Inside the guest cabin, Lanqi was left alone, sitting by the edge of the bed.
"Hyperion, where are you?"
Feeling the gentle rocking of the vessel and recalling his days of drifting at sea, Lanqi couldn't help lowering his head with a sigh.
Their travels together over the past month or so had been quite pleasant. Who could have foreseen that a mana storm capable of blotting out the sun and sky would suddenly kick up across the ocean, instantly swallowing their ship whole?
As Lanqi sat sighing with nothing to do, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly rippled. As if parting from a pool of black water, a small black cat leapt nimbly onto his lap, gazing up at him with eyes as bright as the night sky.
"Most likely, the Cardinal of Dimensions and the Bishop of Destruction got into a brawl on the other side of the ocean, meow. It reacted with the ocean's natural mana hazards and spilled over to our side."
Boss Cat spoke.
It was hard to say whether this counted as a natural disaster or man-made calamity, since the cardinals of the Resurrection Church had long been called humanoid natural disasters.
When one lacked the strength and got caught in the crossfire, there was nowhere to seek justice.
No one dared intervene when bishops clashed. Those lacking strength would die simply by approaching, while someone strong enough to meddle would very likely end up besieged by both cardinals.
Every nation wished the two cardinals would fight to mutual destruction, so they simply let them tear each other apart.
In the end, it triggered a butterfly effect that blew all the way to this side of the sea.
"Lanqi, meow, I told you it was a good idea for me to stick with you."
Boss Cat wagged its tail smugly, eager to take credit.
It had used telekinetic magic to carry Lanqi floating across the ocean for a long time before finally finding a sailing vessel.
"I now acknowledge you as the strongest in Tier 7."
Lanqi stroked the little black cat's head.
Boss Cat, universally deemed the shame of Tier 7, had proven unexpectedly convenient for home and travel alike. There was truly no mascot in Tier 7 more capable.
"By the way, is Hyperion alright, meow?"
Boss Cat nuzzled Lanqi's palm with worry.
"The distance is too great. I can't establish clear telepathic contact with the Poet of Great Love. But judging from the last emotions she tried to convey, their situation should be better than ours."
Lanqi closed his eyes, seeming to sense things internally for a moment longer before shaking his head with a thoughtful hum.
When the ship was wrecked, both he and Hyperion had been swept away by torrential tsunami currents that overturned heaven and earth.
Not only had both of them drifted far off course, but the distance separating them now was likely growing wider.
Fortunately, during the twists and turns of their journey, the Poet of Great Love and Hyperion had shared a room every night, and the card 【Poet of Great Love】 had remained with Hyperion the entire time.
As long as Hyperion summoned the Poet of Great Love, Lanqi could sense her general direction.
"Cheer up, Lanqi! We've got to work hard to find Hyperion, meow."
Boss Cat patted Lanqi with its paw to encourage him.
Even though Lanqi said there was no need to worry about Hyperion, Boss Cat felt that without her around, Lanqi would inevitably feel a void. It hoped he would adjust as soon as possible.
Hearing this, Lanqi nodded seriously.
"Since things have come to this, I'll just have to lay down some enterprise in the Protos Empire first before going to find Hyperion so we can finish our research project together. Looks like this holiday is going to be quite fulfilling."
Lanqi took pride in his optimism. Sometimes it wasn't that a road had reached its end, but that it was time to turn a corner. The path lay beneath one's feet and even more in one's heart; when the heart turned with the road, the road ahead stayed wide. Learning to turn was life's wisdom, for setbacks were often turning points, and crises held opportunities.
The only real change brought by this shipwreck was that before reuniting with Hyperion, he would have to strive a little first to build a comfortable environment and provide travel funds for her.
"...Meow."
Boss Cat froze blankly.
It felt that at a time like this, it would be far more reassuring to a cat if Lanqi acted like a normal youth and indulged in a bit of melancholy.
Hyperion seemed to fear nothing more than Lanqi's sudden bursts of ambition.
She had even entrusted Boss Cat with a task, saying that since men and women differed, she couldn't keep her eyes on him constantly, so she begged Boss Cat to watch him closely at times and keep him from running wild.
Still, it had only ever heard about this from Hyperion and Tata's daily chats.
It had never personally witnessed Lanqi's talent for hyperspeed evolution whenever he entered a new environment.
It always suspected Hyperion and Tata were exaggerating. How could anything be so miraculous? If he had that kind of ability, wouldn't he have clawed his way to headmaster of Ikerite Academy long ago?
"Well, do your best then, Lanqi, meow. Hopefully, sticking with you will let me live a little better too."
Boss Cat nodded earnestly.
It wanted to see for itself what Lanqi's ambition actually looked like; it had been curious for quite some time.
"Don't worry, I won't let you suffer in the slightest,"
Lanqi promised with a gentle stroke of the cat.
...
Early the next morning.
The boundless sea shimmered with crystalline ripples.
On the deck, Viscount Francis gazed out over the ocean in contemplation.
In silence, he took a cigarette case from his pocket and placed a cigarette between his lips. The secretary beside him promptly stepped half a pace closer, shielding the wind with one hand while lighting the lord's cigarette with the other.
"We should be able to reach Lilom City tonight, right?"
Gathering his thoughts, Viscount Francis turned his head toward his secretary.
"Yes, my lord,"
the secretary answered with a respectful nod.
Hearing that, Viscount Francis simply stood by the deck's railing, letting the sea breeze wash over him.
There would be plenty of work upon his return, and the city-state was still full of troublesome nobles and dignitaries he had to deal with. Just thinking about it made this quiet moment with a lit cigarette feel like a rare luxury.
A few minutes passed.
Francis, who had been leaning against the railing, was just preparing to return to his cabin to work when he suddenly saw the navigator leap down from the crow's nest.
"Lord Francis, over there!"
At the navigator's shout, Viscount Francis raised the spyglass handed to him and looked toward the distance the man indicated.
In that direction, the faint outline of a merchant vessel had emerged.
Soon,
the ship's silhouette caught the attention of the crew. It was a small merchant vessel originating from Lilom City.
Facing an inevitable intersection between the two vessels, Francis's crew altered course without hesitation to avoid a potential collision.
Yet the small merchant vessel immediately adjusted its direction as well, seemingly intent on intercepting them.
Judging by the hand gestures of the figures at the bow, they were signaling for aid.
With a storm having passed just yesterday, it was perfectly normal for a ship to encounter trouble.
Even so, Viscount Francis furrowed his brow.
"Aren't they sailing too fast?"
Viscount Francis murmured.
By all reason, reaching such speed should only be possible if the ship carried virtually no cargo.
Yet precisely because of that, at this distance, their heavily laden vessel found it nearly impossible to evade or pull away from the smaller craft.
"Order all hands to remain on high alert. Determine their intentions."
Viscount Francis immediately commanded.
Normally, in the coastal waters of the Protos Empire, hardly anyone dared hatch ill designs; any pirates would be exterminated immediately by imperial forces dispatched from the provincial capital.
Before long, the distance between the two ships closed, and they finally drew parallel and came to a halt side by side.
Viscount Francis and his men had not laid down any temporary gangways across the deck.
However,
at that very instant, a crowd of silver-robed figures surged out from the small merchant vessel, leaping onto the deck like unstoppable cannonballs!
"It's Resurrection cultists!"
"To arms!"
A chaotic melee erupted on the deck in an instant!
Chapter 240