The Blue Fist sailed on.

Ahead lay a world of darkness, the sky shrouded in thick, dark clouds that blocked every ray of sunlight. Behind them, however, was a world of light, with the sun hanging high and casting its bright radiance.

A curved line divided the world, splitting day and night. This breathtaking sight left everyone on deck speechless, as if they had stepped into the angular space between the sun and moon. The divine spectacle moved them deeply.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Hearing Andre's words, everyone nodded in agreement.

As the ship crossed the dividing line, they entered a Dark Region. The light behind them slowly receded. It wasn't entirely dark yet, as some light still penetrated the gloom.

Upon entering, Ed clearly felt the ship's speed decrease.

"The speed has dropped?"

Hearing Ed's words, Andre nodded seriously. "The sea breeze here is weak, and a dark power lingers in the water below. Though dispersed, it still drags on the hull, slowing us down."

Hearing this, Ed looked at the sea. Even with the distant light behind them, the water was pitch black, like a gaping maw swallowing the abyss, incredibly eerie.

As the ship entered the complete darkness, the world became pitch black, with only a bright line visible in the distance behind them. Lanterns already hung on the sides and masts shone with a white light, emanating from the illuminating stones installed within.

In Andre's words, a faint flame would struggle to pierce the darkness here. Therefore, expensive illuminating stones were used as consumables, arguably the main expense for exploring the Dark Region. A palm-sized stone emitted enough light to push back the surrounding gloom.

Ed could even see the runes carved on the sails, sides, and deck flickering slightly. The ship was likely activating its unknown functions.

"This place is terrifying!"

Lucilia, who had been hiding in Ed's mirror necklace, suddenly popped out. She clung to his back, hugging him tightly like a frightened kitten. "The air here is filled with a strange power that seems to corrupt souls like mine."

After observing the surrounding darkness for a few moments, she decided it was not safe for her soul to stay outside and quickly disappeared back into the necklace. Her voice still echoed from within. "I won't come out until you leave. The darkness here seems to corrode souls and transform them into evil spirits."

Hearing this, Ed simply nodded; it wasn't convenient to talk to himself here. He felt a twinge of sadness—now he couldn't even admire her breathtaking form in his free time, which for someone with his proclivities was no small torture.

At that moment, Gami came beside Ed in his machine body, using several tentacles to examine the various runes on the ship.

"What are these runes for?" Ed asked curiously.

Hearing this, Gami didn't look up from his work but replied, "These are protective runes from the Church of the Holy Mother, representing blessing and sanctuary. They're typically used in nurseries to protect infants. Here, they shield this space, preventing the darkness from affecting the crew."

Ed nodded; this must be what his cheap captain meant by not leaving the ship unnecessarily.

Just then, the tall Sankaka emerged from the cabin. He walked over and sat heavily on the deck, bracing his hands against the ship's edge. Anyone could see his mood was poor. For a fishman, being unable to enter the sea was like Ed standing before a luxurious brothel, with all kinds of beauties waiting, but being unable to enter.

Due to his immense height, he had to bend over completely to touch the edge, making it look like everyone else was standing.

"To be honest, I hate coming to this place," he complained.

"Why do you say that?" Jason asked curiously, making everyone roll their eyes and wonder if he was truly that forgetful.

Ed slapped the back of his head. "Idiot, there's dark power in the seawater. He'll be affected if he touches it."

"Oh, oh!" Jason suddenly realized. "Hahaha, sorry, I forgot about that."

"It hasn't even been two minutes since Dad explained it. How could you forget?" Elena asked, dumbfounded, wondering if Jason had hit his head as a child.

"Sigh, I'm going back to rest. I feel uncomfortable here. Call me if you need anything." With that, Sankaka walked back to the cabin, head down. He would now use the proper entrance to his room instead of jumping directly into the sea and using his exclusive underwater hatch.

Watching him leave, Ed suddenly remembered something and asked Gami, "Wait, isn't his room connected to the seawater below? Won't that be a problem?"

Gami, who was maintaining the ship's spells, replied casually, "Don't worry. The first thing I did was install a filter for him. It excludes the dark power and allows normal seawater to flow into his room."

Ed nodded in understanding.

