"So, what's going on with the Vampire Companies and the Exorcist Union?" I asked.

Saint Maverick didn't answer right away. He waited until we turned a corner and the flame brightened slightly.

"The Exorcist Union has filed an official complaint against the Southern Vampire Company. Their claim is based on the actions of Valen, who disrupted the meeting and killed an Exorcist affiliated with the Union."

"Heh, complaining? Is that all they can do?" I said.

"The Exorcist Union is attempting to leverage the incident to dismantle the Southern Company and establish a foothold in the America. In response, the other Vampire Companies have entered a temporary alliance to prevent that outcome."

"And what's the Southern Company's version?" I asked.

"They claim the Union deployed an Exorcist who was under the influence of a Cursed Spirit. According to them, Valen's intervention was an exorcism, not an attack."

Cosette snorted quietly.

"How is Prime Five reacting. I doubt they are happy," I said.

"Correct," Saint Maverick replied. "Members of Nightforge Consortium, Broken Oath, and Unity were killed during the incident. Prime Five initially considered cooperating with the Exorcist Union to apply pressure on the Southern Company and, by extension, the American authorities."

"And they didn't?"

"No. They approached us directly for compensation. An agreement was reached."

That caught my attention.

"You settled with the others from Prime Five?"

"Yes. It was determined that escalation would result in broader instability. This outcome was deemed inefficient."

Judy's flame flickered slightly.

"Supplemental data. New Order deployed a Rank 4 Cursed Spirit designated: Math. Objective: interference. Result: successful delay of multiple deities and Rank 5 Exorcists at the Japanese Union Branch."

I glanced at her.

"So he was the one who helped us there," I said, acting as if I had not deduced this already.

"Affirmative. Rule violation detected. Enforcement action probability: minimal."

"Because nobody wants to start a fight with New Order. Everyone knows how that ends," Saintess Cosette chuckled.

Saint Maverick nodded once. "The Exorcist Union has chosen not to pursue the matter further. Their internal analysis concluded that confrontation with New Order would be nonproductive."

"I get all that," I said after a moment. "But what about the rest of Prime Five? I figured they'd be lining up to argue over who gets to claim me."

Cosette looked at me sideways. "Claim you? Why are you talking like you are an object?"

"Well, I'm kind of a hot commodity," I replied with a grin.

She laughed. "That's one way to put it."

'Others from Prime Five know that they can't take me anymore, so they must be hoping to ally with System Church to use me instead of fighting them,' I thought.

After a while, Saint Maverick spoke, "Let us avoid casual interpretations. What is actually occurring is that multiple organizations are assessing your strategic value. The term 'ownership' is not accurate, and it leads to unnecessary misunderstandings."

Cosette rolled her eyes. "There he goes again."

Judy floated slightly closer to Saint Maverick, her spherical body rotating in small, precise movements.

"Correction. Directive: maintain semantic accuracy. Warning: misuse of terminology increases probability of conflict," she warned Saintess Cosette.

She clicked her tongue and kept walking.

Saint Dexter remained quiet, but his attention was everywhere.

His mechanical eye glowed faintly as it tracked motion in the distance, then shifted to a different angle, then another.

He looked less like a person escorting us and more like a mobile security system.

We reached the end of the ship's corridor.

The Nautilus opened up into a wide, transparent section that looked out into the sea.

Or at least, that was what it felt like.

There was an invisible barrier in place, holding the air inside and keeping the water out, but it didn't block the view.

Dark water stretched in every direction, broken only by faint currents of glowing particles drifting past like underwater stars.

I stepped closer to the barrier.

For a moment, everything felt quiet.

Then I felt it.

A gaze.

Goosebumps ran up my arms.

I looked away before the owner of the gaze noticed me.

Saint Dexter moved toward one of the crewmates standing near a hatch in the floor.

They spoke in low voices.

I saw Saint Dexter slip a few gold coins into the crewmate's hand.

The crewmate grinned, showing a row of uneven teeth, and tapped the floor twice.

The hatch opened.

At first, all I saw was shadow.

Then something large shifted.

A massive purple octopus rose up from the opening, its tentacles gripping the edges of the hatch as it pulled itself higher.

On top of its head was a compartment, shaped like a carriage, and a small door on the side.

It looked like someone had taken an old-world wagon and tied it to a sea monster.

The octopus lowered its head, bringing the compartment level with the floor.

Saintess Cosette walked up and opened the door without hesitation.

"Come on It's more comfortable than it looks," she said, glancing back at me.

I stepped inside.

The interior was simple but noble.

Fluffy bench seats along the sides. Soft lighting embedded in the ceiling.

A faint hum of magic that told me there were more systems at work here than just a wooden box tied to a creature.

Saint Dexter handed a folded map to one of the octopus's tentacles.

The octopus unrolled it with surprising care, tilted its head, and made a series of low, bubbling noises.

"It's complaining," I muttered.

Saintess Cosette snickered.

Saint Dexter sighed and pulled out another gold coin, passing it over with an unwilling expression.

The octopus quieted immediately and tucked the map away into a small pouch strapped near its eye.

"Transaction complete. Status: transport secured," Judy said.

We all took our seats, and Saintess Cosette closed the door.

A second later, the carriage tilted.

The octopus jumped.

We passed through the ship's invisible barrier like it wasn't there.

Water rushed around us, but none of it entered the compartment.

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