Should I raise you too?

Arishander thought he was thinking and continued, "Rank and class are the foundation of everything. Don't be like a nouveau riche, clinging to power you shouldn't have."

Simon tidied the room, put the paper figure in his notebook, and put it back in his desk drawer.

Alysander realized something was wrong: "...How much of my credit did my question just use?"

Simon acted as if he hadn't heard at all, walked out of the room, and went for a walk on the deck.

Alexandra opened the light screen herself and looked at the credit limit section.

Remaining credit: -1%

No wonder there was no response at all! Turns out my credit limit was zero and I had outstanding fees!

It dropped me straight to a negative number! It used to be 34%!

"Give me back my credit limit, and I won't ask you the question again!" Alexandra wanted a refund.

Simon walked to the end of the corridor, where a waiter opened the hatch to the deck for him, and the sea breeze rushed in.

“Hey, you’ve gone too far! Even prostitutes back in our day wouldn’t ignore a customer just because they’re short of payment for a short time!” Alexandra argued vehemently.

Unfortunately, Simon works in a monopolistic industry, where professional ethics are completely unnecessary.

Alexandra glared angrily at the light screen, which then conveniently displayed a pop-up message.

"Do you want to top up your credit limit?"

“…I’ll charge it.” Alysander gritted her teeth.

Please select a payment method:

1. The Treasures of the Old Dynasty

2. Guidance on Mysticism

3. Soul Society Resources

"I choose 2."

This recharge channel is not yet open.

Unfortunately, Simon does not need occult guidance at the moment.

"I choose 1!"

"No balance found. Please check if you have any treasures."

I'm just a spirit, where would I get any treasures! You've even taken my finger bones for yourself!

"I choose 3."

Alexandra could only squeeze power from her own spirit, drawing strength from the Soul Society to give to Simon.

"Remaining balance: 49%"

"I'm going to sleep for a while." Alexandra was too exhausted and fell asleep.

Simon smiled as he looked at the "Soul Realm Power" accumulating backstage.

"Give it to me" can only help him become proficient in using the power of the Soul Society, but it cannot help him draw power from the Soul Society. He must rely on Alysander to replenish it.

In other words, Simon is the steam engine, the Soul Society is the coal mine, and Alysand is the miner. Alysand must go down into the mine to extract coal to supply Simon's steam engine.

It's a pity that this coal miner is not physically fit. After resting for so many days, he has only mined this little bit.

After walking around the deck and seeing that it was almost time, Simon told Eve and Maria and went to the captain's cabin.

The captain's cabin is a suite with a bedroom and a living room.

Besides Captain Edward, whose hair was slightly gray, there were two other people in the living room.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Simon's, Captain Owen. These days, the three of them had used the "transfer ritual" to win a large sum of money from the colonial merchants and viscounts.

The other was the ship's priest, named Hughes, a clergyman of the Church of the Holy Sun. The Holy Sun refers to the golden sun and the silver moon, the church of two true gods.

On the Night of the Living Dead, the Church of Holy Radiance achieved nothing but suffered the greatest losses.

The two demigods of the church guarding the capital fell, killed in an assassination plot devised and executed by Crown Prince Fred, with technical guidance provided by Alysand.

Edward gave a brief introduction to Reverend Hughes and began to recount the strange occurrences on the ship.

He frowned: "Every day since we left the port, there's been one less animal in the pen, either a chicken or a sheep."

Chapter 104 Theft, Robbery, Kidnapping, but Good People

On ocean cruise ships, keeping meat fresh is a major challenge. Passengers in second class and economy class can eat cured meat, but first class passengers cannot.

Therefore, a group of livestock would be kept on the ship for meat to be taken at any time.

The livestock pens on the Kingdom Star were located on the semi-open deck at the stern, housing chickens, ducks, geese, as well as sheep, pigs, and cattle. The cattle were generally not used for cooking, but rather for producing milk.

There are many chickens, ducks, and geese, so it's hard to notice if a few are missing. But if there are only a hundred sheep, a careful breeder will quickly notice something is wrong.

The crew members responsible for feeding the sheep quickly discovered that the sheep were missing, and after a careful investigation, they also found that the chickens were missing.

