Edward shared the story between Dunn and Daly, though he omitted the part where Daly had once fallen from grace. He then smiled and said, "But I believe that the Captain, having 'died' once, probably won't take long before he confesses."
"Mmm, what would you do if it were you?"
"Hahaha, how could something like that ever happen to me?"
Audrey: "…"
"Aren't you going to check on them? Maybe you could help."
Edward flicked a gold coin lightly.
"Will Dunn and Daly encounter danger?"
The coin landed with the number facing up—negative.
"See? No danger. Then let's not bother the two lovebirds."
He pressed lightly on the railing and stepped forward. "Alright, it's getting dark. Let's go back and get some rest."
Lilith trotted up behind them, saying, "Miss Lilith is going back to continue teaching Susie~"
Susie hesitated for a moment. "Can we play hide-and-seek for a bit first?"
Lilith's eyes lit up. "We can! Let's go!"
The two little ones chased each other and darted away.
———
Time passed quietly, and the sky soon darkened.
The two sat on the terrace, gazing out at the black sea in the distance and the starry sky above.
But Edward's gaze often drifted to Audrey's beautiful side profile.
"Next time I go back, I want to try one of your world's cruises. I bet it's amazing."
Edward thought for a moment. "Mmm, it's basically just a larger version of The Emerald. The facilities are better, and there are more entertainment options. It's kind of like a floating entertainment club. Oh, there's this movie called Titanic. It's about a young man and woman who meet and fall in love on a cruise ship."
Audrey's eyes sparkled. "Oh? And then?"
"Then the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. The guy died, the girl survived."
"…"
She wrinkled her nose and couldn't help but thump Edward lightly.
"Hahaha…"
She rested her chin on her hand and suddenly asked, "Do you think Loen—or rather, our world—will really become like England in the future? No hunger, no oppression, no darkness, everything orderly, and everyone carefree…"
Er…that might be giving Britain a bit too much credit.
But he still nodded firmly. "It will."
Audrey smiled. "You know, there are three people in this world—at least that we know of—who come from your world."
"Emperor Roselle, who brought the advancement of civilisation and development to this place; Mr. Fool, who brought hope for the coming apocalypse; and you…"
She looked at Edward. "You brought another world before my eyes."
There was sincerity in her gaze…and something more. Edward took a deep breath and said, "Actually, you—"
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was knocked, and Hibbert's cold voice came through. "Audrey, time to come back and rest."
Audrey stuck out her tongue and quickly stood up. Before leaving, she rubbed Edward's head. "Goodnight~"
"Goodnight."
Damn your timing, Mr. Hibbert Hall!
Lilith bounced over to him and jumped into his lap. "Edward, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, but you look like something's wrong."
She blinked her blue eyes. "Miss Lilith will give you a paw massage."
With that, she gently stepped on Edward's chest with her soft little paw pads.
"Lilith is the best~"
"Absolutely!"
———
The next morning.
After breakfast, the two received permission from the crew and moved a table to a quiet corner of the main hall. They laid out a crystal ball, star chart, and various divination tools, then set up a sign offering free readings and waited for clients.
Hibbert passed by and saw the setup, looking curious, but after hesitating for a moment, he chose not to approach.
He only gave Edward a small nod in response to the boy's friendly gaze, then turned and left.
The first guest was a young pregnant woman. She had only discovered her pregnancy two months ago. After the initial joy, she had fallen into a bottomless pit of anxiety.
Her husband had brought her on this trip to help her relax.
And it had worked—for a while.
But then her husband had gone to the restroom, leaving her alone again, and the anxiety returned.
"I want to know if my baby will be born safely. After the baby's born, will my relationship with my husband suffer? Will my body be ruined, and will I be pushed out of Loen's high society?"
Hm, quite a list of worries.
Edward only did a reading for her child.
"Your baby is healthy and will be born safely."
"What about the rest?"
"As for the rest…as long as you ease your anxiety, none of the things you fear will happen. But if you stay trapped in your worries, what you fear may very well become reality."
"Oh…"
She shut her eyes in despair.
Audrey quickly patted Edward gently and said, "Ma'am, would you like to chat with me for a bit?"
"Alright."
Audrey took the pregnant woman aside and patiently helped ease her mind.
Soon after, the second guest arrived—it was a cute little girl who had lost the balloon she bought when boarding the ship and wanted help finding it. Unfortunately, after a brief divination, Edward discovered that the balloon had already soared into the sky and popped. So, he used Transfiguration to conjure a new one and handed it to her.
Watching her run off happily, Edward silently prayed, Hopefully, by the time the Transfiguration wears off, you won't care about the balloon anymore.
