Cursed Relic

At sea, dealing with corpses was simple.

One body after another dropped from the Black Knife like dumplings into a pot. One of the marines tossed the corpse in his hands into the sea, then looked up at the sky.

"Looks like the storm is about to pass."

Hawkins's consciousness was projected into the marine's mind, creating an effect similar to having a duplicate body.

However, this was not possession. He was merely controlling the marine's body remotely. The marine's own consciousness still existed, but it had been completely occupied by the Mind Virus, allowing him to take over the body at any time.

He looked toward the Glory. Jordas's corpse had not been moved, and even in death, he still gripped the curved blade tightly in his hand.

"That sword must be hiding a secret. I have to get it!"

Hawkins controlled the marine and jumped straight from the bow onto the chain. He did not even need a safety rope as he made his way directly toward the Glory.

The storm was no longer as fierce as before, but the smell of blood had drawn plenty of sharks. Quite a few were circling through the waters below.

"Help! Save me!"

Not far away, Jon was soaking in the seawater, waving both hands as he shouted.

Neither Jon nor the boatswain had managed to climb aboard the Black Knife in the end. They had been swept into the sea by the huge waves. Compared to the boatswain, who had been dragged beneath the ship by an undercurrent, Jon had been slightly luckier. He had merely been swept to a spot not far from the two ships.

As a pirate, he was a decent swimmer and had forced himself to swim back. What he had not expected was that Hawkins throwing the corpses into the sea would attract a whole pack of sharks.

Those sharks circled near the Black Knife, and he did not dare approach at all.

Now he felt exhausted, hungry, and freezing. If he did not get aboard and eat something hot soon, he feared he would quickly run out of strength and sink to the bottom of the sea.

Hawkins controlled the marine's body, turned to glance at Jon, then quickened his pace. Once he climbed onto the Glory's stern, he immediately picked up a thick rope from the ground, tied a running noose in it, and threw it near Jon. He shouted, "Grab the rope! I'll pull you up!"

Jon hurriedly swam over and grabbed the rope. Hawkins then pulled him to the side of the Glory, hauling him bit by bit onto the deck.

"Thank you, thank you." Jon slumped limply onto the ground, gasping as he expressed his gratitude.

Hawkins set down the rope and smiled. "No need to thank me."

He turned and walked toward Jordas's corpse. Just as he was about to pry open Jordas's hand and take the curved blade, Jon stopped him.

Hawkins asked curiously, "Why? Do you know what this sword is?"

"That's a Cursed Relic. It carries a deadly curse. Anyone who becomes its master will be tainted by the curse." Jon nodded as he explained.

Hawkins frowned. "Then why was Jordas fine?"

"I don't know. That's a noble secret." Jon shook his head.

Hawkins looked at the curved blade. In truth, he had already noticed something strange earlier.

To preserve their power, nobles had to possess sufficient military strength. Yet after James's father died in sacrifice, the compensation payment had not increased—it had actually decreased. If every marine's compensation had been reduced by ten silver coins, that would amount to no small fortune.

But this was undoubtedly touching the interests of every marine. Were the nobles not afraid that the marines would rebel?

Now, though, he knew the answer.

The nobles possessed extraordinary power far beyond ordinary people. They did not fear the betrayal of commoners at all and could even easily deal with every rebel.

The marines were not a force the nobles relied upon. They were merely their lackeys and hunting hounds.

"A relic carrying a curse? Let me see what exactly you are."

Ignoring Jon's repeated attempts to stop him, Hawkins reached out and snatched the curved blade from Jordas's hand. The next moment, he felt as though the sword had come alive.

The patterns on the curved blade transformed into a woman and pounced straight at him. In an instant, he discovered that the marine's consciousness had undergone a bizarre distortion.

Fanatical love consumed the marine's mind.

"My Bride, I love you! My heart will forever belong to you!" The marine stared obsessively at the curved blade in his hand, then used it to stab through his own heart. Even after death, a smile remained on his face, creating an incomparably eerie sight.

Seeing the marine commit suicide, Jon felt both shocked and furious. Putting on a fierce front to hide his weakness, he cursed, "Pah, you short-lived fool. I told you not to touch it, but you insisted on courting death."

Elsewhere, Hawkins shifted his consciousness into another marine's body. Looking toward the Glory's stern, he felt both astonished and wary.

That curse was invisible and traceless. There had not even been any energy reaction, yet it had inexplicably occupied the marine's consciousness and driven him to suicide.

Even more terrifyingly, the consciousness of the marine who had killed himself had been annihilated after death as well.

If he had not transferred quickly enough, this portion of his consciousness would likely have been annihilated too.

"What principle is this?"

Hawkins could not make sense of it. In the end, he simply set the matter aside for now and once again controlled a marine to climb the iron chain onto the Glory's stern.

"Jon, the captain ordered me to inventory the supplies on this ship with you. If nothing unexpected happened, everyone on the Glory should be dead," the marine said directly as he looked at Jon.

Jon had rested enough and nodded. "All right. Did the captain say anything else?"

"How did you know Jordas's curved blade was a Cursed Relic?" Hawkins asked through the marine.

Jon assumed Hawkins was watching from aboard the Black Knife, which was why he knew that he knew about Cursed Relics. So he answered, "Before I became a pirate, I served as a guard for a noble family on Ironcloth Island for a while. I heard all this from another guard. Supposedly, nobles have noble blood flowing through their veins, allowing them to resist the curses of Cursed Relics and even wield them to unleash incredible abilities."

Just now, he had told the previous marine that he did not know the reason. Yet now, he told this marine that it was because nobles possessed noble blood.

After thinking briefly, Hawkins understood. Jon had not told the previous marine the truth. Only because this marine had come to question him on Hawkins's behalf did he answer honestly.

"Blood?"

Hawkins turned back to look at Jordas's corpse.

If it really was a matter of blood, then Jordas's corpse had enormous research value.

The two entered the cabin. Once he confirmed that everyone was dead, Jon immediately relaxed. He found a bottle of Blackleaf Wine produced on Blackwood Island in the first mate's room, sat down in a chair, and began gulping it down.

Hawkins entered Jordas's room. Although this was not a room Jordas had occupied for long, it still bore traces of his life.

On the desk, many sheets of drawing paper depicted the Bride within the curved blade. There were even several love poems of varying lengths, pouring out Jordas's affection for her.

"The curse of the curved blade should make its holder fall hopelessly in love with the Bride, even to the point of dying for her. Then why had Jordas not died for love? Why could he even control the Bride?"

Hawkins put down the drawing of the Bride in his hand and looked toward the bookshelf.

The Glory was a new ship, and Jordas had only brought a few books. Hawkins examined them one by one but found no useful information.

However, on Jordas's bed, Hawkins discovered Jordas's notebook. Jordas wrote beautifully, and his notes were all about how deeply he adored the Bride.

One passage caught Hawkins's attention.

"My most beloved Bride, the Family Curse prevents me from offering you my heart, but my love for you is not the slightest bit less than anyone else's..."

Hawkins's gaze settled on the words "Family Curse."

The Family Curse could spare Jordas from suicide, but he had still been influenced by the curved blade, falling hopelessly in love with the Bride inside it.

What exactly was this so-called curse?