Cheng told her: “What I’m worried about are the other factions”

Sarina frowned: “Which ones?”

Cheng spread his arms: “Every other decent one! By now they will have received news of what happened in Vrislorin. There were just too many witnesses!”

Sarina added: “And everyone is aware that Jin is the one who broke me out of the Peak”

Cheng nodded and continued: “There’s that. But there’s also the fact that everyone knows that Jin holds Cao Lei’s stuff too. We’re talking about two extreme stage items here. Factions would kill for those. Every single one with a similar ability to Cao Lei’s would want those”

Sarina agreed: “He has become quite the liability if you only consider it this way. However, it also means that right now we have someone who owns two extreme stage items”

“Three” corrected Cheng. “He wore the Crown, Sarina”

Sarina frowned. That was true. With so much going on, she nearly skipped this part. She asked: “What do we do about that? You know how that thing works. Unless he dies, the crown…”

She did not continue. Cheng knew what she meant.

That was the Crown of the Ocean. An extreme state item that once belonged to the sole Empress of the Ocean to ever be. Whoever wore that crown would be acknowledged by the Ocean itself as its ruler. And by the Oceanics.

Of course, one had to have the capabilities to keep it on his head. Which meant to have the capabilities to keep one’s head.

That item was a treasure of treasures but also extremely dangerous for it would attract the greed of every being. Mostly the truly powerful ones.

After all, being able to rule over the Oceans was not a joke.

Cheng was not sure how to go about this. His original plan was for Jin to bring him back the Crown for himself. Obviously, it did not go as planned. Then again, things never quite did.

Cheng stated: “We can’t take it back. Not for now. Do you know if he managed to bring her soul back?”

She shook her head sideways. Aside from sticking next to Ame, Jin had not done anything nor spoken any words. He was not in a great state.

They both sighed.

If he managed to get the soul out and it was still sane… Then they would have something incredible. If he did not, he would have to be killed at some point.

He was fated to die at some point anyways.

Too many factions wanted him dead.

It was safe for now and he remained more useful than not.

That being said, they needed him to be sane. At least slightly. And right now, he was not.

Sarina sighed: “We really need Ame to wake up”

Cheng nodded while frowning: “She’s a big liability. She is weak”

Sarina acknowledged: “Yes but our success to the next depends on her presence”

Cheng agreed: “True”

Sarina switched back topic: “Anyways, what do you think will the Oceanics do about Grunleden’s death?”

Cheng chuckled: “Nothing. They are probably to focused on finding the Crown. Which they won’t ever be able to find since it’s here”

Sarina asked: “Won’t they be able to link it to me though?”

Cheng laughed: “For sure! You would be the only one he would give so much face to! However, I don’t think the Oceanics would care. At least, the King won’t. That’s what matters. That being said, the other factions will easily make the link. For him to disobey the King’s orders and even lie to the Celestials…You’re the only one he would have done that for”

Sarina nodded.

The Oceanics would focus on their search for the Crown pointlessly and not mind them.

Others would know that Sarina and Jin were implicated in what happened in Vrislorin but, in the end, they would not know where they went.

And the Celestials stopped investigating.

Were they actually safe now?

It would be too easy.

“What about you Seagull?”

The phantom captain appeared next to them and chuckled: “You two know me. I survive only because of my Neutral status. No one will know what I heard, saw, smelled, tasted or touched! Such was my oath to the heavens back then!”

Sarina smiled: “Right. The Celestials got you good back then”

The phantom nodded: “Yes. But to be honest, I have been living quite decently in Low Point ever since. And I do have many interesting customers throughout the Seas”

It grinned widely.

Cheng asked him: “What do you think of the reemergence of the Evil faction, by the way?”

“No comments” smirked the phantom.

Cheng nodded.

Cheng turned back to Ame: “What about Nangua?”

Sarina pondered for a moment before she said: “He will be loyal while Jin is and that will make him a dependable ally”

Cheng reflected upon those words. Nangua was at the 54th stage right now. When it came to small sects, a cultivator at the 40th stage was already incredible and sect master material. Having one that was at the 54th stage and would reach the 59th in time… It was a great bonus and protection.

At least, they would have a lot less problems to settle somewhere ‘safe’ with that man with them.

They needed time to cultivate in peace and his presence would likely make that possible. He had been a great help until now at least.

It did come back to Jin though.

Only if they managed to keep him along would it proceed smoothly.

Sarina told Cheng: “Just go wake her up already. It’s better if she wakes while stuck on the boat than once we’re on the land”

Cheng frowned: “You think she would try to leave?”

Sarina spread her hands: “Women’s hearts are fickle. Not only her lover lied to her since the beginning but he even killed her, you know. Those are hard to forgive and impossible to forget”

Cheng nodded. Sarina had more empathy so if she said that it worked this way then he believed her. He prepared himself to go wake Ame up. Depending on how things went with her and Jin, their future would change.