Shrouded Seascape

Looking at the items that the "kind-hearted" Haikor had left for him in the backpack, Lylejay pondered for just a brief moment before he headed for the nearest public restroom.

When he emerged from the restroom, his appearance had completely changed. In the place of a twelve-year-old boy was a youth who looked to be in his late teens. His face wasn't the only thing that had changed, even his height had increased.

With his new look, Lylejay's dilemma was easily resolved. No matter how tight security might be, it wouldn't be able to stop him any longer. Even the wanted notices issued by the Explorers Association were now useless; after all, his face had changed completely.

As he caressed his own new facial features, Lylejay thought about the Haikor who had thrown him the human skin mask. The corners of his lips curved up into a faint smile.

"I see… so that's how it is, huh? Those guys are only pretending to cooperate. Who knows what their true motives are." Lylejay paused with a chuckle. "But whatever they are, Charles is going to have a tough time ahead."

"What are you talking about? Where are all those things from?" Lily asked, clearly puzzled by the series of events.

Lylejay didn't answer her; he merely carried Lily along and walked toward the distant airship.

With his new outward appearance and the perfect boarding documents, Lylejay easily boarded the airship.

In the cabin, Lylejay smiled at Lily, who looked clearly despondent.

"It will take a while to travel from the surface to the Subterranean Sea. Let's occupy ourselves with something else in the meantime."

"Like what?" Lily asked nonchalantly, her ears drooping in dejection. She felt that escape was a faraway dream now.

With a slight lift of his hand, a radiant, milky-white light emanated from Lylejay's palm to coalesce into a small orb of light.

"An immense power lies within You; but it's wasted if You don't use it. I'm going to teach You how to use it," Lylejay said.

Lily's ears perked up immediately as a surge of excitement coursed through her.

A thought flashed through her mind. If I learn how to harness the power within me, I could defeat him and escape!

Filled with newfound hope of escaping, Lily suddenly felt full of energy and expressed her eagerness to learn.

"First, close Your eyes and feel the power within You," Lylejay instructed.

Lily promptly closed her eyes and tried to follow but after several seconds, she still felt nothing.

"Don't be anxious, my God. Concentrate and follow the flow of my power," Lylejay commented. His finger then lit up and began to glow like a small light bulb. He then gently pressed the tip of his finger against Lily's chest.

When the light faded from Lylejay's fingertip, Lily began to glow. Initially, it was just a faint shimmer. But as the seconds ticked by, she glowed with a brighter and brighter intensity until she resembled a dazzling miniature sun.

The blinding radiance caused tears to stream down Lylejay's face. He slowly fell on his knees and silently prayed toward Lily in his heart. Oh god, You are my everything. I cannot bear to live without You for even a single moment. Please, come back soon!

"And then?" Lily asked as she opened an eye to take a peek. However, that action caused the light to vanish instantly.

"No rush, take Your time. We still have plenty of time to spare. This power has many uses and is quite complex to master. But don't worry about it; it's Your own power after all."

Wiping away his tears, Lylejay rose to his feet. For the next few hours, he continued to patiently teach Lily.

He felt nostalgic about their current situation. He felt as though he had returned to a hundred years ago just that their roles had been reversed. Back then, it was the Light God teaching him, but now, he was teaching the Light God.

At the start, Lily struggled to use the warm energy within her. She either used too much effort or too little. But gradually, she began to master the technique.

It reminded her of the time when her father had taught her how to swim. Initially, she was flailing in panic, but eventually, she learned to use the right amount of pressure and the correct angle to move her arms.

"Ahhhh! I can fly! Look! I can really fly!" Lily shouted excitedly as she floated in mid-air while glowing like a bright light bulb.

"This is just the basics, but the basics are also usually the most practical. You can move a bit faster now. Don't worry about getting hurt; I'll protect you," Lylejay assured her.

At first, Lily moved slowly, but soon, as she gained confidence, she began to pick up speed. Before long, she was leaving behind afterimages as she became a shooting star zooming across the room.

The moment she felt that she had reached her speed limit, Lily abruptly veered toward a nearby window. Now is the time to escape!

However, much to her dismay, she didn't hear the sound of shattering glass. Instead, she found herself being enveloped in another glow that slowed her down and gently brought her back to Lylejay's waiting hands.

"Be careful," Lylejay said with a smile, as if unaware of her escape attempt.

Just then, a subtle light started encroaching the darkness beyond the windows. They had finally arrived at the Subterranean Sea.

Annarles Island was still as bustling as ever. But now, it was dotted with numerous towering black turrets. Staring at those thick cannon barrels, no one would even think about doubting their destructive power.

However, those weapons were destined to be useless as their intended target had already passed by unnoticed.

Charles' technological prowess has really grown significantly. Such strength surpasses even the Albion Isles during their prime time. I must stay vigilant. Lylejay thought as he regarded the massive weapons of destruction with caution.

"Hey! This ain't no tourist spot! Move! Quick!" shouted a Hope Island navy officer standing next to one of the giant cannons.

Lylejay smiled and acknowledged the order before turning to head toward the docks.

Meanwhile, Lily's eyes darted around to scan her surroundings. When she saw Margaret walking by them, her heart couldn't help but race with anxiety.

However, there was nothing she could do now. Holding such emotions, she and Lylejay arrived at the docks of Annarles Island.

There were many ships departing, especially cargo ships. They arrived fully loaded and left empty.

"Captain, are you taking passengers?" Lylejay politely directed the question to the captain of a mid-sized cargo ship that already had a few passengers on board.

"Young man, where are you heading?" The old captain took a puff from his pipe and scratched his shiny scalp.

"I'm heading to the Eastern Seas."

"That's pretty far! My ship isn't going that far. Are you alright if I drop you off at Redwood Island?"

"Sure. How much will it be?"

"Ah, forget the money. Just get on board. As if money can buy you stuff these days."

"Thank you so much, M…mister," Lylejay slowly boarded the ship.

The cargo ship waited for another half an hour or so and another few more passengers got on board. Just as it was about to set sail and the gangplank was being lifted, a woman wrapped in black bandages stepped onto it.

She was carrying a cat in her arms.