Sail Shadows in the Sea of ​​Fog

Chapter 139 Sepak Takraw
"Let me go in and take a look."

At the bottom of the windmill well, the magic mirror that emerged from the mirror volunteered to say that even with the presence of those mirrors, the magic mirror could not stray too far from the heart of the Valkyrie. Fortunately, this place was still within the "communication range".

You be careful too.

Cheng Lang instructed that although the magic mirror was in an undead state, physical attacks would still have some effect on them.

"Please do not worry, esteemed captain."

As the magic mirror spoke, it floated into the narrow passage filled with well water, taking with it two small wooden figures who were carrying a mirror together.

Under the control of the magic mirror, it emitted bright light borrowed from the Valkyrie's conference room, illuminating the moss-covered passageway in minute detail.

They drifted underwater for about ten meters before a corner appeared in the passage, and the Magic Mirror and the two little figures disappeared from Cheng Lang and his companions' sight.

Inside the passage, the magic mirror, which had just turned a corner, continued to float forward for a short while before ascending steps appeared in its field of vision. As it continued forward, it and the two little wooden figures carrying the mirror gradually left the well water that had filled the passage.

"That was terrifying!"

The magic mirror, which was clearly in an undead state, snapped its fingers, making the light shining from the mirror even stronger.

As the lights illuminated the tunnel, Cheng Lang and his two companions, who were hiding at the bottom of the well and whose view of the tunnel was blocked by a canvas held up by several wooden figures around them, were able to see the situation inside the tunnel through a mirror placed above the head of one of the wooden figures in the middle.

The walls and even the ground beneath the tunnel, illuminated by the ship's lights, were covered in green, slippery moss.

As the magic mirror moved forward, the tunnel continued to rise, but then a curved, stone-stepped downhill section appeared.

After a brief mental preparation, the Magic Mirror, with the two little wooden figures behind it, started walking down.

To the surprise of both the magic mirror and the three people at the bottom of the well, the two wooden figures fell into the well after the magic mirror had only floated forward a few steps. One of the stone steps they had just stepped on suddenly sank, causing them to lose their footing and fall down.

Although the two little wooden figures were terrified by the sudden change and screamed incessantly, they instinctively sandwiched the mirror they were carrying between their petite and slender bodies.

At the same time, the two wooden figures began to grow a large number of roots at an alarming rate, wrapping the mirror layer by layer, and repeatedly trying to use the roots to grip the ground, which was also covered with slippery moss.

Although this method protected the mirror very well, it also caused the two wooden figures and the mirror to form an olive-shaped vine ball, hopping and skipping all the way, rushing towards the deepest part of the spiraling tunnel amidst the magic mirror's panicked cries of "No!"

As the screaming rattan ball hurtled forward, sharp spears kept falling from the stone ceiling above the tunnel, piercing the undead body of the magic mirror with each gasp as it was forced to drift forward.

Finally, the magic mirror, which had been under attack, hid back inside the mirror and, in the next instant, returned to the other mirror at the bottom of the well, which had lost its view.

"What just happened?" Yun Lan asked in a low voice.

It's a trap.

The magic mirror, with only its head peeking out from within the mirror, whispered, "However, the first half is safe. I can take you there for a further explanation."

"Let's go," Cheng Lang said, and was the first to swim into the narrow passage.

Following closely behind, Yun Lan and Yun Ji, along with the remaining wooden figures carrying various items, swam in.

Using the light from the second mirror, Cheng Lang and the others swam through the tunnel filled with well water and arrived at the point where the tunnel began to descend.

"The other mirror seems to be bouncing downwards," the Magic Mirror said incredulously. "This tunnel is much deeper than we thought."

"This place is very close to Pirate City."

Yun Ji said, "I mean Windmill Island. It's very close to Pirate City, but I've never heard of any special legends about it except for that historic windmill."

"I actually think this is a good thing."

As Yun Lan observed the surrounding rock walls, she said, "The absence of legends about this place proves that it may never have been discovered. If there is any treasure here, our gains will be very substantial."

