13 Mink Street

Kevin piled up some sand and then slowly pushed the egg into the seawater little by little. After the egg was fully submerged, Kevin carefully scrubbed it with his paws. He then buried it in the sand, scrubbed it again, and repeated the process several more times.

Finally, the dog lowered his nose and carefully sniffed the egg. Only after confirming that there was no scent remaining did he shut his eyes and steel his resolve. He lowered his head and picked the egg up with his mouth, and then sprinted away.

After running for a very long time, Kevin finally stopped to rest. He spat out the egg. His mouth was open wide, his tongue lolling out as he panted heavily.

“You possess... intelligence... you should understand... what choice... benefits you... the most...”

Kevin tilted his head to the side and stared at the egg that did not forget to tempt him even now.

“I can... help you... realize your dreams...”

Kevin wanted to laugh. His dream had always been very simple: to completely erase the Sea God and the Sea God Church from this world forever.

After resting enough, Kevin picked the egg back up and continued running to the landing point.

At last, the dog arrived nearby, but then he suddenly stopped. He spat out the egg, and dragged over several stones to cover and hide it. Only after that did he continue running forward alone.

Kevin had not gone far when Fannie appeared before him. Kevin immediately halted and revealed an honest, simpleminded smile for the woman. “You finally came back. Karon and the captain have both been looking for you.”

Fannie reached out and rubbed Kevin’s head, her fingertips brushing the bald patch. She then tapped the blue seashell that hung beside her ear and reported, “Captain, we found the dog.”

Karon and Nio arrived very quickly. When he saw Kevin, Karon let out a quiet sigh of relief. The dog proactively ran over and rubbed his head against Karon’s pant leg.

“Alright, let’s withdraw,” Nio said.

Everyone else had already evacuated to a reef a short distance from Kerona Island, but far enough to be safe. All they needed to do for the time being was wait for the Church of Order’s reinforcements to arrive.

Just as Karon turned to leave, he noticed that Kevin was biting his pant leg.

Karon stopped walking, and the captain also stopped and turned to look over.

Kevin smiled at the captain. The man nodded. “Fannie, let’s go notify Paige and the others to wrap up this operation.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The captain left with Fannie, and Kevin led Karon back to where he had hidden the egg.

Karon walked over and crouched down. After pushing aside the stones, he found the purple egg beneath them. Noticing the rhythmic pulse, Karon was momentarily dazed. Was this truly an egg, or was it a heart?

“Worship me... serve me... and I shall grant you... a vast future...”

“I shall grant you lard and chopped scallions, before cooking you into the most delicious fried egg imaginable.”

Ignoring its temptation, Karon picked it up and looked at Kevin. “So you ran off alone just for this thing?”

Kevin nodded.

“I know that this should be valuable, and I can even guess that you think it’ll be very useful to me, but I still think that what you just did, leaving the team alone as a dog, was way too risky. If you lost your life because of this egg, I’d take a huge loss.”

Kevin blinked at Karon. The man raised the egg as if preparing to smash it, but then lowered it again and stuffed it into his pocket. “Let’s just pretend that I shouted, ‘I almost lost a dog because of this egg,’ then threw it away, and you leapt out heroically to catch it and returned it to me. We’re out of time, so let’s just act as though we already went through that whole process, understand?”

“Woof!” Kevin smiled and nodded.

“Heh.” Karon patted Kevin’s back. Together, the man and dog returned to the shore, where Aseros was already waiting for them. The sea beast opened its mouth to allow the two to enter, then turned around and carried the last group to the reef.

The reef had naturally formed several separate sections. Karon led Kevin to the large section where Pu’er and Alfred were. He had just sat down when Rudd arrived with his wife and daughter.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but Karon raised a hand and cut him off. “Mr. Rudd, I have something to deal with right now, so save your thanks for after everything is over.”

“Yes, Young Master Karon.” Rudd immediately led his wife and daughter back to where they had been waiting.

Just as Karon was preparing to take the egg out of his pocket, a cloud of black mist appeared behind him, quickly dissipating to reveal the captain. “May I listen in?”

