Chapter 42 Deep's Relic

"Look, there's a bat flying in the sky, hey!" The surprised shout from outside the tavern caught Deep's attention.

He followed the other drunken sailors out to watch the commotion.

"Hmm, why does that bat look familiar?" Deep, holding a bottle of alcohol, scratched his neck.

As the bat in the sky quickly flew away, the sailors, in twos and threes, headed back to the tavern, all except for Deep.

He suddenly remembered the Vampire had told him, that the Captain had recently acquired a new relic that could turn into a giant bat, and that eight out of ten chances it was his Captain Charles.

"Is the Captain testing out a new relic? How wonderful, if only I had a relic too," Deep said, filled with deep envy.

Watching the Captain possessing various abilities due to all kinds of relics, who could say they weren't envious?

At that moment, he suddenly had an idea and excitedly clapped his hands together, "I've also saved up some Echo Coins, I can buy a relic too!"

Looking at the noisy tavern beside him, Deep charged in once again, a wave of heat hitting him as the drunken crew laughed and boasted, with scantily clad women weaving through them. Everything seemed so full of life.

He jumped directly onto a wooden table and shouted to everyone, "Folks, folks! Does anyone know where on Coral Island I can buy a relic?"

The hubbub paused momentarily, and a fat old man with a nose red from drink, opened his near-toothless mouth to say exaggeratedly, "Look at that, this little guy hasn't even grown his fur out and he dares to buy relics, he's really asking for it, hahaha!!"

The entire tavern burst into laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.

In a corner, the other members of the Unicorns stood up with a clang.

The laughter died down instantly, as sailors turned their attention back to their cups, not daring to mess with the crew from an Exploration Ship.

Seeing the atmosphere grow cold, Deep snapped his fingers toward the bar, "Barkeep, a round for everyone, on me."

The mood heated up once more, as sailor crewmembers raised their glasses, loudly and boisterously toasting the boy they had just been mocking.

A half-naked sailor took a harsh swig of his drink and then shouted, "Friend, go have a look at Black Robe Alley. Some shady items end up for sale there, just don't get spotted by the law. The transactions there are illegal."

"Thanks!" Deep, excited, jumped down from the table and waved to his companions in the corner before dashing out.

"Should we follow that kid? He won't get into trouble again, will he?" Krona said to the others.

"No worries, we made it back alive from Dark Crystal Island, what's there to fear here? If some blind fool causes us trouble, we'll just throw them overboard," Frey said, after giving the bottom of a waitress a mischievous pinch.

The other crew members nodded as if it were obvious.

At the harbor district of Coral Island, Deep was well-familiar with it, crossing through the fishy smell of the drying fish area, he arrived at the deserted Black Robe Alley.

True to its name, everyone in the alley was wearing black robes and masks, with Deep, in his sailor's uniform, standing out conspicuously in the middle of the road.

He quickly squeezed into the crowd and was curious to see some folks lifting their robes to display their items, whispering to one another in secrecy.

"Hey, does anyone have a relic? Is anyone selling a relic?"

Deep's shouting immediately caught everyone's attention, and a short-statured person in a black robe leaned over and whispered in a low voice, "Kid, how much money do you have?"

"Uh... 30,000 Echo?" Deep declared his savings.

The robed person turned and walked away, speaking dismissively, "30,000 Echo to buy a relic? Do you think relics are as common as fish in the sea?"

Deep, somewhat disheartened, scratched his neck with his hand. He had saved more, but during the incident at Dark Crystal Island, he had been robbed by the Vampire.

"Do you want the relic?" Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind Deep, startling him.

He quickly turned around and saw a portly figure in a black robe standing behind him.

"I did want it, but I only have 30,000 Echoes."

"Deal, 30,000 it is." The figure in the black robe pulled out a silver bracelet from within his chest, covered with a thick layer of encrustation.

"Really? You'll sell it to me for 30,000?" Deep was quite surprised; just a moment ago, that other guy said it wasn't enough.

"Are you taking it or not? If not, I'm leaving."

Seeing the man pretend to leave, the 16-year-old Deep didn't think too much and hastily agreed. "I'll take it, I want it, but first tell me, what is the effect of this relic?"

"After wearing it, your strength will increase, but the downside is that you'll get thirsty easily."

Once Deep experimented and found the relic was indeed useful, he happily paid the money, feeling elated that he had scooped up a great bargain.

The man in the black robe quickly took the money and left. He meandered through Black Robe Alley, then knelt down on one knee in front of a door. "Priest, the item has been delivered; it can be confirmed it's one of Charles's crew."

The wooden door opened, and Sonni stepped out with a smile. "After they set sail, give the other bracelet to that man. Since he won't work for me, then Kede over there shouldn't think of obtaining this help either!"

"Captain! Captain! Are you in there?" An excited Deep kept knocking on Charles's door.

With a creak, the door opened, and Lily's mouse was revealed.

Deep instantly saw the silent Charles sitting there, trembling and with a twisted expression on his face, fists clenched as if enduring something.

"What is it?" Charles's voice was unusually hoarse.

Although Deep was young, he was certainly not a fool; it was clear that the current situation was not suitable for showing off his new relic.

"Nothing... nothing, please rest well." Deep turned to leave just as a bat with a blood-red pouch in its mouth flew inside from outside the door.

Quickly, the bat transformed into Audric, who, somewhat nervously, held a plasma bag out to Charles. "Captain, this is from the hospital."

Charles's trembling hands quickly took it, his pale sharp teeth tore open the blood bag, and he voraciously sucked, with the crimson blood dripping from his mouth, looking far more like a Vampire than Audric standing beside him.

Deep walked over to Lily, who was standing in the corner, and asked curiously, "What's happened to the Captain?"

Lily's voice had a tinge of fear. "The Captain went to find his sister... and he's been like this since he came back. He almost bit me just now."

At that moment, Deep saw his Captain suddenly showing a pained expression, his lips quivering as he murmured something.

He quickly pushed away the Vampire trying to support him and stumbled over to the desk, taking out a green gel and forcing it into his mouth.

The Captain, drenched in cold sweat, began to breathe more evenly, and, looking extremely exhausted, he waved his crew away. "I need to rest for a while. You all go out."

Deep hurriedly followed Audric out the door, looking back at the closed door behind him, he said with a puzzled tone, "Why is the Captain always so repressed? He's at the age to have his own Exploration Ship, what could be making him unhappy? If I had my own ship, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

Leaning on the wall as he walked, Audric shook his head. "Who knows, but if the Captain continues like this, I'm afraid he won't last much longer. Don't you think he's getting more and more like those madmen on the streets?"

Deep glared at him dissatisfied, "What nonsense! How could Captain Charles be like that, he's so strong! If you keep slandering him, don't blame me for being rude!"

With that, Deep turned and quickly walked toward the staircase.