Kings of the Seas

After checking the door, Luther returned to the table.

Since the door can't be opened directly, perhaps the key lies in what's inside.

On the table was a chessboard, with pieces scattered across the black and white squares, seemingly halfway through a game. The white pieces faced Luther, while the black pieces were closer to the door.

Luther didn't know much about chess; he only knew the rules and recognized the pieces.

He saw the black and white pieces locked in a fierce battle, with the white pieces in a very precarious situation. Most of the white pieces had already been captured, and the king was being surrounded by the black pieces' knight, rook, and other pieces, forced to flee to a corner. If he made just a few more moves, he would be in danger of being checkmated.

Judging from this, the door won't open until I win this difficult endgame.

Luther thought to himself, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

But I'm not very good at this game... and White's position is already quite dangerous. Even someone who's been playing for years would probably have a hard time winning, let alone a novice like him.

Anyway, give it a try first.

He stared at the board for a few seconds, then tentatively picked up the white king and moved it to the left square. "Whoosh!"

It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed the black piece and moved it as well, relentlessly pursuing the white king.

Sure enough, it's related to this game of chess.

Luther continued playing, but his skills were really poor, and he was checkmated after two or three moves. Black's knight knocked down his king and triumphantly kicked it off the board, signaling the end of the game. A moment later, a strange force began to take effect, and the scattered pieces returned to the board, while those already on the board returned to their original positions. Before long, the board was restored to its Oldest One state.

It seems there's no way to Door Opening without winning the game.

Luther quickly grasped the situation.

The problem is that with his current skill level, it would be difficult to win, and Roselle had not spread the rules of chess to the world, so he could not ask chess masters for help.

We'll see later. Maybe the "Queen Mystic" will know how to play chess and beat her own father.

Speaking of which, I wonder what she's doing now. Is she fighting against Intis's official forces, or attending the gathering of the "King of the Five Seas"?

"Call!"

Just as Luther was thinking this, a large amount of Gray Fog suddenly surged into his field of vision, thick and heavy, obscuring his sight. Deep within the Gray Fog, a blue-haired man with indistinct features was bowing his head in prayer. He said, "Mr. Fool, please save me!"

Sonia Sea, Black Lake Island, Black Lake Center.

"I've seen the Queen Mystic again... The last time I saw her, I was still an adventurer... She's probably forgotten me."

Anderson thought to himself.

At this moment, he was aboard the Black Emperor, the Flagship of Nast, the "King of the Five Seas".

The ship's interior seemed Distortion; the Captain's Cabin was far larger and taller than it appeared from the outside. Black candelabra hung from the dome, 41 on the left and 40 on the right, each with a different number of candles. The candelabra's light illuminated the magnificent Captain's Cabin and the kings of the sea.

In the most prominent position, a tall and imposing figure sat on a stone chair. He wore a long black robe with silver trim and a crown resembling a spire. His beard was not too long, and his face was resolute and serious. Beneath his slightly wrinkled forehead and above his high, straight nose, two deep eyes shone with an incomparably majestic light, instilling a sense of awe in those who saw him.

He is none other than the living legend of the Sea, Nast Solomon, the "King of the Five Seas"!

Perhaps it was the light, but Anderson felt that the king's body seemed to be growing larger and larger, pressing heavily on his heart.

Meanwhile, on Nast's side, the Queen in the high-backed chair was the very object Anderson was secretly observing.

Bernadette had a perfect figure and a dignified appearance, with long chestnut hair cascading down her back. She wore an Intis- style white shirt with intricate lace embellishments on the cuffs and collar, over which she wore a fitted brown leather jacket, blue riding trousers, and black boots. A rapier hung at her waist, giving her an overall noble and sophisticated look.

For some reason, Anderson felt a sense of familiarity with the Queen's features, as if he had seen someone resembling her in Intis. A friend? An acquaintance? Or someone he had met in the Church of Knowledge...?

Perhaps he had been staring for too long, for the Queen suddenly looked up, her azure eyes meeting his directly.

1"

Their eyes met, and it was no longer appropriate for Anderson to look away. He could only bite the bullet and nod in greeting. Although he was only a Sequence 5 Hunter, he was now representing his captain, "King of Blood" Alexander Gascoigne, and he couldn't afford to lose face in front of other kings.

He had assumed the best-case scenario would be that the Queen would ignore him, but to his surprise, the Queen seemed to nod slightly at him before looking away.

Anderson breathed a sigh of relief.

The "Queen Mystic" was quite amiable... probably because of the captain.

Anderson then looked to the other side, where a kind-looking man dressed as a Loen gentleman sat in a high-backed chair. The man's aura was far inferior to that of the two kings, but rather somewhat similar to his own. Indeed, he was the first mate of "The King of Immortality" Agalito, and like Anderson, he was attending the meeting on behalf of his captain.

"Heh, your second mate, 'The Slaughterer' Kircheis, was killed by our captain. I was the one who took care of his men..." Anderson thought maliciously, staring at the "The Cruel" with a bounty of over ten thousand pounds, as he glared at him provocatively.

However, the seemingly gentle middle-aged gentleman simply smiled at him, showing no trace of hatred; his eyes held only Indifference.

Oh right, I almost forgot, these guys are Devil, a bunch of cold-blooded egoists. They wouldn't care if their comrades died.

Everyone's here.

Nast Solomon surveyed his surroundings. "All three kings and two representatives are present... I hereby declare the Council of Kings of the Sea officially open."

"Click!"

As his words fell, some invisible rule began to take shape. The lock on the captain's Captain's Cabin door jingled crisply, locking tightly. The force was so great that it seemed to completely isolate this space from the outside world.

Three kings?

Anderson was a little confused. There were only two people present... well, never mind, it doesn't seem like anything important.

He quickly put these trivial matters aside and continued Listening Nast's remarks.