Byron's accounts were, of course, fraudulent!
As the saying goes, it's not a lack of good opportunities one should fear, but a lack of good people.
Having clawed his way into a key position, Mr. Byron not only expertly falsified accounts but also had a thorough grasp of ship maintenance costs and the exact amounts of compensation money. Furthermore, holding the keys to the treasury, he had personally visited Captain Salman's quarters and was well aware of just how much the Man-Eating Shark and Salman's assets were worth. Not even a copper coin could escape his palm.
It must be said that the financial status of most things in the Gold Sequence is often very bad beneath their shiny exteriors. Mr. Byron grabbed hold of both income and expenses with an iron grip! After satisfying the ship repair needs, it was all too easy for him to fabricate a perfectly reasonable funding shortfall.
Perhaps many pirates weren't too concerned about whether the ship was repaired on time, but they were more anxious than anyone else about whether their share of the money had diminished. When short on money, don't talk to me about ideals; my ideal is to have plenty of money without working.
That was precisely when Byron seized the opportunity to firmly grasp Human Nature. The militarily invincible Second Order Gourmet, Salman, unsurprisingly, fell right into his calculations.
After repeatedly taking stock of his wealth, Salman had no choice but to gloomily remove the ten rings masking his Gout Stones, and he took a few extra items from the captain's quarters as well. He had Byron quickly go ashore to exchange for the shortfall in the compensation money. At this critical moment, the elite crew who had consumed the Blood of Metamorphosis and begun the transformation into Ghouls couldn't afford to encounter any issues. In just a few days, they would no longer have the vulgar and base desire for the "love of money." By then, the money distributed would still be his.
The quality of the chefs in the past wasn't up to standard. But this one, he will surely be refined by Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook into the highest quality Blood of Metamorphosis. Using it to conduct the ritual will not only cure my Curse, allowing me to complete my transformation, but I will also gain an additional Ghoul Guardsmen unit. I might even qualify to attend the Captains' Parliament at Iron Anchor Bay and contest with those Great Pirates!
While Bloody Eye Salman was lost in his wild fantasies, Byron had already discreetly declined the company of others and set foot on the land of Iron Anchor Bay with Eight Fingers, his almost fully loyal assistant cook. The moment they were out of sight of the others, he couldn't suppress his excitement. He placed the Gold ring, unremarkable besides its large face, onto the index finger of his left hand.
A flash of azure Spiritual Radiance vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Muttering the Lancaster Family motto, which is also the Judgment Inscription of this Miracle ring, in his heart: I am the vanguard!
A ring of azure-blue Runes lit up from within the Gold ring, changing its appearance dramatically as the light shifted. Especially since the Gold face of the ring took on the appearance of a seal. The main body featured a storm Dragon surrounded by thorny roses, with a circle of letters around it—I am the vanguard!
[Level 1 Miracle: Storm Sigil Ring:
Symbolizes the position of the leader of the Storm Knight Order and the royal Authority of the Lancaster Family.
Abilities:
When worn by a Lancaster who has ascended to any one of the careers in the tri-Sequential line of Lighthouse, Tribunal, or Tower, connects automatically to the Silver Law and gains Lawful protection.
Trigger effect: Innate Nobility, Kingship is not to be Pried Upon.
Immune to Divination abilities, immune to Curses, and blocks the prying of Spirit Vision.
If one has the right to succeed the throne, one automatically gains Lawful authority second only to the King.
No Law Mage, Jailer, Punitive Knight, etc., other than the King may pass judgment!]
The three tiers of Miracles (Sacred Relics), Levels Three, Two, and One, correspond to the low, middle, and high Sequences of a Transcendent. It is said that above that there is a Zero Tier, which even Byron has never seen in person. This Level 1 Miracle, the Storm Sigil Ring, though not particularly offensive in power, came without any side effects and granted him a Mystic enhancement of the highest Rank. With a thought, the Sigil Ring instantly transformed into a circle of azure-blue tattoos hidden from view, not interfering with his use of weapons. The more powerful the Miracle, the higher the requirements for the user. If he had completed Spiritual ascension earlier, he would not have experienced the misfortune of it being taken from him.
Looking at this treasure, Byron's heart settled a lot as well.
Today I've reclaimed the Storm Sigil Ring. As long as I find an opportunity to conduct the Promotion Ceremony, I won't have to worry about being tracked by Divination again. The upper limit of my Cognitive Revision can also be significantly increased, giving me the capital to advance or retreat as needed. I can arrange the plans to follow with ease.
There are three prerequisites for becoming a Transcendent: Spiritual ascension, prerequisite knowledge, and the initiation ceremony. Spiritual ascension he had already achieved. What remained was simply a matter of choosing which Sequence to take the first step on the Ladder of Glory.
