Chapter 425

Chapter 48: The Beginning of the Turmoil – Part 2

Jester.

It was a name that Anasylis wasn’t very familiar with.

She felt somewhat puzzled.

Anasylis understood that she didn’t know much, but for the current era, she had at least some understanding of who were the truly powerful figures, whether they were righteous or evil, kind or malicious. After all, she might have to face them one day and fight for her life against them.

But for “Jester”… this name that everyone feared, Anasylis pondered for a long time. She realized that she truly didn’t know who this person was. Curious, she wanted to ask Sir Williams about it, but she didn’t know how to bring it up.

More knights entered the tent, their faces grim as they discussed around the table for a long time. Feeling somewhat stifled, Anasylis stepped out for a while. She ate half a dry biscuit outside, and when night fell and more people in the camp received new orders and began mobilizing, the atmosphere grew tense. She met Gigantous Labial, the man who looked like a bull. Anasylis thought of asking him, but he seemed even more confused than she was, scratching his head helplessly.

When she returned to the command tent, Sir Nicholas Williams, who had been sitting alone, assigned her a new task.

“Those heretics used their own people as bait. Archbishop Ansheel was attacked; the situation in the North Sea is not good… Most importantly, the heretics took the divine relics from the capital city, which we must reclaim… ”

Sir Williams made the final decision to set sail with six thousand church knights immediately, chasing after the enemy at sea. Following the naval route provided by the intelligence officer, they aimed to intercept and stop the heretics before they reached Mett Island, thereby reclaiming the relics.

“I’m sure you and I both understand that this could be a trap set by the enemy, but I have no choice, Anna. His Holiness has received a divine revelation; the great relics cannot fall into heretical hands. Even if there’s only a small chance, I must take this risk…”

“I won’t be going with you. Six thousand knights will be under the command of the Sixth Knight Order’s leader. I feel more at ease knowing you’ll be with them. If the relics are indeed on their ship, please—spare no expense, retrieve them.”

As for Sir Williams, he would remain at Mosley Coast, preparing for the potential, greater threat—based on the current situation, the enemy is likely planning a direct assault here.

The information about “fleeing to the Eastern Continent” is most likely a ruse.

But it could also be real.

“After all, that’s Jester…”

Seeing Sir Williams so concerned, Anasylis seized the opportunity to ask who Jester was.

“Oh, you’re young… It’s normal that you haven’t heard of him. He’s disappeared for nearly twenty years now. The Church later intentionally erased all records of him. Perhaps only those who experienced that event twenty-one years ago truly remember… Anyway, he’s an absolutely formidable figure, Anna. At least since Mr. Lane reached his peak, no one has escaped his sword filled with murderous intent, let alone injured him, except for Jester… Not even that great demon could do it. If you encounter him this time… please be extremely careful.”

“Is Jester a senator?”

“Jester doesn’t seem to have a clear position within the Gate of Truth. He might be called the first executor… He isn’t a senator, at least not back then. Although the Gate of Truth acts recklessly, the senators still consider gains and losses when making decisions, but Jester does not. He’s someone who acts purely based on his preferences. From what I know, at least two senators have died at his hands in the Gate of Truth.”

“He’s a complete madman.”

…………

Anasylis snapped out of her thoughts, slowly opening her eyes as she sat at the bow of the ship.

The sky was already dark.

The sun sank into the sea, leaving only a faint afterglow like a rainbow on the distant horizon.

“Miss Anasylis, it’s getting late. This wind is quite chilly. Shall we return to the dining cabin? It’s livelier there, and you should rest. Go eat something.”

The first mate hadn’t left yet.

He finished his beer and looked at Anasylis with bloodshot eyes, smiling. “Don’t worry. We’re the lead ship, and we have almost twenty lookouts combined. Any situation will be detected immediately.”

Anasylis thought for a moment, secured her small bag, and hung her sword to the right side of her waist, then stood up.

She was indeed quite hungry.

Inside the bag were two half-dry biscuits and plenty of jerky, but these were the foods she had saved over the past few days. When other food was available, Anasylis usually wouldn’t eat her own provisions unless they were about to spoil—she always had this habit, subconsciously saving the leftover food and carrying it with her.

Sword and provisions.

Without either, Anasylis would feel extremely insecure. She especially feared hunger or being unable to kill.

Anasylis glanced at the first mate and nodded.

He laughed again.

At that moment, fog started to rise on the sea.

The fog was grayish-white, drifting aimlessly without warning, as if suddenly appearing from all sides when no one noticed, enveloping the last rays of twilight and quickly thickening. Within seconds, the surrounding ships also became blurred and swallowed by the mist, leaving only faint silhouettes.

“Fog is rising…”

“What’s happening? What kind of weather is this…”

The crew began to stir.

The two originally planning to return to the dining cabin stopped in their tracks.

“Damn…”

The first mate cursed, realizing dinner was impossible, and seeing many people standing dazed on the deck, he went over with a fierce look, shouting orders.

“What are you all doing! Lower the sails! Where’s the boatswain? Dead somewhere! Light up those damned torches! Hurry up! Do you want to be hit into the sea by the ship behind us!?”

While he was shouting, he kicked a sailor who was running slowly, and then turned back.

, Annasilis smiled faintly.

“Miss Annasilis, you go down first! I’ll be right there!”

