Lukey walked up to the chained door, alongside Caldoon and Triton. The door to the cargo hold was locked with a third-grade padlock, heavily infused with aether to make it nigh indestructible. Nobody below third-stage class holder could break it, and even then, it would take an astronomical amount of power to do so.

  Lukey watched with a hint of fear as Caldoon’s body began to heat up. Molten cracks appeared along the surface of his obsidian skin as he reached out to grab the lock and melt it. Lukey felt like his face was about to melt off and quickly backed away to give the emperor room to work.

  As he stared at the lock, however, something occurred to him, and he would be remiss if he didn’t ask before it was destroyed for good.

  “How much do you think that lock is worth?”

  Caldoon stopped inches before touching the lock, then turned his head slowly to the right to stare down Lukey. “Worth?” He asked. Lukey didn’t miss the look of greed in Caldoon’s eyes when he asked that, so he did his best to elaborate.

  “Well, this is a high-grade item, right? If we can’t sell it for some coin, we can at least find a use for it later.” Lukey explained.

  Both older men immediately fell into thought before nodding their heads in agreement. “Good idea, but how do we get in then?” Triton asked. “This type of lock doesn’t have a key, and if there was any other way to unlock it, Garrett’s team would have already found it.”

  Lukey was the next one to fall deep in thought before eventually happening upon an idea.

  “If we need to break a lock, why not call a locksmith?”

  …

  On the main deck of a Zaurian cargo ship, three fishermen were forced to watch in silence as a blacksmith worked tirelessly on his knees to unlock the door.

  “Normally, I’d say this would be impossible to unlock, but considering the circumstances, this is actually pretty simple.” Adran explained with his hand over the lock, infusing and defusing the lock as he tried to untangle its ethereal web. “This lock works by binding to an individual, making it so that only that person specifically can unlock it.”

  “So, we’re out of luck?” Lukey surmised.

  “Not necessarily,” Adran elaborated, staring intensely at the lock as he did. “Lots of items are infused like this, and sometimes their owners die. When that happens, people typically call a blacksmith to unlock the item so it can be rebound. Fortunately, the previous owner is already dead, and you happen to have a blacksmith with just such an art.”

  Shortly after saying that, he removed his hand from the lock and stood up.

  “Done! The previous owner has been scrubbed, and now you can rebind the lock. One of you just needs to infuse your aether into the padlock, and you can lock and unlock it at will.”

  Caldoon stepped forward and pushed a little aether into the lock. Shortly after, everyone present heard a click as the chains of the door let go of the lock and reeled back into the wall. The double doors were then pushed open by Caldoon, and the lock hung onto one of the door halves as it was sent back.

  “Thanks a lot, though we’ll still need your help with the other locks.” Lukey said.

  “That’s fine, though I do hope you intend to pay me later after all this is through.” Adran said.

  “Of course!” Caldoon explained, patting Adran on the back. “By the way, we’ll be throwing a party later. If you’re interested, come with us to the Searing Seas after this.”

  Adran graciously accepted and stayed on the deck, leaving the three fishermen to explore the bowels of the ship.

  …

  It was a short walk down the hall before the three men turned and continued down a stairway. The further they continued down, the darker it got. There was no source of light within the ship; there were no windows, and the lanterns on the wall had all been extinguished. Eventually they reached another set of double doors, this time unlocked, leading to a larger area.

  “It’s too dark here. We’ll use [Abyssal Eyes] from here on out.” Caldoon ordered. The emperor was the first to make his eyes glow, with Triton following suit. For Lukey, it took a few tries, but eventually a red flood of light beamed at the wall opposite him. This was his second time using the art, and he still wondered what this was for.

  “Why is this a reward for killing an abyssal monster? What’s the point of a glorified night light?” Lukey questioned.

  Caldoon turned his head slightly, careful to shine his light directly into Lukey’s eyes. “In the abyss, there are many creatures that must make their own light to see. [Abyssal Eyes] lets you mimic them by producing your own light,” he explained. “There’s more. For some reason many fish can’t see the color red, so you can use the art without worrying about being seen yourself.”

  Luke's face brightened at that response. He never suspected there would be more to [Abyssal Eyes] beyond the light, but this was a pleasant surprise. Lukey was sure he would get a lot of use out of this art, in addition to the new class art that he had yet to inspect. He had been in a rush after leaving the labyrinth, but he had already gotten one new art piece from his class. Lukey would have to check his new toys later, however.

