Chapter 698: Section 485: Ship Ghost: My situation is getting better and better

Cang Xu’s return was the most disadvantageous for Fin Spirit.

At this moment, in the dwelling of the ship ghost, Fin Spirit covertly observed Cang Xu, her mind uneasy, “Xu Jia actually really converted his religion!”

“Is it that easy to convert?”

“What kind of deity is Charming Blue, to so easily accept an Undead as a believer?”

Fin Spirit couldn’t help but criticize internally: The deity Charming Blue is down on its luck, accepting any believer, a sight quite unseemly!

Cang Xu heaved a sigh, “That I could convert successfully this time, I too was quite surprised.”

“Seeing you all now is like being in a dream. Recalling the experiences within the Ocean Nest, it was truly too perilous, still frightening to remember.”

Cang Xu’s acting was astonishing, and he even brought up a topic that intrigued everyone.

How could they not be interested?

The Ocean Nest was a matter of life and death for everyone.

Thus, everyone questioned Cang Xu for details.

Cang Xu slowly began to speak, telling the story he and the Fishman youth had carefully concocted.

Especially when it came to the scene where the Holy Domain sea beast Snow Pear Octopus tested the believers, Cang Xu became particularly vivid and detailed in his description.

“When the octopus tentacle came toward me, I was nearly certain I was going to be killed by it.”

“At that moment, the feeling of death approaching was suffocating, but it also seemed to completely transform my faith!”

“In order to survive, I really started believing in the deity Charming Blue.”

“When the octopus tentacle gradually moved away from me, I was still in a dazed state.”

…

Everyone listened quite raptly, and for a time, only Cang Xu’s voice echoed within the shelter.

Cang Xu was confident that his account was flawless.

Not only had he and the Fishman youth conspired and repeatedly checked it, but more crucially, it wasn’t fabricated out of thin air.

During the time they lurked aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish, the Fishman youth had witnessed numerous Transmission Blood Sacrifices. The Magic Image had recorded a great deal.

These were real proofs, extracted from actual events that occurred.

So everyone, like the ship ghost, listened without doubting its authenticity.

Finally, Cang Xu sighed deeply, his expression bitter, “Perhaps, I should be more grateful to that Holy Domain sea beast. Without its coercion, I wouldn’t have felt the tremendous pressure of death and couldn’t have transformed my faith!”

After Cang Xu finished speaking, the shelter fell into silence.

Cang Xu lowered his head, his gaze falling on the seafloor’s gravel, his heart very tense.

He, too, was undergoing a trial at the moment.

When he was transmitted back, he faced the test of Zhou Zhang. Now, to re-ingratiate himself with the ship ghost’s group, he needed the Undead Mages to accept him once more.

The present Cang Xu, carrying the identity of a Charming Blue believer, made the Undead Mages envious of his experience, but it also raised their guard.

The most apparent was Fin Spirit.

While Cang Xu was recounting his story, she frequently cast her gaze toward the ship ghost, as if asking, “Can we really trust Xu Jia?”

“Xu Jia’s faith has changed, he has believed in the deity of the enemy. For faith, betraying us is entirely possible.”

But the ship ghost seemed not to notice Fin Spirit’s gaze; he not only actively invited Cang Xu to this Undead Gathering, but also, after Cang Xu’s recount, he said, “Xu Jia, you performed brilliantly. Honestly, more than I expected.”

“I want to thank you.”

“Your success proves that even if our fabrication of memories failed, there would still be a way out. You’ve given us tremendous confidence and hope.”

“Converting faith on short notice is very hard, especially for us Undead Mages. But you did it!”

“What pleases me the most is that, even after converting, you did not betray us and are still willing to act with us.”

“I didn’t bestow the Undead Inheritance upon the wrong person!”

The ship ghost spoke very skillfully, mentioning the Middle-level Soul Vein inheritance he had “broken principles” to give to Cang Xu before.

Cang Xu, upon hearing these words, couldn’t help but immediately express his gratitude and, taking the opportunity, declared his loyalty and expounded on the influence of his faith, “Although I believe in the deity Charming Blue, it does not mean that I intend to abandon or betray everyone.”

“That’s two different things entirely!”

“Moreover, the reason we’ve fallen into captivity and been subjected to all kinds of oppression is primarily because of Snow Pear Octopus.”

“I believe in the deity Charming Blue, but I do not endorse Snow Pear Octopus. My grievance with her is far from settled!”

