「Three days passed in a blink.」
Byron, in his incarnation as Pirate General Bill, met the other six Pirate Generals at Jamestown's Navy base after a long absence. There was also the much-heard-of Bloodthirsty Cult.
Two people came in total, the leader of whom was a black-robed figure known as "Swarm." Though he stood there like a person, it always felt like there were countless eyes on him, and he carried a distinctly acidic, rotten smell characteristic of insects.
Alfred did mention this Book of Giant Insects Sect deacon in the information he gave me. A Third Order Beast Tamer who has completed the first sublimation of life's essence. He has become immune to weapons like bullets, and my 'Sword Draw Technique' is ineffective against him.
The undercurrent of forbidden knowledge was chaos and disorder, and its hierarchical division was far less detailed than that of the seven-layered 'Ladder of Glory.' Contrary to the collectivism of the latter, its purpose is to continuously strengthen oneself—the individual—at the level of life's essence. There is a corresponding ritual at each promotion node. The type of ritual conducted determines the level one could achieve (Chapter 50). In comparison to the Ladder of Glory, one usually abandons part of the mortal form at the Second Order to achieve the first sublimation of life's essence during the promotion to the Third Order. Beings like the Bloodthirsty Cult's Swarm, who had become the will of an insectoid collective, and The Skinners' Church's Versatile Enchantress Beatrice, both belonged to this level of existence.
Byron, who trod the same path, couldn't help but envision:
I wonder what I will become after the first sublimation, the 'Ritual: Sacrificial Holy Grail,' and the future second sublimation, the 'Ritual: Crimson Holy Grail.'
Without the roundabout courtesy of a nobles' meeting, Swarm went straight to the point. His thin voice was uncomfortable to hear, and his words made the crowd frown.
"General Newman has already clearly explained the situation in the Bantaan Archipelago. Because of that damned 'Mad Hunt' among the Bayfolk and Bayfolk Princess Violet, the Kingdom's Navy suffered heavily in the North Sea. Apart from maintaining the stability of the colonies, they can't spare more forces. The main force to follow the Kingdom of Castile in conquering the Aztec Empire will be all of you present here. I want to emphasize one point in particular: our primary goal in attacking the Aztecs is not land, not gold and spices, but people! You can see it as a War of the Crown to obtain 'living sacrifices'—the more captured, the better."
As soon as he finished, one of the seven Pirate Generals, Throatslitter, frowned and asked, "Forgive my frankness, Mr. Swarm, but why must we conduct live sacrifices? Moreover, we are facing a large native empire; entering the Yucatan Peninsula for away-ground combat is extremely risky. If we're not after gold and spices, what benefit can we gain from this?"
Swarm knew that pirates were a bunch of scoundrels who wouldn't lift a finger without profit and wouldn't work for nothing. Obviously well-prepared, he revealed a mysterious smile.
"That's what I'm about to address. In fact, you've asked a question that points directly to the fundamental principles of the two Book of Taboos in the hands of the Bloodthirsty Cult. Why is human sacrifice common around the world? Why is it prevalent in all sorts of forbidden knowledge? It's because humans possess infinite possibilities..."
Then Byron heard a series of more systematic theories on Black Sorcery from a bona fide Black Witch's mouth. With his own understanding slightly adapted, it could be explained :
In the current world, "humans" are a very special kind of creature.
Take a dog, for example, found everywhere. A dog's life is limited by its essence; everything is just for reproduction and survival. Even if dogs vary greatly, they will never surpass the evolutionary and bloodline-imposed extremes of Chordata, Vertebrata, Mammalia... Carnivora, Canidae. It will not rise to build a palace for itself, nor will it contemplate the meaning of a dog's life.
Even the rare few affected by the Source Tide, who have consumed some treasure or been contaminated by something indescribable and thus break through racial boundaries, can only be called lucky. All this comes to them passively, not as a result of their active pursuit.
Dogs have no past or future; they act according to the stimuli and needs of the moment. Today is like any other day, and so it will be until the end of their lives. In other words, dogs, leaning towards 'Beastliness,' are predefined; their attributes are fixed and unchanging. The same goes for other birds, beasts, plants, and trees.
On the contrary, human attributes are never fixed. Humans have never been limited by the biological classification of Chordata, Vertebrata, Mammalia, Primates... Hominidae, Homininae, Hominini, Homo. Emperors take turns; today it might be my family's turn. A person might be a beggar ten years ago and a millionaire ten years later. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans lived like monkeys, but hundreds of thousands of years later, they can break through the heavens and transform the natural world into a humanized one...
Humans are an amalgam of Beastliness and Divinity, constantly facing choices in life and constantly reshaping their essence. Humans can become beasts, or they can become gods. Hence the saying, 'Man determines his own fate.'
Looking at the Pirate Generals, who were now mutually affirming their understandings based on their own cultivation and were each deep in thought, Swarm continued to drop a bombshell.
