Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 82 The Voyage of the Lost: Tranquility and Nightmare
"A pirate's voyage never stops, but after the storm, the occasional peace is the most precious luxury."

"However, the tranquility of the Sea of ​​Dreams may never have been its original intention..."

The Lost sailed slowly in the night. Although the storm had gone away, the tide was still whispering in the darkness, as if telling an unknown secret.

On the deck, the ghost crew members were silently cleaning up the debris after the war. The broken bones of the undead pirates were picked up one by one and thrown into the sea, disappearing with the waves.

The air was still filled with the smell of gunpowder, mixed with the dampness brought by the sea breeze, making it difficult to truly relax.

The surviving crew members finally got a rare respite.

Baroque sat cross-legged on the deck, leaning against the mast, carrying his battle axe, and remained silent.

Ian was holding onto the sail rope, with his head down and a pale face, obviously still not recovered from the overdraft;

Rex stood at the side of the ship, raised his telescope, and looked vigilantly at the sea in the distance, fearing that another unexpected enemy would appear.

However, the calmness of the sea of ​​dreams is always more disturbing than the storm.

Strange lights and shadows gradually emerged in the distant night sky, and the sky became deep and dark blue, as if permeated with some mysterious color.

Huge whale shadows emerged, their translucent bodies shimmering in the moonlight, like stars floating in the sky.

"What is this?" Siming leaned against the side of the ship, squinted his eyes, and looked at the huge beasts floating in the air.

"Sky Whale." Lilia said softly, her eyes wandering between those huge figures, a hint of awe in her eyes.

They cruise quietly in the sky, and each whale shadow is like a floating island, swimming slowly in the air with an ancient breath of slumber.

Their shadows are reflected on the sea surface, intertwined with their reflections in the water, making it impossible to tell which side is reality and which side is a dream.

"They were once the oldest life forms in the Sea of ​​Dreams." Lilia's voice was soft, yet filled with an indescribable awe.

"When their lives end, their souls will not dissipate, but will remain here and become one of the existences of this sea."

Baroque snorted, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he said with a half-smile: "It sounds sacred."

Lilia shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the whales, but her tone was a little deeper than before:

"They're not guarding anything... They're collecting the memories of all the sailors who have entered the whale fall route."

This sentence made everyone's heart tighten.

"In other words," Siming raised his eyebrows, looked up at those huge figures, and slightly lowered the corners of his mouth, "are we... being targeted by them now?"

A trace of uneasiness appeared in Rex's eyes. He slowly raised his hand, took off the monocle on his right eye, and stared at the whales in the night sky with the eye of the "banshee who glimpses destiny".

After a moment, he frowned slightly and whispered, "I don't like the feeling of being spied on."

Lilia smiled slightly and said softly, "This is also part of the Whale Fall Channel."

The whales in the night sky are still swimming slowly. They are silent and solemn, like watchmen of dreams, silently watching every inch of waves in this sea.

However, the eerie feeling goes far beyond that.

Rex suddenly put down the telescope, looked at the sea below the deck, and his expression changed slightly.

"Have you noticed..." he whispered, his voice filled with a hint of uncertain alertness.

Everyone subconsciously lowered their heads and looked at the sea.

Then, they froze.

The surface of the sea reflected the shadow of the Lost, a shadow that was almost identical to their ship... but it was sailing "backwards"!
The ship under the water was like a ghost ship going in the opposite direction, moving silently.

What was even more chilling was that they could even see another group of blurry figures standing on the deck in the reflection.

The figures moved in perfect sync with their movements, as if mirroring their every move.

But that couldn't be an ordinary reflection!

"What the hell is this?" Baroque frowned, raised his hand and reached out to touch the sea.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the water—

The whole world suddenly turned upside down!
Everyone felt a dizzying illusion, as if the entire ship was instantly upside down for a second, and their sense of direction collapsed instantly!

It was as if the ground beneath their feet was no longer a solid deck, but a boundless abyss, and they were falling down.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Siming cursed, suddenly grabbed the railing of the boat, his face gloomy, "What the hell is this?!"

Ian was also shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. He held onto the rope and managed to steady himself, his eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty: "Just now...what was that just now?!"

Lilia's expression darkened completely. She took a deep breath, staring intently at the sea, and said in a low voice, "...This is a folded ocean."

Her voice trembled slightly in the night wind, carrying a rare caution and solemnity.

Folded Ocean——

In certain areas of the Sea of ​​Dreams, the sea water and reality are not stable entities, but rather a mirror leading to the unknown.

When some kind of strange phenomenon occurs, the sea water will "fold" out the shadow of another world, and those shadows will often take away the "real" sailors.

"What will happen if we get sucked in?" Rex asked in a low voice, gripping the rifle tightly in his hand, his eyes sharp.

A cold light flashed in Lilia's eyes. She slowly raised her head and looked at Calvino. She said in a low voice, "Captain, we must hurry up and leave here."

Calvino's eyes were deep and calm. He slowly gripped the rudder, took a deep breath, and raised a slight sneer at the corner of his mouth.

"understood."

His voice was firm and decisive, and he suddenly twisted the rudder to turn the boat.

"Everyone—get ready to catch the wind! We're going full speed ahead!" His voice echoed across the deck.

The ghost crew silently adjusted the sails, and the black ghost sails of the Lost instantly swelled up.

