The Man in the Iron Mask of the Caledonia

"Preparations? You mean fresh water and dry rations?" Bianka asked curiously.

"That's not all! The real key is that we need a strong enough boat—we can't rely on this canoe-like thing in front of us, can we? No way!"

"..."

So you know this thing is useless, right?

Bianka compatibility +5%

Hmm... thinking about it this way, Liu Bai's previous words are really reassuring.

Before setting sail, Miguel talked to Bianka and Rita about shipbuilding and how to motivate the refugees on the island.

From the conversation, Rita discovered that the veteran Miguel's real name was Miguel de Cervantes.

[—The great Spanish writer who penned Don Quixote, the first modern novel in European literary history]

"A great writer... Hahaha! A great—writer? I like that title!"

On the reed boat, Cervantes laughed heartily.

"Guardian Spirit, could you please tell me more? Do I have any other comments?"

Cervantes, dressed in his protective suit, was chatting casually with Liu Bai —yes, with Liu Bai, because this was the World Bubble, so there was no need to worry about the impact of his presence being exposed on the world.

The specific way the two communicated was that Cervantes asked questions, and Liu Bai used his Haunting Ability to manipulate water to answer—honestly, to meet a great writer who isn't a girl in Honkai world is rarer than a panda.

That said... it's really worrying whether this old man has actually put his mind to controlling the ship.

However, it must be admitted that the old man was highly skilled; the small boat did not rock at all amidst the rolling waves.

"I was just stabilizing the boat, okay?" Liu Bai retorted, noticing the thoughts of the two girls behind him.

"Haha, after all these years at sea, today is the most relaxing day I've had at sea. Guardian spirits are really amazing!"

Cervantes dropped the pretense and laughed heartily as he put the oars aside.

Rita:...

Bianka;...

With your help, the seemingly fragile reed boat sailed smoothly to its destination.

According to Cervantes, the sea monster Leviathan could catch up with seafarers' ships in just 15 minutes from the moment it smelled them.

Directly beneath your boat is a reef—effectively protecting shallow-draft reed boats from attacks from below.

[Rita and Bianka were ready for battle, but 15 minutes passed and they still hadn't found Leviathan —instead, they heard the roar of machinery.]

"Down there! What's down there?!"

Amidst the mechanical noise, the sharp-eyed Bianka immediately spotted the unusual underwater activity.

"Blood! Blood is mixed in with the seawater; something is fighting Leviathan down there!"

"—It's a submarine."

With just a little investigation, Liu Bai discovered the other party.

"What?" A look of surprise flashed across Rita's face.

Is there a submarine in this place?

Rita's first reaction was disbelief, but the mechanical noise in her ears grew louder and louder, and large shadows appeared underwater—clearly, the other party was rising.

Boom--!

The mysterious submarine cut through the waves and appeared out of nowhere, splashing water that drenched the three people on the small boat.

Fortunately, Liu Bai stabilized the small boat, so the entire boat did not capsize.

"Lady Bianka, are you alright?"

"Of course, who hasn't been soaked to the bone!"

Despite her disheveled appearance, Bianka remained defiant—in this respect, she really is quite like Kiana.

It must be said that she was indeed Siegfried's daughter—although Bianka became unusually serious in the future.

Here, a towel.

"Um... thank you."

Thank you.

Rita and Bianka's compatibility +3%

"My God... I've never seen anything like this before... It's all metal, tearing open the Leviathan's belly is like tearing paper, and it can even emerge from underwater..."

Cervantes was completely shocked by the "high technology" before him.

At this moment, the behemoth known as Leviathan could only float on the sea surface, emitting mournful cries—it was not Honkai Beast, although it had never been seen before, but it still appeared to be a carbon-based life form.

"Are all your ships from four hundred years in the future this powerful?"

"Grandpa, you're making a big fuss over nothing. Even our Schicksal's transport ships are a million times stronger than this 'rusty iron barrel.'" Bianka's little face showed a smug look. "...Although we can't bring our warships in."

Smack

Liu Bai gave Bianka a light tap on the head.

"This isn't the time to show off—what should a Valkyrie do in this kind of emergency?"

"I understand!"

Bianka waved her hand, seemingly trying to shoo away the "hand" above her head. Then, Bianka gripped the 2nd Relic tightly in her hand. "Don't worry! Even if these guys are hostile, we have ways to deal with them!"

The artifact's energy bar is still full.

As a remnant weapon of Previous Era, Bianka was confident that a single shot could severely injure or even destroy the submarine in front of her.

"Someone came out of the submarine and raised a flag?"

Rita was staring intently at the submarine in front of her.

"That's... a pirate flag?"

You watch the submarine with suspicion as it raises its pirate flag—clearly, no one who sails the seas wants to see a pirate flag.

