The humidity of the secluded cove near Elmango Town felt like a warm blanket. Especially after the soul-chilling frost of the Grim Spirit Sea.

Jack stepped down from his [Steamrune Hoverboard] and stood on the sandy shore. Watching the twin moons and the stars that started to look very clear in the night sky. It had taken him some time to travel here.

This place was where he previously left the Wavefront's noble, Earl Aldenair, and the sailors from his ship, the Gilded Swan.

His current task now was simple. Summoning his ghost ship, the Silent Mermaid, and taking the people within his Mirror Mansion out.

Jack concentrated. Focusing on his internal system panel.

He summoned the ghost ship. And the Silent Mermaid reappeared... It didn't materialize out of nowhere on the water. Instead, it rose from the bottom of the sea. A ghostly sloop with rotten hull, skeletal mast, and tattered sails.

Within seconds, the eerie vessel was there on the shore of the cove. Its silently wailing mermaid figurehead, blazing purple flames, and thin mist from the gunwales seemed to make the whole cove shudder with apprehension.

Jack ignored that and took out his mirror. He activated his [Mythical Mirror Realm] and entered his Mirror Mansion.

...

Several minutes later...

The surviving crew of the Morning Light, including the Sixth Prince, lay slumped on the sand. They would wake up much later. Very likely with confused memories. Perhaps attributing their salvation to a miracle or a dream.

They would never know about the Silent Mermaid. Or the Mirror Mansion. They were alive and safe. That should be enough.

Jack didn't need their gratitude. And he certainly didn't need the complications of explaining how a ghost ship and a mirror dimension worked.

Rune drifted near his ear. Her soft purplish glow pulsed steadily. She nudged his cheek. A silent reminder that their own journey was far from over.

Jack looked at the Silent Mermaid. Other than dropping these lucky survivors, he had already taken out and ushered his crew back onto the ship. And they should be ready to set sail now. Leaving these crew member of the Morning Light behind, here.

He immediately took his [Steamrune Hoverboard] again and rode it onto the ship's deck. Now they were ready to move to their new destination.

The plan was simple, or at least as simple as anything in this world could be. They still needed to reach Barrentree Island. But the Hungry Mist was still playing games on the direct route.

Jack wasn't a stupidly stubborn man. He didn't mind an adventure. But he hated unnecessary delays. And the Grim Spirit Sea carried by the Hungry Mist was definitely a delay. A beneficial one but he still didn't want to go that way again.

His [Eyes of Judgement] had indicated that the realm might not just affect space but also time. And this judgement was right. Jack knew that they had spent several days within the Grim Spirit Sea. But when he was back in the Orchard Island, he had checked... They were only a few hours away from the time they entered the Hungry Mist.

Unwilling to experience the same thing, a detour was definitely the logical choice. They would head for Whaleback Island first. Then, they would swing through Shipmount Island to reach Barrentree Island from a different direction.

It was a longer route. But it kept them out of the troublesome supernatural fog.

Jack immediately commanded the crew members to set out. The ghost ship glided out of the cove. Turning its prow toward the open sea.

...

Life on a ghost ship was surprisingly domestic when they weren't fighting for their souls. By the second day of the transit to Whaleback Island, the crew had settled back into a comfortable rhythm.

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In the main cabin, the air was filled with the smell of strong coffee and the sound of strings.

Jack sat on a velvet-backed chair. A guitar was balanced on his knee. He was enjoying a moment of normalcy.

Across from him, Barnaby tuned his lute. His fingers moved with the precision of a lifelong bard.

"Ready, Love?" Jack asked. Looking at Reina.

"Always, Dear." She replied. A small, playful smile touched her lips.

Mirella sat on a low stool. A small percussion box between her knees. She gave a sharp tap to the wood. Setting the beat.

Jack began a driving, rhythmic chord progression. And Barnaby joined in with a melodic trill.

Reina's voice rose. Clear and steady. Cutting through the cabin. She sang a jaunty song about a silly sailor on the sea. An absurd story told in melodic rhymes.

It was a common tavern song. But Reina's voice gave it a richness it usually lacked. And the guitar, lute, and percussion gave further enhancement.

Jack focused on the music. His fingers moving with mechanical accuracy.

