Chapter 444: The Thirteenth Series Episode
He had been traveling at sea for quite some time now, so logically there shouldn't have been any sensational content for the light-brain broadcast. He wondered what this episode could possibly be about.
With practiced ease, he opened the forum and clicked into the pinned post. Instantly, hundreds of comments stacked up beneath it. When he opened the latest episode of the series, the screen was immediately buried beneath a flood of scrolling comments.
Because the young actor who had previously portrayed him had recently suffered a major scandal, the show's viewership had skyrocketed to ridiculous levels.
What surprised Zhou Ning was that the protagonist of this episode seemed to be him again.
The video ran for about an hour and a half. It opened with roughly five minutes recounting the life of the Plane's Child from the Church of the God of War—Smith Hall. He was a descendant of one of the Four Heroes, Louisa Hall, and carried elven blood. He revered law as his life and served as a Knight of the Family Creed, which taught: Patience is a virtue, restraint is wisdom.
In the video, when he invoked the Family Creed, his whole body ignited with blazing flames, looking almost like a Super Saiyan—immensely cool and instantly gaining him a wave of fans.
According to the tradition that each Plane's Child is bound to a particular life skill, Zhou Ning, having replaced Leandro, was bound to alchemy and Old Turing; whereas Smith Hall specialized in enchantment, having studied under the master enchanter Mason.
Smith Hall occupied the first five minutes of the episode before the story transitioned from the previous one, continuing with the aftermath of the last major event and showing the reactions of various great churches of the righteous gods.
The first scene took place in the grand hall of the Church of the God of War, located in the northwest of the Sepharic Kingdom. The Cardinal, Kael Kaelson, stood respectfully at the foot of an ornate staircase, addressing an elderly man robed in white above him:
"Your Holiness, our investigations confirm that all rumors regarding the Darkland incident are true. A man named Wayne Sturwell did indeed appear to invoke divine descent and slaughter both the incarnations of Nyastora and the Dark Spider Mother Matalita, causing the former's fall."
The white-robed elder seemed unsurprised, nodding slightly as he spoke in a deep tone:
"Maintain observation of him. Keep our relations neutral—no need for excessive contact. For now, focus your attention on the Church of Curses. Have they made any recent moves?"
"They appear to have allied with the Monastic Order and part of the Wolf-Worship Cult. They've been casting suggestions and hypnosis over certain nobles and officials in Nasaniel, fostering mutual hostility among them. The conflict even involves the Archibald family—one of the Four Heroes' lines—and the Mortley family on Teldron Island."
The elder pondered briefly before replying,
"Continue to monitor them, but do not alert the serpent before striking. If necessary, you may invoke the Falric Codex to enact new laws."
The scene flashed back and forth—
From that conversation to the previous episode's dialogue between the Ascetic Church's High Prelate Stuart Crow and their pope, then to the Earth God Church, the Sea God Church, the Goddess of Life Church, and finally the Council of Knowledge that served the God of Wisdom...
Through these short sequences, viewers learned that after the Darkland massacre and the god-slaying event by Wayne Sturwell, the righteous churches had all received the news almost simultaneously. They regarded Wayne Sturwell as possessing a power on par with a saint—an extreme threat.
Thus, one after another, these churches placed Wayne Sturwell on equal footing with themselves. Like the Ascetic Church, they decided that even if he could not be won over, he must not be offended. The Church of Curses, the Monastic Order, and the Life Alchemy Society—responsible for the Darkland massacre—were now all branded as heretical cults, banned from preaching in any righteous territory.
Seeing their "protagonist" held in such high esteem, players within Darkland couldn't help but feel proud.
After a long buildup, the screen went black—and the main feature began.
Without any preamble, the shot locked directly onto Zhou Ning himself. He was carrying a heavy case, purchasing a ticket to Nasaniel, then boarding a ship named Wings of Freedom.
At the same time, the map of his sea route appeared on screen—from Darkland to Temple Port, then from Temple Port to Teldron Island, and finally to Nasaniel.
Several key points were marked in red along the way—three near Temple Port, and one within the safe sea zone ahead. Zhou Ning nearly blacked out when he saw it. Weren't those the exact locations of his battles? Was the light-brain really going to shamelessly expose his Batman identity like this?
The opening BGM was calm—a standard sea shanty. Zhou Ning had to once again admit the light-brain's editing skills were masterful. What was originally mundane sea travel had been cut together with humorous squabbles between Richie Burke and Redhead Robinson, making it surprisingly entertaining.
Several clips even showed scenes Zhou Ning himself hadn't witnessed—it turned out the two of them were closer than he thought.
As the ship sailed, the light-brain inserted a voiceover from Redhead Robinson, introducing the powers that ruled the seas, giving players a basic understanding of the ocean's factions.
Special attention was given to the "Five Northern Pirate Generals," the "Three Northern Pirate Kings," and the legendary "Emperor of the Northern Seas." When the narration mentioned the most ruthless of all pirates—the "Thunder General"—and the "King of Lavides" worth 200,000 Vecktas, the editor cut to a close-up of Zhou Ning, who sat deep in thought.
The screen then shifted again—to Zhou Ning at night. In the video, he stood in a shadowed corner of the port. In the next instant, he donned a black battle suit emblazoned with a bat emblem across the chest, a mask covering his face save for his mouth and chin, and a serrated black cape billowing behind him.
Moments later, ripples shimmered across the sea before him as a massive ghost ship surfaced—its rotted black sails and hull gleaming faintly under the moonlight. Skeleton sailors in old naval uniforms manned the vessel.
The players exploded in shock, the barrage of comments filling the screen:
"Holy crap!?"
"What the hell is that? The MC changed outfits!?"
"This set looks even cooler—it's like a giant bat!"
"Am I allowed to say the ghost ship looks even more badass?"
Zhou Ning wanted to cover his face in despair. The identity he had so carefully crafted had just been outed like this? He remembered how he had thought no one was watching at the time and had even acted out some of his superhero fantasies. Now, looking back—it was downright cringe. Please, he prayed, don't let this become his dark history.
The camera then panned upward, the screen splitting in two. On the left, Zhou Ning leaped gracefully like a massive black bat, landing on the prow of the Black Pearl, the ship gliding westward. On the right appeared another vessel—four enormous Lavides sea beasts dragging a colossal ship—the Silent One, flagship of Saroyan, the "King of Lavides," one of the Three Northern Pirate Kings mentioned earlier.
As legend had it, the Silent One had just finished a raid. With a single ramming strike from its Lavides, it raised monstrous waves, swallowing an entire fleet. The sheer force was breathtaking. Saroyan, who could both command sea monsters and manipulate weather to summon lightning, slaughtered the entire convoy within ten minutes—dying blood painting the sea red.
Then the Silent One turned east. From the omniscient camera's view, the audience could see the two ships sailing directly toward each other. The split screen merged into one.
A grand battle was about to erupt.
Dense mist rose into the air. Under the silver moonlight shrouded by fog, Zhou Ning launched himself upward with a single step, his cape flaring into vast, bat-like wings as he soared toward the Silent One.
In that instant, he looked as though he carried half a moon upon his back within the mist.
Though it was just one man, every viewer who believed in the protagonist's strength felt a single thought surge in their minds—
The hunt had begun.
---
[Thanks for reading! Support future releases and read more at patreøn.com/craxx_real.]