Chapter 546

Exposure

Time flew by quickly, and soon a day passed. Under the full-speed navigation, the fleet carrying the passengers of the Shining White Pearl finally saw the long-missed land and arrived at the port of Vanaha.

At noon, refugees on the deck could already see the seaside city on the distant horizon. Amidst the cheers, the fleet gradually approached the port, where normal shipping activities had ceased to make room for the fleet to dock.

Vanaha was a medium-sized seaside city located in the southern region of Casatia. Although the port wasn’t large, it was sufficient to accommodate the church fleet. Under orderly command, the church’s ships docked one by one. After the gangplanks were set up, passengers began to disembark.

After the heart-pounding sinking incident and spending a day in the poor conditions aboard the ship, the refugees eagerly awaited their moment to step onto solid ground. Most of them couldn’t help but smile with joy as they stepped off the gangplank onto firm land.

Although the beautiful journey had been ruined by the ship accident, everyone felt fortunate to have survived. The passengers of the Shining White Pearl dispersed into the city after disembarking, each contemplating their next steps—whether to continue their journey to Iwig, return home, or wait for the investigation team from the shipping company and seek compensation.

Despite the bustling activity at the port, an atmosphere of relief prevailed. Hidden within this relief, however, were several ominous glances.

In a corner of the port, a man wearing a dark windbreaker and a hat hid there, lowering his eyes to closely observe the many passengers stepping off the ships. It was none other than Massimo in disguise.

Massimo watched the bustling crowd from the shadows, sniffing delicately through his nose, trying to discern the scents among them.

Shortly after the ships docked, Massimo quickly disembarked and began covert surveillance, observing all those coming ashore. He aimed to find the trace of the thief among the passengers by scent.

Since the church fleet consisted of many ships, passengers from the Shining White Pearl were distributed across different ships. Therefore, Thief K might not be on the same ship as Massimo and Costa. In this case, even if they used the tracking sigil, they might not find Thief K. Thus, Massimo and Costa needed to wait until passengers from several ships gathered before using the sigil to search, which happened when they disembarked.

Massimo stood guard at a key exit of the dock, carefully observing and identifying the scents of the passengers passing by.

Meanwhile, at another location, Costa coordinated with church members to count the passengers and crew at the edge of the port. Each passenger needed to register their cabin number for verification, ensuring no one was missing. This task was part of the captain’s duties and also gave him a chance to get closer to each passenger and identify their scents.

Thus, while Costa openly interacted, Massimo covertly analyzed the scents, both having previously noted the unfamiliar scent on the button. They waited for that scent to reappear among the passengers.

“Come on, come on, that scent… the scent on the button…”

Wandering between registration desks, Costa examined the passengers and muttered internally. That scent on the button was their only hope to turn the tide and regain the Deep Blue Heart.

As time passed, more passengers left the dock after registering. However, neither Massimo nor Costa had detected any trace of the scent on the button. As fewer passengers remained on the ship, anxiety grew in their hearts. Why hadn’t the thief carrying the Deep Blue Heart appeared yet?

The registration work continued busily. Crew members from the Shining White Pearl and some clerics registered passenger information at makeshift workstations. Members of the Order of the Holy Ceremony Knights led soldiers to maintain order, and nuns brought tea down from the ship, placing it on the registration tables.

“Thank you for your hard work. Please have some tea.”

“Oh, thank you.”

A white-robed nun smiled as she placed the tea near the registrar, who thanked her before leaving satisfied. On her way back, she brushed past Costa, and a tiny flying insect inadvertently flew out from her sleeve. Without anyone noticing, it flew to Costa, crawled onto his clothes, and entered his pocket, while the nun casually moved away.

In another corner of the port, a similar flying insect emerged from the shadows, heading towards Massimo, who was watching. It landed on Massimo’s hat after approaching from behind.

This small movement went unnoticed. The busy registration work continued until all passengers had left the ship. By the time the last passenger departed, neither Massimo nor Costa had caught a scent matching the criteria.

Witnessing the final passenger leave, Massimo and Costa froze in place, their rigid expressions failing to reveal the turmoil within.

“Are there still passengers on the ship?”

“No, thank you for your help today, Mr. Costa. All the work is done.”

A cleric nearby responded with a smile. Hearing this, Costa paused, calming his inner turmoil as his eyes began to tremble slightly.

“No passengers left… But that person hasn’t shown up. Did he notice something and prepare a countermeasure? Is he hiding on the ship, waiting for us to leave before making a move? Or did he escape using another method!”

Costa pondered, and in the shadows nearby, Massimo was equally astonished and confused.

At that moment, in Massimo’s pocket and on his hat, two hidden flying insects suddenly emitted intense energy. Their abdomens burst open, releasing a small cloud of dark red mist that diffused into the air.

