Swoosh~swoosh——
The azure ocean waters ceaselessly battered the hull of the triangular-sailed fishing boat.
From a distance, these azure waters appeared beautiful, but as they drew near, they lost their allure, turning into the clear and ordinary sight you'd expect.
At the moment, the fishing boat was completely stationary because there was nobody steering it, and the sails had been lowered, leaving it to drift with the waves.
The brown deck was filled with solemn-faced crew members prostrate on the ground, murmuring archaic phrases that Colin had never heard before.
'Wait a bit longer... The prayers are still ongoing, and it's not the right time to act,' Colin exhaled deeply, suppressing the urge to intervene that his conjectures had stirred within him.
If the young Ante indeed possessed some means or device to disguise himself as a Divine Believer and helped him cross the Divine defense line,
then without a doubt, there was no reason for him to pass up such a thing!
In the middle of the deck, what Ante and the others were worshipping was a strange goddess statue with indistinct facial features.
Even though it was a statue of a goddess, she bore no trace of beauty. The blood that covered her full figure flowed like some thick, viscous liquid, starting from the top of her head and gliding down through her spread hair, covering every inch of her body like a melty wax shell, completely obscuring her naked form and masking even the graceful curves beneath.
Upon this dark red shell, barely recognizable as human, dozens of lifelike pitch-black bat figurines crouched greedily on various parts of the goddess, lapping up the blood.
From a distance, one could barely make out the human shape.
"Swoosh——swoosh——, plop."
As the prayers continued, the murmurs of the believers on board coalesced and reached Colin's ears, eerily resembling the sound of a liquid constantly churning and then dripping down onto solid ground.
Colin was startled in his heart, and without another glance or listening further to the believers' prayers, he found a corner where the environment was stable and waited quietly for the right moment.
About ten minutes later, the afternoon prayers came to an end.
But the solemn atmosphere left on the ship hadn't yet dissipated, and there was no conversation amongst the crew. They moved like meticulous machinery, each returning to their positions and resuming their duties.
The young Ante was already accustomed to this scene and discreetly glanced at Anna and old Jack to his side.
Together, the three of them headed towards the captain's cabin.
Located at the middle-rear of the fishing boat, the captain's cabin was an isolated small room, hidden from the surrounding view. The brainwashed sailors, mostly gathered at the front deck of the fishing boat, usually didn't come to this part unless there was a special situation.
This was why Ante and old Jack had felt comfortable having secret conversations before.
"Heaven helps me..." Colin watched their direction with the corners of his lips slightly raised, and followed them with a leisurely pace.
Hence when old Jack, who was last in line, shut the door of the captain's cabin and turned around, he was shocked to find that within the narrow captain's quarters, an unfamiliar person, not of the Basa family, had appeared out of nowhere.
Swish!
His aged body burst forth with unmatched power and speed, his right foot taking a step forward, passing between Ante and Anna in the blink of an eye.
Then, with a clank, his right hand drew a rust-covered short dagger from who-knows-where, holding it across his chest, with his left hand protecting the Anna siblings behind him.
"May I inquire who you are?"
But the next second, upon seeing the attire of the unexpected guest, he hesitated for a moment, sheathed his dagger, and a glimmer of imperceptible hope shone in his weary eyes.
Ante was also taken aback, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
He hadn't expected that in just a blink of an eye, a Wizard would appear before him!
"Respected Wizard sir, good afternoon, please forgive old Jack's rudeness."
Next to him, the young lady Anna reacted even faster. With her hands holding up her voluminous robes, she respectfully greeted with a slight curtsy.
"Good afternoon," Colin replied indifferently. He didn't mind old Jack, who was reverently bowing to one side, and went straight to the point:
"Members of the Basa family, do you have a means of disguising yourselves as Divine Believers?"
"Sir... do you know us?" Ante asked reflexively, upon hearing Colin reveal their identities.
Anna discreetly nudged him with her foot.
Her own brother was just not mature enough; this Wizard mentioning such a thing obviously meant he could have been here for quite some time...
She turned her head, taking over the conversation with Colin:
"Respected Wizard sir, indeed we possess the means to disguise ourselves as Divine Believers. Our father holds a unique device of disguise—the Sigh Blood Crystal, which can mimic almost any essence, as long as it's been truly observed."
"Anna sis..." Ante's face changed slightly. He had not expected that Anna would so readily disclose all this information to Colin.
He subconsciously looked towards old Jack.
The Great Knight old Jack turned back in time, his gaze conveying to Ante to stay calm, and then, like Anna, he waited quietly for Colin's response.
He understood in his heart that what Miss Anna did was correct.
This Wizard who had managed to penetrate this Sea Domain controlled by the Divine was not someone easy to deal with!
They simply didn't stand on equal ground to converse with him, let alone the qualifications to haggle or retain bargaining chips.
Cooperating transparently was their only option.
Colin was somewhat surprised by the girl's clarity in the face of desperation... it's worth noting that not everyone can remain so lucid in the face of hope when trapped in a dire situation.