"What did you say?" Lothar noticed Fioni's words, and his body immediately showed a slight wariness. While knights don't hate people with different worldviews, he is still unhappy with those who act on a prophecy or instruction. For Lothar, every decision made by one should come from one's own heart, determined by one's own values, and not from blindly following vague information. This is also the difference between knights and ordinary soldiers, the monarch can of course order them, but only if this order is worth it.

The fish-man creature folded his hands back behind his back, scrutinizing Lothar's reaction with condescending interest, and choosing to answer with innocuous actions rather than immediately explain what he meant with words. And the Count was not reckless, he also realized his excesses after staring at the other party vigilantly for a few seconds, so he shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry, I think I must have become too sensitive because of this journey. ”

"Don't be presumptuous, believe me, I've seen too many people who are more sensitive than you. Fioni pointed to his shoulder with a finger, where there was an imperceptible mark, and the scales on it were darker than the scales around him, "You see, this is a gift from a grumpy pirate captain, and I just wanted to say a few words to him. But don't worry, I've learned early on that you can't define an individual by race, and wouldn't it be boring if everyone had the same personality?"

"You're talking a bit like a guy I know. The Count nodded, and put his hand to his chest to apologize for the faux pas, "But I still want you to explain what you mean." Who am I? And why are you here, I thought you were here to save your allies. ”

Fioni turned his head to look at the hole in the deck, "Oh, you said the Traveler. My people do have some kind of union with them. But I stopped living with my people a long time ago. I'm not saying they're bad, it's just that I'm so curious that I always want to see the world at sea, so I taught myself your language, I learned to breathe in the air, and I do things that might put them at unnecessary risk. After all, the Kraken is still a very united group, and if there is a dispute because of me, it will be contrary to my original intention. ”

The creature who confessed his identity as a Kraken took a few steps, showing Lothar his ability to move, though still a little eccentric. This also made the Earl understand that it turned out that ordinary Krakens could not leave the ocean. "As for you saying that I think you're someone special, that's actually pretty good proof. Fioni approached Lothar again, and he raised a hand, but not directly to the Count, but with an inquiring signing. After Lothar nodded, the Kraken gently flicked open the hem of his shirt with his slender fingers, revealing the marks on his body that spread from his arms to his neck.

"Poseidon's Rope?" the Count understood, but he didn't know what this sea curse that even witches could do anything looked like in the eyes of the Siren.

"Indeed, that's what humans call it. Fioni's fingers slid lightly over the black pattern, his movements extremely gentle, as if he were caressing some precious work of art, "but it has another name for us, and in your language it should be called, well, the certificate of the leader." We Krakens believe that the sea is very vast, and that the souls of the deceased can only wander helplessly on the waves if they want to find a way to find a home. But those who bear the certificate of the recipient, they will go straight to their destination and attain eternal peace. Therefore, whenever someone in the clan appears in this ornament, the surrounding deceased will come to him, waiting for him to bring their souls to their destiny together. ”

"By the way, in our beliefs the sea is not the exclusive possession of a single god, as far as I know, the two tribes that live in this vicinity, one of which was my previous one, worship the Lady of the Waves and the Father of the Sharks, respectively. But I don't think humans are interested in our beliefs, so I won't go into detail about their differences. Fioni reluctantly withdrew his fingers, and could see that whether he was telling the truth or not, the Siren's reverence for the Poseidon's rope could not be faked.

Lothar was silent for a few seconds, "Witness the Witness, listen to Fioni, I think my question may seem a little abrupt to you, but the truth is that I don't want to go to your place of eternal peace yet. I still have unfinished business here, I still have a place to go back to, and I have responsibilities to fulfill. So can you tell me if you can wipe it off me?"

This time it was the Kraken's turn to be silent, and he tapped his towering head lightly with his fingers, and looked at Lothar with two large eyes, as if to confirm that the human really understood what he meant. "Well, I see. You're the same as those people. There was obvious disappointment in his tone, but the feelings didn't last long, "Generally we wouldn't allow that to happen. But you're different, I'll go back to the tribe and ask the elders to see if I can find a solution. ”

"Thank you very much. Lothar could hear the regret in the other party's words, but now was not the time to risk his own life to please the Kraken. After asking about this serious problem, the Count relaxed, and his stomach howled out of hunger at an inopportune time, which made both men on deck smile.

"Wait a minute, I'll be back soon. With that, Fioni walked to the deck and jumped into the sea. Lothar noticed that when the kraken's body came into contact with the sea, the tiny scales quickly grew larger, and the originally emaciated body became burly and powerful in the seawater. Fioni swam quickly, and before the count could see more details, he disappeared into the waves. Lothar, on the other hand, simply sat on the deck, watching the seagulls fly in the sky, not knowing what to think.

The Count's thoughts did not last long, for it did not take long for a white wave to appear in his sight. It was Fioni, the Siren who easily dragged a half-damaged wooden box with one hand, and was able to swim smoothly through the water with only the rest of his limbs. Looking at this swift figure, Lothar even had the illusion that the Kraken had four arms, and so on, it didn't seem to be an illusion. When Fioni climbed back onto deck, he did have four arms—two extending from his shoulders like a human, and the other two sticking out from his back roughly at the point of his shoulder blades. The arms that stretched out from the back seemed to be unable to escape from the water, and as soon as the kraken left the water, the two arms quickly shrank into the scales behind the back.

"I'm sorry that's all I found. I've studied human food, but to be honest, I can't tell them very well. But I guess it's better than giving you a couple of live fish or a conch or something. Fioni held the wooden box in both hands and placed it in front of Lothar, which contained some dry bread and sausages and the like, "There are always a lot of them after every tsunami. In fact, I was collecting these things to enrich my research before I became aware of your ship. Are they still up to your appetite?"

Of course, Lothar didn't have time to answer the Kraken's questions now, and he was busy stuffing food into his mouth. Of course, food soaked in the sea is not delicious, but people who have been hungry for days are not qualified to pick and choose.