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Chapter 300 - 297: "Salute to Freedom, Salute to the Lighthouse

Chapter 300: Chapter 297: "Salute to Freedom, Salute to the Lighthouse

Suddenly, a hand fiercely grabbed his arm.

"—Rin, where are you going?" The blonde girl looked at him.

"Saya?" Su Ming’an looked at the girl squeezed among the crowd, "What about you? Where are you heading?"

"I...heard that some lifeboats had been lowered, and I’m going to check it out with everyone." Saya said, while pulling him away from the crowd.

Adjacent to them was the two-story rooftop, where it was still pouring rain, and on the deck, people were moving small lifeboats.

"Don’t rush, we probably haven’t reached the point where everyone needs to abandon the ship," Su Ming’an had not finished speaking when he heard an amplified voice from above.

The voice, as if coming through a loudspeaker, was extremely loud, clear enough for everyone on board to hear.

"—Please, everyone, do not panic." The deep male voice came from above, "I am the S-rank Soul Hunter, Valen, on this ship."

"...It’s Valen, Lord Valen!" Someone cried out in surprise, apparently familiar with the name.

"Quick, listen to Lord Valen’s command, he is a top-level S-rank Soul Hunter, surely he can protect the Yate Vessel..."

The previously chaotic crowd seemed to find a figure of authority in an instant.

"It’s Grandfather Valen..." Saya smiled, and immediately grabbed Su Ming’an by the arm, "Rin, if Grandpa Valen says not to panic, then there must be no problem, don’t be afraid..."

She kept smiling, but as she looked at Su Ming’an, her speech suddenly slowed.

"Rin." She blinked, somewhat puzzled, "Your expression..."

Su Ming’an immediately put his smile away.

"It’s nothing." He shook his head, "I was just a bit excited hearing the S-rank hunter speaking."

"Yeah!" Saya nodded, "I know Grandpa Valen had been somewhat against you before, don’t blame him, he is just too sensitive, always wary of everyone around me..."

Her words were drowned out by the voice from above before she could finish.

"—Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation is not critical, please do not worry. The Soul Hunter who died last night was A-ranked Hunter Puler. I have carefully inspected the scene, and the Soul Clan that attacked him should be of comparable strength to him," Valen spoke from the highest rooftop, "Thus, with me and Ralya, the two S-rank Soul Hunters, we are fully confident in hunting down this hidden Soul Clan. Strength-wise, there is no disparity between us and them, so now, we mainly need everyone’s cooperation."

His voice echoed through every corner of the vessel, and the anxious people stopped to listen, their jitters suddenly calmed.

"—Please do not panic, maintain order, and return to your rooms. Next, Ralya and I will inspect each room in turn and use the Yate Stone on some suspicious individuals," Valen said, "After a night of searching, we have initially identified a group of individuals with the highest suspicion. After further investigations, catching this vile Soul Clan shouldn’t be difficult—so please, everyone, return to your rooms for now. We haven’t reached the step where we need to use the lifeboats for everyone to escape. Please trust in the strength of the Soul Hunters and the magical power of the Yate Stone, we will definitely bring out that evil murderer during this day..."

Listening to his words, people began to feel relieved, and many even started heading upstairs.

"Let’s go back, Rin." Saya immediately took Su Ming’an’s hand, "There’s no need to worry or be afraid of the chaos anymore. The Soul Hunters have officially taken action, we can trust them."

"Okay." Su Ming’an smiled, not showing any sign of disagreement.

He followed Saya, moving with the stream of people up to the fourth floor, and returned to his room.

The moment he closed the door, he waited by the door, listening to the noises outside.

Soon, he heard Valen and another Soul Hunter talking.

These two Soul Hunters started their search from the fourth floor—It seemed the biggest suspects in their eyes were on this floor.

The sound of opening doors began from the left side of the corridor, and as time passed, their footsteps gradually drew nearer.

It seemed they were only checking the passengers’ rooms on the left side; after finishing their search, they moved to the next room. From start to finish, they did not use the Yate Stone.

The Yate Stones were precious and their uses were extremely limited, not enough to check all the passengers on the upper six floors, so they were only used to investigate those particularly suspected by Soul Hunters.

Finally, a knock sounded at Su Ming’an’s door.

"Viscount Su Rin," a gentle voice rose from outside, "please open the door for a routine inspection."

Unlike the stern old man Valen, this S-rank Soul Hunter was a gentleman-like middle-aged man with a mild and polite manner of speaking that did not cause much resentment among the inspected passengers.

