Chapter 1 The Sea Song

In the substantial, viscous fog, the Sea Song's pristine white hull moved like a ghost, as if it might vanish into the boundless mist at any moment.

From some unknown time, the roar of the steam core had become a bizarre, low-pitched wail mixed with layers of echoes. Sharp whistles occasionally came from the pipes, and murmurs like a person talking in their sleep were mixed with the whistling.

"The machinery is starting to go mad..." the Tech-Priest reported to the captain on the bridge after returning from the engine room. "The effect of the soothing incense is diminishing."

"Disconnect the power shaft of the differential engine, switch all machines to manual control, and release the steam core pressure to the yellow zone—replace the boiled gold catalyst in two hours," the captain said calmly. "Shorten the rotation of personnel in the engine room to once every three hours."

"Yes, Captain." The Tech-Priest lowered his head, and for a brief moment, his voice suddenly became extremely hoarse and low, as if there was a large hole in his chest, and uncontrolled airflow was blowing out of his lungs. However, no one seemed to notice this—the priest left, and the captain, her face stern, watched the other's back before retracting her gaze.

In the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed a patch of mottled rust on the railing to the side of the captain's seat. The rust slowly expanded, as if time were passing and years were dissolving.

But the next second, the rust disappeared from sight like a phantom. She paused, and before she could react, she heard a low, blurred voice in her mind, a familiar yet chilling voice, whispering to her:

"Ah... you've come... my little fish... swim and swim... back into the current..."

The gentle sound of waves echoed in her ears, and a cold sensation, as if submerged in seawater, ran across her skin. The captain felt a trance, but suddenly, she woke up from it.

Someone was shouting in the distance, it was the ship's first mate: "Captain! There's something in the fog!"

"...Turn on the light signals and inquire about their intentions," the captain ordered immediately after a moment's thought. "Everyone, be alert, pressurize the Church boiler—this is the borderlands, do not rashly believe anything you see, it may not be the 'Lost Ship' we know."

Everyone on the bridge watched with extreme tension as the large ship gradually approached in the dense fog, but then suddenly became more and more ethereal and blurred after a certain distance, like a ghostly illusion. After a while, the captain suddenly saw a dazzling light appear near the bow of the Lost Ship—the light flickered in the fog, repeating rhythmically.

The first mate immediately took the order, and then the light groups on the Sea Song's broadside began to emit a series of signals. The regularly flashing strong light penetrated the thick fog, silently calling out in this unknown sea area on the borderlands.

"It's the Lost Ship!" the captain exclaimed in shock. "How did it appear here!?"

"That ship is coming!" "The Lost Ship!?" "Isn't it in Lightwind Harbor?!" "It's getting closer!"

Several exclamations also came from the bridge, and then the first mate quickly came to the captain's seat: "Captain, that ship is approaching us."

The captain instantly sobered up and immediately turned to look at the side of the bridge. Through the wide cabin, she suddenly saw a faint green glow gradually rising in the fog, like a huge beast slowly walking towards her. The outline of the glow gradually solidified, and outlined the silhouette of another ship in her eyes.

"Little fish... you are all doing well, now it's time to rest, don't be afraid... every tired soul has a home, if you can't go back, this is your new home..."

The captain frowned, the first hint of confusion appearing on her stern face, but soon this confusion was interrupted: she noticed in the corner of her eye that the large ship in the fog was accelerating away.

Did that ghost ship really respond to the light signal, and send a message?

Many eyes stared at the flickering light, while the captain frowned as she watched the light signal. After a moment, the first mate walked over quickly: "Captain, the Lost Ship sent a signal to salute us... that's all."

The captain did not respond. She just stared ahead, as if, at the moment the "Lost Ship" left, she suddenly saw a distant fate through the cracks in the fog.

A ship of astonishing size, with a towering bow and semi-transparent sails, sailed out of the fog. It appeared from the side and rear, light as a breeze, easily catching up with the Sea Song, which was running at full steam core power. It was always shrouded in a blurry "distortion," making it impossible to see the details on the ship, but the captain of the Sea Song still instantly recognized the distinctive features of this large ship—

"That direction is..." the first mate suddenly reacted and exclaimed softly, "Captain, the 'Lost Ship' is heading towards 'Him'!"

