Principles and the Future

In his hazy sleep, Arthur saw a deserted island, and someone on it was crying out for help.

That person drew pictures in the sand with a stick, drilled wood to make fire and raise smoke, and piled stones into signals.

In every possible way, he tried to escape that deserted island.

In the end, the person on the island swam into the sea in despair, relaxing his entire body as he sank into the endless abyss.

[You have obtained "Dread".]

Arthur woke from the nightmare and looked around. Seeing Parrot Gro, he let out a sigh of relief.

He was aboard the Great White Shark now.

"What happened?"

Parrot Gro gave an awkward laugh. "Respected Captain, Miss Arena brought you in here. She stayed for a day, then left."

"Your navigator, Marcus, died suddenly in his hammock from prolonged lack of rest."

"Quartermaster Wick was beheaded by Miss Arena. His body was thrown into some stretch of sea. At present, Boatswain Kaia is running things aboard the ship."

Arthur nodded and slowly exhaled.

He raised his hands. The Moth's power within him had increased greatly, enough to sustain two uses of Despair Waltz.

If he encountered Dorian controlled by the Moon Bone again, he would not faint from exhausting his strength.

"By acting in accordance with a principle, the corresponding power grows stronger. I followed the passion in my heart and fought a thoroughly satisfying battle.

"That matched the Moth Principle's passion and yearning, so the power within me increased."

The meaning of the Moth Principle surfaced in his mind:

Chaos, passion, intuition, yearning, nature, and casting away unnecessary things.

Casting away unnecessary things extended to forgetting, while the Moth's principle was also connected to insects.

"Chaos and passion depend on sudden impulses. The only thing I can control is [casting away unnecessary things]."

Arthur immediately thought of what he wanted to cast away: his identity as a pirate and his identity as an undercover agent of the Shadow Temple.

Just as a moth flew from its cocoon and a scorpion shed its old shell, those identities also trapped Arthur.

He did not want to maneuver among multiple factions, especially since the Shadow Temple belonged to the Church of Light, the Old Continent's greatest power.

Of the five Orthodox Churches, four were the Church of Storm, the Church of Night, the Church of Earth, and the Church of Frost.

Only the Church of Light had a special title, owing to its exalted status.

"Cast away my identity as a pirate and as a follower of the Shadow Temple. Pursue the grand voyage I yearn for."

[Molting Technique], a special great technique, appeared before Arthur's eyes.

Using [Molting Technique], he could discard his own shell, cast away an unnecessary past, and walk the world with a brand-new identity.

An intense yearning surged in his heart. He vaguely heard the sound of moth wings fluttering beside his ears, and he listened closely, as if the Moth were right at his side.

"Looks like you agree with my proposal too."

The use of [Molting Technique] required a Rite, following a fixed sequence to achieve the final transformation.

The required materials were four candles, a personal belonging, and a shell to replace himself.

The personal belonging had to be cast away during the molting process. There also had to be an item representing the shell left behind after the transformation.

Arthur rose and walked around the room. After opening a drawer, he saw a flintlock pistol, a gun that had been with him for a long time.

His original flintlock pistol was a very personal item.

The shell replacing himself could not be too fragile, since it had to bear the Moth's power.

An innocuous extraordinary item would be best.

Arthur sat at the table, cleaning the gunpowder residue from the pistol as he considered his next plan.

"Gero, what is our current position?"

"We are ten nautical miles directly west of Blue Bay Island. We can reach Blue Bay Island at any time."

After cleaning the pistol, Arthur opened a small paper packet and loaded it with gunpowder and lead bullets.

Once he had finished, Arthur opened the door, stepped onto the deck, and shouted, "Kaia!"

Boatswain Kaia hurried over with an enthusiastic smile. "Captain! What do you need?"

"Is all the Jasmine's cargo aboard?"

Kaia lowered his voice. "It's all piled in the hold. I took a look, and it's a huge pile of gold coins!"

"And there was still plenty of cargo we didn't salvage."

Arthur closed his eyes. Three breaths later, he opened them and formally allocated the cargo.

"How many people are left aboard?"

Kaia counted the remaining hands on his fingers.

"I still have seven good men under me. Thorn has three gunners left. That makes... twelve men in total."

Thorn was the Great White Shark's master gunner.

Originally, the Great White Shark had nearly thirty people, including pirates, gunners, Marcus, Wick, and the rest!

After the battle with the Jasmine, even including Arthur as captain, only thirteen remained.

"Once we reach Blue Bay Island, find someone to sell it for a suitable price. I'll take twenty percent personally.

"You and Thorn will take five percent each. Everyone else will take two percent each. The remaining fifty percent will be used to recruit pirates and replenish supplies."

"Yes!"

Kaia left with a hearty laugh. Five percent of the proceeds was no small fortune.

It would be enough for him to enjoy himself in Blue Bay Island's taverns for quite a while.

After arranging the specifics, Arthur returned to the captain's cabin and considered matters related to the extraordinary.

Preparing the materials for the [Molting Technique] Rite was only one part of the plan. Entering the extraordinary realm was another.

Even with the "Moth's power," the gap between Arthur and an extraordinary still could not be bridged.

"I still don't know enough about this world. I need to rely on books to learn about extraordinary paths and abilities."

"Arena may be able to provide some help. The Stuart Family's foundation cannot be underestimated."

The Great White Shark docked at the harbor. This time, the pirates were very quiet as they waited for Arthur's orders.

Arthur draped himself in a heavy leather coat and emerged from the captain's cabin. "Kaia, take them to sell the goods."

"After you dispose of the cargo, you may enjoy yourselves on Blue Bay Island for three days."

"Leave two men behind to guard the ship, and arrange the watch rotations."

"All right, Captain!"

The pirates were brimming with enthusiasm. After Arthur left, they eagerly carried the cargo off the ship.

"Looks like the Great White Shark Pirates had a huge haul!"

"They plundered that ship and got such rich spoils!"

The sailors at the dock clicked their tongues as they talked.

Passing pirates glanced at them with disdain. "What the hell do you know?"

"Our captain defeated an extraordinary being! Even the Black Devil Order's cultists fled in panic!"

"Quit bragging! You've seen the Black Devil Order and still lived?"

"Exactly! I was so scared I nearly pissed myself!"

"You have no idea. Our Captain Arthur killed an extraordinary with two shots!"

The dockside sailors listened to the pirates boast. Though they knew it was boasting, they still could not help looking toward the distant figure.

Another great pirate was about to rise in the seas near the Old Continent!

Arthur headed to the tavern at once to meet Arena and confirm the next stage of their plan.