"Look! There's a bat flying in the sky!" A commotion outside the bar caught Deep's attention.
He hurried outside with the other drunken sailors to see what was happening.
Deep scratched his neck, beer bottle in hand. Hmm, why does this bat look so familiar?
As they watched the bat quickly fly away, the sailors wandered back into the bar in twos and threes, but Deep remained. He suddenly remembered the Vampire had told him that the Captain recently acquired a new relic that allowed him to turn into a giant bat. Odds were, the one in the sky was his Captain, Charles.
Is the Captain testing out a new relic? That's awesome. I wish I had a relic too. Deep's words were tinged with deep envy. It was impossible not to be jealous watching the Captain wield all sorts of abilities thanks to his collection of relics.
Just then, an idea struck him, and he clapped his hands in excitement. Wait! I've saved up some Echo Coins myself! I can buy a relic too!
Glancing at the rowdy tavern, Deep dashed back inside. A wave of heat hit him as drunken crewmates laughed and bragged while scantily clad girls wove between the tables. The place was bursting with life.
He leaped onto a wooden table and shouted, "Hey, everyone! Does anybody know where I can buy a relic on Coral Island?"
The noise subsided for a moment. A fat old man with a bulbous red nose and a nearly toothless grin opened his mouth and said in an exaggerated tone, "Look at this! The little brat has barely grown any whiskers and he's already trying to buy a relic? He must be tired of living! Hahahaha!"
The whole bar erupted in laughter, the atmosphere becoming boisterous.
At a table in the corner, the other members of the Narwhal slammed their hands on the table and shot to their feet.
The laughter died instantly. The sailors quickly stared down into their drinks; they knew better than to mess with the crew of an Exploration Ship.
Seeing the mood turn awkward, Deep snapped his fingers toward the bar. "Bartender, a round for everyone! Put it on my tab."
The atmosphere immediately became lively again. The sailors and crewmen raised their mugs, loudly and rowdily toasting the very youth they had been mocking just a moment before.
A shirtless sailor chugged a large mouthful of his drink and bellowed, "Friend, go check out Black Robe Alley! Shady things that can't see the light of day are sold off there. Just make sure the black-jacketed cops don't see you. All the trading there is illegal."
"Thanks!" Deep jumped off the table excitedly. Waving at his crewmates in the corner, he bolted out the door.
"Should we follow the kid? You think he's going to get into trouble again?" Krona asked the others.
"Relax. He made it back from Dark Crystal Island alive. What's there to be afraid of here? If some idiot with no sense picks a fight with him, we'll just kill them and toss the body in the sea," Frey said, then gave a passing serving girl's rear a pinch.
The other crew members nodded in agreement, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Deep was already quite familiar with the Coral Island harbor district. After passing through the fish-drying yard, which reeked of its wares, he arrived at the desolate Black Robe Alley.
Just as its name suggested, everyone in the alley wore black robes that concealed their faces. Deep, in his sailor's uniform, looked ridiculously out of place standing in the middle of the path.
He squeezed into the crowd, watching with novel curiosity as people lifted their robes to flash the items hidden within, whispering amongst themselves.
"Hey! Do any of you have a relic? Is anyone selling relics?"
Deep's shout immediately drew attention. A short, black-robed figure approached and said in a low voice, "How much money you got, kid?"
"Uh… 30,000 Echo?" Deep stated his entire savings.
The black-robed figure turned to leave, his tone dripping with disdain. "Thirty thousand for a relic? Do you think you can just fish them out of the sea?"
Deep scratched his neck in frustration. He had actually saved up more, but the Vampire had robbed him back on Dark Crystal Island.
"You want a relic?" a voice suddenly called out from behind, making Deep jump.
He spun around to see a portly, black-robed figure standing there.
"Yeah, I do. But I only have 30,000 Echo."
"Deal. Thirty thousand it is." The black-robed man pulled a silver bracelet from his robes. It was covered in a thick layer of limescale.
"Really? You'll sell it to me for just thirty thousand?" Deep was shocked. Just a moment ago, the other guy said it wasn't nearly enough.
"Want it or not? If not, I'm leaving."
Seeing the man pretend to walk away, sixteen-year-old Deep didn't overthink it and quickly agreed. "I'll take it! I'll take it! First, tell me, what does this relic do?"
"Put it on, and your strength will increase. The downside is, you'll get thirsty easily."
After Deep tested it and found that the relic actually worked, he happily paid up, feeling delighted that he had scored a massive bargain.
The black-robed man took the money and left swiftly. He wound his way through Black Robe Alley before kneeling on one knee before a certain door. "Priest, the item has been delivered. We can confirm he is one of Charles's crew."
The wooden door opened, and a smiling Sonni stepped out. "When they set sail, give the other bracelet to that man. If he won't work for me, then Kede won't get this advantage either!"
"Captain! Captain! Are you in there?" Deep knocked excitedly on Charles's door.
The door creaked open, revealed by Lily's mouse.
Deep immediately saw Charles sitting there in silence. He was shivering, his expression twisted, his fists clenched as if he were enduring something terrible.
"What is it?" Charles's voice was unusually hoarse.
Although Deep was young, he wasn't a fool. It was obvious this wasn't the right time to show off his new relic.
"N-nothing. You should get some rest." Deep turned to leave, but just then, a bat flew in from outside, clutching a blood-red pouch in its mouth.
The bat instantly transformed into Audric, who nervously offered the blood bag to Charles. "Captain, this is from the hospital."
With trembling hands, Charles snatched the bag and bit into it with his sharp white teeth, sucking down the contents greedily. Scarlet blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, making him look even more like a Vampire than Audric, who stood beside him.
Deep walked over to Lily, who was standing in the corner, and asked curiously, "What's wrong with the Captain?"
Lily's voice was tinged with fear. "The Captain went to see my sister… He came back like this. He almost bit me a moment ago."
Just then, Deep saw his Captain's face contort in pain, his lips twitching as he muttered something to himself.
He roughly pushed aside the Vampire, who was trying to steady him, and stumbled to his desk. He wrenched open a drawer, pulled out a piece of green gel, and forcefully stuffed it into his mouth.
Drenched in a cold sweat, Charles's breathing slowly evened out. Looking utterly exhausted, he waved a hand at his crew. "I need to rest for a while. All of you, get out."
Deep quickly followed Audric out of the room. Staring at the closed door, he asked in a puzzled tone, "Why is the Captain always so distressed? He has his own Exploration Ship at his age. What is there to be unhappy about? If I had my own ship, I'd be laughing in my dreams."
Leaning against the wall for support, Audric shook his head. "Who knows? But if the Captain keeps this up, I don't think he'll last much longer. Don't you think he's acting more and more like those lunatics on the street?"
Deep shot him an indignant glare. "What are you talking about?! Captain Charles is incredible; that's impossible! If you badmouth him again, you'll have to answer to me!"
With that, Deep turned and hurried toward the stairwell.