  The double doors swung open, and their red lights cut through the darkness. At first, all Lukey could see was the wooden floor, but then he scanned around the room. His lights landed at one side of the expansive room, highlighting a set of metal bars with a group of figures lying on the ground. The figures all looked to be asleep, lying on the floor with their chests rising and falling alongside their breathing.

  People in cages? Is that what the barbarians were keeping locked up?

  Lukey walked closer to the large cage, then scanned the bodies of the figures. They all had curvaceous figures, leading him to suspect that they were all women. He didn’t see what color their skin was, since everything was washed in red, but he did see the texture of their skin wasn’t human. They were all naked, but Lukey didn’t notice any of the features you would normally see on a human female.

  A quick look at their necks and arms showed that they were locked in shackles on their necks and wrists. Lukey tried to look at their faces, but instead his eyes went further and narrowed in on what looked to be large bulbs atop their heads. The bulbs were all folded up and small, like they were hiding or resting.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I think… I’ve seen those before, but where?

  Lukey tried to get a closer look, but as he did, something strange happened. The bulb started to move as he focused his light on it. Slowly unfolding to reveal a large blossom on one of the women’s heads. Lukey’s eyes then widened in realization as he slowly backed away from the cage. It was too late, however, as the woman began to shift from her place.

  “Um… Guys? I think I know what they had in this ship.” Lukey called out quietly. As he turned around to look at Caldoon and Triton, however, he saw that their lights were focused on women as well, and that the women were slowly waking up from their slumber. Eventually they followed Lukey as they backed away from the cages at the opposite end of the room.

  “Too little, too late,” Caldoon whispered. “They’re waking up.”

  The three newly awakened women slowly rose up from their respective piles, then took in their surroundings. They immediately took notice of the three figures with glaring red eyes looking at them and seized up from fright. A long moment passed, and nothing was said by either side.

  Please don’t scream, please don’t scream, please don’t…

  “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!”

  Ah, coconuts…

  It was at that moment that movement began to spread through the room like a chain reaction. The initial scream woke up many more of the caged girls, who all began screaming at the three red-eyed strangers. The three men began scanning the room around them to see that the room was, in fact, laced with cages, with each one filled with plant-like women.

  “Freaks!”

  “Barbarians!”

  “Monsters!”

  The women began hurling accusations at three men, each one getting progressively worse. Lukey, Caldoon, and Triton were forced to endure a verbal tirade before eventually choosing to do something. It was Caldoon who stepped forward and began pressurizing his body. Lukey could make out the glow of his body briefly before his molten light exploded outward.

  “QUIET!” Caldoon said in a drawn-out roar. Once he said that, all the women practically ran away from the bars, moving back to the walls of the ship in search of safety. Only after all the women settled themselves did Caldoon choose to elaborate. “I am Emperor Caldoon, of the island of Leviathan’s Rest. Your captors are all dead, and this ship now belongs to me. Now can someone please elaborate on what happened here?”

  Lukey could feel the women studying them after Caldoon spoke. It seemed that trust wouldn’t be so easily gained after what these girls had all been through. It didn’t help either that they were all in pitch darkness or that their eyes were glowing like that of an abyssal fish. Their plea didn’t go unanswered, however, as one person towards the back spoke up.

  “I think I can answer that question.” A husky female voice said.

  In unison, all three pairs of eyes focused on the back of the room. Chained up and hanging upside down from the ceiling was a woman with far broader muscles than the rest and a vinelike ponytail that gravitated towards the floor. She had a very stern look on her face as she was staring down at the three of them.

  [(Golden Guardian) Lv. 267]

  “Well, how did a Matron of the Luxe get captured and placed onto a Conqueror’s ship? Caldoon questioned.

  That sentence confirmed what Lukey suspected. This entire ship was filled with Luxe women, like Ginny. That explained why they didn’t exactly look human, though something else nagged at Lukey’s mind. Why were there no men, and what did Caldoon mean by ‘Matron’? As Caldoon and the Matron began talking, Lukey looked at Triton for an explanation.

  “You really need to learn more about the world,” Triton sighed. “The Luxe are an all-female race of plant folk; there are no men among their kind.” Then Triton pointed to the woman chatting with Caldoon. “Their society follows a hierarchy: newborns are known as little sisters and eventually grow to become big sisters. ‘Matron’ is the designation they use for an elder among their people.”

