Ende09 Through the Rain

Foreword:

I know it's not easy, in this crazy world.

Trying to understand life, trying to find the truth.

Cinderella

[Part 1: The Broken Ship]

After going around in circles, the homeless wanderers returned to the Nostalgia Ship.

The rescue team from Xiantai Port had not yet arrived. It sat slumped on the dry, receding beach, its keel cracked from the sun, and its planks covered with the short, bristly hairs shed by shipworms.

In the sweltering summer, these mollusks cannot survive more than a few hours without the nourishment of seawater.

Flavia and Hao Bro were wrapped up like two rice dumplings, their bones shattered into pieces. While Homo sapiens rely on Universal Elixir to prolong their lives, the Blood-giving Monster can only slowly heal itself.

They were hung in hammocks in the crew quarters, and Xiao Min and Kaycee took turns looking after them.

Jason found a good spot, took his few remaining bullets and food, and went to the empty deck in front of the helmsman's cabin, looking out at the quiet and vast ocean.

He felt trapped, like the ship, left to slowly die on the beach.

All sorts of mediums have been used up, and the Flash Butterfly Armor has been turned into a charred and twisted lump of molten iron by Ms. Shali's special skills. On the very first day that this Lapis Lazuli Guards arrived in East Horse Port after accepting the rescue mission, he himself became the one who needed to be rescued.

It seems like everything has been messed up.

The moment the two teams met, Jason realized something was terribly wrong.

The General of Tears fell into the hands of Fret Caesar, becoming a commodity in the free trade between the two devils, and even signed a contract of servitude.

Ars Claudia Duran's continued absence suggests he may have rejoined the Guiyi Sect Church; Blood-giving Monster are always closest to the Immortals.

Besides Captain Quack and Mr. Ethan, there are eight shipwrights in the Church of Dionysus. If you include the animals, there are also two little donkeys that need to be included in the rescue plan.

Jason, what else do you have left to rely on?

The enemy's superpowers are terrifyingly powerful.

They can change the weather, bewitch people, and distort right and wrong.

They have powerful monstrous stalkers, giant offspring blessed by demons from the Netherworld, and an entire population of civilians from East Horse Port as hostages.

They were partners with the governor, pioneers of the city, and outstanding entrepreneurs.

The once learned and talented Bluestone genius has become a devil, the Lapis Lazuli Guards willingly becomes the Wings of Light for the Immortals, and the Hunter King will also serve as the announcer for Gloria Sebastian's gambling entertainment.

After learning this information, Jason Megan felt somewhat exhausted.

He suddenly felt like he was nothing. As people reach middle age, there is always a sense of listlessness and exhaustion.

He brought these children to Shambhala as a vanguard, but as soon as he disembarked, he stepped on a deadly nail. It seemed that luck had run out—the goddess of fortune would no longer protect the brave.

Fortunately, Ms. Shali still preserved some dignity for Jason. The Emperor did not drain all of Jason's mental energy, preventing him from falling into a state of incoherent rambling. He could still sit on the low stool on the deck and gaze at the sea for a while.

And look at these helpers around me--

--Graduated from the ninth class of Galahad Knights' Combat Skills, the four kids are at most at the early stage of Ascension, and they don't have much practical combat experience except for duels in knightly tournaments.

Flavia is still recovering from serious injuries; her ability is to create happiness-inducing candies.

Captain Quack, being a hybrid of a calamity beast, seems to possess a little bit of psionic talent, but it's only in terms of vocal abilities; he can't actually fight on the battlefield.

Katusha has been complacent and unambitious all these years. Apart from her basic skills in firearms and martial arts, her psychic abilities have barely reached the threshold of metamorphosis, and she is even inferior to the gunsmith's personal disciples.

Ethan is an ordinary person with some spiritual vision, possessing only a weak Inspiration pressure.

Look at this team, it seems like we're doomed to lose.

"Your Excellency, you seem to have something on your mind?" Quack found two bottles of orange juice in the refrigerator of the Nostalgia Ship and sat down next to Mr. Jason.

Jason was still wearing Ms. Shali's robes, and the dry, hot sea breeze made his lips crack.

"Ah"

Quack hugged his lute, ready to play and sing a song.

"Besides creating a miracle of life, my father also taught me to play the piano and sing. He suffered from my mother's poisonous influence for many years, but he was still immersed in this love, which made him happy and made him exceptionally talented."

"He told me that music can take away pain and troubles, that music is an extension of mathematics, and that music is a medium for communicating with the universe."