Cang Xu’s speech somewhat alleviated the worries and concerns of the fellow Undead Mages.

Fin Spirit’s gaze was deep, his expression somber.

The Little Prince averted his gaze, daring not to meet Cang Xu’s eyes, still feeling very embarrassed.

However, Ku Feng was quite forthright, directly asking Cang Xu about the details of his conversion.

To him, after dealing with the Human Race pirates, it would be his turn. By that time, the memory fabrication would certainly not be complete.

Hence, the path of conversion was particularly important to him and might likely be his only chance of survival.

Cang Xu did not reject Ku Feng’s query, instead, he agreed to discuss the matter privately with him after this gathering, to provide a detailed introduction. What they all should do next, however, was to exchange experiences and adjust their collaboration on the memory fabrication.

Cang Xu noticed that the progress on memory fabrication had made a significant leap.

This did not surprise him. Counting the time, he had missed an Undead Gathering due to his participation in the Transmission Blood Sacrifice.

On the surface, everyone was sharing prayers and the content of conversions. In reality, they were secretly passing messages, plotting the memory fabrication and blaspheming the deities.

But what was different this time was that Cang Xu had become the main speaker on the surface. He shared with everyone the contents of the Divine Blessing received after his prayers. As a monk of the Charming Blue Sect, he explained how to pray and understand the teachings of the Charming Blue Sect, and so on.

After the Undead Gathering ended, Cang Xu was actively retained by the ship ghost for a private conversation.

Cang Xu thanked the ship ghost for breaking the rules before and bestowing upon him the Middle-level Soul Vein Inheritance. The graciousness and magnanimity displayed by the ship ghost had deeply impressed Cang Xu, who was willing to fully cooperate with the ship ghost and offer all his strength for the memory forgery. In the end, Cang Xu subtly indicated his interest in other inheritances!

The ship ghost laughed heartily with a ‘huo huo huo’ sound.

“The first time I saw you, I knew you were a talented Mage.”

“Avarice for knowledge is one of the fine traits of a Mage.”

“The good doctor who pulverizes corpses probably saw your potential too when he chose to teach you the Flying Head Skill.”

That was utter nonsense!

The reason the doctor who pulverizes corpses taught the Flying Head Skill was only to use Cang Xu as an experiment. Though it was ostensibly compensation, teaching him the skill was meant to keep Cang Xu as his test subject.

By invoking the doctor who pulverizes corpses, the ship ghost was mainly reminding Cang Xu of his background and thereby intimidating him.

Afterward, the ship ghost changed the subject, revealing some signs of distress, and mentioned that although he had Middle-level Corpses Vein and Bone Vein inheritances, the principle was that such a thing should not be allowed.

Upon hearing this, Cang Xu immediately knew he had struck a deal!

Having dealt with the ship ghost for so long, he was all too familiar with the ship ghost’s so-called “principles.”

Cang Xu eagerly expressed his loyalty and his immense longing for the Undead Inheritance.

Sure enough, after some resistance, the ship ghost subtly hinted that if Cang Xu made a significant contribution, such as rescuing members of the Undead Orthodoxy (that is, the ship ghost himself), then giving out the Middle-level inheritance would be entirely within the boundaries of principle.

Satisfied with the response he desired, Cang Xu bid farewell to the ship ghost.

The ship ghost watched Cang Xu’s retreating figure, his eyes narrowing, also feeling pleased.

“Although Xu Jia has converted to the Charming Blue Sect, he is not a fanatic believer, and in the short term, he still deserves trust and is safe.”

“My previously created persona, my leadership, and the personal charm that I maintain, are all having a positive influence on Xu Jia!”

“The secret passage is certainly still there. As long as Xu Jia betrays us, I can kill him in an instant.”

“But by doing so, Snow Pear Octopus would surely conduct a thorough investigation, and the consequences might be too much for me to bear.”

“Keeping Xu Jia stable is excellent; his desire for the inheritance is the carrot dangling before the donkey, keeping him working for me on the memory forgery.”

“After all, Xu Jia’s successful conversion is greatly beneficial to my situation.”

“On the one hand, Xu Jia will continue to make efforts in the plan to alter memories. On the other hand, Snow Pear Octopus and the others will have greater confidence in the Undead’s conversion and may also change their attitude towards us.”

“Don’t panic, don’t be hasty. Although I am now a captive, my chances of escape are greater. Yes, if this continues, I will surely be able to escape from here, and I might even turn misfortune into a blessing.”

The ship ghost couldn’t help but fantasize about the future.