The crimson moon had already slipped from the horizon. The scattered starlight was faint, and at the distant boundary where sea met sky, a new light seemed to be quietly brewing.
Nast, who had been observing the young man all along, kept a stern face and spoke in as calm a tone as possible.
"Encountering someone of unknown origin at sea is often the most frightening thing. If you've come with goodwill, we can sit down, drink, and chat."
"Dawn is coming." The inexplicable remark left Nast unsure how to respond. He could only remain silent and wait for the other party's next move.
"You're quite lucky tonight." Hastur had originally planned to use this final bit of time to test the true strength of this body by sparring with Nast.
But Bernadette had also appeared here, so he no longer wished to make a move.
The power of the stars might arouse Bernadette's suspicion. It was not yet time to reveal his cards to her.
"??" Nast was full of confusion and had no idea what the other party's purpose tonight was.
Before he could ask anything further, the aura around the young man standing before him suddenly shook, and the entire Black Emperor sank slightly.
When his aura drew back again, the Black Emperor bounced back up.
With this contraction and release, the entire Black Emperor began swaying violently up and down.
Nast tried to suppress the ship's shaking but found it quite difficult.
A competitive urge rose within him, but the other party had already opened a passage to the spirit world and disappeared.
At this moment, Bernadette aboard the Dawn also understood something.
That black-haired young man just now was not the uncrowned king. He was probably just some old fellow pretending to be young.
Bernadette thought of the Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun she had encountered before, who also appeared very young.
"I thought you had another guest tonight."
"He arrived only a few seconds earlier than you."
"What a coincidence."
Nast sighed. "Recently, there are more and more mysterious figures. This sea is no longer our era."
Bernadette chuckled and rejected his view.
"You may indeed be old, but I'm still in my prime."
Nast straightened his back slightly and spoke boldly: "Even if I grow old, I am still the king of this sea!"
"A new generation replacing the old one, that's the change and the rule of the times."
"When the great waves sift for gold, the ones left at the end may not necessarily be the young."
Nast's confidence and heroic spirit drew cheers from his crew.
....
By the seaside, still on that awakened reef.
Mr. A, who had already returned, waited until the sun rose from the end of the sea for the Lord's incarnation to return.
"You did very well." Hearing the same approving tone, Mr. A lowered his head even further. He didn't want the Lord to see the faint smile he couldn't quite suppress.
He humbly opened the coffin lid and said respectfully, "Every devout believer is willing to dedicate everything to the Lord."
"Have you never thought that you might be the special one?"
The casual remark made Mr. A's thoughts wander wildly, leaving him slightly elated.
After the Lord's figure entered the coffin, Mr. A closed the lid and drove a carriage he had obtained from somewhere toward a small town by the sea.
He had already explored everything about this town and successfully found a suitable place.
A place suitable for the Lord's dwelling naturally had to be remote and quiet, not allowing unrelated people to disturb the Lord's slumber.
After arriving at the dwelling place, Hastur set up a warning method on the coffin and ended this divine descent.
In the Hall of Stars, Hastur held his aching head, glanced again at the star where the True Creator resided, and then returned to the real world.
Sunlight had already spread in from outside the window.
Ariella had woken early and gone outside for a stroll. When it returned, it saw its master still asleep, so it went out wandering again. When it returned close to noon, the person on the bed was still asleep.
"Meow?" Ariella walked to the mirror and let out a puzzled sound.
Inside the mirror, Sharon appeared. Looking at Hastur still lying on the bed asleep, she couldn't help but fall into thought.
During this period of living closely with Hastur, she knew he was someone with a very regular routine. It was rare for him to sleep for so long.
A severe depletion of spiritual power, forcing him to recover through sleep.
That was Sharon's judgment of Hastur's condition.
But Hastur had slept in bed the entire night and hadn't even gotten up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Why would his spiritual power be depleted?
Another unknown secret.
During this time, Kaeus knocked on the door once. Seeing that Hastur didn't respond, he didn't come again.
Around three in the afternoon, Hastur finally woke from his sleep.
