The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The Devil Cloud belongs to a tale that combines both storms and ghost ships, the origins of which Liszt is not unfamiliar with.

The captain pointed at the rolling black clouds on the distant horizon and the lightning within them, and spoke with undeniable fear, “The Devil Cloud… it is transformed from the resentful spirit of Marquis Cohen!”

“Marquis Cohen?”

Liszt quickly recalled that in his gemstone space, there was a Dragonbone Stabilizer. According to Captain Kostor of the Fresh Flower Vessel, the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique originated from the Magician of the Cohen Marquis Family. However, with Marquis Cohen’s involvement in a court coup, the family was ruined, and the technique was lost.

“The Ghost Ship Captain Marquis Cohen, once the unrivaled King of the Sea of Azure Waves, legend has it that he ventured into the Devil’s Sea and acquired the Devil’s power!”

As the dark clouds and lightning drew closer, the captain trembled while saying so.

In this world, there are no legends of gods, but there are legends of devils. The sea beyond the Sea of Azure Waves is known as the Devil’s Sea because, according to legend, it is where devils roam, and even Dragon Knights dare not traverse the Devil’s Sea.

However, Levis, growing impatient, scolded, “What nonsense! Marquis Cohen was just a marquis from a hundred years ago who committed heinous crimes and was executed in a prison on Blue Dragon Island!”

The captain let out a hollow laugh, which felt foreboding, “But… there truly have been sailors who’ve seen a ghost ship within the Devil Cloud, flying the Goat Head Flag of Marquis Cohen. That goat head burns with green flames and can transform into a skull that sucks out all of a person’s blood!”

“Molodo!”

Ranieri, the deputy butler who had just arrived, immediately intervened upon hearing his words, “Stop your absurd tales. These noble guests have infinitely more knowledge than you. Keep your ghost stories to scare yourself! Hurry up and find a way to get through this storm!”

After finishing, Ranieri turned to the three siblings and said, “My apologies, Young Master Sun, Miss Sun, Captain Molodo has a penchant for making up wild stories. He surely has a way to get through this storm… let him stay in the captain’s quarters to command the sailors against the storm. You all go ahead and rest in the cabin.”

Liszt had no desire to rest, for he wanted to understand more about the Devil Cloud as mentioned by Captain Molodo.

But Levis, who was persuaded that Molodo was spouting nonsense, had already left first. Liszt thought for a moment and felt it wasn’t appropriate to disturb Molodo during his command, so he reluctantly followed out of the captain’s quarters.

Once in the cabin,

Ranieri had the servants bring some coffee and explained, “Young Master Sun, Miss Sun, please forgive Captain Molodo’s ramblings. He was once the finest captain on Red Crab Island, commanding a sailboat and escaping from what was believed to be a deadly whirlpool. However, he later suffered a setback when his son died in a storm accident.”

A melodramatic story came from Ranieri’s lips.

Five years ago, the Ranieri family was harmonious and happy, with a handsome and charismatic only son whose dream was to command a sea vessel across the Sea of Azure Waves just like his father did. Pursuing this dream, the young man started as a sailor, worked his way up to first mate, and finally got the chance to command a vessel on his own.

However, three months later, the sea vessel did not return, and only two sailors from the ship managed to escape back.

They claimed the ship encountered a devil hiding within a storm cloud, a ghost ship that flew the flag of the Cohen Marquis Family, and swallowed their sea vessel.

Ranieri’s son was devoured by the devil, and they, unconscious on a plank, were rescued by a passing merchant ship.

“Since then, Molodo has been convinced that the Devil Cloud will eventually come for him, seeing any storm cloud as the arrival of the Devil Cloud… He has a high standing on the ship, and the sailors are all personally trained by him. He says it’s the Devil Cloud, so the sailors cry out Devil Cloud.”

Levis frowned after listening and said, “Mr. Ranieri, if Molodo has already become a madman, why does Long Taro Castle still allow him to continue as a captain?”

Ranieri responded with an awkward tone, “His experience is an irreplaceable treasure. At sea, he always overcomes the storms; no one is better suited to be a captain than he is. When the old master was still fit to fight, he would embark on every expedition overseas on Molodo’s ship, and they were always victorious.”

Only then did Levis raise an eyebrow but said nothing further, after all, Molodo was a meritorious captain of Long Taro Castle.

Occasional folly is not enough reason to be cast aside.

Liszt, looking at his now calm brother and sister, still felt uneasy and promptly walked out the door, “I feel a bit suffocated, I’m going up to see what’s happening.”

“Baron, do you feel anxious?” Paris followed him out.

As he stroked Douson’s fur, Liszt did not speak. Instead, he used the Eye of Magic to observe the dark clouds and lightning almost pressing down upon them. It was like a towering black wall roaring and severing the connection between this sea area and the world, isolating the fast sailing ship from everything else.

The sight of the sky split between black and white made one tremble.

Through the vision of the Eye of Magic, the black clouds and the rising and falling lightning seemed to hint at magic power presence, but it also looked like it was just a magical reaction caused by lightning. When lightning flashed, a trace of magic appeared; when it ceased, the trace vanished.

“It doesn’t seem to be the magic of a ghost ship, just the lightning stirring the free-floating magic power.” Liszt had seen thunder and lightning before and had noticed that lightning could provoke magical phenomena.

If there were a ghost ship, just as he could detect the 36D Ghost hidden within the Dragonbone Stabilizer, the Eye of Magic would undoubtedly reveal the magic of the ghost ship.

The absence of any sign meant this was not some Devil Cloud, but simply a pure storm.

He could relax his emotions.

But his heart was still tense and annoyed, “I should have brought the Calming Sea Pearl with me! When I return, I must ask Grandini Truth to craft a Calming Sea Pearl for me! No, I should turn the largest Black Pearl into a Calming Sea Pearl! I hate storms!”

His anxious emotions were swiftly repressed.

Touching Douson’s fur, he said inwardly, “Douson has learned to swim, I could ride it adrift at sea… It can also release Rock Spikes in the water, killing ordinary sea monsters shouldn’t be too difficult.”

However, he quickly remembered a problem.

He immediately instructed his Retainer Knight Philip, “Go inform Sir Layden to remember to have someone guard the life rafts. If there’s no issue, then fine, but if there is, we must ensure we control the life rafts.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Suddenly, he thought of Paris standing right beside him, having heard his self-centered words, she would surely despise him and his loyalty would decrease.

But his mind worked very fast, turning his head, he directly said to an as yet nonplussed Paris, “If the storm capsizes the ship later, remember to stick close to me and don’t wander off. There are only a few life rafts on board; they cannot save many. I don’t want you to suffer an accident.”

Confused, Paris immediately felt moved, “I… understand… Thank you, but I should be the one protecting you.”

“Surviving is the only way to have a chance to protect me.”

At this very moment, the Oscar statuette seemed to be waving at Liszt.