As Charles saw the dark cannon on the deck moving toward him, Akasha’s demeanor shifted to panic. She wanted to flee, but Charles wouldn’t give her that chance.

  Raising his left hand, the tendril ring activated instantly, ensnaring the bat creature in invisible tendrils. Although the creature broke free in less than a second, that was enough time.

  “Boom!!”

  In the blink of an eye, much of the giant bat’s body was obliterated, its flesh scattering everywhere, leaving a look of disbelief on its grotesque face.

  As Charles fell toward the sea, he noticed a flash of white light before him. Instinctively, he reached out and grasped it—it was the mirror of the bat monster.

  With a splash, the cold seawater enveloped Charles completely.

  When he emerged from the water, he saw another half-human, half-bat creature clumsily fleeing toward the harbor. Clearly, it had no intention of avenging its fallen comrade.

  “Coward! Don’t run if you have guts!” Charles shouted from the water.

  The death of a duke seemed to have genuinely frightened the other vampires. The crew waited, but the dark crystal island remained out of sight, and no bats approached.

  Soaked, Charles lay on the deck in a starfish position, utterly exhausted. Though the mask allowed him to reach human limits, the fatigue in his body was undeniable; he didn’t want to move a single finger.

  The crew, reborn from the chaos, rushed over in jubilation, lifting him high and cheering.

  The next day, Charles awoke, feeling slightly more energized. Ignoring his sore muscles, he stood up and walked toward the deck.

  Seeing the first mate bandaging the ship, he sighed softly. The losses this time were significant. In the encounter with the giant butterfly, they had lost two sailors and a second engineer; now, on the dark crystal island, they had lost two more sailors and a cook.

  Coupled with the battered state of the Unicorn Whale, this exploration mission had been a complete failure.

  The only thing Charles had gained was a mirror and a blind vampire.

  He took out the circular mirror, holding it up to his face, but found the surface too blurry to see clearly.

  An idea struck him, and he headed toward the crew’s resting area. If anyone could shed light on this relic, it would undoubtedly be the only local on board.

  As soon as Charles entered the resting area, a strong smell of blood hit him. The blind vampire Odrick was sucking on a blood-soaked bandage, while James, the producer of that bandage, lay snoring on a hanging rope.

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  Odrick’s neck was writhing, fresh red flesh intertwining, indicating he would heal soon.

  Hearing familiar footsteps, Odrick quickly stood up. “Captain Charles, you’re here!”

  Charles unsheathed his black blade and placed it in James’s hand. The giant had taken severe damage while facing the bat creature.

  However, as he grew larger, his skin, fat, and muscle all expanded, and most of the injuries were superficial, leaving his internal organs unharmed.

  After checking James's forehead and confirming he didn’t have a fever, Charles turned and handed the mirror to Odrick.

  “This is the duke’s relic. Her ability to transform into a giant bat seems related to this. Do you know how to use it?”

  Odrick’s blind hands explored the mirror. “This... this should be Duke Akasha’s item, the Bat Mirror. It’s said that if blood is smeared on it, one can transform into a powerful giant bat.”

  Charles recalled the giant bat in the air, and thinking of its formidable sonic power made his heart race. However, he didn’t forget the relic’s drawbacks. “Are there any side effects?”

  “Yes, using this mirror will exacerbate the bloodlust of the vampire. If used frequently, the user will ultimately be controlled by this power and completely turn into a beast. Its last owner, Viscount Lance, is still hanging upside down on Dark Crystal Island.”

  Looking at the mirror in his hand, Charles thought, “The side effects are quite severe. It seems this relic can only be used in critical moments, not like the Joker’s mask, which can be used anytime.”

  Suddenly, Odrick had a thought and quickly held the mirror up. He was very familiar with his own condition.

  At this point, Odrick’s neck had fully healed, and Charles couldn’t help but feel envious of such powerful regenerative abilities.

  Taking the mirror back and placing it in his pocket, Charles casually asked, “Your regenerative ability is impressive. What happened to your face? Some special thing?”

  A hint of fear crossed Odrick’s terrifying face. “That was an accident.”

  “I and my companions raided a pirate ship. We found a box in a hidden compartment, thinking it was some treasure, but it turned out to contain sunlight.”

  Hearing the word “sunlight,” Charles’s heart skipped a beat, almost stopping. However, he quickly sensed something off in Odrick’s words.

  “Are you sure? Sunlight? Sunlight contained in a box?”

  “Yes, sunlight. The moment I saw that brilliance, my kind turned to ash in an instant. I barely managed to survive because I was standing far away, but even so, I paid a heavy price.”

  As he spoke, Odrick removed his black sunglasses, revealing two bulging eyes that looked like soft-boiled eggs, accentuated by the surrounding red blood vessels, making him appear particularly horrifying.

  “Do you see? My eyes still hurt. This kind of torment can only be inflicted by sunlight.”

  Charles paced back and forth in the cabin, feeling a bit anxious. Yesterday, he had been chased by the duke vampire without losing his composure, but now he felt unsettled.

  “Maybe… maybe it was some other light weapon?”

  He found it absurd that sunlight could be contained in a box. Could light without a physical object really be captured?

  Odrick shook his head. “At that time, there were still living pirates nearby. When the incident occurred, they showed no signs of distress. If it were some kind of weapon, they wouldn’t be untouched.”

  Charles’s heartbeat quickened, his expression becoming excited. This could be the key clue to returning to the surface. “Where did those pirates get the sunlight?”

  “I’m not sure, but those pirates were from the chaotic city of Sodom. It’s very likely they obtained it from there. Mr. Charles, do you need sunlight?”

  “Chaotic city of Sodom…” Charles, rarely smiling, patted Odrick on the shoulder and turned to leave.

  Regardless of whether the box truly contained sunlight, Charles was determined to investigate.

  Once he heard Charles’s footsteps fade away, Odrick secretly retrieved a half-eaten human corpse from a nearby barrel. If Charles were there, he would immediately recognize that this corpse belonged to the female duke he had just fought against.

  The blind vampire greedily began to gnaw on the corpse, the sound of chewing blending with the snoring in the dimly lit cabin.