After going into the sea, I met the witch.

Even a normal promotion is not an easy thing, let alone Cecilia's promotion, and by more than one level!

The so-called "severe weakness" was nothing more than a "temporary, well-intentioned lie." The price Cecilia would have to pay was far more serious than Ryan had previously thought.

“Mr. Ryan, as you can see, Cecilia is in a very bad condition.” Freyne turned around, her eyes lowered, and even the fluorescent light floating beside her seemed to have lost its luster: “Although I have tried my best to block it with magic, I can only slow down the loss of Cecilia’s life force, but I cannot stop it.”

"The elevation of one's 'status' is essentially a process of breaking down the old container and obtaining a larger and better new container."

"Cecilia's situation is that she deliberately broke her old container without any preparation. Since she could not obtain a new container, she could only glue the old container back together. However, no matter how much a broken container is repaired, it will still leak."

"So, before the water in the 'container' dries up, I must find a way to help her rebuild a new container and add the water of life."

“How much time do we have? Is there anything I can do?” Ryan took a deep breath and said in a low voice.

In this battle, if it weren't for Cecilia's sacrifice, Freyne, trapped in the [Black Cage], would have been in grave danger, and if the [Black Knight] had won, he too would have faced certain death.

He has to acknowledge this situation.

“No matter how much I try to stop her, Cecilia won’t have more than a month left.” Freyne’s tone was calm, but her eyes were filled with sadness and determination: “Right now, our only hope lies in the Whirlpool Islands.”

"The Moon Wolf is an extremely rare second-tier monster. Its appearance is always unpredictable. It may appear on the mainland or in some remote, uninhabited corner. But one thing is certain: the Moon Wolf is a monster with extremely rich vitality."

"It is born bathed in the essence of the moon, and therefore its heart blood has the miraculous effect of replenishing vitality."

"My original plan was simply to collect some moon wolf fur as the main ingredient for potions, so that I wouldn't have to have a strong direct conflict with the moon wolves."

"But now, our only hope is to hunt down the Moon Wolf and extract its heart blood!"

“Cecilia must not use her spiritual powers again, therefore, Mr. Ryan, I need your help.”

After saying this, Freya looked earnestly at the young man in front of her, waiting for his answer.

Without hesitation, Ryan bowed slightly and said, "It is my pleasure to serve you."

"Besides, Lady Freyne, I am grateful for your kindness, and this is what I should do. It is not a matter of helping."

“No, let’s keep things separate.” Freya shook her head slightly: “This journey is fraught with danger and our lives are uncertain. I’m very happy that you’re willing to come along.”

Ryan remained silent and did not speak again.

The sea breeze blew, and even the moonlight seemed to fall silent. After a dozen seconds, Freya spoke again: "...Oh, right, here, take this. I think you might need it."

Freyne handed him two items, and Ryan took a closer look.

What came into view was a bright red flintlock pistol and a jet-black ring.

Ryan recognized the former as the pistol the lord had used in his final moments, but he didn't know the other one.

"Both of these are low-level artifacts. The former absorbs the user's blood to launch a powerful attack; it comes from the lord who died by your sword. The latter, on the other hand, increases the wearer's resistance to energy attacks; it comes from the Black Knight."

Freyne's explanation rang in his ears, but in reality, even without her explanation, Ryan already knew the effects of these two strange items more precisely from the gray text prompts.

-

[Low-Tier Rare Item - Bloodstained Flintlock Pistol: Wielding this item allows the user to unleash powerful fire using their own blood. Effective range is 100 meters, maximum range is 300 meters. Enemies hit by "Bloodstained Bullets" will suffer an additional "Bleeding" effect, which cannot be stopped by normal healing methods. Usage Conditions: Each shot consumes one-tenth of the user's total blood (the higher the tier, the lower the cost)]

This rare item contains a faint essence of spiritual energy; absorbing it can improve the repair progress of the [Nameless Ship Sculpture].

-

[Low-Tier Artifact - Ring of Energy Resistance: The wearer of this ring will receive 10% less energy attack damage (subject to tier determination; it is fully effective against Tier 1 energy attacks, only 50% effective against Tier 2 attacks, and completely ineffective against Tier 3 attacks.)]

This rare item contains a faint essence of spiritual energy; absorbing it can improve the repair progress of the [Nameless Ship Sculpture].

-

Silently accepting the two low-level artifacts from Freyne's hands, Ryan put the [Energy Resistance Ring] on the ring finger of his left hand, while he wore the [Black Corrosion Ring] on the ring finger of his right hand. As for the [Bloody Flintlock Pistol], he tucked it into his waistband (with a holster).

Rings are unusual items that can be worn in multiples at the same time; you can wear them on all ten fingers if you have them.

Of course, the premise is not to wear any strange rings with conflicting effects; otherwise, it may backfire.

Chapter 54 The Greatest Treasure of the Augustus Family!

"It's unrealistic for you to get promoted in your career in the short term, so carrying more rare items will effectively improve your combat power."

Freyne looked at Ryan and said softly.

Ryan nodded, then glanced around, his brow furrowing slightly. "Lady Freyne, this ship?"

He'd been wanting to ask that question for a while now.

"It's the Navy's [White Dove], a fifth-tier sailing cruiser, but it has now been renamed [Black Rose]. With it, the time we need to travel to the Whirlpool Islands will be greatly shortened, to about a week."

"As for the original [Black Rose], I have abandoned it. Time is of the essence, we need to get to the Whirlpool Islands, there is no time to deal with the ship, so I have no choice but to abandon it and let it drift at sea."

