The Pirate Ship

The group sat down at the dining table.

What gave Joker a slight sense of relief was that Chen Miemie and Loop were eating from the same plate of roast chicken as he was.

After all, a person wouldn't go as far as poisoning themselves, right?

In truth, Joker knew that if he hadn't accepted Chen Miemie's recruitment, he would have been silenced a long time ago.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Chen Miemie wouldn't make a move against one of his own.

But even though he was a madman in the eyes of ordinary people, he still didn't want to accept a zookeeper's invitation to be locked in a cage with lions and tigers, let alone dine with them.

Neither Chen Miemie nor Bobo actually intended to poison him.

If he had come the day before, Joker truly would have been in no danger.

But today, he was in grave danger.

The danger came from the newest member of Chen Miemie's household.

Joker had only taken a few bites when he realized something was wrong.

The blood at the temporarily sealed wound of his severed arm seemed to start boiling.

The next moment, fresh blood shot out from the bandages on his severed arm like a geyser.

Loop was quick to react. He swiftly conjured a large syringe, plunged it into Joker's wound, and then produced a special gauze to wrap around the bleeding area, attempting to force the bleeding to stop.

If it were natural bleeding, Loop's Mystery nursing could naturally stop it.

But now, it was clearly man-made.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. My blood isn't listening to me. It's heating up and circulating at high speed," Joker stated his symptoms with extreme efficiency.

"I can't stop the bleeding," Loop shook his head.

Chen Miemie's eyes flashed, and he spoke to the empty air, "Pure Water, stop. He's one of us."

As soon as his voice faded.

Joker's blood immediately calmed down, and even the splattered blood was sucked back into his body by some unseen force.

Chen Miemie waved his hand.

Loop understood the gesture. He opened the gauze bag Joker had brought, took out a severed arm from inside, and began to stitch it back on.

A severed arm, especially when the detached limb was still intact, was not an incurable condition in this world.

Joker's arm quickly recovered.

Chen Miemie didn't mention the sudden blood rampage, and Joker didn't ask. When Joker was finally escorted out of the door of Room 1803, he still didn't know who Chen Miemie's command of "Pure Water, stop" was directed at.

But he knew that there was definitely an anomaly in Chen Miemie's apartment that he hadn't detected, an anomaly capable of killing him in an instant.

Returning to his home in Room 1805, Joker closed the door and took off his bloodstained coat.

Living here was terrifying, even for a madman. Yet, he couldn't move away, lest Chen Miemie misunderstand that he was defecting, which would surely spell his doom.

He knew he had boarded a pirate ship he could no longer get off.

"Hehe, hahaha! So scary, so terrifying! But isn't this exactly the kind of thrill I wanted?" Joker let out a maniacal laugh.

After Joker left, Pure Water obediently came out to admit its mistake.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hold back for a moment. I've been used to it for years. Whenever I encounter a powerhouse at Mystery level 5 or above, I instinctively want to 'entertain' them."

The group surrounded Pure Water and lectured it for twenty minutes before finally letting it off.

"From now on, without my instruction, you are not allowed to act recklessly in the city, understand?"

"Understood."

When Pure Water was not far from Chen Miemie, it could split a portion of itself from his body, turning into a floating, fist-sized orb of blood.

Accepting its punishment, it went to clean up the blood that had just spilled onto the carpet and furniture.

Its control over water was extremely strong. The bloodstains that would have taken Loop and Qinghua a long time to clean up were directly extracted by it, condensed together, and resolved in an instant.

On the sofa, Qinghua and Loop began to analyze the new intelligence Joker had just delivered.

"According to Joker, the frequency of battles outside the city is getting higher and higher. There have already been casualties from the crossfire."

"Based on what he said, reinforcements from other human cities, as well as saboteurs from other races, have been arriving one after another. The human reinforcements have set up a defensive net outside Sixiang City, hoping to contain the battlefield outside the city limits. Both sides are fighting tooth and nail, holding nothing back."

"The question is, can the strength of the human race alone hold off the other six races?"

"For now, it's not a problem. The great era of conflict hasn't truly arrived yet, and the various races don't want to completely tear apart the superficial peace. Besides, among the six races, humans also have allies."

