### Chapter 557: Disposal
In an empty cabin, Doro stood there, listening to the ghost of a Cup Cultist summoned by Nephnis narrating their side’s intentions. From his words, Doro learned of the reasons behind the tragic incident on the ship, which should have remained a mystery.
The city of Moncala, due to its nature, had a highly developed entertainment industry, with gambling and erotic establishments being legal to some extent. In this city, vice was intertwined, and residents as well as tourists sought excitement by consuming Cup Medicine in various venues. Hence, there was a significant demand for Cup Medicine throughout Moncala.
Cup Medicine could be described as one of the most accessible secret products for ordinary people in this world. Traces of it could be found in the red-light districts and casinos of many large cities. This addictive substance, which brought immense pleasure to ordinary people, was commonly referred to as “Red Powder,” and numerous “Cup” societies profited by manufacturing it, accumulating wealth in the process.
Of course, due to its association with cults and harm to the human body, Cup Medicine was legally banned by the governments of most countries. However, Moncala was one of the few city-states where it was legal. Despite this legality, any imported Cup Medicine was subject to exorbitant tariffs. Moncala, aware of the wealth of the Cup Medicine traders, imposed these tariffs without mercy, raking in considerable profits from the Cup Medicine trade each year.
Such expensive tariffs inevitably led to the development of smuggling operations. Smuggling Cup Medicine into Moncala had begun quite some time ago, but the city’s rulers, who had come from a pirate background, were very experienced in dealing with smuggling. To them, no smuggling method was unfamiliar. Other factions attempting to smuggle in Moncala were merely showing off their incompetence. As a result, smuggling Cup Medicine into Moncala remained extremely challenging; ordinary methods were simply insufficient.
To cope with this situation, some “Cup” societies began developing various methods to try to break Moncala’s smuggling blockade. One method involved transforming a person into a human form of Cup Medicine. The two cultists Doro encountered on the ship were transporting such specially manufactured human form Cup Medicines, which were infused with a significant amount of suppressed Cup Medicine components. Considering the impact on tourists, Moncala did not conduct overly detailed inspections on visitors, mostly focusing on goods. Thus, the strategy of using human form Cup Medicines often succeeded.
The Intestine Cult controlled ordinary people through Cup Medicine and then transformed them into human form Cup Medicines before smuggling them to Moncala. There, they would be slaughtered, and using a special corpse transformation sigil, their bl**d and flesh would be dissolved into bl**d water and diluted to make Cup Medicine. One bl**d livestock Cup Medicine, after processing, could often be turned into a large box of normal Cup Medicine, yielding substantial profits when sold in Moncala.
As the Intestine Cult also used Cup Medicine to control these bl**d livestock, they had to regularly provide it to keep them obedient during transit. Throughout the journey on the ship, the two cultists would repeatedly supply bl**d livestock Cup Medicine. However, they were unaware that among the over a dozen bl**d livestock they controlled, one had a particularly large appetite—Nicodo, the deceased residing in Room 417.
Nicodo, being the bl**d livestock controlled by the Intestine Cult, had the strongest craving for Cup Medicine. His dependence had reached a level of madness. He indulged heavily, demanding more Cup Medicine from the two cultists than the others. At first, this was manageable, as the duo had sufficient supplies. But after Nicodo boarded the ship, his appetite skyrocketed; he required more than three times the amount that other bl**d livestock consumed daily to be satisfied. Under such intense cravings, the two cultists found their stock of Cup Medicine insufficient. If they fully satisfied Nicodo’s demands, the other bl**d livestock would be left without any.
Faced with this situation, the Intestine Cult’s two members attempted to trick and persuade Nicodo, asking him to moderate his intake and promising that he could eat as much as he wanted once they reached Moncala. However, Nicodo was adamant about wanting more Cup Medicine. Deeply addicted, he paid no heed to the threats from the Intestine Cult’s members. Eventually, he dared to confront them directly, arguing with them and even trying to forcibly take away the Cup Medicine.
Seeing Nicodo like this, the two members of the Intestine Cult, being extraordinary beings, could not tolerate it. After a heated argument, the youth among them could no longer contain himself and killed Nicodo in Room 417. To avoid causing a commotion on the ship and attracting the attention of local guards in Moncala, the youth decided to dispose of Nicodo’s body.
