Mystery: A Spark

However, during their subsequent conversations, a bold conjecture gradually formed in her mind.

After using one of the little tricks her father Russell had used to tease her when she was a child, Bernadette could no longer shake the idea.

Is he someone who lost his memory because of your resurrection, or someone from the same place as you...? Bernadette stared blankly out the window.

At this moment, a crew member outside the captain's cabin reported:

"Captain, a blond young man has arrived outside. He says he wants to take your ship back to Rune and that he has already made an appointment with you."

Cattleya looked at Bernadette with a questioning gaze, and after seeing her nod, she replied:

"Yes, he will be a passenger on our ship, let him board."

"Yes, Captain."

“Your Majesty, I’ll head over now,” Cattleya said.

"Well, you go."

……

After being informed by the crew, Arthur was allowed to board the Future.

“Hello, Mr. Arthur.” Cattleya stood on the deck, as if welcoming him.

"Hello, Admiral of the Stars, I'm counting on you all these days," Arthur greeted her in response.

“No need to be so polite. You are the Queen’s guest. This is nothing at all,” Cattleya said with a smile.

Bernadette was originally going to return to Loen on the Future, and Arthur was just hitching a ride.

Cattleya led him to the room arranged for him, with Arthur following behind, curiously observing his surroundings and secretly comparing the ship to the Golden Dream.

He discovered that the decks, bulkheads, masts, and other parts of the "Future" were covered with mysterious and abstract symbols, which seemed to overlap to form a huge ritual magic.

Like the "Golden Dream," it is a mysterious sailboat, but it doesn't quite reach the level of a ghost ship.

Moreover, whether from the appearance or from the description in the original work, it is obvious that the Future is much better than the Golden Dream.

Arthur didn't see Bernadette on the way, but he didn't pay much attention to it. After all, it was already a great honor for him to be greeted by a pirate general.

In the original work, only Gehrman Sparrow had such influence, and that was only because of Mr. Fool.

As Arthur toured the ship, he followed Admiral Cattleya to the entrance of the cabin.

A man in his thirties, wearing overalls and a white shirt, was waiting there. He was robust and had thick body hair, so much so that his bare forearms looked as if they were covered with a brown sweater.

He wore a round-brimmed hat with a concave center and greeted Cattleya: "Captain, is this our guest?"

Cattleya nodded, then stepped aside and introduced Arthur, who was standing behind her:

"This is Mr. Arthur, who will be traveling back to Rune on our ship."

The man gave a hearty smile and extended his right hand, saying:

"Hello, I am Frank Lee, the first mate of the 'Future'."

Arthur extended his right hand to shake his, and said:

"Hello, my name is Arthur Heller. I'm counting on you for the rest of the trip."

Frank smiled broadly and said, "Haha, no problem. By the way, do you know anything about biology?"

Arthur glanced at the legendary "Mushroom King," who was said to be able to destroy the entire mysterious world single-handedly, and then at Cattleya beside him, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Suddenly, he felt the mischievous spirit deep within him begin to stir.

A warm, friendly smile immediately spread across his face, and he said with the delight of someone who shared his ideals:

"Of course, I am quite interested in biology, and I have many interesting ideas in this field, but I have had to put them aside for the time being due to limitations in experimental conditions and the lack of recognition from others."

I hope we can discuss this topic further during our subsequent trip.

Chapter 41 A loaf of bread costs 500,000 sous

At the entrance to the "Future" ship, Frank hears Arthur say that he is very interested in biology and has many interesting ideas in this field.

And when he was discussing related knowledge with himself during the subsequent trip, his enthusiasm suddenly soared.

He excitedly led Arthur into the cabin and down the corridor.

Seeing this, Cattleya seemed to want to say something, but in the end she only let out a heavy sigh.

She entered the cabin with a heavy heart, following behind Arthur and Frank.

As he was about to step onto the stairs and reach the higher floor, Arthur turned his head and looked at the shadows to his side.

There, in the darkness, a figure emerged—a tall, thin, and pale figure.

His cheek skin was almost transparent, his nose was disproportionately high, and he had a sickly appearance.

“This is our second officer on the ‘Future’, Heath Doyle,” Frank Lee introduced to Arthur.

Heath Doyle, the "Bloodless One," or perhaps the "Chosen One," Heath Doyle.

Arthur smiled and greeted the extraordinary person with incredible luck.

Heath nodded in return, then silently retreated into the shadows.

“Don’t worry about it, that’s just his personality,” Frank Lee said with a smile.

"Of course not, everyone has a different personality," Arthur said nonchalantly.

