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

Chapter 176 See you in the future!

In the vast black fog.

Location near the coast.

"Captain, who is that guy?"

The first mate of the Black Sail stared with his single remaining eye at the giant standing in the firelight in the distance, a look of awe involuntarily appearing in his eyes.

"When did the descendants of giants appear on Emerald Isle?"

Beside him, Augustine also showed a rare serious expression and shook his head.

"That wasn't a giant; he wasn't even a human."

Augustine's inspiration far surpassed that of ordinary pirates.

From his perspective, the shadowy giant's body appeared to be composed of countless overlapping images.

Every shadow seemed to be twisting and writhing, emitting unsettling howls, and even causing the surrounding things to mutate.

The streets in the distance trembled, the ground beneath our feet spun in a spiral, and the houses in the black fog sometimes appeared normal and sometimes transformed into solemn tombstones.

The night sky descended crookedly, and even the forms of those [filthy sea beasts] transformed into an even more bizarre state.

However, Augustine knew that these visions were merely hallucinations caused by a sudden drop in his rationality.

This situation only occurs when facing some indescribable beings related to ancient deities.

"What exactly is He?"

Driven by curiosity and a desire to explore, Augustine strained to look toward the core of the giant.

Then he saw a wildly writhing vortex of light and shadow, with countless stars and streaks of light rushing and flowing.

And at the very depths of this vortex of light and shadow, it seems...

A deep blue eye!

boom!
The moment his eyes met those eyes, Augustine's mind went blank, his consciousness was greatly shocked, and it felt as if it was about to float out of his body.

At that moment, a bracelet on his wrist suddenly emitted a pure, faint light, which barely stabilized his mind.

"Huh! Huh..."

Augustine snapped out of his daze, gasping for breath like a drowning man, his back soaked with cold sweat.

"The...captain?!"

The first mate was shocked; it was the first time he had ever seen his usually dignified and invincible captain show such an expression.

And all this was because the captain glanced at the giant?
"I am fine."

Augustine quickly regained his composure, waved his hand, and looked down at his wrist.

Those precious, clear gems had all shattered into tiny fragments.

Augustine felt a chill run down his spine.

If it weren't for this bracelet, he would probably have already gone completely insane.

"That eye... the power of the [Secret Sea]..."

Augustine composed himself, suppressed his thoughts, and spoke.

"Regardless of which being He is incarnated as, at least for now, He is not our enemy."

"As for that person engulfed in flames, he reminds me of a legend from the continent..."

Upon hearing this, the one-eyed first mate seemed to be thinking: "You mean, the child born in the volcano?"

"Yes."

Augustine nodded: "It is said that in a city on the southern continent, a child was born with the eruption of a volcano, and he was also covered in flames, burning day and night."

"That child's name is Xin!"

The one-eyed first mate guessed, "Perhaps it's just a coincidence?"

"There are so many secret practitioners on the continent who control the secret power of fire, how could we possibly run into him by such a coincidence?"

Augustine said softly, "Perhaps."

Suddenly, Augustine laughed: "Those two have certainly stolen the show."

"How can we not give it a try?"

Before he could finish speaking, the tall man suddenly clenched his fist.

With a deafening roar, all the [Filthy Sea Heirs] within a radius of several hundred meters around him seemed to be squeezed by a tremendous force, their bodies exploding and dying.

If someone were standing next to Augustine, they would undoubtedly be astonished to find that—

Before them, the dark seawater had already risen to a height of more than ten meters.

Wave after wave, stronger than the last, crashed against an invisible spatial barrier as they approached from afar.

Along with the black fog came a tsunami powerful enough to submerge the island!

And the one who prevented the tsunami from reaching the shore was none other than Augustine!

Fighting a tsunami single-handedly!
What magnificent spirit and power this is!
However, this matter also consumed a lot of Augustine's energy, leaving him unable to spare any time to support the elves in the city.

That's when.

Several decaying and filthy figures appeared in the mist and walked toward Augustine.

"Here we go again, you filthy bastards?"

Instead of being angry, Augustine was delighted and laughed heartily, saying, "Go and tell your god that His time has come to an end!"

"Something that should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago, yet dares to walk in the present world?"

Having said that, he strode towards these [Filthy Apostles].

……

……

"Ho ho ho..."

In the dark blue flames of the soul, the body and even the soul of the [Filthy Apostle] were rapidly burning to ashes.

With his eyes, now just bones, fixed on Xia En and Yan Yan, he uttered a hoarse voice amidst the flames.

"Heh... This time, you've won."

"But we will eventually rise again from the filth!"

"See you... in the future!"

As soon as He finished speaking, a rotten and blasphemous power flowed down His body and into Yan Yan.

Clearly, even facing certain death, He had no intention of letting Yan Yan off easily.

