Chapter 103: Edwina's Portrait

Edward flipped a gold coin into the air. 

The result it showed that the visitor harboured no malice. 

With a wave of his wand, the door swung open on its own. A lady bathed in moonlight stepped inside.

She was beautiful. Her face was oval-shaped—with a hint of boldness between her delicate brows. Her light blue eyes shimmered like crystal-clear spring water. Her long chestnut hair was parted down the middle, tied into a simple yet elegant knot at the back of her head, and flowed smoothly behind her.

She wore a beige coat cinched at the waist, paired with a dark knee-length skirt and leather boots matching her hair colour.

Compared to the refined ladies of Backlund, her style was noticeably more daring.

"Captain!"

Danitz called out.

Edwina gave him a glance and curtly spat out two words, "Be quiet." 

Danitz froze. "Oh."

She approached, stopping three to four meters from Edward. Bowing slightly, she offered a sincere apology. 

"My apologies, Mr. Edward. Please allow me to make amends for my crew member's recklessness."

"An apology?" Edward raised a brow. "This is the second time. The first time, he hired someone to capture me. I let him go without making a fuss. And the second time, he broke into my house trying to kill me. Don't you think just an apology falls short?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you!" Danitz blurted out. "If I really wanted to, I'd have just shot you quietly! I just wanted to give you a taste of the embarrassment you made me suffer the other day!"

Edwina glanced at him again.

He immediately shut his mouth tight, silent as a stone.

"I'm willing to compensate you tenfold for the damages caused," she said. "And if you still need to vent your anger, you may deal with Danitz however you wish—just please, spare his life."

Danitz wanted to protest again, but he wasn't stupid. His captain was one of the seven notorious pirate admirals. She wouldn't humble herself like this without good reason.

Her behaviour genuinely surprised Edward. He couldn't figure out what she was after.

After a moment of thought, he asked directly, "Why don't you start with what you came here for? Surely it wasn't just that note I left that made you come all this way, was it?"

"Out."

She turned her gaze on Danitz and gave the order coolly.

"Oh…" 

Danitz obediently hopped out like a 160-pound child. Just before leaving, he even used his mouth to pull the door handle shut. Of course, he still couldn't help muttering, "Captain, I'll be right outside…ready to rush in and protect you anytime."

"If you don't mind, please have a seat."

Edward gestured at the charred sofa. "That was just burned by your crew member, by the way."

She nodded and sat down gracefully, then pulled out a small pouch. 

"There's about 500 pounds in here. It's compensation for what Danitz did tonight."

Edward accepted it without ceremony. He opened it, glanced inside, and nodded. "Fair enough."

Edwina then produced a painting. It depicted a smiling young man standing in what appeared to be a plaza. 

"The reason I'm intruding like this tonight," she said, "is because I need you to confirm something for me."

"May I ask…is this you?"

Edward raised a brow. "I'm not sure. But judging by appearance, I do see a resemblance."

So this was the portrait Danitz had mentioned? The one Edwina always stared at? 

The moment Edward saw it, he had a strong feeling—it was him in that painting.

But that couldn't be right…

Edwina asked again, "Your name is Edward—is that your given name or your surname?"

He shrugged. "It's my first name. I'm an orphan—I don't have a family name."

"How old are you?"

"Almost seventeen."

"You've never met your family?"

"That's right."

"What do you imagine your parents were like?"

"..."

Edward frowned. "Ma'am, don't you think it's a bit rude to ask an orphan what they think of their family?"

She froze slightly, then quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive—I just wanted to confirm something."

Edward nodded. "Then before that, may I ask you a question first?"

"Of course."

"Where did you get that painting?"

She didn't hide it. 

"It was left to me when an elder in my family passed away. Before he died, he repeatedly told me to find the person in this portrait. When I searched through our family records, I discovered that I once had a younger cousin who went missing at the age of twelve."

Edward was stunned. 

"You…suspect I might be him?"

No wonder she was being so polite—she came here to find her long-lost brother. That relaxed him quite a bit. At least it had nothing to do with the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

She nodded. "Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to explain my elder's dying request."

"But…I think it's very unlikely. For certain reasons…I'm quite sure I'm not your cousin."

"Is that so?" 

A hint of disappointment crossed her face. "I understand."

"Ms. Edwina, do you have any more information about that painting? To be honest, I might be even more curious about it than you are."

"Not at the moment. But next time I return to Lenburg, I'll try to look for more clues. I've disturbed you enough tonight."

She stood up and said, "Mr. Edward, please allow me to apologize once more for Danitz's recklessness and immaturity. Perhaps…I can do something for you as compensation?"

"Ah…You're too kind."

Edward suspected she hadn't completely ruled out the possibility that he was her cousin. This so-called compensation was likely just a way to build a connection between them.

Maybe you should just make me your godbrother while you're at it.

Wait—

Edward suddenly froze. While the medical practices in the world of mysteries were indeed primitive, there were mystical means of determining if two people shared blood relations—like divination, for instance?

But she seemed to have forgotten that option altogether. 

