The girl with white hair and red eyes is serious about revenge

"In the end..."

"Their smiles are black."

So scary...Pollis shook her shoulders slightly and recalled the horrific experience of curling up in bed and reciting nursery rhymes in her childhood.

But how should this nursery rhyme be interpreted? Perlis stroked her chin gently, thinking carefully about the elements in it.

Sailor...butcher...hunter, does this symbolize different identities? Or is it "no limit on identity"?

The boat is black...the shadow is black...the smile is black...does this mean some kind of assimilation of things by Kuroshima?

As if she had noticed Perlis's confusion, Mei Xinghui's violet eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately spoke:

"On the open sea, there is a ship that can pass the storm and go to Immortalus."

"The Yamata Troll Soul Eater?" Perlis answered subconsciously.

At this moment, her eyes fell on a sentence in the fairy tale -

——“Their boats are black”!

Perlis's previous thinking was that the ship turned black after it "landed on the Black Island". But after being inspired by Mei Xinghui, she realized another possibility:

Because the ship was "black", it reached the Black Island.

And this "black" is obviously not the color of the surface, but symbolizes a state, a state that can pass through ocean currents and storms.

Combined with the information that Perlis had previously obtained from the mine owner, this state can obviously be granted by the [Dark Emblem] or [Ark].

In this case, there is actually no need to take the brooch from the King of the Islands, but only to ask him to help with the "Fugue" in order to reach the Black Island?

In an instant, Perlis suddenly felt that she had one more choice: if there was a problem with the Canghuang, Perlis could choose to cooperate with the Bridge and the String. As a reward, she only needed to let the Pirate King give Perlis the "black" state, and she could go to the Black Island.

This sounds like a fence-sitter...Perlis complained about herself, but she didn't feel ashamed of the thought.

Now Perlis is no longer the little girl who boldly broke into Lorton alone and left no way out for herself. After going through so much, she will not put all her eggs in one basket again.

"..."

However, the last part of the nursery rhyme made Perlis feel a little uneasy... "Their smiles are black", what does this mean?

Perlis sighed softly. According to her intuition, this kind of "fugue" would most likely not have any good results.

(Note 1: This myth is the introduction to this volume: The Storyteller. Readers who are interested in textual research can find information from it.)

4) Gaze from the Abyss (Part 3)

Seeing that Perlis had roughly come to some conclusions, Xinghui Meiyi's violet eyes flickered, and then she said softly:

"If we combine the story of the Black Island with the myth of the goddess Ursa, we can make some guesses."

"The 'black' state required to reach the Black Island is likely to be a way of sailing outside this world in some way, and that state is likely related to the 'blessing' in mythology."

Sailing outside this world? Perlis immediately thought of her ability to tear open space rifts and travel through that red space.

I always feel like there's a connection between the two...

Perlis nodded slightly, she glanced at her wrist subconsciously, and then said:

"You mean, that black island is related to the original Ursa myth?"

"Yes," Mei Xinghui nodded, "In fact, my speculation is more radical."

Having said this, Mei Xinghui stood up, walked to the window and pulled the curtains in the cabin.

Perlis suddenly felt some spots of violet light projected down. She looked up and found that they were star-shaped amethysts hanging on the roof of the cabin.

An atmosphere of peace and harmony suddenly enveloped Perlis. Bathed in this colorful star-like light, Perlis took a deep breath and felt her whole body enveloped by lightness.

"Our world was once a paradise covered by starlight and a sea of ​​flowers filled with blessings."

Mei Xinghui recited softly in a voice as soft as a whisper. She walked to the desk again and sat down quietly. Her violet eyes seemed to merge with the starlight.

"You may have heard the legend of the Higheaven that stands on the other side of the starry sky from the people of the kingdom who still believe in the Morning Star. It is a city that towers above the stars, a capital city surrounding the Ivory Tower, and a transportation hub that overlooks all dimensions and worlds."

"But that is all forgotten knowledge recorded in the Forbidden Words: The Old Testament. No one in this world looks up at the starry sky anymore, and no one will look for the Morning Star among the stars."

"If you read the legend of Mother Ersa carefully, you will find a tiny detail..."

As she said this, Xinghui Meiyi opened the "Selected Works of Wilkin's Fairy Tales and Poems" and touched a line of words with her hand. The words were immediately lit up by dots of fluorescent light.