"It's also possible that the entity hiding here has never failed to let any adventurer who finds this place escape."

Cheng Lang suggested another possibility: "That would be another horror story."

"Gulu."

Yun Lan swallowed hard and instinctively hid behind Yun Ji, while also directing the remaining wooden figures to surround her.

Seeing how thoroughly this expired princess displayed her cowardice, Cheng Lang, Yun Ji, and the Magic Mirror exchanged glances and tacitly ended the topic.

Does Pirate City have any special records about Windmill Island?

Cheng Lang sat down against the wall, observing the spears being slowly pulled into the stone ceiling above him by chains, and asked a new question.

There aren't many records.

The Magic Mirror replied, "In the records about Windmill Island, besides the frequent mention that the fruit here is sweet and fresh, it is also the first choice for many pirates to retire."

In addition, some pirates who plundered grain would also choose to stop here if it was on their way, using the free windmill to process the grain into flour, or directly trade it with the villagers on Windmill Island in exchange for fruit to sell in the pirate city.

I forgot to mention that Windmill Island actually prefers trading in grains and new varieties of fruit tree branches to gold coins.

"Is it because there isn't enough land here to grow grains?" Yun Lan asked curiously.

“I guess so,” the Magic Mirror flattered. “Your Highness Yunlan, you have such keen insight; you saw the key point at a glance.”

Stop flattering me.

Yun Lan patted her forehead. "Besides, I guess now is not the time to discuss these things."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness Yunlan, the mirror is still falling," the magic mirror said respectfully.

"It's still going down? How long has it been?" Yun Ji exclaimed in surprise.

"It seems we'll be wasting a lot of time here," Cheng Lang said after a moment's thought. "Magic Mirror, notify the Valkyrie and Thorn to stay and resupply."

"Yes, sir."

The Magic Mirror readily agreed, then added, "That mirror seems to be stuck." Upon hearing this, Yun Lan immediately directed the clumsy little wooden figures to set up the other mirror they had brought, and at the same time, the Magic Mirror crawled into this mirror.

A moment later, he popped his head out again and said, "Those two poor little guys are seriously injured, so I'm afraid we'll have to wait a bit."

“Each of them has a vial of nutrient solution prepared by Yavso hidden in their chest,” Yun Lan said. “Breaking the vial will allow them to recover immediately.”

"I'll give it a try," the magic mirror said, disappearing back into the mirror. A short while later, the other side of the situation finally appeared in the mirror that Cheng Lang and the other two were guarding.

However, when they saw everything in the mirror, Cheng Lang, Yun Lan, and Yun Ji, who came from different eras and even different worlds in a sense, were inevitably surprised.

At the end of the spiral tunnel, the magic mirror also looked at everything in front of it. At the end of this tunnel was a huge, spacious space that could easily stop a ship.

In the center of this space is a stone statue covered in moss. The statue is so large that its head is almost touching the ceiling, and its lower body even requires the space to be recessed.

Behind this enormous statue, on the rock wall, is a silver-white metal door.

The metal door wasn't actually that big. If it could be opened, even those little wooden figures who were currently gulping down nutrient solutions from glass tubes the size of their arms would probably have to bend over to walk through.

However, opening this door is not easy. There is only a small hole, no thicker than a wrist, on the door. There is no handle or window.

Even the Magic Mirror's attempts to risk passing through the door or the surrounding rock walls in its undead form failed.

"This place is strange."

The magic mirror said in its echoing voice, "These surrounding rock walls can actually block a life form like me in an undead state, and I have a feeling that even if I put a mirror behind this door, I might not be able to get through."

"Shall we go down and take a look?" Cheng Lang asked Yun Ji and Yun Lan.

"We can't just go back like this, can we?"

As Yun Lan spoke, she looked down at the spiraling steps. "Since the wooden figure can roll down, Captain, and Sister Yun Ji, I've thought of a very exciting, but very fast way to get to the end. I wonder if you'd like to try it?"