Su Ming’an opened the door and saw a smiling Lar Yale accompanied by the grave-faced old man Valen. They both wore the black uniforms of the Soul Hunters with transparent stars that sparkled under the light on their chests.

Behind them followed several top-class crew members, acting like attendants. As soon as Su Ming’an opened the door, these attendants quickly surged into his room, beginning to rummage through his belongings.

Ordinary nobles definitely could not endure such treatment, but these were special times, and the nobles who feared death dared not say much.

He silently watched the scene, feeling no tension in his heart. The two enormous Yate Stones had already been secured in his backpack, and these people could not possibly open his system backpack to see his things.

A moment later, the quick-handed crew tidied up the searched belongings neatly and prepared to leave swiftly.

"Hmm... It seems that the viscount isn’t a suspect..." Lar Yale said softly, "Sorry for the disturbance, then we’ll be leaving—"

"Wait."

A deep male voice interrupted him.

The solemn-faced Valen stepped forward.

His sharp gaze swept over Su Ming’an, and the displeasure that always lingered in his old eyes was very apparent.

"Lar Yale, this man is one of my suspects; I request to use a Yate Stone," Valen spoke.

Listening to him, Su Ming’an’s expression remained unchanged.

"Is that so?" Lar Yale touched his chin, "But to me, the viscount hardly seems capable of killing an A-rank Soul Hunter... Valen, I remember, Viscount had good relations with Miss Saya in the past. If he were from the Soul Clan, he probably wouldn’t have survived under your watch till now, right?"

Valen’s voice grew firmer, "Exactly. I have always been suspicious of this young man’s intentions towards Miss Saya. Despite my repeated warnings, he remains unrepentant, always trailing Miss Saya. I suspect he has some designs on the young lady."

Lar Yale listened and then laughed lightly, as if seeing right through him, "Valen, you are still the same as before, always wary of any male creatures who come close to your Miss."

The barrage of comments exploded upon hearing Valen’s accusation:

[What kind of person is this!]

[Top meddler in love affairs, now I’ve seen the legendary feudal patriarch. Not only does he prevent people from being together, but he also slaps a Soul Clan label on them.]

[First to hit an iron wall, I’ve already seen the ending... Last night, Brother Ming’an’s maneuver was too awesome, the old man could never have anticipated it.]

[But in some ways, Valen’s caution is also justified...]

[Hmm, "in some ways"...]

"—In any case, I request to use a Yate Stone," Valen disregarded Lar Yale’s insinuation, directly exercised his authority, and issued the order.

If the Yate Stone needed to be used, this group had to leave the room and go to the Yate Stone’s storage room, as the stone tray was too large to be moved by the crew.

Upon Valen’s order, the top-class crew was about to haul Su Ming’an away.

...Su Rin was truly a down-and-out noble without any status, voiceless before the Soul Hunters.

Su Ming’an raised his hand, stopping their motions.

"No need to pull me; let’s go," he said, stepping out and heading towards the storage room downstairs.

Beside them, some aristocrats with their doors open were peeking out, evidently curious about this first person to be tested with the Yate Stone.

At that moment, Su Ming’an also noticed that the previously somewhat quiet channel conversation had burst into a string of dialogues.

[Karen (Saint Cassia Group): Coordinates on the Yate vessel. Which Soul Clan member is it really? Must be a player, right? It’s unsettling everybody.]

[Kent (Easter Party): It’s definitely the top-ranked player Yamada Machiichi... This bigshot has shown his face in the chat before, I bet it’s him.]

[Liu Ping (Punching the Organizers Guild): I haven’t even seen what the Yate Stone looks like to this day. Does any player with an aristocrat status possess it?]

[Katerina (Nightingale): Yamada bigshot, say something, didn’t you say you were also on the Yate vessel? Are you that Soul Clan player or not?]

[Joanne (World Tree Guild): Coordinates on the fourth floor of the Yate vessel. I think I saw someone being taken away for testing, should we try to follow... I hear from the players in Maritime City that Soul Hunters aren’t very strong...]

...

Meanwhile, Su Ming’an also noticed that some fearless players, began to quietly follow behind.

However, soon, first-class crew members stopped them, not allowing them to leave their rooms.

Yet some with the Stealth Skill turned on their invisibility right behind, seemingly wanting to observe the activities here. Since Su Ming’an’s Spirit Points were far higher than these folks, these sneaky individuals were completely visible to him, almost comical.

