Chapter 454

Northern Shore of Conquest Sea, Adria.

Time passed quickly, and soon the night gave way to dawn. As the sun rose from the east, Adria—Ivengard's famous tourist destination—was once again bathed in sunlight.

With the arrival of a new day, Adria swiftly returned to its usual bustling state. Tourists embarking on fresh adventures boarded the gondolas of boatmen already prepared for their day's duties, traversing the city's intricate network of canals. As they unfolded the day's newspapers placed onboard, the prominent headline announced that the welcoming banquet presided over personally by Archbishop Antonio had concluded successfully the night before. Archbishop Antonio had reportedly left Adria early this morning, setting off on his return journey to the royal capital, Pezhi.

Around noon, in a certain building adjacent to Adria’s Grace Light Cathedral, several figures had gathered inside a room. Judging by their attire, one could easily deduce they were all affiliated with the Church.

Seated comfortably at the center of the room, dressed in a simple white robe and plain white cap, was Antonio himself. Though he was originally scheduled to return to Pezhi this morning, he was still in Adria, lingering here solely because of a telegram.

Antonio sat quietly in his chair, leisurely scanning through a newspaper in his hands. The clock on the wall indicated half an hour had passed since noon. Not long ago, Antonio had instructed his subordinates to send a telegram to a specified address.

Antonio was now calmly waiting, curious to see if the so-called secret contact from Summer Tree would respond as promptly as the letter he'd previously received promised. From his demeanor, he appeared entirely unhurried.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps broke the silence. Moments later, the door opened, and a young priest dressed in a simple cassock appeared, slightly out of breath, holding a sheet of paper.

"Your Excellency Antonio, we've received a response…"

"A response already? That was quick indeed." Hearing the young priest's words, Antonio set down the newspaper he had been reading, then subtly signaled his surrounding subordinates. Recognizing his intention, all of them swiftly withdrew from the room, leaving only Antonio and the young priest behind. Antonio then calmly spoke.

"Tell me—what did they say? What intelligence did they provide us?"

"Your Excellency, according to the reply from Summer Tree, they are still in the process of clearing out Abyssal Church spies. Up until now, they've already eliminated several infiltrators from Abyssal, obtaining considerable intelligence from them."

"The most significant piece of intelligence concerns the recently shipwrecked Shimmering Pearl…"

Respectfully, the young priest reported to Antonio, whose brows rose slightly upon hearing this. Antonio then asked.

"The Shimmering Pearl? You mean the ship whose captain was revealed as a follower of Abyssal?"

"Exactly, Your Excellency. According to previous information from the Sacrament Knights, the crew of the Shimmering Pearl had been heavily infiltrated by Abyssal Church followers, indicating that its mysterious sinking was likely related to Abyssal Church activities. According to Summer Tree's latest intelligence, they followed the trail of a captured merchant spy and apprehended Abyssal followers among his subordinates. One of those captured was formerly a crew member aboard the Shimmering Pearl, from whom Summer Tree unexpectedly learned details about the incident."

"In their telegram, Summer Tree revealed that the Abyssal Church's real purpose aboard the Shimmering Pearl was to use over two thousand passengers as sacrifices to the sea monster Haimohois. However, their ceremony was disrupted by the infamous Thief K, who stole the critical artifact required for the ritual, the Deep Blue Heart. As a result, the sacrifice had to be aborted. Later, the sudden sinking of the Shimmering Pearl was likely caused by the intense conflict and mystical battle between Thief K and the Abyssal Church operatives aboard."

Holding the densely written paper, the young priest reported respectfully. Antonio paused briefly, then murmured.

"Haimohois? Who would have thought…the truth behind the Shimmering Pearl incident was actually a planned sacrifice targeting the offspring of the Abyssal Serpent? Abyssal Church hasn't conducted a sacrifice on a thousand-person scale for nearly three hundred years. Why would they suddenly attempt a ritual aimed at Haimohois? Did they intend to draw it up from the Black Abyss?"

Antonio's brow furrowed deeper. Clearly, he took this intelligence very seriously. After all, this involved both a sacrifice on the scale of thousands and a sea monster possessing divine blood—something impossible to ignore.

This kind of intelligence certainly required reporting up to the Holy Mount.

"This is indeed vital information. It seems Elder Anman's letter was truthful after all… Did Summer Tree have anything else to report besides the Shimmering Pearl?"

