People who grew up in the coastal city are usually half sailors and swimming experts, and Albert is glad he hasn't forgotten the rhythm of swimming.

As soon as the sky turned dark, the strong sea breeze blew away the thin veil of clouds on the night sky, revealing blurry stars.

Looking out from the sea, Flondeck with its bright lights was like a gem containing a flame, tempting Albert immensely. He stared at the distant city for a long time. Eventually, he restrained the impulse to return to the city, to the broken house.

Not to mention that with his current terrifying appearance, he probably couldn't even enter the city gate.

"Where should I go?" Albert thought. He had longed to escape while he was in the sewer, but now that he was free, he found himself homeless.

"I must find a way to integrate into society, otherwise, if I have to hide in the sewer like a rat, not only will revenge be impossible, but survival will also be a problem." The chaotic thoughts made Albert a little impatient, and he dived into the sea suddenly, hoping that the icy seawater would calm his mind.

"Calm down, calm down. Humans can use their minds to solve problems, don't rely on instincts like beasts." Albert thought to himself.

He didn't know how long had passed until the sky was completely dark, and the name William jumped out of his memory.

Since it was supernatural powers that had changed his body, then those who wielded supernatural power might be able to find a way to restore him.

The location of the port was easy to recognize, and the lights on the pier, like a lighthouse, pointed the way in the darkness.

First, go to the pier, then swim to the left for a distance of nine nautical miles. The wizard lives on a small island there.

He carefully avoided the night sailing ships, and as he passed the dock, he saw a large amount of cargo piled up at the port, while the workers unloading the goods rested and chatted nearby.

"Something disastrous is going to happen, the road to the city has sunk ten miles underground." one worker said.

"I heard that road has been blocked by the Holy Warriors. The silk shop in the West City had their goods fall into the hole too, and all the goods were ruined. The silk boss must have lost a lot of money."

"Did you see the boss's expression at the time? It was like a virgin being ravaged by dozens of big men."

This crude description immediately caused a burst of laughter, but soon a worker said worriedly, "I hope it won't affect tomorrow's work. If there are no goods to transport, there will be no pay."

His words silenced everyone, and the crowd that had been laughing and chatting together dispersed shortly afterwards. Everyone was calculating the money in their pockets, wondering if they could make it through this period.

Albert lingered under the wooden platform that extended out to sea from the pier for a long time. It was only then that he felt like he had truly returned to the human world.

The aroma of food wafted from several small taverns in the port. It was probably around ten o'clock at night, and the dock workers usually had another meal to make up for the physical exhaustion caused by their high-intensity work.

The aroma of the piping hot food was like the mermaids who lured sailors with their songs, tempting Albert who hadn't eaten for a long time. He hesitated for a moment, but decided to take a risk.

The closest tavern to the coastline became his target.

Seeing that there was no one on the road, Albert quickly darted out of hiding. His burly body was as agile as a giant leopard, and there was no sound when he landed. It must be said that this body, except for its ugliness, the strength and flexibility hidden in its muscles would make every warrior who trained their body and martial arts envious.

The kitchen of the small tavern was generally located at the back of the house. Albert bent over and squeezed through the narrow gap between the houses where rubbish was piled up. The houses on the pier could not afford glass windows, so they usually used wooden windows made of wooden strips.

The wooden window in the kitchen was open, and white smoke kept billowing out. Albert cautiously peered inside and saw the tavern owner, who also worked as a chef, carrying a plate of fried fish out. On the stove, fragrant fish and mashed potatoes were cooking, and on the table, there were several dishes of food being prepared.

The only thing he could eat right away was a few pieces of smoked sausage. Albert silently apologized, stretched out his arm, and grabbed the smoked sausage.

The taste of the meat sausage made the taste buds on his tongue tremble with excitement. The sharp hearing of the Stitched Monster noticed the tavern owner was heading back, so he hastily swallowed the remaining food and returned to the sea through the same path.

Not long after, the tavern owner came out, swearing and shouting curses, carefully scanning the alley between the buildings. In the end, he said angrily, " You lowlife bastard, don't let me catch you. Hands are meant for work, not for stealing."

"I'll compensate you twice as much in the future," Albert silently listened to the owner's scolding and then dove underwater. With his powerful lung capacity, he swam underwater for a full mile before resurfacing.

For a body with boundless energy, swimming nine nautical miles at night was almost no different than taking a stroll on a tree-lined road after dinner. In less than an hour, the Coral Island where the wizard resided was in sight.

"Hope Mr. William is at home," Albert suddenly became nervous. What if William was also unable to help? Excitement and panic made him lose control of his knocking strength. The door, battered by sea winds and never maintained, broke free from its frame and iron nails, flying straight into the first-floor living room. It collided with the wooden staircase with a loud noise, and the pitiful door fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Damn it, I almost dropped the fire crystal into the heater. Who dares to disturb a wizard's alchemy experiment?" William's irritable voice came from the third floor, but soon turned to curiosity. "An otherworldly creature? No, maybe a colleague's demon servant."

