Chapter 4

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The ghostly green flame burned lively on him. His flesh and bone turned half transparent like a specter under the fire. With the fire burning and his hands on the helm of the Lost Home, Duncan’s sense spread along with the fire until it covered the entire ship.

It was then that he learned that he had no need for a crew,

The Lost Home could raise its sails on its own. All it needed was the captain to steer the helm, and it could begin its journey.

Duncan was a little panicked at first when the ghostly green flame appeared. However, after witnessing more than one supernatural phenomenon during his exploration on the ship for the past few days, he was able to force himself to calm down and keep his hands on the helm during the most crucial few seconds.

Now, he had confirmed that the flame was a type of “power” that could not harm him. Besides whether his body would return to its original state or not, from what he could see, the power of the flame was assisting him in controlling the ghost ship he was standing on.

The sounds of waves and cheering in his head had subsided. Duncan felt that his mind was at its clearest. The Lost Home was like an extension of his own body, and he could feel the “senses” coming from different parts of the ship. He had no knowledge or experience to qualify as a captain, but at the very least, he could steer the ship on his own.

The ghostly sails that looked like fogs rose high up the masts. The gaff sails and main sail started to adjust their angles. Airflows coming from the ocean were chaotic, but it looked as if the sails were able to gain force through the winds. The huge Lost Home had ended its aimless drift and started to slow down with the help of the sails.

Duncan tried to turn the helm in his hands, and he could sense the feedback from that motion in his brain. He could feel the enormous ship he was standing on starting to turn and steering itself away from the endless fog in front.

However, it seemed like the turning speed was not enough. They were still closing in on the fog with no end. The scream of the goat head was suddenly transmitted through the bronze pipe next to the helm. “Be careful! We’re closing in on the limit of reality! We’ll be falling into the Spirit World soon! Captain! We have to…”

“I’m trying!” Duncan yelled back and interrupted the goat head. “Rather than being annoying down there, why don’t you find a way to help?”

The goat head immediately quietened down. Just as Duncan thought it would stop annoying him, the hoarse and shrilling voice suddenly cheered through the bronze pipe, “Give it your best! Give it your best! Don’t give up!”

Duncan turned to look at the bronze pipe, completely dumbfounded for a second.

Then he suddenly felt that he had lost the sense of reality in his surroundings. He had accepted the strange phenomenon that had locked him in his room, he had accepted the supernatural power on the ship, and he had even accepted the fact that the green flame was slowly burning him. Still, he couldn’t convince himself that the goat head that had been making him worry for his life would react in such a way. He knew that the goat head was abnormal from the beginning, but it was not making any sense now.

However, the thick fog closing in did not give Duncan time to think or roast the goat head. Even though the Lost Home was already turning around at a quick pace, it felt as if it was more like a car drifting instead of turning because of its vast body. It felt as if the thick fog had a conscious and was actively chasing after its pretty. Thin fogs began to spread out of its edge, spreading so fast that they almost engulfed the Lost Home instantly.

When the thin fog appeared, Duncan could feel that a strange change was occurring in his surroundings. The sunlight became even dimmer, and almost unlimited thin black lines appeared on the blue ocean water without him realizing it until now. The black lines were like hairs floating up to the surface of the water and dyed the entire ocean black so quickly that he could see it changing.

Things that Duncan could not make out, their shapes and sizes, had also begun to appear inside the thin fog.

“We’ve fallen into the Spirit World!” The goat head had stopped cheering with its hoarse voice. Duncan had no idea why, but it sounded as if the goat head was very far away, and he could faintly hear almost silent mumbles in its voice. It was as if there were a lot of voices of hatred and anger surrounding him. “But, the Lost Home has yet to fall into it completely! Captain! You have to steer the ship! It can still sail as long as we have not yet sunken into the Silent Deep Sea! We can still make it out of here!”

“I can do that if I know where I’m supposed to be heading!” Duncan silently roared. Mixed in with his voice were the crackles of the green flame, and it sounded as if it came from hell. “I don’t even know which is the right direction!”

“Trust your instinct, Captain! You have to believe in it!” the goat head yelled back through the bronze pipe. “Your instinct is way more accurate than the chart!”

Duncan became silent. A sense of helplessness took over his body, but he had no extra strength to argue with a weird goat head. Since it had told him to trust his instinct, he had decided to be bold.

He thought about the last remaining sensation he had felt just a second before the fog had swallowed him. He grabbed the helm in his hand tightly and steered the ship towards the direction he believed was the exit.

