When evil gods hold a meeting in my head

Richard picked up his hat from the muddy ground, brushed the sand off the brim, and put it back on his head.

Even after he put it back on, the top hat was still warm. "In winter, this would be more useful than a hand warmer!" he thought to himself.

Turning around, Richard pointed to the still-burning wall of fire on the shore, and the few church figures swaying in the smoke and dust. One of them had a string of blisters on his arm and was groaning in pain while clutching his arm.

He joked, "Extraordinary beings shouldn't be considered a rare species in South Port these days, right?"

Brion raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It's not unusual at all. I've seen plenty these past few days, more than the white doves in Mayz... Let's get on board!"

He stepped aside to make way for him.

Richard pulled Rosalie forward, with Thales following carefully as they passed the sailors. The sailors holstered their guns, but their eyes remained fixed on them, especially on Richard's hat.

Walk up the gangway and step onto the deck.

The deck was much more spacious than it appeared from the shore. The dark planks were polished to a high shine and felt solid underfoot. Wooden crates and sacks were piled up along the ship's side, tied together with thick ropes. Several sailors were pulling in the mooring lines, their movements swift and efficient, calling out in work chants.

Brion led them to the cabin entrance and stopped.

"The ship is heading to the Kingdom of Rant," he said. "It will stop at the port of Bis North along the way. Where do you want to disembark?"

"North Port," Richard said.

Brion nodded and extended a hand.

"Five gold coins per person. Fifteen gold coins for three people."

Richard was taken aback for a moment.

Five gold coins? One person?

He subconsciously touched his pocket. The three gold coins were still there; they were the reward from Naansanho for the mission. Three coins were only enough for one person; he needed to add two more.

Where can he raise fifteen gold coins?

That's simply impossible!

Unless, give him an Aladdin's lamp...

Richard stood there, hands still in his pockets, unsure of what to do...

The next second, Brion, seeing Richard's expression, seemed to understand his predicament and subconsciously tugged at his sleeve: "What's wrong, benefactor... are you short of money?"

Richard had no time to think about anything else; his mind was in a mess, wondering if he could negotiate the price or offer something else in return.

At that moment, Thales suddenly tapped his back lightly from behind.

Richard turned around.

Thales stood behind him, still hunched over, but... he pulled a worn and dirty cloth bag from his pocket, stained with oil. He opened the bag a crack, letting Richard peek inside.

Inside were several gleaming gold coins, shimmering in the sunlight. Richard glanced at them briefly and saw a dense array of gold coins inside… there were definitely more than fifteen!

Thales whispered, "Don't be afraid, my benefactor... I have money."

Richard paused, then said, "This is...?"

Thales seemed pleased that he could be of some use. He said, "I've saved up for half my life, and I still have quite a bit of money! Although I originally planned to keep it for my retirement and then give it to my son for his wedding and children. But now... not only is my son gone, but I've also lost my boat. There's no hope for me living, so keeping it is useless."

He stuffed the cloth bag into Richard's hand.

"My benefactor saved my life; this money is my way of repaying him!"

Richard shoved the cloth bag: "This won't do!"

Thales shook his head, his eyes reddening again: "My benefactor, please let me pay this money. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead in that house by now. Consider this protection money. Following you will at least give me some direction, right? What's a little money compared to life?"

He paused, then added:

"Besides, those lunatics are still waiting on the shore. If I go back alone, they'll beat me to death."

Richard looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

Thales was right. He couldn't go back, nor could he go back. The ship had been stolen, his son had been killed, and his home was gone. Going with them was the only way.

Richard nodded and handed the cloth bag to Brion.

"Three people," he said. "To Beigang."

Brion took the bag, opened it, glanced inside, counted out fifteen coins, and returned the rest to Thales. Thales took the money, carefully tucked it back into his pocket, as if it were some precious treasure.

Brion put the fifteen gold coins into his pocket and called out into the cabin.

A young sailor ran over.

"Take them downstairs and find three empty cabins," Brion said.

The young sailor nodded and waved to Richard and the others: "Come with me."

Richard pulled Rosalie along as they entered the cabin. Thales followed behind, looking around as if he had never seen such a magnificent ship before.

The cabin was darker than the deck, but very clean. The corridors were lined with cabins, their doors made of dark wood with brass nameplates. A faint smell of paint mixed with engine oil filled the air.

The young sailor walked to the middle of the corridor and pushed open two doors.

"These are the three rooms," he said. "If you need anything, you can ring the bell; there's a bell rope at the end of the corridor."

Richard glanced inside. The room wasn't large, but it was very clean. There was a single bed, a small table, a chair, and a kerosene lamp hanging on the wall. The window was round with glass, offering a view of the sea.

The young sailor left.

Richard first helped Rosalie into the innermost room.

"You sleep here," he said. "Call me if you need anything."

Rosalie stood by the bed, looking at him and smiling. Her eyes were still bright, but softer than before.

Richard pointed to the bed: "Lie down and rest."

Rosalie slowly sat down, then slowly lay down, curling up on her side. She didn't close her eyes; she was still looking at him, smiling.

Richard stood there for a few seconds, then turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Thales stood in the corridor, looking at him.

"My benefactor," he said, "I live in the house next door. Just call me if you need anything."

Richard nodded.

Thales pushed open the door, went in, and then poked his head out again: "My benefactor, you should rest too. You must be exhausted today."

The door closed.

Richard stood in the corridor, leaning against the wall, and let out a long breath.

I'm really exhausted today. From leaving home this morning, I walked to South Port, encountered the blockade, used hypnosis to sneak in, hid in the alleys, killed the church people, and then ran with two other people. Finally, I used my hat to create a wall of fire and got on this ship.

He looked down at his hands.

The hand was clean; the bloodstains had long been wiped away. But the smell of blood seemed to linger, impossible to wash away.

He remembered that man's eyes. He had stared at him in his dying moments, mouth agape, as if trying to shout something, but only spitting out a mouthful of blood. His grey robe was embroidered with trees, the tree symbols stained a dark red.

Richard shook his head, trying to stop thinking about it.

He pushed open the door to his room, went inside, and closed the door.

The room was quiet. The only sound was the lapping of the waves outside the window, crashing against the hull of the boat.

He took off his hat, put it on the table, and lay down on the bed.

The bed was hard, but much more comfortable than the floor... He stared at the ceiling, his mind a jumble of thoughts, wanting to think about everything but unable to make any sense of anything.

As I thought about it, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

The sound of the waves lapping against the hull was like a lullaby Richard heard as a child.

He fell asleep without realizing it...