Perlis took a closer look and found that it was an insignificant sentence from the creation myth:

"...He saw the apostle from the Tusk. The cute little fellow was trying to persuade Prince Odin, but the latter turned a deaf ear..." (Note 1)

The Apostle of the Tusk...? In an instant, a certain memory in Perlis's mind was suddenly lit up, causing her pupils to shrink in shock.

Because, in the control room above the Tower of Babel, she had just heard Laplace call someone a member of the "Tusk" clan:

Hallilali Hafurgaard.

In an instant, even though the room was shrouded in starlight, Perlis felt a chill running from the top of her head to her toes, making her whole body stiff.

The Hafurgard clan... is the clan from the Tusk of the Elephant? Apostles?

That black island, Inmotarus, is related to the Hafurgard tribe? Is it related to the origin of the other side?

But...wasn't I born on this continent? Perlis felt her brain was in a mess for a moment, unable to think of anything.

No... that's not the case. Mei-san has said that legends should be viewed from their symbolic meanings, and conclusions cannot be drawn from superficial elements at will...

Perlis took a deep breath and tried to put all the puzzle pieces in their right place.

But she couldn't do it. From the moment she saw the words just now, her mind was filled with the white-haired woman who turned around in the sea of ​​flowers, the woman named Hallilali, her mother.

All the key information was gradually revealed at the right time... Icahn Geller, it all seemed to be within his calculations, as if he knew everything...

"..."

While Perlis was lost in thought, Mei Xinghui waited politely for a while. When the stars on the top of the cabin gradually dimmed, she spoke softly:

"My conclusion is that the black island has an indelible connection with the apostle from the Tusk of the Elephant, or the High Heaven. There may be the secret of that being's ability to travel through the stars. In other words, if you can reach the black island..."

Mei Xinghui walked to the window and opened the curtains. The morning sun shining across the sea accurately shone into the round window, illuminating the entire cabin and lighting up Perlis's bloodshot eyes.

Perlis turned her head and saw Mei Xinghui standing by the window with her backlit figure. Her face was shrouded in darkness, but her violet eyes still reflected the beautiful starlight:

"...maybe we can find a way to the other side, or even to the stars."

Mei Xinghui stated her conclusion, then walked calmly to the table and sat down, lifting her long skirt.

And Perlis was sitting opposite her, her face indifferent, but her mind was full of waves like the sea.

......

After the discussion about the mysterious legend, Perlis and Mei Xinghui went to the deck together to enjoy breakfast.

Compared to her initial indifferent attitude, Perlis felt that Miss Mei had become much more enthusiastic. She took the initiative to introduce a lot of information about the "Blue Reef" to Perlis, and obviously regarded Perlis as her own.

Perlis could understand her change in attitude. After all, most sailors would not study myths and legends, but she came to her early in the morning to ask for advice. To some extent, this could be considered as a combination of similar interests... like best friends.

Best friend...Pollis's eyes dimmed a little.

"..."

From Mei Xinghui's introduction, Perlis learned that the design of all the exteriors of the "Blue Reef" was done by this civil servant, including the interior decoration of the rooms, the sailors' clothing, and the blue reef statue on the bow. She was also the designer of the menu on the ship, responsible for providing the sailors with unique and nutritionally balanced meals.

She is simply the soul of this ship...Perlis glanced at Mei Xinghui, who had the appearance of an oriental woman, and stepped onto the deck with her.

The early morning sea breeze and sunshine made the two girls' figures shine brightly. Perlis closed her eyes and briefly enjoyed this rare gentle sunshine.

But before she could enjoy herself, she heard a loud shout:

"I told you, you know nothing! That's not how you dance!"

Hmm... Perlis puffed up her cheeks slightly in dissatisfaction, and then turned her eyes to the source of the noise:

It was Hitaro Mama, who was standing in front of a group of sailors doing morning exercises on the deck, shouting and pointing at a young man wearing a white turban.

Perlis looked closely and found that the young man was Grissom Tren. He also had a very disdainful expression on his face, and seemed not to want to listen to what Shinma Hitaro said at all.

Quarreling so early in the morning...Perlis glanced at Mei Xinghui beside her and found that there was no expression on her face, but her beautiful violet eyes were staring at Grissom's back.

