“Ms. Lockhart.”
Before Elias could even recover from his shock, Crowley's voice reached his ears first.
It was the name of the lady before them.
And the old man's voice carried a level of respect that was absolutely impossible to hear from him on a regular day.
Slightly surprised, Elias couldn't help but glance at the old man out of the corner of his eye.
Having known Crowley for so long, this was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on the old sea dog's face.
Crowley, who usually acted like he was second only to God, had even put away the pipe he habitually kept in his mouth.
On second thought, however, Elias realized there was nothing to be surprised about.
After all, this lady who had suddenly appeared was a formidable figure who had dared to subject him to a spiritual hijacking right under the nose of the Ascetic Society.
To break into that place with a spiritual body and withdraw completely unscathed, without showing the slightest regard for the Bishop's dignity...
And the bone flute she had given him was a supernatural item closely associated with the Moon Lord.
At the very least, her identity was far from simple.
“Oh, it seems you two already know each other.”
Crowley, who was at the helm, turned his head after greeting her and caught the array of colorful expressions flitting across Elias's face.
“Looks like I don't need to do much introducing.”
The gale continued to howl tirelessly, shattering freezing seawater across the deck.
Yet, eerily, whenever the violent storm neared within three feet of this lady, it was as if an invisible barrier pushed it aside, causing the rain to slide harmlessly down either side.
Elias stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move a muscle.
“No.”
The lady addressed as Lockhart spoke softly.
She turned her head slightly to look at Crowley.
“Edward.”
“It is still necessary to introduce myself.”
Her tone was incredibly calm.
Then, her gaze shifted, ultimately landing lightly upon Elias.
Her blue eyes were as deep as a starless night sky.
“Mr. Rockland.”
The lady nodded slightly, a faint smile gracing her face.
“Let us introduce ourselves formally.”
She smiled as she sized Elias up.
“I am the leader of the Resurrection Society.”
“‘Stoneheart.’ ”
The leader of the Resurrection Society?!
Elias's hand, hidden inside the sleeve of his trench coat, trembled violently, nearly dropping The Roaring Cane onto the deck.
What did he just hear?
The boss of the Resurrection Society was actually a Scale Seven?!
A saint walking among mortals?!
The level of this organization was far higher than he had imagined!
After all, the bishops of the orthodox churches were only Scale Seven saints.
In other words, the status of the Resurrection Society had instantly been elevated to the same level as the major churches.
However, despite the countless questions swirling in his mind, Elias could only push them aside for now as he faced the rapidly approaching ghost ship.
“Hello.”
Elias nodded slightly to her as a greeting.
At the same time, he silently repeated the name in his mind.
Lockhart.
It literally meant "stone heart."
She didn't bother with any of those convoluted mystical metaphors; she kept it completely straightforward and direct.
“Very well.”
Ms. Stoneheart looked at him and nodded with satisfaction.
Her deep eyes subtly swept over the simple bracelet on Elias's right wrist.
A glint of amusement flashed in her eyes.
“It seems you have already dealt with that lying old fellow.”
Hearing this, Elias's heart skipped a beat.
Lying old fellow?
Was she referring to Old Ed inside the bracelet?
For a moment, he didn't even know how to explain it.
He was even less sure if Old Ed could reconnect their mental channel now due to some unknown disturbance.
Left with no choice, Elias braced himself and nodded at her.
Nodding didn't cost anything anyway; she could interpret it however she liked.
Ms. Stoneheart didn't pay it too much mind.
She turned her head to look at the tense Crowley and continued,
“Edward, take this young man to the island as quickly as possible.”
“I will buy you some time.”
She looked coldly at the distant Gray Candle Queen, which was gliding over the water without leaving a trace at an unimaginably fast speed.
“The Mist Veil Society's designs on the nearby lighthouses have been intensifying lately.”
“The lighthouses must be guarded.”
“You must understand how difficult it was to find a transcendent for you last night who could temporarily guard the lighthouse.”
At this point, a trace of imperceptible exhaustion crept into Ms. Stoneheart's voice.
“At a time like this, the lighthouse cannot afford to lose its keepers.”
“Besides, as you know, the Gray Candle Queen never approaches the lighthouses.”
“To ensure the safety of your crew, you also need to reach the lighthouse as soon as possible.”
Ms. Stoneheart added, her tone carrying an unquestionable certainty.
Crowley nodded.
“Understood.”
With this saint personally stepping in, he was naturally completely at ease.
Having finished speaking, Ms. Stoneheart prepared to depart.
Just as she was about to move, a massive, pure surge of spirituality bearing the Moon Lord's aura flashed from her hands.
The purity of that spirituality was as if someone had dumped a bucket of high-purity liquid moonlight directly into the material world.
In the next second,
a shroud of moonlight enveloped her entire body. The milky-white glow rapidly solidified and stretched.
In the blink of an eye, it formed a brilliant, gleaming white armor that perfectly encased her graceful figure.
Even more breathtakingly, a cloak of moonfire gradually extended and formed behind the armor.
The blue-and-white flames burned brightly, snapping and fluttering violently in the gale.
To sum it up in one word:
magnificent!
Elias stared with wide eyes.
Right now, he really wanted to chant the Moon Lord's name at the top of his lungs and tell this great existence that he wanted one of those too.
But at the moment, his own questions were obviously far more important than a limited-edition skin.
This woman knew too much.
He hurriedly shouted,
“Wait!”
“What is it?”
Ms. Stoneheart turned her head to reply.
Her white helmet had already half-materialized, revealing her profile, which looked somewhat illusory under the illumination of the moonfire.
“Little guy, I know you have many questions.”
She even let out a soft chuckle.
“But now is not the time.”
“As for the origin of the bone flute...”
The lady paused, not giving a direct answer.
“My advice is that you use the bone whistle as an offering to conduct a ritual as soon as possible.”
“All you need to know is that I was entrusted by a great existence.”
“You can absolutely trust me.”
“You are too weak. It is best to advance as quickly as possible.”
“We will meet again.”
This string of remarks forced all the questions that had welled up in Elias's throat right back down.
With that, the spirituality quickly covered her head, sealing completely to form an exquisite helmet.
Absolute trust?
Elias grumbled inwardly.
Shouldn't she at least show some sincerity?
Or at least disclose a bit more information!
Unfortunately, the lady had no such intention.
On the contrary, as if she knew exactly what Elias was thinking, she let out a mocking snort from behind her helmet.
Then, she lightly swept her slender finger through the air.
In the empty air before her, a circular rift gradually expanded, forming a portal.
Seeing this, a familiar sensation welled up within Elias.
Yes!
Back when he was advancing to Scale Two, in front of those three doorways, he had almost been caught by the entity inside the Door of Warding.
At the critical moment, it was exactly such a portal that had appeared beneath his feet.
This was likely a spell from the Moon Lord's authority over 'passage.'
Using spatial rifts for teleportation.
Elias was still mentally calculating how to squeeze more information out of this lady.
Who would have thought that she clearly had no intention of wasting any more time? She stepped right through, and the portal closed behind her.
This lady had come and gone in a flash.
Other than her self-introduction, she had revealed next to nothing.
At this moment, Elias realized he had never hated riddlers more in his life.
Rate on N.U.
