章 27: HoG - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Lingering Spirit
To cast a prophecy spell on someone, the necessary spellcasting materials are various medium that can establish a mystical connection with the target.
Unlike most privateering captains who excel in combat, Captain Wester of the Crystal, known as 'Magic Mirror,' possesses a unique type of forbidden knowledge in divination.
In addition to a wanted poster with a drawing of the person, he has also obtained a handkerchief that once belonged to Byron. After all, after the war for the throne, the Palace where the Lancaster family lived fell into the hands of the York family.
Finding some personal items used by the Lancasters is not difficult.
Of course, ordinary people can't even imagine the extent to which the long-standing royal families and high nobility protect their mystical aspects. Personal items are fine, but finding more specific medium like hair and blood is absolutely impossible.
The most closely connected medium he has are a few pieces of washed personal clothing.
The effectiveness of various divination techniques is naturally greatly limited. Catching Byron's tail in the vast sea is by no means an easy task.
'Magic Mirror' Wester stared at the silver mirror, whose spiritual light flickered more frequently, and his excitement grew.
"Although I'm only a low-sequence supernatural individual, and the connection between the handkerchief and the target isn't strong enough, I can only lock onto the 'Spawn of the Devil' when I'm close enough. But now I'm very sure that he must be nearby. I might even run into him just by taking a random stroll through the port!"
"If I can capture him, not only will I receive the full 5,000-pound bounty, but I also won't have to give 10% of my plunder from the next three years to those vampires at the England's Navy department. My privateering license won't have an annoying expiration date anymore. This is all money, far more tempting than the 5,000 pounds!"
Thinking of this, he was so excited that he almost jumped up. However, when his peripheral vision caught sight of the dozen or so pirate flags fluttering in the wind in the pirate port, he immediately calmed down again.
These gold-edged flags all belonged to the big pirates who presided over the captains' council.
Each one was a mid-sequence supernatural individual of the third rank or higher!
Fighting in the streets is not prohibited in Iron Anchor Bay, but public murder is strictly forbidden.
If a killing on the street were to attract the law enforcement team, without a 'Navigator' to guide them through the enchantment, they wouldn't even be able to escape.
"I want the bounty, and I also want the tax exemption for the privateering license. Every time I think of the money lost, it's more painful than killing me. I must use some supernatural means to capture him.
The reason the 'White Crystal' came to Iron Anchor Bay this time was because we received orders from the gentlemen of the England's Navy Department to assist them in completing a certain task. We can't be the only privateering ship here. With many wolves and little meat, I must act early to eat this big piece of meat alone!"
Thinking of this, Wester, who was caressing the silver mirror, made a difficult decision, gritted his teeth, and suddenly called out,
"Finger Monkey!"
Beside him, a short youth who appeared to be no more than 140 centimeters tall, responded crisply,
"Here, Captain!"
He had been playing with a shiny dagger, and his face was wrinkled, resembling a small monkey.
'Magic Mirror' Wester blew hard on the handkerchief that belonged to Byron. It immediately turned into black powder, which fell onto a small mirror, forming a crooked arrow that looked like a child's doodle. As the mirror turned, the arrow miraculously maintained the same direction.
This was a remarkable supernatural ability that activated the mystical connection between the handkerchief and Byron at close range, locking onto his position. But it also meant that if he failed, there would be no second chance.
He tossed the mirror to the short pirate nicknamed "Finger Monkey" and instructed him solemnly,
"Now, I don't need you to kill anyone on the street. But whether you steal, rob, or deceive, You must bring me the target's hair or blood within half an hour. Can you do it?"
Finger Monkey licked the blade of his dagger with his tongue and confidently said,
"Hehe, Captain, you don't know how fast my dagger has become since my spiritual awakening? My 'Elbow Swordsmanship' can shave someone bald without them feeling a thing, and I can cut someone's throat without them feeling any pain. Just wait for my good news."
He casually performed a knife trick, and the dagger disappeared without a trace as he turned and dove into the crowd in the port.
Wester's 'Magic Mirror Divination' was similar to the 'Blood Brew' that Byron interpreted from 'Bloody Mary's Culinary Recipe,' both being forbidden knowledge outside the sequences.