  Lukey nodded in understanding, then focused in on Caldoon’s conversation.

  “You didn’t know they were with the Conquerors?” Caldoon asked.

  “No,” the matron said. “At the time they were waving pirate flags, so we couldn’t place the blame with the Conquers or the Dominion. We put up a decent fight, but they had a stage three sovereign that matched and overpowered me. After that, all the women from our village were rounded up and placed here in complete darkness, forcing us to conserve energy with sleep.”

  Caldoon nodded in understanding, then looked toward Lukey and Triton. “Alright, you two look for some keys. We’ll be releasing these girls and pulling the ship to shore. Once there, I’ll arrange for some people to meet them and create some accommodations.”

  Triton and Lukey gave a salute as they quickly got to work.

  …

  After a long process of freeing the captured girls, bringing the ship to shore, and calling upon the help of the other islanders. Lukey, Triton, and Adran were on another ship, with Adran currently unbinding another cargo hold. Caldoon wasn’t with them, instead choosing to stay in the town to oversee the transfer of the refugees.

  “An entire ship full of luxe, huh? Things will certainly be more interesting around here for a while.” Adran commented. After he finished unbinding the lock, Triton took control and opened the doors to the cargo hold.

  “I just hope we get some treasure this time.” Lukey said. “Having to deal with too many refugees will be a strain on the island’s resources. We need something useful from this next ship.”

  “Mind if I go with you guys?” Adran asked. “I’m interested to see what this next ship holds.”

  Triton nodded his head, and the three of them made their way down. Unlike the previous ship, this one was well-lit with glowing stones sitting within lanterns on the walls. Lukey knew these were known as lumen stones, and they were a common commodity that was sold worldwide. Together the three men reached the door to another large room and opened the double doors. Once they did, however, their disappointment was immeasurable.

  Once again, they met with the sight of people in cages. However, things were slightly different this time around. First, the people were not luxe like before but rather a mix of various humans from different parts of the world. Lukey could see a range of skin colors and clothing styles in these people as he scanned the room. While he was doing that, however, the people within the cages looked up.

  “Someone found us? Oh, thank the sovereigns!

  “Please help! Those zaurians raided our boat and kidnapped us!

  A cacophony of pleas met Luke's ears, but he tried to shut them out as he continued to observe the room. Lukey felt a hand on his shoulder and noticed that Adran had moved up next to him to whisper something.

  “I find it hard to believe that those Zaurians raided that many empires to get all these people. This is just a guess, but I think these people were from merchant vessels that were sailing between the continents.”

  Lukey nodded since that seemed to be the most logical deduction given what they were presented with. He thought about it for a moment and then realized that this may have been a blessing in disguise. If the Zaurians attacked merchant vessels, they would have needed a ship for all that cargo. Most of it would have to be returned, but depending on how things turned out, it could end up being useful.

  Triton spoke up and gave the same speech Caldoon did on the last ship, with a few added differences. As he did, Lukey gauged the reactions of the people on the ship. Most of them ranged from confused to unimpressed, and he didn’t blame them. These people were attacked by a nearly unstoppable group of raging barbarians. It was a complete mystery to them how a group of fishermen managed to fight them all off.

  While using [Insight] on each of the captives, there was one individual that caught his eye.

  [(Advanced Scholar) Lv. 83]

  The man wasn’t much older than Lukey, and he seemed to have a bored look on his face as he listened to the whole speech. A pair of reading glasses adorned a sharp face, with slick black hair that flared back and a calm, calculating look.

  There was nothing else to be said about the man, so Lukey began the process of freeing the captives once more.

  …

  The rest of the day was spent opening cargo holds and peering into their contents. After searching through three more ships, they finally managed to discover two ships full of food and stolen goods. There were even sets of weapons and armor within one of the ships, probably stolen from the merchants and the luxe. The third ship was an empty prison ship, probably intended for storing the captured islanders.

  This was the last ship, and after Adran unbound the aether in the lock, Triton once more took control and let them all in. A short walk down led them to the final door that would hopefully be full of treasure. The doors parted, but nobody could’ve anticipated the sight that beheld the three men’s eyes when they went inside.

  It was full of captives like before, but these ones were… different.

  They're all… zaurians?