This corrupting power was indeed incredibly strange, and in the blink of an eye, it spread from his fist to his arm.

Even flames could not extinguish or stop the spread of this secret power.

Immediately, patches resembling those of a corpse appeared on Yan Yan's body, with large chunks of flesh turning into pus.

Seeing this, Xia En did not hesitate and immediately deactivated his transformation and came to Yan Yan's side.

As if his soul had just been burned, Yan Yan's eyes were dull and empty, as if he were in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.

"Yan Yan! Yan Yan!"

Shaun called his name: "Cheer up!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yan's eyelids twitched, and a hint of life finally appeared on her pale face.

At this moment, he also sensed the corrosive power and immediately spoke up.

"Captain Shane... cut off my head!"

"be quick!"

"……what?"

Xia En was taken aback at first, but quickly understood Yan Yan's intention.

With his immortality, he wouldn't die even if his head were cut off; instead, he could avoid the contamination of the power of decay.

This is indeed the only option at the moment.

With that thought in mind, Xia En no longer hesitated. He took his greatsword, severed Yan Yan's head, and carried it through the black mist.

As for Yan Yan's remaining body, it quickly rotted and decomposed, turning into a pile of foul-smelling rotten flesh.

The death of the [Filthy Apostle] caused the surrounding Sea Heirs to momentarily freeze, giving the three a chance to escape.

Even so, it wasn't long before a group of sea monsters began to target them, following them like a pack of wolves.

Although the firelight did not attract them, the number of sea creatures decreased significantly.

However, after the power of the Giant's Bracelet, the Double Ship Soul, and the Storm Power faded, Shane also fell into a rather weak state.

The worst part is...

[Ship Soul Power: 24/100]

The ship's soul power, which represents the "health bar," has fallen to an extremely dangerous level.

Xia En couldn't be sure whether he would return to his original form or die completely in this era when the power of the ship's soul dropped to 0.

This night was extremely long.

The sounds of fighting came from the surrounding darkness; other residents had been attacked and killed.

Having lost his guide and being completely unfamiliar with the city, Shane could only rely on his instincts to escape through the black fog.

The pursuit lasted for an unknown period of time.

Shaen couldn't remember how many [Filthy Sealings] he had killed.

Even the ship spirit level of the Diamond Star has been increased by one level.

But at this moment, Xia En was truly exhausted. He was experiencing hallucinations, his limbs were weak and sore, and his ship spirit power had dropped to 2/100.

I'm afraid that just one more sea monster could end his life.

This was arguably the first time Xia En had been forced into such a desperate situation.

The [Emerald Isle - Wrath of the Gods] dungeon is not one he can explore at the moment.

Xia En is like a novice player who has just defeated the first boss and has directly entered a map of later difficulty. It is already quite remarkable that he has been able to persist for so long.

Suddenly, Tracy popped out from under Shane's collar and pointed to a house not far away, shouting, "Captain Shane, look over there!"

Xia En looked closely and saw that the building was emitting a faint light, stubbornly resisting the erosion of the black mist.

This allowed him to see the outline of the building, which surprised and delighted him.

"It's the Elf Temple!"

It turned out that, without realizing it, they had circled back to the vicinity of the Elf Temple!
The temple possessed the divine power of the Elf Mother Goddess, thus protecting the survivors within.

Seeing that a way out was right in front of him, Xia En rallied his spirits and strode towards the temple.

But before he had taken two steps, his heart sank to the bottom.

By sheer coincidence, a creature resembling a sea serpent, the [Erotic Sea Heir], swam out of the nearby fog.

The sea serpent's aura wasn't too strong, but for Xia En, who was already at his limit, it could be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Is this fate?"

Xia En took a deep breath, preparing to go all out.

At the very least, we must send the heads of Cuiqian and Yanyan into the temple.

At that moment, the sea serpent also noticed his presence, a greedy glint flashing in its pale eyes.

Then, it swam closer to Shane.

Dark mist accumulated in its abdominal cavity, a kind of breath-like attack.

But just as the sea serpent opened its mouth wide...

A ray of light suddenly shone in the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp blade made of light fell from three inches below the sea serpent, easily severing its head.

Xia En paused, looking at the girl who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"...Lyra?"

The one who arrived beside Shane using teleportation magic was none other than the elven girl, Lyra.

Looking at Shane in front of her, Leila was filled with emotion and said softly.

"Fortunately, I arrived in time."

After her initial surprise, Shane couldn't help but ask, "How did you know I was here?"

"How are Angie and the other civilians doing?"

"I left teleportation coordinates on you."

Lyra suppressed her emotions and said softly, "Angie and the others have arrived at the palace. Her Majesty the Queen is organizing forces to resist."

"With the Queen here, the palace is definitely safe."

Upon hearing this, Xia En was taken aback.