"So what? Most likely a few greedy sailors stole the extra meal," Captain Owen said dismissively.

Simon interjected: "It's normal on land. Find a river to slaughter, find a bush to roast, and finally bury the bones in the ground. But this is the sea, the Kingdom Star, where there are people everywhere."

Captain Owen, somewhat embarrassed, retorted, "Mr. Simon may not understand sailors. Those scoundrels, even if you keep a close eye on them, they'll still find ways to steal!"

Edward coughed, interrupting them: "The sailors are indeed cunning, but as Mr. Simon said, it's always much more troublesome to catch live animals for a meal, while in the cold storage there is meat that has been cut and bled. The guards in the cold storage aren't much better than those in the livestock pen."

Captain Owen opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Edward continued, "I've discussed it with Reverend Hughes, and whoever stole the livestock must be brought to justice."

The young Reverend Hughes stepped forward and explained, "The Kingdom Star will be entering the Misty Sea in a week. Although there shouldn't be any problems at this time of year, Captain Edward has sensed the sea's turbulence."

The Misty Sea is the most dangerous sea area, only navigable for three months each year. Even during these three months, one must remain vigilant and alert at all times.

Ordinary people think that the danger of the Misty Sea lies in the sea fog and storms, but only the extraordinary know that the sea area possesses extraordinary power.

It was precisely because of the protection of the Misty Sea that the Southern Continent remained isolated from the world until recently.

"Is the sea turbulent?" Captain Owen was startled and looked at Edward.

Edward nodded: "My technique is in the 'Ocean' domain, which allows me to sense the emotions of the sea. Three nights ago, I sensed the sea's fear."

Simon paused in his tea-drinking motion.

Three nights ago, wasn't that when Elsie threw that sinner into the sea?

The sinner was corrupted by the power of the Soul Society, tainted with the aura of a high-ranking being, and fell into the sea without warning. If I were the sea, I would also be alarmed.

So this is all my doing?

After a brief moment of guilt, Simon felt that his subconscious plan was perfect, using an insignificant sinner to win over allies.

Edward sensed the fear emanating from the sea, so he conducted a thorough investigation and uncovered the case of missing livestock.

Processing live animals is too much trouble and not a good option for a meal, but since they are alive, they are good sacrifices for evil rituals.

Unfortunately, the Kingdom Star is about to enter the Misty Sea. Holding a mystical ritual in this area will greatly increase both the success rate and the risk of it going out of control.

That sounds good, but success and loss of control are not mutually exclusive; the most common phenomenon is success followed by loss of control.

Generally speaking, no superhuman would be so reckless, but reality is never so ordinary.

Ordinary people who accidentally come into contact with occult rituals, and believers in evil gods—one ignorant and the other foolish—are fully capable of doing such things.

If a mystical ritual goes out of control, at best a few lives will be lost, and at worst an entire ship will be destroyed.

Captain Owen's expression was serious: "I'll have men guard the animal pen and see if we can catch them."

"Thank you for your help." Edward nodded.

Simon thought for a moment and then said, "Have you asked the waiters if anything strange has happened recently?"

For example, a second-class passenger hasn't shown up for several days.

Edward realized his oversight and frowned: "I only asked the guards and sailors in the animal pen; I'll ask the waiters as well."

“Let me ask,” said Reverend Hughes. “It will be more discreet for me to ask.”

It's too conspicuous for a captain to ask a waiter a question, but it's perfectly normal for a pastor to chat with a believer.

“It’s not just about the animals; other strange things need to be recorded as well,” Simon added. He didn’t know the details of the Kingdom Star tragedy and had to rely on others to investigate.

Reverend Hughes nodded.

……

Elsie followed the colonial merchants for a while but found no clues, her mind wandering aimlessly.

If I were to fawn over an incarnation of an evil god and do his bidding, would that be considered treason?

Elsie, Elsie, how are you any different from those followers of evil gods!

Do you have any respect for the four gods who maintain world order, or for this world?

Although I stole, robbed, and kidnapped, I am truly a good person! Elsie felt guilty.

Just then, the glass block made a sound.

Following Simon's advice, Captain Edward instructed the ship's priest, Hughes, to inquire about the recent unusual behavior of the servants.