Bates

Bates is a bearded, wine-loving Highgod who travels with Linley Baruch's party across the Starmist Sea. He conceals much of his strength until bandits attack, then helps the surviving travelers reach Miluo Island. (Chapters 526–538)

Biography

The Amethyst Mountains And Miluo Island

Bates joins the sea voyage as an apparently casual traveler and gives Linley's group practical advice about the Starmist Sea while hiding his Highgod strength. When bandits overwhelm the ship, he bluntly warns that he will flee rather than die if Linley refuses to act. Once Linley traps the attackers inside Blackstone Prison, Bates joins the slaughter, shields companions with darkness energy, and helps escort the survivors safely to Miluo Island. He then displays an opportunistic streak by charging Aches eighteen million for a metallic life he says was worth eight million. (Chapters 526–538)

Appearance and personality

Bates is a large-bearded man usually seen drinking wine. His casual humor and useful local knowledge make him companionable, but his insistence on preserving his own life and his inflated compensation demand show a practical, profit-minded edge. (Chapters 526–538)

Abilities and cultivation

Bates is a darkness Highgod who can hide his aura, move at high speed, and spread a black protective aura around nearby allies. Inside Linley's gravitational prison, he readily helps eliminate the trapped bandits. (Chapters 529–536)

Relationships

• Linley Baruch: Bates advises Linley at sea, pressures him to intervene in the bandit attack, and then fights beside him. (Chapters 526–536)
• Bebe: Bates travels and exchanges banter with Bebe as part of the same Miluo-bound party. (Chapters 526–538)

Items

The centralized inventory assigns no qualifying named item to Bates.