We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 152 Miss Ghost Awakens, Target: [Cold Sea]!
Many years ago...

On the continent lies a kingdom called "Turin".

Although this kingdom has a king and nobles, the true power class is a group of knights who take it upon themselves to protect its glory.

One day, a couple in the Kingdom of Turin found a seven- or eight-year-old, speechless elf child.

Out of kindness, the couple took the initiative to raise the child, providing him with food and shelter, and teaching him common sense and knowledge.

[Their good fortune didn't last long; just the year after the couple found the elf, their town was robbed by a group of bandits.]

Although a nearby knightly family arrived in time and annihilated the bandits, the couple were still killed in the chaos of battle.

Fortunately, the knight who led the army was a good man. He took pity on the lonely and helpless elf and brought her back to his family.

But the kind-hearted knight was unaware that this was the beginning of a nightmare for his family.

From that day onward, members of the family and their servants began to die mysteriously one after another.

Some drowned in the river, some fell to their deaths from heights, some suddenly fell seriously ill with strange illnesses, and some died from accidentally ingesting poisonous food...

The strange thing is that there was no connection between these deaths; they seemed like purely unfortunate accidents.

In an instant, the shadow of death loomed over this knightly family.

The clan patriarch refused to believe such a coincidence, so he sought help from the kingdom's most powerful figures. The final conclusion was... they were afflicted with a "curse of misfortune"!

After several investigations, they identified the source of the misfortune—the orphaned elf who had been brought into the family.

Realizing that his actions had caused the deaths of so many of his people, the kind-hearted knight was overcome with grief and was eventually found dead in his room, having committed suicide.

Having gone through all this, the elven orphan was naturally seen as a scourge by his family.

However, being self-proclaimed knights of honor, they did not execute the elf in private, nor did they treat him unjustly. Instead, they handed him over to the Knights of the Round Table of the kingdom, hoping to break this terrible curse.

Ultimately, the knights came up with a solution...

[Give the elf a specially made suit of armor to isolate it from the power of misfortune.]

Meanwhile, they began training the elf to become a knight.

At this point, Ann's pen paused slightly, but he quickly continued writing.

If the story ended here, it might not be so bad.

But where there is light, there is shadow; even in the kingdom of Turin, ruled by knights, there were those who coveted the doomed power within the elves.

They deliberately sent the elves to countries hostile to the Kingdom of Turin, allowing them to make contact with powerful figures and important nobles in those kingdoms.

The death of every important figure causes turmoil within the country, and the Kingdom of Turin uses this opportunity... to launch a war!

With the help of this secret weapon, the Kingdom of Turin defeated several powerful enemies in succession and continued to expand its territory.

Furthermore, elves have long lifespans, meaning this tool can be used for a very, very long time.

Over the next few centuries, cities and countries were ravaged by war, and in retrospect, the Kingdom of Turin had risen to become a vast empire on the continent.

Ironically, people both wield this forbidden power and fear it.

Therefore, they dared not even allow elves to embark on the path of the secret path seekers, and after the empire conquered, they sealed the elves away.

When the elf awoke again, she found a new world submerged by the sea.

An wrote dense text on sheets of paper.

He wrote slowly, and Shane read it very carefully.

After reading all the content, Shane fell into a brief silence.

He had suspected before that Ann's background was not simple, but he never expected it to be this complicated.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Turin?
Isn't this the kingdom described in the scepter?

But given such treatment, why would Ann still adhere to the so-called code of chivalry and embark on the secret path of "knighthood"?

Looking at the tall, silent Ann in front of him, Xia En already knew the answer in his heart.

Perhaps, during those years when she was treated as a tool, Ann needed to grasp something as a pillar for her soul.

Just like a drowning person, they will hold on tightly to even a broken straw.

On the other hand, treating oneself as a tool to serve the master, using "loyalty" to convince oneself and alleviate the guilt in one's heart, is also a helpless and self-protective method.

Thinking of this, Xia En looked at An and said in a very serious and earnest tone.