In other words, Lyra was unaware of his current predicament, yet she still teleported over without hesitation.

If he were being besieged by the Sea Hells, how could Lyra, who was teleported to his side, possibly escape unscathed?

However, it's not time to relax yet.

Shaun cleared his mind of distractions and quickly led Lyra into the Elf Temple, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because the temple was located in such a remote place, there were no other elves to be seen.

Xia En sighed softly, "We're safe now, for the time being."

Leila paused slightly, looked around, and asked softly.

"Where's that big guy who was with you? He..."

Xia En patted a package beside him and said, "Don't worry, he's still alive, but... his current condition is a bit frightening."

Upon hearing this, Leila wisely refrained from asking further questions.

Once you suddenly feel safe, it's inevitable that your tense nerves will relax a bit.

After a dangerous night, Tracy quickly fell asleep on Shane's shoulder.

Shane and Lyra sat side by side on the bench in the temple, and for a moment they were speechless, maintaining a reassuring silence.

Looking at Leila, Shane noticed a significant change in her demeanor.

This elven girl was originally somewhat naive and immature, but overnight, a sense of determination appeared between her brows, and her eyes became bright and clear, shedding her former fragility.

Her expression showed confusion and unease, but she forced herself to be strong.

This expression unexpectedly touched people's hearts.

"are you tired?"

Xia En thought for a moment and said, "If you're tired, you can lean on me and rest for a while."

Leila gave a soft "hmm" and leaned gently against his shoulder.

Trish was fast asleep on the other shoulder, but Lyra couldn't sleep.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she remembered the terrifying cracks in the sky, the destroyed houses, the civilians who died in the black fog, and the title "daughter of sinners."

Did she bring all these calamities upon us?

"Oh right, I remember when we first met, this fairy said you came from the future?"

Leila opened her eyes, leaned on Shane's shoulder, and whispered, "Is it true?"

Shane nodded.

"How many years is the future? Is it peaceful there?"

"It's been at least a thousand years."

Xia En suddenly remembered that there was something else he could do and spoke up to remind him.

“In the future, a great flood will sweep across the world and will also submerge this island.”

"Another volcanic eruption will destroy [Upper City]!"

"That kind of disaster is not much worse than the Wrath of God!"

Leila was slightly taken aback, and sighed, "So, in the future, this city will also suffer so many disasters?"

"By the way, did you see the magic markings on my body? You know, those dark red patterns."

Shaun continued, "I don't know the specific principles, but I'm certain that this is a product born from Emerald Isle."

"Moreover, this magic rune can be used even within the black mist of [God's Wrath]!"

As he spoke, Shane took out several items with magical runes from his spatial ring and handed them to Lyra.

"This is?"

Lyra was shaken and quickly realized the value contained in these magical artifacts.

The reason why the elves had little chance of fighting back in the black mist was because of its ability to seal the "elven language".

At this time, the existence of these magical runes can undoubtedly help them overcome the difficulties and greatly reduce the casualties among the residents.

As he handed over the artifact with the magic runes, Shane couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

What if the elves only started developing magic runes after that...?

Doesn't this mean that the magic runes were born because of itself?

And that's how I later gained the talent of [Chaos Runes]?

This seems to constitute a cycle, a closed loop, and a paradox of time and space.

Then, Leila cautiously asked again, "Will you stay here?"

Xia En remained silent for a moment.

He raised his head and looked at the goddess statue in the center of the temple.

On the blurred face of the goddess statue, a mysterious and meaningful smile still lingered.

Suddenly, Xia En had an epiphany and said, "I will probably disappear soon. From now on, you will have to walk your own path."

Leila felt incredibly conflicted.

The girl stared intently at Xia En, as if trying to memorize his appearance.

Finally, she opened her arms and hugged Xia En tightly.

As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight emerged from the eastern sea, bathing Emerald Island in their light and dispelling the vast, dark fog.

Before the sunlight came in, Leila murmured to herself.

"I will live!"

"A mere thousand years is nothing, I am an immortal being!"

Her voice grew louder and louder, as if she were making some kind of vow.

"I will continue my research and carry forward the magic runes and steam technology..."

"I will record the magic I like and share it with you in the future..."

"I will save my people and drive out the evil gods!"

Golden sunlight streamed into the hall, and Xia En's silver pocket watch began to turn again.

His figure vanished like a bubble in the sunlight.

Tears, like pearls, streamed uncontrollably from Leila's eyes.

She murmured, "We...will meet again in the future!"

"must!"

Xia En looked into her eyes and said solemnly, "See you in the future!"

next moment.

A silvery glow enveloped his figure.

When Xia En opened his eyes again, he was met with icy, bone-chilling seawater and a desolate, empty temple.

Time may pass, but the smile of that goddess statue remains as mysterious as it was a thousand years ago.

(End of this chapter)