Mystery: The Last Shepherd.

Chapter 532 Mid-Course Island

"Gods..."

Looking at the waves outside, Captain Coster of the "Golden Sheep" wore a look of despair. The sound he uttered was not like a prayer, but more like the last breath forced out of his chest.

He was lamenting his fate, as a temporary malfunction caused the ship to suddenly go out of control and veer out of the safe channel.

Generally speaking, even if you enter dangerous waters, you can regain safety as long as you return to the correct route in time. But his luck was just that bad; on the return journey, his ship suddenly stopped, as if it had been grabbed by something and couldn't move forward!

"Creak..."

The ship was slowly sinking, and an invisible force overcame buoyancy, trying to drag the ship into the sea.

Coster watched helplessly as the iron railings along the ship's hull twisted and warped, leaving deep dents that, upon closer inspection, resembled the imprints of countless fingers. In other words, many invisible arms were gripping the ship, trying to drag it into the deep sea.

God!

"Ventilate the boilers! Keep adding fuel! Gunners, fire overboard!"

Coster was terrified and furious. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone! If you don't want to die, get moving!"

The crew members also looked terrified, and they began a frantic struggle for survival.

"Whoosh!"

Fueled by the billowing wind and the large amount of fuel, the boiler glowed red-hot, converting the surging steam power into the ship's forward propulsion.

"Boom! Boom!"

One cannon shot after another was fired, attacking the deep darkness beyond the ship's side.

However, even the overloaded boilers couldn't free the ship from its restraints; the cannonballs flew through the air and landed in the sea, hitting nothing. The entire ship continued to be pushed downwards.

"The storm is upon us!"

"goddess!"

A cacophony of cries and screams erupted from the cabins of the passengers aboard the "Golden Sheep," who had utterly lost hope. The crew members, who had fought so desperately, also felt their own powerlessness, standing there blankly, their expressions twisted and tragic.

Fear completely seized Coster's mind; he could feel death approaching step by step.

Then he saw the sun.

Theoretically speaking, this is the depths of the raging sea, where the sky is perpetually overcast, and even at midday, one should not expect to see a single ray of sunlight. But Coster dared to swear that, in that instant, he and everyone on the ship saw the brightest sunshine ever.

Clear, bright, noble, and great.

The light seemed to penetrate the body and shine directly into the heart.

In an instant, Costa, who was in dire straits, seemed to be reborn, and all his negative emotions were dispelled.

The warmth of the sunlight remained in his heart, giving him immense courage.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the entire ship suddenly rose significantly and returned to the waterline.

"Captain, our ship can move forward again!"

Although the crew members were thrown into various places by the impact, excited shouts immediately rang out.

"Turn around immediately and return to a safe route!"

Koster rallied and issued another order, and the crew, regaining their energy, quickly changed course and returned to the safe route. The entire ship cheered, celebrating their narrow escape. Some even entertained unthinkable thoughts, considering converting to the sun—a rather absurd notion for people from the country of Rune.

Lu Ze withdrew his hand and looked at the raging sea in the distance.

Those blood-stained, illusory arms and bluish-black tentacles were sizzling and burning, turning to ashes. The ordinary people on the ship were unaware that such creatures swarmed across the sea; they were the ones who had seized the ship and intended to spread death across it.

These spirit beings are tainted by the aura of death, and are therefore greatly restrained by the power of the "Sun" pathway.

He watched the ship return to a safe course and sail away, then looked around at himself.

"Crack, crack..."

Several enormous black monsters were crawling rapidly on the sea surface, rushing towards Luze. Their limbs were thin and elongated, supporting their bodies like water striders. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the structures that made them...

Its body was actually countless black skulls!

Amidst the sickening grinding of bones, the skulls turned, turning their dark eye sockets toward Luze.

Numerous bloody arms and bluish-black tentacles rose from the sea, clustering together and swaying incessantly;

Deep within the darkness, even more strange spirit creatures are rapidly approaching...

Luze's actions revealed his stance, provoking the hostility of all the creatures in the area. They were already hostile and resistant towards Luze, and now they had ample reason to attack him!

Lu Ze calmly watched them, then manipulated the sound of the ocean currents within his body.

The illusory voice suddenly became louder, and even faintly reached outside the body, showing a tendency to spread outwards.

In the next instant, all the movements of the spirit world creatures abruptly stopped. Immediately afterward, the black skeleton monster changed direction and floated away into the distance, its bloodstained arm retracting sharply, and the creatures that had been spreading from further away also quickly disappeared.

Soon, the entire sea area centered on Luze became extremely empty, with only the obstinate storm still raging.

"Whoosh—"

They seemed afraid of and hostile towards me.

Lu Ze muttered to himself, then set off again, following the flight path towards Zhongcheng Island.

As its name suggests, Midway Island is located right in the very center of the Raging Sea. Most ships traveling from the Northern Continent to the Southern Continent stop here to rest and recover in preparation for the second half of their journey.

Luze arrived at Midway Island around noon. The island was surrounded by storms and darkness, and a lighthouse stood at the dock, always lit to guide nearby ships.

He quickly landed on the island and found the ground bare. Probably because it was constantly surrounded by storms and lacked sunlight, the island in the raging sea had no vegetation at all, only some moss.

Midway Island has only one large town settlement. Luze drove in his "Psychological Stealth" and followed the flow of people into a dimly lit bar. Inside the bar, numerous flags of the Northern Continent were displayed: Rune, Fussac, Intis, Fenneport... and many more.

"A glass of lentil, please."

A man at the bar spoke to the bartender.

"11 sulphurs per cup".

The bartender wiped the glass and said listlessly.

"It's so expensive, why don't you just rob someone!"

The latter was startled, and then cursed angrily.

"Nonsense! This is the heart of the Raging Sea. There's no sunlight here; not even a single hair on a dog's head can grow!" the bartender yelled. "First time here in the Raging Sea, huh? Let me tell you, all the food on this island is transported by ship, so of course it's worth the price. Take it or leave it!"

This excitement is probably because he hasn't seen the sun in a long time and is feeling depressed.

Lu Ze thought to himself, then casually waved his hand, releasing a "calming" spell to soothe the bartender's emotions. He then said, "A glass of lemonade and a plate of fresh fish."

"Meow."

Luna poked its head out from Luze's arms and let out a soft cry.