Antonio continued questioning, while the young priest shook his head and replied.

"Not at the moment, Your Excellency. Summer Tree said their counter-infiltration efforts are ongoing. They will contact us proactively if they obtain further information."

"I see. It appears Summer Tree is taking vigorous measures against Abyssal infiltration. The feeling of being manipulated must indeed be unpleasant…" Antonio sighed again with emotion, prompting the young priest to add.

"Their vigorous actions against Abyssal Church might also be their way of proving loyalty to us. Summer Tree probably still fears that we might reconsider our acceptance of their conversion."

"Such concerns are understandable… However, given that the current publicity campaign is already in full swing, reneging now is practically impossible."

"The intelligence regarding the Shimmering Pearl is quite significant. Take these details and relay them by telegram to Holy Mount. After you've completed that, we'll depart."

"Understood."

Antonio slowly continued speaking. The young priest, respectfully acknowledging his instructions, promptly withdrew, leaving Antonio alone in the room once more.

Staring at the empty room, Antonio remained seated in his chair without further movement, quietly reflecting upon the newly obtained intelligence about the Shimmering Pearl. At this moment, the central focus of his thoughts was no longer the Abyssal Church followers on the Shimmering Pearl or even the sea monster Haimohois. Instead, his attention was drawn entirely to Thief K—the figure who had stolen the Deep Blue Heart, disrupting Abyssal Church's ritual.

“Thief K… From what we've learned so far, she must be a Beyonder. But why did she infiltrate the Shimmering Pearl and steal the Deep Blue Heart? Was it due to personal enmity against the Abyssal Church, deliberately sabotaging their ceremony, or was it simply a desire for the treasure itself? What purpose lies behind her self-incriminating announcement letters?”

“Unknown origins, unknown affiliation… truly a mysterious woman. Perhaps she knows more about the Abyssal Church and why they attempted to sacrifice to Haimohois.”

Antonio gazed out the window, lost in contemplation. Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the room. He glanced towards the door, hearing a gentle knock, followed immediately by a man's voice.

"Your Excellency Antonio, are you there?"

Antonio recognized this voice as that of Paul, the head of Adria's Deep Concealment Guards. Over these past few days in Adria, Antonio had met him many times.

"I'm here. Please come in."

Responding to the voice outside, Antonio watched as the door opened. As expected, Paul stepped into the room, dressed formally in a suit. Immediately behind him was another man dressed in bishop robes—Oliver, the local bishop of Adria, another frequent acquaintance during Antonio’s stay.

"Your Excellency, thank goodness you're still here," Bishop Oliver exclaimed with evident relief as soon as he saw Antonio inside. Observing their expressions, Antonio's eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke promptly.

"I’ll be leaving in about ten minutes. You two coming here so abruptly—did something happen?"

"Your Excellency, not long ago, the Pure Flow Cathedral, Grace Light Cathedral, and the Deep Concealment Guards headquarters simultaneously received this. Please take a look."

Saying this, Oliver pulled a white card from his pocket and handed it to Antonio. Antonio accepted the card and flipped it over to read the brief message written on it. His expression turned solemn as he read.

"This… is a warning letter from Thief K?" Antonio murmured, frowning at the card in his hand. He had just been contemplating Thief K, and suddenly her warning letter appeared?

"Exactly, it's Thief K—the same one who previously appeared in newspaper reports. She's indeed a Beyonder thief, and she's set her sights on the Crown of Emmanuel this time, Your Excellency," Paul stated bluntly, watching Antonio carefully.

He was already familiar with news regarding the Shimmering Pearl and Thief K, so upon seeing this card, he instantly understood Thief K’s intent.

Clearly, this infamous Beyonder thief intended to strike again, and her next target was evidently Adria's greatest treasure currently exhibited atop Pure Flow Cathedral—the Crown of Emmanuel!

"This style of warning letter… it certainly matches the rumored modus operandi of Thief K… This time, she's aiming at the Crown of Emmanuel. Does that mean… her true objective has always been simply precious treasures?"

Continuing to study the text on the card, Antonio spoke slowly. Previously, he'd puzzled over whether Thief K’s motive for stealing the Deep Blue Heart was opposition to the Abyssal Church or simply the treasure itself. Now it seemed abundantly clear it was the latter. This Thief K was purely a Beyonder thief who specialized in stealing mystical treasures. She wasn't exclusively targeting the Abyssal Church; astonishingly, she now dared to set her sights on the Church itself.

