Chapter 543

Chapter 401: Rescue

Conquer Sea, the route to Iwig.

On the vast sea, the giant ship, now completely out of power, had come to a full stop on the water surface. All passengers were in a state of panic due to the previous explosion. Thanks to the crew’s arrangement, the passengers were now in their cabins, anxiously awaiting further developments.

Soon after, the second explosion in the lower deck of the Shining White Pearl intensified this unease. After this explosion, some passengers began to refuse staying in their cabins and instead wanted to go up to the deck, leading to arguments with the crew members maintaining order.

After the second explosion, a sea captain covered in grime hurriedly ran onto the deck. After hastily asking around on the deck, his gaze focused on the upper deck where he saw Captain Costa.

“Mr. Costa! Something terrible has happened! There was another explosion below the ship for unknown reasons! This time, the lower deck has started to flood severely! We can’t stop it!”

Waving his hands, the sea captain shouted at Captain Costa on the upper deck. Upon hearing this, even some passengers who had rushed onto the deck and the crew members trying to maintain order became anxious. The thought that the ship was starting to take on water caused the crowd to lose control and become chaotic.

Captain Costa on the upper deck turned his gaze to the spreading chaos. In his captain’s uniform, he calmly clasped his hands behind his back and spoke loudly with a composed demeanor.

“Do not panic, everyone! Although our ship has unfortunately suffered such a serious accident, the entire vessel is in danger. However, the Holy Mother has not abandoned us. Look over there! Thanks to divine providence, we have encountered a fleet from the Church! I have informed them about our situation and requested assistance; they have responded and are rushing over with all their might!

“Everyone, Glimmer is right beside us. There is no need to panic. Follow the arrangements, keep order, and I, as your captain, guarantee that everyone on this ship will be saved!”

While comforting those below, Costa pointed towards the approaching fleet in the distance. The panicked passengers and crew members, seeing the numerous ships heading towards them, breathed a sigh of relief. Order was gradually restored.

Watching the situation below improve, Costa turned his calm gaze to the three corpses in the cabin behind him and sternly addressed his subordinates.

“Hurry up and dispose of these before the Deity followers’ ship arrives! Afterward, prepare to dive and leave. Remember to head to the nearest outpost once you reach shore.”

“Yes, sir.”

Following Costa’s orders, several cultists from the depths hastily disposed of the three corpses in the cabin. Meanwhile, Costa, with a serious expression, looked down at the scene on the deck and then coldly said:

“Another explosion, this time directly flooding the ship. Hmph, it seems he feared that the Deity followers would only help repair without taking people, so he went all out… It looks like he brought quite a bit of explosives on board…”

“Hey, Costa, are we really going to board those Deity followers’ ship later? Isn’t that too dangerous?”

Next to Costa, Massimo expressed some unease. After listening to his words, Costa replied calmly:

“At this point, the only way to reclaim Deep Blue Heart is… With this button, we can find the thief, but he is formidable. I alone cannot guarantee killing him. Therefore, we must act together.

“Luckily, we all have a little bit of spirit sigils and ‘Shadow’ storage items. We can handle the initial detection by those Deity followers. As long as we pretend to be ordinary captains and jewel collectors like before, no one will suspect anything. Even if he notices us boarding, for his own safety, he won’t reveal it.”

Costa continued, and after hearing his words, Massimo fell silent for a moment before reluctantly responding:

“Hmph… There’s no other choice. Though it’s dangerous, we have no choice but to go through with it. Once we find him on board, it will be his end when we disembark!”

“Indeed… So from now on, I must continue to fulfill my duties as captain seriously,” Costa muttered, looking at the approaching Glimmer fleet. Now, as a good captain, he had to organize the evacuation of the passengers.

…

In a certain corridor of the Shining White Pearl, Nephnis, dressed in civilian clothes, was running somewhat anxiously. After running for a short while, she knocked on a door. Finding it unlocked, she pushed it open and saw a silver-haired girl leisurely drinking coffee by the window.

“Miss Dorothy, why are you still here? This ship is about to sink! Let’s hurry to the deck!”

“Don’t panic, Neph. This is a massive ship with over ten thousand tons of displacement. It will take a long time to sink. Sit down, let’s finish our coffee before leaving. If everyone rushes to the deck now… it will cause trouble for our diligent captain organizing everything.”

Listening to Nephnis, Dorothy calmly responded. Seeing her composed manner, Nephnis swallowed nervously, closed the door, and came to the table uneasily.

“Miss Dorothy, don’t you feel anxious? The ship is sinking! They say the lower decks are already flooded!”

“I know it’s sinking, after all, I was the one who did it. Don’t worry, I controlled the damage well. It won’t sink in less than four or five hours. Look, the Church fleet is right in front of us. We have enough time for everyone to evacuate safely.

“So, there’s no need to rush to the deck now. It’s noisy and crowded, and if someone gets pushed into the sea, it could be bad.”

Sipping her coffee, Dorothy casually remarked. Watching Dorothy’s actions, Nephnis felt a chill run down her spine.

‘Miss Dorothy… Not only bringing a bunch of bombs on board, but also talking about sinking a ten-thousand-ton ship so nonchalantly… She’s really terrifying. Is she really just thirteen years old? Shouldn’t she be more innocent at this age?

‘If this is true, then Miss Dorothy is truly pitiful. At an age when she should be carefree, she has to engage in cruel secret society struggles. It’s sad…

‘But if she hadn’t gone through such experiences, what would a normal, growing-up Dorothy be like? Miss Dorothy is very beautiful. If she wasn’t always so mature, but acted like an ordinary child, she would probably be very cute, maybe even call me ‘sister’!’

Looking at Dorothy, Nephnis sighed wistfully in her heart. Meanwhile, Dorothy, who was sipping her coffee, noticed Nephnis’ unusual gaze and tilted her head slightly, then continued with an unchanged expression:

“Why are you staring at me? Is there something strange on my face?”

“Strange thing? Ah… No, nothing strange! I was just spacing out!” Hearing Dorothy, Nephnis immediately snapped back to reality and quickly said. She certainly wouldn’t tell Dorothy that she was imagining how she would look if she were a genuinely innocent little girl.