Thinking of this, Edward frowned, his mind racing.

"Speaking of helping," he said, "I heard that you possess a book from the Second Epoch—Groselle's Travels. Could I perhaps borrow it for a read?" 

—That book should be one of the rare texts imbued with mystical power, aside from the Cards of Blasphemy and the Slate of Blasphemy.

"Groselle's Travels? That's the book salvaged from a sunken ship, soaked for 165 years and still undamaged. It recounts the tale of a giant named Groselle, who set off for the Land of Frost to hunt down the 'King of the North,' a mighty frost dragon…"

Edwina instinctively began giving a detailed summary but soon realized it was not the right time. She restrained herself and continued, "I can lend it to you, but I left the book on the ship. You'll have to wait until I return. If it's just for reading, it's no big deal. Anything else?"

"Well, I'm planning to set sail soon…for an expedition. I wonder if you have any advice, or perhaps you could offer some assistance?"

Edwina considered for a moment and replied, "Out at sea, the most important thing is strength. If your power is sufficient, everything else is secondary. Of course, if I must suggest something, having your own fleet does make expeditions much easier."

"To build a fleet, you need ships and people. As for ships—if you need one, I could help."

Tsk! A ship doesn't come cheap…

"Thank you! No rush on the ship. I'm thinking you might be more helpful with the crew part."

"Oh?"

Edward smiled. "For example, maybe assign me a crew member to act as a guide or something like that."

———

Outside Edward's house, "Blazing" Danitz leaned against the wall, a piece of dry grass in his mouth, occasionally glancing up.

The captain had been inside for over half an hour!

How far had they gotten by now? No, no, they were definitely discussing something very important!

Yes!

He hypnotized himself with that thought over and over.

In this moment, Danitz deeply understood: what's more painful than "I'm right in front of you, yet you don't know I love you"…is standing guard while your crush is inside on a date with someone else.

"AAAHHHH!"

If they don't come out in three more minutes…I'll…I'll burst in and blow that bastard's head off!!

Three minutes later.

If they don't come out in one more minute, I swear I'll burn this whole place to the ground!

One minute later.

Danitz collapsed to his knees, despair written all over his face. "Noooo!!!"

"What are you doing here?" came a cold voice.

Ah! It was the captain!

He shot to his feet, eyes scanning Edwina from head to toe. Not noticing anything amiss, he still asked uneasily, "Captain, just now were you…"

"Haven't you always been curious about the person in that painting?"

"You mean that jerk—uh, that guy?"

"Mhm. He might be my missing cousin…"

"Cous…cousin?!"

Danitz froze. He didn't hear a word after that. Only one thought echoed in his mind—

Crap. I've offended my future brother-in-law.

Do I still have a chance?

No!!!

"We just reached an agreement," Edwina said. "Due to your atrocious behavior tonight, I agreed to let him deal with you however he sees fit."

"Wha—?"

Danitz's first reaction wasn't fear for what would happen to him. It was whether this could be an opportunity to repair their relationship.

Edward stepped out at that moment, smiling. "Relax. I've learned about your character from Ms. Edwina just now. Though you're a pirate, your nature's not bad—just a bit…impulsive."

"Perfect. I know the ideal place for you to train that out of yourself. Might even fix a few of your issues."

Danitz suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, a very bad premonition rising within him.

"Come on."

———

That night, the gates of the Harvest Church were tightly shut. A rare silence hung over the place.

Edward, holding a chain that bound a restless Danitz, entered through a side door.

Bishop Utravsky sat in the front row of pews, hands clasped in prayer against his forehead, facing the sacred emblem of Life as he quietly chanted.

Emlyn didn't seem to be around…

Wait—no, there he was, lying across the middle pew, fast asleep, his expression peaceful.

"Sorry to interrupt, Father Utravsky."

Edward waited patiently for a few minutes, but seeing the bishop not respond, he eventually had to speak up.

The priest lifted his head, gaze settling on Danitz for several seconds before shifting to Edward.

"I see in him…a reflection of my former self. He's a pirate?"

Danitz perked up slightly at that. To him, being a pirate was a badge of honor.

"A pirate with some unusual…fetishes," Emlyn muttered groggily as he woke, slumping over the back of the pew in front of him, yawning.

Danitz's face flushed red. "No, I don't! It's because he—"

"Silence."

His mouth vanished into thin air, leaving only a muffled, terrified whimpering.

Utravsky's eyes gleamed faintly. "An interesting ability."

A few seconds later, Danitz's mouth returned. He quickly stroked his lips, visibly relieved. He'd faced death many times at sea, but Edward's bizarre powers were on a whole different level—utterly beyond his comprehension.

"Father, as you can see, he's a pirate," Edward said. "But from what I know, he hasn't committed any real crimes. He's probably about on Emlyn's level."

"Hey! What do you mean 'on my level'?" Emlyn protested, pounding the back of the pew.

The priest, however, nodded in understanding. "So, you wish to leave him here, to receive redemption like Emlyn?"

———

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