Chapter 1386: Chapter 1386: Demon Origins

“Hire a thief? Since Osenfort is so persistent, do those photos mean a lot to him?”

Shard asked, and the old captain snorted, leading the conversation in another direction:

“I know his past just as he knows mine. When he was a sailor on the ship, he was just as he is now—rough and violent. But it’s precisely such people that I need.”

The old man squinted at the fields around, pointing them out to Shard with his finger:

“These fields are all mine, from here all the way to that spot. Besides what we see now, I own properties in the Randall Valley and many cities in the southwestern part of the Kingdom.”

“Impressive.”

Shard dryly complimented, then Captain Allen posed the question that crossed his mind:

“Do you think just operating inland waterway shipping businesses can make this much money?”

The captain asked, then answered himself:

“Of course not, young man, we are smugglers. Transporting goods from Draleon to Carsonrick, and from Carsonrick to Draleon. Even without sea shipping permits or New World shipping permits, we still make a few trips to the New World each year to transport sensitive materials. Otherwise, do you think I dredged up all this property from the river?”

“Do you engage in river piracy and sea piracy?”

Shard asked, and the old captain, who was walking slightly ahead, turned to look at him with a smile:

“Of course. Once you’re involved in illegal waterway business, you can’t keep your hands free of blood, or otherwise, you’ll end up bleeding yourself. The rules for survival on the water are different from those on land. Can you guess how much more I earn from a single illegal trip to the New World?”

Smoke floated from his nostrils:

“Osenfort was a good sailor—violent, quick-tempered, yet not fond of drinking, extremely cunning. Before he left me, he was my most trusted boatswain. I even considered discussing with the shipowners to pass the captain’s position to him after my retirement.”

Shard slightly frowned:

“Why did he leave the ship? Because he wanted to settle down and get married?”

“Young man, don’t rush; my story isn’t finished. Aren’t you curious how, while doing such business, I managed to live to this age and make so much money? Is it merely because I’m luckier than anyone else?”

The captain sidestepped, walking through the field, looking at the young man in the black coat walking in the snow. Shard only frowned slightly before providing his answer:

“What did you pray to for Power?”

“So you really know everything about Ston Osenfort.”

Captain Woody smiled with his cane, then turned and continued walking forward:

“To be honest, I don’t know exactly what I prayed to for Power. At twenty-one, I was a regular sailor setting sail, then we encountered a storm, and everyone on the ship perished except for me. I eventually drifted to a deserted island.”

This sounded like the beginning of some survival adventure story.

“On that strange island shrouded year-round in fog, I discovered a cave and found a peculiar manuscript inside. That manuscript described a magical ritual, a ritual that could summon an unknown powerful entity and establish a contract with it. It was only later that I realized it was a Demon Summoning Ritual. Moreover, it wasn’t directed at a specific demon, but rather summoned whichever was nearby.”

He laughed self-deprecatingly:

“If I could travel back to when I was twenty-one, I would rather die there on the spot. Unfortunately, at the time, I wanted to live, so I spent two years deciphering the obscure content on that Parchment, repeatedly experimenting and failing. Before I died trapped on that desolate island, I did actually succeed once.”

His strides were steady and strong:

“An entity I cannot name responded to me, granting me a body that ages slower than normal, the Luck to roam the seas and the underworld, and even the Power to ensure I will never drown.”

“So what was the price?”

Shard asked, then noticed a rabbit standing not far away in the snow, which ran off hurriedly upon seeing Shard, leaving a barely noticeable trail of footprints.

“Too bad I didn’t bring my hunting rifle… the price was my soul, and the souls of all my descendants.”

The old captain, who also noticed the rabbit, spoke with an unchanged tone:

“I know everything comes at a cost, and I’ve received gifts far beyond my Fate. I accept all of this; I simply don’t want to harm more people. So, at twenty-five, a year after escaping that dreadful island, I purchased medicine from a sea witch doctor and destroyed my reproductive capabilities along with those of my six-year-old son…”

Saying this, he sighed softly:

“Then, the story reaches Ston Osenfort. Young man, can you guess what I want to say?”

“His demon summoning ritual, was it obtained from you?”

