Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 121 The Vanished Royal City

"How could there be a Fountain of Repentance here?" Cheng Lang asked as he ran, looking at the ghastly green figure in the mirror that Shenba was holding.

"My esteemed captain, I have no way to answer your question."

The Magic Mirror replied apologetically, "I know that the Fountain of Repentance exists here because Mr. Morwin's memories mention a spring that suddenly appeared, and I also learned from the adventurers who came here to explore back then that it was the Fountain of Repentance. That's all. Well, we've arrived. It's in the fountain pool on the right."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stopped and looked to their right.

It was a crossroads, and in the middle of the intersection was a small square with a small fountain.

In the middle of the fountain is a sculpture of a little girl, similar in shape to the one in the mist. A bottle lies horizontally between the cute antlers on her head, and she holds the bottle with her two little hands. A happy smile is frozen on her face.

At this moment, gurgling spring water was flowing out of the bottle's mouth. But strangely, this spring water did not accumulate in the fountain pool. Instead, it seemed to be being poured, turning into a crystal coffin that Cheng Lang was extremely familiar with, the one where he had almost drowned.

What's even stranger is that although the water flow is not small, the crystal coffins are being poured very slowly, and in this fountain pool, even including the one that has not yet been poured, there are only five.

Just then, Wuying happily ran out from a distance, pulling on her pet snake's hissing tail.

The next problem is obvious—there aren't enough to go around.

"I'll just forget it."

Yun Lan was the first to speak, "The Fountain of Repentance has little effect on me anymore, so I'll leave it to you. Remember to breathe actively after entering the spring. Don't worry, although it will be very uncomfortable at first, you won't choke."

“I’ve already used it once,” Cheng Lang added, “so I’ll just use the one that’s not full yet.”

These items can be sold.

These things aren't selling.

Before Shenba could finish speaking, Yunlan reminded him, "If the six kingdoms of the Star Sea Continent, as well as the various sea monster tribes, discover that someone is selling the Fountain of Repentance, we will be killed even if we become undead."

“Yun Lan is right, so let’s not waste our time.”

As Cheng Lang spoke, he walked to the crystal coffin, which was still not filled with spring water. He stepped inside with practiced ease and then submerged his body in the spring water.

Seeing this, the others also chose a crystal coffin. Yun Lan gently comforted the little princess of mist shadow, who was being secretly watched by Ye Di from afar, and helped her sit in a "bucket" of repentance spring.

After a brief struggle, Cheng Lang and the others lost consciousness one after another, letting the Fountain of Repentance wash over their bodies.

"Mr. Magic Mirror"

Yun Lan picked up the mirror and all the spoils of war, saying as she walked back, "They'll need a long time to regain consciousness. In the meantime, how about we go salvage the shipwreck?"

"Relying on those beautiful female sailors on the Thorn?" the Magic Mirror asked respectfully.

"Of course," Yun Lan replied confidently.

"Your Highness Yunlan, if you are confident, then go ahead and do it."

The Magic Mirror said, "But before that, please send all the spoils of war back to the Valkyrie, except for that rapier. I also want to prepare another surprise for the captain before he wakes up."

"If there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to say so," Yun Lan said as she walked briskly.

"If needed, I will ask for help promptly," the Magic Mirror said respectfully.

Amidst the back-and-forth between the princess and the magic mirror, Yun Lan first returned everything, including the mirror, to the Valkyrie, and then immediately commanded her Thornship to set sail and circle around to the sea area indicated by Night's Truth.

As the Thorn dropped anchor and lowered its sails, the Yao ethnic minority mixed-race female sailors jumped into the calm sea to search for the shipwreck hidden on the seabed and the treasure on it.

Meanwhile, aboard the Valkyrie, the Magic Mirror, with the help of the Silver Queen, was dealing with the two wooden crates they had brought back.

While the two ships were busy sorting through their loot, the Brotherhood fleet, led by the pirate brothers, finally completed the incubation and training of all the mixed-race sailors and set sail for Dragonfly Island.

