After the Disaster

Hecarim stood up, propping himself with his halberd, a shocking wound across his chest.

Soulfire gathered at the wound, attempting to repair it, but the effect was minimal. It certainly wouldn't be enough to fully recover before this battle ended.

His eyes, formed from Soulfire, fixed on Ato. But in the next moment, he seemed to hear a distant call. He retracted his halberd and slowly retreated.

Ato landed nearby, preparing to attack, when the surrounding Black Mist suddenly deepened. Hecarim's figure grew fainter and fainter, disappearing quickly.

"All life will perish, shadows draw near..." These were Hecarim's last words.

"That's it? All gone?" Ato was a bit stunned. "Why'd he run off after getting hurt? I hadn't even started yet..."

Ato looked around, confirming Hecarim was indeed gone.

He then slung his greatsword over his shoulder and muttered to himself, "In short, the jungle centaur's gank on the top lane Blade Demon failed, and I almost got counter-killed!"

"Blade Demon? I like that name." Aatrox automatically filtered out the words he didn't understand.

"I am now Vastayan. From now on, you may call me: Vastayan Blade Demon."

Ato: "..."

"Is it over?"

Sarah, still shaken, couldn't believe the terrifying centaur monster had retreated just like that.

Not only around the Siren, but the Black Mist that had permeated all of Bilgewater finally dissipated.

The sky cleared again, with a few stars faintly visible. The sun's outline had just appeared on the eastern horizon.

"It's over, the Soul Harvest Night is over!" A sailor ran onto the deck, cheering.

Ato had told the sailors to stay in the lower cabins, but no one dared to let down their guard, constantly watching the situation outside.

Seeing the Black Mist recede, they couldn't hide their excitement and immediately rushed onto the deck to celebrate.

After the Soul Harvest Night, all hands on the Siren survived!

Sarah walked out of the Captain's Cabin, watching the crewmates emerge one by one, not a single one missing. Her nose tingled.

The Soul Harvest Night was always perilous. Although an unprecedented centaur monster had appeared, the arrival of that person had changed everything.

Ato made his greatsword float behind him again and said to Sarah, "I kept my promise. No casualties."

"Thank you," Sarah's voice was weak.

"Now you need to rest." Ato patted Sarah's shoulder.

Hearing Ato say that, Sarah suddenly felt an irresistible wave of sleepiness wash over her.

For nearly two days, from Mr. Ato's warning of the approaching Soul Harvest Night to its end, everyone had been without sleep, constantly on high alert, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted.

"Surviving the Soul Harvest Night is certainly worth celebrating. The only thing you need to do now is get a good night's sleep."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Bilgewater, aboard "The Dreadnought" outside Grayport.

Without the Black Mist to obscure his vision, Gangplank could finally see the entire ship clearly.

Crewmate corpses lay scattered across the deck, while those still alive stared blankly.

They watched as companions they had shared drinks and boasts with just yesterday were now separated by death, a testament to the cruelty of Soul Harvest Night.

Illaoi felt a similar sense of loss.

She couldn't protect everyone. The tentacles summoned by her divine power were mighty, but they couldn't be sustained indefinitely.

Facing the endless Undead, she found herself somewhat overwhelmed. Several Baru also lost their lives.

"You all sacrificed your lives to protect the majesty of the divine. May you find eternal peace in Nagakabouros's divine realm."

After finishing her prayer, Illaoi stood and looked toward the sky. The heavens were growing brighter.

The sun rose as usual.

Wandering around Bilgeport every day, Mr. Ato felt that happy days always flew by in sighs. Half a month passed before he knew it.

Aside from Soul Harvest Night, nothing major had happened in Bilgeport. Only Mr. Ato's movements were noticed and reported to Gangplank, which led to Miss Fortune's location being discovered.

After Mr. Ato easily dealt with two groups of pursuers, Gangplank became much more cautious, greatly wary of the mysterious person who suddenly appeared on Miss Fortune's ship.

Soul Harvest Night had already cost him many subordinates. Continuing to pursue Miss Fortune would only lead to more casualties and weaken his control over Bilgeport.

Miss Fortune had moved "Siren" multiple times, coming to the waters near Fleet Street to rest.

Fleet Street, though not as prosperous as the Slaughter Docks, was also a major trading center in Bilgeport.

First Mate Raven, who had gone ashore to seek supplies, returned to the ship with a piece of news for Sarah.

"Many people have noticed him, because his appearance... is as striking as that Mr. Ato's."

"Oh? What kind of person?" Sarah was curious.

"His skin is purple, covered in magical runes that are incomprehensible, and he carries a huge scroll on his back. He has a long beard."

"Oh, and he's bald!" Raven added.

"Bald?" Sarah found such a description somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

"He's the person Mr. Ato was looking for!" Sarah realized and quickly asked, "Where is that person now? You didn't lose him, did you?"

"Of course not. In fact, he's been staying at the 'Nautilus Tavern' on Fleet Street. As you know, it's one of the hubs for bounty missions and information exchange."

"He came in and sat at the bar, speaking very quietly, asking who the best bounty hunter in Bilgewater was."

"Before I could say anything, others told him your name, Captain."

"I sent someone to contact him privately. He said he had a commission he wanted the Captain to complete, and money was no object."

"What commission?" Sarah had learned from Ato that the person Raven mentioned was likely a powerful mage.

A mage's commission was usually not easy and often came with unknown risks.

"He hopes to hire a ship that cannot be detected to secretly travel to Ionia in the east."

"That's...it?" Sarah had countless questions.

The Purple-skinned Bald Mage had indeed crossed paths with her, but could a commission from someone Ato took seriously really be that simple?

Transporting a person, maintaining secrecy, it wasn't a difficult task.

As the most famous bounty hunter in Bilgeport, Gangplank couldn't do anything about her, which precisely showed how good Sarah was at hiding herself.

For a mage's commission, she was already referencing Ato's standards for difficulty...

"Yes, I asked repeatedly about the details of the commission. He just kept emphasizing secrecy."

"He looked very nervous, as if he was guarding against something. I found it strange, as someone like him walking on the street is already conspicuous. However, since it involved privacy, I didn't pry further."

"Keep that person stable for now, don't let him out of your sight. I'm going to get Mr. Ato's opinion."

Sarah instructed Raven and quickly walked towards the ship's cabin below.

Ato was idly bickering with Aatrox.

Hearing a knock, he opened the door to see Sarah, her expression somewhat anxious.

After Sarah explained the situation, a grin spread across Ato's lips, "It's here as expected."