Storm Swordsmanship (Fisher Swordsmanship, Silver Cross Swordsmanship, Military Swordsmanship) would allow him to take the post of Storm Knight, Pirate, Holy Knight, or Fortress Guard.
Navigation, Artillery Skills, and Musketry would allow him to take the post of Navigator, Navigator, Artillery Expert, or Musketeer.
Law and Natural History could qualify him for careers as a Law Mage or a Naturalist.
Hittite Sun Text and Rune formed the foundation of the Tower Sequence, universal knowledge.
An elite Royal Family education from childhood had given him far more options than most people under the strict Transcendent System of the Silver Law. Having satisfied all the prerequisites, he only needed to consider his real-life needs. However, Byron had had a plan for his imminent career since the moment he awoke.
I am now a Pirate, in need of immediate combat capabilities. Occupations like Navigator, Navigator, or Naturalist, each with its pros and cons as a support role, can be disregarded. One only needs to look at the dangers I faced when fleeing from a Cruiser to know. The Law Mage of the Tribunal Sequence is ridiculously powerful; Uncle Mad King is a high-Sequence Law Mage. The Storm Sigil Ring is also one of the highest-ranking Power Rings in the Tribunal Sequence, and I wouldn't need to find a different medium for promotion. But the prerequisite is that you must have the right to enforce the law, internally but not externally. Without elite Guardsmen for my protection, choosing this profession would likely get me killed by some unnamed pawn outside my own system. Artillery Experts and Musketeers demand too much from equipment and logistics, unsuitable for a fugitive like me who's always ready to flee. Out of the remaining professions, the easiest to enter is Pirate, requiring only a copy of the Pirate's Ten Commandments as a medium. The ritual media for other professions vary. Holy Knight requires a knightly sword that has been enshrined on a Holy Altar for at least seven days, while Fortress Guard needs a written commission from a Baron-grade Lord. The only thing I have at hand is the Storm Sigil Ring. For others, it might still be up for discussion. But for me, the Storm Knight, an upper-tier profession to Pirate within the three Sequences, is undoubtedly the best choice for the current stage!
Byron remembered the initiation ritual for the Storm Knight crystal clear:
First, survive a Storm-grade Calamity.
The Tower Sequence scholars had categorized wind levels on the seas into 17 levels, with anything above 11 being Storm-grade. Byron had already achieved this on the night of the Storm that wiped out the Lancaster Family.
Second, all Knightly professions require a personal maxim outside of their Sequence.
Many Knights choose one or several virtues out of the Eight Great Virtues, seeking Spiritual elevation through constant practice: Humility, honesty, mercy, valor, justice, sacrifice, honor, faith. Although the stricter the maxim and the more restrictions, the stronger the Power, 99.9% of Knights fail to embody all eight virtues. Especially for those Knights from the Nobility with titles, they are completely unrelated to these virtues. Most of them choose just one: faith—and not faith in a God, but in power, strength, and Gold, steadfastly. Other professions jokingly call it ambiguous righteousness. Knights with long family traditions can choose their family's maxim. For instance, the Lancaster Family's maxim: I am the vanguard! Any family member can use it, and the older the tradition of the maxim, the stronger the Power.
Third, the last requirement is to brand the Storm Sigil Ring's crest onto one's body and actualize one's elevation in a blood battle centered around "plundering." The stronger the target, the better the effect, with a certain chance to directly inherit some of the opponent's abilities.
All was ready now except for an opportunity to hold the blood-duel ceremony. After deciphering "The Secret: Salman's Unspeakable Ailment" and obtaining the second phrase, "Heartfelt Trouble," he already had a target in mind.
Just then, Eight Fingers, who had been looking around and hadn't noticed Byron's unusual state, suddenly pointed at a notice board on the pier, exclaiming excitedly, "Mr. Byron, look! There's a Child of the Devil on the wanted list with the same name as yours valued at 5,000 pounds. That's more than the 4,300 pounds for our Captain; they must be at least a Second Order Transcendent, right? How great it would be if we could be that imposing too!"
In his words, there was no trace of the fear or loathing a good citizen might feel towards Wanted Criminals, just thick envy.
Meanwhile, not far behind them at the port, a pirate ship named the Crystal Water was slowly docking. Looking at the flag hanging from the mast, it clearly belonged to the Kingdom of Hightins' Privateering Pirates. Escorted by a group of elite, armed pirates, a figure cloaked in a white cape, too clean to fit in with the port, hurried onto the wooden boardwalk. Gazing into an impeccably clean silver mirror in one hand and surveying the port with excitement, he muttered, "Where is it? Let me see, where is the person? My Mirror Demon Spirit sensed a familiar aura when I passed through Iron Anchor Bay's Maze Lock. That Child of the Devil must be hiding on this island! The York Family has already issued an abundant reward notice to all Privateer Ship captains and Bounty Hunters. I never imagined such incredible fortune would fall upon me, Magic Mirror West."