hearing Massimo’s words, Costa paused slightly. After a moment of silence, he began to speak.

“These people… are intended as live sacrifices for Haemohois. We don’t know how many we need to k*ll to get to that thief. If too many are killed and too few are left for the sacrifice to Haemohois… neither you nor I can bear the consequences…”

Costa said seriously to Massimo. After swallowing, Massimo responded.

“If we don’t find the Deep Blue Heart, the ceremony can’t proceed, and Haemohois won’t get any sacrifices! At that point, the consequences we’ll face will be even greater!”

Massimo said to Costa. Listening to Massimo’s words, Costa fell silent. After gazing at the vast sea and the gray sky for a long time, he continued slowly.

“Bins, where are we now?”

“Sir, according to the chart, we should be in the southwestern waters of Sok Island, about a day’s journey away from our destination.” A sailor replied respectfully beside Costa. After hearing his words, Costa fell silent, and after making some judgment in his heart, he spoke again.

“Change course, sail west. We’re heading to White Tear Island.”

“Yes!”

The sailor named Bins immediately turned and ran out to execute the order. Meanwhile, Massimo, hearing Costa’s command, couldn’t help but say in surprise.

“White Tear Island? Isn’t that where Captain Sword Scale’s temple is?”

“Yes… It’s Captain Sword Scale’s territory. It’s relatively close, and we can reach it in just over a day with full speed.” Costa said, his expression showing determination.

“There are many people there, and Captain Sword Scale’s methods are powerful. I don’t believe this little thief can hide from him.

“Although we may face criticism and punishment for going to White Tear Island to seek Captain Sword Scale’s help, compared to Haemohois’s anger, we can tolerate Captain Sword Scale’s punishment.”