The Key and the Lock
"--. These lights in the sky shine on the earth, governing day and night, separating light from darkness."
"And there was evening, and there was morning; it was the Fourth Sun..."
Jean- Pierre looked down at the ancient Parchment, at the lines of handwritten Ancient Feysac Script. As an Archbishop well-versed in the Church's Holy Bible texts, he saw descriptions in these texts that were very similar to, yet subtly different from, those in his own scriptures.
Heresy!
Absolutely heresy!
Although it was somewhat inappropriate, Pierre felt a surge of anger. He couldn't understand why the Church would use such heretical script to wrap its precious Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
But before he could dwell on those issues, he had more important things to do.
"Swish swish..."
Pierre reached out, and the ancient Parchment quickly peeled off, gradually revealing the Sealed Artifact object inside.
It was a short, jet-black staff, with a very simple design, but its black color was so deep that it seemed to absorb all light. Inside the staff's Staff Head was a golden gem, which kept floating, as if trying to break through the black barrier and dissipate into the air, but it could never succeed.
Pierre took a deep breath, grasped the short cane, and slowly raised it.
Praise the Lord.
He said.
Praise the Lord!
All the priests knelt down and praised in unison, many of them with tears streaming down their faces.
An invisible pressure then spread.
"That's... Grade 0 Sealed Artifact?"
At the edge of the battlefield, Luther saw what the Archbishop was holding through Lieutenant Philip's eyes. Sensing the power emanating from the black short staff, he immediately guessed that it was the powerful item belonging to the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun mentioned in the Queen's letter.
The aura emanating from that item was equally astonishing; he sensed that this Sealed Artifact was at least Sequence 2 level!
This is bad. They also have Sequence 2, but the Black Throne is restricted...
His gaze involuntarily drifted to the other side.
On the Black Throne, the black-haired, red-eyed woman glanced at the short staff in Pierre's hand, seemingly sensing some kind of danger. However, although she wanted to act and retaliate, she was still restricted by the chains and could not do so.
She glared resentfully at the chains binding her.
Luther wasn't sure what the woman's identity was, but he could roughly guess that she had a close connection with the "Black Throne".
One possibility is that she is an Angel, confined to the "Black Throne" by Roselle through some strange means.
Above, those chains are a representation of this constraint;
The second possibility is that she is the "Black Throne" itself!
Judging from Roselle's diaries, he had an extremely deep understanding of the "Artisan" Pathway and even became recognized as the "Son of Steam" by the Church of Steam. With his abilities, giving a ship personality and life was not an impossible task.
Furthermore, the fact that the ship was transformed into a beautiful woman is very much in the style of that emperor.
But what about those chains?
Was that also added by Roselle?
If it weren't for these chains, the men Intis sent would probably be no match for the Black Throne!
Following the chains binding the woman, Luther looked towards their end. Soon, he saw a peculiar large padlock hanging near the helm of the "Black Throne." The black chains extended from that padlock, tightly binding the woman in the black dress.
"Wait..."
Seeing this, Luther's heart stirred.
The keyhole of that large padlock looks somewhat familiar...
It seems the key that Roselle forcibly attached to him is a perfect match for the lock! Does that mean that by inserting his own key and opening the lock, he could remove the restrictions on the "Black Throne" and turn the tide?
Just as he was making this guess, Pierre was raising his cane high.
Then, in the next moment, from the depths of the Fog Sea, a strange thing slowly rose. It was a perfectly round golden sphere, fiery, bright, and sacred, selflessly radiating pure light that illuminated every corner of the world.
A second Sun rose over the sea.
Sonia Sea.
A fleet of pirate ships sailed across the sea with great fanfare, each ship flying a flag atop its mast, on which was painted a white skull stained with blood.
Blood Pirates!
Thanks to Luther's series of astonishing actions, his pirate crew made a name for itself across the Five Seas during this period. In particular, the fact that the Fleet never plundered civilian ships and specifically targeted official Loen ships and slave trading vessels earned them a very good reputation among the general public.
The last few ships in the Fleet were towing slave ships battered and wrecked by cannon fire. It seemed they had just completed a new "hunt" and were on their way back.
"Men, I've got good news!"
Anderson stood on the lookout tower on the mast and shouted down to the bustling deck below, "The captain said everyone did a great job today. When we get back, we can not only have the usual banquet, but we'll also get three days off!"
A cheer erupted from the deck.
"Behave yourselves! Even on holiday, don't forget you're the King of Blood's men. Stay alert, don't let anyone sneak up on you and kill you..."
"Sailor Walter shouted, as a warning to these guys," he reprimanded.
After reprimanding the Sailor, he turned to look at Anderson.
"First Mate, the captain seems to be keeping a low profile lately..."
He couldn't help but ask.
Anderson glanced at him.
"What, you have a problem with that? If you do, you can confront the captain directly."
Of course not.
Walter gave a dry laugh, quickly walked away, and went to the other end of the deck to scold the Sailor.
Anderson watched his retreating figure, thought for a moment, then turned and went back to the Captain's Cabin.
"Can you contact the captain?"
He asked the Flesh Substitute inside.
"It lacks this function, but the connection between Flesh still exists." The Puppet was housed by a pre-programmed, low-level personality that could answer some simple questions. "The original body is currently in good condition and has not suffered any harm."
"All right."
Anderson could only sigh in resignation.
The captain left with ease, but he himself bore immense responsibility, fearing that he might be caught by a general, king, or navy, thus exposing the deception.
He walked around the room again, and his Hunter's nature allowed him to quickly adjust, and he sat down in Luther's seat with a smile.
"Hehe, since the captain's not here, I'll give this position a try..."
Anderson muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair and rocking back and forth.
Just then, a Spirituality energy emanated from a drawer on the table.
What is that?
The fluctuation wasn't significant. Anderson casually opened a drawer and found the invitation from the "King of the Five Seas."
It is glowing.