Advent of the Three Calamities

Virellith.

Such was the name of the nearest main city within the Remnant South. Located by the shore, the city wasn't hard to spot from a distance. Mainly due to the massive spire that pierced the sky.

"That's the Ashen Steeple."

Anne spoke the words softly, her eyes fixed on the distant structure.

"It's one of Virellith's most iconic landmarks — part of the Cathedral of Light. It serves as the heart of every temple and church dedicated to the Goddess of Light."

Raising her head up, she focused on the top of the steeple.

"…Some even claim the Goddess of Light dwells there. But no one truly knows. It's been a very long time since her last appearance. There are even rumors that say that she's died, but no one truly knows."

Lazarus's eyes narrowed as he heard Anne's words.

They were all still preoccupied with the actions of the Primordial One, but for now, their attention could only turn to the city on the horizon.

Lifting his head to stare at the steeple, Lazarus's eyes flickered.

'So there's a chance the Goddess might reside there?'

He pressed his lips tightly.

This was an interesting piece of news.

"Well, they're just rumors, so don't mind them too much. The real problem is that we're within the Goddess of Light's domain, and given what we've previously done, it is best if we tread cautiously."

"Right..."

Lazaurus touched his face.

Did he have to change his appearance again?

That was a bit...

"I also need to change my face since I'm quite recognizable. Thankfully, it's not like this is the first time for me."

Chuckling, Anne tossed both An'as and Lazarus a ring.

"This is...?"

"A special relic that we use in order to make people forget about our appearance after seeing it."

"Huh?"

Both Lazarus and An'as looked surprised by the ring.

"It generally works with most people. However, if there's an exceptionally powerful [Mind] user, they'll be able to remember our faces. That's why it's best to lay low while we're within the city."

"Oh."

Lazarus fiddled with the ring in his hand. It was entirely black, almost matching his other ring.

He suddenly thought of something.

"What about the Eclipsed Maw? Where is that?"

"...The Eclipsed Maw?"

Anne turned towards Lazarus before tilting her head.

"That's not too far from where we are, but this isn't the best time to go there. The tides are strong at the moment. I'd say that we would need to wait about three days before going there."

"Three?"

"Yeah, going there now would be too dangerous."

"Hmmm."

Lazarus fell into thought, but raising his head, he soon saw Anne's expression turn even stranger.

"You want to go there, don't you?"

"Yes."

Lazarus didn't deny it.

This had been his goal the entire time. He needed to go there in order to collect Oracleus's eyes. The last remaining artifact before he could collect all four relics.

"You know what, I'm not even going to ask."

Anne sighed before signaling her crew to stop the ship.

"We'll have to stop here. If we move any further, we'll risk the very real chance of getting spotted by the envoys of the church. There's currently a pretty big bounty on us, so it's best if we stay cautious."

As she said that, she leaned over to the side of the ship where a smaller boat appeared.

"Where did that come from?"

The boat was about one-fifth of the size of the main boat, and it seemingly came out of nowhere as both Lazarus and An'as looked at Anne in surprise.

Placing the ring on her finger, Anne just smiled.

"I'm not one of the seven lords of the Crimson sea for no reason. There are reasons as to why I'm still alive and kicking."

Without waiting for the two to say anything, she kicked the ground and jumped towards the ship below.

An'as and Lazarus could only stare at each other before following along.

Thud!

Landing on the ship, they looked around.

The ship... was nothing great or fancy like the previous boat. It looked like an old fishing boat, with hooks by the side and several boxes littered throughout.

"Are we fishers? Is that our identity?" An'as asked while looking around, his expression a little weird.

"Nope."

Anne shook her head while moving towards a certain box and kicking it open, revealing several bones.

"We're bone merchants."

"Holy shit."

An'as's eyes widened upon seeing the numerous bones scattered on the ground. There were more than a hundred, and even Lazarus was surprised to see the sheer number of bones present.

"They're nothing great. A lot of infant-grade bones, and a few terror-ranked mixed in. It should be enough to fool the city guards. Been there, done tha—Hey, leave the bone on the floor. Don't touch it!"

Pausing mid-sentence, she started reprimanding An'as as he fiddled with the bones on the ground, his eyes falling on a particular dark bone.

He was practically salivating.

"Can I...?"

"No, you can't."

"What, why?"

"Because it's expensive."

"But it can help me get stronger..."

"It's not suited for you anyway, so stop bothering me."

"Please?"

"I'll slap you."

An'as could only begrudgingly drop the bone on the ground and sigh.

'Shouldn't expect anything less from a pirate...'

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Moving towards the inner part of the ship, Anne started the boat.

