Golden Palm Leaf

Oil lamps were lit on both sides of the gloomy ancient castle, their faint glow illuminating a corner of the wall where a dark holy emblem was carved into the ceiling of the corridor.

Arina walked along the familiar path, arriving at the castle's grand hall.

The chandelier in the hall barely illuminated the central area, while the surrounding space swallowed the light as if it were an abyss.

"My dear sister, your exploits on Blue Bay Island were truly earth-shattering. The Archbishop of the Church of Night specifically wrote to Father to express the family's gratitude."

A ghostly voice echoed through the hall, emanating from the darkness that devoured the light, revealing no silhouette.

An Archbishop of the Church of Night was equivalent to a Sequence 5 transcendent; there was only one in the entire Tudor Dynasty, responsible for all affairs of the Church of Night within the realm.

Their Stuart Family, dukes of the Tudor Dynasty and representatives of the conservative faction in the House of Lords, had to bow their proud heads even before an Archbishop.

Reilly Stuart watched his sister, who had quietly accomplished such a grand feat.

The "Moon Bone" he had spent so much effort obtaining from the New Continent, that precious dark transcendent material, had apparently been intercepted by this sister.

Arina leaned on her "Dark Griffin" with both hands, the blade radiating the brilliance of a Silver Moon, illuminating the figure of Reilly Stuart.

"Brother, you waited here specifically for me—is there something you need?"

Her gaze fell upon Reilly, unable to discern his true strength, though she estimated it to be hovering around Sequence 7 or Sequence 6.

"Of course, my dear sister. To celebrate your victory, I have specially organized a lavish banquet and invited the nobles of Fog City."

"Prince Henry, the son of the Duke of York, the son of the Earl of Nottingham... many outstanding men will be there, and you have reached a marriageable age."

The moonlight on the blade in Arina's hand grew increasingly pure; although she was the daughter of Grand Duke Stuart and held the title of "Daughter of the Duke of Stuart," she possessed no true right of inheritance, nor could she even control her own self.

From the stripping away of the Black Devil mark to the use of the Molting Technique to purge the brands upon her body, and finally making contact with the mysterious gathering of Mr. Mansus, it was she, Arina Stuart, who had seized the greatest opportunity and fortune.

"If you are interested in those sons of dukes and earls, you can go marry them yourself, or perhaps take them back to the family as your own."

"Though, the Church of Light might bind you to the stake for purification in the name of heresy."

Arina mocked Reilly, saying coldly: "The Arina Stuart of today is not the Arina Stuart of the past."

"You cannot represent the family, you cannot represent Father, and you certainly cannot represent the Night. You cannot represent me, either."

Reilly's figure appeared under the light, his face darkening as he questioned Arina: "Are you going to betray the interests of the family!"

Arina raised the sword in her hand and said indifferently: "In two weeks, I will challenge the family's transcendents one by one, including you."

"If you cannot even defeat me, then from now on, honestly inherit your title and stop pointing fingers at me."

A flush rose on Reilly's face, angered by Arina's words; this was a naked humiliation.

An insult to his swordsmanship, an insult to his status as heir, an insult to his ability!!!

"Two weeks from now, I shall await your challenge."

Reilly's eyes were fierce; anyone who touched his claim to the Stuart inheritance would be swept away and purged.

No one was an exception, not even his own sister.

Arina walked out of the gloomy castle, sliding her blade into its scabbard without once looking back.

Secret Sect Long Table.

Floating before Arthur were characters composed of mist, describing information regarding the "Golden Palm Leaf."

Golden Palm Leaf: A specialty of the Mist Sea, a rare mutated palm variety, rich in massive amounts of life energy.

An transcendent material of the Earth Path, the primary material for Sequence 8: [Planter], with the "Golden Potato" as a possible substitute.

A palm leaf rich in vitality, one of the primary materials for the Earth Path, with a replaceable transcendent material.

Arthur stroked the Golden Palm Leaf; the name of the Sequence 8 of the Earth Path was somewhat abstract, yet it fit the characteristics of the Age of Great Navigation.

He closed his eyes, the "Moth Principle" emerging in his mind, and opened [Research] to place the Golden Palm Leaf inside, then added "Fascination."

"Fascination" + "Golden Palm Leaf" = ?

Countdown: 24 hours.

Under Arthur's deliberate guidance, the final form of the Golden Palm Leaf would become a piece of contraband.

The template for this contraband was the "Winged Doll" from the simulator.

[He descended upon White Sand Island.]

Arthur brandished his Mantis Blade, wantonly hacking at the stem of the Golden Palm Leaf, tearing through the fiber structure at the base.

It was rare to have a path to obtain transcendent materials; how could he let such a great opportunity slip by?

"La la la~ la la la~"

"I am a happy lumberjack~"

Standing high and looking far, Arthur cut the Golden Palm Leaf while searching for Twin Coconuts.

The Golden Palm Leaf was just a lucky find picked up along the way; the Twin Coconuts were the primary material he needed most.

Gazing at the environment in the distance, he suddenly saw a Big Gray Duck appear, landing on the beach nearby with a small white fish in its beak.

Danger is approaching!

Arthur severed the second Golden Palm Leaf and immediately ducked into the center of the palm tree to evade the Big Gray Duck's attack.

Returning to reality, he sat up from his bed, walked out of the captain's quarters, and asked, "Have any pirates contacted us?"

Kaia hurried over and whispered, "Captain Rosen of the Giant Catfish Pirate Crew has already agreed to meet on the open sea; he will send someone to contact us soon."

"There are two other pirate ships contacting us to discuss a meeting location."

Arthur nodded and said, "Reply to them that the meeting point will be on the sea. To ensure our safety, we will finalize it only once they have arrived."

Tuna Pirate Crew.

Captain Harlin was savoring freshly caught tuna sashimi, his Edge slicing through the crimson fish meat before he sprinkled a pinch of spice over it.

The fish melted the moment it touched his tongue, the combined aroma of fat and spices blooming in his mouth.

"The Great White Shark Pirate Group is requesting a gathering, but did they say what it's about?"

"They didn't specify the content, but it involves Rhine Island. He is contacting pirates on a massive scale."

"What about news from Rhine Island?"

"Rhine Island suffered a theft, losing a large amount of gold coins and a piece of contraband. We have reason to suspect that the thieves may still be lingering on Blue Bay Island or Rhine Island. The Rhine Island fleet is patrolling rampantly; that significant sum of gold definitely hasn't been shipped out yet."

Captain Harlin finished the tuna sashimi, exhaled a long breath, and said:

"Send a small boat to contact the Great White Shark Pirate Group. This Captain will go join the fun and see if there's an opportunity to rake in a profit."

The coastal winds were rising, and the situation was shifting in treacherous, unpredictable ways.

October 22nd, after eating a dinner of hard, unpalatable biscuit mush.

Arthur arrived at the Secret Sect Long Table, preparing for the third Society of Hours.