The Divine Favor That Devoured Souls

A resentful bone dragon crouched on the mast of the White Triangle, its eyes burning with sharp blue soul fire as it watched the orcs and pirate prisoners below moving supplies with hostility.

But this was just a bluff. The bone dragon was essentially a sculpture, with two ambient lights that Su Ming had summoned from Earth embedded in its eye sockets. Three green spotlights were also placed on the watchtower under the mast, illuminating its shadow from below and making it look even more sinister.

The effect was excellent; both orcs and pirate prisoners worked in fear, unable to muster the slightest thought of resistance, even though there were many elite warriors among them.

Zijin herself was still in her Ailisha form, and was in the cabin treating Su Ming's injuries with some headache.

By the standards of this other world, Beianqi was actually more seriously injured. But her injuries were on a mental level, so a Calming Spell would suffice, and she could simply lie there and rest; it wouldn't worsen.

Of course, there's no cure; it's simply beyond the scholar's capabilities.

Su Ming only had external injuries, but Zijin was still inexperienced. She called Russell in and compared him to its skeleton.

She managed to reset Su Ming's broken shoulder and foot bones. The latter was in excruciating pain, waking up several times. In the end, he had no strength left and looked at her in terror like a pitiful little lamb.

Zijin kept apologizing, and the next moment Wen poured an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide onto the wound.

Red blood, bubbling and mixed with bone fragments, gushed from the wound. Su Ming's eyes rolled back. Even after all this time, she still hadn't forgotten about revenge!

Is this what they mean by "fortune's wheel turning"?

Finally, it was over. Zijin bandaged the wound and then cast a water-based Healing Spell. Su Ming had endured the torture, and with a sigh of relief, he fell into a deep sleep.

The girl covered Su Ming with a blanket, wiped the sweat from his forehead and hair with a dry towel, and then went to the deck.

Under the watchful gaze of the bone dragon, the pirates worked with great effort, and they had already dragged Yexiya's body out of the sea. Zijin went over to check and found that the body was in relatively good condition, except that eight of the ten fingers were broken, which was somewhat unsightly.

Removing her armor reveals unsightly scars all over her body, especially a piece missing from her abdomen, which has been filled with alchemical tissue but has not yet healed.

Even scholars felt a pang of sympathy for the woman before them. Judging from her condition, she might have just come off the operating table not long ago.

The Saint Remains Scale Armor is severely damaged, but it can be repaired; many of Yexiya's expensive magical items are still intact, and this time there are more good things than last time.

Zijin pulled a string of magic crystal beads from her waist and discovered that all of the dozen or so crystals were engraved with the highest -High Rank detoxification formula.

It seems that the painkiller Su Ming gave her last time left a very deep impression on her.

What also impressed Yexiya was the anti-material sniper rifle; she clearly didn't understand how she could be hit from such a distance. This time, Ice Beauty's equipment was heavily focused on physical defense, with less magical defense than before, which was one of the reasons why Zijin was able to achieve a one-hit kill.

Zijin carefully collected the useful items one by one until only the body itself remained.

She was already quite experienced in dealing with the bodies of Saint Rank powerhouses, but there was one thing she needed to do first. She looked up at the sky, where a soul filled with hatred comparable to a vengeful spirit was glaring at her venomously.

"Hello, do you have any last words?" Zijin greeted him with a smile.

In this world, killing is only the first step; the subsequent cleanup is equally crucial. Especially the soul, the High Rank of spiritual power, the stronger it is. It is essential to eradicate the threat completely and prevent future troubles.

"No last words?" Zijin assessed the situation and felt that she couldn't turn the other party into a ghost. Firstly, she was not proficient in this art, and secondly, the spiritual strength of Saint Rank Demon Swordsman was too high, and rashly using it could easily result in a backlash.

"You've come?" Zijin asked.

Saenieka, standing beside him, shook his head frantically. How could a barely Intermediate Rank necromancer like him possibly be qualified to touch such a thing?

Zijin felt a pang of regret; she had been thinking of using Saenieka to weaken Yexiya's soul. Based on the little mage's feedback before his death...

Determine if there is an opportunity.

"Alright then, answer me a simple question, and I'll make things easier for you during the ritual." The scholar negotiated with Yexiya's soul, "I want to know the meaning of those characters on the sea monster."

The Zijin manifested as Divine Favor Scepter, gathering white, lightning-like radiance, marking the beginning of the "Soul Punishment" spell.

"That's language, just ordinary numbers," Yexiya's spirit replied.

"Oh? Could you be more specific?" Zijin continued, but Yexiya's soul refused to speak again. Even when she whipped it with the Soul Punishment, it remained silent.

