Though humans fancied themselves the spirit of all things, they still could not escape nature's selection and elimination.
Nature was both gentle and cruel. It had long woven an merciless net, eliminating those creations that did not qualify.
Ai Miye was undoubtedly special, so her chances of survival had been infinitely magnified. She had happened to evade nature's elimination and become a survivor of House Town.
Because she survived, she was able to meet Hawkins.
This was no coincidence, but something that was meant to be, like Halley's Comet passing Earth once every seventy-six years—seemingly accidental, yet inevitable.
Ai Miye's heart ached terribly at that moment. How she wished Hawkins were a good person.
But Hawkins harbored ulterior motives!
Though she did not know what Hawkins wanted to say, she was already on the verge of collapse, and her whole world had turned black.
She was not worried about herself. Even if she had misplaced her trust in Hawkins, at worst she would die. But she had let down the other children. She was the one who had decided to trust Hawkins, so she could not forgive herself.
All coincidences were, in truth, inevitable.
Why had Ai Miye been able to encounter Hawkins?
Because Ai Miye possessed an extraordinarily special intuition, allowing her to evade Jabus's assassination attempt.
And why did Ai Miye possess such a miraculous ability?
Where there was a cause, there was bound to be an effect.
Ai Miye's ancestor had not been an ordinary person, but a powerful Curse Caster.
Though most curses could not be inherited, some abilities could be passed down to the next generation.
For instance, if a Curse Caster became a Werewolf because of a curse, then his descendants would very likely inherit some of the Werewolf's traits. Their bodies might be stronger, their sense of smell sharper, or they might even possess the ability to transform into Werewolves.
This inheritance might initially carry a curse with it, but as the descendants multiplied, it would gradually fade and even disappear. That was why neither Hawkins nor Mark had sensed the aura of a curse from Ai Miye.
With Hawkins's hearing, he naturally knew about the whispered conversation between Ai Miye and Arthur. So, he had planned to have a frank and open talk with all the children after they finished eating.
But he had clearly underestimated the special power in Ai Miye's bloodline. Just as he was about to state what he wished to discuss, Ai Miye covered her ears and let out a piercing scream.
If mental fluctuations could have been measured, then at that moment, hers would have reached their peak.
Black energy radiated from her body and formed a sphere, frightening the surrounding children into retreating one after another. Arthur tried to step forward, but Mark subdued him in an instant.
Hawkins had not anticipated this situation at all. He had only wanted to give Ai Miye a surprise.
No sooner said than done.
Just as Ai Miye was about to vanish completely, he decisively reached out and grabbed her arm. Then he felt an enormous pulling force.
In an instant, the black sphere of energy twisted and vanished. Ai Miye and Hawkins vanished along with it.
Qiao Si immediately drew his greatsword. He glared at Arthur and the others, asking coldly, "What did you do to the captain?"
"Wait, don't panic. These children should be innocent. The captain will be fine, I guarantee it." Mark hurriedly stepped in front of Arthur, extending both hands as he tried to calm Qiao Si.
What had just happened was clearly an accident, and he believed Hawkins would be all right.
Qiao Si stared at Mark, then sheathed his greatsword behind his back. "I hope your judgment is not wrong," he said coldly.
"Don't worry, it definitely won't be wrong. I have never seen anyone stronger or more terrifying than the captain. You should trust the captain's strength!" Mark said with a sigh of relief and a smile.
Arthur and the others looked panic-stricken, having completely lost their composure.
Ai Miye had clearly erupted with astonishing power just now, something beyond anything they could imagine.
The companion they had once known so well had suddenly become unfamiliar in their hearts.
Darkness, ill omen, suffocation.
Hawkins felt as though his entire body were about to be crushed flat.
He held Ai Miye tightly, shielding her in his arms, while constantly wrapping himself in Curse Power to weaken the oppressive sensation around them.
This space was extremely strange. He could not even open his eyes and could only use his hair to probe the surroundings. But the result was that his hair was quickly severed by some unknown force.
There was neither a sensation of falling nor rising. Instead, it felt somewhat like being inside an eggshell. The problem was that he knew he should be moving, and the severed hair was the best proof of that, so he did not recklessly court death.
He did not know how much time had passed. Perhaps a second, perhaps a year.
Suddenly, Hawkins felt himself falling, and the strange pressure vanished as well. He immediately opened his eyes, swiftly adjusted his body, and landed lightly on the ground.
"Waaah, let go of me! Let go of me!" Ai Miye's crying finally came through normally.
Ai Miye had actually been crying the whole time. Hawkins could feel her body trembling, but he had been unable to hear her voice.
"All right, stop crying. What exactly is going on?"