"Would you like me to sing you a song, Anonymous? Jason Megan?"

Upon hearing the title "[Nameless]", Jason quickly waved his hand in denial.

"Don't flatter me like that, I'm not worthy."

Even after all these years, Jason still feels weak and unable to fit into the Nameless One's group.

He always fell behind, making a fool of himself in the attack process for various reasons. He was never allowed to fire a gun, let alone perform the duties of a grenade thrower.

As for the role of leader? The one who carries the flag?

Jason never even considered it. When the BOSS initially asked Jason to take on this rescue mission, he thought it would be a relatively easy job—after all, he wasn't on the first list of soldiers for the Shambhala harvest operation.

"How about some orange juice?" Captain Quack handed over the bottle.

Jason hesitated for a long time before finally accepting the gift, even though he was accepting Captain Quack's kindness—he was still thinking and couldn't give his brain a rest.

The sour juice flowed over the tip of my tongue, and began to taste bitter as it entered my throat.

He suddenly snapped out of it and started cursing.

"What kind of idiot would make such a terrible drink? General of Tears had his eyes closed at the club, he could make three kinds of sugary drinks mixed with horse urine and it would taste better than this!"

"It's from my hometown! From Eureka!" Hearing Jason's criticism, Quack laughed instead of getting angry, "It's navel oranges from Münster Orchard sent to the factory, mass-produced by a bunch of twenties using machines! Of course it tastes bad! Hahahaha! Quack quack quack quack!"

"However!"

Quack sidled up to Jason and whispered among themselves.

"It can save the cost of treating sepsis. It can be a great way to pass the time on a boring journey by mixing in some cheap, coal-ash-tasting whiskey; it can turn the rotten into the magical—one day it will slowly get better."

"It will taste better and better because Jason Megan and the nameless heroes have once again come to Eureka Volcano City."

"The last time was seven years ago, when the crops in Minster Orchard were high-value cash crops belonging to the poppy genus of the diphyllopoda class of angiosperms."

"Quack quack quack quack quack!~"

A strange and loud laugh came from the toad's mouth.

Why is it so hard to wipe away my sorrow, my hero?

After a series of fierce battles, Jason was almost destroyed by the pressure; he was gloomy and unable to control his negative emotions.

--He's a Blue Stone People, and many Blue Stone People are like that, defeated by their own brains.

Captain Quack's motivational efforts were like a series of major failures, unable to revive Jason Megan's momentum.

Sadness and disappointment were like a plague, which Captain Quack Frog, who also looked at the large ship with a gloomy expression.

"When I climbed the rope ladder to the crew quarters, I glanced at the cabins and keel; it seemed the Nostalgia was not going to make it back."

"It can only come this far with me, Mr. Jason. I'm just a nobody, like most unknown people, dreaming of owning my own ship—a dream that keeps coming true and keeps being shattered—rising and falling on this turbulent and treacherous sea."

"Ever since we left the old captain to go solo, misfortune has been befalling us boatmen in Shambhala."

"My first ship struck a sea monster, a hybrid of a beluga whale and a squid. Its powerful head and tentacles gnawed off the three masts of this old relic, taking twelve lives and my favorite slovenly lady."

"By the way, the Sloppy Lady is a cat; she's always catching mice in the hold and is a very dutiful companion."

"My second ship was hijacked while doing business with the Mitran in the Gulf of Aden. It was extradited to Terraford Bay through unreasonable yet legal means and became the private property of a local viscount. I almost sold myself into slavery. In prison, I shoved a soup spoon up Ethan's asshole to pick the lock and escape."

"We succeeded. Following the fishing boats of Terraford, hiding in crab nets, we barely escaped death but were hardened by our fate. We slipped back to the Gulf of Aden and then spent half a year traveling by water, finally returning to Eureka in a daze."

"I was lucky; I only got pinched and bruised all over by crabs. But Ethan was really unlucky—he's allergic to shellfish, and as a result, his mouth is crooked for life, Universal Elixir can cure this kind of injury."

Jason suddenly burst out laughing, "I can't believe it."

"My third ship, for good luck, will be named the Nostalgia Ship," Captain Quack said, wiping away tears. "The Maritime Silk Road between Xiantai Port and Eureka brought my crew back and forth—some laborers who made a lot of money would meet suitable customers and go on to do sales work for wealthy tycoons."

"There are also men who find the love of their lives and settle down on the other side of the sea."

"It ended up staying on the shallows of East Horse Port with the nameless man. I even told the guys in Sendai who were helping with the unloading that it was just going to wander around Dongma a few times and maybe it would go back in a couple of days."

