"Thank you, everyone... and I’m really sorry," Tyler said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like I went into a full rampage."

The girls lying around the pocket dimension sighed, groaned, or weakly waved their hands to show they heard him.

Mathilda stretched, yawning. "Don’t worry about it. I’m too busy with the Red Skulls anyway. I’ll fix the rest later." She walked off in a hurry, still half-dressed, not even noticing she had forgotten her pants.

Everyone was used to her by now, so they didn’t react.

Tyler clapped his hands. "Alright. Let me make it up to you all. I’ll brew some of that expensive Northern Spring Tea. It restores stamina and clears the mind."

That instantly lifted morale. Despite being exhausted, the girls cheered quietly. Northern Spring Tea was rare, expensive, and delicious. No one ever turned it down.

After stabilizing those who needed help, Tyler finally left the pocket dimension. The door opened, and he stepped back onto the Shadow Pearl, carrying Darla over his shoulder. The moment he crossed the threshold, his clothing shifted into his Phantom Blackwood attire. Darla, still limp from the rampage, automatically transformed into the Lonely Widow outfit.

Tyler set her down gently as Tuman rushed forward.

"There are five Loose Immortals outside," Tuman reported. "They’re waiting for us to rise. The shadow array is draining stones rapidly. We’re feeding it as much Prana and Aura stones as we can."

"Don’t worry about resources." Tyler tossed him a storage ring. "There’s a mountain of stones inside. Use whatever you need to keep the array stable."

Tuman didn’t even blink. Tyler being absurdly rich no longer surprised anyone. He bowed and hurried off to supply the array.

Tyler placed Darla into a cushioned chair. She tried to nod in thanks but only managed a weak twitch.

At that moment, Taka arrived, balancing trays with his tentacles.

"B-Boss... your stamina dishes..." Taka said shyly, offering a bowl of Underwater Drumsticks soup along with several smaller plates.

Tyler shook his head. "Give it to Darla. She needs it more right now."

Taka nodded and proceeded to feed Darla carefully, making sure she regained some strength.

Tyler made his way onto the deck and looked upward. Through the faint bubbling membrane that shielded the shadow realm from the real world, he could see the silhouettes of five powerful Loose Immortals, each radiating immense pressure.

"Serena, move the ship," Tyler ordered.

Serena’s voice answered calmly. "Understood."

She relayed the command to Tuman and the engineering crew. The Shadow of Ship began to glide away, sinking deeper into the darkness while maintaining the shadow form.

Above, the Immortals noticed the movement.

"The shadow is shifting."

"It’s trying to flee."

"Follow it."

The five Immortals descended after it, tracking the movement in perfect synchronization.

Tyler clicked his tongue. "Even in darkness, they can still sense the shadow. Annoying."

He reached into his robe and pulled out a small cube-like device—his Orion Cube fragment.

The cube reacted immediately, glowing softly while pointing upward... then shifting to another direction, then another.

Tyler frowned. "So all five have Orion Cube fragments. And judging by this reaction, multiple other holders have entered Nox Pass too."

He scanned the horizon of the shadow realm.

"Looks like the entire region is crawling with Immortal freaks. At least none of them are Feng Feiyan. That guy’s the only exception to the rule ’never underestimate an Immortal.’"

The cube glowed again.

Tyler smiled slightly.

"Let’s stir things up a bit. If I make enough noise, Lily will find me faster."

The Shadow Pearl drifted deeper into the dark ocean while five Immortals followed closely behind, each waiting for the moment the Phantom Pirates surfaced.

Tyler slipped the cube away and cracked his knuckles.

"Alright then. If they want a chase, I’ll give them one."

The shadow moved, and the Immortals moved with it.

"Wait! Friend Phantom Blackwood!" a voice suddenly echoed through the mist.

The Shadow Pearl stopped moving.

The voice belonged to one of the Loose Immortals hovering above the sea. He sounded strangely polite, almost desperate.

"I know you can hear me," the Immortal continued. "My name is Texa. These here are Alabapa, Old York, Highwa, and our leader, Washing Gram Marvel."

The leader stepped forward proudly. "Greetings. We are a united bunch of Immortals who love freedom. We call ourselves UBI."

Tyler squinted upward from the safety of the shadow realm. "UBI," he muttered. "That sounds suspiciously modern."