[Then, the steel monster flying the pirate flag launched four small boats, three of which were used to dismember Leviathan's body, while the remaining one is heading towards you.]

"Shall we do it?"

Perhaps a little nervous, Bianka subconsciously asked Liu Bai.

Unbeknownst to them, Liu Bai's mature demeanor gave Bianka and even Rita a great sense of security.

"It's not too late to see what they're planning before we make a move... Bianka, can you see the crew on their ship?"

"Certainly."

The Valkyrie's eyesight is much better than that of a normal person.

"Take a look, what do you think?" Liu Bai had already entered the guidance mode.

"... Not quite like a pirate."

Only after Liu Bai said that did Bianka suddenly realize something.

The leader of that small boat was a young boy. Judging from his timid expression, anyone who didn't know better would think they were pirates.

"Yes, you can't get anything done with just impulsiveness. Miss Bianka, you have no shortage of decisiveness. All that's left is to observe and think more. Also, you should learn to be as composed as Miss Rita at all times."

Liu Bai's role as a teacher has re-emerged.

"Hmm... I understand." Although Bianka is a bit impulsive and reckless now, she is still very sensible.

Bianka & Rita compatibility +3%

Has Rita's compatibility also increased?

Seemingly noticing Liu Bai's gaze, Rita gave him her signature polite smile.

Ah, I'm thinking about the discussion meeting tonight.

Liu Bai silently looked away.

"?"

Rita looked confused.

Rita had this feeling from the very beginning—she always felt that this guardian spirit was avoiding her.

Am I just overthinking things?

However, it can be confirmed once again that the other party has no ill intentions towards the two of them.

Because you sensed something was wrong, you did not immediately choose to attack these "pirates".

Before long, the small boat approached your reed boat, and just as you expected, it harbored no ill intentions towards you.

After introductions, the group learned that the green-haired boy leading the group was Jimmy, the pilot from the submarine, and that he was accompanied by Leila, the purple-haired female boatswain. The submarine—or rather, the amphibious ironclad—was named Caledonia.

Through a brief conversation, you also realized that the other party meant you no harm. On the contrary, they felt quite apologetic for taking away your "prey"—although it was still impossible for them to return it.

Leila then explained their purpose—the captain of the Caledonia wanted to invite you to tour her ship.

To this, you will naturally have no choice but to comply.

Chapter 89 The Iron Mask of the Caledonia

The dim incandescent bulbs, faded paint, rusty nuts, and old but well-maintained rubber cables.

"... It's like a giant time capsule," Rita muttered to herself. "Like Jules Verne's 'Electrical Age'."

"For example, the Nautilus from 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'?"

Liu Bai's addition surprised Rita.

"You mean..." Rita looked thoughtful, but then shook her head in denial, "No, no matter what, the so-called Nautilus is just a fictional submarine in a novel. Even if it were in the World Bubble, it would still be a bit absurd..."

After all, Cervantes was a truly great writer who existed in the world, so it's understandable that he would fall into the World Bubble.

But a fictional submarine... Rita regretted not having taken a closer look at the submarine from the outside.

"And this submarine is named Caledonia, but its design..."

"It was indeed a design from the late 19th or early 20th century."

Little Bianka seemed to have some knowledge of mechanics. "... Where did you get this amphibious ironclad? You don't look like people from the 20th century, do you?"

Bianka has never changed when it comes to speaking her mind.

"Indeed not—but you needn't be impatient." Boatswain Leila smiled. "The captain will answer your questions himself later; there's no need for me to presume to do it."

"..."

"Come on, the captain is already waiting for us on the bridge."

Following the footsteps of Boatswain Leila and Pilot Jimmy, your group soon arrived at the bridge of the Caledonia, where a woman dressed in British attire was opening her arms to you.

"To all of you from the 20th century... no, perhaps the 21st century—"

The red-haired woman sang in a high-pitched, melodious voice.

"Welcome aboard the Caledonia! Captain Barbarossa, on behalf of the entire crew, extends his greetings to you!"

"Tsk, they're clearly just a bunch of pirates, yet they're putting on airs like actors."

Little Bianka pouted, her face vividly conveying the expression, "What is this guy doing? Does he think he's funny?"

"The King's Players thanks you for your compliment~~"

The red-haired woman completely ignored Bianka's expression, and with a playful smile, took off her hat and bowed to Bianka like an actor leaving the stage.

...?

Bianka, who had been looking bored, paused for a moment after hearing this.

Rita, who was born in Britain, reacted even faster. "You mean... the King's Players... the Shakespeare one?"

"Exactly!" The red-haired woman smiled smugly. "And I myself am the actor who played Captain Barbarossa —William Shakespeare!"

"...ha?"