"Ed, I'll take over. You should go and rest now."

Ed sat in the watchtower, wrapped in a warm quilt and talking with Lucilia until he felt his eyelids grow heavy. Unaware of how much time had passed, he was too lazy to even check his pocket watch.

In the darkness, the perception of time fluctuated wildly, depending entirely on what one was doing.

Hearing Elena's voice, Ed stood up, stretched his stiff muscles, and looked down. "Okay, I'm coming down now." He slid down the rope.

Once on deck, he couldn't help but ask, "What happened earlier? I saw Hamo being carried in from up there."

He turned his head to glance at the infirmary door not far away.

"Hamo was affected by dark corruption. His mind was compromised, but he's much better now and is resting."

Hearing this, Ed, who had originally intended to check on him, stopped in his tracks.

It was best not to disturb him. Especially if Vanessa saw him, she would definitely tease him, which wouldn't feel good for either him or his little brother. Considering he hadn't touched a woman since entering this damned Dark Region, if things went south, he might not be able to stop himself. His cheap captain might end up wearing a green hat before Vanessa could properly hook up with her.

Pushing aside thoughts of his "little brother," Ed pushed open the captain's cabin door and went inside.

Everyone was present except for Elena, who had taken his watch. Sankaka, Vanessa (who he'd assumed would be in the infirmary), and Gami were playing cards boisterously, while Andre and Jason were examining something on the table.

There was no more data to analyze; their knowledge was limited, and further exploration would only be possible after reaching their destination.

Seeing Ed enter, Andre looked up, rubbed his temples, and said, "We should reach our destination in two days. Remember to prepare."

Ed walked over, sat in a nearby chair, and nodded.

He took out the unfinished horror novel he had been reading to pass the time. Although the writers in this world lacked creativity, often stuffing their work with unnecessary vulgar content, readers seemed to like it. The authors didn't hesitate to include it, even if it ruined the story, as long as it made money and satisfied their audience.

The only sounds in the captain's cabin were the rustling of documents and the turning of pages.

The readers didn't find the noise annoying; in fact, they preferred it. Otherwise, the silence could lull one to sleep.

Sailing at sea was inherently boring, especially without beautiful company to warm the bed.

Sailing in complete darkness was more than boring; the darkness, silence, and fear of the unknown were nearly maddening.

Ding ding ding!

The sound of a bell rang from the deck outside.

Hearing it, everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed out without hesitation.

The instant Ed rushed out, he pulled his gun from his inventory, and a magic card appeared in his other hand. He immediately assumed a fighting stance.

"Stop!"

The moment he emerged, Andre keenly discerned why the bell had rung.

"Gami, turn off the lights!"

Hearing Andre's warning, Gami rushed out and immediately obeyed.

The ship's illuminators instantly went out, plunging them into darkness.

But the darkness wasn't empty; it revealed what had made Andre so vigilant.

In the distance, a faint, eerie light was slowly moving across the sea.

It was a dilapidated ship, emitting a faint white glow and trailing mist as it sailed. Its sails were riddled with holes, and the sternpost was broken. The wooden planks were dented and full of large holes.

This was an abandoned wreck.

"That's a ghost ship. Wait quietly for it to leave. Don't attract their attention."

Hearing Andre's soft command, everyone held their breath, trying not to make a sound.

On the watchtower, Elena saw the actions below and shrank back, peeking out to observe quietly.

She watched as the ghostly ship sailed toward their right. Fortunately, it wasn't heading directly for them, though it would pass nearby. At its closest, it was less than 500 meters away.

In the open sea, this was no longer a safe distance, especially since neither vessel was ordinary. With their eyesight, they could even see ghostly figures moving about weirdly on the ship. Some skeletal monsters clung to the sails, pulling on ropes like humans.

@&%=…

"What's that sound?"

Ed frowned and looked around, trying to see who was making noise after Andre had told everyone to be silent.

However, a few seconds later, the strange sound rang in his ears again.

Who was singing?

Ed heard singing, softly vocalized in an unknown language, ethereal yet moving, each note penetrating his ears, seeming to seep into his soul.

As the sound continued, the singing grew increasingly agitated, causing Ed to furrow his brow. His mind grew weary. His heart warned him that something was wrong, that he was in trouble, but his brain somehow convinced him it was fine and he should just enjoy the beautiful voice.

"Darkness is gathering around you, Ed. Wake up!"

Suddenly, Lucilia's worried voice sounded in his mind, snapping Ed from his daze. He quickly shook his head, and the singing instantly weakened.

Ed instinctively opened his mouth to ask Lucilia a question, but immediately remembered that Andre and the others were nearby. Everything was too silent; even a little noise would be heard. He shut his mouth.

The previously faint singing began to grow stronger again.

"This is too dangerous for you... Quickly, close your eyes. Channel your magic into the mirror. Let me help you."

Hearing Lucilia's voice, Ed slowly channeled his magic into the mirror.

He then felt Lucilia seize the opportunity, flying out along the path of his magic and instantly overlapping with him. It was as if she had entered his body, penetrating his soul , similar to how ghosts possess people in stories.

As Lucilia entered him, Ed clearly felt the singing disappear, as if a magical barrier had formed around his soul. The agitated murmurs vanished before he could react, and his slightly dazed mind returned to normal.

"Is this a boy's body? How strange... What is the thing between your legs? Is that male genitalia? So odd. No wonder you can pee standing up... Oh, it can also grow big. Weird... But how does it work?"

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