Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 557: The third most important rule

Chapter 557: The third most important rule

"Is this it?" A man asked gruffly, his expression filled with disappointment as he stared down at the sea from the sky above, his gaze focused on the four ships currently circling around the abandoned Enclave vessel.

He was a tall and muscular man with dark hair that seemed perpetually humid along with a mustache and a beard that connected.

Covered in what appeared to be armor made out of fish scales, the man also wore a variety of jewelry with the most eye-catching being the comically large necklace he wore around his neck, made of an unknown metal that resembled bronze with an open eye as its centerpiece.

The necklace seemed to radiate a divine aura, adding to the already boisterous aura of the bearded man.

Standing beside this figure was yet another that was completely overshadowed by the first man, only managing to stand out as he was dressed like a pirate with an eye patch over his right eye.

"The effects of Astra have only recently calmed down so not many ships have begun to sail across the Azure Seas, my liege." The second man eloquently explained.

The first man snorted. "Fine then, these would have to do."

"But is this right, my King?... Using these men as scapegoats doesn’t feel right."

"Would you rather I utilize our people?"

"Not at all."

"So this is the best way."

"I understand, my King."

"Don’t fret. They will serve their purpose well, regardless of the results, I believe it shall be satisfactory."

Saying that, the first man called King by the second, looked on expectantly as the ships below began to lower boats intending on heading toward the abandoned vessel.

***

Life aboard a ship at sea could swiftly become monotonous especially when you had no companion to spend it with carrying out what little fun there was.

Ulysses, unfortunately, had to learn this the hard way as he struggled to keep busy to avoid being tormented by the ravings he had to endure from the Lord of Flesh and Blood every now and then.

Thankfully, the ravings weren’t particularly intense and were more akin to mosquitoes buzzing in one’s ear.

In any case, he soon found that apart from the nobles, there existed a group that were further below, migrants seeking for a better life in Henos.

They weren’t allowed out of their dwellings, to avoid offending the nobles so they were forced to stay indoors almost all the time.

Ulysses found himself constantly visiting, even making a few friends which he quickly bonded with, listening to their stories and telling them some of his.

The best experience he’d gotten so far was when he ended up helping a migrant give birth with nothing but his Domain over Flesh and Blood, along with some useless tools to prevent the others from figuring out his specialness.

Regardless, today, like days before, he was down below with his friends, having informed them already that there had been a change to their course.

As they talked and laughed amongst themselves, Ulysses was soon approached by some of the children playing in the corner.

"Mr. Ulysses?" A young girl that looked no older than eight called out to him while tugging at his trousers.

Ulysses glanced down at her. "Yes, Maureen?"

"I’m sorry, but I think we broke this." As she spoke, she stretched her arm out, revealing a compass Ulysses had given her.

"You did?" Ulysses took it from her for a quick inspection only to freeze as he noticed the erratic movement of the needle.

His expression quickly changed as he had never seen something like this before but had heard about it.

"Ulysses, is everything alright?" One of the young girl’s in the same age group with him asked, having noticed the change in his expression.

"Uhmm, yeah." Ulysses replied, struggling to keep a straight face as he remarked. "I’ll be back, you guys wait here."

Saying that, he quickly hurried and went back to the upper floor where the nobles resided, swiftly making his way to Room 314.

Just as he knocked, the door swung open and Alex was on the other side, just about to step outside.

Their gaze met.

"Something is wrong!"

"What is?"

"This!" Ulysses remarked as he showed Alex the erratic compass. "This only happens when a ship enters an overlapping region."

"A what?"

"Places where two dimensions intersect. It causes the compass to be unable to focus on True North." Ulysses quickly explained. "Please tell me there’s no ash outside."

"There isn’t. Why are you scared of ash?"

"Haven’t you heard the warning, beware the Great Unknown?"

"I thought it was beware the Enclave?"

"Beware the Great Unknown is the third most important rule!"

"Damn it, okay, you are going to have to list out all the important rules and stop with the partial drops!" Alex scolded, causing Ulysses to shrink away.

"Alex, I can sense it clearly now." Ana suddenly intoned from inside the room, drawing the attention of both men.

"What is it?"

"Some sort of pocket dimension." Ana explained. "And within, something is calling out to me, something related to my race."

"Perhaps a dragon treasure?" Alex asked.

"Maybe, but I can’t be sure, not until we head over."

"Let’s wait for now, Vissarion has already communicated with the other ships and is already on his way to the abandoned ship. They will serve as fodder to let us know how dangerous the situation is. In the meantime, I believe we should stay put, especially since we have someone watching from above. Speaking of..."

"Yes, the person is still there. I can’t pinpoint his exact location but I do feel a gaze, one a bit too heavy to be disregarded."

Slightly confused by their conversation, Ulysses remarked. "I don’t think I follow."

"Tell me something." Alex intoned. "How many Abilities have you understood so far?"

"Four, why?"

"Good, because you are going to need them."

"Huh, wait, why?"

Managing a smile, Alex replied. "You’ll see."