As time went by, Yunlan and her female sailors from the Thorn discovered shipwreck after ship around the island, salvaging various valuable items from them.

The ubiquitous seawater acts like the best filter, washing away the worthless items as they decay, leaving only the valuable ones untouched by the seawater.

The most prominent items among them were buckets of gold coins that had been carefully washed and made exceptionally clean.

At first, Yun Lan would have her mixed-race female sailors carefully count how many gold coins there were, but as they discovered more and more, the number of gold coins began to be measured in "buckets".

Besides the most common gold coins, the female sailors have also found a number of gold artifacts and a strange box of armor in the wreckage of various ships in recent days.

It was indeed a box, containing a full 20 pieces of armor, each about the size of a fingertip, carved from wood into tiny figures.

However, even though Princess Yunlan, who was past her prime, was very knowledgeable, she couldn't see the use of this box of armor. In the end, she could only ask the magic mirror, who was even busier than her these days, for help.

"Your Highness Yunlan, you're quite lucky. This was also found in a shipwreck?" the Demon Mirror asked respectfully, examining the two pieces of armor on the table.

"That's right"

Yun Lan nodded. "Mr. Magic Mirror, what is this?"

"I can't tell whose work this is."

As the magic mirror spoke, it picked up the first piece of armor. "But I can tell that the person who made this armor used the vine demon from the Valkyrie as a model to create these wooden figures."

"You mean these wooden figures can also be like vines?"

"No, no, no, that's impossible."

Sunglasses quickly said, "Two hundred years ago, many armor-making masters tried to imitate the Vine Demon, but none of them truly succeeded. The box you found is a relatively good example."

"What can they do?" Yun Lan pressed.

"I guess at least I could do some servant work."

The magic mirror said, "Your Highness Yunlan, please try watering these wooden figures with the blood of the ship's heart. Then you will know their usefulness."

"I'll give it a try in a bit." Yun Lan put away the box of wooden figures, then asked in confusion, "Mr. Magic Mirror, we've found more than a dozen ships recently, but why haven't we found a cup of Poseidon's Blood or a piece of armor?"

"Of course you can't find it."

The magic mirror patiently explained, "No siren, sea beast, or sea monster can resist the temptation of Poseidon's blood. There must have been Poseidon's blood in those shipwrecks, but it has definitely been consumed by the nearby marine life long ago."

I forgot about it.

Yun Lan patted her forehead, then lifted her skirt, curtsied to thank the magic mirror, turned around and ran into the cabin, then into the ship's central chamber.

After communicating with the wooden heart of the boat, Yun Lan scooped up a handful of the heart's blood and poured it onto the wooden figurine.

Nourished by the ship's blood and sweat, these little people suddenly sat up and became lifelike. In the time it took to stretch, they had grown to be about the same size as Yavso.

Not only that, but lush green grass grew on their heads, and their whole bodies were filled with a faint scent of grass.

After communicating with the ship's heart, Yun Lan cheered. Although these little wooden figures couldn't manipulate the sails like the vine demons, they could perform tasks such as cleaning.

Especially in critical moments, they can even use their own bodies to plug leaks in the ship's hull! And they are capable of reproducing!

Just as Yun Lan was cheering while holding a light wooden doll, the carpentry work on the Valkyrie, directed by the Magic Mirror and assisted by the Silver Queen and the gorillas, was finally coming to an end.

The job wasn't too complicated. It was simply a matter of dismantling the two wooden crates that had been brought back, which connected the royal tomb and the treasury, according to the method in the memory of the undead Mr. Morwin. Then, using the dismantled materials and new wood, they rebuilt two ventilation grilles for the Valkyrie that could be installed on the open deck.

"Is that all?" the Silver Queen asked.

"Of course, that will do."

As the magic mirror spoke, it handed the black cat brooch it had brought back to the Silver Queen. "Your Highness, please wear this brooch. From now on, you will be the master of these two passages, and the royal city on the other side of the passage will become your palace."

"Where is my Mist Shadow? Can she go in too?" the Silver Queen asked.

"I'm sorry, she can't."

