「The next day, at the Twelve Stars.」

Yize arrived at Wright’s hospital room carrying a rather sumptuous breakfast. She greeted him and checked on her teacher’s injuries. Wright’s wounds were no longer serious, but Yize still felt an inexplicable sense of loss, as if a young girl’s naive heart had been shattered into pieces and scattered to the winds.

That figure lingered in her mind, impossible to dismiss.

She rested her chin on her hand, an unspeakable sadness clouding her features.

"Yize, would you read me today’s morning report?"

"Of course, Teacher."

Yize picked up the maritime intelligence manuscript, an internal document from the Twelve Stars exclusively for high-ranking officials, and began to read. This wasn’t the kind of newspaper available to the general public; only individuals of the same rank as the captain of the Fontainebleau were qualified to subscribe.

"Da Yu’s Xirang Research Institute claims to have once again deciphered a portion of the inscription on the Mysterious Stele."

"The ten-thousand-year-old skeleton of an ancient sea beast has been discovered in the Endless Ice Sea."

"The general-class drifting ship, the Pharaoh, has suffered heavy damage. Its special characteristic mysteriously failed, and its Pyramid structure, famous for its durability, was broken by a mysterious drifting ship. The estimated losses exceed 5,000 Pure Dome Crystals."

As Yize read on, she suddenly froze.

This intelligence brief was illustrated and included a color photograph.

It showed a young man standing proudly at the bow of a drifting ship. Before him was a dense barrage of cannonballs, like raindrops. His expression was resolute and fearless. To his side was the general-class drifting ship, the Pharaoh, with a huge gash torn in its hull. At the edge of the photo, the broken remains of a four-eyed cobra sculpture could be seen.

"Stone?"

An irrepressible note of pleasant surprise had inexplicably entered Yize’s voice.

The untethered sense of loss vanished without a trace.

"Oh?"

Wright started to get up from the hospital bed, and Yize quickly put down the intelligence report to help her teacher.

Wright sat up and took the report from her.

His eyes scrutinized the figure in the picture, his ice-blue pupils gradually dilating.

’It really is him! The height, the bearing, the appearance, even the drifting ship behind him... it’s all exactly the same. A perfect match for the "Stone" we knew.’

’And those arcane markings on his face, body, and in his eyes—aren’t they the very same markings that appeared on the Deep Sea Titan?’

’The Chain of Order!’

’So that explains everything.’

’Miss Yan, whom I thought was the final victor, died mysteriously, and the person who snatched the fruits of victory remained elusive. Now it seems it was him all along? This kid is something else. To think he could defeat Miss Yan, the so-called "Blazing Enchantress," and emerge as the ultimate winner!’

’And now he’s stirring up this much trouble in Africa’s territory?’

Wright was speechless for a long time.

He sighed, then felt a sense of relief wash over him again.

’So be it.’

’It’s better than it falling into the hands of Miss Lighthouse Flame.’

’Maybe my Calm Sea Pearl...’

He sighed.

He looked at his apprentice, whose eyes shone like stars, and sighed once more.

After the last battle, he had lost all his fighting spirit. Now, he was completely resigned, wanting only to manage the Fontainebleau and his family’s affairs. But news like this would soon reach the Lighthouse. Given their ruthless methods, he feared...

...

...

...

While some worried,

others rejoiced.

Receiving the news even before the Twelve Stars and the Fontainebleau was the *Nile River*, also in the Sea of Yellow Sand. At this moment, its captain, Orhan, was laughing so hard his large gold tooth nearly fell out.

"Hahaha, Ptolemy, you finally got what was coming to you!"

"Repairing that Pharaoh is going to take quite some effort, isn’t it? I’d love to see the look on your face right now. I bet it’d make my heart race more than the legendary Cleopatra..."

And that newly promoted S-rank Awakened is dead, too.

The sea beast feast was canceled...

Orhan was gloating.

’Now you have nothing to show off, do you?!’

