Shadow Dragon: The Fallen Angel Is My Teacher

Chapter 210: Contamination, Crewmate Or Passanger

"I don’t know," I replied honestly. "But it’s strong."

I turned to face him fully.

"Strong enough to protect you when other Corporations inevitably come here to retrieve you."

His expression stiffened.

It wouldn’t take long before they tracked him down.

In fact, I had no intention of hiding his location.

If they came here, they would have to deal with the Guardian.

"Are you sure I will be safe here?" he asked hesitantly.

Even though the Guardian’s mental pressure had already injured him, he understood that mental interference and direct combat prowess were two different matters.

What he was truly asking was simple.

Is she strong enough to protect me?

Instead of answering directly, I tilted my head slightly and asked, "Have you read Saint Maverick’s report about the Rank 4 Cursed Spirit Blackout Priest that he and I exorcised?"

"I have," he replied without delay.

"And the Cursed Spirit God that manifested in the sky within that domain?"

"Yes. I’m aware of it."

He looked at me carefully, clearly trying to follow my train of thought.

"She tanked an attack from that Cursed Spirit God," I said evenly.

He frowned. "You’re saying she survived an attack from a Rank 5 combat prowess?"

His tone wasn’t dramatic, nor did he shout or overreact.

He had lived long enough to see enough absurdities that shock rarely showed openly on his face.

Still, the slight tightening around his eyes and the subtle pause before he spoke told me everything.

I shook my head.

"She didn’t just survive it. She tanked it. There wasn’t a single scratch on her," I corrected him.

Silence followed.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at me, measuring whether I was exaggerating.

I wasn’t.

Then I continued calmly, "The Rank 5 Vampire Ghoul that nearly wiped everyone out in that same domain was also killed by her."

"...What?"

"Yeah," I said casually. "So she’s quite strong. If I were you, I’d try to build rapport with her. As long as she doesn’t dislike you, you’ll be safe."

He nodded stiffly.

He understood quickly.

Even the Rank 5 combat automaton P Corp once possessed would likely be dismantled in minutes if it stood against her.

The inngirl might blush and argue like a flustered teenager, but beneath that surface was something entirely different.

A single thought from her could erase him without leaving a trace.

I was about to leave the kitchen when he suddenly spoke again.

"How long do I need to stay here?"

"Six or seven months. Could be a year too," I said.

His expression darkened.

"At that rate, I will get contaminated in this domain and turn into a Cursed Spirit before that time passes."

Contamination.

The process by which one gradually became a Cursed Spirit themselves.

On this Nautilus—this ship—, there were only two recognized roles.

Crewmate.

Or passenger.

If you became a crewmate, you were required to work under the officers.

The more you worked, the deeper the contamination seeped into you. The ship would accept you as part of itself.

If you had money, you could avoid that role and register as a passenger.

But being a passenger came with its own trap.

If you loitered around, explored too much, rested too comfortably, or behaved exactly like a passenger would, contamination would still accumulate.

It was a checkmate system.

If you worked, you were contaminated.

If you idled like a tourist, you were contaminated.

You had to choose a role, and either choice led you toward becoming a Cursed Spirit eventually.

I didn’t spend much time here these days, so my contamination as a passenger remained minimal.

But he was planning to stay.

"You’re right. You will get contaminated," I said.

His jaw tightened.

"But there are ways to slow it down," I added.

He looked at me immediately.

"First, register as a passenger by paying money to a crewmate for the voyage. That way you’re not automatically classified as staff."

He nodded slowly.

"Second, start working here at the inn. Help Olivia. But don’t take any salary."

He frowned slightly. "So I would be a passenger who works?"

"Exactly," I replied. "You’ll technically be a passenger volunteering. That’s not standard passenger behavior, so your contamination rate will slow down significantly."

He glanced around at the floating hands washing dishes and carrying plates.

"...Is that why you come here daily and help her?" he asked quietly.

I ignored the implication and continued.

"That won’t be enough though. You’ll still accumulate contamination over time."

He sighed faintly. "I assumed as much."

"So you’ll create automatons," I said. "Let them handle most of the work in your place. They’ll absorb the contamination associated with the labor. Since your contamination rate will already be low, the transfer from the automatons to you will be negligible."

P Corp’s stared at the dozens of Hundred Hands moving around the inn.

He understood why I was so eager to help the inngirl and even created an automaton just for that.

"...You know quite a lot about this domain," he muttered.

I waved dismissively. "This isn’t some secret. A lot of regulars do this. You were never interested in Nautilus, so you didn’t bother learning."

That was true.

As P Corp’s director, his interest mostly lay in Corporations, and his own benefits, non-which were related to Nautilus.

From my white lab coat, I took out a folded blueprint and handed it to him.

"Create this while you’re here," I said.

He unfolded it carefully.

His expression turned serious.

"This is... a Rank 4 scouting parasite?" he asked.

"Yes."

He looked up at me.

"For what purpose?"

"You don’t need to know. Just build it."

I didn’t elaborate further.

As I stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway, my thoughts shifted.

The parasite would be completed soon. Once it was operational, it would be perfect for tracking individuals discreetly.

Two years ago, someone from House Daelthorn had instigated Frank—my unfortunate ex-uncle—to curse me and attempt to use me as a weapon against my father.

There had been no further attacks since.

That didn’t mean the threat was gone.

It meant they were waiting.

It had to be an elder of House Daelthorn.

The problem was I didn’t know which elder it was.

I need to sniff them out.

Of course, the one deploying the parasite wouldn’t be Caelum Nocthera, heir of Emperor Legion.

It would be Alan Veritus instead.

Disciple of the Monkey King.

My steps slowed slightly as another thought surfaced.

The Cursed Spirit [Romeo and Juliet] would reach Rank 4 within a few months.

Its ascension would create a lot of disaster.

I didn’t intend to let Romeo and Juliet reach Rank 4 in this life.

I planned to exorcise it while it was still Rank 3, and during the exorcism draw out the elder who wanted to harm dad.

The problem was obvious.

Going alone to exorcise the Cursed Spirit would be reckless, especially for Cursed Spirit’s with nature like Romeo and Juliet.

That’s where Charlotta came in.

’I wonder how strong she already is.’

Her growth rate was impressive.

If she had progressed as expected, she would already be capable of fighting by my side.

But convincing her to cooperate required leverage.

And that leverage was her brother.

’I need to save him first.’

’Only then would she work with me willingly.’