Chapter 450: The Favored of the Stars

Chapter 450: The Favored of the Stars

Huang Tao, a somewhat immature yet responsible traveler, despite his youthful indiscretions, ultimately chose to seal himself in stone here, silently standing guard like a monument.

The Vessel of the Stars and the Primordial Hunger left the island, which had been altered by Roselle's brief awakening.

The twisted and chaotic rules of the Black Emperor shrouded the island, forming a black abyss-like barrier that protected its tranquility.

This also prevented pirates, who came in search of treasure, from sacrificing their flesh and blood to the Fallen Mother Goddess.

"Tonight is quite interesting," the Primordial Hunger chuckled, "Stars, I need to fill my stomach first."

The Vessel of the Stars merely nodded. The Primordial Hunger stomped on the water's surface with great force, quickly disappearing from sight.

The Vessel of the Stars gazed quietly for a moment, then looked up at the unobscured starry sky. The stars shone brightly, their light protecting every believer of the stars.

Tonight's series of events did not benefit the Fallen Mother Goddess; instead, it weakened her control over Roselle.

Mr. Door's consciousness also began to stir, and for a while, his influence on the real world would diminish significantly.

"Are you a believer of the stars?"

As the Vessel of the Stars was contemplating, a submarine surfaced not far away. It was Bernadette, returning alone to this sea.

"The stars are my faith," the Vessel of the Stars said calmly, glancing at the slightly relaxed Bernadette. With a flick of his finger, he projected the scene of Roselle regaining consciousness in the Black Emperor's tomb before her.

Bernadette stared in a daze, her eyes welling up with tears that never fell.

When she heard, "The sea is vast; if possible, establishing a pirate kingdom wouldn't be bad," she seemed to find a new life goal, her eyes brightening with determination.

She was already known as the mysterious queen among pirates. Rallying them to establish a pirate kingdom and becoming a queen would not be too difficult.

Especially now, with the major pirate groups suffering heavy losses due to tonight's events, it was the perfect time for her to consolidate power.

The Storm Church had a good relationship with her, and the Ruen Kingdom was preoccupied with the war against the Feysac Empire. All the conditions were in place.

The only concern was the danger and madness she would face when switching to a non-adjacent pathway in the future.

But if her father could do it, so could she!

"When you establish a pirate kingdom, these will be your gifts."

"I understand. I will offer my sincerest devotion to the stars."

"King of the Five Seas Nast is a good ally."

Originally, this was Hastur's contingency plan for potentially ascending to the Black Emperor, but now that he had switched to the pathway of the stars, he let Bernadette take his place on the Black Emperor's path.

"And my father..."

"The stars are always watching."

With these words, the Vessel of the Stars opened a portal and disappeared.

The blood-stained sea was left with only Bernadette and her Nautilus.

As Bernadette departed at sunrise, Klein also left the gray fog from a distance.

He had only observed the night's upheaval from afar without participating.

Though he wished to help Roselle, the senior traveler, the situation Roselle faced was beyond Klein's current capabilities.

Fortunately, the stars shone exceptionally bright tonight, dispelling the pollution from the depths of the starry sky.

From his distant vantage point above the gray fog, he felt the terrifying vibrations of the crimson moon as if it were about to resurrect from deathly silence.

The successive upheavals on the island caused the sea to churn, but the strong presence of the Black Emperor's aura suggested that Roselle's situation was not entirely dire.

"Being a battlefield reporter is not easy," Klein sighed, rubbing his aching forehead. He had to convene the Tarot Club tomorrow, but at least he now understood the events and wouldn't be caught off guard.

"A new day begins."

The long-suppressed sun finally rose from the depths of the sea, its golden rays dispelling the cold and darkness of the previous night.

---

On the Black Emperor, King of the Five Seas Nast was having food, water, and medical supplies delivered to the nearby Hope.

Last night, he received instructions from the stars to wait in this sea without joining the commotion at Roselle's final tomb.

Around two or three in the morning, a spatial portal suddenly appeared near the Black Emperor. On the other side was another sea, where a horrifying battle was taking place.

Black tentacles covered the sky, blood-red tentacles emerged from the sea, and a crimson moon reflected on the ocean.

After some time, a ship slowly emerged from the other side into this sea.

The Hope, a medium-sized vessel, had its ordinary crew members blown apart, their bodies mangled.

The survivors were all bloodied, pale, and looked as if they had narrowly escaped death.

Following the stars' instructions, Nast began providing aid to the Hope.

After finishing this, he boarded the Hope at dawn, waiting for the stars' next instructions.

In a room, Audrey, Fors, and Xio were discussing their next steps, while Susie lay motionless on the floor, recovering from her injuries through sleep.

"If I'm not mistaken, the fleet helping us belongs to King of the Five Seas Nast. That flagship is the Black Emperor," Xio said, shivering at the mention of Nast's name.

This pirate king's bounty was even higher than that of the Undying King Agalito.

"Why is he helping us?"

"It might be because of the Sage," Fors speculated.

"The Sage?"

"The mysterious queen of the sea."

Audrey gave Fors a deep look. "Ms. Fors, you still claim not to be the Magician?"

"How is Mr. Hastur?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know. He hasn't responded."

"Could he be..." Xio began, but quickly stopped herself from jinxing it.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door knocked, and Audrey and the others immediately became alert. Even Susie, lying on the floor, twitched her ears.

"It's me," Hastur's voice came from outside, making Audrey and the others breathe a sigh of relief. Xio opened the door.

Seeing Hastur alive and well, with clean clothes, Xio almost cried. In this vast sea, Mr. Hastur was their pillar.

Hastur entered the room, looking around. "Are you all okay?"

"We're fine. Susie's condition is more serious," Audrey said worriedly.

Hastur knelt beside Susie, placing his hand on her head. A purifying energy from the Sun's authority flowed through her body.

Susie quickly opened her eyes, looking much better.

"Susie!" Audrey joyfully petted her head. "Mr. Hastur, is Susie alright now?"

"She just needs more rest."

Hastur stayed in the room, chatting with Audrey and the others for a while before Nast arrived on the Hope's deck.

Hastur, with Xio in tow, went to the deck, while Audrey stayed to care for Susie, and Fors simply didn't want to move.

"That's King of the Five Seas Nast. Quite an imposing figure," Xio remarked, sneaking glances at the pirate king.

"You did well," Hastur said calmly, surprising Xio. This was King of the Five Seas!

"Are you a believer of the stars?" Nast frowned.

He had never met this young earl before, only knowing two believers of the stars: Bernadette and a mysterious entity that had subdued him.

As he thought of Bernadette, the space around them trembled, and a pea vine sprouted on the deck, indicating her arrival.

"Greetings, Sage," Xio greeted warmly, recognizing the opportunity.

"Favored of the stars?" Bernadette murmured, looking at Hastur with curiosity. "You are indeed special."

Hastur smiled. "I became a believer and favored of the stars long before you."

At the birth of the stars, he was their representative, the only favored one.