Talking to Forever Shadow

Tristan charted a path. He would go to the Pirate World which was connected to the Ghost Hegemon's subservient ally - The Haunted World.

In the Pirate World, he could find the buried treasure of Calico Jack using the map he had retrieved and find information about how to enter the Haunted World.

Tristan looked up missions related to the Pirate World in the Vast Expanse, as well as the Academic Alliance and picked them out. He wrote an application and handed it to Neffy, asking for a long term leave.

"Where are you going?" Neffy asked. "You are taking six months of leave?"

Tristan nodded. "I have certain things I need to do. When I am not here can you help Joanna?"

Neffy nodded. "Alright, I'll keep an eye on her."

Tristan then left. He didn't find Emily, Arthur, Joanna or Tina on campus, and figured they had all gone on missions. Before he left for the Pirate World, Tristan had one last thing to do.

He contacted Forever Shadow. After a long time, Forever Shadow picked up the call. "White Star?"

"I need to talk to you." Tristan was blunt.

Forever Shadow turned serious and agreed. "Alright, I am at the Government Headquarters."

Tristan quickly made his way to the headquarters as White Star with the burning red hair and changed facial features. Within the headquarters, in a sealed conference room, Tristan encountered Forever Shadow.

"White Star... why did you want to meet me?" Forever Shadow asked. His entire body was covered in a mysterious shadowy cloak and it was impossible to identify who he was.

"The object you traded with me at the auction, what is it?" Tristan asked.

Forever Shadow sighed. "I don't know what it is."

Tristan did not believe him. "When you sold it to me during the auction, you sure acted like you did." He said.

Forever Shadow shook his head. "I cannot disclose this matter to you. All I can tell you is this object willingly came to me and even though I wasn't able to use it, when I came to the auction it forced me to sell itself to you. It is a sentient object."

"Sentient object?" Tristan asked.

"Indeed. That item's origin is not simple and it cannot be tamed by you or I. If it changes ownership, it is by its own choice. I suspect it acts in an intentional manner." Forever Shadow shook his head.

Tristan was still suspicious. "You do not know what it is?"

Forever Shadow spoke up. "I indeed do not. I might be old, but I am not powerful enough to understand this item's machinations. I can only guess that this object somehow utilizes fate to act."

Tristan sighed and shook his head. He sort of believed Forever Shadow, but he was suspicious of this individual. He looked at this ancient member of the government. "You are a very mysterious individual Forever Shadow." Tristan said.

Forever Shadow's shadowy body began tremoring at being questioned. "White Star... I respect you because you have done some good work and helped the human race. Do not cross my bottom line."

A powerful aura exuded from the Shadowy figure and oppressed White Star, freezing him in place. "Do not misunderstand my politeness for weakness." Forever Shadow said, before withdrawing his aura again. "You may leave."

Tristan breathed a sigh of relief. He had purposely triggered Forever Shadow just now. Forever Shadow was indeed quite powerful. He couldn't see through the shadow at all, but when he was pressured just now, he noticed a power of more than three plates blasting out.

As Tristan left the government, he thought about Forever Shadow. An individual who constantly hid within a shadowy cloak to hide his identity and had evolved more than three times. This was the first individual he had sensed and confirmed to have evolved more than three times.

The information in the Vast Expanse generally pointed to the third evolution being the limit of the human evolutionary path. Clearly, people who had higher evolutions were carefully guarding that fact, but Tristan wasn't sure why.

He wondered about Aesop. Aesop was also an evolved, but Tristan wasn't able to see a hint of his plates either. How many times had Aesop evolved? He had also created his own practice, The Story Teller's Art.

Destiny's Truth. Tristan wondered about this object as well as Destiny. He remembered that malevolent gaze from space, when he tried finding destiny using the compass. Tristan had suspicions that he might be related to Destiny in some way as he had been able to trigger this mysterious object and it also increased a lot of his progress. Tristan looked at his status.

[Race: Duality (Human Form)]

[Evolution: First Plate, Physical Evolution II, Energy Evolution I]

[Progress: 50%]

[Plate Talent: Sovereign Raven Tattoo]

[Mental Energy (Liquefied): 10]

[Physique: Curse Immunity, Corrosion Resistance 35%, Aura Heart Body, Earth Energy Body + 100% Wood Essence]

Tristan had to do the Energy Body Evolution Quest, but he decided to put it on the back burner for now. He walked to the the portal that would lead him to the Pirate World.

The Pirate World. In the human controlled settlement, Tristan was sitting inside a dilapidated Tavern called The Shipwreck. As he gulped down the terrible alcohol, he thought about his previous visit to this world.

At that time, he was in haste. He hadn't spent time exploring or even learning about the society and politics of this free world. After arriving here, he spent some time in this tavern and found out that the Pirate World had been thrown into a heavy upheaval.

Calico Jack was rumored dead, and a fight broke out among the other three pirate kings to take over Calico's territory, however, a group of new pirates had emerged to challenge the old guard. There was also a rush to find Calico Jack's buried treasure.

The Pirate World was a wild area. Four Pirate Kings used to rule the seas, only the rules of pirates were followed here. The only other force at sea was the Kraken, a legendary creature which even scared the Pirate Kings.

A group of young pirates had come up, the so called Rising Stars, who wanted to overthrow the Pirate Kings.