Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

"Captain Ethan."

"Just call me Ethan."

"Okay, Ethan. You can call me Cleo directly too." Cleo behaved very politely. His demeanor was very different from the adventurers Ethan had seen before. He seemed like someone born into privilege who had received a formal education from a young age. "You said earlier that there's a mysterious power on this island that can trap people in an illusion without them realizing it?"

"Yes."

Ethan didn't hide anything and simply told Cleo what he knew. He didn't care about this information being shared, and he understood that it wouldn't stop this group from landing on the island anyway. He was more curious about how they would deal with such a problem.

Cleo listened quietly to Ethan's explanation, occasionally asking for minor details. Then he stood there, deep in thought. Ethan noticed that while thinking, Cleo glanced at him and Logan several times, and even at his own ship.

He's observing our situation.

Ethan instantly realized what Cleo was doing. He was assessing the credibility of Ethan's words by evaluating the condition of Ethan's crew and ship. At the same time, he was judging how much of a threat the strange force might be, and whether it had caused any casualties.

"Thank you very much for the information and help you've provided. Perhaps this knowledge will allow my crew to avoid unknown dangers and even save their lives."

Cleo expressed his gratitude when Ethan finished explaining the general situation, as if he had been listening intently the entire time. There hadn't been a single careless move on his part.

This was a very cautious captain.

Considering where they were, it made sense. The other party had a large crew, and the fact that he could manage them so well proved his competence. So these actions weren't strange at all.

If he had simply believed everything from a stranger without question, that would have been more suspicious.

After exchanging a few more words, Cleo finally said goodbye to Ethan and returned to his ship. The Eternal slowly started moving again, heading to a location not far from the Goddess of Dawn, a spot that was the most suitable nearby landing point and also maintained a certain distance from the Goddess of Dawn.

It could be said that they came over previously to gather information and extend goodwill, given the unclear situation.

Now that goodwill had been expressed and information had been gathered, the Eternal needed to find its own docking location. It couldn't just remain beside the Goddess of Dawn forever, which could be interpreted as blocking her or being hostile.

Moreover, with the ships too close together, neither side could fully relax and rest at night. That wasn't ideal for anyone. Keeping a reasonable distance was necessary.

Once the other ship slowly sailed away, Logan, who had remained silent, finally shared his thoughts on Cleo with Ethan.

"That guy's not easy to deal with."

"I know."

Ethan activated his communicator and informed Diana that she could come out. When the Eternal had approached earlier, he had contacted Diana via communicator and told her to stay hidden in the captain's room. In case of conflict, she could attack the enemy ship directly through the cabin window.

That was Ethan's biggest confidence in allowing the Eternal to come close. With Diana's current strength, it would take her little effort to tear apart a wooden sailing ship. If she used her divine power, she could obliterate the Eternal with a single blast, erasing it from existence without leaving a trace.

Diana walked out of the cabin and stood beside Ethan and Logan, watching the Eternal, which had now moved at least 200 meters away. Both sides could now lower their guard slightly. This was a suitable distance, close enough to be observed but far enough to provide buffer time if needed.

"Who are those people?"

"Strangers."

Diana glanced at Ethan. She was beginning to understand. Humans weren't all kind. Human nature was complicated. Often, your kindness wouldn't be repaid with kindness. It might even invite hostility.

"What do they want?"

"Probably the same as us. They want to see what's on the island."

"With us?"

"No. They'll probably try it on their own first."

Not long after the Eternal came to a stop, Ethan saw a group of people disembark and head toward the island. It was a good opportunity to observe. He stood on the poop deck with Logan and Diana, using binoculars to watch the group.

He also glanced at the Eternal. Cleo didn't go ashore, but stood on the poop deck with his first mate, observing the crew through binoculars, just like Ethan and the others. Ethan also noticed a lookout at the top of the Eternal's mast doing the same.

Since the island was mostly grassland, the view wasn't obstructed. Everyone could clearly see what the crew was doing.

At first, they moved normally, heading deeper into the island. But as they progressed toward the center, the group began to slowly scatter. At this point, it seemed that the Eternal realized something was wrong. Having received Ethan's warning earlier, Cleo began signaling to his dispersed crew.

Ethan noticed that every time the crew advanced a certain distance, they would look back at the Eternal's position, clearly checking for signals. They still maintained this habit, but regardless of how the Eternal signaled, those people kept moving forward as if they saw nothing. They became increasingly scattered, to the point that it looked like a bunch of unrelated individuals wandering aimlessly.

Their routes weren't fixed, but they generally continued toward the island's interior, and before long, they completely vanished from view.

Ethan knew this meant they had fallen into the illusion. With the tall grass for cover, anyone who collapsed wouldn't be visible from a distance.

"They looked back at their ship before, but kept moving as if nothing was wrong. That means their senses were already affected. In their eyes, the ship was still quietly docked, and even signals from it appeared normal."

"That makes sense."

Previously, he had also been trapped in an illusion without realizing what was happening. Now that he had watched the Eternal's crew fall victim to the same phenomenon from a third-party perspective, Logan felt deeply uncomfortable, especially considering how he had been taken down so easily before.

"The people on that ship are about to act again."

Diana's eyesight far exceeded that of an ordinary person. She didn't need binoculars to see what was happening on the Eternal and was the first to notice Cleo's movements.

"Looks like the captain wants to go ashore himself."

"Right now, standing by and doing nothing wouldn't be suitable for a captain."

Whether or not he could save his crew, he had to take some action and make a statement. Even recklessly sending people in to rescue them was better than sitting idle and appearing indifferent.

When the crew feels valued, they're willing to fight for the captain. In that regard, Cleo did well, better than most captains, because he chose to go personally.

"It doesn't seem like a rational decision."

"Being too rational isn't always a good thing right now."

"If he gets trapped on the island too, should we step in?"

Ethan didn't really care whether Cleo lived or died. He was more curious about Cleo's strength. Maybe the man had a way to deal with the mysterious power on the island. Still, hearing the question from the two, Ethan gave his answer.

"If he's in trouble, we can help him."

Although Ethan wasn't exactly a good person, Cleo had made a decent first impression. For an adventurer like that, he didn't mind lending a hand. He wouldn't help someone like Brent, but Cleo wasn't a complete scumbag.

The two people by Ethan's side, one cold but soft-hearted, the other a truly kind-hearted hero, couldn't just sit by and watch Cleo die. Unless Cleo turned out to be some evil supervillain who had committed countless crimes, these two wouldn't just stand aside.

Compared to some superheroes who uphold absolute justice, these two were less rigid, more true to themselves. That was exactly why Ethan had brought Logan on board, become friends with Diana, and even personally taught her how to control energy.

As for someone like Superman. While Ethan admired him as a person and could be friends with him, he'd never let someone like that become his crew member or partner. That would just be asking for trouble.

To Ethan, ability mattered, but personality and values mattered more when choosing a partner.

"The captain's landed on the island."

Ethan and Logan raised their binoculars simultaneously, looking toward the Eternal. They saw that Cleo had gone ashore alone, while First Mate Bob remained on the ship. Through the biological detection function in his glasses, Ethan confirmed that all the other crew members were still on deck, around fifty people. Given the Eternal's displacement, that was already a minimal configuration.

Compared to their numbers, what really caught Ethan's attention was Cleo himself. He noticed that Cleo had changed into a new set of gear, something that looked familiar.

"Huh? That looks a lot like the gear worn by the assassin I killed before."

(To be continued.)

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