I Want to Be on a Mural!

Kevin piled up some sand, nudging the egg bit by bit toward the seawater. Once the waves submerged it, Kevin scrubbed it thoroughly with his paws, buried it under the sand, scrubbed it again, repeating the cycle back and forth several times. Finally, Kevin pressed his nose close to the egg and gave it a sniff. After confirming there was no lingering scent, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, lowered his head to take the egg between his teeth, and sprinted away. After running for a long time, Kevin stopped to rest. Spitting out the egg, he panted with his tongue lolling out of his open mouth. "You possess... wisdom... You should understand... what choice serves you... best..." Kevin tilted his canine head, staring at this egg that still hadn't forgotten to try bewitching him. "I can... help you... fulfill your dream..." Kevin smiled. His dream had always been simple: to thoroughly wipe the Sea God and the Sea God Religion from this world! Once rested, Kevin picked up the egg in his mouth once more and ran toward the landing point. Finally, he drew near the landing point, but stopped just short of it. Spitting the egg out, he scraped together a few rocks to cover and conceal it, then continued forward. Before he had gone far, Fanny appeared ahead of him. Kevin immediately stopped and flashed Fanny an honest, foolishly endearing grin. "You're finally back! Karen and the Captain have been looking everywhere for you." Fanny reached out and rubbed Kevin's head, her fingertips brushing against his bald patch. Then, tapping the blue seashell hanging beside her ear, Fanny said, "Captain, the dog's been found." Karen and Neo arrived quickly. Seeing Kevin, Karen felt a wave of relief wash over him. Kevin ran over on his own initiative and nuzzled Karen's trouser leg. "Alright, let's evacuate for now," Neo said. The others had already evacuated to a reef not far from Corona Island. It was safe enough there; all they needed to do was wait for reinforcements from the Church of Order to arrive. Just as Karen was about to leave, he felt Kevin tugging on his trouser leg with his teeth. Karen paused. The Captain stopped as well and looked back. Kevin beamed at the Captain. The Captain nodded. "Fanny, let's go notify Peige and the others to regroup first." "Yes, Captain." The Captain went ahead with Fanny, while Kevin led Karen to where he had buried the egg. Karen walked over, crouched down, and pushed the rocks aside, revealing the purple egg underneath. Pulsing with a rhythmic beat, the sight made Karen momentarily dazed. Was this an egg, or a heart? "Enshrine me... serve me... and I shall grant you... a boundless future..." "I'll grant you lard and chopped scallions to fry you up into the most delicious fried egg." Karen ignored its bewitching words, picked it up, and looked at Kevin. "You ran off all by yourself just for this?" Kevin nodded. "I know it's probably a good thing, and I can guess you thought it would be very useful to me. But I still think running off on your own like that was far too reckless. If you'd lost your dog life over this egg, imagine how big a loss that would be for me." Kevin blinked at Karen. Karen raised the egg as if to smash it, then drew it back and slipped it into his pocket. "Just pretend that I just shouted, 'I almost lost a dog over this stupid egg!' and hurled it away, only for you to leap through the air, catch it, and return it to my hands. Time is short, so let's just act like we've already gone through that whole routine, understand?" "Woof!" Kevin grinned and nodded. "Heh." Karen patted Kevin's back and walked to the shore with him. Aseroth was already waiting there. Opening its mouth to let the man and dog inside, it turned and ferried this group over to the reef. The reef was divided into several areas. Karen led Kevin over to the large outcrop where Purr and Alfred were sitting. No sooner had they sat down than Mr. Wood approached with his wife and daughter. Just as Mr. Wood was about to speak, Karen held up a hand to stop him. "Wood, I have business right now. Save your thanks until after everything is over." "Yes, Young Master Karen." Wood immediately led his wife and daughter back to their previous spot. Karen was just about to pull the egg from his pocket when a plume of black mist materialized behind him, revealing the Captain's figure. "Mind if I listen in?" "I do." "So stingy?" "It's a secret." "Fair enough." The Captain turned back into black mist and departed. Karen took out the egg and handed it to Alfred. "Alfred, you hold on to it." "Yes, Young Master." Alfred put the egg away. Karen wasn't worried about the egg bewitching Alfred. If anything, they could fight poison with poison. "Woof, woof, woof!" Alfred translated, "This is an egg in its fourth evolution. The first evolution has a white shell, the second black, the third blue, and the fourth purple. What is being nurtured inside is a heart—or, in the terminology of the Sea God Religion, the Sea God's Heart." "The Sea God's Heart?" Karen pursed his lips. "Once the heart finishes incubating, does it need to find a body?" "Woof, woof, woof!" "Yes. Because the soul and consciousness are both concentrated within this heart, once the incubation succeeds, it must find a body. Typically, believers nurtured in blue eggshells are used as vessels so that the body can fully attain harmony with the sea." "Is this heart of any use to me?" Karen asked, cutting to the crux of the matter. "It won't make me swap hearts, will it?" He believed Kevin wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to fetch this egg if it didn't serve a purpose beyond making poached eggs. "Woof, woof, woof!" "There is no need to swap hearts. We only need to find a way to erase the consciousness within this egg, condense