“No.”

“So stingy?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Alright.” The captain turned back into black mist and drifted away again.

Karon took out the egg and handed it to Alfred. “Alfred, you keep this for now.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred stored the egg away.

Karon was not worried about the egg tempting Alfred. Mm. Those two can fight poison with poison.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Alfred explained, “This is an egg currently undergoing its fourth evolution. The first stage is a white shell egg, the second is black, the third is blue, and the fourth is purple. What’s incubating inside is a heart. According to the terminology of the Sea God Church, it is called the Heart of the Sea God.”

“The Heart of the Sea God?” Karon pursed his lips. “After the heart finishes incubating, does it need to find a body?”

“Woof, woof, woof!”

“Yes. Because both the soul and consciousness are concentrated within this heart, after this incubation succeeds, it still requires a body. Generally, the believers from blue eggshells are used as vessels. In this way, a complete body can achieve perfect compatibility with the sea.”

“Will this heart be useful to me?” Karon asked the most important question. “Surely I don’t have to replace my own heart with this?”

He believed that since Kevin had gone to so much trouble to retrieve this egg, it definitely had a use beyond becoming a fried egg.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

“There’s no need to replace your heart. You simply need to find a way to erase the consciousness within this egg, condense it into essence, and guide it into your body while stimulating your own heart to evolve.

“This egg is like a spark. Though difficult, it has a chance to ignite the entire pile of firewood.”

Pu’er immediately spoke up, “Stupid dog, that’s what you consider just being difficult? If it were really that simple, why would they keep crawling into eggshells to evolve over and over again? This isn’t even a matter of being difficult or not; Under normal circumstances, this kind of trigger simply can’t happen at all.”

“Woof!”

“Kevin says that for Young Master, this actually isn’t difficult, because your body was already modified by him.”

Karon pointed at his own chest. “I can do it?”

Pu’er immediately asked, “Stupid dog, did you transform your own heart before? Did you actually succeed once before? Don’t tell me you infiltrated the Sea God Church back then for the sake of vengeance and walked their cultivation system yourself?”

Rhanedar had modified Karon’s body in preparation of his divine descent of a heretical god. Since he claimed Karon could use this thing, the groundwork must have been laid at that time as well.

Hearing Pu’er’s accusation, Kevin furiously shook his head, looking rather agitated as he barked, “Woof, woof, woof!”

Alfred translated, “How could I possibly infiltrate another church and do something so lacking in dignity? Woof.”

“Cough.”

Alfred nodded. “The final ‘woof’ there was literal.”

However, after translating, Alfred frowned while Pu’er grinned in schadenfreude.

Kevin turned to look at Karon, already realizing that he had misspoken. “Woof~ woof~”

“Alright, let’s get back to the main topic,” Karon said, pulling the conversation back on track.

“Woof, woof!”

“Kevin says that back then, he particularly enjoyed hunting down high-ranking members of the Sea God Church and eating their hearts as snacks. He ate them frequently, and over time, he discovered that his body had accumulated a great deal of this kind of element, or essence. After enough time passed, even his own heart gradually started transforming, or becoming corrupted, but the results proved to be rather good.”

Many unreasonable things could suddenly become much easier to accept upon understanding that they were built upon unreasonable premises. For example, using the hearts of Elder-level figures as candy over a long period of time, slowly accumulating toxins, and even successfully being corrupted, the logic chain flowed surprisingly smoothly.

Pu’er asked with concern, “Will there be any side effects?”

Kevin nodded. “Woof, woof.”

Pu’er fell silent. Alfred also froze.

Karon waited for some time before urging, “Translate?”

Pu’er turned her face away, and Alfred finally offered a translation, “After the heart successfully transforms in this manner, it means essentially possessing the pulse of the sea. Blood circulation and nourishing the body will improve greatly. The only side effect is... that aspect of one’s abilities becomes stronger, and their partner may struggle to endure it.”

A smile appeared on Kevin’s dog face.

However, Karon asked, “Other than the Goddess Mios, did you ever even have another partner?”

The smile on Kevin’s dog face instantly fell.