Several runes lit up, and the boat started to move along the water, moving away from the main ship and towards the distant mass of land.

As the boat started, a young girl with freckles and twintails appeared from within the ship, startling An'as.

"What the fuck?"

He stood up while looking at the new figure.

"Who are you? When did you—"

"It's me."

It was only when she opened her mouth and her voice came out that An'as realized who it was.

"You changed your appearance? How come? I thought that..."

"Unlike the two of you, I need to take extra precautions. I'm rather infamous in these parts. You two have a bounty, but your faces aren't that well-known. Even if they do see through your disguise, it might not click with them. The same can't be said for me."

She then turned her attention towards Lazarus.

"Since we're going to present ourselves as bone merchants, it is only right that you take over from here."

"Me?"

Lazarus looked surprised.

Anne, however, nodded her head.

"Yes. It'll make things even less suspicious."

"....I see."

Lazarus wasn't necessarily against the idea.

It was just that...

He wasn't really a merchant to begin with.

'Well, it doesn't matter. I think I've gotten the hang of it anyway.'

"Very well."

Lazarus moved towards the bow of the ship and looked into the distance. The mass of land was drawing nearer, and as his hair fluttered, he mumbled,

"Looks like the Gray Chamber will be making a comeback."

"Oh, right."

As if recalling something, An'as spoke from behind.

Lazarus slowly turned his head to look at him.

"I've been curious for a while."

"What is it?"

"Why did you call it the Gray Chamber Merchant Group? Is there a reason for it?"

"Yes, there is."

Lazarus nodded his head seriously.

Then, under the watchful eyes of both An'as and Anne, he pointed at the sky.

"It's because the sky is gray."

"...."

"...."

*

By the time they arrived at the port of Virellith, an hour had passed. The sky hung low and gray, and the crimson sea was restless, slapping against the dark stone that made up the breakwater of the port.

Splash! Splash!

Thick iron chains stretched from the docks into the water, groaning with each pull of the tide as the ship the merchant and his crew were on rocked back and forth.

In the distance, dozens, if not hundreds, of ships were docked by the port, each varying in different sizes, with several tall white boats catching the most attention of all of them.

Splash!

As another wave crashed against the breakwater, the merchant trio finally managed to get into the port.

The waters calmed down from that point as they moved past several areas and found a place to dock.

It was right as they found a spot that a white boat stopped before them.

"Who might you be?"

A man clad in white appeared from the top of the boat, staring at them from above. His features were hidden by the faint white cloak draped over his body.

"Hello."

Lazarus stepped forward, his movements a little rough. He had to change his persona a little to be more fitting with his current job.

Taking a step to the side to show one of the boxes, he lightly nudged it with his foot, allowing it to fall and display the bones.

"I'm a bone merchant looking to find some business in Virellith."

"Merchant?"

The man garbed in white paused before jumping onto their ship, his movement light like a feather.

Bending over slightly to look at the bones and analyzing them, the man in white didn't find anything suspicious. He looked towards the other crew and also didn't seem to notice anything out of order.

"Everything looks in check."

He nodded faintly before turning around.

However, right before he did that, he paused and looked back. His eyes paused on one of the bones as he picked it up.

"You wouldn't be so kind as to gift me one, would you?"

"Oh?"

Lazarus raised his brow while looking at the bone and then the man in white.

A smile soon marred his features.

'Oh, no...'

Finding the situation extremely familiar, An'as's face turned white as he looked at the man in white.

He hurriedly shook his head.

'Don't do it. For your own sake, don't do it!!!'

But it wasn't as though the man in white could hear An'as's thoughts.

"Is that okay?"

"Okay?"

Lazarus suddenly laughed while clapping his hands.

"Of course it's okay!"

He moved closer to the man in white while placing his hand over his shoulder.

"Why would I be so unkind and not gift you a bone after you've helped me? It would be extremely ungrateful of me! Kukukh."

Kukukh?

Anne looked at Lazarus weirdly. He was behaving rather strangely.

"Yes, it would."

The man in white nodded while An'as held his head in despair.

'He's done for. He's just lost his freedom.'

Noticing An'as's strange actions, Anne frowned before moving closer to him and whispering, "What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?"

"I..."

An'as bit his lips while slowly turning to look at Anne.

"You wouldn't understand."

He eventually shook his head, his eyes looking at the envoy with pity.

"...The pain and suffering that man will go through from this moment forward."

An'as's body trembled as he started thinking about the suffering the envoy was going to go through.

"It's..."

"What the hell?"

Taking a step back, Anne felt chills run down her body as she looked at An'as.

Especially since...

He was smiling so creepily.

"Kukukh."

What the fuck?