Upon entering the First Circulation Zone during the day, the mist had dissipated considerably, but visibility remained low.
’Weather Intuition’ told Byron that conditions would not return to normal until that evening.
Sword blades clashed, sparks flying.
In the hazy mist, two agile figures leaped and soared like dragons around the tall yardarms and rigging of the *Golden Deer*.
Cold flashes of sword light flickered between them, each movement hinting at deadly intent yet filled with an elegant, fatal beauty.
One of them was naturally Byron, ’Frost’ in his hand. Although he had not chanted its cutting inscription, it was still a sword sharp enough to slice a falling hair.
The other was not his peer in rank, Guardian Knight ’Iron Wall’ Bruh.
Instead, it was Catherine, the ’Flower of the North’ of Grenville Earldom.
She wore a pristine white blouse with billowing sleeves, a deerskin belt cinching her perfect waist and hips, and tailored beige cashmere trousers that sculpted her explosively firm thighs.
Her lightly curled, pale golden hair was neatly tied in a high ponytail.
Paired with the half-silver armor formed by her ’Mithril Hand’ and a mithril rapier, she looked coldly beautiful, valiant, and heroic.
Sea adventures sounded thrilling, but when truly immersed, gazing at the unchanging, boundless ocean day after day, boredom inevitably set in.
Inspired by Wynne Dote’s sudden advancement to ’Artillery Expert,’ the crew of the *Golden Deer* were exceptionally enthusiastic about their training.
Whenever they had free time during the voyage, they would seek instruction in Fisher Swordsmanship from the pirate officers, hoping to achieve merits that would allow them to join the ranks of Transcendents.
Byron, the captain, was no different.
Striking while the iron was hot, he practiced his swordplay daily, hoping to quickly reach a higher realm of the knight’s fundamental skill, ’Swordsmanship Mastery.’
Bruh, who had just been impersonating Bill, had already been defeated by the Countess, whose interest had been piqued and who felt an itch for a spar.
Whether the *Golden Deer* could reclaim its honor now rested entirely on Byron.
Although the Countess’s rose-colored lips were slightly parted and her high chest heaved as she caught her breath, her lake-green eyes were exceptionally bright.
In a voice quiet enough for only the two of them to hear, she said with deep satisfaction, "It’s been a while, and you’ve not only progressed quickly and steadily on your Transcendent path, but your swordsmanship has also improved greatly.
"Come on, again! If you can last another ten minutes without being defeated today, I’ll agree to that request you made while you were rolling around in my room this morning."
Byron immediately perked up at her words; his earlier loss of face hadn’t been in vain.
"You said it yourself."
At the other end of the yardarm, Catherine lunged forward with her sword.
"En garde! We’re bound to encounter Castilians when we reach Banta’an, so let’s get used to it now. Taste this, the Castilian national art, ’Supreme Sword Technique’!"
She habitually wielded a ’Swift Sword.’
It sacrificed most of its slashing capability for unparalleled reach and thrusting speed, capable of bypassing almost any defensive perimeter formed by other swords.
And its deadliest thrusts, if they struck the torso or head, would penetrate vital organs or the brain. Without the aid of a Middle Sequence ’Doctor’ or ’Priest,’ such wounds were unsalvageable.
Yet, this weapon was almost never seen on the battlefield.
Its primary functions were self-defense and dueling.
Initially, some ’Swift Sword’ swordsmen, disbelieving its limitations, had tried to showcase their skills on the battlefield.
But they soon found their slender ’Swift Swords,’ sharpened only at the tip, to be useless.
They couldn’t even pierce an enemy’s simplest hardened leather armor, let alone use the swords to end their own lives.
When facing a Fisher Slash Sword, which resembled a large cleaver, being cut in half by a single blow was a common fate for their weapons.
Of course, swordsmanship had evolved, and any ’Swift Sword’ swordsman who appeared on a modern battlefield was a master.
Every ’Swift Sword’ that made it to the battlefield was undoubtedly a masterpiece, many of them even Miracles.