“So my body is capable of undergoing this transformation, correct? And after the transformation succeeds, will the effectiveness of my Sea God’s Armor increase because of it?”

Kevin nodded vigorously. “Woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Even if the power of Light is used as the basis for the transformation, once it reaches a certain level, there will inevitably be restrictions to using the powers of other systems. At that point, a carrier is needed to break through those limits.

“For example, the Darkmoon Eyes can massively enhance the effectiveness of the Darkmoon Blade. Likewise, the Heart of the Sea God will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the Sea God’s Armor.

“Furthermore, the spirituality reserves of the followers of the Sea God Church also enjoy an advantage over other faith systems, much like the vastness of the sea itself. The Heart of the Sea God can also open up an entirely new reservoir for storing spiritual power.

“Once both your blade and armor are dramatically enhanced, when combined with Young Master’s already terrifying reserves of spiritual power, your true combat strength will completely detach itself from the limitations of realm progression.”

Pu’er commented, “Like Tiz; An eternal Inquisitor.”

Alfred corrected, “Young Master is still only a Divine Servant.”

Pu’er nodded. “Fine then, even more absurd than Tiz.”

Alfred continued, “Once we return, I’ll handle processing of the egg.”

Karon nodded, signaling the end of the meeting.

Aseros surfaced from beneath the water and opened its mouth, spitting out a large quantity of fish and shrimp.

Although there was no firewood on the reef, everyone could use basic Arts to produce flames for grilling. If one was not picky, eating them raw as sashimi was also perfectly acceptable.

Karon opened his hand as flames of Order rose into existence. However, the fish he grilled over flames of Order acquired an extremely strange appearance, and looked utterly miserable.

The idea of eating such food felt like eating zombie fish.

After tossing aside his own grilled fish, Karon reached over and patted Pu’er on the head. She puffed her cheeks and summoned two fireballs to help everyone grill their fish.

Elsewhere, Rudd was doing the same for others.

After eating, everyone rested. Their surroundings were entirely ocean, and with Aseros remaining underwater, there was no need to worry about surprise attacks. They were perfectly safe.

Karon lay atop the reef, with Pu’er curled in his arms. Kevin also squeezed over beside them, and before long, they were all asleep.

After roughly several hours of sleep, Karon was awakened by distant commotion.

Sitting up, he saw two steamships and two ironclad warships from Veyn’s Royal Navy in the distance. High in the sky above, more than a dozen hawk-like demonic beasts circled, carrying Order Knights.

Reinforcements had arrived. This also meant that everything happening on Kerona Island was about to end.

No one, no, no faction whatsoever could continue causing trouble once the Church of Order decided to truly extend its hand into matters.

Pu’er spoke up, “Aseros, you should head back now. I’ll call you out to play again in some time.”

A string of bubbles rose to the surface. Soon after, the enormous shadow moved into the distance.

The captain and Memphis began crafting black crows. They had long since used up the Arts paper they had brought along, so they simply tore strips from their own priest’s robes and substituted with that.

Twenty minutes later, one of the warships docked at Kerona Island, then turned around and approached the reefs to allow everyone there to board.

The captain went to speak with the church official aboard the warship while Karon and the others entered a cabin, where they were served hot soup.

Very soon, the warship returned to Kerona Harbor.

More than a dozen Whip of Order squads had already landed on the island and begun conducting a full search operation. Karon also spotted several figures dressed in black armor. It looked like some of the church’s stationed troops had been mobilized as well.

The area where the burning ship had sunk was now under blockade. Soon, the Church of Order would dispatch people to salvage the wreckage.

Karon stood on the deck and stared off into the distance. From time to time, sounds of battle could still be heard. The captain walked over and said, “What’s surprising is that although some of the Sea God Church fundamentalists escaped by hijacking ships in the harbor, most of them actually remained here. Tell me, what could possibly obsess them so much that they’d rather stay than escape, even if escape was their only chance to survive?”

Karon shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“May I invite your dog to stay at my home for a while?”

“Hmm?”

“You know how I am. I rather like pets.”

