Lord of Mysteries: Yao Guang

"Goldfinger" Aaron Drasco?

Esther moved the fingers of her hands. If she had just taken the opportunity to ask for permission to "steal", looking at Aaron's chaotic state, it was obvious that he would not be able to refuse her and would easily let go of all his thoughts towards her.

This feeling is very similar to the excessive affinity Esther showed when she came into contact with the "monster" Admissor. This has nothing to do with pure charm, but more like some kind of forced attraction that transcends one's will.

Esther touched her forehead, feeling a little uneasy. Is it really appropriate for her to come to this ship? The captain's rank should be at least medium. If he dares to control such a pirate ship with the "alive" characteristic, he will not be lower than Alexander's "craftsman" in rank.

Esther sighed deeply and walked onto the deck.

The "Four-leaf Clover" was already sailing on the sea, because the sails were fully loaded and the sea breeze was blowing constantly.

Esther leaned against the railing of the ship's side and looked down. She could see the foam reflecting the colorful light spreading and then bursting after emerging from the sea.

With the size of this boat, sailing quickly shouldn't be so smooth. It's the foam attached to the hull that acts as a cushion.

I don’t know if Alexander and Thomas gave orders to the other crew members, but no one bothered Esther at all. Several sailors passing by on the deck stayed away from her, which made Esther happy to be at ease.

But she also began to doubt Aaron's intentions in letting her board the ship.

But Esther wasn't too worried. Her "spiritual intuition" didn't give any warning. More importantly...

Esther put her palms against the fence, closed her eyes, and could hear the faint and gentle whispers of the "Clover".

This kind of whisper did not carry any emotion or consciousness. It was similar to the buzzing sound coming from the light spots in Esther's hair, but it made Esther feel very friendly.

Is it because this ship also used the extraordinary characteristics of the "destiny" path when it was built? It is speculated that the organization behind Aaron may have the recipe for the corresponding path.

As if sensing the vague excitement in Esther's heart, the "Four-Leaf Clover" trembled slightly. It rose high and then fell along a section of the wave, creating large splashes of water.

Esther patted the railing and whispered: "Don't be so excited, listen to the captain, you know?"

A faint buzzing sound rang out from the tips of Esther's hair, and the "Clover" moved forward steadily and quickly, with the wind direction just right.

"You are really a lucky ship..."

Esther leaned against the railing with a smile, looking at the blue sea where nothing else could be seen.

Although Esther likes such a ship that connects her hearts, she doesn't have the idea of ​​taking it as her own. Just like Aaron said - "Fate will naturally give the answer." She is just happy. Choose to board the "Clover".

Although the voyage to West Balam is a bit far, at least there is a messenger to contact Klein, so there is nothing to worry about.

Just let fate take where it will.

——

An hour later, Alexander walked out of the cabin and politely invited Esther to visit Aaron's collection room.

"Have you discussed it with Captain Aaron?" Esther asked with a smile.

"Yes, Aaron's current state is not suitable for decision-making, so the temporary decision-making authority is the first mate, Mr. Thomas you have met before."

Alexander has nothing to cover up, he has nothing to hide. Even if Esther behaves harmlessly, she is still a mid-level "thief". Lies have little meaning when communicating with her. They will only increase feelings of evil and create conflicts.

"Mr. Thomas wants us to entrust it directly, so let me choose the magical items we want to exchange first?"

Alexander made a "please" gesture with his hand: "It's really easy to communicate with you, Miss Hamel."

Esther blinked: "I hope what I'm looking at won't make Captain Aaron feel too distressed."

"Probably not. As long as you don't take the 'Clover' away, he said everything can be communicated."

"Hahaha... I can't do such a thing yet." Esther followed Alexander and walked into the cabin again.

But if it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. Being able to gain more control over a "ghost ship" than the captain would be enough to make many people change their minds.

But since there was a legitimate reason to look at the strange captain's collection, Esther would appreciate the opportunity.

When the two passed by the captain's cabin, they could hear arguments coming from inside. To be more specific, Mary was yelling at Thomas in Intis language again, but because they were separated by the door, what she said was very unclear.