it into an essence, guide it into your body, and stimulate your own heart to evolve. It is like a single spark: though difficult, it has the potential to ignite the entire woodpile." Purr spoke up. "Stupid dog, you call that 'though difficult'? If it could be done that easily, why would they bother crawling into eggshells to evolve time and again? This isn't even a matter of difficulty anymore. Under normal circumstances, triggering such a thing is flat-out impossible." "Woof!" "Kevin says that for you, Young Master, it is not difficult, because your body was once modified by him." Karen pointed to his chest. "I can?" Purr immediately said, "Stupid dog, did you transform your heart in the past? Did you actually accomplish that? You didn't infiltrate the Sea God Religion and practice their system just for revenge back then, did you?" Raniedal had once modified Karen's body, preparing it for his own advent as an evil god. Since he claimed Karen could use it, he must have laid the groundwork and presets back then. Hearing this, Kevin immediately puffed up his cheeks and shook his head, barking agitatedly, "Woof, woof, woof!" Alfred translated, "'How could I ever sneak into another church and do something so entirely beneath me? Woof!'" "Ahem." Alfred nodded. "The final 'woof' was meant literally." Yet after translating, Alfred frowned, while Purr let out a gloating chuckle. Kevin turned to look at Karen and instantly realized he had put his paw in his mouth. "Woof... woof..." "Alright, let's stick to the point," Karen steered the topic back. "Woof, woof!" "Kevin says that back in the day, he loved hunting down high-ranking members of the Sea God Religion and snacking on their hearts. He ate them frequently, and over time, he discovered a great deal of such elements—or essences—accumulating inside his body. As time went on, his own heart gradually began to transform, or rather be 'corrupted,' but the results were quite good." Many things that defied common sense became far easier to accept once placed under conditions that also defied common sense. For instance, treating the hearts of elder-level figures like jellybeans—do it long enough, and the accumulated toxins would successfully corrupt the body. The logic was completely sound. Purr asked with concern, "Are there any side effects?" Kevin nodded. "Woof, woof." Purr fell silent. Alfred froze as well. Karen waited a moment before prompting, "Translate?" Purr looked away. Alfred said, "Once the heart transformation succeeds, it is equivalent to possessing the pulse of the sea. It enhances blood supply and nourishment. The only side effect is... that aspect of one's stamina becomes much stronger, making it rather hard for one's partner to bear." A grin spread across Kevin's canine face. Karen asked, "Aside from Goddess Mills, did you ever have a partner?" The smile on Kevin's canine face collapsed instantly. "So my body can undergo the transformation, right? After a successful transformation, will the effectiveness of my Sea God's Armor increase as a result?" Kevin nodded vigorously. "Woof, woof, woof, woof!" "Even with the power of Light to facilitate transformation, once pushed to a certain point, using powers from other systems will inevitably encounter a bottleneck cap. At that stage, one must seek a vessel to break through the restriction. "Just as the Eye of the Dark Moon can drastically boost the power of the Dark Moon Blade, the Sea God's Heart will drastically boost the power of the Sea God's Armor. Furthermore, the spiritual power reserves of the Sea God Religion already enjoy an inherent advantage over other belief systems. Much like the vastness of the ocean, the Sea God's Heart can open up another reservoir of spiritual power. "With both blade and armor greatly enhanced, combined with your own already terrifying spiritual power reserves, your true combat strength, Young Master, will be completely decoupled from your cultivation realm." Purr remarked, "Just like Diss, the eternal Inquisitor." Alfred corrected her, "The young master is still only a God's Servant." Purr nodded. "Fair enough. Even more ridiculous than Diss." Alfred said, "Once we return, I will handle the processing of this egg." Karen nodded, signaling the end of the meeting. Aseroth surfaced, opened its mouth, and spat out a hearty catch of fish and shrimp. Though there was no firewood on the reef, they could ignite fires with spells to grill them. And for those who weren't picky, eating them raw as sashimi posed no issue either. Karen spread his hand, and the flames of Order surged forth. But after being roasted by the flames of Order, the fish looked bizarre and wretched. Eating it felt like eating a zombie fish. Tossing that one aside, Karen patted Purr's head. Pouting, Purr summoned two fireballs to help everyone roast fish. On the other side, Mr. Wood was helping grill fish as well. After eating, everyone began to rest. Surrounded by the sea on all sides with Aseroth lurking below the surface, they had no need to fear sneak attacks, making it very safe. Karen lay down on the reef with Purr curled up in his arms. Kevin huddled close as well, and they soon drifted off to sleep. After sleeping for a few hours, Karen was awakened by a commotion in the distance. Sitting up, he spotted two steamships and two ironclad warships of the Wien Empire Navy appearing on the horizon. In the sky, over a dozen raptor-like monster beasts carrying Order Knights were circling overhead. Reinforcements had arrived. This also meant that everything on Corona Island was about to come to an end. No one... no, no faction could still have room to cause trouble once the Church of Order took things seriously and reached out its hand. Purr said, "Aseroth, you head back first. I'll call you out to play again in a while." A stream