After that, people began to approach sporadically out of curiosity. Most asked about small, everyday matters—though unsurprisingly, love, health, and wealth were still the most common topics.
Since most people who could afford a cruise trip were either wealthy or influential, their fates were generally better than the average person's. As such, the results of Edward's divinations were mostly positive. A small portion, however, faced potential accidents or minor misfortunes, for which he gave timely warnings.
Before long, the husband of the pregnant woman rushed over, clearly worried. He thanked them profusely before leaving with his now much-relieved wife.
Audrey returned and said, "Edward, what you said earlier was technically true, but…to a pregnant woman already suffering from anxiety, it was far too frightening."
Edward shrugged. "But that's just her personality—suspicious, anxious and easily flustered. Even if I said all the right things, the moment she turns around, she'd be anxious again. So, better to have you step in."
She blinked, then understood. "Though I'm not a Psychiatrist yet…you're right. Words alone probably wouldn't have done much for her."
While the two were chatting, a gentle voice interrupted them:
"Hello, may I ask for a reading?"
It was a lady in an elegant dress, her face hidden behind a sheer veil. She sat across the table, her pale, delicate fingers fidgeting uneasily. In a soft voice, she asked, "I'd like to know…if I'll be able to reach the Southern Continent safely."
Audrey smiled, "Oh, there's really nothing to worry about! The Emerald is a cruise ship that's been successfully sailing for three years. Even if we were to encounter pirates, the onboard artillery would easily fend them off—right, Edward?"
"Mhm, that's right."
Edward's gaze swept past the woman's fingers and caught a glimmer of a sapphire ring. Why does that look so familiar…?
Then it struck him—he'd seen this ring before, in the bathroom of the Glaint's estate, on the finger of that witch…Trissy!
This woman is Trissy?!
But she should still be in Prince Edessak's manor…How did she end up on a cruise ship to the Southern Continent? Could it be that, since Ince Zangwill is no longer in this timeline, she managed to escape?
"But I'm still uneasy. Could you please divine it for me?"
From behind the veil, her eyes radiated a fragile, helpless kind of sorrow.
"…Alright."
Edward picked up the crystal ball, gently rubbing its surface as he chanted, "The upcoming journey of The Emerald…The upcoming journey of The Emerald…The upcoming journey of The Emerald…"
Moments later, a vision appeared in the ball—he saw The Emerald capsizing and sinking. Judging by the time, it would happen in the afternoon.
Damn it!
As expected of a harbinger of disaster. No matter where she goes, catastrophe follows. And just minutes ago, all signs pointed to smooth sailing!
The woman stood up and said softly, "Apologies, I have something to attend to. Goodbye." She turned and swiftly left.
Edward immediately formed a judgment: Trissy didn't recognise Audrey, whom she'd only seen once, and she certainly doesn't know me. So, she wasn't here to test us—she came to warn us, the Beyonders on board.
Warn us that disaster is imminent.
Still a Demoness of Pleasure at this point, Trissy is on the run. She likely has no reason to create a disaster herself. But clearly…she knows what's about to happen.
Which means the 'disaster' is targeting her.
By warning the Beyonders on board, she's probably trying to ensure they'll be prepared and, in doing so, give her a better chance to escape.
"You…what's wrong?"
Audrey had noticed the change in Edward's expression and immediately whispered.
"Audrey, I'm afraid your journey is about to end early. There's likely a disaster incoming."
"What?"
"That woman who just came for a reading—she was Trissy. Yes, that Trissy. Somehow, she escaped from Prince Edessak's manor and is now being hunted by the Demoness Sect."
Audrey covered her mouth in shock. "You mean…the Demoness Sect would be willing to…wipe out everyone on this ship?"
The one likely in charge of hunting Trissy was Lady Despair, who brought about the Great Smog of Backlund. She probably wouldn't mind killing a few hundred passengers before the smog falls again.
"You should return to Backlund and contact the Church of Evernight for help. If you find Saint Anthony, bring him here using the disappearing cabinet."
"What about you?"
Edward pulled out a coin. "I'll first try using Madman to the Right to change the outcome. If that doesn't work…well, we'll just attack the governor's mansion again."
"Can we ask for Mr. Fool's help first?"
"Mr. Fool…probably won't interfere in reality just yet."
Audrey was silent for a few seconds, then said seriously:
"I'll report it to the Church and come back to help you. If it really gets bad enough that we need to use the Master Key to evacuate everyone, I think I can help. I'll leave only when it becomes truly dangerous—let's leave together."
"Alright."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.