Lord of the Mysteries

The red moon hung high in the sky as Klein walked over to Donna and Denton and squatted down beside them.

Cecile, the female comrade of Cleves, let out a sigh of relief. She picked up the rifle on the deck, bent down, and quickly walked in another direction. She opened up a distance of about ten meters from the peppered pig’s organs.

“Uncle, is it starting?…” The mischievous, freckled teenage girl, Donna, suddenly felt a little nervous. However, her face was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Klein raised his left index finger to his mouth, motioning for the two young ones to be quiet.

At times like this, he couldn’t help but thank Roselle. It was because of the efforts of this transmigration senior that some of his habitual gestures had become common body language in the Northern Continent, so it wouldn’t lead to misunderstandings.

It was said that in the early part of the Fifth Epoch, this “don’t talk” gesture was an insult in Loen. But in certain parts of the Southern Continent, it means “kiss me”…Klein’s mind was a little distracted for a moment.

Donna and Denton didn’t dare to say anything else. They just squatted there quietly, watching with rapt attention as Cleves prepared for the battle.

The former adventurer picked up a rod and threw the thread with some pig organs hanging from it over the side of the ship.

With a splash, the bait entered the water.

Calmly dispersing the remaining organs, Cleves wielded his weapon and retreated, step by step, to hide in the shadows opposite Cecile. The two of them formed an angle of about 60 degrees to the side of the ship where the rod was being supported.

Leaning his trident and other weapons, he raised his rifle and tried to take in the feeling of aiming.

The deck had completely quietened down, leaving only the operating sound of the steam engine and the crashing of waves against the ship.

As the minutes ticked by, Donna and Denton couldn’t help but switch from squatting to sitting, with their backs against the planks of the cabin, trying to soothe the paralysis in their legs.

At that moment, they saw the rod on the side of the boat sink a little.

The muffled sound of friction rapidly grew closer and closer. Suddenly, a figure jumped onto the deck.

It was a monster bathed in crimson moonlight. Its entire body was covered in dark green scales, and there was a green slime flowing around it.

It didn’t have much in common with humans. It was like a giant fish that had grown four strong limbs, and there was obvious webbing in the cracks of its limbs.

The murloc was more than 1.9 meters tall, with round eyes and gills on its cheeks. It looked like demons from legends, making Donna cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

At the same time, she covered the mouth of her brother, Denton, as well.

Good thinking… Klein smiled to himself as he carefully examined the murloc.

Unlike the Sailor Rampager he had seen before, real murlocs didn’t have human-like brains. They were pure monsters.

The murloc vigilantly scanned the surroundings before squatting down. It picked up the scattered pig organs, quickly stuffed them into its mouth, and produced clear chewing sounds.

The light in its mainly white eyes gradually faded, as if it had fallen into a dream.

It’s of low intellect… Klein shook his head and made his judgment.

Bang!

Cleves pulled the trigger, and a bullet flew out from the rifle. It instantly struck the murloc’s chest, causing its scales to shatter and blood to splatter.

“Wa!” The merman let out a cry which sounded like a child, and it threw itself at Cleves, who was hidden in the shadows. It was as fast as a steam train.

At this moment, Cecile, who was in another position, opened fire as well.

Bang!

The bullet from the rifle struck the murloc’s ribs, causing many scales to scatter and the tall figure to stagger.

The murloc, who had eaten the pepper granules, became visibly sluggish. It stopped, unsure of which enemy to attack first.

And this gave Cleves and Cecile a chance to calmly reload.

They took aim again and pulled their triggers.

Bang! Bang!

The sprays of blood bloomed in succession, the pain caused the murloc’s eyes to regain its lucidity.

It flipped and pounced, dodging the follow-up shots, and closed in on Cleves as if it were unhurt.

Cleves methodically put down the rifle in his hand and picked up the trident that was leaning to his side.

Instead of dodging, he leaped forward and rolled to the side of the murloc. The trident in his hand ruthlessly and accurately pierced into the area where the scales on the side of his prey were shattered.

The murloc spun around abruptly, bringing with it a gust of wind. It forcefully threw the trident along with Cleves out, causing the former adventurer to crash onto the deck.

The murloc shook its head, as though sensing an intense discomfort. It didn’t attack Cleves and Cecile again, but instead, took large strides to the side of the ship in an attempt to jump into the sea.

Bang!

Cecile’s bullet hit it again, creating blood to blossom again, but it still didn’t make it become immobile.

With two steps, the murloc reached a suitable spot. It bent its knees and prepared to jump up.

However, its body was too weak to exert its full strength. The distance it had jumped was obviously not enough, so it could only land on the inner side of the ship.

Bang!

The murloc bore the brunt of the damage and tried to flip over the side of the ship.

Seeing it almost escaping, Klein took out his revolver.

Just then, a loud bang came from another direction!

The murloc’s left eye turned into a bloody hole, and one could vaguely see a pale gelatinous substance squirming inside.

It wasn’t dead yet. It lay on the floor of the deck, trying its best to crawl and get up again.