Esther could only hear a few words, Mary was complaining about the "wild sea", "the route is too long" and "a waste of time".

Because Alexander had no intention of staying, Esther could only follow him as quickly as possible.

What surprised Esther was that Alexander took the initiative to talk to her about this: "Are you a little surprised? Why did Mary dare to yell and scold Thomas, who is the first mate, like this?"

"It's different from what I imagined. I thought she would respect the captain and first mate very much. Because Mary gave me the impression that she was a child with a relatively strict childhood environment. She treats you with respect and awe. "

Alexander chuckled twice: "You are really very keen. It would be great if you were my path. Maybe you would be a good student."

Esther couldn't help but smile: "Is this a compliment? Thank you."

"Mary was not like this at first. She was always timid when she was first put on the ship and was often bullied by others. Until one time she went to an extraordinary gathering with Thomas and Aaron, because at that time Aaron and Toma has not yet appeared on the official wanted list, and they are being targeted by a group of pirates with malicious intentions."

"She was saved by Mr. Thomas?" Esther couldn't help but have such an association.

Alexander shook his head, and the smile on his face gradually faded: "She was forced by Thomas to kill someone. Even if the other party had completely lost the ability to resist, Thomas asked Mary to feed them bullets, one shot at a time, and the shots were empty. took her revolver."

Esther recalled Mary's expression when she faced Thomas: "She didn't seem to be 'resentful' to Thomas. I could feel that she didn't hide her emotions in this regard, but Thomas was guilty because of that incident? "

"Yes, but not much. Mary's change of attitude is also related to my enlightenment to her afterwards. Life at sea is like this. No one can expect to live by the kindness of others. So I told her: 'Only wolves who show their fangs' , so that you won’t be treated like a dog.'"

The corners of Esther's eyes twitched. Now she felt more and more like she was walking on a pirate ship. No matter how kind and friendly she was when communicating in front of her, there were no truly simple and kind-hearted people on this ship.

Especially these extraordinary people.

Alexander stopped, and while the two were talking, they had already arrived at the door of Aaron's collection room.

Esther's eyes were clear and did not contain any emotion: "Why did you tell me this specifically?"

Alexander took out a red copper key from his arms and inserted it into the keyhole of the door handle: "I hope you won't pay too much attention to Mary. She is actually a child who is easily influenced by others."

"I won't deliberately try to change anything," Esther finally understood what Alexander meant. Perhaps Aaron detected the impact she would have on the people around her through some means, "I just came to the Clover 'I am a guest and will leave after a while. I don't want to cause any trouble to you."

"Thank you for being so considerate. Of course, I can only express this gratitude on my own behalf." Alexander pushed open the heavy iron door of the collection room and motioned for Esther to go ahead.

This room is not big, with an overall area of ​​only six square meters. There are also several cabinets with transparent glass covers. You can clearly see the layout of the entire room by turning your head.

But as soon as she stepped into the room, Esther felt some kind of oppressive and closed force, which fell heavily on her shoulders, making her quite uncomfortable.

There are actually not many things in the room. There is one thing in each of the three larger cupboards. Two cold weapons are hung on the left wall, and there is also a cupboard with a bronze chain hanging on it.

Alexander smiled politely: "Aaron has kept all the more private things in the captain's cabin. To him, this place is more of a warehouse, filled with magical items with strong negative effects. The things in the cabinet It’s more dangerous, so we’d better not take it apart and look at it.”

Esther clasped her hands behind her back and looked around the closed room curiously: "Is it that dangerous?"

"That is a skull from the Balam Empire in the Fourth Age. It can open the door to the spirit world and drive away the undead and corpses. However, if it is not sealed properly, it will continue to attract more powerful ghost ships. It is quite difficult for us to handle."

Esther nodded: "The firepower of the 'Clover' is relatively low, and it is really not suitable for artillery battles with other ships."

"So I also equipped her with a steam power system, and with Aaron's good luck, we can cope with all kinds of bad situations." Alexander clicked on the cabinet next to him, attracting Esther's eyes. " You can even use this thing to escape.”

