Chapter 556: bl**d Livestock
In the afternoon, the massive cruise ship continued its voyage over the sea. At this time, Doro was seated in her cabin, using a small zombie puppet to surveil the scene within another cabin in the distance. After a series of deductive searches, Doro finally found the target she was looking for: the other extraordinary beings hidden aboard this ship. At that moment, they displayed obvious concern over the crew’s unusual behavior.
“Are you sure all the traces have been dealt with? If that’s the case, what have those common livestock discovered? There are rumors among the other livestock that someone has died on the ship!” The middle-aged man asked the young man in front of him. The young man responded by shrugging.
“Who knows? That corridor doesn’t just lead to Nicodo’s room; what if some other livestock in another room was killed? I’ve cleaned up Nicodo’s remains very thoroughly; there’s no way the body could be found.”
In response to his companion’s questioning, the young man spoke quite innocently. Hearing his words, the middle-aged man paused slightly before continuing in a grave tone.
“Regardless of what it is… our actions must remain strictly confidential; we can’t let Moncala discover any clues. We need to confirm the situation, no matter why those livestock are blocking the corridor.”
“Fine… then let’s not delay. We’ll split up to assess the situation.”
The young man responded, and after they secretly discussed some details in the cabin, they left the room, heading to different parts of the cruise ship.
Seeing this scene, Doro dispatched her small zombie puppet to follow the two while also pondering her own thoughts.
‘It seems… it’s them, the other extraordinary beings hidden on this ship, Nicodo’s companions… no, judging by their attitude, it seems they don’t regard Nicodo as a companion; they are bl**d livestock…’
Doro thought to herself. After spending considerable time in the secret world, she had gained some understanding of what bl**d livestock were. According to documents from the Holy Communion, the term “bl**d livestock” refers to living humans that the “Cup” organization secretly raises for consumption. Unlike prey that is hunted and immediately eaten, these livestock are usually raised in various special ways, which make their flesh possess qualities that ordinary humans do not have – either more delicious or with a higher rate of spiritual transformation. Just like some people go to great lengths to cultivate special cattle for better steaks, bl**d livestock exists as a carefully nurtured breed by the “Cup” organization.
‘So… what do these “Cup” cultists want to secretly bring bl**d livestock to Moncala for? It seems I need to continue unveiling this… both directly and indirectly…’
As Doro thought this, she continued to monitor the actions of the two “Cup” cultists while preparing a plan to deal with them.
—
Time passed quickly, and soon the sun in the sky was once again approaching the western horizon. The setting sun’s dim light shone upon the wide sea surface, making it glisten.
After leaving the cabin, the two “Cup” cultists lurking aboard the cruise ship immediately began to move around, investigating the reason for the blockage of the corridor leading to Room 417. Since the crew members were all ordinary people, using some secretive tactics allowed the two to quickly obtain the information they desired.
Once they had gathered their intel, they congregated at the stern of the ship, in a deserted corner, to exchange information. Upon confirming that the room in question was indeed Room 417, a look of astonishment appeared on both of their faces.
“It’s Nicodo’s room! It’s Nicodo’s room that has the problem! You said you had dealt with all traces! How could the body even be found?!”
Standing by the ship’s railing, the middle-aged man spoke in a reproachful tone to the young man. Hearing his words, the young man’s expression grew agitated, and a look of confusion came over his face.
“That shouldn’t be possible… I clearly dissolved Nicodo’s body; I brought back the bones, there shouldn’t be any reason for the body to be found…”
Staring out at the churning waves of the sea, the young man muttered incredulously. On the other side, the middle-aged man spoke again.
“Now isn’t the time to be thinking about reasons! If someone died on this ship, once we arrive at Moncala, we will be subjected to a thorough investigation by the local authorities. The law enforcement there is a seamless blend of ordinary and extraordinary; if they take action to investigate, they might expose us! Now we need to figure out how to deal with them!”
The middle-aged man said sternly. Upon hearing this, the young man’s expression turned serious, and after glancing at the distant sunset, he continued.