That smile was hazy in the mist.

The deck became busy, crew members darted about, lighting torches at the bow and stern of the ship. The light flickered in the increasingly dense fog, like flowing plasma. Some knights, either armored or unarmored, gradually emerged from the ship’s cabin. Some gripped their sword hilts, looking around the thick fog with wary expressions.

Annasilis frowned.

She turned around, her eyes fixed on the sea surface slowly disappearing into the mist, even the ship’s rail, as she slowly, slowly drew her sword with her left hand.

“Loosen the sails! The ship is still rocking!”

“Helmsman prepare to turn! Lookouts, keep your eyes peeled—”

“First mate, the fog is too thick! We can’t see anything!”

“Do I need to tell you that? Keep your eyes open!”

“First mate, is the ship okay?”

“Who the hell—oh, it’s the knight captain…no problem, no problem, it’s just foggy, and dark…I’ll find the captain immediately, we might have to stop the fleet…”

“We can’t move forward anymore…”

“It’s probably not possible. The fog is too thick, very dangerous…”

The ship’s speed dropped rapidly.

Visibility was almost less than ten meters around them.

Annasilis held her sword in one hand, standing at the bow of the ship, her ears filled with the cacophony of shouts and the sound of the sea.

She listened quietly for a long time.

Clunk…

Suddenly, from the left side of the ship, a distant sea seemed to emit a harsh sound, as if an old wooden ship, fully loaded, was groaning under heavy pressure.

At first, only Annasilis could hear this sound. But as the groaning noise grew louder, and the surging waves approached, some experienced sailors finally noticed.

“What’s that sound…”

“There’s a ship approaching…a big ship…”

“Is it our ship…”

“I can’t see…”

Clunk, clunk, clunk…

The sound came closer from the left side, becoming clearer in her ears.

“Bad news…”

“Wave the torches! They can’t see us—”

“It could be an attack!”

“Full right rudder! Tighten the main sail control lines! We can avoid it if we can—”

The ship shook violently, waves surged wildly. The crew shuddered as they tried to turn the ship, but the first mate nearby, eyes bulging and voice roaring, was too late.

Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk—

The sound intensified as the firelight suddenly appeared dozens of meters away.

“Move, move, move!”

“We’re going to collide—”

“Sixth Knight Order, ready for battle—”

Crash!

Waves surged in the fog, hitting the left side of the ship. Following closely was a massive wave breaking through the fog, a ship’s prow as fierce as a mountain, and a terrifying ram that seemed capable of piercing through the hull.

Boom—!

At this moment, the ship shook violently.

Annasilis barely had time to crouch down before the huge impact hit. A giant ship suddenly appeared out of the mist, its prow with a ram, slamming into the three-masted ship’s left side, instantly splitting the hull. The entire ship’s side changed shape, large cracks spreading to the deck, the railing torn apart, splinters flying everywhere, and waves crashing over, sending Annasilis rolling to one side.

“Aaaahhh—”

In the chaos, some were thrown by the impact, others fell from the mast. The first mate shouted furiously but couldn’t stand up. Knights staggered, struggling to draw their swords. Meanwhile, similar collision sounds echoed faintly from the depths of the dense fog.

“Attack!”

“They’re infidels—”

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

Moments later, countless black spheres were thrown onto the wet deck, bouncing and falling. Before anyone could react, even most couldn’t stand steady, they exploded with a “bang, bang, bang.”

Grayish-white smoke instantly filled the air.

“Cough, cough!”

“What is this…”

“Gancao grass…it’s Gancao grass smoke! Don’t inhale—”

Someone screamed desperately.

“Hahaha—”

Maniacal laughter came from the enemy ship.

“Kill the church’s loyal dogs!”

“Kill these pretentious wretches!”

“Kill, kill, kill—”

“Remember to laugh! Laugh, damn it—!”

“Hahaha—”

Countless ropes and hooks were thrown from the enemy ship, creating a bridge between the two ships. Figures poured in from the darkness and mist.

A chorus of screams.

Annasilis gripped her sword tightly in her left hand, quickly climbing to her feet, patting her waist pouch to confirm it was still there. She stepped forward amidst the violent shaking, holding her breath and rushing into the gray mist, facing the enemy in the chaos. She slashed off one man’s head, then cleaved another’s chest, before retreating swiftly, escaping the smoke. Panting heavily.

Many fell.

Countless crew members and knights lost consciousness and resistance in the dissipating smoke, cut down by乱刀, their throats bitten, drinking blood. The infidels laughed madly, crimson flames bursting from within them, burning the blood on the deck.

The knight captain, cornered and fighting back, was surrounded by electricity, his sword slicing through enemies. Under his feet lay more than a dozen corpses, but they soon moved again. Like vicious, unstoppable mad dogs, they grabbed the knight captain’s calves and waist, dragging him down, overwhelming him. As the flames lit up, the knight captain’s desperate roar abruptly stopped.

Five meters away, the first mate’s headless body was dragged, called out, and thrown into the sea by the infidels.

Annasilis tightened her grip on her sword once more.

“Ya—”

She let out a loud cry, her sword flashing coldly, charging towards the numerous menacing grins once more.

The waves surged endlessly.

In the dense fog, countless hazy lights rose from the chaotic shouts.