513 Worry
513 Worry

Gozia’s gaze instantly turned fervent upon hearing Philip’s response, her admiration evident.

Have they escaped? Lumian’s lips twitched. The Black Octopus’s abrupt change of course and sudden dive left him speechless.

The maneuver caught him off guard, leaving him frozen for a critical moment.

This incredible underwater ship, commanded by a great pirate with a massive bounty, simply turned tail and fled without even firing a single cannon?

How could one be a pirate with such puny guts?

Bone Splitter Basil? With a bounty of 250,000 verl d’or and a fearsome reputation? Don’t even think about showing your face on the high seas again!

Lumian cursed under his breath, then frowned thoughtfully. Why had Bone Splitter Basil fled without revealing himself?

I could understand if it was the Blood Emperor’s aura I activated that made you run so fast, but why now?

It couldn’t be that he targeted the wrong ship, did he? The Flying Bird isn’t the merchant vessel he wanted to plunder, so he was rushing to corner his real prey?

Did he somehow sense that hijacking this ship would lead to disaster?

If he truly possessed the power of divination or prophecy, they would have known not to come. He wouldn’t have had to embarrass himself in front of the crew and passengers, only to turn back and drift aimlessly…

Danger Premonition? A Hunter’s danger intuition wouldn’t react so strongly until it’s face-to-face with the threat…

Then it hit him. A Sequence that had him wary for months: Sequence 6 Devil of the Criminal pathway!

Beyonders at this Sequence possessed a unique ability called “Malicious Perception.”

If someone within their range intended to cause them lethal harm and acted on it within a specific timeframe, they could sense the source of the danger and identify their attacker.

Bone Splitter Basil… a Devil? His title and reputation certainly fit…

I had just formulated a hunting plan for him, intending to “teleport” over after confirming the situation. Did he sense my malice and confirm the extent of the danger before swiftly deciding to escape?

Hey, you’re a Devil. Are you running away without a fight? I’m not even confident in defeating a Devil. Besides, you’re on your alchemical boat with a large number of subordinates around you. You probably don’t lack mystical items. Do you have to be so cowardly?

The plan I envisioned had a high success rate, so much so that Basil’s ability to sense danger exceeded his endurance. Therefore, he didn’t take the risk and chose the most effective and safest response—escape? The more Lumian pondered, the more he felt that this guess was close to the truth.

This amused him as well.

To be honest, his plan was quite idealistic. He didn’t consider the Bone Splitter Sequence or the abilities of the surrounding pirates, nor did he consider how to use the Bottle of Fiction to single out Basil for a one-on-one battle. All of this depended on his subsequent observations of the Black Octopus

Hunters might not be the ones who charged forward to fight from the beginning. They might even be the last to appear and be responsible for harvesting.

But did such a simple plan and malice scare away a Devil in advance?

Lumian suspected that Basil might not be able to sense the specific plan. It was only because he had the Angel of Inevitability, the Blood Emperor’s aura, Mr. Fool’s seal, and 0-01’s mild corruption, regardless of whether they were powerful or not, that they combined with a feasible plan and clear malice. It strongly agitated the Bone Splitter, making him feel that the impending danger was beyond his ability to handle. Hence, the scene just now.

Are all Devils so timid? Lumian cursed silently and left the deck in disappointment, returning to Room 5 of the first-class cabin.

At that moment, the exclusive attendant had arrived with lunch. Ludwig focused on the delicacies, while Lugano lingered by the window, his face filled with excitement.

Upon seeing Lumian’s return, the Doctor exclaimed excitedly, “Just now, a great pirate appeared—Bone Splitter Basil, Admiral Deep Sea Howl Constantine’s most formidable captain. He even operates the Black Octopus. H-have you heard of the Black Octopus? It’s a mystical ship that can dive to the seabed!”

“I heard it from someone at the bar last night,” Lumian replied honestly.

Prior to this, he didn’t know much about Admiral Deep Sea and his pirate crew. All he knew was that there was such a pirate admiral. After all, Howl Constantine was quite mysterious and rarely appeared in newspapers and magazines that recorded sea stories. His only appearance in The Adventurer series was his title and name, giving him a background without any plot lines.

Lugano didn’t hide his emotions.

“I witnessed the mystical pirate ship with my own eyes. It truly surfaced from the seabed and can bloom like a flower!

“I thought we’d clash with the Bone Splitter and use your teleportation abilities to escape. To my surprise, Black Octopus chose to leave after observing for just over ten seconds.”

Over ten seconds? Aren’t you looking down on Bone Splitters? It was a few seconds! Lumian retorted inwardly.