"The sailor went down to the deep blue sea,

With a shoelace tied to a bumblebee!

He asked the whale for a tune so grand,

But the whale just flipped him back to land!"

The one who sand now was not just Reina. But many other crew members in the cabin who were relaxing and enjoying the jamming session.

Not everyone in the room was involved though. In the corner, Baroness Artheim and Don Donson were locked in a death match over a Go board.

The Baroness held a stone poised between her fingers. Her brow furrowed in deep, tactical concentration. Ignoring the music entirely.

It was a moment of rare peace...

But then, the ship's internal communication device rang to life. A clear, yet not calm voice crackled through.

"Captain!" Bell's voice echoed from the control room. Strained and sharp. He was currently in charge of the navigation "Heavy storm front approaching at high velocity. That's not all. Something is moving through it. Something big."

Jack didn't hesitate. He stood up. Resting his guitar against the chair. He immediately activated one of the system functions... The transparent wall.

The front wall of the main cabin flickered and dissolved. The solid wood turned into a transparent membrane of solidified, yet pretty clear mist. Through it, the world outside was revealed in sharp details.

Storm had indeed come. The sky had been torn apart. Black clouds churned like boiling oil. And rain lashed against the air in sheets of diagonal fury.

Inside the vortex of the hurricane, a creature appeared. It was a gigantic serpent with shadowy scales. Twisting and rotating amidst the chaotic sea and the unpredictable lightning.

Its eyes were glowing bright. Pure white in color. Its roar was a low-frequency vibration that rattled the very teeth of those in the cabin.

"That's a World-Eater Serpent." Chloe Chase whispered. Clutching tightly her kirin cub, Sparkle, who hissed instinctively at the display. "I thought it was just a myth."

"Apparently not. But it doesn't seem to be interested in us." Jack observed.

"Do we engage, Captain?" Ned asked with a grim face.

"Why?" Jack asked. "It's not in our way. And it might not even know we're here. We're not monster hunters. At the moment, we're just travelers. Bell! Steer a wide arc. Give the snake its space."

"Aye, Captain!" Bell replied.

The Silent Mermaid flowed easily against the wind. As a ghost ship, it didn't really depend on wind or mechanical engine for its navigation. Moving in a chaotic storm might be troublesome for other ships. For the Silent Mermaid, it was nothing.

The ghost vessel moved gracefully through the churning water. Weaving between the churning sea waves like a needle through cloth.

The storm hammered at the ship's exterior. But the crew members were all inside. Everyone remained dry. Their music was barely interrupted as they glided through the heart of the chaos. Untouchable and very likely, unseen.

...

Two days later...

The storm had long vanished. And the gigantic 'whale' had appeared on the horizon.

Whaleback Island had earned its name. It was a long, curved stretch of land with a high central ridge that dipped at both ends. Perfectly mimicking the spine of a leviathan.

As they drew closer, the most striking feature became visible. The geysers. Every few minutes, massive plumes of white steam shot into the air from various points across the island. Looking like the blowholes of a thousand whales.

"We're moving to the direction of the Geyser Town." Argust Osprey announced from the communication system. He had taken over the navigation. "The only town in the Whaleback Island. It's a tourism destination for the wealthy who want to soak their gout away in the hot springs."

Jack was on the deck. Standing at the railing. "It looks peaceful. Good for a supply run and some information."

At the moment, the Silent Mermaid no longer looked like a ghost ship. She was now in her disguise. Ocean Wanderer, a common single-mast sloop.

They pulled into the docks of Geyser Town late in the morning. The town was a marvel of Industrial Revolution engineering mixed with natural wonder.

Brass pipes ran along the sides of cobblestone streets. Carrying geothermal steam to heat the buildings. Or more likely, the bath areas within the buildings.

The air slightly smelled of sulfur and sea. Mixed with the aroma of roasting meat from the dockside stalls.

"Mirella! Leon!" Jack read two pieces of paper he had drawn. "You're on ship duty. Keep the Ocean Wanderer secure. Anyone gets too close, you know the drill."

Leon sighed. Leaning against the mast. "Of course. I get to watch the boring harbor while you all enjoy the warm bath."

Jack ignored the sarcasm. He stepped onto the pier. Reina was at his side. Rune floated between them. Invisible to any non-transcendent being.

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