"An, this is not your fault."

"The ones who are wrong are those who take advantage of you."

"Moreover, in my heart, you have never been a tool, but a living person with your own will."

Xia En reached out and placed his hand on Ann's chest.

Even through the thick armor, he could still feel the heavy heartbeat.

"This heartbeat is proof that you are still alive."

"As long as you are alive, there is hope."

"Believe me, one day I will remove the curse from you and let you live in the sunlight with dignity."

“This is my promise, Captain of the Black Swan, your servant, Shane!”

An stood there, stunned, looking at Xia En through her helmet, her vision gradually blurring.

This was the first time he had ever heard someone say such a thing to him.

For some reason, his heart began to beat faster and faster, and a feeling he had never had before, and that he shouldn't have had, a feeling different from loyalty and awe, began to grow.

At that moment, An suddenly felt a sense of relief; it was precisely because of this armor that Xia En hadn't seen his current expression...

……

……

After this little incident...

The atmosphere at the victory celebration banquet became even more harmonious.

However, just as Shane and the crew were enjoying the food and wine, a figure quietly appeared on the deck.

"Ship, Captain!"

Joey was the first to notice the figure. She widened her beautiful eyes and stared at a direction behind Shane, stammering.

"Look, behind you..."

Xia En was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see a barefoot figure wearing a blue robe floating towards the barbecue grill.

Her feet did not touch the ground, and her body cast no shadow in the firelight.

Upon seeing this scene, Xiange, who had just secretly drunk a bottle of wine, was startled and cried out in surprise.

"Oh my god! A ghost—"

Xia En reacted immediately, exclaiming in surprise, "Vivian, you're awake?"

This beautiful figure was none other than Vivian, the ghost who had been asleep for over a month!

However, at this moment, the ghost lady did not seem to be fully awake.

A suspicious liquid clung to the corner of her mouth, her eyes were half-closed, her little nose twitched slightly, and she mumbled incoherently.

"It smells so good...I'm so hungry..."

Xia En looked at her expressionlessly.

You're a ghost without a digestive system, what's so delicious about it? What's so hungry about it?

However, to Xia En's slight surprise, Vivian's body seemed to have solidified considerably compared to a month ago. Moreover, Joey and the others, who couldn't see her before, had now all noticed her presence.

Could it be... that her more than one month of slumber was actually a time for her to recover her strength?
"Vivian, wake up."

Xia En walked up to the ghost and spoke in a deep voice.

"...Huh? Captain Shane?"

Vivian's eyes widened gradually, and she murmured, "Good morning..."

Which eye of yours can tell it's morning?
Xia En's lips twitched involuntarily, but he still silently waited for Vivian to wake up.

Upon seeing this, the other crew members immediately realized that this ghost was most likely a crew member of the Black Swan.

Joey asked with a hint of wariness, "Captain, who is this woman?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you."

Xia En explained, "Her name is Vivian, and she is the owner of that crystal coffin. It is because of her that the crystal coffin has returned to the Black Swan repeatedly."

He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't tell her about Vivian's embarrassing experience of carrying the coffin back.

At this moment, Vivian finally came to her senses and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? How did I get here?"

Shane: "..."

Although I had seen Vivian lying on the deck like a couch potato before, it seems that I underestimated how pathetic this ghost was.

But since we've already picked her up and put her on the boat, how can we just throw her away?
Let's just make do!

It's worth mentioning that while Vivian was asleep, Shane had already bound her to his body and unlocked the [Ghost Affinity] talent.

This offered Xia En a small consolation.

Xia En sighed and reminded him, "Do you know that you slept for a whole month?"

"Only a month?"

Vivian blinked: "I knew I didn't feel like I'd had enough sleep!"

"I used to sleep on that deserted island for almost half a year at a time!"

"Besides, a month is a very short time, isn't it? It passes in the blink of an eye."

Upon hearing this, Xia En's heart stirred slightly.