Esther looked at the contents inside. It was a necklace, with large gemstones hanging on the left and fine crystal diamonds on the right. The backing was made of gold, showing an extremely asymmetrical aesthetic design.

She didn't like this design, but she felt inexplicably kind to this necklace, and Esther didn't understand why she felt this way.

Alexander clearly saw the heartbeat on her face: "'The Bad Omen of the Door' is an old thing from the nobles of the Fourth Age. It has a very powerful effect and can forcibly tear open the door to the spiritual world of any size. But this passage It's not stable and may disappear at any time. For example, half of your body disappears as soon as you step in, leaving half of your body outside, haha..."

Esther's heartbeat just now disappeared quickly. Every time she got too close to the spirit world, she would have an uncomfortable premonition: "Such a powerful effect, should there be corresponding negative effects?"

"Yes, as long as you touch this necklace, you will hear murmurs. Although it is a very weak sound, it makes people feel that it is just a slight auditory hallucination. As long as you listen carefully, the sound will disappear.

"But this sound will be everywhere, eating, sleeping, and traveling. Once you take your attention away, it will reappear. Even if you take off the necklace, it will continue to exist for a week. It can easily make people enter a state of mental weakness, or even Develop strong self-destructive tendencies.

"If it is a night with a full moon, the gibbering will break out more violently, causing the wearer to collapse and die. Of course, if there is interference from a high enough level of power, such gibbering can be avoided. For example, you seem to have the corresponding means. , this thing should be very practical for you."

Esther shook her head and walked around the room. After looking at the black and red hammers and the strangely patterned pots in the other two cupboards, she turned her attention to the two weapons hanging on the wall.

Alexander did not take out anything. He was obviously wary of the negative effects of these magical items. When he saw Esther's eyes moving to the wall, he pointed at the iron-black pitchfork among them:

"'Angry Fork', whose origin is unknown. The holder can grow demon wings made of flames, fly at low altitudes, and gain the power to control the cursed black flames. The black flames can form fireballs that can deform steel, and It has the effect of sticking to the surface and continuing to burn.

"It can greatly enhance the user's perception of crisis and effectively interfere with other people's divination. However, it will also make the carrier gradually become bloodthirsty, and all desires will be excessively enhanced. Note that any negative desire will may be amplified.

"It was because of this that its last owner destroyed his village after a small quarrel with his neighbors. We went to the island to seek supplies on the way of the 'Clover' , I was very unlucky to encounter this incident, and it took a lot of effort to suppress the ordinary person who had turned into a demon."

Esther was very interested in the ability to "fly", but the negative effects of this item brought back some uncomfortable memories for her, which made Esther very resistant.

So she turned her attention to the last thing:

This is a thin sword without any traces of artificial forging, but apart from its sword-like appearance, it is closer to a smooth pure white bone spur with uneven notches on the short side.

Esther observed carefully for a moment and recognized that it was a giant language: "The dead?"

"I didn't expect that you also know something about the niche occult language." Alexander rushed to the white bone sword on the wall and spread his palms. "It has a very ancient history. We found it in a bay in East Balam. , the local people retain the tradition of secret sacrifice.”

Esther had heard a little bit about the rather primitive beliefs of the Southern Continent: "Living sacrifice?"

Alexander nodded: "Anyone who enters the bay from the outside world will be regarded as an alien by the locals. They will be sent to the underground altar of the inverted pyramid, and then use this bone sword to penetrate the skull an inch from top to bottom. If after the sun rises and sets, this person will If you are still alive, you will be accepted by the local people.”

Esther felt the cold whisper coming from the bone spur and frowned: "Even if you survive, there will be changes, right?"

"Yes, around the inverted pyramid-shaped altar, there are many skeletons wearing foreign clothes. At sunrise and sunset every day, they will get up and pray in the direction of the altar. There are punctures at similar positions on the top of their skulls. Mouth, their souls and lives were sucked out of them, and they became undead souls who were forever numb and blindly obedient."