Only the Black Death remained... the other ships were afraid to be discovered and couldn't make it away in time, so they stayed outside the area of the Rosedale Islands? That's good news... Caine withdrew his gaze, deliberately biting gently at his lower lip to convey his inner restlessness. He glanced at Elain's profile, then Misor lit the torch and waved it repeatedly, sending a signal to the flagship. Not long after, a small boat arrived, picking up both him and Caine, who had disguised himself as Elain, and bringing them back to the Black Death. As the boat was lifted into the air, Caine stepped onto the flagship of another pirate general, following Misor into the cabin. A golden-haired maid was waiting ahead, her gaze cold as she glanced at Elain and then pointed to a room on the side. "Go in," she said. That attitude—right out of a rival's perspective—it was as if they were meeting competitors. How truly captivating this sickly general was—appealing to both men and women! Caine immediately raised his alertness, wearing his manacles and maintaining a composed expression, as he followed the golden-haired maid into the room. He had expected to see Tracy immediately, to have a one-on-one meeting, and was already poised and ready. But the room, though carpeted, was small—besides the wardrobe, the sofa, and the full-length mirror, there was nothing else. Was Tracy deliberately distancing herself, expressing her frustration? Klein recalled the romance novels and melodramatic TV dramas he had read, and began to speculate on the meaning behind "the sick girl's" actions. The blonde attendant glanced at Eileen, dressed in men's attire but lacking in neutral elegance, and then hurried a few steps, opening the wardrobe and pointing to the array of dresses inside. "Captain doesn't like your current appearance," she said. "Change into something else." Hmph—Klein mentally cursed under his breath. He had thought that Eileen's masculine attire would be enough to secure a direct meeting with "the sick admiral," Tracy, and had been relieved that he wouldn't have to feel too embarrassed to achieve his goal. Yet, he still hadn't escaped the very encounter he most wanted to avoid. Seeing Élaine standing there, stunned, the golden-haired maid glared at her: "You have only two choices—you change yourself, or I'll do it for you!" Cain mimicked Élaine's usual manner, taking a small breath: "Unfasten my handcuffs." He turned slightly, pointing with his chin toward the door: "Then go out." "Overly dramatic woman..." the golden-haired maid muttered, using the key given her by Misor to unlock Élaine's handcuffs. Once she had left the room and closed the door behind her, Cain walked to the wardrobe, stood there, and stood motionless for nearly twenty seconds. Suddenly, he closed his eyes and extended his right hand. After a while, he reached the full-length mirror and saw Élaine's red hair flowing down, her emerald eyes sparkling, dressed in a long gown of gold and red, with a silk ribbon tied in a delicate knot at her waist, snugly fitted to accentuate her slender figure. Élaine's gentle face was slightly flushed, her lips pressed together, her expression composed—very much like the one captured in the earlier photograph. Klein felt a certain embarrassment at seeing himself in this form, but by the time he had dressed, he had already begun to adapt and overcome the initial stage. With no one else present, he gradually began to experience a sense of something different. This didn't mean he was slowly growing fond of such activities; rather, during the process of overcoming his inner resistance and performing it as a façade, his self-awareness had begun to detach—much like his soul had flown out of his body, observing "Eileen" dressing in women's attire, adjusting her reflection in the mirror, and viewing this entire process as a necessary means of fulfilling a task, one that held no inherent shame or strangeness. Klein unexpectedly found this feeling familiar, striving to recall it, comparing it carefully, and attempting to anchor and clarify it. Soon, he identified its origin: it reminded him of his experience playing role-playing games, where he would select a female character, meticulously customize her appearance, choose her outfit, and simply be delighted by her beauty and grace. There's no awkwardness or embarrassment here. On one side, there's the godlike, detached perspective from across the screen, while on the other, there's genuine immersion in the narrative, living out the story—perfectly blended, indistinguishable from one another. This doesn't create any psychological or cognitive barriers, no matter how much one plays the game. Ah—Klein's eyes, previously half-closed, suddenly open. He realizes this is exactly what he envisioned as the "faceless one" state! He can embody anyone, yet remain himself. By fully immersing himself in the role and striving to play it, while simultaneously withdrawing emotionally and observing calmly, he gradually compares small details to uncover and rediscover his true self. "Being both immersed and detached—this is the practical embodiment of the faceless one's core principle." Klein suddenly speaks with calm composure, holding both the lingering sense of embarrassment and the mindset of transformation. With that detached attitude, viewing himself in the full-length mirror as if playing a role-playing game, he carefully searches for areas that still need improvement. "Thanks to having Daniz bring back two sets of women's attire for me to study the components beforehand, otherwise I simply couldn't have dressed so quickly and smoothly on my first attempt—easy to reveal flaws, isn't it? That's what professionalism is all about. Women's clothing is truly complicated... From the perspective of someone without a face, Eileen's facial features and contours still have quite a few