Chapter 395 Searching
Conquer Sea, Shining White Pearl.
On the forward deck of the ship during the night, passengers were densely gathered, all eagerly awaiting the Deep Blue Heart exhibition when unexpected events occurred. No one had anticipated that the invitations previously thought to be pranks were indeed real! Thief K not only truly existed but appeared at the exhibition, stealing the precious Deep Blue Heart right in front of everyone!
After witnessing Thief K’s entrance and the graceful actions that toyed with the guards and sailors, the audience exploded with excitement. When Thief K revealed the true brilliance of the Deep Blue Heart, gasps erupted from the crowd, and some even applauded, expressing admiration for the thief’s intelligence and skill as well as the beauty of the Deep Blue Heart.
As the dark red smoke enveloped the bow of the ship, every observer strained their necks, eager to see what lay within the fog, wanting to catch a glimpse of the elegant and bold thief’s escape.
The dark red mist swirling around the ship’s bow seemed to possess some magical power, persisting despite the constant sea breeze, only dissipating after several minutes. As the abnormal gathering of fog came to an end, it blew away in the wind, revealing that Thief K’s figure was nowhere to be seen, leaving Massimo and several sailors standing before the angel statue, looking around in shock.
“That guy… disappeared? Where on earth did she go?!”
Frantically surveying the surroundings, Massimo sought the daring thief’s silhouette but found nothing. In his urgency, he ordered the sailors nearby to search among the audience at the front of the deck, yet they still couldn’t find her. Meanwhile, Costa, positioned above in the upper level, watched everything unfold and began to ponder.
From the very beginning, Costa had been keeping a close eye on the situation at the bow of the cruise ship from his elevated position, which allowed him a clear view of the area shrouded in dark red mist that did not extend into the audience. Therefore, it was impossible for Thief K to mingle with the spectators; if she had attempted to escape toward the audience, she would have been seen by Costa once she exited the fog.
Thus, in Costa’s eyes, Thief K had not blended in with the viewers, there were no holes in the deck, and nothing emerged from the mist, indicating that the only escape route left for Thief K was to leap into the sea from one side of the bow. That was her sole path to flee.
“Hmph… Did she prepare a ship or some extraordinary item to enhance her underwater abilities in advance? Such things could handle ordinary people, but we shall not be underestimated.”
After swiftly analyzing the situation, Costa thought to himself. As an extraordinary being traversing the waves and a follower of the Abyss Cult, his capabilities underwater were unparalleled.
“She must have jumped into the sea. Go down and catch her!”
“Yes!”
Costa commanded his subordinates beside him, and three sailors immediately responded to Costa’s orders. They ran to the ship’s railing and jumped into the sea, unseen by the audience in front, while Costa himself removed his captain’s coat and hat before following suit by jumping over the railing.
They would search the sea for the bold thief’s silhouette and capture her; in the water, no extraordinary being could match them.
…
“Heh… those guys jumped into the sea to look for her…”
Amidst the crowd, Doro silently reflected on Costa and the others’ actions, observing with a small zombie puppet. After the mist dispersed, Thief K had vanished, and without any signs of flying away or mingling with the spectators, the possibility of jumping into the sea was the greatest.
“However, that group will find nothing but fish in the end; after all, although the people jumped into the sea, she never really entered the water. At most, they may catch a few fish to make a soup and warm themselves up.”
Doro thought to herself. Thanks to thorough preparations, Neve had already removed her makeup and put on a new dress, slowly returning to the deck. Meanwhile, the Deep Blue Heart and Neve’s disguise were safely tucked away in Doro’s magic box, with no risk of being discovered.
“Up until now, Thief Neve’s plan can be considered a success.”
With this thought, the smile on Doro’s lips deepened. Ever since she realized the importance of the sacrificial ritual and how difficult it was to obtain the Deep Blue Heart, she had been brewing up this theft plan, intending for Massimo to remove the gem himself.
The inspiration for this plan actually came from a detective anime she watched in her previous life, where a thief pretended a treasure was stolen, prompting the anxious owner to disarm protective measures, thus creating an opportunity for the real theft. To accomplish this, the first step was to hint to the treasure’s holder that it might be stolen.
This was the role of the thief’s invitation letter. Doro’s purpose in sending these letters was to suggest to Massimo and Costa that a Thief K was eyeing the Deep Blue Heart, subtly planting the idea that the gem could be stolen.
No matter how dismissive they appeared regarding the invitation, deep down, they were aware of Thief K’s existence. Therefore, when Doro used the combination of the Veil Ring and Spiritual Thread to conceal the spiritual traces of the Deep Blue Heart, and she saw Massimo’s immediate reaction upon finding the note attached by the small zombie puppet, he hurried to check, suspecting the gem might have been swapped.
Without the suggestive effect of the invitation, Massimo might not have reacted immediately to think the gem was swapped, but rather assumed that something was wrong with it, and he wouldn’t have been so urgent in his inspection. Thus, for Doro, the thief’s invitation was not mere theatrics, but a crucial means of suggestion. Hence, the existence of Thief K, played by Neve, was essential.
So far, Doro’s plan was going smoothly. The Deep Blue Heart was in her hands, and these followers of the Abyss Cult on the ship could not proceed with their plans. However, Doro had incurred some costs to achieve this.
Both Costa and Massimo were extraordinary beings with the “Lamp” ability; they used their detection skills during their scheming. Consequently, Doro used up some “Shadow” when investigating them, totaling two points. Using electric shock on Massimo and saving Neve also consumed two points of “Stone” and two points of “Enlightenment.”
Besides that, the main expense was the dark red mist itself. The vial used to create this smoke was one of the spoils Doro obtained after defeating the vampire Claudius; it was a life-preserving tool belonging to Claudius. Doro had found two vials on him, and after using one, only one remained.
Additionally, to ensure Neve’s abilities could manifest, Doro specially asked the grand shaman Uta to reverse-communicate the Wilderness Soul Whiskers. Of course, this request was not without compensation, as the grand shaman would not work for free. Uta had already helped Doro once in the past without charge, so this time Doro offered him a reward.
Doro had Ka-Pak negotiate with Uta, and finally, using various medicines, food, and weaponry worth 1,500 pounds as bargaining chips, she requested Uta’s assistance to communicate the Soul Whiskers and have them reverse-communicated.
After Ka-Pak became the doctor of the Tupa Tribe, the tribe’s medical hygiene conditions significantly improved. With the assistance of advanced medical technology from the Main Continent, the health status of the Tupa Tribe saw noticeable enhancements, bringing joy to their people.
Ka-Pak was glad to truly help his kin, but treating illnesses also required medicine. As time passed, the supplies in the medicine chest he had previously collected ran out. He had to disguise himself to go to the colonial cities in the New World to sell tribal specialties in exchange for colonists’ currency to buy new medicine. Thus, the Tupa Tribe constantly faced a shortage of medication, having very little trade with the colonists and lacking sufficient colonial currency to procure these supplies.
