It wasn't that Edward was deliberately making trouble for The Dawn or unaware of the stakes involved—it was simply that he truly needed their help for something important.
"I need a favour from you."
The woman simply lowered her head and pushed the fruit cart under the shade of a nearby tree.
"Talk while you pick your fruit."
Edward followed her over, casually picking up a banana and handing it to Lilith. She peeled it without hesitation and bit in with a big "aahm."
If she were in her cat form, she probably wouldn't have cared much for fruit, but now? A different story.
"How many people from Dawn are stationed in Bayam—or rather, in the Rorsted Archipelago in general?"
The woman jumped in alarm. "What…are you planning?"
"Just to help me spread a message."
Edward explained, "I need you to stir up some noise—create buzz that ancient elven ruins have been discovered on Long Tail Island and Tiana Island. The news needs to sound as credible as possible, enough to convince the churches and the military to divert their attention there."
The woman frowned and thought for a moment.
"That's…not too difficult."
She didn't bother to ask Edward why. When it came to matters like this, the less you knew, the safer you were.
Edward's reasoning was quite straightforward:
Now that Sea God Kalvetua was dead and the elven ruins where he had hidden himself had been thoroughly raided, Edward hadn't forgotten there was still another ruin. That place, allegedly, contained an extraordinary item possibly no less valuable than the Sea God's Sceptre—The Book of Calamity.
Whether or not the book itself possessed any extraordinary powers didn't matter—if it even mentioned supernatural abilities in its content, then with the help of his [Silverfish], he could "consume" it and acquire those powers.
The only problem? He still had to learn Elvish.
Edward didn't know if the Church of Storms had realised this yet or already begun searching, so he figured he'd have Dawn spread some false information first—perhaps it would mislead or delay any serious investigation.
Meanwhile, he would head to Symeem Island and try to use the items he had recovered from Kalvetua's ruins to assist in a divination search.
Worst case? He found nothing.
Best case? He struck gold.
"So," Edward asked, "how long do you think it'll take for the rumour to take effect?"
The woman smiled confidently.
"If we're just talking about Bayam, by tonight it'll be on everyone's lips. Within two or three days, the whole Rorsted Archipelago will be buzzing. But if you want it to seem more convincing, we'll need to actually send people to those islands to investigate. That'll take a little more time."
"Much appreciated. Do I owe you any compensation?"
"No need," she said, shaking her head. "Her Majesty's orders were to fulfil any of your requests within our abilities."
At that, she barely held back her curiosity—
Just what exactly is the relationship between this guy and the Queen?
Even Cattleya, who was practically like a daughter to Her Majesty, didn't get this kind of treatment…
Edward casually picked up two unfamiliar fruits and nodded in thanks, preparing to leave, but the woman called out after him, "Hey, sir, you haven't paid!"
"???"
"Didn't you just say…"
"That's different!" she said, righteous and unbothered.
"The fake news is on Dawn's and the Queen's tab. But these fruits? That's my money!"
"…"
Edward fished out a gold coin and handed it over.
The woman beamed. "Thanks, boss! Come again anytime~"
Edward walked off, holding Lilith's hand.
Lilith clutched the banana peel in one hand and stared curiously at the yellow fruit Edward had just bought. Its skin was made of rough, jagged segments—at first glance, it kind of resembled a Devil Fruit.
"Edward, what is that?"
"I have no idea."
"Is it tasty?"
"Let me try."
Edward peeled it open, tore off a piece of the white flesh, and popped it into his mouth. A look of bliss immediately overtook his face.
"Wow! So good! Pure sweetness, no sourness at all. The juice just bursts in your mouth."
Lilith bounced in place.
"Let Miss Lilith try! Let Miss Lilith try!"
She took the fruit, tore off a large chunk, and stuffed it into her mouth with eager anticipation—
Only for her face to instantly scrunch up. Tears welled in her eyes as she cried out, "YUEEHH! SO! SOUR!"
At the same time, Edward, who had been all smiles a moment ago, spat out the fruit with a tortured expression—though he was laughing gleefully.
"Ahahahaha!"
Lilith, teary-eyed, glared at him.
"You lied to me!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"Ahhh!!"
The little one was fuming. She brandished the yellow fruit like a weapon and charged at him, trying to force it into his mouth. Edward turned and bolted, and Lilith chased after him, shrieking with righteous fury.
The comical chase between what looked like a pair of father and daughter drew the attention of passersby. Most couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight.
———
By noon, after enjoying a hearty local-style meal at the largest restaurant on the island, Edward bought a nautical map of the Rorsted Archipelago and quickly located Symeem Island.
Because the Berserk Sea overlapped and influenced the Spirit World, one could use navigational coordinates from the physical world as a reference while traversing the disasters of the spiritual realm.
Once he had a good grasp of the island's general location and how to teleport there, Edward lifted his fruit juice and exchanged glances with Lilith.
She instantly turned her head away with a pout.
Edward chuckled and rubbed her head, then looked around the restaurant.
He had to admit—the fruit vendor's efficiency was astounding. In just the past hour, the patrons in the restaurant were already gossiping about a group of adventurers who had discovered ancient ruins on Long Tail Island.
Their chatter was animated and full of detail, as though the ruins truly existed. Many listeners were visibly excited, itching to set out themselves—maybe they'd even get lucky and strike it rich.
