Having digested the contents of the call with Karnel and calmed down somewhat, I started to crunch the numbers to defeat my third agent of Azi Dahaka.

Though, it's more like I'm crunching gravel, considering I'm running through a Victorian London-like town that's the lair of the third agent.

Wow, guess even a different world has otaku-like people with delusions. And even curses can be corrupted by authority and power? That's sorta strange...yet also fitting.

This ghost city is closer to Victorian London from Earth than just the building. It's basically two islands that are extremely close together, creating a "river" that goes through the city, similar to the River Thames. No Big Ben or London Eyes though. Tch.

And my current goal is that river. I mapped what I could see of this city from the top of a large hill close by. And #1 in the "most suspicious location" contest is the huge bridge placed in the middle of the river. 

Walking through the back alleys to prevent me from being spotted on the large main streets by potential Curse Creatures. The Quest description mentioned something about "setting people free", so it's better to believe that this belladonna has some courters.

And there she is. A gigantic black plant was placed in the middle of the sole bridge in this city. It is a flower bud with several tentacle-like roots that grasped the bridge, and from the top of the bud is a female upper body. She is scantly clad and had a voluptuous body and a beautiful face that could make even women fall for her.

Though, you would have to be stupid to do so. Her skin is made of black and green petals, tentacle-like vines are braided together to form her arms, and there's a huge, nasty mouth on her stomach. It looks too similar to a lamprey's mouth. NOT the kinda woman I wanna spend the night with!

...here I was wondering where those scouting grunts had gone...THEY ARE SO GONNA GET IT!! And it also explains why this Quest isn't "solo"!

A huge festival is happening on the bridge. And the grunts who we had lost contact with as they tried to scout the city are having the time of their life there! ...but what's up with the black lilies on their heads?

...oh, right. Now I get it. They are brainwashed. Those lilies must be representing that. I can also see some cable-line vines stretching out from the ground and attached to those lilies. My bad there.

So, the enemy's a brainwasher. That's not good. Time to call on the expert.

"GM. Come out," I called her after moving away from the "festival grounds".

"Yes, yes. I have the info on the Black Belle-Curse Creature," replied GM in a happy tone. She must be happy for having an easy job for once.

"*Cough*, the Black Belle: Princess lays seeds in the ground that will sprout and attach a flower to the defeated victim and take control over them. The flower isn't parasitizing the host or something among those lines, but they are impossible to remove as long as the Black Belle is giving them power." - GM

"And beating the boss won't affect those idiots dancing over there?" - Garami

"Not directly, but it's safe to say that the Black Belle will use the brainwashed victims as soldiers and meat shields. The good news is that they cannot travel too far from the Belle." - GM

"Why not?" - Garami

"The vines connecting the flower to the ground are too short for that." - GM

Ah, that's logical. I must be tired today. Making two easy mistakes in such a short time is below me, damn it.

"Ignoring that, what's that Belle's weaknesses? Since it's sorta like a plant, I would say fire and poison?" - Garami

"Fire is good, but poison is not. That Curse Creature is like a plant, yet the opposite. It thrives in the dark areas of the Demonic Sea, but sunlight would harm it. Poison and curses are the best nutrition for it, but medicines and purification are the perfect weed killer for it." - GM

Tch. Guess my Poison won't have a turn in this fight.

"And may I ask, what are they doing over there?" asked GM as she peeked at the festival grounds by floating high enough to look over the building we're using as cover.

"Having a party. What else does it look like?" - Garami

"No, I can see that too, but it also seems like they are building something." - GM

"Building something?" - Garami

I climbed up the building with my threads and spied on the festival grounds along with GM. And she's right. They are building something. The campfire, music, plus all that festival-like foodstuff had me fooled there for a second, but there is some woodwork going on as well.

Is it supposed to be some carpenter festival? Definitely not.

GM told me that the effect of the divine phantom this time around was to eliminate the exhaustion of the controlled victims. That lets me not worry about them overworking themselves to death, but I still gotta get those lilies off of them.

The flowerheads are bringing some wooden materials from the south side of the city, making planks and other parts here close to the bridge, then freight them over to the north side.

Curious over what they have planned with all this wood, I stalked the plank-carrying party to the northside. There, I found a huge dock...a dock!? In the Demonic Sea!?

Jumping onto the larger buildings, I got an answer to my fears. The dock's not connected to the Demonic Sea. A huge wall is separating the vile water from the rest of the dock. Regular seawater is instead used in the basin that the dock is built on. 

And I also found what they are working on: a huge galleon ship! Straight outta a pirate movie!

...huh? Haven't I seen...I have! That ship down there looks the same as the pirate ship Iron and I sunk on Matata Island! The one that had the souls or whatever of the people they plundered integrated into the ship! This one is still looking like a regular ship instead of a Flying Dutchman counterfeit. Why's it here? 

I looked around for any dangerous individuals before starting the plan I had been thinking about for a while. If there is nothing that could spell trouble for me down there, I'll try to gather some more info on that ship. 

