Captain – Chapter 198 – The Lighthouse and Old Affairs

“The Acherousian Lighthouse?”

Roy frowned slightly, looking at the scholar who was covering one eye and repeatedly drawing in cold breaths. She said impatiently, “Stop pretending. You can recover from this minor injury in the blink of an eye, so hurry up and explain what this damned lighthouse is all about.”

Seeing that his act of suffering had failed, Bivis awkwardly removed his palm, and the originally purple and bruised eye socket had already returned to normal.

“The Acherousian Lighthouse stands on the Annalian Ice Plains, built entirely of ice that cannot melt. It’s a magnificent creation born of snow and wind, quietly watching over the north, guiding lost ice plain tribes along their paths and helping them avoid dangers.”

The scholar lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “Of course, this is just a tale spread among those desolate ice plains where no birds lay eggs. In reality, the lighthouse isn’t as those tribes’ ancient legends describe—created by merciful gods commanding ice and snow—but rather by certain… mortal hands.”

The captain picked up the young dragon that had been tugging at her pant leg and looked at Bivis with suspicion. “Here we go again with your cryptic talk. I’m not interested in knowing who built that lighthouse. I only want to know what connection this damn lighthouse has to our objective.”

“No, no, no, those builders are quite significant. They have inseparable connections to both Satin Island and yourself.”

The scholar gazed deeply into the young woman’s pupils, observing their noble and majestic color, and said with slight trepidation, “The one who decided to use local materials on the Annalian Ice Plains to build such a lighthouse was none other than your so-called accursed devil—Captain Edward.”

Rolling her eyes, Roy said listlessly, “Why is it him again? Just like that persistent deity, am I never going to be free of them in this lifetime?”

Though she said this, Roy understood that the reason her objectives couldn’t be separated from these two was because this was indeed a matter stirred up by Edward and Annisdora.

Whether it was the magic box, the deception and betrayal surrounding it, Satin Island where it was buried, or this Acherousian Lighthouse that seemed unavoidable on the journey to find the sealing place—their origins all lay in that secret transaction, that…

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Transaction between the devil and the deity.

Given that, if the lighthouse was built by Edward and his crew, it seemed not so difficult to accept.

“What was the devil’s purpose in building this lighthouse?”

Having figured this out, Roy no longer complained. She lowered her head to play with the young dragon while calmly asking her question.

“As a landmark, to guide future generations to find Satin Island, a landmark to find the path to that magical box.”

The scholar came to the ship’s railing, gazing at the white sandy beach and the pirates sweating as they selected jewels on the shore. His eyes revealed a touch of reminiscence. “Captain Edward deceived the Lady, stealing her power for his own use, so naturally he couldn’t escape unscathed.”

“Just as the Lady is trapped in her seal, unable to leave that lonely island, that Pirate King and all who supported him suffered the most malicious curse in this world, transforming into neither human nor ghost, trapped in the depths of the Cursed Sea, never to find release for all eternity.”

Hearing this, Roy remained silent for a long while, then asked softly, “Isn’t that even more miserable than you?”

“Yes, that is truly… a torment more terrifying than death.”

On the side where the young woman couldn’t see, Bivis smiled slightly, his smile containing a hint of malice and satisfaction.

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A moment later, the scholar continued, “Because of this, before the curse fully manifested, he built this lighthouse, so that someone could find that magical box again, and then…”

“Then break the curse upon him and his crew?” the captain asked preemptively.

“No, Captain. The curse the Lady placed upon them, full of loathing, cannot be broken. If there truly is a way to undo the curse, it can only be death.”

After a pause, Bivis added, “True death. Only that way can the devil find complete release.”

So Edward placed a curse on me and made that wager, perhaps to have me find a method that could truly kill him?

Combining the scholar’s information, Roy fell into deep thought, until someone tapped her shoulder, startling her awake.

Looking up, she saw Bivis nervously withdrawing his hand. The young woman laughed and shook her head. “Am I that frightening?”

“No, not at all,” the scholar smiled awkwardly, his words unconvincing.

Seeing this, the captain pursed her lips and asked, “If it’s as you say, even if we find Satin Island and obtain that magical box, we still can’t break the curse. So why did that damned devil bother creating this lighthouse without leaving any clues about it?”

“Clues… I believe there are some, perhaps lying quietly in some corner of the world, waiting for a fortunate person to discover them.”

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The scholar fidgeted with his fingers and explained, “But since I know of the lighthouse’s existence, you naturally don’t need to search for the traces he left behind. As for his purpose, I guess he might have wanted to completely remove the Lady’s threat to this world.”

Roy asked in confusion, “Remove the Lady’s threat? What does that mean?”

“Though it’s somewhat disrespectful to the Lady, the fact is that her existence itself is an anomaly. Even hundreds of years ago, almost all deities had already left this world, leaving behind only miraculous creations or knowledge and ancient texts to guide humanity forward.”

Bivis sighed, his face bearing a smile of either relief or regret, and said, “Like the Ocean Goddess that pirates yearn for, the Auran Goddess of the Holy Faith, and the various deities worshipped by small principalities in the Federation and ungoverned ethnic groups—all are like this.”

“But only the Lady, the great Lady Annisdora, remained. She watched the rise and fall of human civilization and witnessed the arrival of the golden age of pirates. This wasn’t an issue in itself—even though she possessed the power to change the world, if she merely silently observed, there would be no problem.”

At this point, the scholar’s smile grew considerably more bitter.

“But she crossed the line—she intervened in mortal affairs, which made Captain Edward, who happened to learn of this, deeply uneasy. So after a secret meeting in Providence, the greatest pirate captains of the time unanimously agreed to… seal Lady Annisdora.”

Happened to learn…

Roy lowered her eyelids slightly, her gaze flickering.

Hearing this, she had basically deduced the outline of this legend, no, this epic tale of mortals and deities.

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She chose to believe most of Bivis’s narrative, except for the words “happened to learn.” If she were to choose, perhaps “destiny” would be more appropriate.

“But Captain Edward and those pirate captains ultimately failed, didn’t they?”

The scholar’s expression had returned to calmness at some point. He nodded slightly. “Yes, they almost succeeded, but were betrayed by one person…”

“First Mate Isaac, the most despicable traitor among pirates.”

Roy interrupted Bivis’s narrative, and as she spoke this name, her gaze remained firmly fixed on the scholar’s face.

Yet from beginning to end, the scholar’s expression showed no change whatsoever.

He said softly, “Yes, Admiral Isaac Hedler, traitor to pirates yet hero to the Empire. Because of him, Captain Edward’s plan was exposed at the last moment, saving the Lady from being sealed.”

Having detected no abnormality, Roy withdrew her gaze, gently stroking the young dragon’s head. “So that devil expected later generations to find the magical box and complete his unfinished goal? He really is good at delegating tasks.”

Bivis gazed at the azure sky, his tone gradually deepening. “Yes, just as you guessed, Captain. If one can find Satin Island, use the goddess statue that serves as the key to open the magical box, and return it to its crucial position, then the seal will be perfected, and Lady Annisdora…”

“Will completely lose her extraordinary authority.”