The strange man released everyone from their frozen state and immediately let out a deep sigh of relief.
His shoulders relaxed slightly as though an invisible burden had finally been lifted off him.
After catching his breath, he moved closer to Mathew and stared at him for a few seconds, almost as if he was trying to analyze him.
Eventually, a bright smile appeared on his face.
“Thanks for what you did back there,” he said.
“You really saved our asses.”
Mathew stared back at him calmly before replying,
“Sure… but there seems to be no need for the tickets anymore since we didn’t exactly get in the normal way.”
The strange man burst into laughter.
“I guess so,” he admitted with a grin.
“But you have to admit that was pretty exciting… even though it was a tiny bit scary.”
“I’ll admit it,” Mathew replied quietly.
“It kinda was.”
The young man stretched out his hand for a handshake.
“I’m Nice, by the way.
And you?”
Mathew paused for a moment before answering.
Ever since the incident at the orphanage, he had become far more cautious.
The Pope possessed enough political influence to turn the entire nation against him if he wanted.
Giving away his real identity so casually would be reckless.
After a brief silence, he finally answered,
“I’m Grey.”
Nice smiled warmly.
“Pleasure to meet you, Grey.”
He paused briefly before continuing,
“So, what brings you to the Northern Quadrant, if you don’t mind sharing?”
Mathew answered almost immediately.
“I’m just going to meet an old friend of mine.
Nothing much.”
Nice adjusted his posture and turned his gaze toward the endless sea ahead.
For a brief moment, his eyes seemed oddly distant.
“Oh… that must be nice,” he muttered softly.
Mathew noticed the slight change in his tone but chose not to comment on it.
Instead, he asked,
“And you?
What brings you to the Northern Quadrant?”
Nice leaned against the wooden wall of the ship and folded his arms.
“My party and I are planning on raiding Night Dungeons there,” he explained casually.
“Easy money.”
Mathew frowned slightly.
“What are Night Dungeons?”
Nice blinked twice before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Mathew merely stared at him with a confused expression.
At that moment, Nice realized that Mathew genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.
“…Where exactly have you been living all this time to not know anything about Night Dungeons?” he asked in disbelief.
Mathew simply shrugged.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to get an answer, Nice sighed and began explaining anyway.
“Night Dungeons are small rifts that connect to separated regions of the Void,” he said.
“They’re basically death traps filled with Night Creatures.”
He raised a finger while speaking.
“To conquer one, you either have to kill the boss of the dungeon or gain enough control over the creatures living inside it.”
Mathew listened carefully before asking another question.
“And what exactly do you gain from conquering them?”
Nice straightened slightly.
“Well, for starters, you get the treasures hidden inside the dungeon.
But most importantly…” he paused dramatically, “…you gain materials needed to create Blessed Objects.”
Mathew’s expression immediately became puzzled again.
“What are Blessed Objects?”
Nice’s jaw nearly dropped.
“Seriously?!” he exclaimed.
“Were you living under a rock or something?”
Mathew simply shrugged once more, skillfully avoiding the question.
Nice sighed in defeat.
“Blessed Objects are tools infused with special abilities,” he explained patiently.
“People use them in combat or for various purposes.”
As he spoke, he summoned the same staff he had used earlier during their escape.
The long black staff shimmered faintly beneath the sunlight, with the dark glass orb at its tip giving off an eerie glow.
“This,” Nice said proudly, “is a Blessed Object.”
He lightly tapped the staff against the deck.
“Its special ability is enhancement.”
Mathew’s eyes narrowed slightly in understanding.
“So basically, it boosts your given abilities?”
“Exactly,” Nice replied with a satisfied grin.
He continued explaining,
“The rank of a Blessed Object depends entirely on the quality of the materials used to make it.
Mine was crafted from the bones of an Awakened-ranked Night Creature, so naturally, it’s only of the Awakened rank.”
Mathew stood quietly, taking in all the information.
The more he listened, the more he realized just how little he actually knew about the world beyond the orphanage.
After a short silence, he asked,
“How do you activate a Blessed Object?”
Nice lifted the staff slightly.
“It’s simple,” he said.
“You just infuse it with soul essence.”
He then narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know what soul essence is too.”
A faint smile appeared on Mathew’s face.
“I know what that is, actually.”
“Good,” Nice replied dramatically.
“At least I don’t have to explain everything.”
Mathew slowly walked toward the edge of the ship and stared out at the ocean.
The sea stretched endlessly before him.
For a moment, he found himself lost in thought.
“All this information about the world… and I don’t know a single thing about it,” he thought quietly to himself.
“Pretty funny, isn’t it?”
But strangely enough, he didn’t hate the feeling.
It was better to learn now than remain ignorant forever.
And if these Blessed Objects were truly as useful as Nice claimed…
“Guess I should get one for myself someday,” he thought.
After a while, Mathew turned back toward Nice, his expression returning to its usual calm indifference.
“You mentioned having a party,” he said.
“Where are they?”
Nice glanced up at the sky.
“Oh, they should be here pretty soon,” he replied casually.
“Thanks to that little chase earlier, we arrived ahead of schedule, so they’ll probably take a while to catch up.”
“Well… alright,” Mathew replied.
Nice suddenly wrapped an arm around Mathew’s shoulder with an overly friendly grin.
“Well, today’s been a good day, hasn’t it?”
Mathew looked at him with genuine confusion.
“How exactly is this a good day?”
Nice laughed brightly.
“Well, we had an exciting escape, nearly got beaten to death, scammed a ticket seller, and most importantly…” he pointed dramatically at Mathew, “…I made a new acquaintance.
Which is you, by the way.”
Mathew thought about those words for a moment before asking,
“Are we acquaintances?”
Nice gasped in exaggerated shock.
“Of course we are!” he exclaimed.
“Unless you don’t think we are?”
For the first time in a while, a small smile appeared on Mathew’s face.
“…Yeah,” he answered quietly.