"Don’t look around so much." Valen approached him, blocking his view to the rear. That eagle-like gaze was firmly fixed on him, as though confirming that he must be the Soul Clan member.

Su Ming’an felt a bit helpless.

"There was really no need for you to target me this way..." he said.

He couldn’t understand why Valen was so against him. If it was because Saya liked Su Rin, it wasn’t necessary to go to such lengths...

"You have the scent of the Soul Clan on you," Valen said.

Su Ming’an’s eyes slightly changed.

"Don’t worry too much, Viscount." The cheerful voice of Lar Ya came from behind: "Valen’s talent is related to his sense of smell; he’s skilled in tracking Soul Clans and can smell some remnants of a Soul Clan battle. Maybe you came into contact with a Soul Clan member sometime, that’s why he’s so suspicious, but once tested with the Yate Stone, there will be no issues."

... So that was it.

Su Ming’an had thought that Valen was settling personal scores, not realizing that he actually had some evidence.

Quite a qualified Soul Hunter indeed.

Unfortunately...

"We’ve arrived."

Valen opened the storage room, the heavy door swinging open before them.

Through the light, Su Ming’an saw the giant slab in the storage room lifting up several transparent Yate Stones. They shimmered like stars under the light, each reflecting a pale white glow.

Valen put on gloves, picked up one, and walked towards Su Ming’an.

The Yate Stone had two testing methods. One was "automatic detection," where the Yate Stone would light up automatically when a Soul Clan member with aggressive intentions approached, serving as a warning to the holder. The other was active detection, which involved holding the Yate Stone in the palm. If it lit up, it indicated a Soul Clan member; if not, the tested individual was a normal human. However, irrespective of whether the individual was a Soul Clan member, this would automatically consume one instance of the testing capacity.

"Open your hand, quickly." The Yate Stone in Valen’s hand was emitting white vapor.

It was rapidly evaporating.

Alongside, the four top-class crew members who had followed, and the Class S Soul Hunter Lar Ya, were also watching the scene.

The invisible players who had silently followed were now standing by the door too.

Su Ming’an stretched out his hand.

The transparent Yate Stone was pressed directly into his palm by Valen.

The moment his fist closed, the stone remained inert.

There was no light.

Valen looked away, his expression showing some regret.

"Alright, Su Rin, hand over the stone. You can’t afford it if it’s damaged..." Valen reached out his hand to pry his open.

Just then, standing beside him, Lar Ya slowly closed the door.

"Boom!" a heavy wooden door, made a loud noise.

Valen suddenly turned his head and saw Lar Ya even casually stretching out his hand to lock the door.

Valen hadn’t reacted yet when he saw Su Ming’an opening his hand.

"Boom—!"

A violent explosion of air resounded, and Valen stepped back as the surge whipped past his black clothes.

Streams of scarlet numbers spiraled up from the bodies of the still spectator crew members and players.

[HP-3290! (Combat Power Suppression! Critical Hit! Fatal Injury!)]

[HP-2480! (Combat Power Suppression!)]

[HP-2392! (Combat Power Suppression!)]

In the instant the vibrations occurred, their bodies were torn open like rags, blood dramatically spraying out, with the crew member closest having his steaming blood splash all over Valen’s face.

Valen, his face splattered with blood, never imagined that Su Rin would suddenly release such immense power.

"—You, even if you are not a Soul Clan member, you’re definitely a dangerous criminal wanting to overthrow the Empire—!" he suddenly pulled out the black Sword Bag at his back and shouted towards Lar Ya:

"Lar Ya! Let’s work together and kill him! The commotion on the ship, it must be this guy’s doing—"

He saw Lar Ya smiling.

Lar Ya was leaning against the door, his chest folded, the door fully locked.

"Sorry, Valen."

Lar Ya spread his hands:

"...Lord Su Rin has been the one I decided to follow loyally since this morning."

"You, you’re betraying the Empire?"

"Who knows..." Lar Ya said with a smile, "I suddenly felt that this Empire, this giant ship... none of it is as interesting as a person. I’ve always been someone who values freedom, reason, and romance, and Lord Su Rin’s principles have conquered me... it’s that simple."

Valen’s expression turned cold: "Principles?"

Lar Ya reached out slowly, drawing the pistol from his waist.

"Here’s to freedom." He raised his pistol, his smile unchanged: "Here’s to Lighthouse."

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