Due to constant activity on the deck, simply throwing the body into the sea risked discovery. So, the youth stripped Nicodo and placed him into a large barrel obtained from the cleaning storage. Using a corpse transformation sigil prepared for bl**d livestock, he turned Nicodo into a barrel of bl**d water and then flushed it down the toilet. After cleaning up the evidence, he took Nicodo’s bones and luggage back, fabricating a missing persons case.
In fact, the Intestine Cult had been quite careful in their disposal. However, they did not anticipate that the bl**d water from Nicodo’s body, mixed with the ship’s wastewater, would attract a large number of sea fish. After consuming the bl**d water, these fish would be caught by eager fishermen, who would then serve them as dishes to other tourists. This ultimately alerted Doro to the irregularities, allowing her to unravel the whole incident.
“How unpredictable life is…”
Standing in the cabin, Doro sighed after hearing the words of the soul within the magical array, having learned the full truth. Thus, the mystery of the Cup Medicine aboard the cruise ship came to a close. It turned out that the entire incident was merely a smuggling case, not the mass sacrifice Doro had initially feared, which put her at ease.
‘Moncala… a city that allows Cup Medicine transactions but imposes heavy taxes… it truly lives up to its reputation as the former pirate city, even drug dealers have to seize a profit, ultimately forcing the invention of such drug smuggling methods…’
Doro thought to herself, then began to ponder how to deal with the aftermath. With the two operators of the Intestine Cult gone, twelve human form Cup Medicines remained on the ship, each requiring Cup Medicine daily to avoid going insane. Meanwhile, the Intestine Cult’s trading partners awaited their shipment in Moncala. Doro needed to strategize about the fate of these twelve human form Cup Medicines.
‘These twelve addicts treated like pigs can’t be left unattended. I need to find a proper method to manage them. If arranged well… perhaps I can also gain something from it.’
Doro contemplated, and before long, she devised a plan for handling the twelve human form Cup Medicines.
Having settled on an approach, Doro nodded silently, intending to tidy up the scene and collect the spoils. With that thought, she turned to Neve, who was nearby.
“Almost done, Neve. Let’s clean up the ritual now.”
“Okay… okay… ugh…”
Standing at the edge of the magical array, Nephnis replied to Doro with a pale face. As she spoke, it seemed she could no longer hold back, using a handkerchief to cover her mouth while bending over and dry heaving, looking very uncomfortable.
“Uh… Neve, are you okay?” Doro asked with concern upon seeing Nephnis’s condition. Nephnis then moved the handkerchief away and spoke.
“I’m fine… just thinking about the fish I ate yesterday… it makes me a little uneasy. I’m alright, really…”
Covering her mouth, Nephnis continued to dry heave. The fish she had eaten yesterday afternoon had consumed the corpse bl**d water along with toilet sewage. Nephnis had readily devoured three large plates, and now, learning the truth about those delicious roasted fish, she couldn’t help but feel nauseous at the memory of how much she had enjoyed them the previous day.
“I’m sorry, Doro, I need to use the restroom. You can take your time to clean up…”
With that, Nephnis quickly approached the door, opened it, and rushed out of the cabin. As Doro listened to her hurried footsteps fading away, she couldn’t help but reflect in her heart.
‘Thank goodness I didn’t eat…’
…
Afterward, Doro cleaned up the magical array and began to search the belongings of the two members of the Intestine Cult. Ultimately, she found around 200 Iwig coins, several sigils, and a significant amount of Cup Medicine. Among these sigils were a few specially crafted corpse transformation sigils, some water breath sigils that enhanced underwater abilities, a smell-seeking sigil that amplified olfactory senses, and two healing sigils that alleviated wounds and light pains… aside from these, there were no new sigils.
Next, Doro revived the two members of the Intestine Cult, turning them into puppets once more. She left the Cup Medicine on them to continue playing their original roles as they faced the twelve human form Cup Medicines.
Using the corpses transformed from the two members of the Intestine Cult and the Cup Medicine, Doro stabilized the bl**d livestock. She then controlled the corpse of the youth, joining forces with the zombie Ed to perform a double act under the gaze of the crew members. They successfully solved the case that Doro had previously orchestrated, convincing the crew members that the individual who killed the occupant of Room 417 had been apprehended. Detective Ed’s record would gain another notch.
