"Are you sure that ship is safe to ride?" Cleo looked at the Ghost Ship Octavius anxiously.
"We'll know if we ride it," Lux replied.
"W-Wait?! You're not sure?!"
"Don't worry. It will not sink… I guess."
Cleo was very tempted to kick the Half-Elf and send him flying towards the sea for casually speaking about something so serious.
Even a Saint would not survive for long after falling into the Purple Sea of Death, unless they had hundreds of life-saving artifacts with them that would hold on to their life until they were able to return to the shore.
Seeing how worried Cleo was, the Half-Elf decided to give her a choice.
"You don't have to come with us, Miss Cleo," Lux said. "You can just wait until we return."
"And if you don't return?" Cleo asked.
"We will return," Lux stated.
Seeing the confidence in Lux's words, Cleo felt as if the Half-Elf was certain that the Bone Ship would take him to the Pantheon of Exile and back.
After pondering for several minutes, the Saintess sighed internally as she told Lux her decision.
"I'm sorry, but I will not be able to accompany you to the Pantheon of Exile," Cleo stated. "I will just wait for you here."
Lux nodded his head in understanding and didn't force the Saintess to join them on their journey.
In fact, the Half-Elf thought that this was for the better. He and his Master, Gaap, had many secrets, and, as much as possible, they didn't want others to know about them.
"Well then, see you when we return," Lux said. "Wait for us, okay?"
"I will wait for a month," Cleo replied. "If you're not back by then, I will assume that you are dead and inform his Majesty about your tragic end."
Lux smiled and bid the Saintess goodbye.
He was very thankful for Cleo's company because she had guided them as far as the Atlas Stronghold. The Half-Elf could also tell that the Saintess was genuinely concerned for his safety, so he didn't think badly of her when she decided to stay behind.
The Giant Skeleton King picked up Lux and Gaap and gently placed them on the Bone Ship.
As soon as they were on the ship's deck, Eiko jumped off Lux's head and teleported to the steering wheel. The Baby Slime then sat on top of it and raised her head with a smile.
"Yar!" Eiko shouted before giggling.
She had remembered the time when she was with Captain Jack Spawow and was tasked to navigate the ship as they pursued the kidnapped Princess through the high seas.
Seeing how peppy the Baby Slime was, Lux decided to let her have her fun and even played along.
The Half-Elf summoned his Skeleton Gangbangers and ordered them around.
"Raise the Anchor! Unfurl the Sails!" Lux ordered and the Skeleton Gangbangers scrambled to do as they were told.
Eiko looked at all of this with sparkling eyes and even jumped up and down on the steering wheel as if cheering for everyone to do their best.
"Captain Eiko, set a course," Lux smiled as he pointed at the shining red pillar in the distance. "Towards the Pantheon of Exile!"
"Aye!" Eiko replied before jumping on the steering wheel to make the ship turn around.
Since it was a ghost ship, it didn't need any wind to push it through the waters. Still, when The Octavius was made, it came with sails as an added aesthetic.
The ship started to gain speed as it left the shore. Cleo watched it shrink into the distance with a calm expression on her face. She really wanted to go with them, but the fear of the unknown stopped her as she didn't want to take the risk.
Even so, that didn't stop her from making a simple prayer, asking for Lux's, Eiko's, and Gaap's safety on their journey toward their destination.
"May Lady Cybele watch over all of you," Cleo said as she pressed her palms together. "Don't die, Lux."
Commander Garen looked at the bone ship that was getting smaller and smaller in the distance with his arms crossed over his chest.
Only when the ship was but a minuscule black speck on the horizon did he return to his office to report the most recent development to his King.
————————
On the Deck of the Bone Ship Octavius…
Eiko hummed as she sat on the steering wheel, feeling the wind blow past her.
Her Papa had assigned her as the Captain of the Ship, and she took this post very seriously. She even summoned her Terrorist Squad to act as support, just in case they were suddenly attacked out of the blue.
Lux and Gaap, on the other hand, were also busy monitoring their surroundings for possible attacks from above and below the sea.
According to Cleo, there were Underwater Monsters that were Empyrean Ranked and below in the Purple Sea of Death.
Not only that, but there were also Sea Wraiths that were said to be very aggressive and would attack once they sensed any living creature in their territory.
When the Half-Elf summoned his Soul Book, countless red blinking dots had appeared on his map. Even so, most of them were very small, which meant that they weren't much of a threat to them.
Just to be sure, he had ordered Asmodeus, who had created clones of himself, to travel underwater to serve as a scout.
The Lich King's task was to handle the small fries that dared to attack their ship and hinder their journey.
Because of this, several underwater explosions, which sent bubbles rising on the surface, could be seen all around the ship.
"Animate Undead!" Asmodeus raised his hand, and the Rank 5 Monsters that he had killed all came back to life as Undead Zombies.
He then ordered them to serve as Advance Scouts, which would warn him if stronger monsters appeared along the way.
Although The Octavius was a very sturdy ship, Lux knew that if it faced powerful Sea Monsters that were of the Empyrean Rank, the possibility of it being damaged was high.
Because of this, he and his Master, Gaap, both agreed that they would fight it with long-range attacks before it could even come close enough to damage their ship.
Back on the shore, a beautiful woman with black hair and purple eyes walked towards the sea with a sneer.
A moment later, she transformed to her original size, making Cleo and all the guards in the Atlas Stronghold gasp in shock.
The Wicked Queen Slime then began to swim at a rapid pace, unhindered by the highly toxic waters of the Purple Sea of Death.
Clearly, she had no intention of being left behind and followed the Half-Elf to the place where she had been born hundreds of years ago.
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