Charlot Mecklenburg toyed with the crystal vial in his hand, gazing at the swarming insects darting through the dense black smoke. He had no idea what these creatures were.
The sailors tracking Anastasia and Belisa were identified by the city patrol guards as subordinates of Chatham. Among them, the two most formidable figures were a man called Redbeard Morgan and another known as Jack the Wasp. Each wielded an extraordinary artifact reportedly salvaged from treasures hidden in the depths of the sea. If they had been with Chatham at the time, Charlot would have struggled to maintain control of the situation.
With these two extraordinary artifacts, Redbeard Morgan and Jack the Wasp roamed the seas, earning modest fame. Both were once notorious pirates and had now become infamous slavers.
Their bad luck began when Belisa shot through Jack the Wasp’s Insect Pouch, robbing him of control over the swarm and leading to his demise by the very creatures he commanded.
As for Redbeard Morgan, he crossed paths with the Redback Bear Tribe's warriors and was beaten to death by Hundred Bears and Honey Bear, two extraordinary fighters, without even having a chance to use his artifact.
Charlot’s pursuit of Chatham failed, but he seized the opportunity to claim three merchant ships before rushing over to deal with this new nuisance.
Even after the Insect Pouch was damaged, its residual power continued to inexplicably attract the terrifying swarm. Thus, the strange insects, capable of devouring living beings, remained confined to a particular area, swarming in the air.
The chief overseer of Cappadocia, Cruse, was a native of Goring Island but had been born in another city. In his youth, he studied in Britain and became a civil servant in the Ingrima Empire after graduation. However, he offended a superior and was exiled to this coastal town.
Cruse found satisfaction in returning to his homeland but was disheartened when he discovered that Domingo was trafficking Goring people. His attempts to intervene were fruitless, as Domingo, not only the steward of Cappadocia but also the commander of the city patrol guards, wielded power comparable to Charlot’s influence in the Lukavaro District. Gradually, Cruse lost hope and grew resentful of the Ingrima Empire.
Seeing Charlot hesitate to deal with the dreadful insects, Cruse stepped forward and offered, “Jack the Wasp used that pouch to control the swarm. I’m willing to charge in and retrieve it.”
As he prepared to rush into the swarm, Charlot pulled him back, saying, “You’re not a Transcendent. Charging in would be certain death. Let me handle it.”
Moved by Charlot’s bravery, the conscientious overseer watched as Charlot adjusted his collar and strode confidently toward the swarm. Cruse was filled with admiration and thought to himself, “This Mr. Kainan is truly the light of humanity. With such exceptional talent, how could Byron not dominate the Old Continent? The decayed empire of Ingrima deserves to be toppled.”
Meanwhile, the captains Dolores Soumet, Anastasia, Belisa, and Siman felt their hearts leap. The first three genuinely worried for Charlot, while the latter feared his death would mean no one could provide them with the antidote.
More than a dozen bizarre black insects sensed Charlot’s presence and buzzed toward him.
Charlot smiled faintly, activating his eighth-tier Stardust Battle Energy. A soft golden light enveloped his body as he let the insects bite into him.
All vampire secret arts carried the trait of draining life essence. These strange black insects fell upon Charlot’s glowing form, their shallow vitality instantly absorbed, transforming into black mist that drifted back toward the swarm.
Before long, another dozen black insects flew over, only to meet the same fate as their predecessors.
A continuous stream of black insects swarmed Charlot. Most disintegrated into black mist upon contact with his Stardust Battle Energy, but their sheer numbers soon surrounded him, almost completely covering his form.
The spectators felt a mix of emotions, all tense as they watched Charlot, wrapped in a thick “blanket” of insects, slowly advance.
Initially unfazed, Charlot soon noticed something peculiar. The life essence drained from the insects vanished almost immediately, as though it had never existed. He frowned slightly and thought, “These insects are likely not true creatures but some form of malevolent entity.”
Reaching the center of the swarm, Charlot saw a field of bones scattered across the ground. A slight chill crept over him. Among the remains, he noticed a small cloth pouch clutched in one skeleton’s hand. Charlot stepped forward and picked it up.
Belisa had claimed to have shot through it, yet the pouch appeared intact. Charlot raised it high into the air, and the black mist surged toward it, like a flock returning to its nest. The strange black insects followed suit, swarming into the pouch. In moments, the skies were clear once more.
Charlot tucked the pouch away, unimpressed by its power. The Insect Pouch, while effective against ordinary people, would be far less useful against a Transcendent.
Using battle energy or other protective forces, one could simply charge at the pouch’s owner and eliminate them to achieve victory.
If the pouch’s owner were truly formidable, possessing extraordinary power, why rely on such a trinket to defeat their foes?
Charlot decided he would sell the artifact later, preferring to trade it for gold écus.
With the swarm eradicated, the local residents returned to their homes. Many stopped to bow in gratitude as they passed Charlot. He smiled and nodded back.
Then, he saw a little girl running toward him, clutching a salted fish, which she promptly dropped at his feet. Charlot froze in embarrassment. It was the most awkward gift he had ever received—second only to another salted fish.
Charlot guessed the girl lived nearby and decided against approaching her directly, instead making a mental note to repay her kindness later.
In the following days, Charlot issued a series of orders, striving to improve life in Cappadocia.
Although Charlot had been a math teacher before transmigrating, he discovered he had a knack for economics.
In just over a week, the market in Cappadocia became noticeably livelier. Though it remained a small town of only a few thousand people, the improvements were evident.
Charlot struggled to comprehend the immense “encouragement” abolishing taxes and canceling debts provided to ordinary people. It was enough to reignite their will to live.
While Charlot busied himself transforming Cappadocia, High Priest Auguslatin thrived in the Ingrima Empire, holding meetings with over a dozen imperial officials and participating in two formal discussions.
However, progress on forming an alliance remained elusive.
High Priest Auguslatin was in no rush. Simply avoiding the battle at Ferranden, with its meat-grinder-like carnage, was good enough for him.
Meanwhile, no one noticed a youth named Julian Arsilo, disguised as a diplomat of the Fars Empire, secretly gathering intelligence and moving about with remarkable ease.