“I definitely took care of Nicodo’s body; the fact that it has suddenly reappeared means there must be some other extraordinary being at work. We need to find them and see if we can put the blame on them…”
“Other extraordinary beings… how do we find them?” The middle-aged man furrowed his brow at the young man’s words. The young man appeared to have thought of something and continued to speak.
“Didn’t those livestock say there’s a self-proclaimed detective investigating this case? That fake corpse appeared just as the detective arrived to investigate. Isn’t that a little too coincidental?”
“Are you suggesting… that this detective is the extraordinary being pulling the strings behind the scenes?”
“Very likely! He immediately had those sailors help him investigate right after the corpse appeared. The emergence of that fake corpse would give him leverage, so he’s very likely the extraordinary being behind this. We should look into him and see if we can use him to block the Moncala investigation. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to eliminate him to make him pay the price.”
The young man asserted confidently. Hearing his words, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment before nodding, as if agreeing with the young man’s perspective.
Afterward, the two confirmed their plan to target the suddenly emerging detective and moved from the stern down to the lower deck, preparing to return to their cabin to further finalize the details of their plan.
As they walked along the corridor discussing their plans, they came across a figure in a deserted section of the ship.
It was a seemingly ordinary woman from Northern Ufeiga, dressed in a dark robe with a headscarf and face covering. She stepped out from a corner of the corridor where the two men were and walked toward them at a normal pace. Due to the presence of many Northern Ufeiga passengers on the ship, the two didn’t pay much special attention.
Thus, the Northern Ufeiga woman and the two “Cup” cultists walked toward each other in this empty corridor, growing closer until they finally passed each other, turning their backs and continuing on their respective ways.
However, in the brief moment they brushed past, the Northern Ufeiga woman’s eyes suddenly focused beneath her headscarf; her previously serene movement exploded into action as she swiftly turned around, drawing a dagger from her pocket and lunging towards the middle-aged man’s back.
At that moment, the middle-aged man felt the sudden disturbance of the surrounding air, sensing danger. He frowned and quickly turned around, only to see the dagger hurtling toward him.
With his eyes widening, the middle-aged man quickly reached out toward the assailant’s blade, grasping it just in time; but as soon as his hand touched her wrist, a wave of pain and numbness shot through his body. He trembled uncontrollably, his grip on the woman’s hand weakening under the spasms. The woman’s powerful force allowed her to break free from his grasp.
“Wh—”
Before the middle-aged man could react further, a flash of cold light sliced across his throat. He fell backward, eyes widened as he clutched at his neck, and only then did the young man realize the abnormality beside him.
Seeing the cold light emanating from the woman’s hand and his collapsing companion, the young man’s eyes widened as he reached forward. Instantly, several water arrows coalesced around him, ready to launch at any moment.
At that moment, the Northern Ufeiga woman, who had just finished dealing with one person, fixed her gaze on the young man. As their eyes met, a translucent, ethereal spirit body surged out from her, darting toward him at high speed. Before he could release his water arrows, the ghost entered his body, and suddenly, the young man found himself unable to move. His body, once his own, was now unresponsive to his commands. A powerful will suppressed all his thoughts and orders to control his body, leaving him incapable of even mobilizing his spirit. Panic surged through him.
‘This is… Silence!’
What made the young man’s horror intensify was that the Northern Ufeiga woman, now devoid of her soul, did not immediately cease her actions. In her soulless state, she continued to stare, silently holding her dagger, and reached out again toward the terrified young man, who could only express his fear through his eyes.
Ultimately, the young man, grasped by an unseen hand, lost consciousness and slumped to the ground. The previously gathered water arrows collapsed around him, and the ethereal woman’s spirit, which had entered him, swiftly exited, returning to the woman. In an instant, the woman’s previously vacant gaze regained its clarity.
Thus, the two extraordinary beings of the Black Earth Tier fell motionless to the ground, lifeless from the initiation of the woman’s attack to the young man’s collapse barely taking ten seconds. Watching this scene unfold, the woman let out a long breath.
