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

Chapter 286 Goodbye Edward! The Obsession of the Diamond Star
"what sound?"

"It looks like something exploded again?"

Many people present heard the rumbling sound coming from deep inside the ship's cabin.

Unlike the fog that permeated the area around the ship, this seemingly man-made commotion attracted the attention of many people.

Just as Luther said—

The Diamond Princess is the best!

This massive ship, embodying the wisdom of our time, is like a giant, mobile fortress on the sea—powerful and sturdy.

Ordinary maritime disasters cannot even scratch it.

But the strongest fortresses are often breached from within!
Feeling a faint tremor deep inside the cabin, Luther's expression turned grim. He muttered under his breath, "Those lowly bastards must have caused trouble again!"

"Your Highness, I'll go teach them a lesson right away!"

"Please continue enjoying your breakfast. I assure you, this will not happen again."

After saying this, Luther led his crew and hurriedly headed into the depths of the ship's hold.

"...lowly people?"

Shane keenly noticed this title from Luther's words.

He realized that his previous judgment might have been wrong.

Although on the surface, the passengers of the Diamond Star are all upper-class nobles and businessmen.

However, this does not mean that there were no civilians in the lower cabins.

Those waiters and sailors, for example, were clearly of relatively humble origins.

However, Luther's assurance to Shane did not reassure him; instead, it intensified his ominous premonition.

A thick fog that appeared out of nowhere;
Vibrations deep within the ship's hold;
And those fleeting glimpses we saw earlier...

All of this seems to foreshadow that some extremely dangerous disaster is about to befall the Diamond Star.

Honestly.

Under this strong sense of foreboding, Shane's first thought was to run!

He's no longer in his "projected body" state, where he can do whatever he wants and risk his life.

More importantly, Joey was with him!

Faced with this unknown disaster, Shane couldn't guarantee that he could protect Joey completely.

However, the surrounding sea was an illusion, and who knows what was hidden in the mist.

This ship, the Diamond Star, is like an isolated island in the ocean, completely cut off from the world, with nowhere to escape.

Since we can't escape, we can only try to find a way to deal with it.

"This Diamond Star seems to be even sturdier than mine."

Having been a captain for so long, Xia En naturally has an exceptional eye for talent, and he can see that the large ship beneath his feet is impeccable from every angle.

Even some aspects of the ship's design surpass the standards expected of this era.

He stroked his chin, thinking to himself, "Even if there are monsters in the fog, they would hardly be able to cause any real damage to this ship."

"It seems the real danger might be the explosion in the cabin earlier?"

With that in mind, Xia En decided to take a look inside the cabins of the Diamond Star.

But just then, a refined and handsome young nobleman walked towards them at the restaurant entrance.

Beside him were several beautiful young men and women. Such a scene of being surrounded by stars could only mean that this young man was no ordinary person.

Upon seeing this young man, Xia En couldn't help but be taken aback.

Because... he actually recognized the other person!

Even though the young man's face had matured considerably and he had grown taller, Xia En could still recognize him—

This person was none other than Edward Phoenix, whom he had met once before in the City of Giant Trees!
That is, the fifth prince of the Kingdom of Turin!
However, Edward's appearance did not change much after he grew up, but his temperament was completely different.

Now, he has shed his former naivety and innocence, his demeanor is gentle and refined, and his face and eyes are always smiling, making people feel as if they are bathed in a spring breeze.

But beneath that smile lies a compelling air of nobility, quite different from before.

The surrounding guests were all whispering about the fifth prince, who had risen like a comet.

Originally, among the princes and princesses of the Kingdom of Turin, Edward was the one who didn't have much of a presence.

Because of his status as an illegitimate child, he has been subjected to ridicule and mockery.

However, after visiting the City of Giant Trees, Edward unexpectedly became acquainted with the powerful Elven race.

His status in the Kingdom of Turin rose steadily, and with the support of the king, he gradually became a strong contender for the throne.

Some say that Edward got lucky and was able to turn his life around.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that ordinary people might not be able to seize such an opportunity.

Whether it's establishing trade with the elves or his relentless efforts to promote steam and magic rune technology within the country, one can see the prince's boldness and vision.

His performance in the kingdom over the years has also earned him the praise of many people and nobles.

On the contrary, his brothers and sisters frequently made mistakes and were not well regarded both domestically and internationally.

Gradually, the voices of opposition within the Kingdom of Turin diminished.

On the other hand, the Kingdom of Turin's strength was also constantly expanding, making it one of the most powerful nations on the continent.

That's why we have this scene of everyone being the center of attention.

As Edward entered the restaurant, people nearby immediately surrounded him, greeting him and exchanging pleasantries.

Especially some businessmen who do international business have their eyes light up.

They went to such great lengths and spent so much money to come aboard the Diamond Star, wasn't it all to get on the good side of royalty and make it easier to do business?

As for the so-called "doomsday prophecy?"

The businessmen simply dismissed it as the ravings of a madman.

In fact, there were quite a few people on the Diamond Princess who shared this view.

For thousands of years, there have always been prophets and religions that have touted "the end of the world" and "cataclysmic disasters".

But none of those disasters actually came true.

Otherwise, the passengers wouldn't have viewed the Diamond Star's voyage with this kind of travel attitude.

Amidst the crowd's adulation, Edward responded as he walked, his responses concise and polite, ensuring no one was left out.

However, careful observation reveals subtle differences in closeness and distance among them.

The children of nobles received significantly more attention than those of merchants. Those of noble birth and those with close ties to the Kingdom of Turin received even more time and attention.

These details are the best test of a nobleman's social skills.

Edward's performance can only be described as "outstanding".

But for some reason, Xia En felt a little lost.