The skill [Nightwatch] was perfect for that job. It's an Assassin's best friend, allowing one to detect traps, poisons, and even hostiles! Anything that can be related to an assassination, or something that may get in the way of it. And the bigger the threat, the bigger the signal the skill gives off. Of course, stealth-type skills will reduce the signal, but it's still a useful ability.

And I got two signals here that I don't like! Three if you count the one in the distance, but that's the Curse Creature, so I'll ignore it. 

The first one is...

"GM. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I asked the floating box and handed her the binoculars.

"...if you are seeing the Dragonoid who was with you on Mount Gigantes, then yes." - GM

So it wasn't just me. Revi is freaking controlled! Even her cursed witch hat has a flower on its... "head"? No help from that corner. 

Then there's the second signal. And it's a bad one. Real bad. 

"Not only his ship but also the captain himself is here..." - Garami

How did he survive? No, that's impossible. If he did, we wouldn't have Damavand-Seaside. Is it a copy? A twin-brother? Can't be the evil one, because the first one is definitely one of the evilest guys I've encountered. 

"Do you know that Dungeon monster?" - GM

"...Dungeon monster? That guy?" - Garami

So it's not the same pirate who attacked us on Matata Island? I explained the event that happened there to GM, and she responded with:

"If that is the case, then this is very likely to be the same individual. His aether-signature matches those of a Chaos Dungeon monster, which explains why he could be a Dungeon Master for a normal Dungeon as well. Chaos Dungeons have more freedom than regular Dungeons since they are working for the World System itself." - GM

"...wait, then why's he here!? These Seas were supposed to be a no-Dungeon area!" - Garami

"Normal Dungeons, yes. But Chaos-" - GM

"Wait, let me guess; Chaos Dungeons don't care about those rules either, do they?" - Garami

"That is correct," responded GM, which resulted in me getting a small headache from all of this.

"I am not certain, but that "pirate" over there is likely to have been re-summoned after his defeat by the hands of yours truly and Iron on the Matata Island. The Dungeon he is affiliated with must find it necessary for him to command the ship they are building." - GM

"And that Chaos Dungeon is somewhere down here, you say?" - Garami

"Most likely." - GM

Goooooosh, what's next? An invasion from outer space!?

First, a Calamity is using a Millenium-old festival to amass powers or something, then some Chaos Dungeon is thrown into the mix? And it's using a movable normal-type Dungeon for whatever its plans are? I got no clue about anything anymore...

"Hey, the pirate is doing something with the wall?" - GM

That he is. Is he trying to open a secret door? No...he's just cutting it with his saber. Why?

"...looks like he's trying to slice some sorta emblem," I said, having used the binoculars to get a better look. "Maybe for stress relief? He looks ready to pop down there." 

"Emblem...Garami, can you describe it?" - GM

"Sure. The guy's not making any progress. Ehm...it looks like a Jolly Roger, but with crossed staves instead of crossbones...and they are on top of some shield." - Garami

"That sounds more like a coat of arms than an emblem." - GM

"Yeah, you're probably...ah! I know that thing! It was in the temple that was used for my 3rd event!" - Garami

"Really? That's pretty sus." - GM

"Where did you learn that kinda slang? Anyway, could you try to find out more about that thing? I got no other leads from the Kigal-Note about it except that it's used on the temples that block the passage to this Demonic Sea." - Garami

"Roger~!" - GM

"But before you go, one question: what happens to the mind-controlled idiots and Revi if I defeat the CC on the bridge?" - Garami

"CC?" - GM

"Curse Creature." - Garami

"Oh, got it! They will be released from their mind-control. But the sudden release will likely knock them unconscious for an hour or so." - GM

Meaning there are no reinforcements from them...

I saw GM disappear into the network of the World System before I moved stealthily to the riverside. I wanted to save this trick that I've discovered recently but there is no better chance to use it than now.

"[Liquid Control]." - Garami

With a lift of my arms, I used the Champion skill to move the dark waters of the Demonic Sea. As I have tested it before, it is easy for me to move these waters. It pains me to say it, but it's likely because I'm the gopher of this liquid's origin...

Damn it! Taste my wrath, you damn flower!!

I ordered the water to make a huge wave and send it towards the bridge where the CC is rooted. There shouldn't be any poor lads on the bridge if I have this CC's nature fully understood, so...

Yes! Got her! And now something is coming from the north. I ran up a building just in time to escape a huge blast of seawater from flushing me into the Demonic Sea.

"Argh! You! You're the albino scrub from Matata Island!!" - Octopus pirate

That confirms it. It's the same guy.

"Ahoy matey! Ready for round two?" - Garami

"Why you-! I was going to wait before taking care of you, that walking volcano, and your stupid lizard pet until I'd turned the lizard living down here into my new boots, but who cares about a schedule!" - Octopus pirate

Oh? That's an interesting line. Guess I have to shiver this guy's timber and get some know-how from him~~.

"Bring it on, you salty seadog!" - Garami

"That is my line, you two-faced scallywag!" - Octopus pirate

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Kigal-Note/Perception Skills: [Nightwatch]