To ensure the mechanism's success, Andre and his daughter did not immediately jump upon arriving at the cliff's edge. Instead, they paused, listening carefully.

Amidst the constant chirping of insects in the valley, a new, deep rumbling sound began to rise.

"Success."

Andre nodded, grabbed his daughter's hand, and jumped.

"There! It's Andre!"

"After them!"

The two were eventually spotted by the people below. Members of the Shark Bite Gang treasure hunting team who had rushed over immediately began scaling the hillside towards them. The guards following them had already opened fire.

Bullets pierced the air one after another.

Before Andre and his daughter could even land, they were caught by a rising stream of water. Sankaka leaped from its crest, his large hands grabbing them both and plunging toward the sea below. He tossed them onto his back and, like a sharp sword, cut through the water, swimming swiftly into the distance.

The two pursuers who reached the cliff could only watch helplessly as Andre and his companion disappeared.

"Why did they activate the mechanism and run?" One asked.

"I don't know. How would I know?" Replied the other.

"Never mind. You stay here and guard. I'll go find the captain and the others."

With that, the middle-aged man turned and left, heading quickly into the city to report everything he had seen and heard to the Shark Bite Gang's captain, Welter.

Welter stretched out a large hand and rubbed his shiny bald head, making the ferocious shark tattoo etched there seem to gleam.

"You're saying they activated the mechanism and then left?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Alright, you can go. Take the rest of the brothers with you."

The middle-aged man nodded and left the room.

"It seems they really did get the Golden Horn Hammer, activated the mechanism, and left," Welter mused aloud. "It appears there are other corresponding mechanisms. Nivek, you patrol the island. I'll take some guards and wait in the valley."

Hearing his captain's order, Nivek frowned, his expression twisting with dissatisfaction. "You know I haven't taken my revenge yet," He said with exaggerated emphasis.

Welter looked at him quietly. "Didn't you receive the intelligence on him? He's from Home Island. If he didn't want to fight you, would you actually kill him?"

"If I killed him, so be it."

Hearing this, Welter's voice turned sharp. "Idiot. We're a treasure hunting group, not vicious pirates."

"It makes no difference."

Welter gave him a deep look, pushed open the door, and walked out. His voice drifted back: "That's an order. I don't want to say it a second time."

As Welter walked towards the valley, a slender, mature woman appeared beside him.

"Captain, the governor is very dissatisfied with the recent murders in the city."

"I know. Nivek is becoming increasingly uncontrollable."

"..."

...

Andre and the others returned to their ship. The crew, who had been waiting, immediately surrounded them.

"Don't worry, we've succeeded," Andre announced. "Now we just need to wait until tonight to actually open the treasure vault. A battle is inevitable, so be prepared."

As he said this, his eyes settled on Ed and Jason. The two had only recently become Touchers and hadn't truly experienced combat between their kind.

Jason rested a hand on Ed's shoulder. Lucilia, who had been clinging to Ed's neck, disdainfully lifted the hand away and sat in the empty space beside him. It was alright if Ed touched her, she considered him a good friend, but she wasn't open-minded enough to let just anyone touch her, even if there was no physical way for them to do so, as she was just a spirit.

"I'm a little nervous. How about you?" Jason asked.

Ed looked at him and shook his head. "I'm fine, not that nervous. Not everyone is a crybaby like you. I've seen the world; this level of operation is far from enough to bother me."

Seeing Jason's disbelieving expression, Ed didn't forget to rub salt in the wound before ignoring him and walking toward his room. He needed to prepare.

A magician's magic in this world wasn't something that could be performed spontaneously, at least not at this stage. Otherwise, he'd only have to worry about mana and overwhelm his enemies with fireballs.

Sadly, the magic here wasn't the overpowered kind seen in other worlds. Every performance required thorough preparation, burning a lot of mental energy long before a battle even began.

"Will combat between Touchers affect your soul? Do you want to stay on the ship?" Ed asked as he gathered his materials. Unlike his first, well-hidden cheat, the system, his second cheat, Lucilia, was just a soul. He didn't believe that among so many magicians, none could see her.

Hearing Ed's words, Lucilia quickly sat down in front of him and shook her head.

"No, no, I want to stay with you. I don't want to stay in the mirror all the time; it's too uncomfortable. And if something happens, or if you need someone to scout enemies, I can help you at a critical moment, just like I did the first time when I warned you."

Ed nodded, genuinely grateful. If she hadn't informed him that day, his story might have ended much sooner. "Okay, then when the fight starts, you can retreat back into the mirror. Nobody knows if those attacks will hurt your soul."

"No problem."

Lucilia nodded happily, genuinely feeling Ed's concern. Of course he worried about her, how could he not worry about his own second cheat, which helped him reach greater heights in this world? He had long ago considered her his property.

From within the mirror, as long as she was with Ed and he didn't stash her in a pocket, she could sense the surrounding situation by connecting with his mana. It was far better than being confined to the dark void when she was away from him.

This was also why she liked to hover behind him; it allowed her to wander without wasting energy and even draw energy from him to replenish her own.

Ed took off the necklace he wore and carefully removed the mirror from its setting. Then, he pulled a new frame from his pocket, a small, reinforced iron box. He opened the lid, embedded the mirror inside, and closed it. The box was engraved with mysterious patterns, obviously reinforced with spells, and the attached chain was securely fastened.

He put the necklace back on.

"I had Bobby make this for me. It cost two gold leaves. You can thank me properly if you want," Ed said, tapping a finger against his lips. He had overestimated Lucilia's emotional intelligence, however, and she didn't understand what he meant by "properly."

The box was engraved with reinforcing spells to effectively prevent external damage. Furthermore, the mirror itself was a magical item, making it even safer.

After all, this was Lucilia's refuge; without it, she would have faded from the world long ago instead of lingering for centuries. Only the gods knew how it was made.

Ed was very grateful for the past month with Lucilia; she had been his teacher, friend, and confidant. Without her, he might still be writing a diary full of complaints instead of learning ancient languages and magic with such ease that even Bobby doubted his own life's work.

Seeing Ed's actions, Lucilia smiled sweetly and hurriedly fulfilled his spoken request. "Thank you. This is very helpful."

She then shrank back into the mirror, under Ed's helpless gaze. He shook his head, muttering, "Such an idiot," under his breath.

Time passed slowly until nightfall. A bright white moon hung high as ships sailed swiftly through the shadows toward the back of Mester Island. Another fleet had arrived earlier.

By noon, the secondary members of Andre's crew had already been sent to other islands for safety; they would be retrieved after the battle. The ship now carried only the main force of Touchers.

"Bobby and Sankaka will stay on the ship to receive us; the rest of you will come with me into the vault," Andre instructed.

He checked the pocket watch in his hand. When the time reached 11:30, he tapped his fingers. Birds woven from blue silk threads flew one after another into the night sky.

Upon receiving the signal, the pirates waiting in the harbor facing Mester Island launched a massive attack.

"You sea scum, charge! Tonight we're going to make a fortune!" a voice bellowed.

"YES!!!"

"Let's rob them!"

"I want to f*ck a young girl!"

"You ugly pig, no woman would even look at you!"

"What did you call me, bastard?!"

"What, you heard me, bastard!"

"You—!"

"You—!"

"Hahahaha!"

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