Chapter 431 - 430: Gray

Chapter 431: Chapter 430: Gray

However, the name written on this card was—Gray.

"You’re Gray?" Seraphina Sinclair asked, looking up.

Squidward nodded, a few of his tentacles curling slightly in a reserved manner. "Yes. My name is Gray, and I’m one of the Managers of the Stardust Gallery."

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before returning to the card in her hand.

’So this is Gray. The same Gray that 001 said it was on good terms with—the one who told it about the Door Key.’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t speak immediately. She simply turned the card over in her hands a few times before gently placing it on the stone table.

"You knew 001 was looking for me."

Squidward’s three eyes blinked in unison, his tentacles shifting uneasily. ’Didn’t 001 say it wouldn’t bring this up?!’

’What’s going on?’

’How did she find out about this?’

Squidward’s three eyes blinked simultaneously, his tentacles twitching with unease.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed his words. His tentacles writhed about, as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

Seeing his state, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t press him.

She simply sat there in silence, her fingers gently gripping the edge of the stone table.

The more she said nothing, the greater the pressure Squidward felt.

"Um..." Squidward finally spoke, his voice much lower than usual. "Did... did 001 come find you?"

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t answer, merely raising an eyebrow.

Her expression clearly said, ’What do you think?’

Squidward’s tentacles writhed even more intensely. He lowered his head, his three eyes glanced at one another, and he let out a long sigh.

"Fine," he said. "I have wronged you."

As he said this, his writhing tentacles finally stilled, resting on the floor as he knelt before Seraphina Sinclair.

Seraphina Sinclair watched Squidward suddenly drop to his knees, and her eyebrow twitched slightly.

She didn’t speak, nor did she tell him to rise. She just watched him in silence.

Squidward remained kneeling, three of his tentacles pressed obediently to the floor. Not daring to look at Seraphina Sinclair, his three eyes were fixed on the tips of his own tentacles.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the small hut became rather strange.

Seraphina Sinclair, however, was in no hurry at all.

’The Door Key.’

’SSS-level.’

’She had known from the very beginning that this item was important, but judging by people’s reactions, its importance far exceeded her imagination.’

’Something that could make a restaurant Manager kneel and apologize without a second thought, that could make Traveling Merchant 001 wait for one hundred fifty-six rounds just to find the Door Key’s owner...’

’Squidward had mentioned "ascending to godhood—"’

’Even though he was interrupted, she had heard those words loud and clear.’

’What, exactly, did godhood mean in this world?’

Seraphina Sinclair continued to watch him with that same impassive gaze. "What is it you’re sorry for?" she asked.

Squidward’s tentacles trembled slightly.

He lifted his head, his three eyes brimming with guilt. "I shouldn’t have told 001 that you possessed the Door Key. That was your private matter, and I... without getting your consent..."

Seraphina Sinclair remained silent.

Squidward pondered for a moment, then added in a hushed tone, "Also... my initial attitude toward you was poor. I thought you were just a human with no real abilities, and I looked down on you in my heart..."

His voice trailed off, and his tentacles coiled even tighter.

Squidward had lived for a very long time. He had seen countless great personages and just as many beings with peculiar temperaments.

But he had never met anyone like Seraphina Sinclair.

She was clearly just C-level, a human who had only recently arrived in this world, yet she possessed an aura that was suffocating.

’Is this the kind of being chosen by the Door Key?’

As Squidward was thinking, his expression suddenly turned utterly pious, and he slammed his forehead against the floor. "My Lady! From this day forward, I am willing to obey your every command and pledge my life to you!"

At this, Seraphina Sinclair’s eyebrow finally twitched.

Not because she was moved by this sudden pledge of loyalty, but because...

’Isn’t the tone of this whole scene a little off?’

She looked at Squidward, who was kneeling with his forehead pressed to the floor. His tentacles were spread out in a gesture of piety, and though she couldn’t see them, she imagined his three eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He looked every bit the part of a loyal vassal, ready to follow her to the death.

Seraphina Sinclair was silent for a few seconds. "Get up."

Squidward didn’t move.

"I said, get up."

Only then did Squidward raise his head, his three eyes looking at her wetly, his tentacles still splayed out. "My Lady, does this mean you’ve accepted my pledge?"

Seraphina Sinclair looked at him and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

’She had only been trying to figure out what this fellow was hiding from her. How had she inexplicably acquired a new subordinate?’

’An octopus, no less.’

Seraphina Sinclair looked at the Squidward before her and silently added a mental note: ’And a rather ugly octopus, at that.’

Three of his tentacles were splayed messily on the ground, and his three eyes blinked wetly, projecting a clear "if you don’t accept me, I’ll cry all over you" expression.

The image was truly jarring.

Seraphina Sinclair rubbed her temples. "I haven’t agreed to anything."

Squidward’s eyes immediately dimmed, and his tentacles drooped listlessly. The octopus looked as deflated as a frostbitten eggplant.

"However—"

Squidward’s eyes lit up again, the tips of his tentacles perking up slightly.

Seraphina Sinclair looked at him and said slowly, "First, make your case. What’s in it for me if I take you as my subordinate? If you can convince me, perhaps I’ll agree."

Squidward’s eyes instantly lit up like three small lanterns.

The tips of his tentacles trembled with excitement. His entire body pitched forward slightly, but then he remembered his position and hastily settled back into a proper kneel.

"Usefulness! Yes, yes! I have plenty!" he exclaimed, his voice rising several octaves.

Seraphina Sinclair leaned back and made a gesture for him to continue.

Squidward took a deep breath, raising one tentacle to count off his points. "First, I’m one of the Managers of the Stardust Gallery! The Stardust Gallery is the biggest restaurant in this whole area, with countless patrons coming and going every day. I can provide you with all sorts of intelligence! Who has visited, what they bought, what they’re looking for, what secrets they have... As long as you want to know, I can find out for you!"

Seraphina Sinclair nodded but said nothing.

Seeing that she didn’t object, Squidward’s confidence swelled, and he continued counting:

"Second, I’ve lived for a very, very long time! I can’t even remember for how long, exactly, but I’ve seen a great many things and I know a lot of the rules. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime! For example, how to devour the Source Fire, how to use the Door Key, what the weaknesses of the various Species are..."

He paused, adding in a small voice, "Although you might not need me to teach you, but just in case, right? What if I could be of use?"

The corner of Seraphina Sinclair’s mouth twitched slightly.

Encouraged, Squidward raised another tentacle.

"Third, I have many friends in this world! 001 is one of them, but there are also other Traveling Merchants, other restaurant Managers, and even stewards in the households of some major figures... If you need something done or need to find someone, I can connect you!"