If she were a fellow disciple, then the earlier action was probably just a friendly warning. If she were a Confidential Division agent... then it was likely laying a trap. In any case, she had to find a way to hide quickly.
Without further hesitation, Detreka removed the steward's uniform, revealing healthy, wheat-colored skin and symmetrical collarbone and waistline.
She was on the slimmer side but showed slight traces of exercise, not appearing frail. However, there were several intersecting pale marks on the skin of her back, like faint scars left from healed whip wounds from childhood.
Quickly, Detreka changed into a lady's autumn coat, leather trousers, and a pair of combat boots.
She had deep brown, ear-length short hair, with six small eye-shaped hair ornaments tucked in hidden spots behind her ears, looking capable and energetic.
"Phew..."
While changing, she discovered she had lost one more thing... the saw cleaver she took from the hunter's room had also disappeared without her noticing.
But it was tied to her waist, beneath her coat and undergarments. How was it taken? And she had been completely unaware, her subconscious and spiritual senses seemingly certain the cleaver was still on her.
Damn it, if she'd known she'd encounter such trouble, why did she have to get greedy and target that doctor...
Detreka bit her lip slightly, feeling somewhat exasperated.
For a skilled Snatcher, this level of loss of composure was indeed rare. But it couldn't be helped; reality had dealt her too heavy a blow... making it hard to accept momentarily.
"What's wrong, miss? Do you need help?"
A soft female voice sounded by Detreka's ear, making her shudder all over.
"I'm fine..."
While trying hard to keep her voice calm, she slowly turned to look at the source of the voice.
What met her eyes was precisely that doctor from earlier.
The other stood before the door, amber eyes flickering in the shadows, with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Oh, miss, you look very pale. Are you ill? At sea, if you're not careful, it's indeed easy to experience acclimatization symptoms."
"Or... did you lose something?"
As she spoke, Fran walked into the storage room. With a light lift of her hand, the iron door behind her was locked from the inside.
It's that doctor from earlier... As the metallic click of the lock engaging sounded, Detreka felt a heavy, almost viscous sense of suffocation rushing toward her.
Escape? Escape where? Break the window and jump into the Abyssal Sea to commit suicide? Trying to force her way out was even more delusional...
"Oh, pardon my boldness, could you tell me your name?"
Fran gave her a slight, polite gesture with her hand, then asked.
"...My name is Detreka."
Under the intense psychological pressure, she didn't use a pseudonym.
"Very sorry! Respected lady... I shouldn't have offended you. Please don't hand me over to the Secret-Hunters..."
"Your skill is so exceptional; do you also revere the Six-Eyed God of 'Knowing the Lost'? Um, I will follow the rules for transgressing against a fellow disciple and offer you all the gains from this trip..."
Detreka's plea for mercy was decisive and thorough, almost on the verge of bowing and kneeling.
"Oh, dear Miss Detreka, I'm glad you recognize your mistake. But, do you think there's a possibility... that I am a Secret-Hunter?"
As she spoke, Fran lightly raised a slender index finger, and a raven landed steadily on it.
Its feathers were black and lustrous, like layers of silk. Its eyes, in the shadows, faintly showed obscure azure light... traces of the [Calling Bird] secret art.
"You may call me Vivian."
Her words made Detreka feel her body go numb, her breath becoming sluggish. The feeling of terror was like lightning's current, instantly piercing her body, flooding the thief lady's limbs and bones.
She had seen Confidential Division agents in her early years, but they only carried a disgusting, sinister aura, far from the oppressive feeling Ms. Vivian before her evoked, which stifled even the thought of escape.
This person before her... probably held at least a director's rank.
"Ms. Vivian, are you planning to arrest me?"
Detreka's voice carried a hint of dryness.
She no longer held any hope of escape, only wondering if she could get a relatively lighter charge... preferably one that could be bailed out with money.
"Arrest?"
Looking at the trembling Detreka, the corner of Fran's lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.
