The subsequent grand engagement ceremony proceeded without major incident.

However, the gown Ms. Tilly wore for her engagement consumed enough fabric for five people and became a hot topic in Royal Harbor that day.

But Bruh, disguised as Bill with the "Shaman Mask," looked at his fiancée, who cast a large shadow over him in the setting sun, enveloping him completely. Her features included a wide forehead, a collapsed nose, cheeks that slightly drooped due to excessive plumpness, and a trembling double chin…

Her swollen body was like a fortress wall; her mere presence offered a sheltering haven.

Especially when locking eyes with hers, filled with tender affection, he couldn't help but shudder.

No, that can't be right. I'm already used to the revulsion, but today Tilly seems somehow different.

During this period, Bruh had grown much stronger than before.

After advancing to Second Order, he had steadily uncovered the various functions of the Sacred Relic on his face.

Divine Emblem: It allowed a sympathetic connection with Death God Apuche, borrowing a portion of His Authority.

As the Bone Gnawing God was extinguished, this ability had become much safer, and he had become adept at using it through sheer willpower.

The Second Order's core ability, Oathsworn Spirit, allowed the summoning of his nation's or kingdom's historical heroes to fight alongside him, sharing their unique abilities.

The spirits of those twelve Round Table Knights, despite their appealing names, were essentially Undead sleeping within the Silver Law.

After activating this ability, he could borrow greater strength from the chosen Sun Knight, Gawain.

The ability of Spirit Medium worked similarly, enabling mental sensitivity, allowing him to command the Oathsworn Spirit with ease and greatly accelerating their coherence.

He had trained with Byron in perfect breathing for nearly half a month. Even though he hadn't fully broken through the Flow State, this Sacred Relic alone allowed Bruh to instantly close the gap between him and the seasoned Second Order Gourmet, Alfred, 'Blood-Red Whiskey'.

Moreover, when wearing the mask, not only did his strength greatly increase, but his sensitivity to "spirits" was also particularly enhanced.

Even though it wasn't apparent on the surface, he instinctively felt something was off with Tilly.

After all, a man's body is the most honest.

Previously, his most immediate reaction to that "heavy-duty war chariot" was nausea.

But now, bizarrely, he found her to be... graceful and even enchantingly seductive.

What followed was horror.

Yes, bone-deep fear!

Tilly, who looked unchanged on the outside, sent chills down his spine.

Impossible, absolutely impossible! One of us is definitely not right.

The more Bruh thought about it, the more frightened he became. He was just about to find his lord to help check properly when a carefree Lieutenant General Newman sought him out first. Newman took him aside and solemnly said,

"Bill, you are now my true son-in-law.

"Listen well. The festivities organized under the guise of an engagement party will not dissipate within a week.

"Most of Hightins' sailors and Transcendents have also been gathered at Royal Harbor.

"I'll allocate funds for you; use the time to recruit crew members promptly. If necessary, I'll deploy a conscription team to capture any suitable sailors.

"In the shortest time possible, expand your direct lineage troops.

"Byron is too calculating; you are truly my own man.

"This funding actually came from his payment to me for equipment procurement, and I intend to spend it all on you."

Bruh's expression was peculiar. From the left hand to the right, then back to the left? Brilliant!

At this moment, he could only put aside the earlier strangeness and, pretending to be clueless, asked, "Your Excellency, has something happened? Why the urgent need to expand the army?"

"Take a look at this."

Lieutenant General Newman handed him a brand-new parchment scroll before continuing,

"Originally, due to the imminent crisis, we couldn't focus on anything else.

"Now the crisis has temporarily been averted, but the Newman family doesn't have much time left.

"I've commissioned Mr. James, a Third Order Navigator who came with us to the Bantaan Archipelago, to examine it.

"This map of Silvergold Island is authentic.

"The legendary island is said to be laden with countless Gold Coins and jewels, mountains of gold and silver, lakes with beds of gemstones, rivers lined with pearls, and vast forests with leaves of emerald...

"The wealth there could rival that of an entire kingdom.

"It appears in some corner of the ocean only during a prime number cycle, first every two years, then every three years.

"Then it comes at intervals of 5, 7, 11, 13, 17...

"It's said that the current prime number cycle is 11 years, and the next appearance of Silvergold Island will be next month, although we don't know the exact time the great pirate Flint buried the treasure.

"But it has already been 28 years since Silvergold Island first appeared, and there are still 13 years until its next emergence.

"For most adventurers who haven't completed the second biochemical ceremony—the transformation into a non-human 'Transcendent Species'—neither their physical nor mental strength would likely suffice for another such exploration.