"Miss Flavia broke two of my violins, but thankfully, this last one is intact. It wasn't flooded, and the strings are strong gut, unlike steel strings which can rust."

"I don't know how to describe this story. Perhaps at the end, I could turn it into a song? Mr. Jason Megan?"

"I fight alongside the nameless warriors, and you, battling demons and confronting monsters from the Netherworld. Even if we can't do anything, I can hide behind you and cheer you on."

Before he finished speaking, a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Captain Quack's expression changed, and he quickly hid his precious musical instrument in the storage box. Rainwater poured into the orange juice bottle, gradually turning the bitter, concentrated juice sweet and less sour and pungent.

[Part ② - What the Devil Cannot Understand]

At that moment, Flavia braved the rain to walk onto the deck. She limped, her fractured coccyx not healing so easily, her broken legs reconstructed from the brunt of the fall, the pain making her even more alert.

"What did I miss?" Flavia asked.

Jason roused himself. "You need a rest."

Flavia, holding up her disheveled dress and letting the rain wash over her exquisite gown, leaned against the deck railing and settled into a comfortable position.

"We have guests, I need to come out and greet them."

Blood-giving Monster are extremely sensitive to the scent of their own kind; Jason, who wasn't wearing Lapis Lazuli, couldn't sense the group on the beachside at all.

Following Flavia's gesture, Jason looked closely— Gloria Sebastian, along with Duran, had found the Homesickness.

"Is this woman the local thug the Immortals planted in East Horse Port?" Jason asked.

Flavia replied, "Yes."

Jason: "Prepare for battle."

Flavia: "Let's hear what she has to say first, Lord Lapis Lazuli. Duran is still with her."

A minute later, Gloria swaggered up the rope ladder to the deck and brought Ms. Duran before the crowd.

"It seems things have gotten beyond my expectations. Fret Caesar is an unruly bandit and robber, just like his father, a shameless scoundrel."

Flavia didn't respond; instead, she stared at her best friend, Duran.

Ms. Duran, also sitting upright and solemnly, leaned against the railing on the edge of the deck in the rain, and dared not speak without Gloria's permission.

"I think I missed a good show last night." Gloria stood condescendingly in front of Jason and asked Flavia, "You were originally going to stay at the Tequila Sunrise Hotel with General of Tears to prepare for today's bet, right?"

Flavia scoffed, "Forget about bets. Your darling has already been kidnapped by Fret."

Faced with Queen Cici's mockery, Gloria was more surprised than angry.

"How dare you speak to me like that?"

Flavia retorted bluntly, "What's there to be afraid of? Immortals? You orchestrated this rain too, didn't you? My and Duran's feathered serpent blood isn't afraid of the sun, yet you only dare to meet us when you're hiding under the protection of rain clouds."

"Last night I went to sell candy, and you and your butler followed me all the way. And that inexplicable hailstorm that forced us into Fret's Hotel—it was all your doing."

"Duran!"

Flavia shouted loudly, as if jealous and vying for favor.

"Sit down next to me!"

Ms. Duran shuddered and silently sat back down beside her lover.

The atmosphere became awkward; Gloria had originally intended to bring the hostages to negotiate.

--Bu Liuxing has already become Fret's prisoner; whether or not he's put into the collection cabinet is just a matter of price.

As for the treasure Flavia, explain everything that happened last night to Ms. Duran, so that the old members of the Little Brotherhood can see how the Nameless Warrior was humiliated and defeated—this will naturally have the effect of subduing the enemy without a fight.

But she hadn't expected Flavia to be so firm in her stance.

Jason Megan was like a defeated rooster, but this stubborn girl refused to back down.

It would only be meaningful if she willingly signed the contract! Only if they completely submit would this game have any value!

"Why won't you surrender?" Gloria asked patiently and casually, "I don't even need to lift a finger. My dogs could tear you to shreds—was I being unhospitable? Was I not kind enough to you?"

"If this happened on someone else's turf, and fell into the hands of the Wings of Light who don't know manners, you bunch of meat dogs would only end up as four dishes and a soup."

At the same time, a die was spat out from between Gloria's lips.

A powerful surge of psionic energy erupted, but Flavia neither dodged nor yielded.

"I don't need your feigned pity, you devil."

She grabbed Captain Quack's collar and took out three gleaming platinum coins from the ornament. She gave one to Jason and kept one for Quack.

"In Huacheng Bay, I've seen so many friends come to buy candy."

The pain caused her to break out in a cold sweat, which mingled with the rain.

