"Holy Light, what happened to Aldridge?"
Second mate Paul saw Jobtran carrying Aldridge with difficulty, and immediately stepped forward to help, and asked with a concerned look.
"seasick."
Jobtran gave an excuse that he himself didn't believe to evade the second mate's questions.
If he was told directly that the captain's body had exploded, Second Mate Paul would definitely not believe it at that moment. Only after Aldridge woke up and told Paul the truth in person, and then took him to see the scene, would Paul, who was suspicious by nature, understand what had happened.
Jobtran understood this very well, so he did not waste time explaining it.
Paul used to be a pirate. Pirates value friendship very much, but they may also be betrayed at any time. Paul, who was able to break away from the pirate group, is obviously a man who possesses these two contradictory characteristics at the same time.
"He needs a good rest environment now, let's send him back to his room to lie down.
We couldn't let him lie on the deck, as he might be seen by the passengers and cause gossip.
Please, Mr. Paul, the second mate, lead the way."
Jobtran said sincerely.
Paul nodded, then held Aldridge's arm and led Jobtran to the door of Aldridge's room.
Jobutran and Paul worked together to put Aldridge steadily on the bed. When Paul was about to turn around and leave, Jobutran called out to Paul to stop.
"Mr. Paul, would you mind talking about your past?"
Paul turned his head, his facial expression twitched, and closed the door from the inside.
"Knowing too much will cost you your head, Mr. Detective."
Paul said so.
After hearing this, Joe Butran spread his hands.
“Everyone understands the truth, but with so many things happening on this ship, no one can stay out of it.
The more I know, the better it is for us.”
Paul seemed dissatisfied with Jobtran's answer. Although the previous conversation in front of the water tank made Paul understand that Jobtran was a detective with real skills, it did not mean that the suspicious Paul would tell all his secrets.
Respect does not mean trust, this is something every pirate understands.
Life on the pirate ship taught Paul that he must be extremely cautious in doing anything, otherwise one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation.
Seeing the hesitation on Paul's face, Joe Butran raised his right hand and pointed three fingers to the sky.
"I, Jobtran G. Rossat,
In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Light, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
The contents of the following conversation will not be disclosed to anyone without the consent of Paul, the second officer of the Cyclopes.
Otherwise, one will enter the boundless hell after death and be burned in the fire of purgatory until the day when one's sins are settled.
Amen.
After saying this, Jobtran used his right hand to stroke his forehead and chest, symbolizing the completeness of the oath.
Paul nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this, because the oath that Jobtran made was a vow that all Holy Light believers would make when facing difficulties. It was an oath of absolute loyalty. After all, no one would joke with their own soul.
"Paul is just my pseudonym, but my real name doesn't matter.
I retired from the Skull Rose Pirates and took two years to recuperate before joining this ship as a crew member.
He worked there for three years and was promoted from crew member to second mate.
The captain promoted me because of my proficiency in seamanship, rich sailing experience, and good fighting skills.
Since I came on this ship, I have been living a peaceful sailing life until these things happened recently. Is there any problem? "
Second mate Paul said so.
"That doesn't sound like a problem, Mr. Paul. Do you mind telling me about your experience of a cleansing?"
Joe Butron leaned against the wall, lit a cigar, and asked slowly.
The last cigar was left in the captain's room and disappeared when the captain's body exploded.
"The cleansing of the heart ceremony involves extracting a rib from the chest, and the face-changing ceremony involves leaving a scar on the face. This is the price every Skull Rose Pirates member has to pay before leaving."
Paul stretched out his left hand and touched the long scar on his face, recalling the pain he felt when he received the gift.
“Of course I know that.
The Skull and Rose Pirates dominate the South Pacific region. They are a pirate group that specializes in robbing pirates, but they are a chivalrous pirate group that never kills innocent people.
You have always been loved by the poor because of your frequent charity, and you also have strong naval combat capabilities, but I want to know why you left
Leaving such a famous pirate group to become a civilian?"
Joe Butran blew a smoke ring in Paul's direction.
"Is the Skull Rose as beautiful as you imagined?"
Paul thought back to the past and spoke out his true feelings bit by bit.
“We once roamed the oceans and thought we were the masters of the South Pacific.
Even official and military ships would salute us when they saw our flag. What a magnificent sight.
We are merciless to betrayers, and only betrayers will be given the gift of reformation in the beginning.
At that time, the process of changing one's ways was extremely bloody and cruel. To change one's ways meant cutting out the heart, and to change one's ways meant tearing off the entire piece of skin.
It was only after that incident that we watered down the ritual of repentance and made it the price of leaving.”
Paul slowly reveals to Joe Butran an unknown secret of the Skull and Rose Pirates.
“I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand.
So, the initial reformation was a punishment? "
asked Joe Butran.
"Yes, the rules on the ship have been passed down for hundreds of years since the Middle Ages and have never changed.
Those who rape women need to turn over a new leaf.
Those who rob property must mend their ways.
Anyone who kills someone secretly must kneel down and beg for mercy.
Those who betray their relatives and friends must bear the punishment on their backs.
These four iron laws correspond to four different punishments.
The Skull and Rose Pirates have never been pirates. We are thieves, chivalrous thieves.
If there are any problems, they will be solved through duels, so the Skull Rose is respected.
After that incident, the Rose of Bones gradually withered away, and now the Rose of Bones flag is no longer seen in the South Pacific."
Paul said with a heavy heart.
"I've heard that the pirate crew of the Skull Rose is more like knights. Are you a lineage of knights passed down from the Middle Ages? What happened to that incident? Why did the Skull Rose disband in the end? And why did they use the ceremony of reformation on the crew members who left?"
asked Joe Butran curiously.
“We have to keep a secret.