of bubbles rose from beneath the surface, and the massive shadow swam away into the distance. The Captain and Memphis began folding black crows. Having long run out of their original spellcraft paper, they simply tore strips of cloth from their clerical robes to make them. Twenty minutes later, a warship first docked at Corona Island, then turned around to head over to the reef area, allowing everyone to board. The Captain went to liaise with the church official aboard the warship, while Karen and the others entered the cabin, where hot soup was served to them. Soon, the warship returned to the port of Corona Island. Over a dozen Whip of Order squads had already landed and commenced a sweeping search of the entire island. Karen also spotted figures clad in black armor, likely local garrison troops mobilized for the operation. The area where the ship had sunk earlier was cordoned off; the Church of Order would send personnel to conduct salvage operations next. Karen stood on the deck, gazing into the distance. From time to time, the sounds of battle could still be heard. The Captain walked up beside Karen and remarked, "Surprisingly, although some Sea God believers hijacked other ships from the port and fled, most of them actually stayed behind on the island. Tell me, what could have possessed them so thoroughly that they didn't even care about running for their lives?" Karen shook his head. "No idea." "Could I invite that dog of yours over to my place as a guest?" "Huh?" "You know me, I'm quite fond of pets." "Captain, I certainly didn't know that." "Well, I didn't care for them originally. But after what happened with Dorons, a soft spot in my heart was awakened. So I've been thinking about getting a pet. Still, I'm the type who hates hassle, so I was hoping to borrow your dog for a while to try out the experience before making up my mind." "Captain, you can just ask him directly. There's no need to beat around the bush making excuses." "I can do that?" "Sure. As long as he's willing, it's fine by me." "Oh, alright, I'll go ask him in a bit. Oh, by the way, after this incident, the church seems to be planning to establish an Inquisitorial Office on Corona Island." "An Inquisitorial Office? For just this one island?" "Strictly speaking, it includes numerous uninhabited islets and reefs in this area." "And?" "If Mr. Pavaro is interested, he could pull some strings to get transferred here." "Captain, this is the first time I've heard of needing connections to get exiled." "I'm just sounding out your thoughts. If you think it's secluded enough here and you have other plans well-suited for this place, you could come here. After all, when missions come up, half a day's advance notice is enough for you to go ashore and reach York City." "No thanks. I have no intention of running off here to go fishing." "Right. One more thing: focus peacefully on preparing for the selection from here on. If you make the final twelve-man roster, the region's convention guarantees you a promotion. If you can get promoted and form your own Whip of Order squad, it will serve the same purpose as Miss Ophelia coming here." "I'll do my best, Squadron Captain, sir." "Good. That's all, then." The Captain turned and walked away, heading straight for a corner of the cabin. Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin were both on chairs. Purr sat on the shoulder of her puppet, while Kevin, having lost his leash, had to make do with a clean placemat tied around his neck. The Captain squatted down in front of Kevin, looking at him, and Kevin looked back at him. "Uh, could I invite you to stay at my place for a while? I have some questions. I don't know if you know, but there are some things in my head... He left me with a lot of knowledge, but he also left me with a lot of doubts. I feel like you could help me unravel a lot of them." "Woof!" "You agree?" "Woof!" "You don't agree?" "Woof!" "Can you nod, or shake your head?" "Woof!" "Can't you speak?" the Captain asked, puzzled. "Woof!" "You really can't speak?" "Woof!" The Captain laughed out of exasperation. Facing Kevin, he barked, "Woof!" Kevin: "..." The golden retriever was completely thrown off by this response. Watching the interaction between the man and the dog, Purr turned around, burying her face into her puppet's neck, struggling painfully to stifle her laughter. The Captain simply sat down on the floor and muttered vexedly, "If you can't talk, this is going to be tricky... Can you write?" Kevin lifted a paw. The Captain pulled a notebook from his clothes, spread it open in front of Kevin, took out a fountain pen, uncapped it, and wedged the pen into Kevin's paw. Moving the fountain pen, Kevin began writing in the notebook. "Writing works just as well. We can still communicate. You have no idea—I didn't care much about those questions at first, but the moment I saw a glimmer of hope to solve them, my scalp started itching. To be honest, I'm really not someone who enjoys studying..." The Captain froze mid-sentence. In messy, spindly scrawl, Kevin had written a single word in the notebook: "Secret." The Captain quietly closed the notebook, took the fountain pen from the dog's paw, slipped it back into his pocket, and stood up gracefully. "If I ever go mad one day," he said, "remember, none of you are innocent." ... In another cabin, Alfred held the purple egg, studying it intently. "I can... grant you... future and hope... help you fulfill... the dreams in your heart... As long as you obey me... serve me... you shall receive... everything you desire..." "Really?" "Of course... Tell me... what do you... desire..." Facing the temptation radiating from this egg, Alfred cleared his throat. Then, adopting the exact same cadence and tone, he replied: "I... want... to... be... on... a... mural..."