"Alright, I'll keep my word and perform the ritual to guide you to the afterlife!" The former saintess gave up the torture. She took the temple textbook from the skeleton servant and began to read. It wasn't that she didn't remember the incantation; it was the "Holy Rebirth," a technique specifically for guiding Saint Rank souls to the afterlife, which even their teacher had never actually used.

There are only so many Saint Rank experts in the entire world, how many of them can actually get a chance to practice?

Having memorized the incantation, Zijin raised the Divine Favor Scepter, and pure light gathered upon it. The girl's entire body radiated light, and pure white wings unfurled behind her, vaguely revealing the phantom of an angel.

"As expected of the highest -High Rank spell of the temple, this aura is truly deceptive!" The former saintess muttered to herself, but her expression remained exceptionally solemn and dignified, the training she received at the nunnery still lingering.

Without making a sound, Zijin ordered her skeleton servants to turn off the bluish-green ambient light shining on the bone dragon above.

Under the cold night sky, a warm atmosphere of compassion immediately enveloped everyone, as if the Dawn had broken. The prisoners kowtowed and knelt in worship, many reciting prayers and shedding tears of remorse.

I just don't know how much of it is genuine.

She raised her hand, feathers fluttered, and a vast hymn resounded. White light of redemption spread from the scepter, encircling Yexiya's soul.

The latter quietly accepted her fate and closed her eyes. Ice Beauty's soul began to gradually fade and dissipate, drifting into the night sky on the wind.

Just as Zijin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the beautiful scene suddenly froze. The originally soft white light abruptly solidified, and abruptly transformed into a ferocious, gaping maw!

Yexiya's soul didn't even have time to utter a scream before it was swallowed whole!

Zijin was completely caught off guard!

After consuming Yexiya's soul, the white light leisurely retreated back into the Divine Favor Scepter, leaving behind only the pitch-black night.

No, what happened to God's love for the world?!

Zijin's usually calm expression completely crumbled as she stared in disbelief at the scepter in her hand.

On the deck, the prisoners were stunned by the sudden turn of events, and a deathly silence fell over them.

Devouring souls is a purely demonic act, and if it were to be revealed, it would be no wonder that the entire world condemns it.

Scholars began to assess whether the prisoners would believe them if they explained that she hadn't done it.

Or should we simply tell them that the Divine Favor Scepter made itself?

Forget it, no one will believe that now.

With the Bone Staff of the End in her hand, Zijin made her decision.

****

When Su Ming woke up, he found himself tied to the bed with strips of cloth.

Although it wasn't a tight knot, Su Ming's left shoulder was in great pain and he couldn't move it. He had to ask his skeleton servant for help to free it.

The ship was rocking violently, and the sea outside the porthole was rough with high winds and rough waves. The predicted storm had finally arrived, and it seemed that even the anti-roll devices could not counteract it.

Su Ming found Zijin in the cockpit. The girl was in a flurry of activity, with nautical books and equipment manuals scattered everywhere.

After walking only a few steps, Su Ming's shoulder pain worsened. Zijin cast Healing Spell and Soothing Spell on him, which relieved the pain somewhat.

Is bone healing very troublesome?

"I'm sorry, there are specialized Bone Healing Spell, but my experience in performing them is too poor," Zijin said apologetically. "Besides, shoulder and foot bones are too complex. This was my first time dealing with such oddly shaped bones, and I'm sorry to have made you suffer."

Considering her terrible spatial reasoning, it's truly admirable. However, given how many battles Zijin's been through, she should theoretically have plenty of experience treating injuries.

"You rarely fight in Human Form?" Su Ming guessed.

"When I used Ailisha form, I was mostly studying at the temple monastery. I only fought with Katharine, and the fights weren't very intense." The girl recalled her past experiences. "Well, there were too many healers at the temple. Every time there was a fight, a bunch of girls from the healing classes would rush over to watch. If you were seriously injured, they'd swarm you and heal you in a flurry. The slower ones wouldn't even have time to cast their water spells. As for precious opportunities like breaking bones—" Her face suddenly paled, clearly remembering a terrible memory, "Katharine and I later made a pact never to break each other's bones again!"

"Hey, you two are such a troublemaker, weren't you punished?"

"Katharine has royal connections," the girl explained. "As for me, because she always pulls my hair, I created a brand new and highly effective Hair Regeneration Spell. Half of the teachers at the academy need my help, so every punishment is just for show."

Just how often do you two fight over hair?! Su Ming thought to himself. And how many of these priests in the temple have bald patches too?!

Zijin stretched out her hand, making a claw shape, and imbued it with a faint Magic Power. "Creation spells are very useful. For example, my Claw Spell, which is based on the attack methods of dragons, is difficult to heal after scratching someone's face, keeping Katharine unable to leave the house for ten days to half a month. She failed to go on any dates and couldn't attend a single ball!"

