Chapter 1 Aboard the Ghost Ship

In a uniformly gray-white “channel” that seemed to permeate the entire world, a massive, wind-powered exploration ship was sailing silently and swiftly. It was a phantom, an illusory specter – the image of the Vanishing Line superimposed on the Shining Star. Eerie green flames flickered and danced across the massive hull, and with this "mapping" established, Helmsman 077 was steering the ship toward the boundless sea.

This journey home seemed particularly long. The uniform, monotonous gray-white channel seemed to stretch on forever. Not even a whisper of wind could be heard beyond the ship's rail. No matter how long they traveled through this channel, there was no visible sign of movement. Even having experienced such "voyages" more than once, the monotony of the journey was still unbearable.

And as a professional "border exploration ship," and also a "mobile fortress" for the Sea Witches, the Shining Star had countless dangerous laboratories and workshops within, making it hardly suitable for play.

Shirley leaned listlessly on the railing, gazing at the expanse of gray-white beyond the ship, muttering, "When will we arrive... I feel like most of the time we've spent in the borderlands, including when we first set out, has been spent drifting in this gray-white space, hasn't it?"

"That's not an illusion," Nina said, leaning on the railing next to Shirley, sighing in agreement. "We really do spend most of our time drifting in this gray-white space."

"...I kind of miss the Captain," Shirley mumbled after a moment's thought.

"We haven't been separated from the Captain for that long," Ah-Gou's muffled voice came from the deck beside them. He looked up at Shirley, "And weren't you grumbling yesterday about finally not having someone nagging you to read and write every day?"

"...That's not the same thing," Shirley glanced at Ah-Gou. "And I still feel... feel... Never mind, I don't have the words."

Ah-Gou lowered his head, not pressing Shirley about what she "felt."

Just then, an unusual tremor suddenly came from below the deck, interrupting Nina, who was about to speak.

Ah-Gou instantly raised his head again, the eerie green flames in his eye sockets flickering rapidly. "Did you two feel that just now? It felt like the deck vibrated."

"Could it be that we're almost there?" Shirley said immediately, her gaze already fixed on the end of the gray-white expanse ahead. A hazy, unusual line seemed to have appeared in the distance. "Hey, it looks like something really is appearing!"

Before she could finish speaking, another, even stronger tremor came from the deck, this time shaking the entire ship. Under the illusion of the Vanishing Line, faint alarm sounds seemed to be coming from many places within the Shining Star!

Shirley was stunned. She finally realized that something seemed wrong. She exchanged a glance with Nina, and then took off running towards the bridge at the stern.

The pitch-black chains between the abyssal demons snapped taut, and before Ah-Gou could even get up, he was yanked into the air by the chains. He hopped and skipped through the air, loudly complaining, "Hey, Shirley, slow down! At least tell me! Don't be so reckless—"

But Shirley didn't pay any attention, dragging Ah-Gou as she ran wildly across the entire deck. Nina, like a leaping spark, was even faster than her.

When the two arrived at the bridge, Lucrezia was already there. The sailor who had been concentrating on steering the ship still gripped the helm tightly, but a hint of nervousness and helplessness had appeared on his face, indicating that the situation was dire.

Nina quickly stepped forward. "Miss Lucrezia, what's happening?"

"We're exiting the 'channel'," Lucrezia said quickly, her expression grave. "An early exit—we haven't returned to the boundless sea yet."

Even with Shirley's level of knowledge, after navigating the borderlands for so long, she could tell how serious this was. Her eyes widened instantly. "...Ah?! Oh crap... Isn't that the end? Exiting this channel early isn't the same as falling directly into the turbulent flow? Who knows how many years it'll take to get back..."

Lucrezia didn't respond. After a moment of thought, she turned to the sailor. "What's the situation now? Can we still control it?"

"No, the channel is still 'collapsing,' and we're about to exit the route—it's as if some massive 'object' is interfering with it," the sailor said quickly. "I can only control the ship's stability. Get ready, we're about to exit!"

Almost the moment Helmsman 077 finished speaking, a tremor even stronger and more sudden than the previous two swept through the Shining Star—as if the entire ship had been thrown from a height of dozens of meters onto the sea. In the resounding crash, even Lucrezia nearly fell to the ground. At the same time, the uniform gray-white "channel" seemed to be torn apart by the crash, vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

Boundless, chaotic mist instantly filled the surroundings. A sea surface as smooth as a mirror appeared beyond the ship's rail. The Shining Star had fallen into a "sea area" shrouded in mist, making it impossible to discern direction, with no landmarks, and no way to determine its location.