Sitting up straight, he shook his head. Very energetic. Very clear-minded.
"Meow!" Ariella pounced over, and Sharon also appeared in the mirror.
"I'm fine. I'll be more careful next time."
Thinking about what happened last night, Hastur felt that in the future his divine descent state should not exceed three hours. Otherwise, he absolutely wouldn't be able to get up the next day, which could easily arouse suspicion.
"Be careful," Sharon reminded him. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Don't be impatient. Things need to be handled slowly."
"Mm, I know what to do." Hastur replied with a smile, then continued,
"Do you remember the New Year's gift I once promised you?" Sharon looked over with a calm expression but said nothing.
"When things settle down here, I'll give you that New Year's gift."
"Alright."
"Alright then, Ariella should get up too. I should go wash up and eat, and you should lose some weight."
"Meow!"
....
At dinner time, Kaeus met Hastur.
Hastur showed nothing unusual, and Kaeus did not ask why he had not gotten up on time for breakfast this morning.
Instead, he brought a stack of handwritten materials and said: "During this period, we've conducted statistics on all the plantations within your territory. This includes idle land and a large amount of land that can still be reclaimed and utilized."
What a serious and efficient method of handling things.
Hastur was very satisfied with Kaeus' responsible attitude. Even without reminders, he already knew what needed to be prepared.
"Well done. Put the materials in my room later. I want to study them in detail."
Kaeus had someone take away the stack of materials and brought over a map. Pointing at several silver lines drawn on it, he said: "This area is remote, so several suitable commercial routes are needed. This will allow resources from your territory to be sold farther away and make trade more convenient..."
Kaeus explained seriously.
Hastur glanced at the map, and his eyelids twitched slightly. These routes were far more than simple trade routes.
They were clearly war routes. Among them, three routes resembled a trident pinning down three important port towns along the coast.
Taking those three port towns would mean controlling the sea power of the southwestern coastline of Southville County.
There were also four routes leading inland.
One route ended at Carlisle City, where the Duke of Southville resided.
One led to an inland military stronghold.
One was a transportation hub.
One led to a city rich in iron ore and other resources.
Hastur didn't believe Kaeus was unaware of these facts. He must have prepared all of this in advance.
"You are truly well suited to be my butler," Hastur said, generously offering his praise.
Joy appeared on Kaeus's face. Standing straight, he said, "It would be my honor if I could become your butler."
"What about the previous butler?"
"He has many matters to handle and cannot stay here for long. Madam Lisa has also already left."
Hastur smiled and nodded. "Then from today onward, you are the butler of this castle."
Kaeus stepped back and bowed. "I will act according to your will!"
He was genuinely happy and excited. It wasn't an act.
Hastur could see that clearly. Kaeus seemed to be wholeheartedly loyal to him.
That was why a mere butler position made him so happy. Could it be that the Yellow-Robed Monks were divided into different factions?
Hastur directly asked about this.
Kaeus did not hide anything and told him everything he knew.
At present, there were three main voices within the Yellow-Robed Monks, each with different positions.
The faction Kaeus belonged to supported and recognized Hastur. It could temporarily be called the Loyalist faction.
The previous old butler belonged to the Descent faction. They believed that one needed to sacrifice oneself alive to the King in Yellow in order for the god to descend into the world.
Hastur's body was the vessel for the King in Yellow's descent.
The third voice consisted of devout believers who only cared about following the King in Yellow's footsteps and becoming the most pious followers.
A classic triangular structure: moderate, radical, and neutral.
The reason things remained calm for now was because the correct time had not yet arrived. The Descent faction had been waiting for the right moment to welcome the King in Yellow's arrival.
Before that moment came, even with a vessel, it would still be unable to bear the god's descent.
Hastur curiously asked when that time would come.
Kaeus lowered his voice.
"Not sure. We have always followed the guidance of fate. What is meant to come will eventually come."
Hastur thought to himself: here we go again, that mysterious nonsense. He remained noncommittal.
Of Kaeus's words, he only believed half. The other half could be verified tonight.