"I know a little about Nautilus!"
"Do you want to know?"
"Sure!" Jayce's curiosity was piqued. Anyway, he was idle on the ship, and there was no place or space for him to swing his hammer here.
"Let's go outside and talk slowly; it feels stuffy in the Captain's cabin!"
Duke led Jayce out of the Captain's cabin. Captain Lister nodded slightly to the departing Jayce, showing his respect. As one of the Ferros's only three power holders, Duke, even as Camille's adopted son, had a certain say.
The Ferros Family, since ancient times, has operated under a system where the Family Head and the secret agent are mutually accountable: the Family Head is responsible for the family, and the secret agent is responsible for the Family Head. As Camille's successor, Duke sometimes had more influence than Dak'er, her biological child.
Especially since Duke also wielded powerful strength.
After leaving the Captain's cabin, Duke and Jayce came to the deck, leaning on the ship's rail, gazing at the horizon where the sea met the sky, smelling the salty sea breeze, and listening to the noisy cries of the seagulls.
Jayce carefully chose his words: "Duke, what exactly is your identity? Why do I feel that Captain Lister respects you so much?"
"I'm just a lucky boy who came from Zaun to Piltover, I don't have any special identity!" Duke rolled his White eye. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you; you're just a target pushed to the forefront to attract Fire.
What if you ran away if I told you?
Could it be that I'd just catch you and throw you into the sea to feed the sharks?
If I really did that, Little Fishman would be very happy!
Duke thought with a hint of malice, but Jayce felt a chill down his spine and quickly changed the subject, "You said before that you knew about that so-called Titan Nautilus. Tell me about it!"
"Actually, Nautilus is also a pitiful person!" Duke watched the First Mate throw the Golden Krakens into the sea, while loudly proclaiming: "The Bearded Lady below, our Swordfish has paid The Tithe!"
Listening to the First Mate's shouts, Jayce had a hint of confusion in his eyes. He didn't understand why these people were so superstitious, but Duke seemed to sense something and looked out at the sea.
Just now, something enormous seemed to have left, diving into deeper waters.
Beneath the deep sea, the gigantic bronze-colored Titan, with a mighty anchor on his shoulder, stood like a statue, watching the sinking Golden Krakens, no longer paying attention to the Swordfish that Duke and the others were on, but only staring at this one Golden Krakens slowly sinking.
He also sank to the seabed with the Golden Krakens, walking with heavy steps, disappearing into the seawater.
The one Golden Krakens lay in the mud of the seabed, quietly motionless.
On the Swordfish, Duke also began to tell the background story he knew.
"No matter when Nautilus's story began, that guy was still human at first, a kind of person with extraordinary talent. He could dive into the deepest parts of the sea, helping the fleet salvage treasures sunk beneath the sea."
"And from that time on, Nautilus insisted on paying The Tithe to The Bearded Lady, who is the Truth Bearer of the Serpent Isles — Nagakabouros, an ancient giant beast rumored to exist in the ocean."
"I have heard of this, but according to the doctrines spoken by Nagakabouros's followers, do such terrifying giant beasts really exist?"
Jayce timely expressed his doubt, Duke shrugged his shoulders, and pointed in the direction the Swordfish was heading: "East of Bilgewater, there is an ancient forbidden zone of life!"
"Anyone who goes up alive never comes down alive!" Duke said here, recalling a certain hero who could freely transform between eight legs and two legs: "And there are even people who specifically go there to make sacrifices, in exchange for Eternity and powerful strength!"
"Really?"
"Regardless of whether it's true or not, just listen to it as a story!"
Duke didn't want to argue about these things. Anyway, everything he said was true. If your vision is narrow and you don't know much, leading to doubts, then who's to blame?
"Let's continue with Nautilus's story!"
Duke leaned against the ship's rail, looking at the clear blue sky, recalling the Titan's background story in his mind.
"But after Nautilus helped his fleet salvage all the sunken ships, the fleet's Master sold the sunken ships, and then the fleet was taken over by a new Master."
"The other party came specifically for Nautilus, forcing him to wear a heavy diving suit, making him dive to the bottom of the sea to search for treasure. Unfortunately, the new Master deceived Nautilus. He falsely claimed that he had paid The Tithe to The Bearded Lady, but he hadn't!"
"Then what happened?"
Jayce quickly pressed, listening to stories can sometimes be very addictive, making one eager to hear what comes next.
"Later, Nautilus never came up again. He merged with the diving suit, carrying a mighty anchor and walking on the seabed, constantly watching those Voracity misers!"
"Once someone hasn't paid The Tithe, he will use his anchor to pierce their ship and drag them into the sea, burying them forever at the bottom of the sea!"
"Simply put, a devout believer was cheated by a Voracity boss. To uphold his faith and punish these Voracity misers, Nautilus transformed into an ocean tax officer, patrolling the waters of Bilgewater!"
"How touching!"
"What's touching about it?"
Jayce ruthlessly retorted, Duke shrugged his shoulders: "You don't understand a thing!"
"Nautilus is still lucky. Those who were swallowed by the sea and never returned, they don't even have the chance to become like him!"
Duke and Jayce bantered with each other, which was their only entertainment during the boring voyage. Suddenly, Duke's expression changed, from lazy to serious and focused, because just now, his mouth had a sour taste.
This was a reaction that only occurred when a magic source was nearby.
But where would a magic source come from in the vast sea? After paying The Tithe, Nautilus no longer stared at them. As for escorting them, did they think they were the Son of the World?
However, there was one more possibility!
Duke looked at the Water outside the ship's side. The Swordfish was moving very fast, leaving White waves on the sea surface while swiftly advancing. But beneath the calm sea, something seemed to be gathering.
"We're in trouble!"
A man holding a harpoon, who would appear at any time to harpoon fish according to a list, came to Duke's mind. And his existence was due to a special sea beast that contained a magic source within its body.
This sea beast was called—Jaull-fish!
That man holding the harpoon was called—Bloodharbor Ripper: Pyke!
"What's wrong?" Jayce noticed Duke's expression. The next second, the ship shook violently, and everyone's faces changed drastically.
The Jaull-fish school began to attack the ship!
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