A low, gentle murmur echoed in her ears—

The Lost Ship's spiritual sails billowed high, accelerating silently in the thick fog. It almost instantly passed the Sea Song and sped towards the distant unknown sea, its huge silhouette quickly disappearing into the flowing mist.

A sense of tranquility, as if emanating from the soul, descended. In the slight tremor of her heart, the captain slowly closed her eyes: "...Please bear witness..."

She suddenly opened her eyes, her eyeballs covered with a layer of deathly gray, as if reflecting an endless storm: "...Bear witness to my return—my mission is not yet over."

Fragmented memories suddenly revived in her mind. The journey lost in the displaced time stream returned to her memory. She remembered the long time after crossing the border, all the trials and darkness, the lost sea at the end of the fog, the isolated island frozen in ancient time, the huge temple, the graveyard of giant beasts, and the dead god in the temple—and her homeland shrouded in night.

"...You must cross that border... cross the six nautical mile limit... They are calling out to the mortal world, go find them... take them our greetings, and bring back their news..."

Her Majesty Helena's instructions still echoed in her ears, but that seemed to be centuries ago, now only vague impressions remained.

The captain shook her head and slowly took steps towards the helm, her captain's uniform somehow weathered into messy rags. The once tidy and bright bridge had become a decaying ruin under the erosion of sea breeze and time. All the lights were extinguished, and viscous fog poured in through the broken portholes, flowing all over the bridge.

Everywhere was empty, without a trace of any crew members. Everyone seemed to have left long ago—they all remained beside the Lord, in that eternal peaceful home.

The captain crossed the empty positions, staggering on this ship that seemed to have drifted for centuries, but suddenly, she noticed a figure swaying beside the steering platform.

Hearing the movement, the figure slowly turned its head.

He was shriveled and ugly, like a corpse weathered in the sea breeze for a century, his face wrinkled and twisted into a horrifying appearance.

It was an ugly dried corpse—but soon, the captain recognized that it was her first mate.

The dried corpse opened its mouth, its voice as rough as sand rubbing together: "Captain, welcome back to this ship—it seems your retirement hasn't come yet."

"...You stayed too," the captain said—only now did she realize that her voice had become just as rough and terrifying.

"Yes, I still have work to do," the first mate grumbled. "Everyone else is resting, but I had a dream, and in the dream, a ghost ship burning with green fire popped up, and you told me to send it a signal... alas, I was awakened by that signal. I don't like that ship—the Lost Ship, it even broke the peace granted to me by God... those damned green flames, now I can no longer rest."

The captain did not pay attention to the first mate's muttering—although she found that many changes seemed to have occurred in the first mate, the dizzy head made it difficult for her to concentrate on thinking about these trivial matters—she just struggled to come to the steering platform, watching the first mate busily working there: "Can this ship still sail?"

"No," the first mate turned his head, grinning to reveal a horrifying smile, "the steam core stopped a long time ago, and the hull below has been corroded into a pile of ruins, there is no power to speak of."

"...Then what are you doing?"

"Making this ship move, Captain," the first mate said slowly, "Hold its helm, think like a ship... It will move, Captain, we will eventually pass through this endless fog and return to that damned boundless sea..."

The captain slowly sat down. She listened to the first mate's rambling, and after a long time, she spoke softly as if talking to herself: "Then I should find something to do too."

"Then I suggest you leave some records," the first mate said, "I don't know what changes will happen after crossing that border again, but there will definitely be changes. You may no longer be you, and I may continue to turn into another appearance. We may not even remember who we are or what we have done—only the sacred words can leave valuable guidance..."

Sacred words...

The captain slowly blinked her eyes, her thinking became clearer again. After a moment of hesitation, she finally reached out her hand and found something from the pocket of her tattered coat.

It was her logbook—every captain has such a thing.

It had also been washed by the years, but the paper, blessed by God, survived weathering and corrosion, and the words on it were still recognizable.

She lowered her head, took out a pencil from another pocket, and slowly left a record on a new page—

"I am Captain Karani of the Sea Song, this is a record I left on the way back...

"We found 'Him'—about half a century after crossing the six nautical mile limit."

(End of Chapter)