A storm-like airflow swept in, causing the entire ship to accelerate!
"Hold on!" Baroque gritted his teeth and held on to the rope tightly. Siming also clung to the railing tightly, his eyes still fixed on the sea.

The folded ocean was still flowing beneath their feet, and the reflection of the Lost was still there, but pushed by the strong wind, they finally began to leave the dangerous area.

The atmosphere on the deck became increasingly tense, and everyone gritted their teeth, waiting for the moment when the ship would be completely out of danger.

The wind was howling, the sea was churning, and the Lost was speeding across the folded ocean.

They must leave here.

ASAP.

The Lost swayed gently on the sea, the sea breeze with a faint salty smell swept across the deck, and the crew finally got a long-awaited respite.

The corpses of the undead pirates had long been cleaned up, and the smell of blood was diluted by the sea breeze. Only the occasional smell of gunpowder remained to remind them of what they had just experienced.

Baroque leaned on the mast, raised his head and breathed in the sea breeze, with a satisfied smile on his face.

His axe lay carelessly beside him, the blade still bearing the marks of battle.

Ian was half lying on the deck, his head resting on his elbows, his eyes half closed, as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

Rex stood by the side of the ship as usual, holding a telescope and observing the sea in the distance. Even though he knew there was no danger at the moment, his nerves were still habitually alert.

Siming stood aside, arms folded, his gaze sweeping over everyone before he sighed, "So, are we going to lie there dead until dawn?"

Baroque grinned and patted his stomach: "Man, I only know one thing - I'm hungry."

Siming raised an eyebrow, turned his head to look towards the cabin, and said with mixed feelings: "...So, we are finally going to meet that 'chef'?"

In the kitchen, the ghost crew members were busy silently, and the blades were flying in the air.
The sound of spatulas stirring in the pots can be heard one after another, and various seafood and meats emit tempting aromas under the roasting flames.

Although their figures were translucent, their movements were still precise and smooth, and each dish was prepared in an orderly manner.

It was as if this was a still active galley and they were just invisible crew members.

Baroque sniffed, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "This smell... This is damn delicious!"

A ghost chef picked up a plate of stew and placed it gently in front of them, then turned and disappeared into thin air.

Ian picked up the bowl without hesitation, scooped a spoonful into his mouth, savored it carefully, his eyes changed slightly, and finally he sighed: "Absolutely amazing, this is an authentic pirate meal."

Siming frowned, looking at the plate of hot stew, as if thinking about something. Finally, he picked up the knife and fork, cut a piece and put it in his mouth.

His expression froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed. He smacked his lips and exclaimed in a voice that was somewhat unwilling:

"...Damn it, I take that back, this tastes really good."

Baroque laughed and patted Siming's shoulder. He lifted a large piece of stewed meat and took a hearty bite.
"Guys, eat! I don't want to starve to death on a ghost ship!"

The sound of wolfing down food could be heard in the kitchen. They finally found a moment of satisfaction in this nightmarish sea.

The night gradually enveloped the entire sea, and the whispers of the Sea of ​​Dreams slowly echoed in everyone's ears, like a whisper, or like some kind of call from afar.

Siming leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes, but exhaustion prevented him from falling asleep quickly. His consciousness drifted in chaos until—

He stood on a battlefield piled with whale bones. The air was filled with the smell of decaying sea tides. Black mist lingered around his feet, swallowing up all the light.

In the distance, a huge ship is looming. Its outline is vague, but it exudes an oppressive feeling that cannot be ignored.

The sound of dice rolling in the darkness.

An invisible hand slowly stretched out, palm up, as if inviting him to place a bet.

"Are you the one who placed the bet?"

A deep voice rang in his ears, carrying with it an irresistible allure. Siming's breathing suddenly stagnated.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his heart beating violently, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his palms.

The cabin was silent except for the sound of waves hitting the hull, as if everything was just a dream.

But he knew that it was no ordinary dream.

Lilia sat quietly at the bow, the sea breeze blowing her long hair, her eyes deep and dark.

She held the black and gold invitation in her hand, and her fingertips slowly stroked the lines on the surface of the paper. The fine textures seemed to dance slightly, as if telling something.

Rex walked over to her, leaned against the railing, and asked casually, "Have you ever been to the Whale Grave?"

Lilia was silent for a moment, her eyes still fixed on the invitation. Her voice was low and distant: "...I don't remember."

Her fingertips gently pressed on the center of the invitation, and the faint light flickered slightly, as if responding to her words, or as if warning of something.

Rex didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly.

After a moment, Lilia slowly raised her head and looked towards the distant Sea of ​​Dreams. Her voice was calm yet contained a hint of elusive meaning:

"But I know it's a place where 'you can't win, you can't lose.'"

Rex raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end he just sighed softly and didn't ask any further.

The night gradually faded away, and a faint dawn appeared on the horizon.

The sea fog was slowly surging in the distance, and in the haze, a huge shadow vaguely appeared.

It is not like an ordinary ship, but more like a casino floating on the sea, with bright lights, carved beams and painted buildings, and magnificent gold and splendor, like a floating nightmare city.

It floats quietly in the sea mist, waiting for the gamblers to arrive.

Calvino stood at the bow, his lips slightly raised, he smiled softly, his eyes deep.

"The Whale Grave... we've finally arrived."

(End of this chapter)