It offered more methods than the strictly regulated 'Prophet' of the High Tower sequence.
As long as he obtained a drop of blood or a strand of hair, he had a way to silently kill the target without attracting the attention of the law enforcement team.
"Captain, your chair is here."
Behind him, four particularly strong pirates carried a chair down the gangplank and respectfully invited the captain to sit. Wester sat steadily on the chair and waved his hand, directing the crew to enter the port together.
This was the price of the forbidden knowledge 'Magic Mirror Divination': an extremely terrifying obsession with cleanliness! Like a mirror surface that absolutely cannot tolerate any dust, He couldn't stand any filth, bathing at least three times a day, always spotless, with every corner of the pirate ship polished to a shine.
Even the only artifact the 'White Crystal' bought at a high price had nothing to do with combat, but was used to purify seawater.
'Magic Mirror' Wester didn't even want the dirt of the port to touch his shoes. If he had to personally crawl into a dirty alley to track Byron, he would rather die.
***
Below the notice board at the dock, Byron hadn't realized that another team hunting him had followed like a ghost.
He followed Eight Fingers' gaze and saw a series of wanted posters issued by various countries along the North Sea coast. Among them was himself, and he was ranked quite high. The poster depicted a young man who was far from vicious and could even be described as handsome.
He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a hint of youthfulness on his face, fair skin, and broad shoulders, obviously well-nourished and of noble birth. Beneath his slightly disheveled black hair, his deep blue eyes, standard for the North Bay people, were as profound as the sea. Byron had seen this wanted poster on the mizzenmast of the 'Severe' frigate; it depicted his true appearance.
"'Spawn of the Devil' Byron, Nationality: English, 17 years old, Strength: Unenlightened Mortal, second-tier wanted criminal, Bounty: 5,000 pounds."
However, apart from the drawing and a simple description, there was no background, no surname, and no deeds. Yet among all the mortal wanted criminals on the East Coast, the bounty was ranked first. It even surpassed many notorious second-tier professional supernatural individuals. This bizarre combination led many passing pirates to gossip.
"I wonder what great crime this mere mortal committed to deserve such treatment?"
"Could he have stolen the king's treasures, or kidnapped the kingdom's princess?"
In the eyes of lawless pirates, the bounty was proof of their strength and the highest honor among pirates. After all, the higher the bounty, the more interested bounty hunters, navies, privateers, and cash-strapped secret societies would be in pursuing them, and the more formidable they would be. Evading capture and remaining at large under their pursuit is the best testament to a pirate's strength, danger, and cunning!
As word of mouth spread, Byron's legend level [12] quietly became [13].
In this world, titles themselves carry mystery. A simple title is useless, and a simple legend level is also useless. But when the two are combined, they can bring real power!
As long as the legend level exceeds [20], reaching the point of being known in a region, and is maintained for a few years, allowing it to be deeply rooted in people's hearts, the title can be solidified. It's enough to significantly boost the strength of low-sequence supernatural individuals, allowing them to defeat stronger opponents, not just in jest.
Therefore, no pirate would intentionally hide their talents and refuse any opportunity to show off. Many would even deliberately create various terrifying legends to indirectly become stronger. The pirates comparing their bounties were a clear example of this.
Judging by the degree of corrosion from the sea salt and humidity, the wanted poster had been put up for no more than a day.
"After the military's failure, the scope of the manhunt has indeed expanded."
Byron immediately realized that Iron Anchor Bay might not be as safe as he had imagined. At first, the pursuit by the York family and their trusted navy indicated they still intended to minimize their influence. Now that wanted posters had appeared in the pirate port, it showed that the Yorks' desire to kill him had increased again, and they no longer cared who did it.
They just wanted him dead!
Before being promoted to 'Storm Knight,' he could still be targeted by prophecy spells. 'Cognitive Correction' could only correct targets of the low-sequence 'Attendant' and 'Professional' levels, and it was not foolproof. Anyone around him could suddenly become his enemy.
Holding the ritual, completing the initiation, and obtaining the protection of the 'Storm Signet Ring' had become urgent!
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