Under Doro’s careful arrangements, the crew, including the captain, expressed their admiration for the detective’s astute observations and sharp thinking. Doro spun a deeply intertwined backstory of motive around the deceased from Room 417 and the apprehended killer, ensuring the crew believed it, and they confined their puppet, preparing to hand it over to the local authorities in Moncala once they arrived. Doro also planned for the killer to happen to d*e mysteriously in Moncala’s prison.
In the following period, the entire cruise ship remained peaceful until noon the next day when it finally reached its destination, Moncala.
As the passengers aboard the ship caught sight of land on the sea, they had already entered Moncala’s territory. Standing on the foredeck, Doro could see countless small islands and reefs approaching. On these small islands, which spanned several hundred to thousands of square meters, numerous low bamboo and wooden structures stood, with individuals clad in uniforms resembling those of the naval forces of the main continent. They wielded weapons and vigilantly watched the enormous vessel approaching.
Moncala was a fragmented, small island chain situated in the sea. Apart from the central main island, numerous tiny islands and reefs surrounded it, covered in fortifications.
Due to the complexity of the waters, as the cruise ship entered the midst of the islands, a small boat began to approach, serving as a guide. This small boat directed the cruise ship’s course, ensuring it did not inadvertently run aground on hidden reefs.
On the deck, Doro admired the surrounding sea scenery. As the ship continued towards the heart of the small archipelago, the reefs and islands around became noticeably larger. The once dilapidated, low bamboo houses vanished, replaced by stone fortifications. Doro could see cannons positioned atop these watchtowers, all aimed with their dark mouths toward the distance.
‘Wow, such tight maritime defenses. Truly a former pirate city…’
Observing the scene before her, Doro thought to herself. She could sense that Moncala, their destination, was already in sight. The time to disembark was drawing near, and soon she would commence the handling of the twelve human form Cup Medicines.
…
As the cruise ship navigated through the fragmented islands, below the deck, along a corridor, a middle-aged man carrying luggage, wearing a cap and overalls, was making his way forward briskly.
This man’s name was Dioro, one of the twelve human form Cup Medicines transported by the Intestine Cult on this ship. He was originally a worker from Iwig, but due to his years of heavy drinking in bars, he had caught the attention of the Intestine Cult and was ultimately transformed into a nearly completely controlled bl**d livestock. Under the guidance of the Intestine Cult, Dioro had come to fervently worship a deity known as the “Abyss Serpent,” one of the titles of the serpent of the deep.
The Intestine Cult gathered Dioro and a dozen others under the pretense of pilgrimages to the Abyss Serpent, leading them toward Moncala. Throughout this journey, members of the Intestine Cult provided all pilgrims, including Dioro, with “sacred medicine” daily, allowing them to experience a sense of ecstasy as if conversing with the deity. This so-called sacred medicine was, in fact, Cup Medicine.
As the destination approached, the other pilgrims began preparing to disembark, while Dioro hurriedly headed toward the room of the members of the Intestine Cult, whom he regarded as emissaries of the divine, eager to receive his “sacred medicine.”
Dioro’s share of the “sacred medicine” had reportedly been lost somewhere during the morning, and unable to find it, he grew anxious. With his addiction kicking in, he became restless and decided to seek the two divine emissaries for a new supply.
Thus, with a hint of worry, Dioro quickly approached the corridor leading to his revered emissaries’ room. As he stood in the hallway, he glanced ahead and noticed the door to the chamber of the emissaries slightly ajar.
Seeing this, Dioro hurried over, and just as he was about to knock on the slightly open door, voices from within reached his ears.
“The destination is about to be reached. How are the bl**d livestock faring?”
“They’re in excellent condition. Except for one who was accidentally lost, the others are doing well and can be released at any time.”
Listening to the conversation from inside the cabin, Dioro felt a wave of confusion wash over him. He couldn’t help but wonder who was discussing livestock slaughter with the emissary; they hadn’t brought any livestock for the pilgrimage, had they?
While pondering this, the next lines of dialogue from the cabin not only answered his query but also left him frozen in shock.
“Having lost one… that’s regrettable. After all, while these humans and livestock are fundamentally the same, they are certainly a step above. Losing one can significantly decrease our shipment volume.”
“Yes… after all, they are humans, which makes them a bit more challenging to keep than pigs…”
The words from within the cabin seeped through the doorway, and upon hearing these comments, Dioro felt a chill run down his spine, cold sweat emerging on his back despite the warm weather.
