The massive shadow bore down, and every person aboard the white oak ship witnessed a moment that would imprint itself in their memories for life.
It was a three-masted warship that appeared ancient and majestic—In an era when steamships were no longer a rarity, the sailing warship that materialized from the dense fog seemed as old as if it had stepped right out of an oil painting from a century ago. Its masts towered high, its sides steep, the black wooden hull ablaze with ghostly green flames. The enormous sails billowed in the void, imprinted with the images of roaring phantoms and layers of fierce flames—such a scene, even upon the terrifying Endless Sea, only appeared in the scariest of maritime disaster legends.
"We're going to collide!"
Cries came from the crewmen, known for their rough and hardy dispositions. Even they lost their composure in the face of such a colossal vessel. They shouted, ran about, some trying to find shelter on deck, others clung to anything that might secure them, and still others knelt amidst the pitching and rolling seas, praying with a sincerity never before mustered, invoking the names of the Storm Goddess Gomona or The Master of Death, Bartok.
Aboard the Endless Sea, the blessings of the gods had already waned, but only these two deities continued to watch over all their children with equal regard.
But not all of the crew had lost their cool. The first officer immediately looked to his most trusted captain, knowing that on the perilous Endless Sea, the experienced captain was always key to determining the fate of the entire ship. Lawrence had been at sea for over thirty years, and though this captain past fifty might no longer possess the strength of his youth, the experience he had accumulated on these waters might yet secure a slim chance of survival for all.
The vessel that had emerged from the dense fog clearly was not a ship that sailed the realm of reality, but seemed more like something from the Spirit Realm or "even deeper." If it were some kind of Transcendent phenomenon, then perhaps it could be countered with some form of Transcendent power.
Seasoned captains sailing on the Endless Sea had at least some experience with Transcendent phenomena.
However, the first officer saw only fear and shock on the captain's face.
The old captain stood motionless at the helm, as if utterly oblivious to the ship now completely enveloped in shadow. He stared fixedly at the looming ship ahead, his facial muscles as tense as if sculpted in stone. Eventually, a few words squeezed through his clenched teeth, colder than the wind above the Chill Sea, "...It's the Homeloss..."
"Captain?!" The first officer was startled by the name that floated to his ears. Like everyone who made a living on the Endless Sea, he had also heard this name from the mouths of sailors older, more seasoned, and more superstitious than himself. "What are you saying?! That…"
"The Homeloss!!!"
Lawrence acted as if he hadn't heard the first officer's voice. He grasped the wheel of the white oak firmly as if to roar at something, his voice roaring hoarsely. And almost simultaneously as his words fell, the towering body of the Homeloss finally touched the bow of the white oak.
Almost all the sailors screamed.
Yet the ground-shaking impact they anticipated did not occur—the giant ship burning with green flames passed through like an elaborate phantom, its howling flames sweeping across the deck of the white oak, through the thick hull, the shadowy cabins, the dimly lit corridors, the dragon bones, and the pillars ablaze... The sailors' eyes widened with terror as they watched themselves collide with the phantom of the Ghost Ship, and the green flames swept past like a fiery net beside them.
Lawrence watched the flames howl towards him, but before that, he first saw them pass over the first officer—The first officer's body instantly transformed into a spectral Spiritual Body in the ethereal fire, the bones within burning like kindling. He then saw the priest by the prayer altar, the flames on his body flickering, as if the deity behind him was still protecting him from being devoured by the Homeloss with a fragile blessing.
The same flames then enveloped Lawrence. He saw his own body undergo the same transformation, and a strong sense of fatigue, submission, and fear filled him. His hidden Ocean Amulet began to take effect, maintaining his sanity with a sensation alternately burning and cooling. With the last of his sanity, he "passed through" the cabins and corridors of the Homeloss.
He was met with the oppressive ship's cabin, then it whooshed away, ancient wood pillars wrapped in decayed ropes and barnacles engulfed in green fire. He saw a vast cargo hold, silently filled with bizarre items that should have been buried deep at sea, and then a luxurious cabin with a wooden goat's head placed on the center table.
The goat head turned, regarding Lawrence's eyes with indifferent scrutiny.
Finally, Lawrence mustered all his strength to lift his head, and he saw the figure at the helm—the towering presence standing by the classic ship's wheel, draped in a black seafarer's uniform, exuded an awe-inspiring and terrifying authority like the master of nightmares, commanding all specter flames, and even the deep sea of the Spirit Realm seemed to yield before his majestic aura, as it tore open a rift behind him.
Lawrence resignedly closed his eyes—he knew that he was now part of the Homeloss, and the nightmarish captain required some sacrifices to satisfy his endless void and loneliness.
But the next second, he mustered the courage to open his eyes again, feeling as if all the bravery and madness of his life had converged into these few seconds. He recalled the knowledge he had obtained from books and legends, and calmly and sincerely watched the fearsome captain standing atop the Homeloss.
"You don't have to take everyone—take me, spare my crew," he said.
However, the towering figure did not answer. He simply cast a cold gaze in Lawrence's direction, his eyes seemingly tinged with a hint of curiosity—as if wondering why a mere mortal captain dared to negotiate with him.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Lawrence let out a roar, "They all have families!!"
The figure standing on the Homeloss finally reacted. He stared in Lawrence's direction, as if saying something, but a loud whooshing noise arose, and amidst the sound, Lawrence only vaguely heard some movements, but couldn't make out a single word.
The response from the Homeloss was swept away in the roaring of the waves—
"What did you say?! The wind is too loud, I can't hear!!"
The next second, a tumultuous noise rushed into Lawrence's ears, mixed with the sound of the wind, the sea, and the shouts of sailors outside. From the corner of his eye, he saw green flames rapidly fading away, and the last remaining phantom of the Homeloss vanished cleanly from the air like fog.
Lawrence took a deep breath and then noticed that his hands, which had been burned to a crisp by green flames, had somehow returned to their original state. Even the other people in the bridge had once again become flesh and blood. The devout priest was gasping for breath next to the prayer stand, incessantly chanting the holy name of the Storm Goddess Gomona, while the ominous purple-black smoke from the incense burner gradually dispersed, with pure white smoke rising from the brass burner cover.
It took Lawrence a while to catch his breath, and then he looked around in bewilderment, as if unable to believe the nightmare was over, until the voice of the first mate came from beside him, "Captain! The ship—the Homeloss has left!"
Lawrence was a bit dazed, and it took him a few seconds to murmur to himself, "...he actually let us go?"
The first mate didn't hear him clearly, "Captain? What did you say?"
"That Captain Duncan..." Lawrence muttered subconsciously, but then as if he had inadvertently mentioned a taboo word, he slapped himself before abruptly looking up at the first mate, "Roll call for the whole ship, now! See if anyone is missing from the ship!"
The first mate immediately nodded and was about to leave when Lawrence abruptly called out to him again, "And see if there's anyone extra on board!"
The first mate was taken aback, then realized the implication, a flash of surprise and fear in his eyes. He took a deep breath, whispered the name of the Storm Goddess, and then quickly ran out to the deck.
Aboard the White Oak, which was still sailing in Spirit Realm state, the assembly bell rang as ominously as a death knell.
(There should still be a post at noon~~)