Pirate Kingship-Chapter 823 - 504: The Mastermind, Bone Cathedral

Only daring to make bold assumptions while diligently seeking confirmation, using Crow Hugin to investigate each suspected target one by one, hoping to use the method of elimination, immediately ruling out all wrong answers, yet still struggling to have absolute certainty.

Until a few days ago, an "order" from the Church was delivered to Black Sails Harbor.

Saint John, with an imperious demeanor, ordered the new Pirate King [Uncrowned King] to lead the fleet to attack the territories of the Protestant Princes, and block their large purchases of weapons from overseas arms companies.

This Saint wasn't exactly daydreaming, as he collected fresh hair strands from several women and sent them along with the letter to Byron.

Undoubtedly, before the York Family could use the hostages in their hands to threaten him into obedience, the unscrupulous Church had already employed this tactic first.

Anyone familiar with ransom notes knows that the first delivery might include hair, but the second could bring fingers.

If prior arrangements aren't made months in advance.

In a rush, one's only option is to conform, and once you're in battle, becoming cannon fodder, exiting isn't as simple as just deciding to walk away.

However, the problem lies with Saint John assuming that [Whale Hunters] have been at sea for ten years without news, likely having died abroad, rendering Vanessa's worth greatly reduced (Chapter 496).

To shift the pressure onto the young up-and-comer [Uncrowned King] who is already engaged to the Bay Citizen Princess, he also sent a strand of Vanessa's hair.

Saint John is confident that the detention locations of these two groups are strictly confidential, further secured by the Zero-Level Sacred Relic [Holy Prepuce], thus no divination could pinpoint the detention location using such simple mediums.

If ordinary people had this capability, the strongest Church would have already collected all the fragments of the Zero-Level Sacred Relic.

Byron's [Sailing Logbook] doesn't possess such power.

Previously, when observing those hostages face-to-face, identifying their height, weight, or size was impossible, let alone divining specific locations.

Yet, none of this mattered.

Because there was a crucial piece of information overlooked by the Saint that couldn't be blocked by anti-divination techniques.

Byron, the [Prince of Night Demons], merely chewed the hair in his mouth and used his Black Sorcery to determine what they had consumed before their hair was cut.

Just like testing for poison using a strand of hair.

"Breakfast: Panini cake, croissant, served with mocha coffee;

Lunch with four choices: fruit salad, vegetable seafood chowder, main course steak, dessert chocolate ice cream;

Dinner roughly similar: replaced with cream mushroom soup and black pepper beef pasta, dessert macaron.

The most crucial part is, they've been eating exactly the same long-term!"

Byron distinctly recalls, the nun managing the copyists said: "After entering prison, you eat the same level of prison food as the special cell prisoners (Chapter 496)."

Thus, after receiving this letter, he's eighty percent sure they're all on Malta Island, and the neighboring numbered 64389 "Iron Masked Man" is Vanessa!

First entry [Historical Rectifier]: "An entity with anchoring connections to you will more easily get entangled with you in historical vortexes, approaching various unknowns and secrets."

Turning Byron into a "Fated Disaster Star."

Those with direct links couldn't escape, those with indirect links couldn't escape either, always getting drawn together by fate.

In a certain light, this isn't entirely a bad thing.

Fearing changes in circumstances, Byron didn't dare delay too long.

Upon learning from Teresa that the Fifth Order Legendary Holy Knight had hurriedly left, he didn't waste a minute, immediately and decisively taking action.

...

At the same time, Malta Monastery, the lowest level of the strongest defended underground prison within the Divine Domain.

Two months ago, cells filled with nun copyists have been completely emptied, now looking around, not a single person can be seen.

Ever since that Saint descended the [Wisdom Angel Pallas] Tower Sequence Extraordinary, initiating reverse output of the "Gospel of Heaven", the copyists' work was terminated.

The poison plan of the "Gospel of Heaven" even briefly became a taboo topic of self-sabotage, and those polluted nuns died meaninglessly.

However, some unpolluted copyists weren't released.

Right beside the luxurious cell of numbered 64389 "Iron Masked Man" at the end of this prison level, another lavishly appointed cell was temporarily fitted.

With an independent restroom, shower, living room, study room, various books, wardrobe, and multiple bedrooms ensuring privacy.

The occupants here are the Lancaster Family's significant women.

Margaret and several of Byron's aunts, despite the mission disruption, weren't freed like other nuns, instead, they continued to be imprisoned here.

Apart from not yet wearing the specifically designed metal masks temporarily, their treatment is almost identical to the "Iron Masked Man."

Margaret sees through clearly—the detention level has transformed from previously doing outside labor for a year, enduring minor abuse at the hands of a little abbess, to now being tightly guarded.

The situation clearly had undergone some changes.

"If there were newspapers to read in the library, we could stay informed about outside circumstances.

Though there are books in the prison cell, the latest one predates the end of the Dark Millennium, providing no information about the outside situation.

Since the conflict between the Protestants and Orthodox Church began, Byron hasn't visited for quite some time, leaving it uncertain whether the war has impacted him.