Chapter 1 The Approaching Shadow

The massive shadow bore down, and everyone aboard the White Oak witnessed a moment they would never forget.

It was a three-masted warship, ancient and imposing—in an era where steamships were no longer a rarity, this sailing vessel emerging from the thick fog seemed to have stepped out of a century-old painting. Its masts were towering, its hull steep, the black wooden shell ablaze with ghostly green fire. The immense sails billowed in the void, each one a vortex of screaming phantoms and layers of flame. Such a scene, even on the fearsome Endless Sea, only appeared in the most terrifying legends of maritime disaster.

"It's going to hit us!!!"

A crewman cried out in alarm. These men, known for their courage and gruffness, lost their composure when faced with such a behemoth. They shouted, ran, some searching the deck for a place to hide, others clutching anything that could anchor them. Some even knelt in the rolling waves, praying with unprecedented fervor and reciting the names of the Storm Goddess Germona or the Death Lord Bartok.

On the Endless Sea, the blessings of the gods had waned, but the power of these two true gods could still equally watch over all their subjects.

But not all the crew lost their cool. The ship's first mate immediately turned to the captain, the man he trusted most. He knew that sailing the Endless Sea was fraught with peril, and an experienced captain was always the key to determining the fate of the entire ship. Lawrence had been at sea for over thirty years. The old captain, past fifty, might not be as strong as he once was, but his experience surviving on this ocean might still buy everyone a chance at life.

The ship emerging from the fog clearly wasn't a normal vessel sailing in the real world, but rather something that had crawled out of the spirit world or the "deeper reaches." If it was some kind of supernatural phenomenon, then perhaps it could be fought with some kind of supernatural power.

Old captains who sailed the Endless Sea had some experience dealing with supernatural phenomena.

However, the first mate saw only fear and shock on the captain's face.

The old captain stood motionless, gripping the helm, as if he hadn't noticed that the entire ship was already shrouded in shadow. He stared intently at the looming silhouette directly ahead, his facial muscles as taut as a stone carving. He finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, words colder than the frigid sea: "...The Forsaken Ship..."

"Ship... Captain?!" The first mate was startled by the name he heard. Like everyone who made a living on the Endless Sea, he had heard the name from many older, more experienced, and more superstitious crewmen. "What did you say?! That..."

"The Forsaken Ship!!!"

Captain Lawrence seemed not to hear the first mate's voice. He simply gripped the White Oak's helm with all his might, roaring as if to shout at something. Almost as soon as he spoke, the Forsaken Ship's towering hull finally made contact with the White Oak's bow.

Almost all the sailors screamed.

However, the earth-shattering collision they expected never happened. The giant ship burning with green flames was like a grand illusion, sweeping across the deck of the White Oak with howling light and phantoms. Thick hulls, eerie cabins, dimly lit corridors, burning dragon bones and pillars... The sailors stared in terror, watching themselves crash into the phantom of the ghost ship, the green flames burning on the ghost ship like a net of fire, sweeping past them.

Lawrence also watched helplessly as the flames roared towards him, but before that, he first saw the flames sweep past the first mate in front of him—the first mate's body suddenly transformed into a ghostly spirit in the illusory flames, the bones in the spirit burning like firewood. He also saw the pastor next to the prayer platform in front of him, the flames on the pastor flickering, as if the god behind him was still using meager blessings to protect him from being devoured by the Forsaken Ship.

Then the flames burned on Lawrence as well. He saw the same changes happening to his body, and a strong sense of weariness, obedience, and fear filled his entire body. The ocean amulet he carried began to work, a feeling of alternating heat and coolness barely maintaining his sanity. In his remaining sanity, he "passed through" the cabins and corridors of the Forsaken Ship.

A gloomy and oppressive cabin rushed towards him, then howled away. Rotting ropes and barnacles were wrapped around the ancient wooden pillars burning with green fire. He saw a huge cargo hold, in which all kinds of strange things that should have been buried in the deep sea were lying quietly. He also saw a luxurious cabin, with a wooden goat's head placed on a table in the center of the cabin.

The goat's head turned and stared coldly into Lawrence's eyes.

Finally, Lawrence mustered all his strength and raised his head. He saw the figure holding the helm—next to the classical rudder, the tall figure wearing a black navigator's uniform was as majestic and terrifying as the master of nightmares. That figure dominated all the ghostly flames, and even the sea, which was already in the depths of the spirit world, seemed to be subdued by his power, tearing a rift behind him.

Lawrence closed his eyes in resignation—he knew that he was now part of the Forsaken Ship, and that nightmare-like captain needed some sacrifices to satisfy his endless emptiness and loneliness.

But the next second, he braced himself and opened his eyes again. He felt that all the courage and madness in his life seemed to converge in these few seconds. He recalled the knowledge he had gained from books and legends, and looked at the terrifying captain standing on the Forsaken Ship with an attitude as frank and calm as possible.

"You don't have to take everyone away—take me, and let my crew go."

However, the tall figure did not answer. He simply cast a cold gaze over, with a hint of curiosity—as if he was curious why a tiny mortal captain dared to bargain with him.

Lawrence finally couldn't help but roar, "They all have wives, children, and parents to take care of!!"

The figure standing on the Forsaken Ship finally reacted. He stared in Lawrence's direction, seeming to say something, but a loud whistling sound rang out from the side. In the whistling sound, Lawrence only vaguely heard some movements, but couldn't hear a single word clearly.

The response from the Forsaken Ship dissipated in the howling of the waves—

"What did you say?! The wind's too strong, I can't hear you!!"

The next second, a huge clamor rushed into Lawrence's ears, mixed with the sound of wind, waves, and the shouts of the sailors outside the door. The corner of his eye saw the green flames fading away quickly, and the last remaining phantom of the Forsaken Ship disappeared from the air like mist.

Lawrence took a deep breath, and then noticed that his hands, which had been burned out by the green flames, had returned to their original state. Everyone else in the cockpit had also turned back into flesh and blood. The devout pastor was lying next to the prayer platform, gasping for breath, while constantly reciting the holy name of the Storm Goddess Germona. The ominous purple-black dust in the censer gradually dissipated, and pure white smoke rose from the copper furnace cover.

It took Lawrence a long time to catch his breath, and then he looked around in surprise and uncertainty, as if he didn't believe that the nightmare had ended, until the first mate's voice came from the side, "Captain! That ship—the Forsaken Ship has left!"

Lawrence was a little dazed, and it took him a few seconds to react before he muttered to himself, "...He actually let us go?"

The first mate didn't hear clearly for a moment, "Captain? What did you say?"

"That Captain Duncan..." Lawrence muttered subconsciously, but then slapped himself as if he had accidentally mentioned some taboo word. Then he suddenly raised his head and looked at the first mate, "Call the roll for the whole ship, quickly! See if anyone is missing!"

The first mate nodded immediately to obey, but as soon as he was about to leave, Lawrence immediately stopped him again, "Also check if there's anyone new on board!"

The first mate was stunned for a moment, then he reacted, with a hint of surprise and fear in his eyes. He took a deep breath, whispered the name of the Storm Goddess, and then ran quickly to the deck outside.

On the White Oak, which was still sailing in the spiritual realm, the sound of the assembly bell rang like a death knell.

(In theory, there will be more at noon~~)