WHOOSH!

A tiny figure, the size of a peanut and barely discernible in the night, bounced at high speed atop the waves, covering thousands of meters in a single leap.

Departing from the third island of the Centaur Archipelago, he quickly arrived just off the largest island, number one.

The massive Phantom Fleet, burning with ghastly fire, first came into view, with countless tireless Undead Sailors armed with guns and swords patrolling back and forth.

At night, they were clearly far more active than during the day.

Especially a young [Lich] on board who, holding a Whale Oil Lamp that seemed to be a "permit" for the Edge of the World, was shouting on every ship,

"Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company’s Edge of the World Branch is recruiting new members!

"The environment at the Edge of the World is friendly, the climate is suitable for ghosts, and the local customs are simple. The moon there is even rounder than in the Material World, and there are endless treasures beneficial to Undead Creatures that one could never finish digging up.

"Though we are cursed by the damned Pseudo-God and can’t go ashore, there are plenty of treasures underwater.

"Join now, and you’ll immediately receive a bloodline advancement ritual from the [Book of the Dead], transforming you into an immensely powerful, tough-skinned, and infinitely tireless official... employee.

"Attractive compensation, limited positions, first come, first served!"

The [Sailboat Collector] stopped in his tracks and observed carefully.

He realized that this young [Lich] must be Little Norwich, the son of Fleet Marshal Norwich York from the "King Edward."

They actually got a token to access the Edge of the World? Each of these treasures is worth a fortune, and I only have one in my collection. These White Roses of the Kingdom of Hightins have really hit the jackpot! This must be a recruitment drive to pioneer the Edge of the World. However, soon all of this will be mine. A beauty with a handsome dowry is even more desirable.

Thanks to the High Sequence [First-Class Holy Relic: The Emperor’s New Clothes], not only was the existence of the two Warships obfuscated, but the identities of the personnel on board each were also perfectly matched, leaving no loopholes.

It even made Mordent Gray mistake his cousin, Edward, for Little Norwich.

He continued forward, quietly circumventing the outer Phantom Fleet to approach the "King Edward" and the Golden Deer moored in the very center.

Seeing them up close, his eyes once again shone with an intoxicated luster, even more fervent than when Byron and Violet gazed at each other.

He looked truly famished.

Normally, I should kill everyone first, then put the beauties into bottles. But the Ocean Throne is next door, and he probably won’t sit idly by while I kill the [Lantern Carriers] and ruin the excellent situation in the Chasm Trench. There isn’t enough time for me to handle everything slowly. However, once the seal is complete, I’ll turn around and run. With my Strange Arts [Virtual Ship Spirit], I should be able to temporarily suppress the original ship spirits of the Ghost Ships, rendering them powerless to resist. Once back at the Shattered Isles, I’ll naturally have countless hours to slowly wash the two beauties until they are spotless.

The [Sailboat Collector] was eager to seize the bronze helm and an empty wine bottle, ready to activate [Black Sorcery: Bottled Ship] and imprison them all.

"Hmph!"

But before he could act, he suddenly heard a terribly suppressed groan coming from a building that resembled a water dungeon—half-submerged in water, half-built on land.

It sounded as though someone was screaming with all their might but, lacking some crucial vocal organ, could only produce such muffled, stifled sounds.

Even screaming one’s throat raw wouldn’t sound this miserable.

With his many years of experience sailing the seas, the [Sailboat Collector] immediately deduced that a prisoner was undergoing torture.

And the agonized, dying groans followed one after another, almost unceasingly.

Given the intensity of this torture, how many people are they tormenting at once?!

Even with the [Sailboat Collector]’s ruthless nature, he wondered if he had stumbled into some blood-soaked den of devils rather than the territory of the "Great Good Man," Saint Byron.

Subconsciously, he activated his Legendary Level senses, straining his ears to listen to the sounds from the water dungeon.

He hadn’t expected it, but what he heard was a pleasant surprise.

A very thin voice, like that of a mosquito, said,

"Isn’t it my turn to get Red Beard’s head this time?

"Thank you, Mr. Robert. Back in the day, you truly were a renowned quick-blade; your skill with the knife is excellent. Look at this severed head—the cervical vertebrae are cut right at the joint without damaging any bone tissue.

"I estimate it would take me three months and dissecting that thing ten thousand times before I could hope to achieve this level of knife skill.

"However, gentlemen, have you ever considered this question?"

Then, after a sound like a head being tossed and caught, the thin voice continued,

"As long as Red Beard’s heart, hidden in the [Soul-hiding Casket], isn’t destroyed, he won’t truly die.

"Even if he were dismembered and his bones ground to dust, he would instantly be restored to his original state.

"In just the past few hours tonight, we’ve dissected this Undying Body dozens of times. As long as the Law-Breaking Stone is removed, he revives each time on the largest piece of his remains, regrowing a complete body.

"So, an interesting question arises.

"With so many of Redbeard Edward’s body parts here, we could piece together dozens of complete Red Beards.

"Then, by using the [Blood of Transformation] to animate them, making them identical to how they were when alive, which of these bodies would then be the real Red Beard?"

An ordinary person, upon hearing such a mind-boggling question, would probably curse under their breath, "You’ve clearly got too much time on your hands," and walk away.