Shirley looked at the distance, still shaken. Seeing the border sea's signature dense fog, she let out a long sigh. "Oh crap, we're still in the borderlands after all..."

"What's worse is that we're not just in the borderlands, but beyond the six-mile limit of the borderlands," Lucrezia frowned, observing the flow of the surrounding mist, her tone becoming increasingly solemn. "If we were within the six-mile limit, we might still be able to contact the civilized world's radio signals, or at least have a chance to return to the boundless sea by 'navigation,' but beyond the six-mile limit..."

The sailor muttered, "This time, 'direction' is completely useless."

Agatha's hazy, illusory figure appeared on the deck. Having learned of the current situation, she came to inquire about the next steps. "Ms. Lucrezia, should we temporarily解除失乡号的投影 (jiechu shixiang hao de touying - dispel the projection of the Vanishing Line)?"

"...No, maintain it for now," Lucrezia shook her head after a moment's thought. "Although it's just a projection, it's still a shadow of the Vanishing Line, which can provide some protection for the Shining Star in this strange sea area... Is it a big burden for you?"

"I have no problem," Agatha shook her head. "It's easy to maintain for a few more days. But ultimately, we can't maintain it indefinitely."

"...I understand." Lucrezia nodded lightly. Just then, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

In the depths of the mist, a fleeting glimmer of light appeared, seeming like a ship's lamp... or perhaps just a fleeting hope?

"There's something over there!" Shirley seemed to have seen it too. She immediately jumped up, pointing excitedly into the distance. "There's something flashing!"

"Head over there," Lucrezia said, putting away her hesitation. After a brief deliberation, she nodded.

Frankly, she wasn't sure if this decision was a bit rash.

After all, this was the borderlands, and beyond the six-mile limit. Without the protection of the four God nodes, and without the spacetime protection brought by the "navigation route," anything that appeared here could be a deadly threat—even just a wisp of wind, a line of illusion, or a quietly transmitted call and whisper.

When exploring the borderlands, rashly approaching unknown entities was a very dangerous thing.

But now there seemed to be no choice. The Shining Star had exited the channel early, and the ship was completely lost beyond the boundary line. The surrounding boundless mist and the potentially occurring fractured timelines were as dangerous as those strange "entities," or even more dangerous.

In this situation, the entity appearing in the mist might be "flotsam" that had drifted from within the six-mile limit. Contacting it might actually lead to finding an entrance back to the boundless sea.

Covered in spirit fire phantoms, the Shining Star slowly adjusted its angle. Under the cautious control of the sailor, it began to approach the light appearing in the depths of the mist almost silently.

As the distance gradually closed, the glimmer in the depths of the mist didn't disappear, but became more and more real.

Lucrezia breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but feel another surge of tension.

The light was not an illusion, but an entity—there was indeed something drifting in the mist in that direction. But an "entity" that could drift in this border sea area beyond the six-mile limit...

What kind of damned, cursed thing could it be?

The witch turned her head to look in the direction of the deck.

Hopefully, with the Vanishing Line's phantom blessing, plus the Shining Star's own firepower and various special powers, they could deal with that thing.

The important mission her father had entrusted to her was not yet complete, and she didn't want to lose her life for some inexplicable reason on the way home.

The others also came out of the cabins and gathered on the stern deck. In Shirley and Nina's brief explanations, they quickly understood the situation and began to watch the light that was gradually becoming clearer in the mist with apprehension.

Then, as if the mist suddenly thinned, the light and the outline behind it became clear almost in an instant.

With the aid of the lens assembly, Morris was the first to see clearly the outline behind the light, and the expression on his face instantly became subtle.

It was a ship.

A border exploration ship with distinctive paddle wheel power units and a ghostly half-body.

It was the Shining Star.

The deck instantly fell silent. After a brief delay, many gazes finally fell on Lucrezia.

"...Looks a bit familiar," Shirley muttered.

Lucrezia finally reacted from her shock. She suddenly understood—

"That's the Shining Star... from a long time ago, the time I crossed the six-mile limit."

(End of this chapter)