"So, you're actually the great pirate Flint's first mate from when he was alive."
"Now you have a mission that concerns the lives and deaths of all the treasure hunters on the island, and even countless people in the outside world, that you want to entrust to us?"
Under the night sky, by the campfire, two people and a bird sat together as First Mate Thomas, the parrot, eloquently explained his intent to the two "elegant artists."
At this moment, it had no idea that the two of them had already been aware of its existence.
They were determined that once the bird came to them of its own volition, they must find a way to keep it.
It was a perfect mutual pursuit!
Of course, if Mr. Byron could put down that... Deck Cleaner he was holding, that would be even better.
SQUAWK! Is there really no trust between man and bird? Creator, I swear on that still-blazing pile of jesters, I have absolutely no intention of looking for other artists right now! Is that good enough? Get it away! Take that thick, hard stick away from my face, you bastard!
There was no doubt that Mr. Parrot was a "gentleman" of great flexibility and an excellent sense of timing when it came to principles.
After all, it still hadn't managed to leave this island and end its centuries-long solitary life.
It had no desire whatsoever to die in an "elegant" manner as a "burnt bird" or "mincemeat," or anything else of the sort.
It could only hope now that the object would accept that the art of killing someone by finely chopping them into mincemeat and then burning them also counted as art.
To return to the main topic.
Seeing that Byron and Violet had understood his intent, Thomas nodded helplessly.
"That's exactly it," he said. "My Creator, even in death, that bastard Flint couldn't stop bossing a bird around. To complete his mission, First Mate Thomas has been waiting on this artless and parrot-less island for hundreds of years. Especially when Silvergold Island sank into that lightless other world. Can you imagine? It was simply unbearable for any bird. I swear, there was nothing worse than that. It was just awful. Luckily, you two 'artists' have arrived. If you both can inherit the treasure left behind in the treasure cave by Flint, the "Faustian Contract," we might all be able to leave here safely. The contract contains Flint's final commission and the island's greatest secret. If you get it, you definitely won't be at a loss."
Upon hearing this, Byron and Violet exchanged a glance.
"The Faustian... Contract?"
Back then, artists of the Hall Sequence, shouting the Sequence motto, "Humans are capable of great deeds," had sparked the Renaissance movement to break free from the Church's ideological shackles.
'Faust' was an artistic gem born from the torrent of that era, with an extremely profound impact.
Claiming it symbolized the liberation of human thought would not be an overstatement.
Violet, who had minored in classical dance at the Vinaia Art Academy, was even more familiar with the name.
She had even personally performed in a stage adaptation of that long poem.
The girl got up, snapped her fingers to change into a dance skirt, lifted its hem, and danced a few steps by the fire, passionately singing a segment of the lead female character Helen's lines:
"Cruel fate has entangled me, bewitching the hearts of men everywhere so that they ignore themselves, ignore everything important. Always snatching, seducing, fighting, dragged from east to west; gods, demigods, heroes, even evil spirits—they all lead me drifting everywhere..."
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Both man and bird couldn't help but applaud enthusiastically for her graceful dance.
After mastering 'Flow State,' Violet danced ten times better than she had back in school.
Seeing Violet's demeanor when she wasn't killing someone, Mr. Parrot immediately regained his confidence.
He firmly believed that the artistic aura she carried would be enough to move the "Faustian Contract" and successfully bring it out of the treasure cave.
As the dance ended, Violet sat back down beside them and began to share her speculations on 'Faust' with the man and the bird:
"How should I describe this story?" she began.
"In the beginning, the Devil (Beastliness) from the Sea of Origin Matter and the Creator (Divinity) from Heaven were arguing. The Devil scoffed at the people on Earth, saying humans are worthless; every person has either fallen or is on the path to falling. But the Creator believed that despite their weaknesses, human integrity and virtue were trustworthy, so humans would never stray from the righteous path of Divinity.
"So, the Devil secretly came to the Mortal World and signed a contract with Faust, a Hall Sequence [Midnight Poet]—who, although learned and well-read, was perplexed about his future and life."