Like Catherine and the mithril rapier in her hand, for example.
A thrust that should have been easy to dodge became meteor-swift in Catherine’s hands, forcing Byron to treat it as a strike from a formidable enemy.
He summoned every ounce of his concentration, twisting his wrist in an upward parry to deflect the blade, then countered with a diagonal slash on the narrow yardarm.
But his footwork, sword moves, distance... all seemed to be quantified, fed into Catherine’s calculations, making his every attack and defense excruciatingly difficult.
A ’Mithril Knight’s’ wealth could overcome ten skilled opponents and break a thousand techniques with sheer riches. Even lackluster swordsmanship didn’t hinder their power.
Moreover, Catherine, having received one-on-one elite training from family tutors since childhood, was already exceptionally skilled in swordplay.
She was using the renowned ’Supreme Art’ passed down in the Kingdom of Castilia, also known as ’Geometric Swordsmanship.’
All attacks and defenses revolved around the ’Maryceski Circle,’ with every movement, strike, and parry following its pre-designed paths.
To fight against this swordsmanship was not just a contest of courage and skill, but also a mathematical competition testing one’s intellect.
The ’Supreme Art’ perfectly complemented her, a ’Gold Coin Sequence’ Transcendent who majored in economics and finance and excelled at dealing with numbers.
Even though Catherine had not yet reached the ’Flow State,’ the next level of ’Swordsmanship Mastery’ that would allow her to fully harness her potential, she achieved a similar effect through her swordsmanship and remarkable computational power.
Without needing to use the transformative abilities of her ’Mithril Hand,’ she completely suppressed Byron’s Fisher Swordsmanship, the only style he could openly use.
’Supreme Sword Technique’ undoubtedly lived up to its name, the undisputed king of one-on-one duels!
However, just as Byron, drenched in sweat and struggling to hold on while watching the countdown in the Sailing Logbook, felt the pressure from his opponent suddenly lighten.
He looked over, somewhat puzzled.
Catherine, glistening with fragrant sweat, a stray lock of hair clinging to her lip, blinked her radiant lake-green eyes at him.
"I’m out of strength. Let’s call it a draw.
"I’ll keep my promise."
Byron’s heart warmed. He knew Bruh was absolutely right: Catherine, his older sister, would always soften if he pleaded.
This woman was simply an incurable ’brother-boosting demon,’ always doing her utmost to fulfill her younger brother’s every request and meticulously preserving his dignity.
Although such ’brother-boosting demons’ are generally disliked, Huh? But I’m that younger brother, so it’s all good for me.
Seeing the delight on Byron’s face, Catherine gave his shin a light, playful kick.
"Let’s get this straight first—clear accounts make for good siblings. All my assets, even my dowry, are tied up in this.
"If you accidentally lose it all, you’ll have to support me for the rest of my life!"
Byron nodded and bowed, grinning as he received the deed to the new Grenville Earldom from her hands: supreme administrative authority over the 264 square kilometers of the Tayman Archipelago.
A standard Earldom of similar size on the Old Continent would probably only be about 35 square kilometers.
Relatively speaking, York’s approach to the territory exchange wasn’t entirely unsightly.
Byron, in turn, extended an invitation to Catherine.
"Dearest sister, how would you like to be the Chief Financial Officer in my Governor’s Mansion?"
Catherine instinctively felt something was off about this employment arrangement.
But when Byron said, "I really can’t rest easy with the finances unless you’re watching over them,"
she immediately feigned coyness and replied,
"Well, I’ll consider it."
When Byron then added, "And there’ll be an extra salary for you, paid hourly, mind you," her eyes instantly lit up, and she eagerly accepted.
"When does the salary start? I can begin work right now."
The moment she agreed, she also unwittingly avoided the perilous drawbacks associated with being a ’Heartfelt Trouble.’
Catherine was one year and two months older than Byron.
In reality, she was only nineteen. To Byron, who had already lived another lifetime, she was just a very easily coaxed young woman.