Obviously, the wizard had a monitoring device to observe the first floor. He was surprised by the appearance of the visitor. The stairs creaked as the wizard hurried down. "Are you Beria or Klein's demon servant? Damn it, humanoid intelligent demon servants, have summoners made a breakthrough again?"

"Mr. William, long time no see. I should explain in detail..." Albert's words were interrupted by the wizard, and he adopted a cautious expression. "You called me 'Mr.', who is your master? Do you want to borrow magic materials from me?"

" Mr. William, You've misunderstood..."

"Oh, using the respectful title 'Mr.' again. Those colleagues who only know how to waste materials in experiments without saving anything, will only fawn over me in a low voice when their magic materials are depleted. Tell your master that William doesn't have so many materials to do good deeds."

Seeing William gesturing to leave, Albert had to be direct and said, "I am Albert Fraley."

William's body stiffened and the vigilance on his face grew stronger. Unlike his previous good-natured banter, this was a complete accumulation of anger. " Who are you? My poor friend suffered a terrible fate, how dare you make such a joke!"

The chant of arcane magic began, and the stitched monster said calmly, "Have you forgotten about the mice, herbalism, and mosquito repellent potions? I am indeed Albert. Anything that only the two of us know, as long as you bring it up, I can provide an answer."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The wizard's spellcasting stopped, joy and doubt alternating on his face. "If you are not an enemy, stand still." William's fingers moved slightly, scattering a fine powder-like substance.

"Mind-reading," he shouted.

Albert felt a huge force surge into his mind, and his consciousness instantly became blank. After an unknown period of time, he slowly woke up and found himself lying on the second-floor bed. William's bed was short, only enough to accommodate half of his body, which caused Albert to fall to the ground as soon as he sat up, with an unstable center of gravity.

William sat at the oak table nearby, looking at Albert and sighing sadly, "Poor Albert, I just read your memories, and the tragic experiences make me burn with anger. It's hard to imagine that such ugly and despicable things exist in the world. I have interrogated dozens of prisoners with magic in the First Court, but their crimes do not compare to even one percent of what was inflicted upon you."

"Can you restore me?" Albert smiled bitterly. "For revenge, I have countless ideas and plans, but they are all based on my ability to have a normal human appearance. But with this body, I can't do anything."

William pondered, "I have already done some tests. Your current body strongly rejects the arcane magic, but on the contrary, it is full of divine energy. Perhaps, in your memory, the artifact called the Eternal Reliquary has changed the structure of your body. This is a good thing, at least it makes your body exceptionally strong. It is also a bad thing, as I cannot use the spell of disguise to change your appearance."

"Can't you do anything about it?"

"Let me think about it," William said, "As you know, I am studying the druidic transformation spell. Perhaps this can work. You can stay here and patiently wait for a few months."

Albert's mood was getting worse and worse. The wizard's repeated failures made his hope for success seem bleak.

In the sewer, the desire for freedom and the will to survive temporarily suppressed his anger. Now, he was safe, protected by the wizard, and free from danger. However, his chaotic emotions that he had been trying hard to control started to become active again.

Hatred, the original sin of humanity, caused flames to burn in Albert's chest. He couldn't sleep at night, occasionally closing his eyes and dreaming of all the beautiful things and happy expectations in the world, torn apart and crushed under the giant hand that covered the sky and earth.

Then he woke up covered in sweat, shouting the name of his enemy, startled from the nightmare.

Sometimes, when he couldn't take it anymore, Albert would rush to the outside of the tower and wildly ram his body into the rocks on the island, injuring himself all over. The power of the relic within him healed his wounds immediately.

Then, he would start to hate himself again, wondering why he had to live, why he had to continue to endure this injustice. He cursed everything around him, the endless sea, the flying seabirds, even the comfortable breeze, all of which could inexplicably drive this poor man insane.

Venting and self-torture were also a means of relieving pain.

William always watched pityingly by the side, sighing and hoping that the young man's emotions would gradually stabilize.

The only thing that could comfort Albert was to hear from William that Jenny's body had not been found at the crime scene. Perhaps the little wildcat was still alive. Albert used this most precious piece of news to numb his nerves.

He realized for the first time that hatred could twist a person's mind like this. More than once, Albert wanted to abandon the wizard's help, sneak back into the city, find a way to go to the capital, and use his own powerful hands to strangle a certain arrogant woman, then use the most cruel torture in the world to deal with the gang leader, washing away the unforgettable hatred with countless blood.

"Perhaps, hell is the way this world should be. Sulphur clouds that block out the sun, the deep and unfathomable underworld, and sinister halls full of demons. only these can accommodate the unquantifiable filth in the human world." Albert thought, his face full of resentment, making his appearance even more terrifying.

Fortunately, the words of the just Saint Muto, the solemn oath of the court, and the tiny bit of conscience that humans still possessed saved him, preventing the devil from gaining another follower in the mortal world.

