From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

The ship was still tilting, and nearly half of the treasure chest caught in the turbulent current had spilled out. The sea-green gem had also rolled from Garn's hand into the black water.

Edmund lifted the lead plate so that the three faces that had emerged from the corpse spirits could be clearly seen.

"This despicable traitor is preparing to erase your names. Once he has the treasure, he will renew the oath and claim it for himself."

"No!" Garn, pinned to the deck by Douglas, still reached for the treasure chest. "The treasure should belong to the survivors!"

Of the three spirits, the one with the most weary face stared at the lead plate and uttered, "I should have known."

It detached completely from the left shoulder of the sewn-together body. The corpse spirit's chest and abdomen immediately collapsed, the three skulls rolled off the deck, and the assembled limbs quickly scattered.

It quickly faded into the river mist, leaving only a weary sigh, but the other two spirits did not leave.

The scattered bones trembled again, and one undead rushed towards Garn, while another swirled towards the golden vessel sliding towards the river, still screaming, "Four people, four portions."

Just then, the speedboat caught up to the side and rear of the Aurora. Conrad stepped onto the gunwale and, taking advantage of the undulations before the two ships collided, leaped across the river.

He landed in the middle of the deck, his sword reversed and plunged into the wooden plank, while he removed his glove from his right hand and slowly gripped the blade.

Blood flowed down the blade and onto the hilt, and Conrad's voice echoed:

"Let the sword be our witness! The greed born of our thoughts, the evil oaths sworn with our words, and the deaths caused by our deeds—let each of us declare ourselves accountable today."

The silver light spread out from below the sword tip and rapidly expanded along the deck pattern of the entire Aurora.

Broken railings, scattered gold, and every piece of bone cast straight shadows, intersecting to form a giant scale.

[The Last Night - Confession: The swordsman on the path of chivalry invokes the power of the scales as witness, leading the deceased to confront their sins.]

"We beseech the White Scales, the god of balance and equilibrium, the god of trust and peace, the god of virtue, games, and judgment. He will surely sever the bond between slavery, false oaths, and corpses!"

The undead stopped abruptly, fine black lines appearing on its body. Conrad tightened his grip, cutting deeper with his sword.

"What was taken from us will be returned, what was hidden will be seen, what was betrayed will be heard. The dead have departed from their service and gone to their home, thus bearing witness..."

The scale-like shadows sank to either side. The black lines snapped one by one, and white light seeped from the surface of the bones.

The two undead bone claws and hideous faces gradually returned to human form. One looked down at its empty hands, while the other finally released the golden vessel.

A moment later, a silver light passed over their heads. The two figures transformed into tiny specks of light and disappeared into the depths of the river mist, following their companion.

Conrad staggered as he drew his sword, his palm still bleeding.

Edmund snapped out of his reverie and saw the Aurora, now without a helmsman, hurtling toward the stone-lined riverbank. He leaped over the scattered bones and rushed into the cabin.

The high temperature and soot choked his breath, and the temporary mechanic who also managed the boiler collapsed beside the furnace.

Edmund pulled the man up and slapped his cheeks repeatedly. The man's eyelids fluttered a few times, and he regained consciousness.

Where is the main steam inlet valve?

The mechanic was dragged by Edmund to the valve wheel, and a moment later white steam billowed from the side of the ship, and the vibrations of the Aurora gradually subsided.

The bow veered less than twenty yards from the rocky shore, skimming the mooring posts as it plunged into the wide water, finally slowing down.

When Edmund returned to the deck, Conrad had already checked on Smith and the other two temporary crewmen.

"All three are alive, the curse has been lifted, and Garn's poison was not fatal." He wrapped his palm with the torn fabric.

"Use the antidote as soon as possible; they can survive."

The raging torrent also carried the remaining treasure into the chests. The wooden chests, which were originally full, were now only half full, with the most precious aquamarine gems and a large amount of gold having sunk to the bottom of the river.

Gahn stared at the churning river, his struggles gradually weakening. The inspector lifted him up: "How did Bartholomew Schoert die?"

The former, as if he had swallowed a fly, squeezed out a sentence: "I sent the Corpse Demon to kill him, to kill a treacherous Sholto... just revenge."

"Hey, don't forget you're also prepared to betray your three companions," Edmund reminded him.

Garn stared at the four lead plates, finally lowering his head: "They're long dead. What treasure can the dead enjoy?"

"Alright, alright, enough chit-chat," the inspector said. "Jonathan Garn, you're under arrest."

The inspector tightened the shackles again, formally announced the charges of murder, kidnapping, poisoning, theft, and desecration of corpses, and informed the prisoner of his right to remain silent.

As dawn approached, the powerless Aurora was towed back to the dock by two river patrol boats, and Dionysus did not announce the end of the play.

A police officer pushed through the crowd and handed Douglas a report that had just been delivered from the Ponticerry mansion.

Based on the sealed testimony of Schoert, police pried open the well in the old garden that had been sealed with bricks and found the remains of Captain Mostan at the bottom of the well.

The officer's nameplate and pocket watch were still there, and the old wounds and head injury matched the confession—enough to prove that Mostan never fled with the treasure.

Vera took the report and, in front of the dock police, lawyers, and reporters who had rushed to the scene, revealed her father's entire confession and the letter Bartholomew had not yet sent.

"As the heir to the Sholto family, I confirm the authenticity of these documents." She pressed her hand on the wooden box, which was now only half full of treasure.

"The remaining treasure will be divided equally between Miss Mostan and me. The Sholto family will cover all expenses required to reveal the truth and restore Captain Mostan's reputation."

Rebecca accepted the report under everyone's gaze and nodded. Lines of scarlet text then appeared above the river mist.

[Mission Two Completed: The real culprit has been apprehended.]

[The final mission is complete: the contract, death, and breach of contract behind the "Four Signatures" have been revealed.]

[Hidden result complete: The three signatories are released.]

[Hidden result complete: Captain Mostan's reputation has been restored.]

All three innocent crew members of the Aurora survived.

[Review of this production: Absolutely superb.]

Finally it was over. Edmund breathed a sigh of relief and began to thank his love of reading from his previous life.

The mental pressure has lifted, but it has also brought some unease—how did Dionysus know about The Sign of Four?

Did they peek into his memories? Did he have a predecessor who was a time traveler, like Ke Miao? Or...?

As he was pondering, crimson mist surged from the river and streets simultaneously, engulfing the entire city of London in an instant.

Edmund only had time to see the dock lights turn a dark red before the cold, wet wooden planks beneath his feet lost all feeling.

The next instant, the five people reappeared in the waiting room, transforming back into the blurry figures they had been when they entered the play.

From deep within the waiting area, the sound of wine being poured into a glass echoed, followed by lines of text appearing on the screen.

[The scriptwriting process is complete.]

[Base score for this play: Blood of Bacchus 500 points; Clearing Captain Mostan's name: 100 points for all; Survival of three innocent crew members: 100 points for all.]

[Final Settlement: Each actor receives 700 Blood of Bacchus.]

[The "Ultimate" rating has unlocked personal rewards and targeted special exchanges. Each actor will receive one personal reward and one targeted special exchange privilege.]