The Tragicomic Joker

"Fine wine is always best savored last."

William was still at the dining table in the Hongmen Club, swirling the red wine in his glass.

Tied to the table beside him was an exquisite lady. The terror and fury in her eyes, however, ruined her elegant and noble air.

"You! What in the world are you trying to do!" the Black Cat lady said, gritting her teeth.

She had used every escape method available in her backpack, but in front of William, it was all in vain.

No matter what she did, she would always reappear at the dining table the next second, bound and forced to drink with him.

That's right. From the start of the bet until now, the Black Cat lady hadn't left this place at all.

"You're violating the cruise ship's rules!"

Seeing William ignore her, the Black Cat lady protested again in a fury.

This time, he turned his head.

He revealed sharp fangs as he shook his head.

"No, no, no. I haven't violated any rules."

"Don't forget, the bet is that after you leave here, you will all lose your memories, and I will lose all power to interfere with you."

"But you... you have never left."

The Black Cat lady cursed inwardly. Damn it! He was exploiting a loophole in the rules.

She had indeed been unable to leave from the very beginning. William had used a small spatial transfer trick to confine her here.

She glanced at the motionless, black-robed figure on the floor. William must have a plan for her. Otherwise, she would have long since become a dried-up corpse like her companion.

"What do you want me to do?"

She finally chose to compromise.

In a sense, the black-robed person on the floor was her direct superior. She was merely a Reserve Member of the Calamity Cult. This very Instance was her assessment to formally join.

【Find a way to accelerate the players' death rate.】

Unfortunately, her superior had been eliminated, leaving the mission half-complete.

It was then that the Black Cat lady realized her assessment was of no importance to the Calamity Cult. The organization and William already had some kind of connection, or even a deal.

In all likelihood, she had just been brought along as an afterthought. Whether she succeeded, failed, or even died was unimportant to the organization.

Now, she had one more chance to turn the tables.

She could take over the deal between her organization and William, completing the mission in her superior's place. If she succeeded, she wouldn't just formally join the Calamity Cult. She would gain their high regard.

"You have a way to violate the rules and retain your memory after leaving, don't you?"

William's tone was less of a question and more of a confident statement. Of course he knew. The black-robed figure had possessed an item that could violate the rules. As a fellow cult member, the Black Cat lady ought to have one too.

"I do."

It was a single-use item given to her by the Calamity Cult before the assessment. It could violate one predetermined rule in the Instance.

The side effect was severe, however. It would render her unable to use any other items or equipment for forty-eight hours.

She had originally planned to save it for the future, but now it seemed she wouldn't be able to hold onto it.

William smiled.

"Good. Go and sabotage this bet. If you make the other Descenders fail, I will let you get off this ship alive."

"This is a bet between the two of us. How about it?"

The Black Cat lady was silent for a moment. She didn't seem to have the power to choose. If she refused, he would strangle her to death right here and now.

But she still had to struggle for more information. Most importantly, she needed to find out why William had killed the black-robed man.

So she spoke up.

"I can agree, but you must tell me why you went back on your deal."

Whoosh!

A fierce wind instantly howled through the empty room. William's skin seemed to grow even paler, the crimson in his pupils more demonic.

He sneered.

"So the Calamity Cult is allowed to discard someone after they've served their purpose, but I'm not allowed to double-cross you?"

"Did you know that among the myriad worlds, there are Five Great Venerables?"

"The master I worship is one of them, the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire."

"Under the great power of my Lord, I can see your filthy and disgusting desire."

With that, William gave a light wave of his hand. The entire dining table transformed into a crimson liquid, emitting a nauseating, bloody stench.

In an instant, it submerged the Black Cat lady. A powerful sense of suffocation washed over her, and her mind went completely blank.

William spoke softly.

"I can see it. You don't just desire to survive. Your desire for strength is so intense it actually brings me a sliver of joy. Why don't you stay and worship my Lord with me? I'll open up a private space for you on the Mary."

"How about you become the next captain?"

The current Captain Cook had already been influenced by the ball, and William was disappointed by his leaking of secrets. It was time to find a new captain.

Before the Black Cat lady could answer, William's brow furrowed.

He spoke with some surprise.

"You emanate no desire for my proposal. As expected, you Descenders are more attached to your own world. No matter. Our bet still stands."

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, the Sea of Blood vanished. The Black Cat lady collapsed weakly on the floor, panting raggedly and greedily sucking in the fresh air.

"Slit your wrist, and I'll take it as your agreement to the bet."

Hearing William's placid voice, the Black Cat lady didn't ask any more questions. She simply took a small knife from her backpack.

Swish!

A gash appeared on her wrist, and blood floated out in a steady stream, flowing all the way into William's wine glass.

Only when the Black Cat lady's lips had turned pale and she was on the verge of fainting did the flow of blood from the wound cease.

Gulp. Gulp.

William drank the contents of his glass, his expression unchanging.

This was a side effect of using his power. Blood replenished his energy and maintained his current state. Otherwise, power alone wouldn't have been enough for him to live for decades while maintaining the appearance of a man in his early thirties.

"A friendly reminder. As long as the Warrior doesn't die by my hand, the cruise ship's rules will default to him losing. It will still count as a voluntary death."

"Be gone. Go fulfill your promise."

The moment he finished speaking, the Black Cat lady appeared at the entrance of the Hongmen Club. All she had to do was take one step forward to begin the bet.

She took a deep breath and pulled a crucifix from her pocket, stabbing it fiercely toward her heart.

The intense pain made her cry out in agony. She crouched down, hammering her fists against the ground.

Strangely, no wound appeared. The crucifix melted like a candle, becoming a white, gel-like substance that vanished into her chest.

Forcing herself to endure the sharp pain, the Black Cat lady trembled as she walked out the door.

The next second, her backpack and all her equipment were sealed. She had successfully left the floor, starting the bet.

And her memory was completely intact.

The Black Cat lady's eyes gradually grew cold, filling with resentment. William's words were a clear reminder. She could even kill the Warrior directly.

According to the cruise ship's rules, she was considered to be on the players' side.

So now, there was only one thing to do.

Kill.

This was the most effective way to stop them. Like William, she didn't believe the other guests on the ship could win the bet. The only variables were the three remaining players.

As long as she killed them all, she could get off this ship alive. She could join the Calamity Cult! And she could prove that her choice was not wrong!

As he watched the Black Cat lady depart, William took another sip of red wine.

He had been sincere in his invitation for her to stay and enjoy the gifts of the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire. He'd offered because, within her desire, he had sensed a familiar scent.

It was the scent of his former self. Her desperate need for strength was a desire to prove something to someone.

He had been just like that, once upon a time.

With a light wave of his hand, an ice-crystal coffin appeared before him.

Lying inside was a woman of exquisite beauty. Her makeup and flawless skin showed no signs that she was dead. It was as if she were merely in a deep sleep.

"Mary, for you, I have sailed the vast seas for decades. The blood on my hands is enough to fill this entire cruise ship."

"Why won't you wake up?"

"In your eyes, what kind of person am I?"

"Even if I was truly wrong, you have to tell me where I went wrong."

"Wake up and answer me, please?"

William's eyes overflowed with intense love.

But Mary, in her coffin, remained unmoved. Or rather, she was a corpse and had no way of answering his questions.

However, the painted smile on the corpse's face seemed to mock him.

A tragicomic joker, performing an endless, useless labor.