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The boy's voice drifted over from afar.
At some point, he had landed lightly on the deck of a ship moored by the shore, his figure blending into the shadows along the rail.
Inside the cabin, someone glanced at the extra pile of things on deck and frowned in disgust.
"Hey, what did you bring back all these arms for? Just looking at them makes me sick."
The wind across the deck carried a salty tang. Ulti picked up the severed arm by the wrist, leaving a narrow gap between her fingertips and its pale skin.
She frowned and was about to fling it away when a hand in a dark glove reached over and gently pressed against the crook of her elbow.
"Don't throw it away."
The boy's voice sounded slightly muffled behind his mask.
He adjusted his hat brim with his other hand, his white-and-green horns casting short shadows in the sunlight. "If they make something of themselves down the road,"
he said, "they should at least have a chance... to get these reattached."
Ulti snorted, but in the end, she did not let go.
She glanced at the top of her younger brother's head-the hair there was pitifully sparse, all thanks to her tormenting him over the years.
She pursed her lips and put the severed arm into the tin box beside her. It struck the bottom with a dull thud.
"We've confirmed the location."
The woman holding the nautical chart turned, a few strands of her green hair lifting in the sea breeze.
Her gaze swept over the people on deck before settling on the figure standing with his arms folded by the rail. "If we head over now, we can make it."
Luo did not turn around. He merely gave a faint nod.
Ulti