(Note 1: Also excerpted from the introduction chapter of this volume: The Storyteller)

4) Gaze from the Abyss (Part 4)

Looking around the deck, Perlis did not see Furukawa Wataru. Only the ship's first mate Shibata Kazuki was trying to stop the fight with a laugh. His casual look naturally did not help the situation at all.

Gleason and Hitaro Mama were arguing in front of a group of sailors, and the argument was getting more and more intense, as if they were about to fight at any time.

"..."

Perlis had no intention of getting involved. Although she didn't know much about the rules at sea, she always felt that such fights among sailors were quite normal and nothing would happen.

But before this thought faded from her mind, Shinma Hitaro suddenly drew out the katana from his waist, pointed it at Gleason, and yelled a few words with a distorted face.

Oh no... Is this going to go wrong? Perlis stared at the situation on the deck calmly, and suddenly felt that she should at least go and calm the situation down -

——If something happens on the ship and affects the itinerary, it will only be bad for Perlis.

"Ms. Mei, I'll go over and take a look." Perlis said to Mei Xinghui beside her.

"Yes," Mei Xinghui nodded slightly, "Tell Grissom not to fight."

He should listen to what you say... Perlis muttered to herself, and then walked across the deck towards the two sailors who were on edge.

Then, she heard clearly the roar of Shinma Hitaro:

"You're not convinced by my swordsmanship, huh? Then draw your swords! Let's duel! Aren't you an I-Tran Knight? I'll show you who the real I-Tran Knight is!"

Hitaro Mama yelled in a very exaggerated tone, and Gleason on the opposite side was obviously not having a good time with him either. There was a hint of anger between the boy's handsome brows, and he could explode at any time.

"What happened?" Perlis walked to the side of the first mate Shibata Kazuki and asked softly.

"Oh, haha, Miss Perlis?" Shibata and Xi Kai pounded their chests generously, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you again, it's nothing serious! It's just two kids fighting!"

"Child? No, he's already grown up, but he can't use his child status as an excuse for himself," Gleason looked at Shinma Hitaro with sarcasm, "He obviously doesn't know anything, but he pretends to know. How stupid!"

"Oh! You don't understand! I have long been specialized in the swordsmanship of Dela and I-Tran, understand? I am more suitable than you to teach the sailors how to use the sword!" Shinma Hitaro said grimly, "You haven't seen my swordsmanship, right! You..."

"I've seen it," Gleason said, curling his lips. "You spend three hours cutting up fish, and in the end you cut out a bunch of junk with missing edges and corners, and you call that your masterpiece."

"Bah, that's because you don't understand!" Shinjiro waved his samurai sword dangerously, "In a word, dare you to duel? In front of everyone! Life or death!"

"Heh...boring," Gleason looked at Shinma Hitaro with contempt, "Who wants to duel with someone like you?"

"Alright, alright, guys, that's enough," Shibata Kazuki smiled and tried to smooth things over. "You two both have your own opinions on swordsmanship, and they are both very good, but the job of teaching is really Gleason..."

"Shut up!" Mama Hitaro yelled at Shibata Kazuki, "I should be the one doing this job! I will teach the crew swordsmanship from now on, do you understand?"

"No one wants to learn from you," Gleason sighed, "I don't have time to mess with you, get out of the way, we haven't finished the basic training for today yet."

As Gleason was speaking, he suddenly felt a faint purple light flashing in the corner of his eyes, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

The young man glanced his head slightly and saw the girl behind the railing on the upper deck. She was holding a violet gem pendant in her hand and her face was indifferent and quiet.

The moment her eyes met with Grissom's, Mei Xinghui smiled gently and nodded.

"It's Mei..." Grissom said in a daze, turning around and walking towards the upper deck, "It's so early, I'll go ask her, she-"

Just as Gleason turned around, the ferocious-looking Shinma Hitaro suddenly raised his samurai sword high, facing Gleason's back.

"I'll let you duel with me!"

The incident happened suddenly and there was no sign at all.

Seeing that the sword with cold light was about to chop Grissom's back, neither Shibata Kazuki nor the sailors around him had the ability to stop him.

Grissom was staring at Mei Hoshigaki in the distance, completely unaware of the danger behind him.

The next moment, a red light flashed by——

"bass--"

"clang!"

Hearing the explosion, Grissom turned around abruptly and stared at a white shadow standing behind him.

It's Perlis.

She accurately used her arm to block the sword swung by Hitaro Mama, and red sparks burst out from the factor shield.