He had previously vaguely realized that Vivian's sense of time seemed to be different from that of ordinary people.

Generally speaking, this is a characteristic that only long-lived species possess.

As far as Shane knows, the only immortal species is the elf.

Could it be that Vivian was also an elf in her previous life?
Although Vivian does not possess any elven characteristics, a ghost is inherently different from its former self.

Not to mention, Vivian was a created ghost.

"That... Captain Shane?"

Unaware of Xia En's thoughts, Vivian stared longingly at the roasted meat beside her, swallowing hard. "I'm hungry! Can I join your feast?"

Shane was quite surprised: "Can you eat these foods?"

In his mind, ghosts don't even have stomachs, so how could they eat normally?
"I think...it should be okay, right?"

Vivian seemed a little uncertain, but the food in the baking pan was emitting an irresistible aroma.

She used tongs to grab a piece of grilled meat and stuffed it into her mouth.

Then, to the astonishment of Shane and the other crew members, the roasted meat slid down her esophagus after she chewed it.

Then, as if affected by some special force, the food continued to decompose and melt until it disappeared.

—The process was exceptionally clear because of Vivian's translucent body.

"They actually managed to eat it?"

String Song muttered in surprise, "I've never seen such a strange ghost before..."

Noticing everyone's gaze, Vivian proudly raised her head, as if to say, "Hmph, aren't I amazing?"

What are you so smug about?

Xia En glanced at the ghost, utterly exhausted.

His composure wasn't actually that bad, but for some reason, he always seemed unable to hold back in front of Vivian.

Despite the addition of an odd crew member, the victory celebration proceeded smoothly.

Shane also introduced the other crew members to Vivian.

What's somewhat noteworthy is that Vivian showed a strong interest in Anne, who was wearing armor, and kept asking her all sorts of questions.

This seems to confirm Shane's earlier conjecture.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Joey asked curiously.

"Captain, where are we going after leaving the Chaotic Sin Islands?"

There are no famous large underwater ruins in the waters near the Chaotic Sin Islands. Shane came here only to resupply and buy equipment.

Now that our objective has been achieved, it's time to leave.

Xia En already had the answer to this question in his heart.

He took out a brand-new nautical chart he had bought at the auction, spread it out on the empty table, and pointed to a sea area near the north.

"Our next destination is... the Frigid Sea to the north!"

According to the official classification of the Federation, Duke Island, Silvermoon Island... and now the Chaotic Sin Islands are all located in the Tranquil Sea, one of the Seven Seas.

As the name suggests, this is a relatively peaceful and tranquil sea area.

The strength of the secret guides on the islands and the mutated sea beasts in the ocean ranks low among the seven sea regions.

Xia En chose the Frigid Sea as his next target.

On the one hand, they want to encounter storms with different attributes in order to improve their career fit.

On the other hand, they wanted to avoid the limelight.

—After attacking Duke Island and Silvermoon Island, both the Federation and the Vampires have greatly increased their attention to the Black Swan.

They could launch a fatal attack at any time.

It would be better to temporarily avoid direct confrontation and focus on developing one's strength in a low-key manner.

Of course, there is another important reason.

The difficulty of the [Coral City] dungeon is no longer keeping up with Shane's strength.

It's necessary to find a new, ideal place to level up [Submarine].

All things considered, the Cold Sea, which is adjacent to the Tranquil Sea, is undoubtedly the best target.

"The frigid sea..."

Upon hearing this, Fei Ya looked thoughtful: "Legend has it that it is a sea that is cold all year round."

“A mysterious cold current hangs over the sea year-round, and mysterious icebergs often rise from the seabed, turning into land and becoming temporary havens and navigational beacons for ships at sea.”

"There are also strange glares, cold winds and sea fog. The cold and harsh environment has resulted in a small population on the islands."

Joey added, "By the way, I saw it in a geography book..."

"Before it was submerged by the great flood, the area where the Frozen Sea is located was the territory inhabited by elves!"

(End of this chapter)