Chapter 385: Failure

The lowest deck was pitch black, but Lunsis could make out the surroundings with the light from the door.

He recalled the layout and moved inward, remembering where the small wooden box had been placed.

In the unremarkable corner, several small boxes remained, appearing as ordinary cargo.

But the crucial wooden box was missing.

Lunsis clearly remembered it being there during loading, but now it was gone.

“Where did it go… where did it go…”

Frantically searching the pile, Lunsis scattered items everywhere, but the box was nowhere to be found.

“Where did it go! Where did it go!”

Lunsis grew frantic, veins bulging, as if about to explode.

“Looking for this?” came a young man’s voice. Lunsis turned to see Helag holding the wooden box.

Without a word, Lunsis charged, intending to kill Helag and reclaim the box.

“Dark Confinement.” Helag’s magic surged, immobilizing Lunsis.

Helag appeared behind him, twisted his head, and Lunsis collapsed.

Helag then swiftly extracted a long red worm from Lunsis’s chest, crushing it between his fingers.

With that, Lunsis was truly dead.

Helag dragged the body to the door and tossed it out, knowing someone would find it and investigate.

The broken lock would be discovered eventually.

After dealing with the intruder, Helag returned to his large crate.

Near dawn, patrols found Lunsis’s body on the lowest deck.

The unusual situation was reported, and a cargo check revealed nothing missing.

How Lunsis died, or who killed him, remained a mystery.

The lock was clearly broken by force, but no one suspected Lunsis.

As a laborer, he couldn’t have broken such a lock.

Airship officials concluded the lock-breaker and killer were the same person.

The motive was unclear; the lock was broken, but nothing was stolen.

After a fruitless investigation, the matter was dropped, and a sturdier lock installed.

Helag sat in his crate, holding a wooden carving.

The box was returned, but the carving inside was replaced with a potion root.

During the cargo check, Helag suppressed his presence, not even breathing.

The inspectors didn’t open every crate, especially those containing dragon bones.

These crates had special seals, only openable with a key.

The seals also prevented storage in spatial rings, deterring theft.

Valuable items often had such seals for security.

Helag had hoped to trace an Abyssal cultist with the box, but the encounter happened onboard.

So, he dealt with it there.

Examining the carving, Helag decided it was useless and crushed the insect inside.

***

Below the airship.

The old man and two youths watched it depart, having exhausted much of their magic, yet the array remained inactive.

The airship flew on as if nothing happened.

“What’s Lunsis doing!” a youth cursed.

The old man scowled, “Someone must have interfered, likely a wizard. If discovered, Lunsis is useless.”

Secrecy was crucial; discovery meant easy disruption.

Unnoticed, the plan would proceed quietly.

“What now?” the youth asked.

The old man watched the airship fade, “We retreat. Failure is normal; our task isn’t simple. Franz worked for years, yet failed. Let’s go; there’ll be other chances.”

On the airship, Helag continued meditating, compressing his mental power.

Beside him, the red insect lay still, not daring to move.

Unknowingly, Helag had thwarted another Abyssal cultist plan.

Days later.

Helag checked his map against Deep Blue’s flight path.

The airship skirted the Land of Dawn’s cities, avoiding deep polluted zones.

It flew close to cities, not over the polluted zone’s interior.

The zone housed powerful creatures; flying overhead risked provoking them.

The next month and a half passed uneventfully, with Helag focused on compressing his mental power.

Progress was visible; his mental power had slightly shrunk.

Though slow, Helag was satisfied, knowing his speed was exceptional.

Few liquefied wizards compressed mental power so quickly, seeing progress in two months.

Helag adjusted his state, preparing for upcoming events.

The airship neared Silver Beach City, entering Seranthiel territory.

Helag sensed the airship slowing and descending until it stopped.

On the second deck, Royce used his communication stone, reactivated in Seranthiel.

Seeing Sam’s message surprised him.

Royce hadn’t known they smuggled a person, learning only now from Sam.