Frank continued to explain Heath's situation to him:

"He is a 'Rose Bishop,' but don't worry, he was just accidentally sprayed with a potion, which directly made him a 'Rose Bishop,' not a follower of the 'True Creator.'"

Because he hasn't gone through the 'listener' stage, he can remain normal and uncorrupted as long as he doesn't use the extraordinary ability of 'listening'.

“They were indeed very lucky,” Arthur chimed in.

If someone with such talent were to go down the path of becoming a "monster," then all other snakes, big and small, would probably have to step aside.

It's a pity that the talents from all the extraordinary pathways aren't in this one...

The three then went to the captain's cabin. Cattleya opened the door and pointed inside, saying:

"Your room is diagonally across the street. Frank will take you there. If you need anything, you can come directly to me here."

“You can dine at the restaurant anytime, or Frank can send someone to deliver food to your room.”

“Okay, thank you, Ms. Cattleya,” Arthur said.

"You're welcome," Cattleya said with a smile as she entered the captain's cabin.

At this moment, seeing that the two sides had finished their conversation, Frank Lee said enthusiastically:

"Come on, let me take you to your room to put your luggage down first, and then we'll go to the lab to have a good discussion about biology."

Arthur nodded and left the captain's cabin with him.

When Cattleya, who was about to close the door, heard their conversation, she froze.

She watched the two figures walk away, hesitated for a moment, and then followed in their footsteps.

Arthur followed Frank Lee to his room and put his luggage inside.

After that, he followed Frank to his laboratory.

Once inside the lab, Frank enthusiastically began introducing his experimental results to Arthur.

"Look, these are all things I've researched. This is a fish that can produce milk, this is a hybrid of medicine and fruit that makes taking medicine a pleasure, and this..."

Arthur was amazed as he looked at the achievements Frank presented.

After the introductions, Frank led Arthur to a chair next to the table and they sat down.

"So? Have you appreciated the beauty of hybridization technology? Believe me, the future of humanity lies within it," Frank said excitedly.

Arthur listened quietly to him finish speaking, then asked:

"Frank, you're from the Church of Mother Earth, right?"

“Yes,” Frank said, “I used to be an orphan and was adopted by the Church of the Mother Goddess, which was like my home.”

"But everything changed when I became a biologist and started researching hybridization."

"I was just trying to crossbreed bulls, cows and wheat so that calves could grow like wheat, and I almost got sent to trial by the church of the Mother Goddess. They didn't understand the will of the Mother Goddess at all."

"After that, I left the Church of Mother Goddess and came to the Future. I can continue my research here, so I am very happy here."

"Frank, do you want those who misunderstand you to regret it?" Arthur asked calmly.

"Of course, I've always wanted to prove I'm right, that they don't understand the true meaning of the Mother Goddess's teachings at all." Frank waved his hand forcefully, appearing very angry.

“I can help you, help you achieve your dream, help you prove yourself,” Arthur said softly as he approached him.

"How do I do that?" Frank was intrigued.

"You were an orphan before, so have you ever experienced hunger?" Arthur didn't answer directly, but asked in a calm voice.

"Of course, it was a terrible feeling. When I was extremely hungry, I would even think that I would give anything to anyone who could give me a little food." Frank nodded, recalling the hard days before he was adopted by the church.

“Yes, hunger can drive people mad, make them lose their minds, and even their humanity and dignity. So, Frank, do you know how many people in the world are still starving?” Arthur asked, looking at him.

“I…I don’t know.” Frank shook his head.

“Take the eastern part of Backlund for example. Most people can’t even guarantee their daily food and clothing. They have nowhere to live. A tiny room has to be divided into different times for different people to use, such as morning, noon and evening.”

Therefore, they could only endure constant exploitation, using their already weak bodies to obtain meager amounts of food that weren't even enough to fill their stomachs.

“Isn’t there… a workhouse? I remember, workhouses seem to be able to…” Frank said incredulously.

"Frank, do you know what it feels like to have nowhere to turn?"

Arthur interrupted him, saying, "The workhouse is just a drop in the ocean, because it can't give people hope."

"It only gives those who are desperate a little breather before they fall into even deeper despair."

"Besides, even the small amount of money allocated to the workhouse will be embezzled at each level, and ultimately only a small portion will actually be used..."

Arthur paused, sensing that if he continued, he might be punished by the mysterious forces from another world, so he didn't delve any deeper into the topic.

He looked at Frank and said softly, "But you can, Frank, you can give people hope."

Chapter 42 The Painter's First Speech