"What has happened to me?" he said. "If revenge can make a person abandon all moral principles, then what I pursued and believed in, that which I considered the most immortal truth in the world, will become a joke."

He urged himself to stay calm and not become a sinner who only knows how to murder and destroy.

Albert fell silent again and sat quietly on the third floor every day, watching the wizard's busy experiments.

The potions and magic had little effect, only making the scars on his body less noticeable, making his eyes no longer frighteningly red, and barely making his two arms the same size. He had transformed from a demon from hell to an ugly deformity with scars all over his body, making ordinary people feel disgusted rather than scared.

Master William tried every method, and finally had a flash of inspiration from Druidic techniques.

Since it was possible to transform from a human into a beast, it should not be difficult to reverse from a beast to a human.

The wizard spared no expense, using his collected magical materials and decades of alchemical experience to craft a ring.

After thirty alternations of the sun and the moon, the wizard 's greatest masterpiece in his alchemy career was born.

The ring was very light, made up of three spiral metal wires jointed together, with a surface covered in small bumps and unevenness. If the ring were magnified ten times, one could clearly see that the indiscernible spots were all complex magic circles engraved on the ring.

However, from a purely secular point of view, this ring that was neither golden nor silver and had no gemstones embedded in it was so poor that only peasants would wear it.

William looked haggard now, his eyes sunken and his already thin frame seemed to have lost even more weight. Wiping his sweaty forehead, he said to Albert, "I'm trying to combine three magic circles into one more powerful, larger magic circle for the first time. Try wearing this ring first."

The ring tightly fitted on Albert's index finger. Tiny sharp teeth extended from the inside of the ring, causing Albert to feel an intense pain, as if thousands of meat-eating ants were devouring his flesh, one bite at a time.

He felt his vision darken, swayed a few times, but managed not to fall.

Then, a sensation connected to the flesh and blood of the ring surged up, as if it were a part of the finger that came with it like a nail.

"If you were a wizard, you wouldn't need this trouble. You could manipulate it with magic," William said. "Connecting it to the body like this makes it possible for ordinary people to use it with their thoughts, but the drawback is that every time you take it off or put it back on, it will cause great pain."

Albert touched the ring. "Can it restore me?"

"It can transform you into a human form!" William said. "Of course, it can't change your appearance at will. Only magic rings of legendary alchemists can achieve that effect. You have to visualize an image in your mind and let the ring remember it.

You must choose carefully. You only have one chance. The appearance and physique you choose, whether it's a handsome young man, an old man, or even a beautiful woman, can never be changed again.

And forgive me for my low magical power. This ring can only maintain a transformation for seventy-two hours, and then it will need to be replenished by the automatic operation of the magic circle. The whole process takes seven days, which means you can only use it once every week."

As he said this, the wizard's face reddened. He thought this ring with so many limitations was of little use.

"Thank you," Albert said sincerely. "In the face of such selfless friendship, I can only be grateful."

What kind of image should choose? It was clear that reverting to his original appearance was not suitable; it would make his enemies immediately wary upon seeing him.

An average-looking person? Or an old man who would not raise any suspicion?

Albert pondered until the image of that perfect, god-like body he had seen in the sewer came to mind. "It's really boring to deliberately beautify oneself, but I have to admit that having a handsome appearance can be helpful in some situations." he thought.

The wizard had prepared some gemstones. In his eyes, they were just ordinary materials, but in the city's shops, each one could fetch a good price.

"Wealth, power, intelligence, strength, the desire for revenge. These are all indispensable. This is just a small amount of money to ensure that you don't have to start from scratch." The wizard handed Albert a small bag and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Every person who values friendship should spare no effort to help their friends in times of hardship. But as a wizard who sees magic experiments and exploration as the only source of pleasure, if I get involved in this conflict, I'm afraid I will never be able to live a peaceful life again..."

"William, my friend and mentor," Albert placed his hand over his heart, "I swear on my conscience that you've already helped me too much. Only the most selfish person would use the name of friendship to make their closest friend lose their peaceful life and put them in danger."

It was time to leave.

Albert chose to leave at dusk, carrying a few prepared clothes with him. He was ready to go to Flondeck first, to pay his respects to his deceased relatives in the cemetery.

The wizard told him that his entire family had already been listed in the death files at the police station. Detective Lime had personally funded the construction of a small grave in the old district cemetery for him and Jenny, as they could not find their bodies, so they used their clothing as a substitute.

"I'm still alive, so the little wildcat must be fine." Albert thought. "I will definitely find her."

"Albert," the wizard said, "I have one last piece of advice for you: don't be too kind. Conscience can only become a shackle that binds you. If you want revenge, you have to become more despicable than they are; otherwise, the murderers will cheer for another shameless victory."

Albert smiled faintly. "In my relatively short career as a prosecutor, I have seen many people go crazy seeking revenge. Those lunatics, in order to avenge the suffering they have endured, end up committing even more heinous crimes."

He said firmly, "What I want to do is not an irrational act of revenge, but rather, the most fair and just trial under the sun."