Shard asked, and the old captain nodded:

“That was about six years ago… I don’t want to talk much about the specifics, but he really gained enough of my trust back then. After getting drunk once, I told him my story and the source of my luck. It wasn’t to boast, after all selling one’s soul to a demon isn’t worth showing off, my intention was to warn him not to casually try things he didn’t understand, but I didn’t expect he would instead steal those materials.”

He sniffled with his frostbitten, reddened nose:

“It took me at least a year to discover that the parchments were stolen, as I was very hesitant to ever go near them again, so I had carefully hidden them in the gaps of bricks in the basement of the house I rented in Coldwater Port. After discovering the theft, it took me another year to confirm that Osenfort took them. And during those two years, Osenfort took the opportunity to interpret the obscure content on the parchments and gathered all the offerings. Then, there’s today.”

The demon the old captain had encountered was something Shard and Dr. Schneider couldn’t handle. The demon simply desired souls and didn’t even know where it was located, and since the old captain had no intention of resisting, it meant Shard couldn’t help him.

But Shard was still curious about the other stories:

“You kept his old photos and letters because you hated him for stealing your things?”

“Yes, and because he betrayed my trust. For us who live on ships, betrayal is the hardest thing to forgive.”

The old captain nodded and then turned with Shard, walking through the snow-covered farmland toward the windmill on the riverbank in the distance:

“I don’t know what he summoned, but that demon is clearly older, stronger, and stranger. Osenfort himself doesn’t want to see me, even if he’s stronger than me, but I’m the one who understands him the best, and he’s not sure how much I really got from the demon. So, those letters and photos he didn’t have time to take when he left the ship have remained with me.”

“And what about the story of Osenfort and Miss Haila Watson, now Mrs. Haila Osenfort?”

Shard curiously inquired again, and the old captain smiled:

“It’s a classic, a story of a poor boy and a rich girl. Their first meeting was when the rich girl’s father brought her to the dock to do business. I’m glad I don’t have a daughter, or else I would certainly teach her from a young age to stay away from those slick-tongued boys. Of course, I would never agree to let her venture near the docks just to broaden her horizons.”

The windmill grew closer, its blades turning slowly in the late winter breeze. Though it was winter and not harvest season, the mill was still operational, and Shard saw a donkey cart full of grain stopped at the mill’s entrance, the long-eared donkey munching on dry grass growing by the wall.

“She loved him, and he loved her just as much. You can believe that during their passionate love, they were both willing to give their hearts entirely to each other. After Osenfort left the ship, I didn’t hear much, only that within a few years they got married, then later I heard about Haila’s family’s deaths… related to the demon, maybe?”

The two stood at the mill’s entrance, with the farmers loading the cart noticing Captain Woody and immediately greeting him respectfully. It seemed the captain had leased the mill to the villagers from across the river at a very low price, allowing them to use it whenever they wanted, and the villagers were quite grateful for this.

They didn’t enter the mill, but after Shard curiously observed the donkey, they went around the mill and continued toward the Iff River.

Shard continued to express his curiosity:

“Have you seen Mrs. Haila Osenfort since their marriage?”

“No, in fact, ever since Osenfort left my ship, I haven’t seen him.”

“Then was the Mrs. Haila you remember the type who displayed little emotion?”

The old captain thought for a moment:

“No, though she was a relatively quiet rich girl, her emotions were by no means indifferent.”

Shard nodded in understanding and, with the old captain, stood by the river, watching seven or eight children in patched, coarse clothing playing on the ice:

“I think I understand… I have no intention of summoning demons myself, I’m just curious to know, was the demon summoning ritual you used without any cost?”

If there were no costs, after dealing with Osenfort, Shard would definitely dig up those materials and find a safe place with Dr. Schneider to summon demons.

“Of course not, to gain something you must offer something in return.”

The old captain shook his head, finally addressing the purpose of Shard’s visit there:

“I’m willing to tell you all this because you’re different from the others who came before. I have seen many people on the ship, and I’m a good judge of character.”

“So, you think I’m a righteous person?”

Shard asked with a smile, gazing at the children playing a game similar to “Eagle Catching Chicks” while singing nursery rhymes on the river ice.