Terrifying howls could be heard coming from the entire Lost Home. The vast ship had drawn a perfect curve on the water that was completely black now. The wind was howling, and the fog was spinning, but amid the dim sunlight and thin moisture, Duncan could catch something slowly appearing among the mist in the corner of his eyes.

The next second, he quickly noticed that it was another ship. The new ship was at least a size smaller than the Lost Home, and it was a white warship with black smoke coming out of its funnel in the middle of the ship.

After drawing the perfect curve on the water due to the sudden turn, the warship had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now speeding straight toward the Lost Home. Or, to be more precise, the Lost Home was now on a collision course with the warship.

All Duncan could do when he saw that was yelling in his head. “Holy cow! I will get into an accident for speeding in the Spirit World!”

He couldn’t believe that after exploring the strange new world for so long and failing to meet another living being, another ship would suddenly appear out of nowhere at such a crucial moment. “Like, what are the chances?”

…

The wind raged, and the waves trashed. The vast ocean was exerting its terrifying power of nature. Facing the natural forces that could tear through anything, the White Oak, a steam-powered warship, was squeezing every last ounce of energy to combat death.

Laurence Creed, the White Oak captain, whose hair was already white, stood inside the warship’s bridge. He did not feel safe despite being surrounded by sturdy walls and glass windows. He had both of his hands firmly on the helm of the ship. He could faintly feel the roars and spasms of the White Oak’s struggles through the gears and connecting rod of the helm.

Through the expansive windows, he could clearly see the huge waves of the ocean. However, something else was even more terrifying than the waves, the strange thick fog, and the almost indistinctly black lightning inside the mist, approaching them from far away.

The White Oak was the most advanced steam-powered ship in the world. But, even the most advanced system could only make the warship the fastest on normal water. However, now, the ship and its captain had to face the edge of the crumbling reality and the piercing coldness radiating from the devilish palace of the evil god in the deepest part of the world.

“Captain! The priest can’t hold it any longer!”

The scream from the first mate could be heard from next to the captain. Laurance could hear the fear and shakiness in the first mate’s voice. He raised his head to look past the bridge and at the prayer table set up in front of it. Evil-looking black and purple smoke rose from the table’s incense burner. The respectable priest, who wore long dark blue robes, was trembling in front of the incense burner. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose, and his eyes switched back and forth from being sober to being crazy.

Laurence’s heart sank at that sight.

He knew that the respectable priest was still on the human’s side. He was using the last of his faith and purest soul to counter the summons from the “Abyss.” However, all was futile now. The black and purple smoke from the incense proved that his prayers had been contaminated.

Once the priest fell, every soul still sober on the ship could become a door that led toward the Silent Deep Sea and even the Subspace.

“Captain!”

The yell of the first mate could be heard again. Laurence interrupted his first mate, and determination could be seen in the middle-aged captain’s eyes. “Turn off the Holy Compass. We’re going into the Spirit World.”

The first mate’s eyes widened as if the man who had spent more than half his life on water couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “What?”

“We’re going into the Spirit World! At least, for the next 10 minutes, we’ll be able to escape from the biggest shockwave caused by the collapse, and the priest will have the chance to catch a breath!” Laurence didn’t hesitate to lay down his order again, but he explained himself a little this time. “That’s an order!”

The first mate opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but decided not to. “Yes, sir!”

The crew quickly executed their captain’s order while Laurence, still having control over the helm, took a deep breath. The Holy Compass stored deep inside the cabin was starting to go out. He could feel the shapeless force field surrounding the White Oak was beginning to weaken. Without the protection of the holy item, the ship started to sink into the Spirit World, a space between reality and the Silent Deep Sea.

Thin fogs began to appear around them as the ocean water quickly turned black.

It was a dangerous decision, but there were cases in the past where people managed to return to the living realm from the Spirit World. As a member of the Explorer’s Association, he had read records that documented such an event countless times and even the survival guides written by those who had survived the trip.

“It won’t be that bad,” Laurence said to himself. All he needed to do was steer the White Oak into the edge of the Spirit World to hide from the thunderstorm. After that, he could use the advanced steam power on the ship to perform a dangerous “Spirit World drift.” If luck was on his side, he could lead his crew back into the world of the living.

Once he returned, he would immediately hand the famed “Anomaly 099” in the storage to the archon of the City-state of Pland. He would not involve himself in the dirty works of the authorities anymore.

That was the worst that could’ve happened.

Laurence tried to calm himself down.

It was then he noticed a ship with three masts and a size bigger than the White Oak suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the horizon. The vessel moving forward suddenly turned to create a beautiful curve on the water and sailed quickly towards them.

Captain Laurence looked at what was happening ahead of him, completely stunned.

“Fu-”