Axel

Chapter 276: Brother, Can You Take Me on a Tour of the Queen Bee?

Added 2025-02-20 15:06:00 +0000 UTC

Although most of the pirates had left their ships, a few still remained on board as sentries. As one pirate descended from the legendary Queen Bee, Charlot Mecklenburg suddenly approached him. Stuffing a bundle of paper currency—whose origin was too mixed to discern—into the pirate's hands, he whispered, "Brother, can you take me on a tour of the Queen Bee?"

The pirate glanced at the money, grinned, and said, "You’ve got ten minutes."

He pocketed the cash and led Charlot aboard the legendary warship.

Charlot's heart surged with excitement as he stepped onto the deck of the Queen Bee. Just as he was about to head into the ship’s cabin, the pirate stopped him and said, "This is as far as you go. You can’t go inside."

"You’ve got eight minutes left," he added.

Charlot asked, "I can only stay on the deck?"

The pirate smirked and said, "Of course! For the amount you gave me, walking the deck is all you get."

Charlot glanced around. The ship was eerily quiet since most of the crew had gone ashore to revel. Life at sea was monotonous, and few sailors could resist the temptation of a port-side celebration. The unlucky ones left behind were likely slacking off somewhere on board, with little vigilance.

Taking a deep breath, Charlot slightly lowered his head, and his entire frame seemed to shrink.

The pirate who had led him aboard froze mid-grin. Before he could shout, Charlot’s fist slammed into his abdomen. The pirate felt as though all the life force in his body had rushed to his stomach. He wanted to scream, but his body refused to obey. His vision blurred, and Charlot became a dark haze before everything went black.

Charlot glanced at the pirate's now mummified corpse. With a small surge of energy, he shattered the body into dust. As for the strange residue left on the deck? By the time someone came to investigate, it would likely be hours later.

Without reverting to his Redback Bear Tribe form, Charlot strode boldly into the ship’s cabin. Maintaining that form would weaken his strength significantly, making improvisation impossible. Moreover, as a member of the tribe, his appearance would draw unnecessary suspicion, jeopardizing his covert infiltration. If Kainan fled, their carefully coordinated mission would fail.

Two pirates, deep in conversation, walked toward him. One of them looked startled upon seeing Charlot, while the other immediately questioned, "Who are you? How did you get aboard the Queen Bee?"

Charlot smiled faintly and replied, "Old Mark took some money from me and let me take a stroll."

The two pirates exchanged confused looks. With nearly a thousand crew members aboard, several named "Mark," neither recognized the name. The questioning pirate sneered and said, "I don’t care who took your money. Get off this ship, or I’ll skin you alive and toss you into the sea to taste salted meat."

Charlot extended his hands, and with two sharp cracks, twisted the pirates' necks. Without breaking stride, he pushed open the nearest cabin door and tossed their bodies inside.

Afterward, he carefully cleaned the traces of blood and even scavenged their belongings. Charlot donned a set of pirate attire, took two rapiers from their belts, and discarded their shoddy pistols, deeming them worthless.

As Charlot roamed the ship, he encountered several more pirates. Some ignored the young stranger outright, allowing him to pass unchallenged. Others, more "dutiful" or, as Charlot thought, "suicidal," confronted him. Those were promptly dispatched, earning Charlot a string of personal victories.

Charlot was a mid-tier Transcendent, near the peak of his rank, skilled in various abilities. His proficiency in both firearms and swordsmanship made him a formidable opponent. He could dispatch low-tier Transcendents in a single strike and had a strong chance against mid-tier foes. Fortunately for him, powerful Transcendents were rare in pirate crews.

Only the thought of alerting the high-tier Transcendents of the Golden Rams Fleet—or, worse, their Saint-rank leader, the Golden Ram Herolf—kept Charlot from launching a full-scale rampage.

Charlot had spent time aboard the Titanic Whale and commanded a fleet of his own in the past. Familiar with a ship’s general structure, he moved swiftly and silently, making his way to the captain's quarters. However, the door was guarded by two pirates and a peculiar, slender red serpent coiled like a living rope around the handle.

The two pirates exuded a calm aura, suggesting they were likely Transcendents, though they didn’t frighten Charlot. The strange crimson snake, however, gave him pause.

Not wanting to risk an alarm, Charlot circled around and used the Blade of Emptiness to pierce a hole into the adjacent wall. Using Bloodfire Transfiguration, he transformed into a streak of bloodfire and slipped through the gap.

Every time Charlot encountered a barrier, he used the Blade of Emptiness to carve a path and relied on his bloodfire form to pass through. Twisting and turning through the ship’s walls, he suddenly emerged into a spacious room.

After a quick survey of the lavish furnishings, Charlot was confident he had found the right place. He quickly noticed a mirror and stepped into it with delight.

The mirror reflected only the captain’s quarters, but within the mirror world, Charlot found himself in a cramped, shadowy version of the room. Over a dozen Queen Bee crew members surrounded him, but the Golden Ram Herolf was conspicuously absent.

Charlot surmised that Herolf's immense power prevented the mirror spirit from manifesting his image.

The confined space and the overwhelming number of enemies made firearms impractical. Relying on raw strength, Charlot engaged the mirror spirits in close combat. Unlike typical Van Gogh Clan members, who struggled against their mirror counterparts, Charlot excelled. His mastery of Blood Glory and extensive training in Arsilo and Adonis Clan techniques gave him an edge. With his Transcendent weapons and prior experience slaying mirror spirits, he methodically dismantled the opposition.

After a grueling half-hour battle, Charlot eradicated every mirror spirit.

He wasted no time lingering in the mirror world. Stepping back into reality, he lifted the mirror and used it to capture every corner of the captain’s quarters, ensuring nothing escaped the mirror’s reflection. Even the sliver of space under the door was brought into the mirror world.

Satisfied, Charlot re-hung the mirror. A sudden chill ran down his spine as if he were being watched.

Turning toward the room’s five “bee-wing” portholes, Charlot saw mirror spirits within each one. They stared at him coldly, their postures varied—some sitting, others lounging.

Charlot shrugged and stepped through one of the portholes.