"Silly child, if I were going to arrest you and put you in jail, why wouldn't I just bring my colleagues? That guy whose saw cleaver you stole has been looking for you... I believe he'd be very happy to teach you a lesson."
Seeing the person before her seemed to have other plans, Detreka couldn't help but relax slightly.
As long as she didn't have to go to jail, anything was fine... But thinking this, she felt a flicker of unease again.
She'd heard some Secret-Hunter hunters were so obsessive they were almost devoid of humanity. Could it be that this lady didn't even plan to give me a chance to go to jail?
The Abyssal Sea devoured people; anyone could vanish silently into it, forever buried in the waves.
Under the intense gaze of those amber eyes, Detreka felt her body growing weak, already unable to bear the increasingly heavy psychological pressure.
"Ms. Vivian, please tell me what you want to do. I'll give you anything. If I have it, as long as I can do it..."
"Don't worry, just a few little questions."
Fran found a small wooden stool, wiped the dust off the seat with her hand, then sat down lightly.
She seemed quite in the mood now, even having the leisure to stroke Munin the raven's chin with her finger. The latter rather enjoyed it, squinting its eyes.
"After you answer, I'll let you go. Of course... provided you are sufficiently honest."
"What would you like to know?"
Hearing this Ms. Vivian's demand, a flicker of excitement lit up Detreka's eyes.
The other wanted to ask some things; that meant there was room for maneuver. It was said the Secret-Hunters' Confidential Division sometimes hired Six-Eyed Crow disciples as agents, a kind of special arrangement...
While she was still pondering escape methods, Fran began her questions.
"Miss Detreka, how much do you know about the Stellar Abyss Society?"
This question wasn't difficult for Detreka. She quickly answered.
"Most people in Gormouth have to deal with the Stellar Abyss Society... They set up ritual arrays using relics in some cities to defend against disasters arriving with the tides."
"Even the capital 'Moldway,' where the royal court is, extensively uses their secret arts."
Hearing this, Fran, with a leisurely expression, crossed her legs, then raised a finger to lightly stroke the edge of her lower lip.
"Those fools trying to glimpse the stars from the sea's reflection actually came to their senses? That's somewhat unexpected..."
She offered a thought-provoking comment, then asked the next question.
"What about the Ant-Scale Door? How are those lunatics doing lately?"
Fran was accustomed to asking questions from easy to difficult. Her concern for the Ant-Scale Door cult was clearly higher than for the Stellar Abyss Society.
After all, the deity the former revered had been corroded and gnawed upon, nearly half-mad. Besides, It was constantly pursuing Luyala in dreams, trying to use some unique quality of this mythical creature to escape Its predicament.
Oh, that was a "Mansus" deity afflicted with a serious illness. Such a heavyweight patient was indeed wonderful for Fran... How could she not pay extra attention?
"Their cult has split."
At this point, Detreka's gaze couldn't help but flash with a trace of pride.
In Gormouth, ordinary questions about the Stellar Abyss Society could be answered by any adult in a tavern. But regarding the Ant-Scale Door... her own cult held exclusive information.
"Although named 'Ant Mother,' that deity's true form is the 'Serpent Boa' and the 'Key.' After the corruption occurred, deep black ant-like insects truly swarmed from Its wounds. This caused a divergence in the disciples' faith."
"One faction decided to maintain the pure original faith, while the other decided to seek deeper enlightenment from the writhing worms in the wounds."
Here, Detreka pursed her lips slightly, her eyes showing some disgust.
"I suspect those disciples who chose the worms had already gone mad before making that decision. A normal person would never let such things touch their mind and spirit..."
As the deity of observation and theft, the Six-Eyed Crow's disciples naturally specialized in this.
Detreka knew quite a few secrets, which pleased Fran. She then asked her final question.
"Oh, that 'Nightmare Guest' who's being pursued, how much do you know about him?"
