“Death Entourage, welcome!” Lunmu shouted, dressed in ceremonial garments, with other villagers gathered around a dead-looking tree.
On the altar, there were different kinds of offerings made by the villagers.
“Nn.” Ambrose nodded and saw that there were around a dozen seats arranged in a semi-circle in front of the altar.
It seemed like those seats belonged to members of the Death Entourage.
“Shall we begin?” Ambrose asked as he got seated in one of the chairs. “We are in somewhat of a hurry.”
“Is this everyone?” Lunmu asked with a raised eyebrow. “The letter said that we will receive a dozen honorable members of Death Entourage.”
“If you can count, there are only six of us today.” Ambrose crossed his legs and kept a cold expression while oozing the stench of death.
Damian and others glanced at Ambrose in surprise, surprised by his boldness and audacity. However, after thinking further, Death Entourage members were known to be quite arrogant.
Of course, Ambrose was not aware of the reputation Death Entourage members had earned for their arrogance.
He acted like this because Death Entourage was just a fancy title—in reality, they were pirates, and as such, he believed them to be acting like pirates.
“O-of course, my apologies.” Lunmu said in a hurry and motioned for others to begin the ceremony.
Two of the villagers walked over to the altar and lit up the candles, casting a gentle glow in the night air.
The villagers began chanting in unison, their voices blending harmoniously as they summoned the ancient spirits of their homeland. They believed that by connecting with these spirits, they would receive guidance and protection in their daily lives.
Damian impatiently continued tapping his foot against the ground, as Mars could arrive at any moment. They simply didn’t have time to wait for the imaginary spirits.
The villagers bobbed their heads to the rhythm of their chanting, and soon they stopped and opened their eyes.
“The spirits are here.” Lunmu whispered gently and looked at the group of six. “Honorable Death Entourage, spirits will be the witnesses of today’s interaction. We’ll give you the luck of the Nymn Tree, and you will give us peace.”
“Yes, get on with it.” Ambrose said impatiently.
Lunmu nodded, turned to the dead-looking tree, and breathed loudly. “The Ol’ Nymn Tree, the source of our village’s prosperity and harmony,” Lunmu chanted. “Grant us your blessings once again.”
After the short chant, the ground beneath the dead tree shook before the branches began to sprout with vibrant green leaves.
The dead, black bark began to transform into a tall, majestic tree full of life and vitality.
At the center of the bark, a fist-sized hole appeared, revealing a small family of birds nestled inside.
As soon as the hole appeared, the birds flew out into the night sky, chirping peacefully and gently.
At the place of the bird’s nest, a heart made of branches, twigs, and leaves emerged. It was connected to the rest of the tree with fragile tendrils, swaying with the wind’s gentle caress.
‘The heart of the Nymn Tree!’ Ambrose’s posture changed.
His fellow crew members also sat upright. Their goal was only three meters away.
“Kneel in front of the Nymn Tree, touch the bark, and open yourself to the blessing.” Lunmu said with a bow and then stepped aside.
Ambrose hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and approached the Nymn Tree. Other crew members were closely following him.
They knelt in front of the tree and lowered their heads.
Almost instantly, they felt like they were touched in the head by an invisible hand.
[You have received the blessing of a Nymn Tree!]
[100+ Luck points were added to your stat]
[Luc%4&&//&¤ Ad¤%&” Re”¤&”&]
‘Wait, the hell?’ Ambrose’s eyes opened in shock. ‘This is the same as if I had just leveled up ten times!’
“You may stand up.” Lunmu said and put his hands together for a prayer, then whispered “thank you” to Nymn Tree.
They stood up and looked at each other in surprise—they all felt the touch of the invisible hand and felt like something changed within them.
“Ambrose…” Apollo neared Ambrose and whispered in his ear. “We can’t waste any more time.”
Ambrose nodded, turned to Lunmu, and said with an authoritative tone.
“Our Captain told us to acquire the heart of the Nymn Tree. He said that if you give this to us, you’ll get the reward you were promised.”
“What?!” The villagers echoed simultaneously, most showing angry expressions.
“B-but, that is not the deal!” Lunmu shouted with an enraged expression. “Nymn Tree belongs to us. He promised to protect us as long as we give his Death Entourage the blessing!”
“That’s right, but as long as you give us the heart, not a single harm will bestow upon this village.” Ambrose replied.
“Without the blessing of the Nymn Tree, our village will cease to exist!” Lunmu shouted angrily, raising his fist in frustration. “Nymn Tree belongs to us—the luck bestowed by the tree belongs to us—it is ours, and we won’t give it away!”
‘They are more dependent on the tree than I expected.’ Ambrose thought, with a few sweatdrops forming on his forehead.
“Our captain will destroy this village if you do not give us the heart.” Damian said from the side.
“Why are you calling him captain anyway?” Lunmu asked angrily. “Death Entourage has always called him Lord Death! There is something fishy going on!”
The villager suspiciously eyed them, and some even went to a nearby shack to retrieve weapons that looked old and rusty.
“Nimu, go check the ship again to see if they have the flag of the Death Entourage!” Lunmu shouted to the young villager with binoculars.
Nimu nodded and began running towards one of the fingers.
“Sigh, whatever.”?Ambrose suddenly drew his sword and hacked it across the Nymn Tree’s bark.
“Nooo, you fool!” Lunmu screamed and launced towards Ambrose.
“Hmph!” A star-eyed young man appeared in Lunmu’s path and shoved him aside, protecting Ambrose from his attack.
Looking at Jake, Ambrose smiled and smashed the Black Sword across the Nymn Tree. The tree got split in half, revealing the heart hanging from only a few tendrils.
Swoosh—with another slash, he sliced apart the tendrils, and before the heart could drop to the ground, he caught it.
“This is so strange.” Ambrose looked at the heart that was beating strongly in his hand. Even though it was already disconnected from the rest of the tree, it didn’t seem to matter.
“No, give it back!” Lunmu screamed angrily. “Lord Death will hear about this. He’ll kill all of you!”
“We’ll have to go!” Apollo shouted. “Mars will be here at any moment!”
“Where can we go?” Henri asked in a hurry while swinging his daggers to keep the villagers away.
The villagers were thirsting for blood as they saw their beloved Nymn Tree getting stolen. They seemed to care more about it than about their own children!
Ambrose slowly placed the heart inside his inventory and said, “The heart is secured. We have to go, now!”
“Everyone, grab my arms!” Damian spread his arms wide and chuckled nervously. “I have never tried this before, but in theory, it should work. However, it will be one dizzy ride!”
Without knowing what he was trying to do, everyone grabbed his arms.
The villagers instantly lunged forward and stabbed their pitchforks, but as they were about to strike, a bright crimson light enveloped the group.
Apollo looked around the crimson light, and his expression paled even further. “D-don’t tell me.”
“Hahahaha!” Damian laughed and enveloped the group with the Vampire Light.
As soon as the crimson light surrounded them, they shot through the air like missiles and began flying through the night sky at an incredible speed.
However, they weren’t actually flying. They were basically falling from three kilometers high!
Inside the Vampire Light, Damian screamed. “Oh shit,, I have never carried something this heavy!”
“What the fuck does that mean?!” Ambrose asked with a shout while feeling dizzy, as if the whole world were spinning around him.
“We are falling, that’s what!” Damian shouted and then laughed loudly. “We are fucked!”
“God damn it, Damiaaaan!” They all shouted and continued falling down like a bunch of helpless ragdolls.