“Done… so quickly. Were they both that weak… or have I become stronger?”
Surveying her body, Nephnis muttered to herself, seemingly astonished by the power she had just wielded. At that moment, a voice she knew well echoed in her mind.
“The matter is resolved… while there’s still no one around… quickly clean up the scene. We have other tasks to attend to…”
“Oh…”
Hearing Doro’s words, Nephnis promptly responded and began to handle the scene. Meanwhile, Doro observed everything from Nephnis’s perspective, musing in her heart.
‘I was planning to observe you a while longer, but I didn’t expect you to take action first. Since that is the case, I have no choice…’
Not long after, in an empty guest cabin on the cruise ship, Doro and Nephnis stood at the edge of the room, where a magical array of Silence was drawn on the floor. In the center of the array lay the corpse of the middle-aged man, one of the two “Cup” cultists.
“I bound this guy’s soul when I killed him. They don’t have any counter-soul measures like burial sigils, so summoning should encounter no hindrances…”
While looking at the corpse within the magic array, Nephnis spoke. On the other side, Doro nodded upon hearing this, then spoke.
“Let’s not delay. Let’s begin, Neph.”
Upon hearing Doro’s words, Nephnis immediately sat cross-legged before the array and began to silently recite an incantation, initiating the soul summoning ceremony. With the start of the ceremony and the activation of the Silence spirit, the middle-aged man’s soul, previously blocked from reaching the spirit world, slowly began to rise from his corpse, his expression one of astonishment, suspended above the magical array, gazing at Nephnis and Doro.
“Miss Doro, the soul summoning has succeeded…”
Seeing the scene before her, Nephnis reported to Doro. Doro, upon hearing this, looked at the spirit above the array and directly asked.
“What’s your name? Which organization do you belong to?”
“I am… Berto Swarta… I am… a servant of the Abyss and bl**d Tide, the great serpent god…”
“So… you are part of the Abyss Cult?”
“No, we are members of the Intestine Cult. The Intestine Cult is a small organization subordinate to the Abyss Cult… we also believe in the serpent god…”
Under the power of the ceremony, the spirit responded to Doro’s inquiry. Upon confirming that the spirit was related to the Abyss Cult, Doro paused slightly, then asked further.
“What are you doing on this ship?”
“Executing a task.”
“What task?”
“Transportation task, transporting thirteen bl**d livestock to Moncala.” The spirit offered a straightforward answer to Doro’s question, and she continued to inquire.
“What is the significance of your task? Why are these thirteen bl**d livestock being sent to Moncala?”
“Profit… it is the significance… Moncala is a city where desire surges, and the demand for Cup medicine is enormous; that Cup medicine can sell for a high price, but Moncala imposes unbearable tariffs on Cup medicine extraction, so we need to transport bl**d livestock with it to avoid high tariffs…”
The spirit continued to respond dully. Listening to the spirit’s words, Doro’s expression became serious, and she continued to ask.
“Avoiding tariffs? So you’re smuggling then? How do you use bl**d livestock to smuggle?”
“Moncala’s customs… focus on inspecting goods and personal belongings, so we only need to integrate the Cup medicine and the bl**d livestock, allowing us to bypass customs…”
“We of the Intestine Cult can raise bl**d livestock through special methods. By long-term feeding and injections, supplemented by surgical means, we can integrate a substantial amount of Cup medicine into a person’s flesh and bl**d, acquiring effective resistance against extraordinary detection. The Cup medicine stored within the bl**d livestock can easily bypass Moncala’s customs. Once we’ve entered the city, we simply have to slaughter the bl**d livestock and use modified corpse dissolving sigils to dissolve the bodies; we’ll end up with a large puddle of bl**d rich in Cup medicine, which can then be diluted for pharmaceutical use to yield a great quantity of Cup medicine.
“In Moncala, there is a massive demand for Cup medicine. Our task is to safely transport the meticulously crafted bl**d livestock to the recipients while avoiding detection from Moncala’s guards.”
