Chapter 1422: Chapter 1422

The tip of the scepter piercing Femishue’s body touched the tainted Heart of the Ocean. As the spirit of life made contact with the heart of the Cursed Item, the small sliver of a Bestowal’s power dwelling within it was also activated.

But before he could do anything more, Femishue roared and thrust out his palm, sending Jenkins flying back to the shore.

"He's faster than me, stronger than me, and on his home turf in the ocean, I'm no match," Jenkins thought. "I need to retreat for now and regroup."

With that, he grabbed Magic Miss’s hand and leaped from the rooftop. The forgotten cat let out a disgruntled meow before following them down.

Although the Church's forces had been tied up by the motley crowd at the docks when the chaos first erupted, they quickly regrouped with astonishing speed once they realized what was happening.

Shortly after Jenkins and Magic Miss landed, Miss Bevanna and dozens of other demigods from the local Church garrison arrived on the scene.

Whether it was overconfidence, some other objective, or true madness, Femishue didn't retreat from the shore. Instead, surrounded by a swarm of tentacles, he openly engaged the Church's forces.

The sea level continued to rise.

Beneath the decaying yellow sky, every ship on the water was ensnared by tentacles. Yet, the tentacles didn't destroy the vessels; they merely held them fast. Even the pirate ships were treated the same. As a result, while a fierce battle raged on the shore, the sea itself had fallen into a complete ceasefire.

She had never piloted a boat before, but the methods available to an Enchanter were many and varied. She managed to pull up alongside the naval flagship, and not long after climbing the anchor chain to the deck, the swarm of tentacles appeared on the shore. Newest update provıded by Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

Only those who stood beneath that decaying yellow sky could truly describe the terror of that moment. Yellow may be an ordinary color, but when imbued with supernatural power and linked to disorder, chaos, and distortion, it could shatter the sanity of an ordinary person.

The ship's officers and sailors had already fled into the cabins below. Unable to bear prolonged exposure to the terrifying sky, Hathaway scrambled into a large ammunition box on the deck.

The shells it once held had been spent in the earlier naval battle, leaving more than enough room for a slender woman to hide inside.

As she paused to reflect on her actions, Hathaway began to question her decision, wondering if it had been necessary to take such a risk. In the midst of her self-doubt, the lid of the ammunition box was pushed open. A white cat sauntered in, vigorously shook the rain from its fur, and then elegantly padded over to the driest patch of straw to lie down.

Behind it, a rain-soaked Jenkins and Magic Miss scrambled in. Seeing Miss Skylark safe and sound, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment, Hathaway wondered if she was hallucinating, her mind broken from spending too long under the yellow sky.

"We came for you," Magic Miss explained. "Mr. Candle insisted."

The woman gathered her long hair over her shoulder, trying to wring out the rain.

"That writer fellow is a friend of mine," Jenkins added.

He offered a casual excuse, then asked:

"What exactly are you trying to do here? If you've finished your business, you should leave with us. The way back will be treacherous, but I think our chances are better with three Enchanters traveling together."

Getting here with Magic Miss had been an ordeal. He had condensed water into a makeshift ice boat while she had carved runes onto its surface to keep it stable and ward off the tentacles. It was the only way they had managed to cross the turbulent sea.

The ship itself was surprisingly steady, no longer rocking on the waves. It was bound so tightly by the thick tentacles that it was practically lifted from the surface of the sea.

"I'm here for my father. He's a sailor."

Hathaway explained, then realized that although she had revealed her true face to Mr. Candle, he didn’t seem surprised at all. He had merely glanced at her before looking away.

"She knows Jenkins and Briny, so it's impossible she wouldn't recognize me," Hathaway thought, glancing at Magic Miss. "Seeing my face now is hardly a shock. She must have figured out my identity during that game with the Corpse Gentleman."

With that in mind, Hathaway said:

"I haven't found my father yet. Can you give me a little time? I'd like to take him with us, if possible."

Hathaway asked hesitantly, knowing it was an unreasonable request.

Jenkins glanced at Magic Miss, but she offered no opinion. After a moment’s hesitation, he said:

"Why don't you find him first? I have a feeling he might not want to leave with you. Actually, perhaps we can go with you. I'm incredibly curious to know what the Navy was planning that resulted in today's celebration turning into... this."

Hathaway wasn't ready for her father to learn her secrets, so before heading to the lower decks, she used a charm to cast an illusion, changing her face.

The three of them, plus the cat, descended a ladder to the deck below, where they were promptly—and unsurprisingly—surrounded by armed naval sailors.

"Who's the captain? Or, who's the highest-ranking officer here?" Jenkins asked. "We need to speak with him. We're not here to cause trouble. We didn't come all the way from the shore in this mess just for an adventure."

Whether it was the sincerity in Jenkins’s voice that convinced the sailors, or simply the belief that things couldn’t possibly get any worse, an officer with stars on his shoulders actually ran off to report. He returned a moment later and led the three of them to a conference room at the end of the deck. Two familiar faces were waiting for Jenkins inside.

"Earl Hersha and Marquis Mikhail? They're both on board..."

He thought, maintaining a calm expression as he nodded to the two men standing before a large map.

It was a conference room. Notebooks, fountain pens, and letters were scattered across the table, while sea charts and an oil painting of Her Majesty the Queen adorned the walls. In addition to Earl Hersha and Marquis Mikhail, there were several others Jenkins didn’t recognize, though their uniforms marked them as high-ranking naval officers.

"The rest of you, leave us."

Marquis Mikhail said to the other officers. They filed out of the room, leaving Jenkins, his companions, and the two nobles.

"What is the situation on the shore?"

Marquis Mikhail didn't ask who they were, nor did he invite them to sit. He remained standing before the sea chart, which was dotted with small red flags. Jenkins and the others naturally remained standing as well; to sit now would be to put themselves at a disadvantage, forced to look up at him.