"That guy..."
Detreka narrowed her eyes momentarily, seeming hesitant.
In fact, she did know something about the Nightmare Guest. But that person was, after all, a Six-Eyed Crow disciple. Giving out his information felt somewhat like betraying a colleague.
"Hmm... The wind is strong tonight. If someone unfortunately falls into the Abyssal Sea, their screams probably wouldn't be heard, right?"
Seeing Detreka hesitate, Fran raised a hand to lightly stroke her cheek, her gaze playful and alluring, as if seriously contemplating the issue.
"Caw."
Munin, perched on the back of her hand, let out a soft caw, sounding like an affirmation.
"Wait, Ms. Vivian! Um, I don't know much about the 'Nightmare Guest' either."
Feeling the undisguised threat in the other's words, Detreka immediately chose to compromise and began carefully recounting what she knew.
"Disciples in our cult rarely communicate with each other. I don't know his name or situation either. But judging from the news that he attacked the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, he probably needs a 'Lamp' organ as the stolen item."
"This is preparation for advancing to the High Priest rank of the Fourth Step!"
The thief lady spoke very quickly, her face somewhat flushed from holding her breath. Only after finishing did she raise her eyes to secretly size up Fran, trying to gauge this Secret-Hunter's current attitude.
"Don't be afraid; that was just a joke."
Fran gave her a harmless, professional smile, with a reassuring tone. As if the one who had just made the death threat wasn't herself.
A moment later, she softly spoke, breaking the somewhat tense atmosphere.
"Miss Detreka, you know quite a bit. Interested in being my informant? Good terms, you know?"
"Informer?"
Hearing Ms. "Vivian's" final demand, Detreka couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; the unease churning in her heart also gradually settled down.
Being able to be an informant meant she still had value to be utilized. She wouldn't be discarded after the questioning.
"How about this proposal, Miss Detreka? Of course, don't force yourself; I fully respect your opinion."
Fran sat upright on the wooden stool, leisurely crossing her legs, her fingers also lightly interlocked.
"But let me state upfront... I don't like being refused."
She just maintained her usual faint smile, making it hard to discern her true thoughts. The raven on her shoulder stood aloof and solemn, its black pearl-like eyes completely merging with the shadows.
"Of course, Ms. Vivian."
Facing Fran's pressing question, Detreka gave a slight nod, agreeing very straightforwardly.
Although mostly complying superficially under pressure, it wasn't completely perfunctory. A Snatcher thief had no true loyalties; she was willing to trade with any client who could pay the price.
As for whether she might betray the Six-Eyed Crow cult... honestly, she didn't care.
From the moment one touches the mystical, every cult disciple has only one goal. To step onto that unspeakable secret ladder and strive with all one's life to reach the end. And this, mostly only pure egoists can achieve.
"Only, I don't understand, what can I do for you?"
Detreka's confusion was very reasonable at this moment.
Ms. Vivian's theft skills far surpassed hers; she probably mastered two or more "Crow"-system secret arts and possessed an enlightenment-level spirituality beyond imagination. Such an existence... what help could she be?
Whether stealing treasures or collecting information, she probably didn't need her help. In some situations, she might not even have the qualification to appear...
Seeing Detreka had agreed, Fran proceeded to state her commission and specific needs.
"Two things. First, keep an eye out for information about the Nightmare Guest for me. Preferably specific movements, or recent activities."
"Okay, I'll try to gather information on that." Detreka quickly agreed.
Tracking the Nightmare Guest was an assignment expected within reason; the Secret-Hunters on the ship were probably after that guy.
No idea what came over that senior, having already obtained the promotion ritual materials in Norlington, yet committing another crime. Ended up with the Secret-Hunters on his tail, the pursuit level raised repeatedly...
Oh, seems like someone on this ship also decided to go for another score after succeeding once and got caught without any resistance.
Thinking of this, the corner of Detreka's lips stiffened slightly.
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