On Tayman Brak Island, which Byron and his pirates had burned to the ground, the roots buried deep beneath the rubble and ashes had already begun to sprout again in less than ten days. The once pitch-black island was now veiled in a hazy green. Eucalyptus trees, in particular, had not only withstood the wildfire with their thick bark but had also used the high temperatures to crack open the hard shells of their seeds. After a rainfall, lush and burgeoning saplings had even started to grow. A few more wildfires, and this place could potentially become an island entirely of eucalyptus.
Three armed merchant ships, equipped with cannons and flying the Kingdom of Castile's "Blood and Gold" dual-colored flags, were docked at the harbor where even the wooden piers had been burned down. 'Blood Red Whiskey' Alfred's intelligence report to Byron had not been entirely accurate. The uninvited aggressors in the Tayman Archipelago were likely The Skinners' Church, along with a large group of colonizers from the Kingdom of Castile.
This was just as Byron had expected. Even with Castile's substantial strength and its confidence in annihilating the two great empires, it still needed to establish a series of supply transit stations at the junction of the eastern and western fronts. Due to the Tayman Archipelago's unique geographical location, it had naturally become a Fortress Bridgehead. Attracting the Kingdom of Castile's attention, and even triggering territorial conflicts, seemed inevitable. It wasn't just Castile; other kingdoms eager to join the nation-destroying frenzy and grab a piece of the spoils would probably also want to get involved.
"Set up camp here! Clear the original ruins and debris, and recycle all usable materials to establish permanent warehouses and outposts!"
"Yes, sir! First Squad, with me to recycle building materials!"
"Second Squad, with me to Little Tayman for logging!"
The colonizers, clearly exhibiting military discipline, had already begun constructing a semi-permanent camp on-site. Meanwhile, the very conspicuous members of The Skinners' Church were wandering about the island.
"Well, Brown Bear? Can you still find any trace of the culprits who slaughtered everyone on this island and stole everything?"
A massive brown bear twitched its huge nose, trying its utmost to capture every scent on the island. This creature, aside from its unstoppable ferocious power below the Middle Sequence, also possessed a transcendent ability known as [Scent Map]. It could accurately identify various scents to form a map and pinpoint the most subtle, suspicious targets.
Alas, even its powerful sense of smell proved to be an exercise in futility. The bear shook its head vigorously and, incredibly, spoke in human language, "The scent has completely vanished. Not even a single Spiritual Body remains, which is quite consistent with the work of an Evil Spirit. Anyway, this was just an investigation task we casually picked up from the Governor's Mansion; there's no profit in it for us. When we write the investigation report later, how about we just say the island's inhabitants all committed mass suicide under the influence of an Evil Spirit?"
Nature's restorative power, coupled with the visits from several groups of pirates, had long since completely erased the few traces that might have remained. Even if Byron hadn't been aided by the [You Are Not the Murderer] entry, they couldn't help but suspect that the original Castilian Pioneers on the island had indeed all died by suicide.
"QUACK! Then that's settled," a frog larger than a calf croaked, suddenly shooting out its long tongue to swallow a seagull flying overhead. It smacked its lips and continued, "Right now, the Sect's primary target is those two Native Empires; we don't have time to pursue the trivial details of this island. Once we help the Navy Department clear the obstacles for establishing the transit stations, we have to immediately head to Yucatan Island to carry out infiltration missions. As long as we confirm there are no unexpected factors to hinder us, that's all that matters."
One could see that this group of about a dozen members from The Skinners' Church was mostly composed of strange forms: a brown bear, a frog, a griffin, a rat, a beaver... and of course, humans, both outsiders and native-looking individuals, all speaking fluent Common Tongue.
The Skinners' Church, as a hidden organization similar to the Bloodthirsty Cult and aimed at pursuing forbidden knowledge, naturally wouldn't act as overtly as those Pirate Groups. Apart from their secretive Sect emblem, they displayed no flags to signify their identity. If they acted alone, it was truly difficult to discern who they were, but when gathered, there were too many discordant and bizarre elements.
'Blood Red Whiskey' had been able to accurately identify them solely based on his long-term dealings, instantly recognizing their hallmark: A 'convention of beasts.'
Furthermore, he had specifically reminded Byron that when confronting these individuals, one must always remember: What you see is most likely not their true form.
This group of cultists, who called themselves "Skin Wearers" or "Skin Walkers," possessed a Forbidden Book known as the [Thousand Faces Rites]. By using an Obsidian Dagger inscribed with Incantations and completing a skinning ritual on a specific target, they could peel off a still-living skin. This skin would retain the target's personality, soul, and transcendent abilities intact. Simply by draping the skin over themselves, they could fully acquire the target's powers.
The subjects of this skinning could be various animals, Demon Monsters, and, of course, humans. They could effortlessly replace a creature's identity within its group without anyone noticing. Even higher-Class Transcendents could be easily deceived if they weren't careful. The higher the Class of the Skin Wearer, the more skins and identities they could master.
"One's true physical form, much like a unique name, becomes an easier target for Curses and possesses extremely poor resistance to them."