"One must firmly seize the opportunity and not miss it.

"This time, whichever power secures Silvergold Island can rise swiftly during this power vacuum period in the Bantaan Archipelago."

At this point, he also persuaded Bill in a gentle manner,

"Byron has already gained the trust of Earl Catherine and even made friends with the native city-states, earning the right to build a city in Yucatan.

"The great name of 'Sea Hunter' has spread throughout half of the Bantaan Archipelago.

"Do you really want to be trampled underfoot by a former subordinate?

"Child, money isn't everything, but it can solve ninety-nine percent of the world's problems.

"If you seize this opportunity, you could become the next real power General of the Kingdom, or even a Naval Marshal!"

「The Colony of Havana, Kingdom of Castilia.」

In the Governor's Mansion, amidst a garden blooming with countless flowers.

"Brother-in-law...!"

Like a delicate white flower, helpless and frail, Selena raised her snow-white neck high, emitting a call as tender as a nightingale's first song.

It took a while before she could recover somewhat from her limp state. Forcing her weakened body to turn, she looked back at Governor Velazquez. He was holding her as they sat on a swing, and she said in a soft, blushing voice,

"Diego, I'm already very content that you can find even a short moment in your busy schedule to be with me. You should spend the evening with my sister.

"Rest early. The Stewards will trouble you with a mountain of affairs tomorrow."

The Governor, recently unburdened, wore a sage-like, easy smile, gently pecking at the little white flower's delicate earlobe.

"You are always so kind.

"Don't worry about your sister, and don't worry about my affairs.

"This time, without Beatrice as the intermediary, the people of The Skinners' Church have contacted me on their own.

"These hidden Sects, in their quest for advancement, cannot do without the anchor of the 'Silver Law' and must cooperate with us. There is no worry that they will lose control.

"The Skin Wearers are the most formidable infiltrators and assassins; they once infiltrated the Aztec Empire without leaving a trace and remained undetected.

"A few days ago, I sent them to subtly infiltrate the most rampant privateer fleets and Pirate Groups, continually gathering all kinds of intelligence.

"These bold and reckless fools dare to plunder and attack the colonies of Castilia while we are vulnerable; I will soon make them pay a painful price."

Velazquez's ancestors were among the first Pioneers who discovered the Bantaan Archipelago alongside the Great Navigator and "Discoverer," Christopher.

Although he lacked the supreme reverence of four kings carrying Christopher's coffin after his death, he still made significant contributions. Within three years, he conquered Havana, the largest eastern island (totaling 110,000 square kilometers), from the natives.

He became the first Governor of Havana.

Since then, until his generation, his descendants had never managed to advance the family's standing further.

Even in tender moments with his lover, his words were filled with boundless ambition:

"My dear little Selena, I have already disseminated many treasure maps of Silvergold Island.

"It will surely cause a great disturbance throughout the Bantaan Archipelago.

"They wish to plunder while our power is briefly waning? Then I'll drag everyone down together!

"Especially that fellow from the Kingdom of Hightins, the one called 'Sea Hunter.' He's struck it rich and even managed to build a city on Yucatan Island.

"Figures like him, who stand out so much, must be crushed immediately. We must stomp them down with ten thousand feet so they can never rise again. This will serve as an example to deter other upstarts."

Evidently, as Byron's own power rapidly expanded, he too had become "the tree that stands out in the forest," unable to remain hidden any longer.

And this is the inevitable path for every sapling that grows into a towering tree.

There is no escape, no avoidance.

All one can do is continue to grow stronger, preparing to face the inevitable storms.

"Legend says that the island holds not only countless gold and silver treasures but also the Crystal Skull of the Taya Empire and the 882 cursed Gold Coins Flint stole from us People of Castilia.

"Those coins should absolutely not be spent. Once spent, the Aztecs' Undead would immediately claim the spender's life. However, they do allow the owner to become a true living dead, forcibly locked between life and death and immune to all physical attacks.

"Any physical wound heals as if new under the moonlight, and returning the Gold Coins to their chest restores one to normal.

"Such Divine Artifacts might be useless against mighty Transcendents, but they're undoubtedly priceless in the eyes of ordinary pirates.

"With such a massive quantity of 882 coins, it's entirely possible to fashion a simplified version of the 'King's Left Hand.'

"That will be my key to advancing further, to stepping into the Fourth Order."

A man so utterly devoted to his ambitions is exceptionally captivating. Tucked in the Governor's embrace, Selena couldn't help but be stirred once more. Blushing, she leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"Shall we go once more? This time I choose... the grape arbor. Brother-in-law..."