The Magic Mirror said apologetically, "This passage is only for the undead. Of course, even I need your permission to pass through these two passages."

"Mr. Magic Mirror"

The Silver Queen took the brooch and pinned it to her chest, saying curiously, "I don't know why, but I feel that you've become much more respectful to me since you came back."

"Your Highness, this may just be your imagination," the Magic Mirror said respectfully. "Please open the passage."

Upon hearing this, the Silver Queen closed her eyes and sensed it for a moment, then gently placed her hands on the two adjacent ventilation grilles.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Accompanied by the rapid yet uniform sound of footsteps, armored figures wielding rapiers, bows and arrows, or spears emerged from one of the ventilation grilles and lined up along the edges of the ship's sides.

Following closely behind, two armored captains also came forward, raised their rapiers, placed them on their chests, and saluted, saying in unison, "The Royal Guard Knights swear to protect Her Highness the Princess to the death!"

"Princess?" The Silver Empress panicked for a moment.

"Whoever controls the passage is their princess," the Magic Mirror said respectfully. This was a lie, a lie he had made in a deal with Night God.

Before the Silver Queen could say anything more, a hundred or so ghosts, their figures shimmering and chains around their necks, emerged from another ventilation grille.

These undead were mostly dressed as captains, wearing tricorn hats and carrying two curved swords, also in undead form. A few even retained the single eye patch on their faces.

However, compared to those disciplined armored men, these undead, who neither stood nor sat properly, were in a state of disarray, leaderless and undisciplined.

Just as the Silver Queen was about to ask something, the Magic Mirror looked towards the heart of the island and said, "Our captain and crew have awakened."

At the same time, on the distant sea, Yun Lan, who was preparing to continue directing the sailors in the salvage operation, also heard the Magic Mirror's reminder and immediately issued the order to set sail and return to port.

Why do we smell so bad?! And why are we all black and grimy?!

On the streets of the royal city, Yafso, who looked like a moving black lump of mud, ran while asking a question on the verge of tears. Then she couldn't help but gag. It stank so badly, the smell on her body was too awful.

"This is the merit of the Fountain of Repentance."

Cheng Lang, who was relatively cleaner but not much cleaner, hurriedly explained and immediately shut up, afraid that the mud-like substance on his face would get into his mouth.

Then look at the siblings Yun Ji and Shen Ba; they haven't uttered a single word from beginning to end, they've all been running away in silence.

As for Wuying, this little tyrant was running around while using her pet snake Hishi as a bath towel to rub her back.

In this frantic chase, with everyone occasionally slipping and sliding, the group finally reached the city gate and, with remarkable tacit understanding, jumped into the rippling blue sea.

Compared to Shenba, who started scrubbing on the spot, and Cheng Lang, who dived into the sea to wash his body with sea sand, Yun Ji simply rinsed her face with water and quickly washed away the dirt. Then, carrying Yafusuo in one hand and Wuying in the other, she nimbly returned to the Valkyrie and went into their respective rooms.

On the edge of the island, the big cat Night Demon, perched atop a watchtower, took one last look at the Silver Queen aboard the Valkyrie. Then, it slowly licked its paws, wrapped its long tail around to the front, and unconsciously pressed the tip of its tail with its two paws covered in pink paw pads, beginning to knead.

In his small gesture, imbued with longing, the royal city, which occupied almost the entire island, slowly sank underground amidst rumbling noise and tremors.

This commotion naturally attracted the attention of everyone, including the Silver Queen. The big cat, Night Demon, glanced at the Silver Queen with reluctance before leaping to the other side of the sinking city wall.

"Was that a big cat just now?" the Silver Queen asked, looking in the direction of the island. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

You will see him again.

The magic mirror said, "His name is Night Deity, and he is in the royal city on the other side of the passage."

"Boom-thump-thump-"

Just then, melodious chimes rang out from the clock tower that was slowly sinking in the heart of the island.

As the bells tolled, the royal city slowly sank and finally vanished completely. Only two soulless stone figures remained, and in their final embrace, they crumbled into pieces of varying sizes, piling up like a forgotten grave.

(End of this chapter)