Excellent! Su Ming felt that it was perfectly understandable for Katharine, eight months pregnant, to lead five fleets to besiege them.

"Aren't you injured in your Dragon Form?" he asked.

"Dragon Form bodies are robust and have strong self-healing abilities. Besides, back then I was in academia, and scholars were all very reasonable!" Zijin replied. "They didn't resist much when they were covered with sacks; most of them were quite cooperative."

I remembered that she was secretly called "Belladonna," and indeed, she never got the nickname wrong.

"All my most brutal battles were after I transformed into a bone dragon—so I'm quite strong at the ' Death Coil ' spell. If you become a lich, you'll be able to enjoy top-notch medical care!" Zijin told Su Ming the good side.

"I would be very grateful!"

At the very bottom of Beianqi's medical kit, Zijin found a carefully folded and wrapped roll of alchemical bandage. Although it showed signs of use, the healing runes engraved on it were still powerful.

While the two were talking, she kept wrapping Su Ming's hair around, but unfortunately her technique was as bad as ever. In the end, she simply wrapped the whole thing around and tied a knot that couldn't be tied.

A gentle force begins to operate, seeping from the wound into the skeleton, slowly healing the pain.

"These bandages are good, they don't hurt as much anymore!" Su Ming felt much better. He adjusted the position of the rune bandages to make them smoother. "What about Beianqi? I just saw her still unconscious."

"She withstood Yexiya's dying mental attack, which is quite troublesome. I contacted the Mist Veil, and her sister is already speeding to join her."

"Is her sister a therapist?" Su Ming recalled that Beianqi had once said she would introduce her sister to him.

"I don't know, but her sister replied that she has a way."

"That's good."

Su Ming then began to check the equipment's operating status and discovered that the White Triangle's speed was only 12 knots.

"If it goes even a little faster, it rocks violently back and forth," Zijin explained to him, "Like a chick pecking at rice—I've been trying to figure out why for ages."

How could a ship he trained so well be rocking?

Su Ming quickly checked the navigation log, his eye twitching. He swiftly corrected the course, tilting the bow towards the direction of the waves.

Then, as the speed was increased, the pitching quickly subsided. As the speed increased, the anti-roll fins took effect, and the sides became much more stable.

"Huh, what's going on!" Zijin was very puzzled by what she saw.

"It's a harmonic sway," Su Ming explained simply. "The White Triangle's left-right swaying has a fixed frequency, approximately a 7-second cycle. If the intervals between the lateral waves are also exactly 7 seconds, then the ship's swaying will continuously accumulate!"

The cumulative amplitude of this vibration is extremely terrifying; in severe cases, even the ship could not be saved. No wonder Zijin tied Su Ming to the bed with strips of cloth, because otherwise he would have been thrown away long ago!

"I have heard about it, but aren't I sailing right against the waves?" Zijin asked doubtfully.

"The same concept applies to the forward and backward directions, in addition to the lateral direction. This ship's longitudinal frequency is about 5 seconds; you're moving forward against the waves..."

Not only did we experience the largest wave drop, but when the speed increased, the interval between waves was exactly 5 seconds.

Zijin suddenly realized, "I knew it wouldn't work no matter how I adjusted it—but the nautical textbook doesn't mention anything like this!" she argued.

Su Ming had figured out the reason. "The sailboats in your world simply don't reach speeds where longitudinal pitch needs to be considered," Su Ming said to her. "Besides, in these sea conditions, people are too busy trying to avoid danger to even think about sailing."

Except for the White Triangle.

"Too."

"However, you do know about the dangerous and navigable semicircles of a hurricane, right?" Su Ming continued.

"I know, the dangerous semicircle is much rougher, while the navigable semicircle is much better. We're currently in the navigable semicircle on the left side of the storm!" the scholar replied, having done her research on this matter.

"But the navigation area is on the right!" Su Ming covered his forehead. "Zijin, we're in the Southern Hemisphere now."

"Hey, different hemispheres, aren't they different?!" Zijin's eyes widened.

"Of course, in different hemispheres, the hurricanes rotate in opposite directions!" Su Ming had already marked the scholar's geographical knowledge in orange, and he would definitely have to pay more attention to it in the future.

"If something like this happens again, just wake me up," he added. It's only because the Triangle survived that it held up; any other ship would have sunk long ago.

"I tried, but you didn't wake up," Zijin said. "Okay." After all, even Xie Yao couldn't wake him. Su Ming looked at the girl and realized that she hadn't slept all night. "You should go and get some rest!"

"Hmm." Zijin nodded, then suddenly remembered something, "There's something—"

"I've noticed there are many, many more bodies on the ship. Don't rush to talk about it; I'll prepare dinner and call you in eight hours, then we can discuss the follow-up."

"Okay, good morning!" Zijin waved to Su Ming and walked towards the cabin.

"Good night!"