Hawkins released Ai Miye and asked as he observed their surroundings.
The space they were in was extremely strange and gloomy. It seemed to be a circular stone platform, with only a stone path on their right leading straight into deep darkness. He did not know what lay there, but it was the only path.
Ai Miye wiped away her tears. She looked around, then lowered her head without speaking.
"You don't know either?" Hawkins was observant enough to immediately understand what Ai Miye's actions meant, and he asked in surprise.
"All right, it is not all that strange, actually. But we need to find a way out of here." Hawkins gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"You don't need to pretend to be a good person here. I know what you are thinking," Ai Miye said stubbornly.
"What am I thinking? If you guess right, then I'll... Well, I don't know what you want." Hawkins asked with a smile, then realized that he did not know Ai Miye's preferences.
Ai Miye looked at Hawkins, fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Were you planning to sell us to those nobles?"
"Silly child, can't you think it through? Do you think an adult as powerful as me needs to make money by selling children?" Hawkins asked, amused.
Ai Miye could not be blamed for this.
Hawkins understood very well why Ai Miye would think this way. First, she had received very little education, and almost all her knowledge came from life experience. Second, this world was indeed cruel, and truly good people were few.
Most people here had very shallow moral principles. Harming others for one's own benefit would not be condemned; it was even seen as the mark of a clever person.
In such an environment, it was perfectly normal for Ai Miye's thoughts to easily go down a blind alley.
Hawkins rubbed Ai Miye's head and smiled. "All right, let's find the way back first. Otherwise, the others will probably worry."
"You really aren't going to sell us to nobles?" Ai Miye asked again.
"Can I choose not to be a sailor?" Having believed Hawkins's words, Ai Miye asked hesitantly.
Hawkins nodded. "Of course. Then how about becoming a cook?"
"What do you want to do, then?" Hawkins asked curiously.
"I don't know," Ai Miye answered with her head lowered.
Hawkins said helplessly, "All right, then you can be an apprentice for now. Once you figure out what you want to do, we can change your profession."
"Why are you so good to us? If you only wanted to find sailors, I know..." Ai Miye had meant that there were many experienced sailors at the House Tavern, but then she remembered that everyone in House Town was already dead.
But immediately afterward, she began to worry again. Perhaps Hawkins could not find adults to be sailors, so he had chosen children like them. Once they reached the next place and found adults, he would no longer want them.
Seeing her suddenly worried expression, Hawkins asked curiously, "My little apprentice, what is the problem now?"
"When you find adults, will you drive us off the ship?" Ai Miye asked with some concern.
Hawkins asked in confusion, "Why would I drive you off the ship?"
"Because we definitely aren't as strong as adults, and we can't do things as well as they can," Ai Miye said, somewhat unwillingly.
Hawkins could not help laughing. "But I do not intend to find adults to be my sailors. They eat more, and their Mind's Eyes are especially rotten."
"Then can we stay on your ship forever?" Ai Miye asked, her eyes sparkling.
Hawkins nodded. "Of course, unless you want to leave the ship."
"That's wonderful! Arthur will definitely be overjoyed, and Tom, Jason, Stallone, Schwarzenegger—they will definitely become good sailors," Ai Miye said happily.
Hawkins could not help laughing. "Mm. I can tell just from their names that they will definitely be good sailors. But first, we must leave this place."
"Mm."
Ai Miye glanced fearfully around her, then nodded in agreement.
Unfortunately, she truly did not know where this place was. She could not even figure out why she had sent both herself and Hawkins here.
Hawkins looked toward the only path, held out his hand, and smiled. "Come, my little apprentice. Hold my hand, and be careful not to get lost."
"I won't get lost," Ai Miye retorted, but she still obediently took Hawkins's hand.
Next, the two cautiously proceeded along the only path. Hawkins had intended to use extended Curse Power to scout ahead, but discovered that Curse Power could not leave the body at all here.
There was something strange about this place!
Though Hawkins had confidence in himself, he was now bringing a child along. For safety's sake, he summoned the Eternal Sea Chart from within his body, holding Ai Miye's hand with one hand and the Eternal Sea Chart with the other.
After walking for about ten minutes, they saw a corpse ahead of them.
Neither Hawkins nor Ai Miye found it unusual. They merely slowed their pace and carefully walked over.
This corpse was very strange. It looked as though it had just died, yet both its clothing and the feeling it gave Hawkins were extremely ancient, as if time had been frozen upon it.
Suddenly, a small red bead floated out from between the corpse's brows. Before Hawkins or Ai Miye could react, the bead shot into Ai Miye's forehead. Her body immediately arched backward, and then she fell unconscious.