At this rate, the whole city would likely be buzzing about it before nightfall.
Even if the Sea King of the Church of Storms suspected the news was false, he'd almost certainly still go to investigate—after all, there was always that tiny chance it was true.
And that meant he could head to Symeem Island without interference.
Although…there's still a couple of hours before the Tarot Gathering. Should I find somewhere safe to wait it out before heading over?
Tsk, speaking of which…I wonder if Klein will bring Lilith and Bernadette to the gathering this time?
"Finished eating, Lilith?"
"Finished!"
"Help me chill this."
Edward handed over his juice. The little one stared at him in disbelief—Miss Lilith is still mad at you!
But she still obediently grasped the base of the cup, channelling her frost abilities through her palm. Edward immediately showered her with unrepentant flattery.
"Miss Lilith is amazing!"
"Of course!!"
She responded instinctively.
"Alright then, our Miss Lilith is so magnanimous, she wouldn't stay mad over a little joke, right?"
Lilith hurriedly replied, "Of course not!"
"Let's go, then—time to take you on an adventure."
Edward took her little hand, and the father-daughter pair walked out of the restaurant. Once they reached a secluded spot, they stepped into the spirit world, heading straight toward that deep, gloomy region.
The howling wind shrieked from all directions, and even the residual gusts sent a bone-deep chill coursing through Edward's body, a cold that seemed to rise from his very soul.
He quickly transformed Lilith back into her kitten form and tucked her safely into his coat.
More dangerous than the icy winds were the occasional flickers of eerie lightning. Edward did his best to avoid them. A trip that would normally take a few seconds—maybe ten at most—ended up taking nearly seven or eight minutes.
When he finally exited the spirit world, Edward found himself on an island even more rundown and primitive than Bayam. The harbour here had clearly gone years without maintenance—everything looked dilapidated.
The island only had a modest-sized town. The locals all wore traditional native garb, and to avoid standing out, Edward changed both his and Lilith's appearance—their clothes, skin colour, and facial features—to blend in with the locals.
"Huh?"
Lilith stood outside a shop window, staring curiously at her new reflection.
"Miss Lilith looks different now!"
"Which one do you like more?"
"Hmm…"
She thought for a moment.
"I like both! No matter what I look like, Miss Lilith is always the cutest in the world!"
"Haha, of course~"
Edward was just about to take her to find an inn and wait for the Tarot Gathering, when an angry voice echoed from the port:
"If you leave now, don't ever come back!"
"I…"
Edward, Lilith, and the nearby onlookers all turned their heads. A local couple—both with darker complexions—seemed to be in the middle of a dramatic argument. The girl looked furious; the boy, dejected.
"Renee, it's not that I want to leave. I…I have nothing right now. I have to go out there and try…try to make something of myself…"
The boy was tall and lanky, his face full of internal conflict.
The girl, with her flaxen hair tied back, glared at him.
"Try to what, exactly?"
"…"
The boy clenched the handle of his suitcase tighter and, after a long hesitation, turned and walked away.
"Winter! You coward!"
Renee shouted after him, her voice trembling with rage.
The boy didn't respond. Head down, he made his way toward the dock.
Watching them disappear, Edward frowned slightly. Their names…why do they sound so familiar?
After a brief pause, his extraordinary memory kicked in. He suddenly remembered—
Winter and Renee.
Two minor background characters from the original novel. They had only a few lines of appearance when Klein played the Faceless.
As Edward recalled, the boy had left to become an adventurer in order to earn enough money to be worthy of the girl. But he ended up picking up an extraordinary characteristic and died from corruption.
Klein had taken on his identity, returned to Symeem Island, and said goodbye to the girl under the pretence of heading off on a long journey.
Edward glanced at his pocket watch, then smiled and said, "Lilith, tell me—what should a witch do in this kind of situation?"
Lilith bit her finger and shook her head.
"Dunno~"
"Then listen carefully. Sometimes, when opportunity doesn't exist—you create it. When there's no demand—you create demand."
He leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Lilith might not have understood fully, but she nodded enthusiastically nonetheless.
——
Aboard the passenger ship at Symeem Harbour.
The boy named Winter sat on the deck, leaning blankly against the railing, his mind adrift.
He truly liked Renee. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
But his parents had died young, leaving him with nothing.
He had no idea what he could offer her.
How could he ever give her happiness?
That was why he had decided to leave home—head to Bayam, or maybe even farther—work hard for a few years, and come back with enough money to confess and propose.
"Young man…you seem lost."
A voice called out. An elderly woman approached, leaning on a cane. Her skin was rough and gnarled like tree bark, her deep wrinkles creasing her face, and her eyes bulging unsettlingly from their sockets.
"Huh?"
Winter quickly stood up.
"You're hesitating, uncertain…wondering whether to leave Symeem or not, whether to entrust your future to the unknown path of adventure. You…"
The old woman paused, tilting her head slightly as if listening to something, then continued, "In truth, what you want is to stay here. To stay with that girl. But you're afraid—afraid you can't take care of her, aren't you?"
"W-What…? How do you know that?"
Winter was startled, but then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Yeah…if I had enough money, why would I even need to leave?"
The old woman then produced a bright red apple from thin air.
"I want to make a deal with you," she said.
"If you eat this apple, I will give you enough money to live out the rest of your life happily with the girl you love."
———
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