The once innocent and kind Edward has grown up and become someone quite unfamiliar to him.

Edward spotted Shane from afar and immediately walked over with a smile.

"Your Highness, it's been a long time."

Shane paused for a moment before realizing that Edward was greeting the persona he was playing, not recognizing him.

He sighed inwardly and said, "Your Highness Edward, hello."

"what?"

At that moment, Edward's gaze fell on Joey's face, his smile froze, and he couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

The more he looked, the stranger his expression became, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows, as if he were thinking about something.

Joey, however, found the stranger's gaze rather strange and couldn't help but hide behind Shane.

"Cough cough."

Xia En coughed twice, her expression somewhat indifferent. After all, Joey was now playing the role of his wife, and for Edward to stare at her so intently was rather impolite, wasn't it?

Edward realized his mistake and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I just felt that this little girl looked familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before."

Hearing this, Xia En was a little puzzled.

Others usually refer to Joey as "Madam," but why does Edward call her "little girl"?

Moreover, in his memory, Edward didn't seem to be the kind of person who was lecherous, so staring at Joey so rudely was already quite strange.

However, before Xia En could figure out the reason for this unusual situation...

A gasp of surprise erupted outside the restaurant.

"Monster! There's a monster!"

"Help!!!"

Xia En's expression changed slightly, and he turned to look in the direction from which the exclamation came.

Suddenly, a strange, all-white entity appeared in the corridor.

This is a monster made of mist, barely maintaining a human form, and constantly emitting a sticky, disgusting wriggling sound.

A hoarse growl and a murmured murmur came from the depths of the mist.

The moment the "fog monster" appeared, it immediately launched an attack on the nearest passengers.

In the blink of an eye, several passengers were pulled into the fog by the fog monster.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling chewing sound came from the depths of the fog.

However, the nobles all brought their own guards with them, more or less.

These powerful secret cultivators were no pushovers; they each employed their own methods to deal with this mysterious fog monster.

However, the fog monster's body is made of fog, and it can be reassembled in the blink of an eye after being destroyed by ordinary means.

This meant the guards could only block the fog monsters' attacks, but couldn't actually kill them.

The current situation is not yet at a point where Xia En needs to take action.

The guards on the Diamond Star alone are enough to resist the monsters that appear in the mist.

But just as the situation was beginning to stabilize...

Boom————

A deep, muffled bang suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

Shane's pupils contracted slightly. Based on his extensive experience, he judged that this was the sound of the Diamond Starship hitting something.

Without thinking, he grabbed Joey's hand and ran out of the restaurant.

This strange behavior earned him many puzzled looks from the nobles behind him.

"Your Highness Xia En!?"

After leaving the restaurant, Shane chased away the fog monsters around him while looking into the mist.

Soon, he saw the vague outline of a huge iceberg appearing directly in front of the Diamond Star.

The ice appeared and disappeared in the churning mist, revealing its solid and cold edges.

Meanwhile, the iceberg continues to approach.

Collisions at sea are rarely instantaneous events, but rather a relatively long process.

This is especially true for a behemoth like the Diamond Star.

Shane felt the deck beneath his feet begin to tilt, which meant the ship was gradually losing its balance.

As seawater floods in, the entire ship will inevitably sink.

Huge waves crashed on the sea surface.

Panic screams could be heard from the cabins and restaurants, and some people stood on the edge of the deck, staring blankly at the scene before them.

But suddenly, a surge of white light burst forth from their vision, engulfing Xia En and the other person...

……

……

When I opened my eyes again.

What appeared before Xia En was a cabin that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"……here it is?"

Xia En looked around and quickly determined that this was the bedroom where he had woken up earlier.

The room's furnishings, including the cabinet in front of me, the stockings on the floor, the soft bed... were all exactly the same as before.

"How is this going?"

Xia En was filled with doubt and suspicion: "Didn't the Diamond Star sink because it hit an iceberg?"

Why have I returned here?

"Captain!"

At this moment, Joey's little head also peeked out from under the blanket. Looking at the scene around her, she was also greatly shocked.

"What happened?"

Joey opened her eyes wide and murmured, "Was everything we experienced before just a dream?"

After thinking for a moment, Xia En shook his head and said, "No, it's not a dream."

"I think the reason we're here is because... this Diamond Star has undergone a reset."

Joey was somewhat confused: "Reset?"

Shane explained, "You can think of it as time rewinding to when we first woke up."

"What we've experienced before will probably happen again."

It seems to be to prove Shane's conjecture.

dong dong!

Two polite knocks came from outside the door.

"Mr. Shane, breakfast is ready."

A waiter's respectful voice rang out: "Shall we bring it in for you, or would you like to enjoy it in the restaurant yourself?"

"We can go to the restaurant ourselves."

After giving a casual reply, Xia En's thoughts were in turmoil.

At this moment, after this "reset" and "rewind," he finally vaguely guessed the truth about this strange space.

This space was probably formed by the obsession of the Diamond Princess!

It was unwilling to perish in a thick fog, and the people on board were unwilling to die without knowing why.

In addition to certain special factors, this strange space was created.

Obviously, the only way to leave this space is to prevent the Diamond Star from sinking and break this cycle.

Only when the obsession of the Diamond Star is eliminated will this space truly disappear.

Looking back now, the reason why the Diamond Star in the Misty Sea became a ghost ship like a lost soul was precisely because of this unyielding obsession.

At that moment, Shane suddenly remembered the rumors about the Diamond Star at sea.

Most of the people who board the ghost ship disappear without a trace and are never seen again.

Only one person managed to return after boarding the ship, but he became a complete madman.

Could it be that they also stumbled into this space by accident back then?

(End of this chapter)