"What method?" Yun Ji asked warily.

"I haven't thought of a name for this approach yet, but..."

Before Yun Lan finished speaking, a large number of thorns began to grow around the three of them. These thorns intertwined, tangled, and even grew together.

Finally, a huge spherical... um... hamster ball, big enough to hold the three of them and the remaining wooden figures?
Before Cheng Lang could define or name the thing, Yun Lan and the other wooden figures began to push the giant sphere up the spiral staircase, accelerating it and narrowly dodging the spears falling from above time and time again.

Fortunately, Cheng Lang, Yun Ji, and even Yun Lan, Jingzi, and the other wooden figures were all immobilized by the thorns and could only resign themselves to following the increasingly fast and stumbling thorny vine ball as it rapidly descended through the spiraling tunnel or staircase—inevitably interspersed with terrified screams from the people or wooden figures inside the vine ball.

Cheng Lang, who was fixed inside the rattan ball like a set of bicycle spokes, no longer cared about the spears that were pelting down on him like rain outside the rattan ball.

All he wanted to do now was hold on tightly to the vines wrapped around his wrists, try his best not to vomit, and avoid the strange little things that Yun Ji and Yun Lan flung out amidst their ear-piercing screams, as well as the tree sap that the wooden figures occasionally spat out.

"Yun Lan! Wait! I'm going to beat you to death!" Yun Ji shouted intermittently!
"I'm trying to slow down!"

Although Yun Lan said this, her tone was full of excitement.

"You're not even trying!"

Cheng Lang and Yun Ji cursed under their breath, but they didn't care to bicker with Yun Lan, whose situation wasn't much better than theirs, but who was obviously more excited.

Amidst a long, indescribable screaming, jolting, and various affectionate greetings to Yunlan and Princess Bakla, the thorny vine ball, which was constantly being repaired, finally made a leap into the air and then "smacked" as it landed on the crotch of the statue at the end of the way.

"vomit--"

Before the giant rattan ball could even hit the floor, Cheng Lang and Yun Ji rushed to vomit up everything they had eaten for dinner, and poured it all over the wooden figures.

"Quickly... Ugh—!" Before Yun Ji could finish speaking, she began to dry heave uncontrollably once again.

"I...I didn't expect this—!"

Before Yun Lan could finish speaking, she herself began to gag.

Fortunately, this brain-dead, expired princess finally remembered to remove the thorny vine ball that she had repaired countless times along the way.

"I want to vomit—!"

Before Yun Ji, whose limbs were weak, could even move to Yun Lan's side, she began to vomit again.

"Wait until we get back, then we'll look for her. Ugh—!"

Cheng Lang, who was halfway through his sentence, wiped his mouth after gagging, and said, "I'll settle accounts with Yun Lan later."

"At least we're safe!" Yun Lan's words were cut short as she also began to gag.

After glancing at the metal door in the distance, Cheng Lang obediently sat down on the descending steps, using deep breaths to alleviate the dizziness in his brain.

Soon after, Yun Ji and Yun Lan helped each other to sit on the steps, and then the two girls began to laugh in a slightly creepy way.

As for those adorable wooden figures, they were currently trembling as they smashed the glass tubes containing nutrient solution, covering them with their roots to prolong their lives.

“Yunlan, no, Bakla, Princess Bakla.”

Yun Ji hooked her arm around Yun Lan's neck, shaking her head as she threatened, "You'd better come up with a way to get back to the surface just as fast before we decide to go back, or I won't let you off the hook!"

"I promise I'll throw up—!"

Before Yun Lan could even utter her promise, she began to gag again.

"Your Excellency Captain, and two beautiful and noble ladies."

At this moment, the magic mirror appeared and pointed in the direction they had come from, saying, "I don't want to create a tense atmosphere, but... the way we came has disappeared."

"What?"

Cheng Lang and his two companions, along with the wooden figures, all turned to look behind them. There...where was the spiral staircase going up?
(End of this chapter)