Enjoying her meticulous care always filled him with an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Looking up at the blue sky, at that moment he only wanted to say one thing... This sister is truly wonderful!
When the two, famished after their training, returned together to the captain’s cabin, Eight Fingers, who doubled as the ship’s cook, served up a squid feast.
"Captain, Earl, please enjoy."
Squid sashimi, crispy stir-fried squid, griddled squid, deep-fried squid, squid balls...
The premium ingredients from the sea monster, prepared according to Byron’s recipes, were all perfect in color, aroma, and taste, truly making one’s mouth water.
After the battle yesterday, Byron had specifically drunk a ’Frost Marguerite’ and, with a blast of frosty breath, had frozen the captured squid tentacles solid.
They wouldn’t thaw even if thrown directly onto the deck before reaching the tropical Bantaan Archipelago.
Of course, whether any of his saliva had gotten on them during that frosty exhalation, well, no one could say for sure.
Regardless, Catherine ate with great relish.
Paired with a ’Bloody Mary’ Byron had mixed for her—a concoction that could prevent aging for a year—she ate and drank heartily, chattering to him.
"Over the next couple of days, when those noble ladies in the fleet hold their banquets, I’ll help you promote the title ’Sea Hunter’ a bit more.
"Once the upper echelons adopt the name, your new title will be firmly established.
"Also, you can keep all your ’Bloody Marys’ for me. No need to give them away as gifts.
"Didn’t you say that Bloodthirsty Cult is also active in the Bantaan Archipelago?
"There’s no guarantee that, besides cooperating with the York Family, they aren’t using this stuff to curry favor with other influential figures. It’s always better for us to be cautious."
’Sea Hunter’ was Byron’s new title, an abbreviation of ’Sea Monster Hunter,’ and one he had coined himself.
Byron was afraid others might give him an odd moniker like ’Squid Butcher’ or ’Master of Cephalopod Termination,’ so he took the initiative, using Catherine to guide public opinion.
When it came to building renown, merely promoting it wasn’t enough, but a complete lack of promotion was out of the question.
Of course, since he already possessed the title ’Mad Hunt,’ his new title could not take any shortcuts in accumulating renown.
The deeds associated with a title could only contribute to that specific title; the renown earned from acts performed under a particular title naturally belonged only to that specific title.
The 20 points of renown required to obtain Extraordinary Power would have to be accumulated anew.
A renown score greater than 0 and up to 10 extended from an individual to a village or town; a score greater than 10 and up to 20 spread from a city or locality to an entire region.
’Mad Hunt’ held sway along the North Sea Coast; ’Sea Hunter’ would need to achieve widespread recognition at least throughout the First Circulation Zone.
This was a long-term goal, one made necessary by the need to distinguish between his two identities.
The advantage was that related title abilities could eventually be merged into a single, more powerful title, transforming complexity into concentrated strength.
And to rapidly increase his renown and make a name for himself in a new territory, Byron had to constantly chase storms, dancing on a knife’s edge.
Safety was another pressing issue.
The seven Pirate Generals all operated independently, responsible to the Kingdom. Above them was only the Navy Department, with no single specific individual in charge.
In official dealings, the concept of ’confidants’ or ’favorites’ naturally couldn’t apply.
This would remain true unless Byron could follow his original plan to offer Edward IV copper-bottomed ships and iron nails, thereby establishing a direct connection with the king.
Until then, he didn’t even have a powerful patron to rely on.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, and Byron had escorted Catherine back to her own ship, he gazed out at the sea and sighed deeply.
"Alas, my most revered Captain Bloody Eye Salman and Captain Redbeard Edward, have both heroically sacrificed themselves for me, their ’confidant.’
"Without a human shield, I feel utterly insecure on these perilous seas.
"Often, in the dead of night, I can’t help but reminisce about their faces and laughter!"
Just then, he saw a small boat rowing swiftly towards him from the flagship, the *Support*.
A naval officer, holding the fleet commander’s flag, was enthusiastically waving at him from afar.
His face bore the unmistakable air of being a patsy.