After a few seconds, the poison took effect and it twitched to its death.

Klein traced the sound and saw a middle-aged man step out of the shadows on the other side of the cabin.

The middle-aged man was wearing a thick dark red coat and white slacks. He was wearing the standard ship-shaped hat of this era.

He was holding an iron-colored musket that was a relic of the times as white smoke billowed out of its thick black muzzle.

Klein had heard the attendant introduce the man before, and he knew the man. He was the captain of the White Agate, Elland Kag.

With obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his forehead, and the corners of his mouth, Elland walked towards Cleves and said with a smile, “As a captain, I must ensure that no accidents happen.

“Forgive me for watching by the side all this time.”

Cleves had already stood up. He didn’t betray his emotions.

“This is your ship.

“According to convention, you have the right to share in the spoils.”

Elland turned his head to look at Klein and others and said with a smile, “The next resupply of water and food is in two days time. You’ll have to think of a way to preserve the murloc’s corpse.

“How about this, sell it to me at a cheaper price; the difference is the reward I deserve.”

“This is the best solution.” Cleves and Cecile exchanged glances and agreed to Elland’s request. “For 130 pounds, it’s all yours.”

The murloc Beyonder ingredient has a market price of 150 to 200 pounds. Considering the other parts with spirituality, 130 pounds is indeed cheap… However, this is the only thing Cleves and Cecile can do. This is Elland’s ship, and he had a large group of armed sailors and crew to help him. If the negotiations break down, they could sink everyone here into the sea within minutes… Of course, that’s under the premise that I don’t involve myself… Yes, it can be seen that Cleves and Cecile aren’t Beyonders, at least not Beyonders of the combat and shooting domains. As for Elland, I find it suspect… Klein stood up and listened to the deal.

“No, you seem to have misunderstood something. I’m not threatening you. 150 pounds. That’s a fair price.” Elland Kag called for a sailor and gave him the key to the safe.

“You are the ‘Just Elland’?” Only then did Cecile seem to recall his title on the sea.

Elland laughed and said, “Yes.”

At this moment, Donna and Denton, stunned by the intense battle and the living monster, jumped to their feet and ran over to the murloc in excitement and fear.

“Is… is it really dead?” Donna kicked the murloc’s body with her toe, then she jumped away and hid behind her younger brother as if she were afraid it would revive.

“It really is a monster!” Denton took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide.

“There are many monsters at sea. Apart from having four limbs and being able to stand, murlocs have no similarities to humans.” Elland smiled gently.

He squatted down and took out a knife, slicing the cheek beneath the murloc’s eye, revealing white, tender skin that was tainted with some red.

“The most delicious part of a murloc’s body is suitable for eating it raw.” Elland carefully sliced a piece of flesh and handed it to Donna. “You remind me of my daughter. Unfortunately, she’s grown up and has a family of her own.”

“I-I don’t dare to eat it…” Donna said, looking at the thin sliver of flesh held at the tip of the knife.

“Haha, which one of you wants to try?” Elland laughed and looked around.

After confirming that there were no warnings from his spiritual intuition, Klein nodded.

“I’m very curious.”

Elland immediately handed him the knife.

“Give it a try. On land, even nobles may not necessarily have a chance to eat it.

“These murlocs are fish monsters. They can be understood as a mutated type of fish.”

He was trying to dispel the siblings’ fears.

Klein wanted to ask if there was any wasabi, soy sauce, or any other condiments, but seeing that the other party didn’t mention it, he was afraid to appear ignorant.

He took the knife, bit into the bloody flesh, and swallowed it.

It was a feeling of flesh that instantly melted in his mouth. The taste of blood was very faint, giving it an appropriate salty taste. It perfectly set off the fresh and sweet taste of the meat.

Klein chewed twice, taking in the deliciousness of the tenderness and freshness of the fish meat. It was the first time in his life that he was experiencing something like that.

“Excellent.” He wasn’t stingy with his praises as he gave a thumbs up.

Donna watched the whole thing with curiosity, suddenly interested in the flesh on the murloc’s cheek.

This overwhelmed her fear and disgust, and she suggested the idea of trying.

Elland fulfilled her request and smiled as he watched her tightly close her eyes as her face scrunched into a grimace as she bit into the meat.

Donna’s expression gradually relaxed, and she quickly opened her eyes. She excitedly praised, “An indescribable delicacy!”

She spurred things into action as Denton, Cecile, and the others shared the little chunk of cheek meat. Eating it satisfied them, but it also made them dissatisfied. They were satisfied with the taste, but were dissatisfied with the quantity.

Seeing that Elland had eaten the last piece, Cleves pointed at the murloc’s body and said, “The meat around the ribs is suitable for frying, while the belly meat should be roasted. The other parts taste bad.”

“I share your thoughts,” Elland said with a chuckle. “I’ll have the chef prepare it immediately. On such a night, we should enjoy good food and wine together and exchange the legends at sea. It’s a very enjoyable matter.”

I’m looking forward to it… However, why did a perfectly fine hunt turn into a delicacy exchange… Klein swallowed his saliva.