"Also..."
Lei Lin touched his face, where the cold Mask of the Dreamless covered his skin, fine gold-red threads spreading across its surface.
"This mask is far too conspicuous—it's no good for staying hidden..."
A burst of brilliant white light suddenly radiated from Lei Lin's body.
Within that radiant glow, dense white scales began to surface across the entirety of the Dreamless mask, the bloodline aura of the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent intensifying moment by moment.
In the end, the entire mask seemed to turn ethereal, sinking directly into Lei Lin's skull.
A layer of fine white snake scales, however, remained behind on his cheeks.
After the light faded, Lei Lin's facial features appeared to have changed drastically—his brows had grown longer and more elegant, his pupils had turned a vivid scarlet with an intimidating luster, and even his tongue now bore a slight fork. His teeth had become razor-sharp, exuding a frigid chill.
Meanwhile, a hazy dreamforce began to radiate outward from him in all directions.
"A half-breed descendant of the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent should look something like this!" Lei Lin conjured a mirror of water and examined his new appearance with considerable satisfaction.
His skin had taken on an eerie quality, with large patches of white scales still lingering on his face, forming complex and intricate patterns that lent him a rather unique air.
His current appearance was something like a half-serpent—a hybrid between a great serpent creature and a humanoid race.
With the Chip's capabilities, combined with the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent blood he had acquired, disguising himself as one of their half-breed descendants was an exceedingly simple matter for Lei Lin.
*Dong!* *Dong!* *Dong!*
The massive bronze bell hanging at the center of Iyas Harbor let out deep, resonant tolls, and Lei Lin listened in silence.
The grand bell rang twelve times before falling silent, its penetrating sound seeming to linger and reverberate, causing the glass windows to tremble faintly.
"This hour should be the dead of night!"
Lei Lin casually grabbed a black cloak and draped it over his shoulders, then vanished from the balcony without a trace.
Now that he had changed his appearance, this lodgings naturally had to be abandoned. Moreover, in the dead of night, there were still many things he needed to do.
As for the harbor's nighttime curfew and the like—that was nothing compared to his preparations.
"A long night provides cover for many things!" Lei Lin gazed at the full moon hanging in the sky, its purple halo shimmering, and let a faint smile cross his lips. His figure slowly melted into the darkness of the night.
……
What specifically happened that night had become an eternal mystery. The only thing the residents of Iyas Harbor knew was that come dawn, the entire harbor guard force had mobilized and surrounded an ordinary warehouse on every side.
Out on the ocean, patrols and warships had gathered in dense formations, forcibly taking control of every vessel bearing the banner of the Ito Trading Company.
Even the enemy's colossal sea beast Godorik was besieged, its muffled howls and white waves continuously churning across the ocean surface.
"What is the meaning of this? We are legitimate traders! The Ito Trading Company is a law-abiding taxpayer here—you can't do this!"
Seeing the harbor guard force with weapons drawn, Gegedol—unlike Gegel, who had nearly gone limp with fear—managed to maintain some semblance of composure. It waved a medal at the end of one tentacle, its Spiritual Power fluctuations reaching a fever pitch: "Do you see this? This is your vice captain Eckel's own medal! We are his guests—you can't simply—"
"Eckel? He's been arrested long ago!" A calm voice came from behind. The guard force parted to both sides, opening up a corridor. A being covered in grey feathers but otherwise resembling a humanoid alien strode forward, exuding the commanding air of someone long accustomed to authority. He wore armor made of silver scales, and emblazoned across the chest plate was a pair of spread grey wings—the unmistakable emblem of the Corrupted Bird!
"Don't bother waiting for rescue. Eckel has been charged with collusion with the enemy and corruption—he's as good as dead!"
The alien stared coldly at Gegedol, undisguised killing intent burning in its gaze: "You wretched Eye Clan—we granted you the privilege of using this port out of sheer generosity, and yet you dare to conspire to overthrow my lord's dominion... Truly, not even the fires of the Nine Levels of Purgatory could burn away the full weight of your sins!"
"Governor Iyas? A favored servant of Evil Chaos!"
Gegedol's eyes turned cold, clearly understanding that their disguise had been completely blown.
"How did you find us?"
A blinding red light erupted from the governor's massive vertical pupils, so intense that even several of the guard members momentarily staggered in a daze.
"The dead don't need to know! Kill them all—leave no one alive! In the name of the Great Wings of Fluctuation!"
Governor Iyas spoke with icy indifference.
At his command, the surrounding guard members let out shrill war cries and surged forward, weapons raised, their eyes alight with fanatical zeal.