"The battles outside the city are just a facade. A large-scale defensive net absolutely cannot stop truly powerful Mystics. The ultimate key is still to hold the city and ensure the Sixiang Seal is successfully repaired."

"Inside the city, we have to rely on the municipal government, the church, the major secret societies, and the schools."

Dawn's home in the Southern District.

Fina, the president of the Silver Moon Court, paid a late-night visit.

"Dawn, the Red Goat has been found. But unfortunately, after assessment, the danger rating of this anomaly has reached the peak of 5 stars, bordering on 6 stars.

Its movement speed is too fast, and we currently have too little information on it. With the great battle coming up next week, after careful consideration, the society cannot organize a collective hunt for it at this time."

Hearing this decision from the society, Dawn remained very calm. She actually didn't want to drag everyone into a fight right now anyway.

A super high-risk anomaly bordering on 6 stars was not something to be tackled recklessly even in normal times. Charging in without a foolproof strategy, even if it resulted in a pyrrhic victory with half the people dead, would be impossible to justify upon return.

Moreover, next week was a critical period for Sixiang City. All the societies in the city made their living here. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; they had to contribute their strength.

At a time like this, they definitely couldn't afford to waste their combat power for nothing.

The most crucial point was that so much time had passed. Even if they killed the Red Goat, it would at most drop a rare material. There was a high probability that Dawn's eyes still wouldn't be restored.

"I understand. I'll just slowly figure out a way later."

Fina turned her Rubik's Cube-like head. "Also, I've already reported to the Society Alliance. You have difficulty even with your daily life right now, so you shouldn't participate in next week's battle."

Dawn fell silent.

Her nature was cold and proud.

Besides being cold, she was proud.

Usually awe-inspiring and commanding, she felt a bit like a deserter being unable to contribute when the city was in danger.

However, Dawn also knew that forcing herself to fight would only make her a burden needing protection. Battle was not the place to show off. It was better not to participate than to be a hindrance.

"Okay, I will take good care of myself."

After Fina left.

"Cassan, I heard you are teaming up with that kid next week?"

"What, worried about your good disciple? I'll take good care of him."

"It's not certain who will be taking care of who."

This statement was a bit blunt, but Cassan didn't refute it.

In battle, a partner who wouldn't die and was immune to crowd control skills truly provided a great sense of security.

"By the way, Cassan, I'm transferring all my time to you."

"What for?"

"Don't wait anymore. Hurry up and get the materials suitable for you, and break through to Mystery level 5 before the great battle arrives. When it comes to strength, every extra bit increases your chances of surviving on the battlefield."

Cassan fell silent.

She had been stuck at the peak of Mystery level 4 for over a year.

Among Mystics, she wasn't considered wealthy. Her financial resources were not enough to host a specialized personal hunt like Gardener did.

This was also the underlying reason why she had agreed so quickly to Chen Miemie's request to help his classmate, Yue Junyang, with the divination.

All along, she had been hoping to obtain relatively suitable materials by picking up bargains.

Unfortunately, to score a bargain, one had to wait for the right opportunity, and no one ever knew when such a chance would arrive.

Seeing that Cassan did not reply, Dawn emphasized her tone: "What are you still hesitating for at a time like this? Time stored in a watch is dead; spending it on yourself is where its true value lies."

Cassan was indeed hesitant: "But right now, every Mystic in the city is thinking the exact same thing, and materials are far more expensive than usual. If I use it, your breakthrough will..."

Dawn shook her head: "I am already at [Mystery] 5. Even if I had the materials, would I dare to break through? Out of our entire generation in Sixiang City, who has actually managed to break through? Whether the [Blessing] of the Sun and Moon arrives or not is a gamble with your life. Being blind like this is still better than ending up dead."

Cassan knew Dawn was just making up excuses for her sake.

She knew Dawn far too well.

For this proud [Weaver of the Wind], let alone needing to put everything on the line after going blind, she would relentlessly pursue greater strength even if she were perfectly healthy.

Cassan was not the type to be overly indecisive either: "Fine, then I am borrowing this from you."

In her heart, however, she was thinking: I really do need to become stronger so that I can protect both of us in the coming storm.