Rain began to fall near the stone cave in the southeastern corner of the island.
Gradually, the entire Castel Island was enveloped in rain. Typhoons frequently swept across the Storm Ocean, bringing rainfall, making it a place where it rained all year round.
However, today’s rain seed sowhat unusual.
Sailors at sea often said that storms would always pass.
Their ships regularly sailed through storms, and as long as they hoisted their sails fully, they would eventually leave the storm behind.
But today, all the ships navigating the Storm Ocean were shocked to find that no matter how fast they sailed or in which direction they traveled, they remained within the storm.
If one were to observe from a higher vantage point, it would be clear that the entire Storm Ocean was gathering dark clouds around a central point, bringing torrential rain.
That central location was rather peculiar.
It was not the Eye of the Storm, a place of constant thunderstorms, but rather slightly to the north and a little to the west.
To its west lay the Empire’s land, to the northeast was Gem Bay, and to the north was the White Raven Principality’s sea outlet.
It was a small island nad Castel, aning "Fire and Light in the Storm Ocean."
At this mont, the entire ocean, surrounding Castel, was engulfed in storms and lightning, descending like divine punishnt.
anwhile—
In Rhine, within the underground tribunal of the Candlelight Church, seven hooded figures sitting around the long table of the Secret Keepers’ Council simultaneously lifted their heads.
In the Empire, within the royal-built Gear Academy, several massive steam machines suddenly roared to life.
Within the Storm Ocean, the migrating fishn tribes suddenly halted, deliberated briefly, and then turned back.
In Gem Bay, a man whose skin was covered in tattoos suddenly widened his eyes before dissolving into a pool of black pus, causing the surrounding people to stare in horror.
On Castel Island, inside the church of the Candlelight Church, a crack suddenly appeared on Brother Kaeski’s chest as he knelt in prayer.
In Nora’s house, a gust of wind blew open the window, knocking her diary off the table.
A note pressed beneath the diary fluttered twice before being carried away by the wind, landing in the muddy water, where dirt gradually obscured the words written on it:
"My successor, there is one more thing you need to be aware of. You must be cautious of Sister Chloe in the church."
"I don’t know exactly what she is, but I am certain that she is definitely not from the Candlelight Church."
Inside the mansion, Hughes had changed into a fresh set of clothes and was sitting in an armchair, flipping through the latest report delivered by Alexei.
He looked up and, with a hint of amusent, glanced at the overcast sky. "It just so happens to be raining. In the novels I’ve read before, rain and wind always seem to co with major events. And today, it’s happening for real. What a coincidence."
"Young Master," Connor said, placing a few docunts gently on the table.
He wore hunting trousers, a white shirt, and a black vest, with a white flintlock pistol holstered at his waist.
After last night’s battle, Hughes had gifted him the pistol, partly to comnd his tily assistance, and partly because Hughes realized that the weapon suited Connor better.
Since Hughes usually brought Connor along whenever he went out, it was effectively the sa as carrying the gun himself.
It was evident that Connor was quite fond of the firearm.
He carried it around the estate, which Hughes found sowhat amusing.
Another thing, Connor had started calling him "Young Master" again.
However, Hughes had no interest in delving into the reason for this change.
There were simply too many matters demanding his attention.
"How is everything?"
Connor gave him a slight nod. "Miss Nora has already departed by ship. I tried to persuade her to stay, but she insisted on fetching the first group of refugees."
"Has her injury healed?"
"She said… It’s the trait of a Burier. No matter how severe the physical damage, she can recover quickly. You know, she’s not exactly a living person anymore."
Hughes nodded.
"Did she say when she’d return?"
"About a week."
"What about Monica?"
"Monica wasn’t injured. Miss Nora examined her and confird that there were no lingering traces of contamination. Please rest assured."
"As for the other Sirens, they have been temporarily settled in the cave beneath the secret passage. They requested so tools to make modifications to the area."
The Sirens were not yet suitable for public exposure.
Moreover, they had lived underwater for so long that they might not feel comfortable on land.
Thus, Hughes had them temporarily reside in the nearshore waters of Castel.
With him as the anchor, the deep-sea contamination would no longer harm them.
"Besides that, Sister Chloe ca to the mansion this afternoon. She left after realizing we weren’t ho."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Hughes nodded knowingly.
He had indeed arranged to et with Sister Chloe at the mansion.
She was ant to be a backup plan in case Nora was unwilling or unable to help him resolve the contamination.
In that case, he would have sought assistance from the Candlelight Church.
But in the end, the backup plan was unnecessary.
"She didn’t suspect anything, did she?"
"No. Our prepared excuse was reasonable, and her visit did not coincide with our battle."
"That’s good," Hughes nodded in relief. The stone cave by the seaside had been carefully chosen. Although the battle was intense, it had not drawn unwanted attention.
"We should pay her a visit when we have ti. Let’s add it to today’s schedule."
At the ntion of scheduling, Connor retrieved a notebook from his pocket, glanced at its contents, and spoke thoughtfully.
"Young Master, as per your request, I’ve categorized your tasks into four types."
"Urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important."
At this point, a hint of surprise crossed Connor’s face.
This classification thod seed simple and crude, yet it was unexpectedly effective.
Under Hughes’ guidance, he used a two-axis system to assess the priority of tasks, easily sorting a mountain of responsibilities in order of importance.
"Ahem, based on this, I will inform you of your daily schedule every morning."
"This morning, you need to et with Alexei in the study to discuss the progress of the new factory and the recruitnt of craftsn."
"After that, you will inspect the territory with him."
"In the afternoon, you will visit the church to et with Miss Chloe."
Hughes nodded. Structuring his daily work this way significantly improved efficiency.
"Move the eting with Alexei to my chemistry laboratory. You should co too, I plan to discuss the new products for the territory."
"Will you also tell him the truth about the contamination?"
"Probably not, since that involves his…"
"[Cognitive Barrier]."
Hearing this term, Connor’s eyes flickered. Concepts like [Contamination], [Cognitive Barrier], and even the truth about [Transcendence] shook him to the core, making him feel as though his entire worldview was on the verge of collapse.
Everything traced back to the conversation between Hughes and Nora after last night’s battle.
You Died
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