“Captain, I don’t know.”

“Mm. Originally, I didn’t really like them, but after what happened with Torathos, a soft spot was somehow awakened inside my heart. So, I started thinking about getting a pet of my own. However, I’m also someone who fears trouble, so I thought I’d borrow your dog to stay at my place for a period of time first so that I can experience what it’s like before making a decision.”

“Captain, you can just ask him directly. There’s no need to go through such a huge circle inventing excuses.”

“Can I?”

“You can. As long as he agrees.”

“Oh. Alright, then I’ll go ask him later. Oh, right. After this incident, it seems the church plans to establish an Inquisition branch here on Kerona Island.”

“An Inquisition? On just this island?”

“Strictly speaking, it would also cover many of the nearby uninhabited islets and reefs.”

“And then?”

“If Mr. Pavaro is willing, he could use some connections to transfer here.”

“Captain, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of needing connections in order to be exiled.”

“I’m asking for your thoughts. If you think this place is sufficiently hidden, and if you happen to have other intentions or things you’d find convenient to do here, you could stay here. In any case, as long as you receive notice of missions half a day in advance, you’d still have enough time to go ashore and reach York City.”

“No thanks. I don’t plan on fishing here.”

“Mm. The other matter is that from now on, you should focus wholeheartedly on preparing for the upcoming selection. If you are included among the final twelve, according to regional custom, you’ll definitely be promoted, and if you can reach the point that you’re allowed to form your own Whip squad, you’ll also achieve the same level of influence Miss Ophelia will have.”

“I’ll work hard, Deputy Commander.”

“Good. Then there’s nothing else.” The captain turned and left, heading directly toward a corner of the cabin.

Miss Pu’er and Mister Kevin were both sitting on chairs. Pu’er perched on her puppet’s shoulders while Kevin, having lost his leash, was left using a clean tablecloth tied around his neck as a substitute.

The captain walked over and crouched in front of Kevin, who met the man’s gaze. “So... would it be possible to invite you to stay at my home for a period of time? I have certain doubts. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there are things inside my head. He left me with a great deal of knowledge, but also with many unresolved questions. I think you might be able to help me untangle a lot of them.”

“Woof!”

“You agree?”

“Woof!”

“You disagree?”

“Woof!”

“You can nod your head or shake it, can’t you?”

“Woof!”

“You can’t speak?” the captain asked suspiciously.

“Woof!”

“You really can’t speak?”

“Woof!”

The captain became so irritated that he laughed. Then, he barked back at Kevin, “Woof!”

“...” The golden retriever was completely stunned at being barked at.

Beside them, Pu’er watched the interaction between the man and the dog, then immediately turned her face into her puppet’s neck as she desperately restrained her laughter, suffering visibly in the process.

The captain simply sat on the floor and muttered in frustration, “If you can’t talk, this becomes difficult. Can you write?”

Kevin raised one paw.

The captain pulled a notebook out from his clothes, opened it in front of Kevin, and then produced a fountain pen. Uncapping it, Nio wedged it into Kevin’s dog paw.

Kevin moved the pen and proceeded to write in the notebook.

“Being able to write works too. We can still communicate that way. You have no idea, those questions originally didn’t matter much to me, but once I saw the possibility of finally resolving them, my scalp started itching. Honestly, I’ve never really been someone who enjoys studying—”

The captain abruptly froze halfway through speaking, because Kevin had written a single word in the notebook, using his crooked dog-scratch: Secret.

The captain silently put away the notebook, plucked the pen from Kevin’s paw, returned it to his pocket, then elegantly stood up and declared, “If one day I go insane, remember this: none of you are innocent!”

***

In another cabin, Alfred was clutching the purple egg while conducting research.

“I can... grant you... a future and hope... help you realize... the dreams within your heart... as long as you obey me... serve me... you shall obtain... everything you desire...”

“Really?”

“Of course... tell me... what is it... that you desire...”

Faced with the temptation emanating from the egg, Alfred cleared his throat. Then, using exactly the same cadence and voice as the egg itself, he replied, “I... want... to... be... on... the... mural...”