"Humans are the variables of this world. If there were no humans, highly precise mechanized creations like swords, cannons, bows, and crossbows... could never appear on their own, nurtured by natural forces. This contradictory creature is itself a precious resource of the supernatural world. And the source of power for the forbidden knowledge held by the Bloodthirsty Cult is precisely the Blood of Metamorphosis, brewed from this infinite potential!
"It is also the blood of transformation and succession, symbolizing the one eternal thing in this world, which is 'change'! And its ultimate form is what we call Red Medicine Liquid, Azoth, the Universal Remedy, or even..."
He swept his gaze over everyone present and slowly uttered a term:
"The Blood of Immortality!"
A collective gasp filled the conference room.
"Can humans truly achieve immortality?"
Even General Newman, who had known about these things for a while, couldn't help but breathe heavily upon hearing it again. Pirates worked for benefits, and what greater benefit could there be in this world than immortality? At least for the entire Silver Era, spanning 1,471 years, there had not been a single immortal king. And that opportunity had now fallen into their laps?
The Decryption Rate of [Hidden: The Shadows Behind the Red and White Rose War, Influence 31] in Byron's Sailing Logbook had progressed from 57% to 60%.
This proves that my sights are correctly set on the Bloodthirsty Cult. Moreover, Swarm has only revealed a superficial aspect. According to the Number Three Crystal Skull, only by balancing Divinity and Beastliness can one reach the realm of the gods. Leaning completely towards either would be too extreme and not the correct path. If one only thought of pursuing the fundamental transformation of life and neglected their own Anchor, they were likely to become pitiful Fallen Ones first. I will never make such a mistake. After all, the first line written on the title page of the Sailing Logbook is: "The great flood of this world has never receded, be sure to firmly tie down your Anchor!" I am determined to engrave this phrase into my very bones.
Swarm was very pleased with everyone's reaction and smoothly changed the subject.
"However, the Book of Taboos is still not complete. More sacrifices are required to obtain more forbidden knowledge from Eras past. Whether or not you can get enough sacrificial offerings depends entirely on your performance in this mission.
"After the war of annihilation, I will select one or two from among you to join the Bloodthirsty Cult and become my disciples. Even if you can't achieve immortality right away through practicing Black Sorcery, you can still undergo a fundamental transformation of life's essence and significantly extend your lifespan, just like me. This is the earnest money I offer all of you."
Immediately, everyone received a piece of parchment with an array and incantations written in blood-colored ink. While others treasured it as a priceless gem, Byron was more than familiar with it.
That's the joint initiation ritual of the two factions of the Bloodthirsty Cult—the Ritual of the Holy Grail of Blood. And not just that. I believe that after the Bloody Mary Faction was destroyed, their Book of Taboos also fell into the hands of the Book of Giant Insects Faction. The latter certainly wouldn't lack various Blood Brews.
"Even if you can't capture living people, that's fine," Swarm added. "Use this ritual to transform corpses that haven't been dead for more than an hour into Blood of Metamorphosis and bring them back; the effect is exactly the same."
With the conversation having reached this point, the Pirate Generals had no further objections. Rubbing their hands with eager anticipation, they couldn't wait to rush to Yucatan Island and wreak havoc.
It was General Newman, however, who sighed and said, "The Kingdom first engaged in a hundred-year war with Iris, followed by a thirty-year Throne War with Lancaster. Our time managing the Bantaan Archipelago is too short; even though we've opened trade with some Aztec and Taya City-States, we have yet to find a reliable collaborator familiar with the situation on Yucatan Island. As for how to conduct the War of the Crown and capture living sacrifices, they are the real experts."
Byron, who had been waiting for this, suddenly rapped on the table.
"Your Excellency the General, Grand Wizard, and colleagues, I happen to have a candidate in mind. I wonder if you have heard of Chichen Itza City, one of the three great city-states of the Taya Empire?"
Including Swarm, a spark of interest ignited among the group.
Byron clapped his hands, and with a nod from Major General Newman, a figure pushed open the door and entered.
"Please allow me to formally introduce Mr. Wayne Dote, the grandson of the Captain of the Guard of the Chichen Itza City temple."
The mention of his identity made everyone's eyes light up.
The rest was simple. It was time for Mr. Byron's cunning maneuvers.
Wayne Dote wanted Byron's help in lifting the siege of Chichen Itza City. They would first wave the banner of the Taya Empire, pretending to be important figures from the city-state, and establish a cooperative deal with the Kingdom of Hightins to gain substantial benefits. Then, using the sincerity and titles provided by Hightins, they would return to Chichen Itza to convince the city-state's leaders—those eager to collaborate with war proxies but only having Castilia as an option.
And he, Byron Tudor, the resource integrator, Pirate General Bill / Sea Hunter Captain Byron Tudor, as the intermediary link, would leap onto the stage of Banta'an, becoming an indispensable part of the chain and a master manipulator of yet another game of chess.
Some might say this is fraud! Outright deception! But... who knows?