Made by the Eight Pinnacle Nest, the dark red material imbued with the “Cup” and “Shadow” spiritualities blended into the air around Costa and Massimo. Besides a faint pungent smell, the obvious manifestation of the “Cup” spirituality was quickly perceived by extraordinary beings with spiritual perception.

Feeling this spirituality, Costa’s eyes widened, and his face involuntarily contorted. He looked incredulously at his pocket, at the slowly seeping dark red mist, feeling more miserable than if he had eaten feces.

“This is from that night…”

After calming his expression, Costa adjusted his tie with trembling hands and spoke to the cleric beside him.

“Ah… Since everything is registered, I’ll go rest now. May the Holy Mother always watch over you.”

As he prepared to leave, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

“Don’t rush off, Mr. Costa. After such a busy day, why not stay and have a meal with us?”

Behind Costa, standing by the railing of the cruiser, Officer Jorde of the Order of the Holy Ceremony Knights stood with a serious look, staring at Costa. Next to him were three other officer males in captain uniforms, all looking solemnly at the scene below.

A faint orange glow appeared around the edges of their pupils.

“Right, we have plenty of seats for dinner. Mr. Costa can invite more friends, like that guy over there.” As he spoke, Jorde turned his gaze toward the distant corner, fixing it on the surprised Massimo in the shadows, who nearly fell over upon being noticed.

Facing this situation, Costa clenched his teeth and tightened his fists.

“Thief… K…”

In his gritted teeth, Costa’s extraordinary ability activated. The seawater at the dock surged abnormally, and the surprised nuns and clerics quickly distanced themselves. On the deck, the knights showed clear signs of spiritual fluctuations, and two of them drew their swords from their waists.

Soon after, a huge sound echoed through the peaceful port of Navaha.

…

Late afternoon, outside Navaha.

On a rocky shore far from the city, the waves of Conquer Sea continuously crashed against the jagged rocks. The desolate coastline was devoid of any human presence, only sea birds circling overhead.

On this deserted shore, a hand emerged from the white waves, grabbing onto the rocks. With a strong pull, a figure was dragged onto the shore—a one-armed man. Upon closer inspection, it was Massimo!

“Huff… huff…”

Breathing heavily, soaked through, Massimo staggered to his feet on the rocks. His appearance was extremely disheveled; his clothes were torn in multiple places, his hat nowhere to be found, and he had visible wounds all over his body. His right arm was completely gone, the massive wound blackened and carbonized.

“Cursed… How did things end up like this…”

Gritting his teeth, Massimo held his severed arm and stumbled forward. In the burning pain from his wounds, his steps were unsteady, as if he might fall at any moment.

Just then, due to the inexplicable spiritual fog that erupted around them, they were spotted by the church personnel at the dock. Under their powerful detection abilities, their fragile “Shadow” barrier collapsed, exposing Costa and Massimo completely to the church.

Knowing they were exposed, Costa and Massimo chose to resist and flee rather than surrender. They simultaneously activated their abilities, summoning the seawater to form turbulent whips to attack Jorde and others, attempting to escape.

However, the disparity in strength was too great. Four White Chalks were stationed at the port, along with numerous clerics, nuns, and soldiers. Under the combined pressure, it was impossible for them to escape unscathed.

After a chaotic struggle, Massimo managed to escape by jumping into the sea because he was farther from the dock and the main church forces. However, he paid a heavy price; when he jumped into the water, a flaming longsword struck his right arm, severing it.

Massimo successfully escaped, but Costa was not so lucky. Too close to Jorde and others, despite his best efforts, he could not escape under the overwhelming pressure.

What was Costa’s current situation? Was he killed or captured? Massimo didn’t know. After jumping into the sea, he used his abilities to control the water and swim underwater at high speed. After swimming for a long time toward the ocean, he turned back and swam to a desolate shore far from Navaha Port to land again.

Stumbling onto the shore, Massimo trudged forward on the rocky beach. At this moment, his heart was filled with resentment and confusion.

He couldn’t understand why he and Costa were once again deceived… by that thief K… Why could she always foil their plans and force them into desperate situations? Why did that thief K specifically target them.

With deep confusion, Massimo dragged his heavy body slowly toward the land. Now, he needed to find a place to hunt and restore his physical and spiritual strength. He needed rest and recovery, and would deal with the rest later.

Just as Massimo walked a bit further on the rocky beach, his nose twitched slightly. Using the lingering effects of the tracking sigil, he smelled a very familiar scent—the scent on the button!

Detecting this scent, Massimo was stunned, then widened his eyes and looked in the direction it came from. There, he saw a young man in a windbreaker standing on the distant rocky beach, smiling at the disheveled Massimo.

“Oh my, who’s here? Isn’t this Mr. Jewelry Collector from the Abyss Cult?”

“You’re… Thief K?!”