Lugano continued, “When I chatted with a few sailors this morning, they told me that the Flying Bird’s security supervisor is a formidable retired officer who knows many great pirates. I thought they were boasting, but from the looks of it, that security supervisor isn’t simple. It’s really possible that he has ties to many great pirates. That’s why Bone Splitter Basil didn’t plunder the Flying Bird!”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Lumian echoed.
Rip… Ludwig tore off the oily skin and meat from a duck leg.

Lumian glanced at the boy, who was engrossed in his food, and suddenly had a new idea.

Could the malice and danger that Bone Splitter Basil sensed be more than one? Could it not be solely from me?

Ludwig might have swallowed hard upon hearing the word “bone dismantling”…

However, even though this walking bottomless stomach when compared to me appears high-ranking, he lacks the corresponding abilities…

…

To celebrate the fact that the Flying Bird hadn’t been plundered by the Black Octopus, the captain hosted a party on the deck in the evening, featuring clowns, magicians, and beast tamers. He treated everyone to three glasses of beer.

Late at night, the third-class bar bustled with activity. Philip became the center of attention, surrounded by nearly all the patrons. They took turns praising him and treating him to drinks.

They were all grateful to the security supervisor for using his friendship with Bone Splitter Basil to persuade the great pirate to leave and prevent the passengers of the Flying Bird from suffering.

Lumian, seated at the bar counter and engaged in conversation with bartender Francesco, savored the Lanti Proof. His gaze casually swept across Philip’s face, and he noticed a hint of seriousness and worry beneath the blond-haired, blue-eyed middle-aged man’s frivolous smile.

In other words, he wasn’t that happy.

Yes, I’m sure he didn’t scare the Black Octopus away… Heh heh, you’re still relatively clear-headed. It’s not something to celebrate knowing that a huge problem approached your ship but abnormally chose to leave. This often means that there’s greater trouble lurking on your ship… Lumian chuckled inwardly and averted his gaze. He continued to converse with bartender Francesco about the beautiful women in the third-class cabin.

After nearly an hour, Philip squeezed out of the drunken crowd and sat beside Lumian with his lover, Gozia.

He knocked on the table and ordered a glass of golden beer. Casually, he said, “You actually enjoy drinking in such a rowdy place.”

“The girls here are more enthusiastic than in first class.” Lumian could roughly guess Philip’s motive for coming, but he didn’t inquire further.

Philip chuckled. “That’s true.”

Casually, he inquired, “What did you do when the Black Octopus arrived?”

“Don’t you remember? I wasn’t far from you. Don’t you know what I did?” Lumian replied candidly.

Philip nodded slightly and didn’t press further.

Lumian took a sip of liquor and asked with a smile, “Do you think there’s a huge problem on the ship that scared off that little troublemaker?”

Philip turned his head and glanced at Lumian, not too surprised that he had made such a connection.

“What are you two talking about?” The tipsy Gozia couldn’t quite grasp the conversation between the two men.

It was as if they were speaking in riddles.

“That’s the most logical explanation I can come up with,” Philip replied, ignoring his lover’s question.

Lumian asked with interest, “Who do you think is suspicious?”

From yesterday afternoon to noon today, the security supervisor must have warned many people.

Philip set down his beer mug and massaged his temples.

After some thought, he smiled. “I wanted to tell you, but I don’t think that’s necessary now.”

“Why?” Lumian inquired curiously.

Philip took another sip of his beer and chuckled.

“As long as that huge problem doesn’t erupt on the ship, it won’t be a problem for me.

“As you can see, it hasn’t revealed itself and is quietly hiding. This means that it might just want to reach the archipelago or Port Santa without a hitch.”

At this point, Philip sighed and said with experience, “Many times, when you see an abnormality, there’s no need to care or figure out the truth. Pretending not to notice and patiently waiting for the abnormality to leave is the best choice.

“The abnormality that didn’t erupt isn’t abnormal. Your investigation and investigation might agitate it, escalating the problem and causing the catastrophe to truly descend.

“As long as that abnormality doesn’t truly harm us, try your best to maintain reverence and avoid stimulation. That’s one of the key reasons why I’ve been able to survive at sea until now.”

Lumian nodded gently and said, “A relative of mine once mentioned that in certain events, those who can’t see, hear, speak, or smell are more likely to survive.”

Philip smiled and extended his right hand.

“I’m glad you share that understanding.”

This was his true motive for coming to talk to Lumian. He wanted Lumian, who was using a fake identity, not to be curious and try to figure out the hidden trouble on the ship.

That might implicate the entire ship!

Understanding Philip’s meaning, Lumian couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

Does this mean there are other troubles on the ship?