Feast of Crows

Captain Sam "agreed" to pay 2,800 gold coins for my release.

Ian felt that an extraordinary being shouldn't be worth only a couple thousand gold coins. Wawa, binding him with chains and suspending him over the sea, conducted a friendly "interrogation."

Sam even revealed how much he annually embezzled from his crew, earning glares of fury from the sailors below.

Ian ultimately accepted the price, far below his expectations. Sam was either truly poor or a very good actor; either way, Ian couldn't be bothered to torment him further.

As for the sailboat Swordfish, Ian didn't even bother negotiating with him. For one, he figured Sam couldn't afford it, and for another, even if he were to sell it, Ian wouldn't sell it to him or the Royal Niger Company.

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Ian appointed the sail handler who had been most vocal in exposing Sam as the temporary captain, to manage the Swordfish. Sam was confined to the Swordfish and placed under his watch. The other sailors were ordered to remain in their cabins and forbidden from freely accessing the deck.

After a stern warning, Ian had Wawa retract the Activated Rope. He and Milta returned to the Leviathan.

The Leviathan retracted one anchor chain, while the other wrapped around the stern and remained hooked to the bow of the Swordfish, pulling it towards Storm Cape.

By this time, it was completely dark. Ian made a simple meal in the kitchen, and the three of them ate hastily.

After all the commotion, the three of them, along with Wawa, were quite tired. Wawa, especially, needed rest after several instances of overloaded, high-speed sailing, as it was still a "child."

For the next few days, Ian and the other two would take turns on watch. The Leviathan would sail at "idle" speed for a day or two, maintaining five to six knots, to ensure sufficient rest.

Ian arranged for Lia to be on duty until midnight, with Milta taking over afterward.

Ian returned to his room and sank his consciousness into the world of Spirituality for deep meditation.

Late at night, Ian awoke from his meditation. He looked up to see new "stars" appearing, adorning the void of the Veil of Fate.

At Ian's mental command, the "stars" flickered and appeared before him.

It was a Witchcraft card. The four corners of the card were adorned with peculiar purple patterns. In the center of the semi-transparent card, a flock of circling crows was depicted. The crows' feathers were black with a reddish sheen, and their eyes, beaks, and claw tips were a striking scarlet.

[Card: Feast of Crows]

Feast of Crows: Permanent Witchcraft. The host permanently transfers a portion of their Spirituality, Life, and Mana to create and fuse with an Evil Crow.

The Evil Crow will inherit the host's transferred Spirituality, Life, and Mana, and can grow alongside the host. If the Evil Crow dies, the host will permanently lose that portion of Spirituality.

Like familiars, Evil Crows possess independent personalities and thoughts. They share a single name.

Evil Crow Abilities: [Mind Link], [Sense Sharing], [Soul Vision], [Scavenge], [Nourish].

[Mind Link]: Each Evil Crow maintains a mind link with the host, transmitting information without delay, though it may also transmit useless information. When the flock becomes too large, remember to disable the link at any time to prevent emotional overload. The link has a considerable range, influenced by the host's power.

[Sense Sharing]: The host can perceive the location of each Evil Crow at any time and share their senses. The sharing range is shorter, influenced by the host's power.

[Soul Vision]: Evil Crows can activate a unique Soul Vision, discerning the souls and Spirituality characteristics of creatures within an area.

[Scavenge]: Evil Crows feed on Life, souls, and Spirituality. Their beaks and sharp claws can easily tear away soul and Spirituality fragments, while simultaneously consuming Life.

The devoured subjects' souls and Spirituality become fragmented, accompanied by intense pain. Their feeding method is extremely cruel.

[Nourish]: After devouring Life, souls, and Spirituality, Evil Crows undergo a series of transformations, generating refined energy and feeding it back to the host.

Ian looked at the card thoughtfully. It appeared to be a familiar with reconnaissance, attack, and growth abilities, but in reality, it was a peculiar form of Witchcraft.

However, upon seeing the cost of an Evil Crow, Ian felt a pang of doubt. Wasn't this equivalent to weakening himself? Was it truly worth it to exchange for crows of unknown combat power?

"Let's try it. My Spirituality growth has been a bit slow lately, probably nearing the limit of my Sequence 9," Ian thought to himself.

Ian tapped the card, and a crow within it suddenly moved, shattering the card and bursting forth.

It circled Ian once, then transformed into a stream of light and ascended into the void, hanging in the "sky" as a black and red crow-shaped "star," slowly orbiting the "sun."

This was the manifestation of this Witchcraft.

Ian began channeling Spirituality, Life, and Mana into the crow "star." The expected weakness did not come. After continuously investing about ten percent of his Spirituality, a crow broke free from the "star."

"Caw..." A hoarse voice echoed in the world of Spirituality.

A sense of familiarity emanated from the crow. It opened its scarlet eyes and swiftly flew towards Ian.

Ian smiled slightly. He left the world of Spirituality and, upon opening his eyes, saw a black-feathered, red-eyed crow emerge from the "void" beside him and gently land on his shoulder.

"Caw..." It tilted its head, rubbing Ian's face with its head and beak.

Its voice was hoarse, shrill, and abrupt, as if from another world, sending a chill down one's spine and evoking an inexplicable sense of dread.

Its appearance matched its voice, giving an immediate impression of ominous fear.

Ian raised his left arm. The crow spread its wings and hopped lightly from his shoulder to his arm, tilting its head and meeting Ian's gaze with its scarlet eyes.

"Caw..." It was over 35 centimeters long with a wingspan exceeding 50 centimeters.

Others might find Ian indifferent, but he found it quite cute.

Ian stroked its smooth feathers. "From now on, I'll call you... hmm... Beatrice."

From the moment Beatrice appeared, Ian understood the unique nature of this Witchcraft.

Ian's power had not disappeared; Beatrice and Ian were one.

For example, if Ian's Sequence 9 Spirituality limit was 100, and his Spirituality had reached 99, nearing the bottleneck. After Beatrice appeared, his Spirituality became 89, and Beatrice had 10.

The power Ian could exert did not change. As he and Beatrice continued to grow, the limit was broken.

The only thing to be mindful of is to try not to let too many Beatrice die, otherwise it will severely drag down the advancement speed of the main body!

The sea breeze rustled in the night, and the sails billowed. The starry sky was brilliant, the Milky Way like silk, scattering specks of light.

As soon as Ian stepped out of his room, Lia, on duty at the top of the Quarterdeck, noticed him. She looked curiously at the crow on Ian's shoulder.

Ian also walked onto the Quarterdeck platform and chuckled, "Her name is Beatrice, she's very well-behaved."