Chapter 114 The Island

It was an island with a winding coastline and rocky cliffs, shrouded in a layer of mist, its details obscured. One could only vaguely make out the undulating terrain and bizarre silhouettes hidden in the fog, resembling jagged rocks or collapsed buildings.

It appeared abruptly, almost as if it had materialized out of thin air near the White Oak.

"What is that?" the first mate asked in astonishment, staring at the silhouette of the island on the distant sea. The tension and fear brought about by the sudden return of the concept of the "sun" had not yet subsided, and now he saw a suddenly appearing island, causing even this old sea dog, who had dealt with the boundless sea for many years, to tremble slightly. "An island… is there such an island near Frost? Is there such an island on our planned route?"

"There is no planned route anymore. The White Oak is sailing in an area of anomalous seas—we are far from the real world, and it is normal to see anything," Lawrence's steady voice came, as if carrying the power to calm people's minds. Despite being astonished by the disappearance of the "sun" just a moment ago, the old captain now seemed completely calm. "As for the island… there is a 'Dagger Island' near Frost, but I'm not sure if it's it… It doesn't quite match the identification charts."

"What should we do?" the first mate turned his head. "Should we approach it? Or stay away from it?"

Lawrence fell silent, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The island had appeared suddenly, right after he and the first mate had suddenly realized the concept of the "sun." Was its appearance related to cognitive correction?

The island was shrouded in fog. Was it real fog, or an illusion produced by cognitive bias?

Was the island stationary? Could the White Oak really get away from it? If the appearance of the island was "intentional," then no matter how the White Oak ran, it might continue to appear in front of the ship.

But in any case, from a cautious point of view, it should not be approached rashly.

"Steer around it," Lawrence said in a deep voice. "Go around on the left, and move away at full speed."

"Aye, Captain!"

The first mate ran quickly to the bridge. A moment later, a loud whistle sounded over the White Oak. Lawrence felt the ship under his feet begin to turn, and the steam engine deep in the hull was roaring with powerful force.

Many sailors had noticed the suddenly appearing island. Some people approached the edge of the deck, gazing nervously at the misty island in the distance. And in full view, the island was gradually left behind the White Oak and moved away.

Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk towards the bridge as well.

His footsteps suddenly stopped.

A figure appeared in his field of vision—wearing a female captain's uniform, with slightly curly long hair scattered behind her head, arms crossed, and a slight smile on her face.

"Remember what I said?" the figure spoke, her tone full of helplessness. "You really should retire. Don't wait until I appear on your ship before you start to regret it… Lawrence, you're old."

"Martha…" Lawrence subconsciously called out the name. Immediately afterward, he quickly reached into his pocket, wanting to take out the bottle of potion.

At the same time, astonishment filled his mind—why so fast? Why did the effect of the potion fade so early? It had only been a day since Martha last appeared… had the duration of the potion become so short?

He felt his palm trembling, and his arm was also trembling. He finally touched the bottle of potion, but just as he was about to open it, a hand suddenly rested on his arm.

Without knowing when, Martha had come to his side. She reached out, pressing on the old captain's arm, with a worried expression on her face.

"The medicine doesn't work anymore, you actually know that," Martha said softly. "If you drink it now, I will leave for a little while, and then reappear. If you drink a whole bottle, I will leave for longer, but I will still appear… Lawrence, the medicine doesn't work."

"I… I don't understand…" Lawrence blinked hesitantly. He looked at the most familiar face in his memory, but only felt a cold breath spreading in his heart. "I know my condition, and the psychiatrist is also a highly skilled expert, but why…"

"Your mind is being affected, Lawrence, haven't you felt it? This sea area is affecting you," Martha said softly—it might have been Martha's voice, or it might have been Lawrence's own subconscious speaking. Obviously, in his subconscious, the experienced old captain had already noticed some truths. "As you stay here, your mind is deteriorating faster. Be careful, Lawrence, you are already in the middle of the sea…"

"How should I leave here?" Lawrence asked subconsciously. Unconsciously, he had released the potion bottle in his hand.

The small bottle fell on the deck, making a crisp cracking sound. Half a bottle of potion flowed out, mixing with the accumulated water on the deck, indistinguishable from each other.

Lawrence lowered his head, staring blankly at the broken potion bottle.

Martha was still holding his arm, and said softly: "Go to Frost…"

Lawrence was startled, as if waking up from a dream. He raised his head, but saw that there was no one beside him—only some residual heat remained on his arm.

A burst of rapid footsteps suddenly came from not far away. Lawrence looked up and saw the first mate walking quickly towards him.

"Captain, we've 'shaken off' that island," the first mate said quickly, but then he raised his head and looked around curiously, as if looking for something. "Who was with you just now? Was that also a sailor on the ship?"

"You must have seen wrong. I was alone the whole time…" Lawrence said subconsciously, but stopped halfway and suddenly raised his head to stare at the first mate. "What did you say? Someone was with me just now?!"

"Yes, just now standing next to you, it looked like a lady—but I didn't see clearly," the first mate said with a slightly dazed expression. "Could I have seen wrong?"

Lawrence widened his eyes. The way his eyes widened even frightened the first mate. After several seconds, he suddenly said: "You can see her?!"

The first mate swallowed subconsciously. He didn't know why his captain had this reaction: "...I did see her."

As soon as he finished speaking, the experienced sailor seemed to have thought of something, and his face became tense: "Wait, was that an illusion just now? Was I affected?"

"That was indeed an illusion… but theoretically it should be an illusion that only I can see," Lawrence's face became extremely ugly. He waved his hand, signaling the other party not to be too frightened, but his mind was a mess. "It shouldn't be, it shouldn't be…"

The old captain raised his head, looking around in a daze, as if he still wanted to find Martha's figure.

And in his mind, everything seemed to be mixed together—reality, illusion, memories, delusions…

Everything in reality and illusion seemed to have no boundaries here. The phantom that theoretically only he could see also appeared in the eyes of others. The false was becoming real, so what about the real?

Was this sea area real? Was the White Oak real?

What the hell was this place?

Lawrence was in a state of confusion, but suddenly, a sailor's cry came from somewhere on the deck, interrupting his wild thoughts.

A sailor had discovered something on the sea.

Lawrence and the first mate exchanged a glance, and the two ran quickly towards the side of the ship. Soon, they saw the thing that caused the sailor's exclamation—

An island appeared in front of the White Oak's side, with a winding coastline and towering stone cliffs, shrouded in mist…

The island appeared again.

"…That island can move…" The first mate swallowed nervously. The worst guess had become a reality before his eyes. "It's catching up…"

"It's also possible that we've been going around in circles all along, and this sea area is full of 'curtains' that can briefly obscure our vision," Lawrence said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the island. "It's even possible that 'Frost' is right next to us now…"

The first mate looked at the captain in astonishment. He didn't know why the old captain would suddenly mention the word "Frost," but he quickly calmed down and asked: "Captain, what should we do this time? Continue to steer around it?"

Lawrence fell silent, thinking quickly for a moment.

Martha's words whispered in his ear still lingered in his mind—

"Go to Frost."

That island was certainly not the city-state of Frost, but its repeated appearances near the White Oak might already be a kind of "guidance."

Not long ago, he had led the White Oak to hastily "escape" the Frost city-state, which exuded a strange atmosphere, but was subsequently trapped in this strange sea area. And now, "Martha" was guiding him again, telling him to "go to Frost."

Before him was a strange island that exuded an even more bizarre atmosphere—it had suddenly appeared beside the White Oak twice in a row.

Which choice was the right one?

"…We'll approach that island."

(End of Chapter)