The vast sea area, the slow voyage, and the pitch-black path meant there was even less to do. One could imagine the boredom. It was only the second day, and the crew members reviewing documents in the captain's cabin were already feeling the strain.

Elena, who was usually quite active, was now slumped weakly on the table, making strange noises every once in a while.

"If you have nothing to do, go wipe the deck. Don't make strange noises in here," Andre said coldly, looking at his daughter and shaking his head.

"No, our ship cleans itself daily. It's even more boring and depressing outside. I get goosebumps seeing nothing but darkness; it's chilling."

The deck was pitch black, as were the surroundings. No one was sure what lurked within that darkness, and no one had the guts to wander the deck casually as before.

The people checking and recording data at the table, though appearing to work hard, moved robotically with listless eyes. They simply had nothing else to do to pass the time. Andre forced them to spend time together so they wouldn't lose their minds under the influence of the surrounding dark power. In the Dark Region, loneliness could be very dangerous.

After a moment of thought, Ed, who had been reading a random adventure story for lack of anything better—took out a deck of cards he had bought from the market. Although card games existed in this world, they weren't as developed or interesting as in his previous life. One could still learn and develop them, however.

"I'll teach you a new way to play cards."

"Okay, okay!" Elena, bored out of her mind, immediately sat up straight, her face beaming with joy. Whether it was fun didn't matter; she just wanted to kill time.

Ed explained the rules to Elena and Jason, and the three played a demonstration round. Within an hour or two, everyone had become proficient.

"Haha, a royal flush! I'm out, right? Ah, you're out? My turn!"

"A straight. I'm out, I'm done."

Jason laughed, blowing on the paper strips covering his face as they fluttered. Finally winning a round, he felt triumphant. Most others had one or two strips stuck to their faces, but none compared to Jason. He tore off a strip and stuck it hard on Andre's forehead, then pressed another onto Vanessa's, practically wanting to embed them.

"Jason finally won a round. That wasn't easy," Elena teased.

"Yes, being an idiot can indeed be very frustrating," Ed nodded seriously while collecting the cards.

Only Ed, relying on superior skill, because the others were still learning, had just two paper strips on his face despite multiple wins, smiling as he watched the fun. He had taught them poker from his previous life. The combination of boredom, novelty, and more interesting gameplay quickly made it the preferred entertainment, finally helping them pass the time.

After sitting in the cabin for several hours, Ed felt somewhat numb. "I'm going out for some fresh air," he said, standing up and pushing open the wooden door to the deck.

Looking out at the completely dark world, only the faint sound of waves could be heard. Without moonlight to pierce the gloom, it was as if ink had been splashed across the world. If not for the ship's autopilot function—advanced enough to automatically avoid reefs with the help of its runes, sailing here would be unimaginably dangerous. For ordinary fortune-seekers, peril lurked everywhere, but for the prepared, it was greatly reduced.

Ed went to the ship's edge, enjoying the sea breeze in the darkness, though each glance at the sea made him feel as if he were in space, fearing that if he fell he might never get back. He stretched lazily a few minutes later, ready to return.

Suddenly, Ed frowned; he caught a faint, fishy odor in the air.

"Danger! Get away!" Lucilia's voice shouted from the necklace.

Hearing this, Ed didn't hesitate and rolled backward several times. As he moved, a long, thin tentacle lashed from the darkness. It didn't slam directly onto the deck but struck a thin layer of white light, a shield. With the impact, Ed could see the suckers covering the tentacle, resembling those of an octopus or squid.

The attack startled everyone on the ship. Andre and Jason quickly ran out from the captain's cabin, the notes stuck to their faces still waving in the wind, looking comical against their serious expressions.

"It's a sea monster! Gami!" Andre shouted.

Hearing this, Gami nodded without hesitation. He controlled the two stone-shaker cannons on the lower fire deck to fire. However, the surroundings were too dark, and the cannonballs clearly missed. The sea monster was clever, showing no intention of getting close, only attacking occasionally with its tentacles. The shield's energy was visibly waning, glowing dimly.

"I can't see! It's too dark!" Gami called out.

Hearing this, Andre produced a monocular telescope and tossed it to him. Gami caught it and placed it against his eye socket. Finally, through the lens, he could see clearly in the darkness.

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