’Discretion is the mark of a successful man. Arrogance only leads to ruin, my brother.’

"This young fellow named Stone is truly a hero of the Sea of Yellow Sand! His drifting ship looks like a mere Silver-class vessel. How did it break through the Pharaoh’s ’Suppression’ and ram such a massive hole in it?"

"If he could reveal that secret to us, the Nile River could certainly teach the Pharaoh a painful lesson the next time we meet."

Orhan mused, his mood growing even more cheerful.

"Send word. Have Fatuna, An Su Ya, Zhu Ji, Alira, Shire Tower, Sangus, and Riel bathe and change. They are to come to my chambers. I wish to bestow upon them my finest gift."

"Yes, esteemed Sultan."

"And call for Artu Qing. The greatest pleasure requires the assistance of his skills."

...

...

...

「Lighthouse.」

Officer Trellin leaned back on the sofa, looking at the intelligence on the electronic screen.

It was sent to him by the "Golden Pagoda." The summary was a single sentence: "Found the suspected culprit who killed Miss Yan and the mastermind who seized the fruit of the Deep Sea Titan’s power." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

In the photo was a young man.

He was standing on what appeared to be a Silver-class drifting ship.

The Pyramid was crumbling, and fiery projectiles filled the air.

It was a truly epic scene.

To single-handedly crash into a corner of the Pharaoh, kill a newly promoted S-rank expert in front of everyone, enter and exit a suppressed sea region as if it were empty, and turn the Pharaoh’s feast into a joke... ’No wonder. Only someone like this could have caused Miss Yan’s defeat and death at Olympus.’

Trellin was quite surprised internally, but his face remained expressionless.

As if he were merely handling a routine administrative task, he replied with just five words.

"Find this person. Erase him."

He thought for a moment, then added seven more.

"Keep the body as intact as possible."

Then, he took out the "Let There Be Light" communicator,

and synchronized the information.

...

...

...

「Black Society.」

The Princess sat on her throne. Behind her stood her young "wolfdog," Tatasta, and her niece, Nailu Ye, who was ten years her junior but looked twenty years her senior.

Tatasta gazed at the Princess with affection, like a knight guarding her side.

Meanwhile, as Nailu Ye casually glanced at the report, an astonishment unnoticeable to others appeared in her eyes.

The Princess finished reading and put down the report.

"Are you saying it was this kid who took drifting ship No. 23333, as well as the Map of the Endless Sea?"

"And he also killed Demon Sword?"

Yan Dao Lin, seated below, said with absolute certainty:

"Correct. Although Great Wilderness is dead, after comparing the details of the drifting ship, cross-referencing numerous other features and trajectories, and factoring in the news from the Golden Pagoda, we have confirmed it. This ship is indeed drifting ship No. 23333. Its current captain is suspected to be an S-rank Awakened who has obtained an unknown ability from the Deep Sea Titan."

"It is highly likely that Iwami also died at his hands."

In truth, Iwami had been killed by Miss Yan.

But there was no way Wright would tell the Black Society this information and risk offending the Lighthouse.

Nor would the Lighthouse expose their own deeds.

And taking a step back, even if the Black Society did know, so what?

"Quite something, isn’t he."

"A mere brat like him can play your entire Black Society for fools?"

She glanced at the young wolfdog behind her, the father of the child in her belly.

"Tatasta, your rival has appeared."

The young wolfdog Tatasta grinned.

"I am willing to serve you, my princess."

...

...

...

"Captain, it seems you’ve become famous."

"Haha."

Shi Ming sat at the bow of his ship, holding a fishing rod.

’It doesn’t matter,’ he thought, ’I’ve known all along. The day the skill Descent of the Titan appeared in the world would be the day I fully entered the sights of the Lighthouse and the Black Society. All the intelligence would form a complete, closed loop, and I would no longer be able to hide.’

’But so what?’

’Born fearless, I will fight until the final Chapter.’

...

He flicked his wrist.

Another fish was on the hook.