Washing Gram Marvel continued anyway, hands on his hips as if delivering a heroic speech. "Phantom Blackwood, we understand your caution. However, the Orion Cube only activates when all fragments gather in the same location. If you wish, we will allow you to join us. We intend to become True Immortals together."

Tyler paused at that. The man wasn’t wrong.

According to the records he had collected, there were twenty-two Orion Cube fragments. They reacted to one another, drawing all the holders together. When all twenty-two fragments finally converged, the Orion Cube would reveal its true form—a four-dimensional Tesseract.

Once complete, only those holding fragments would be eligible to enter the grand trial inside. Even a mortal could ascend and become a Beginner Immortal if they passed. For anyone below Immortal level, it was the greatest opportunity in existence.

Even Loose Immortals, who had long missed their chance, considered the Orion Cube a miracle that could change their destiny.

Tyler flicked his fragment in his hand thoughtfully. The information was accurate. These Immortals weren’t necessarily lying.

He cleared his throat. "It’s alright. I’ll stay with you all... just from inside the shadow."

Alabapa immediately sneered. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes," Tyler replied without hesitation.

All five Immortals blinked.

Texa scratched his head. "Well... at least he’s honest."

Washing Gram Marvel coughed loudly to regain dignity. "As long as you are with us, Phantom Blackwood, it is fine. Together we will pursue the noble dream of Immortality."

Tyler frowned. "Noble... dream?"

Washing Gram nodded vigorously. "Yes. I want a Nobel—ah, I mean, Noble acknowledgment. Recognition for ascending to True Immortal. A legacy!"

The orange-faced Immortal puffed out his chest proudly. The others looked away as if embarrassed to be associated with him.

Then Alabapa raised his hand. "If I become a True Immortal, I can finally change the marriage rules on my island."

Tyler hesitated. "...That sounds reasonable. What rule are you talking about?"

Alabapa smiled.

"A rule prohibiting me from marrying my relatives."

Tyler almost tripped.

Even the other Immortals shuffled awkwardly.

Texa muttered under his breath, "We told him not to say that in public."

Old York sighed deeply. "He doesn’t listen. Ever."

Highwa simply crossed his arms and pretended to be unconscious.

Tyler looked at the sky. "These people are older than mountains, and yet..."

He kept his thoughts to himself. These Immortals had probably lived fifty thousand or even a hundred thousand years. And yet they behaved like drunk elders at a festival.

Washing Gram tried to salvage the situation. "Anyway. Once the cube forms, we will enter it and become Beginners Immortals. That is our goal. Freedom, strength, and Oil– I mean, the right to do whatever we want."

"Speak for yourself," Old York muttered. "I just want to join some powerful force and try ascending next level.."

"My clan keeps trying to cook me," Texa added he is actually a shrimp man.

"My wife ran away with a phoenix," Highwa said calmly, surprising everyone.

Tyler rubbed his forehead. "So basically, all of you are waiting for that miracle Tesseract."

All five Immortals nodded.

At least they were honest.

Tyler sighed. "Fine. You all can follow. But don’t get too close. If any of you try something stupid, I won’t hold back and quickly disappear."

"We accept," Washing Gram declared enthusiastically. "UBI welcomes you!"

Tyler didn’t respond. He signaled Serena to keep the ship moving while staying submerged in the shadow.

Above the water, the five Immortals followed like determined predators. Below the water, Tyler watched them like babysitting unruly elders.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Meanwhile, somewhere within the Nox Pass, 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Yow, what are those grid lines?" Lily asked, pointing at the strange graph-like patterns appearing in the distant space.

"Holly molly, that’s beyond the Nox Pass boundary! We’ll die if we go any closer! Turn around, turn around, you idiots!" Manhunter Isadora Nightkiss shouted in panic to the slaves.

Before anyone could react, Masha leaped off the ship, grabbed the entire vessel with brute strength, lifted it into the air, spun it around, and hurled it back toward the safer side of the gloomy waters.

A giant mackerel beast lunged upward, aiming to swallow her whole. Before its jaws could close, an electrical whip snapped across its body, frying it instantly.

Masha landed on the deck with a heavy thud. She glared at Lily "I’m not thanking you. And I’m still going to kill your captain to avenge my brother."

She pointed at Temptress.

Lily smiled calmly. "Well, good luck with that."

Before Masha could snap back, Lily’s wristwatch vibrated. A notification flashed across the screen.

It was from her captain.