shortcomings. She may be attractive, but to me, she's far from stunning... Indeed, under this mindset, I can clearly feel the magic potion digesting in my system." Klein looked at his reflection in the mirror, as though observing a character named Eileen. Ding-ding-ding! The door was knocked on, and the blonde maid impatiently asked, "Is everything ready?" Klein immediately frowned, as if the woman had owed him ten thousand gold pounds yet to pay. He maintained this expression as he walked to the door and opened it. The blonde maid glanced at him and raised her handcuffs, saying, "Turn your hands behind your back. You're under arrest now!" "Since Eilin with the red hair had already taken her place aboard the Black Death, she didn't worry at all about the other party possibly rising to protest—she simply wanted to humiliate them. Klein hummed, half-turned his body, and crossed his arms, feeling relaxed because the other person wasn't paying much attention to his appearance. With his hands cuffed, he followed the blonde attendant to the captain's quarters. The door was slightly ajar, and a warm, gentle fragrance drifted out—moderately subtle but long-lasting, evoking endless afterthoughts and naturally stirring thoughts of intimacy and romance. As the attendant raised her hand to knock, a soft, yet slightly deeper female voice came from within: "Let her come in alone." The attendant's expression immediately darkened. She pushed the door open and gestured for Klein to enter. The most crucial examination had begun... Klein took a deep breath and stepped inside. As he passed, the door closed with a solid thud, sealing the space between inside and outside. Klein stepped across the thick carpet, catching the candlelight streaming from the golden lamp fixtures, and saw a quite beautiful woman seated at a desk, her legs in light beige pants extended diagonally and crossed over one another. Her eyebrows were long and straight, her eyes a clear blue—sharp and bright. She wore only a white linen shirt, the elegance of her torso subtly visible beneath it, yet partially obscured by her cascading dark, wavy hair, which made Klein feel suddenly uneasy. Upon the entrance of the red-haired Ilean, "The One Who Will Heal the Illness," Tracie raised her left hand, smiling slightly yet not quite, and asked: "What shall I do to punish you?" She held a black leather whip in her hand. …"Madam, just speak plainly..." Klein used his complaints to counteract his discomfort. His gaze first slightly lifted, then settled into a steady, neutral gaze, and he said without any emotion: "Simply returning here is already the greatest punishment; everything else is merely additional." "Still just as stubborn, yet always wavering..." Tracy stood up, her graceful and elegant posture illuminated by the candlelight, her shadows shifting subtly across her form, exuding a captivating allure. She smiled gently, holding a leather whip in her left hand, and stepped steadily toward the red-haired Eileen, without a single doubt. During this movement, Caine noticed a diamond-encrusted bracelet resting on her right wrist—the magical object Eileen had described, capable of mitigating most injuries. Originally intending to initiate the confrontation as soon as the distance between them narrowed, Caine held back his impulse. "By the way, they've secured your wrists—this is quite nice. We haven't played games like this before," Tracy said with a cheerful expression, yet her deep blue eyes seemed to hold a sea of accumulating storms. Lady, your lines are rather off... Caine pressed his lips together, remaining silent. Tracy approached him, raising her right hand and gently tracing it down his cheek: "Is returning the greatest punishment?" "As she spoke, her eyes grew hazy and mesmerizing, especially alluring: 'I think you don't always see it this way—though you initially resist, you often end up more enthusiastic than I am...' Before she could finish, a strange movement occurred: Klein's left hand suddenly slipped out of the handcuffs, darting like lightning to grasp the bracelet on her wrist and swiftly pulling it downward! At the same time, the hand glowed golden, and within the deep, emerald hue of his eyes, two bolts of lightning flashed suddenly. This was 'the creeping hunger,' this was 'mental piercing!' The ability to free herself from the handcuffs belonged to a magician—specifically, to Klein's rarely used 'bone softening' technique! He had already planned precisely what to do after his infiltration: to find a one-on-one opportunity to face off against 'the sickly one,' Tracie, and to defeat her decisively, without reservation. Only then could he hope to triumph over a pirate general, only then could he seriously wound and capture her." And even if he couldn't succeed, it would matter little—acquiring information from the gray mist was something克莱恩 had mastered; he didn't need to spare a single human trafficker! To avoid drawing attention to any flaw, he had only brought the most inconspicuous, most adept at concealment and disguise—the "creeping hunger." All other magical items were returned to the mysterious space above the gray mist. Now, within the Black Death, surrounded by numerous adversaries among the extraordinary beings, he had to act swiftly and decisively. This was also a strategic move to circumvent Tracie's disease ability—each passing moment in battle worsened her condition, making it progressively more severe and dangerous. At this very instant, the diamond-encrusted bracelet detached from Tracie's wrist, and a brilliant flash of lightning erupted in克莱恩's emerald eyes. Yet Tracie, the captivating "general of illness," remained momentarily stunned, instinctively retreating as if in disbelief—she couldn't believe that Ilean would strike her, nor could she comprehend the very presence of such a response and capability in her opponent.