The halls of the ship had fallen silent.
Flesh clung to the walls in torn strips. Limbs hung from shattered ledgers, swaying slightly with the motion of the vessel.
The stench of iron and sulfur lingered thick in the air.
And yet—
There was calm.
A terrible, unnatural calm.
Something had been born here.
Within Room 224—
Glass jars lined the shelves with meticulous order. Inside them, indistinct shapes floated in murky fluid.
Across the desk, manuscripts lay scattered—pages filled with diagrams of biological restructuring, notes scribbled in tight,
obsessive detail. Veins, nerves, fragments of something not meant to be understood.
"...So I'm being hunted by a church of fanatical madmen."
Li Mu sat quietly, a cup of tea resting between his fingers.
His hands were stained with blood.
A pair of gloves lay discarded on the armrest beside him, dark liquid still dripping from their tips.
He took a sip.
Unbothered.
Before him—
Kneeling—
Was a monstrosity.
Its skin was pale, drained of all color. Veins writhed beneath the surface like living worms. Its eyes were gone, replaced with stitched flesh pulled tightly shut.
And yet—
It wore a butler's uniform.
Perfectly fitted.
"...Yes, sire," it said calmly. "I was sent by the Everlight Church to take your life."
Silence followed.
Li Mu took another sip of tea.
"I want you to gather information," he said at last.
A faint red light flickered in his eyes.
"Can you do that for me?"
The creature bowed its head.
"I will not fail."
It rose, movements stiff but obedient, and exited the room.
Click.
The door shut.
Li Mu remained still.
Thinking.
A great deal had changed.
He was still himself—
Yet something fundamental had shifted.
His mind no longer felt like a single entity, but a world—vast, layered, expanding beyond what it once was.
Insight.
Deeper than before.
Sharper.
But not without limits.
"This enhanced insight…" he murmured. "Still incomplete."
He leaned back slightly.
"I hope the Blood Blade Corps offers some form of education."
Outside, the wind shifted.
Night gave way slowly, moonlight washing over the drifting palace.
And behind the silence—
Things moved.
Room 129.
Li Chen lay across his bed, a book resting loosely in his hand.
The window stood open. Fresh air drifted in, though it did little to mask the lingering scent of blood.
"I wonder how that half-blood is doing…"
He closed the book.
"Still ten days left."
Rising, he stepped toward the bath.
Cold air brushed against his skin as water began to run.
He stepped in, blue hair spreading across his shoulders, glistening as it darkened.
A breath.
Then—
"You know, staring at your brother in the bath is unbecoming of a lady."
A soft chuckle answered him.
From the corner of the room, a figure emerged as if peeling itself from the air.
Pink hair.
Young.
A black-and-gold mask concealed her face.
She moved with ease, uninvited yet entirely comfortable.
"Hurry up," she said lightly. "I have things to discuss."
Moments later—
They sat across from each other, a small table between them, snacks untouched.
"Li Qian," Li Chen began, his tone measured,
"why have you come?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Our dearest brother is still alive," she said. "And I find that… curious."
Li Chen's expression didn't change.
But his mind flickered—
To blood.
To silence.
To something that didn't quite make sense.
"Do not underestimate him," he said quietly. "That half-blood… is not simple."
He reached for a biscuit, taking a slow bite.
"He's hiding something."
Li Qian watched him.
Then smiled faintly beneath her mask.
"Then let's go see him."
Room 224.
Li Mu sat at his desk, eyes scanning lines of text.
Symbols.
Structures.
Failures.
He paused, adjusting a formula.
"This still isn't enough…"
A faint crease formed on his brow.
"This level of insight has limits."
Silence.
Then—
"It seems I'll need to make another deal."
Knock.
Knock.
The sound cut cleanly through the room.
Li Mu's gaze shifted.
A voice followed.
"Dear brother…"
A pause.
"Your siblings are here to see you."