"Even with Phantom Eyes, I still have trouble seeing through this fog. Could this fog have been created by a myth-level artifact?" Cassiopeia asked in surprise as she looked around with her bright eyes.
The Phantom Eyes was her special ability. They could see things ordinary people couldn’t—piercing illusions, seeing the flow of magic within a person’s body, and more.
Activating them consumed a considerable amount of power, which was why she rarely used them.
Beside her, Draco chuckled softly and shook his head.
"You’re overthinking it. If this fog was really created by a mythical artifact, many powerful mages would be targeting this ship. But there are no such rumors, so your assumption is completely unfounded."
According to Loid’s previous account, the ghost ship ended up here because of a Celestial Mage.
By planting a magic flag at its usual location, the mage caused the ship to move from the open ocean to the waters surrounding the Great Velmora Empire.
Logically, that mage would have taken the artifact that created this fog if it were truly mythical.
But in reality, the person did not do so. Therefore, Cassiopeia’s assumption was definitely wrong.
"What you said makes sense." Cassiopeia nodded. "By the way, don’t you find it strange?"
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "This ghost ship is incredibly calm and also... quiet. I don’t sense any monsters, magic traps, or anything like that within thirty meters. Could this ship really be a dead ship?"
She believed the monsters that should have attacked the ship they were on would be hiding on this ghost ship.
But as it turned out, the monsters were nowhere to be seen.
This was extremely odd and didn’t make sense.
Draco also noticed the ship’s silence and gradually grew alert.
"Maybe the monsters are inside the ship?" Draco guessed hesitantly.
Cassiopeia fell silent, pondering his words.
Suddenly...
Dong!
The bell rang again. Since they were both on the ghost ship, the sound was unnervingly clear.
"A bell? Draco, let’s check where the sound is coming from!"
Ever since the first chime, she had been curious about its origin.
Perhaps it could be a clue to uncover the truth behind the ghost ship.
But strangely, Draco didn’t respond.
Cassiopeia turned her head and froze. Draco, who should have been walking beside her, had suddenly vanished!
"Draco!? Where are you? This isn’t funny!" Cassiopeia shouted.
She scanned her surroundings with her Phantom Eyes, but he was nowhere to be found.
"This..." Her eyes widened in horror. "What exactly is going on?"
***
"Damn it! Why did I suddenly appear here?"
In a room measuring seven by seven meters, Draco looked around in confusion.
Just a moment ago, he had been walking with Cassiopeia. But suddenly, he was transported here the instant the bell rang.
He hadn’t even had time to react, which made him even more wary of this ghost ship.
"Could that sound have transported me? But how? I’m a Celestial Mage—it’s impossible for something like this to happen."
Yet, no matter how much he denied it, it had indeed happened.
He had no choice but to accept it and figure out a way to escape this place.
"Is this the ship’s crew changing room?" he wondered silently as he scanned the room.
Wooden lockers lined the right wall—about ten in total—but they were all rotten, and three were even broken.
Strange mushrooms grew along the walls, and Draco felt his nose twitch, as if something in the air had entered his nostrils.
Shoving aside his unease, he shifted his gaze to the door ahead and stepped toward it.
***
"Nolan, look! I found a top-quality magic sword! If we sell it, we’ll be rich!"
"Oh! This spear is great too! It’ll definitely fetch a high price!"
"And this one too!"
In the room full of weapons, Sharon eagerly picked up swords, spears, bows, and all sorts of other arms.
It was the first time she had seen such high-quality weapons just lying around.
Although some were damaged and unusable, most were still in excellent condition.
Nolan merely chuckled and shook his head.
"You’re too money-minded, Sister. But you’re right—all these weapons are very valuable. If we sell them all, I’m sure you could get five hundred thousand Sharn."
Hearing that amount, Sharon’s eyes lit up.
She wasn’t obsessed with money, but life still required it, didn’t it?
Of course, she would take it.
Without hesitation, she placed all the usable weapons into her magic storage.
Nolan didn’t stop her. To him, five hundred thousand Sharn was meaningless.
The only thing that excited him was the thrill of searching for valuable items—nothing more.
"Let’s keep looking, Sister. I’m sure we can find another treasure."
"Um!" Sharon nodded repeatedly as she slowly stood up. "In that case—"
Before she could finish, a bell suddenly rang out in front of them.
Dong
Sharon froze. She was about to turn around but immediately realized that Nolan was no longer there.
"Nolan?" she called anxiously. "Where are you? Don’t joke around—that’s not funny."
Her gaze swept the area frantically, but Nolan was nowhere to be seen.
"Don’t tell me he disappeared..." Her heart pounded.
She was the Great Mage. It should have been impossible for Nolan to vanish under her watch—unless a far more powerful force was at work.
Swallowing nervously, Sharon muttered, What should I do? Where can I look for him?
***
Nolan opened his eyes and found himself in a mysterious room.
It was a narrow space, measuring three by three meters. A bookshelf stood in the right corner, accompanied by a one-meter lamp.
"So, I was teleported, huh?" Nolan muttered with a slight smile.
Admittedly, he was quite surprised. The bell seemed to have triggered a secret mechanism on the ship that forcibly transported him.
Even so, Nolan felt no fear. Nothing in this world could scare him, let alone a ghost ship.
He walked toward the desk in front of him. The wood looked rotten and porous, clearly ravaged by time and the ship’s harsh conditions.
Numerous documents were scattered across the desk, but most were worn or torn.
Nolan picked up one and examined its contents. Suddenly, his usually calm expression turned to horror.
"This writing... this language..." His heart pounded wildly. "It’s from my previous world!"