"Your Excellency, these warning cards were simultaneously discovered at Pure Flow Cathedral, Grace Light Cathedral, and Deep Concealment Guards headquarters at noon today, completely ruling out the possibility of a prank. Thief K deliberately chose this timing to deliver the notice precisely to avoid you," Paul said to Antonio seriously, while Oliver beside him nodded in agreement and continued.

"Mr. Paul is correct. This Thief K clearly fears Your Excellency Antonio. She remained silent the whole time you stayed in Adria, but the moment newspapers reported your departure, she immediately sent out these so-called notices. However, she surely never expected that you'd temporarily delay your departure for the morning. By the time she sent these notices, you were actually still here—this is an enormous miscalculation on her part."

"Although I have no idea why Thief K insists on sending advance notice before every theft, given her audacity in targeting the Crown of Emmanuel, it’s clearly a direct challenge to us. Your Excellency, could you postpone your departure for another half-day and assist us tonight in capturing this arrogant thief?"

Oliver spoke firmly, urging Antonio earnestly. Listening quietly, Antonio remained silent for a brief moment before responding thoughtfully.

"To think that just waiting half a day could result in such an incident. Well, this suits me perfectly—I have some questions I'd like to personally ask Thief K. It would be ideal if I could meet her face-to-face tonight."

Looking at the card in his hand, Antonio spoke calmly. Hearing this, Paul and Oliver exchanged satisfied glances, each understanding that the recently infamous Beyonder thief was now destined to be caught.

Thief K had specifically waited until the Archbishop departed before sending her notice, yet fate ironically dictated that Antonio stayed behind due to unexpected matters, delivering her notice directly into the Archbishop’s hands. In Paul and Oliver's eyes, Thief K had now been thoroughly abandoned by fate.

…

Time passed swiftly, and soon the afternoon was over. With the setting of the sun in the west, Adria once again gradually fell into silence.

Night blanketed the skies of Adria. Beneath this darkness, countless lights flickered to life. The interplay of lamps along the shores and their reflections shimmering on the waters granted Adria its distinctive nocturnal beauty.

In the outskirts of Adria, far from the scenic beauty of the city, a group had gathered atop a cliff overlooking the sea. This group of roughly a dozen people, men and women of various ages and attire, stood quietly gazing at the crashing waves below, their expressions serious in the pale moonlight.

At the center of this gathering stood two men around their thirties. One was brown-skinned with a thick beard, clad in a trench coat, and the other wore a turban and robe, a curved blade sheathed at his waist.

"What time is it now, Mufid? Has the boss still not arrived?"

Amidst the blowing sea breeze, the bearded man turned to the turbaned man and asked impatiently. Mufid responded immediately.

"Don't worry, Salim. Our message was successfully sent to him. He'll be here soon. All we need to do is wait."

"Wait here…? But this is a sheer cliff. No boat can possibly dock here. Did you pick the wrong spot?" Salim asked doubtfully.

Mufid smiled faintly and replied, "Heh… a boat? You don't seriously believe our boss still needs something like a boat to cross the sea, do you, Salim…?"

No sooner had Mufid finished speaking than a loud splash erupted below the cliff. The gathered people turned toward the source of the noise, only to see a dark figure suddenly burst from the raging waves, leaping more than ten meters high into the air before landing heavily behind them with a thunderous crash.

Shocked by the sudden commotion, the group spun around quickly, staring intently at the settling dust and the terrifying figure revealed within.

It was a grotesque, humanoid creature, nearly three meters tall, covered head-to-toe in greyish-white scales, its back adorned with prominent fins. Where a human head should have been, instead, sat the triangular head of an enormous shark, jaws filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and its gills opening and closing rhythmically like slashed scars.

The bizarre half-man, half-shark creature stood before them, causing several among the group to step back instinctively.

Ignoring their fearful reactions, the "shark-man" stretched its limbs, tapping its chest. Immediately afterward, a large, translucent spiritual entity emerged from within, hovering gracefully in the air—a ghostly shark swimming calmly around its master.

As the ghostly shark left the shark-man’s body, rapid changes began overtaking the creature's appearance. Its massive form shrank, scales shed away, fins receded, and the terrifying shark head gradually transformed back into a normal human head. In mere moments, the monstrous shark-man had returned entirely to human form.