The Skull Rose was supposed to be a knight order protecting the South Pacific, and the actions of the Rogue were just a cover-up for their charming identity.
Until that secret was exposed, the Skull Rose naturally had no need to exist.
The people on the Skull Rose were either dead or crazy, and the ones who survived all received a weakened version of the ritual of reformation, which was the captain's decision at the time."
Paul touched his left chest and said slowly,
"We made a big mistake, an unforgivable mistake.
All those who participated committed suicide, and those who knew about it were considered equally guilty.”
The more Jobtran listened, the more confused he became. What kind of mistake could cause an organization that had lasted for hundreds of years to collapse in just a few years
Joe Butran did not interrupt Paul's story, but waited for him to slowly tell the story behind it.
Jobtran's intuition vaguely told him that the secret of the Skull Rose might be related to what happened on the ship.
“The original purpose of establishing the Skull Rose was to protect a seal, a seal that could not be known to the world.
Have you ever heard of Point Nemo?"
Paul asked Joe Butran.
After hearing this, Jobtran nodded and replied,
"I know. Point Nemo, also known as the Pole of Inaccessibility, is the point on the Earth's surface that is farthest from land. It is located on the sea surface in the middle of the South Pacific."
Paul was surprised at Joe Boutran's erudition. This was not the knowledge a private detective should have. Even some experienced sailors might not know about Point Nemo.
"That secret lies deep within Point Nemo."
Paul said so.
"Are you talking about the city of R'lyeh?"
Jobtran understood what Paul was trying to say and boldly pointed it out.
Paul's face changed drastically after hearing this. The suspicious Paul instantly showed a self-defense posture.
"How do you know about R'lyeh?! Tell me!"
Paul's movements were a bit too big, and the noise caused seemed to affect Aldridge's sleep, so Aldridge turned over.
Joe Butran pressed his hands together and said to Paul,
"It looks like Aldridge is about to wake up. This is not a place to chat. Come with me to my room."
After saying that, Joe Butran walked to the door and opened it.
Seeing that Paul was still on guard, Jobtran reluctantly stretched out his right hand and chanted softly,
"Merciful Holy Light, thank you for your gift."
A ball of white holy light condensed in his right hand and slowly floated towards Paul.
The power of this holy light is gentle, and Paul can feel a hint of holiness from its breath.
Paul then let go of his guard and suspicion and asked,
"Are you from the Vatican?"
Joe Butran shook his head and replied,
"It's not just the people of the Holy See who can use the power of Holy Light, but I think you should be very clear that those who master Holy Light are not evil."
Paul was silent for a while, then sighed.
"I understand. I'll go with you."
Jobtran smiled, then gently closed the door for Aldridge, who turned over and was still snoring.
Paul followed Jobtran and came to Room 369 where Jobtran lived.
"Would you like a drink of something? Coffee? Tea?"
Joe Butran asked politely according to the etiquette of entertaining guests.
Paul shook his head and said impatiently,
"No need to be so tedious. Tell me where you are from?"
Joe Butran did not answer, but took out a brooch from the suitcase and pinned it on his chest, and then took out a small notebook and threw it to Paul.
The cover of the small book was made of dark brown cowhide, but there was no text on the cover. When it was opened, the first page read "Mysterious Investigation Bureau, Wolf-level Independent Investigator, Jobtran G. Rossat."
The following pages recorded information about the Ulm branch and the Munich branch to which Jobertrand had once been loyal, and on the last few pages was a handwritten letter of recommendation that Bismarck prepared for Jobertrand to the University of Michigan.
Paul flipped through a few pages and understood Jobartran's background. Only then did he truly believe in Jobartran.
"No wonder you knew about the sunken city. Yes, that secret is related to R'lyeh."
Paul said to Joe Butran.
"Let me guess. Maybe you guys released something from R'lyeh?"
Joe Butran made a bold guess.
"You are only half right. What was released was not what was inside R'lyeh, but what was outside the seal."
Paul said with a wry smile.
"Cthulhu sleeps in R'lyeh, but Csira does not sleep."
Jobtran had no memory of the unfamiliar name Kshila. He did not remember seeing such a name in any document or book.
"Kheira?"
"Daughter of Cthulhu.
An Old One who also resides in R'lyeh, an individual who is closely protected by Dagon, Hydra, and the Star-Family.
Her appearance is similar to her father, with an octopus-like body, a pair of freely retractable wings and tentacles with hooks. She can also change her body shape at will like Cthulhu.
A little-known, but very important Great Old One.
According to legend, after Cthulhu enters his own destruction, Csira will give birth to Cthulhu again and bring Cthulhu back to the human world. "
Paul explained to Joe Butran.
After hearing this, Joe Butran was so shocked that he could not speak, and could not find the right words to describe his feelings at the moment, and said to Paul,
"Please don't tell me that this thing escaped."
"It's impossible for Ksira to escape, but something that escapes from the seal may be more terrifying than Ksira."
Paul shuddered as he recalled the indescribable horror.
“That’s a descendant of Ksira, a humanoid descendant.
Dagon outside the seal tried his best to tear a small hole and brought this humanoid descendant into the world.
Our fleet was like shredded paper in front of Dagon. No attack had any effect on him, but he could easily shatter our ships with just a single blow, but he didn't do that.
I was still young at that time, but I remember those empty eyes, the black fog that obscured my vision, and the waves in the sky.
Dagon fought hard against the seal left by Nodens and was badly injured, but he succeeded.
The creature that escaped from the seal landed on our ship, and Dagon made a sharp sound, as if he was laughing at what we were about to do.
Paul's voice trembled, the horror still lingered in his mind and could not be dispelled.
The clues in Joe Butran's mind were instantly connected, and three words came out of his mouth.
"Mermaid?!"