She then grasped Duran's hand, transferring this power to ward off evil spirits to her lover.

"At first, I naively thought there was something to talk about. Maybe we could sit down at a table and tell our stories, maybe we could understand each other and become friends."

"The popularity of my candy reflects the suffering of the people in this city who toil and struggle—they crave happiness like terminally ill patients, suffocating and unable to breathe, even with an oxygen tube."

"Gloria Sebastian."

"Your soul power could have changed all of this; it's so magical."

"It's a million times more powerful than the modified proteins and neurohormones I create. You claim to be the god of wine, bringing happiness and joy, and that anyone who kneels before you will be helped."

"If you are truly so generous, why are there so many people born into misery?"

"Why must we always suffer so much before we can kneel before you and receive your divine grace?"

The platinum coin was almost burning through Flavia's blood-bound body; it made a sizzling sound as it traveled towards her palm and encountered solid bone.

"You hypocritical and wicked god, in order to maintain your divine position and status, how many heinous and evil deeds have you done, just like Fret Caesar?"

"I've seen that devil's ledger, just one page—"

"--Mr. Korkin Romani's lover was not ill, but Fret cursed her, cursed Ingram."

"This led Korkin to seek medical treatment everywhere, causing him and his lover to live a life of constant wandering. In the end, he could only turn to the devil, selling his soul after selling his flesh and blood."

"This is just one page! Gloria!"

"How many drug addicts and gamblers are there in East Horse Port? How many singers and prostitutes are there? How many children have lost their parents? How many parents have lost their children? They all need Dionysus's mercy and must kneel down and beg for your forgiveness."

"How many unjust cases must be resolved by asking you to go to the governor's mansion and use the power of dice to say a few words?"

"How many passionate and ambitious people have been lured away by the power of dice and turned into your private collection."

"You always appear when people are weak-willed, deciding a person's life with a contract for a little bit of fun, as if the lives of these ordinary people are nothing more than amusement in your eyes."

Gloria Sebastian's face turned extremely pale. A hint of annoyance appeared on her handsome, androgynous face, as if she had been broken by the scolding. However, she still had to maintain her composure.

Bu Liuxing won a total of three platinum coins from her. She didn't expect that General of Tears wouldn't keep a single one for himself, but stuffed them all into the hands of the crew. If this silly boy had been more shrewd, he might have been able to rely on the power of Wenlong money to fight Fret to a draw.

I'm very curious.

Gloria regained her composure and once again donned her dignified and self-satisfied demeanor.

"Flavia Cici Marcus, you seem like a completely different person. What caused this transformation?"

"David Victor made up a lovely and ridiculous story for me," Flavia replied without hesitation. "I am a viper raised by Lawrence Madison."

"If I spat into a public swimming pool, I could kill ten or more adults."

"I have no morals or conscience, I've never known gratitude, all I know is eating and killing. The smell of human flesh makes my mouth water, and the smell of human blood drives me mad."

Lawrence told me—this is how I should be.

"I want to bring happiness to people through drugs; it's my talent, and it's the cause I'll dedicate my life to."

"But Mr. Victor told me—I shouldn't have done that."

"I'm just a pretty face with no strength to even kill a chicken. I cry when I see someone injured, and I'm so scared when I see blood that I vomit."

"I want to bring happiness to people with candy; it's my talent, and it's the cause I'll dedicate my life to."

"These two inside me are fighting. Once they start battling, my head throbs with pain, it's driving me crazy."

"But Gloria, a kind of pain has completely left them behind. I don't want to lose anything more. Mr. Victor has given me another way."

Flavia clenched her fists so tightly that the platinum coin was practically embedded in her bones, shielding Ms. Duran behind her.

"The nameless one taught me how to fight pain, how to conquer my own unyielding flesh and blood, and that there are important people and things that I need to protect--"

"--It seems like I'm not afraid of anything anymore."

Gloria looked surprised and doubtful. "Love? It's actually love?"

"No, it's not just love, it's definitely not just about physical intimacy," Flavia corrected. "You wouldn't understand, you devil!"

"The nameless fought in front of me for six years, and I served more than two thousand days and nights in prison following behind them."

"To help offenders' families return to normal life, and to heal soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or prisoners whose crimes did not warrant the death penalty."

"Join the gunsmith's students, become their sponsor, compete alongside them, and grow up together."

"Now the General of Tears has been beaten like a drowning dog, he's lost face big time! All those confident boasts he made will now become a laughing stock!"

"Now it's my turn, I have to protect them."