“I see…” Ryan understood, but couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret.

You should know that even if a three-masted sailing ship were sold at a rock-bottom price to the Agate Merchant Guild, it could still fetch ten thousand pounds.

But in urgent situations, one must act expediently, and giving up is sometimes the only option.

Looking around the deck, Ryan asked, "Lady Freyne, where are the navy personnel?"

"They're all being held in the lower cabins right now. After a period of training, they'll be released to work for us," Freyne said calmly.

Ryan nodded indifferently.

To him, the navy and pirates were nothing more than laborers operating sailboats.

When faced with the threat of death, one's stance becomes nothing more than something that can be changed at will.

For these navy personnel, serving Freyne was not shameful, nor did it carry much psychological burden, since it didn't require them to commit murder or arson.

After a moment of silence, Ryan said, "Lady Freyne, I shall take my leave now."

"This battle has given me a deeper understanding of [Storm Combat Techniques], and I want to improve myself as much as possible before reaching the Whirlpool Islands."

“Okay, you go ahead, I'll stay here a little longer.” Freyne nodded slightly, and just as Ryan was about to turn around, she suddenly remembered something and spoke up:

"By the way, Mr. Ryan, there's something I need to apologize to you about."

“Every Black Knight is a living coordinate. The fact that he has discovered us means that the Black Knights have become aware of our existence.”

"From now on, their pursuit will not stop, and the next one will not be just a newly-entered second-tier Black Knight like this one. They will be stronger and there may be more of them."

"And because of me, you're most likely on the Black Knights' kill list too... I'm sorry."

“These lackeys of the ‘despicable’ will one day be made to pay the price.”

Upon hearing this, Ryan didn't even turn his head, waving his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, it's just a chase. I still have the Blood Mark on me, so the Black Knight won't make a difference."

Watching Ryan's figure disappear into the night, Freya slowly withdrew her gaze. She turned to the knight girl beside her and said in a soft but undeniable tone, "Cecilia, go back to your room and get some rest!"

"Only by taking good care of yourself can you better protect me in the future."

Freyne's words prompted Cecilia to nod silently.

Before returning to her room, the knight girl's gaze fell in the direction Ryan had gone.

Although she was somewhat unwilling, she knew that for a considerable period of time to come, she would no longer be able to help Lady Freyne, and the only person she could rely on was this newcomer named "Ryan".

The footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the dark blue-clad girl standing alone beside the bulwark.

She lowered her eyelids, looking at the shimmering seawater reflecting the moonlight, and pressed her full lips tightly together.

"I need to become stronger..."

……

It was several hours later when Ryan returned to his new room.

After rinsing off and changing into clean clothes, he used a wooden box as a new vessel for the [Nameless Ship Sculpture]. Lying on the wooden bed, he looked at the [Bloody Flintlock Pistol] and the [Ring of Energy Resistance] in his hands, his mind racing.

Although Freyne didn't say it explicitly, Ryan knew very well that with Freyne's current strength, she probably wouldn't stand a chance against Moon Wolf.

That's an incredibly rare and powerful monster even among second-tier monsters! And no matter how strong Freyne is, she's only a [first-tier scholar] right now...

However, regardless of the circumstances, the heart blood of the Moon Wolf is an essential ingredient.

Ryan didn't know how Freyne would improve her strength before arriving at the Whirlpool Islands, but all he could do was try his best to become stronger.

Whether it's to deal with the upcoming attacks or to hunt moon wolves, he needs to be stronger.

Both the Bloodstained Flintlock Pistol and the Ring of Energy Resistance will provide significant assistance to his hunting expeditions in the areas he will be exploring tonight.

The Bloody Flintlock Rifle compensates for his current lack of ranged attack options, while the Ring of Energy Resistance, combined with the "Attribute Resistance lv.1" provided by the Loot: Electric Needle, allows him to withstand attacks from monsters that wield various energy attacks for a longer period of time, resulting in a higher margin for error.

But in that case, the strange crossbow commissioned from Master Copper Hammer would be superfluous... This thought surfaced in Ryan's mind.

But who could have imagined that I would obtain the [Bloody Flintlock Pistol]?

Of course, the exotic crossbow isn't entirely useless. The Bloodstained Flintlock Pistol has rather high usage conditions, requiring a tenth of one's blood to be used with each shot, while the exotic crossbow shouldn't have to do that.

Remembering that using the [Ring of Black Corrosion] also required consuming blood, Ryan's lips twitched involuntarily.

Good grief, you're making yourself look like a blood-draining tycoon...

He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and lay down on the bed.

At this moment, the hour hand of the clock on the wall has reached the number "0".

"Travel Areas, Activate!"

……

Inside the captain's cabin, Freya lay quietly on the table, staring blankly at a small box in her hand.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the girl's fair and delicate skin.

Freyne's eyes held hesitation and struggle.

The wooden box in her hand was given to her by her father on his deathbed before she fled to sea.

This is the greatest heirloom of the "Augustus family," and also the reason why the "Despicables" relentlessly hunt her down.

In fact, even the successive heads of the Augustus family did not know the specific effects of this thing.

Freyne still remembered her father's dying words.

“Frene…do not open this box unless it is absolutely necessary and in a moment of desperation…it is hope…and also a curse…”

For Freya, the current situation is no different from a moment of despair.

She needs the power to become stronger in a short period of time, and she cannot do that on her own.

The only hope lies in this "treasure".