Merlin fell into deep thought. It sounded a bit far-fetched, but it was actually quite possible.

However, before reaching any clear answer, Merlin didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he kept reading.

["In the ninth year, I finally reached the northern waters. There was a mysterious island there, completely uninhabited. What was even more terrifying was the sight of human bones scattered along the shoreline. Could there have been a settlement here before? I didn't know, so I decided to press on with our voyage as quickly as possible. My gut told me something bad was coming our way."]

Merlin narrowed his eyes. The northern waters were among the most dangerous places in the world.

He had once read a book documenting the deaths of ship crews. It stated that the death rate in the northern waters was as high as 80%.

That meant that out of every ten ships passing through, eight were certain to vanish, sink, or disappear without a trace.

He didn't know whether Van D'Sersan had survived, especially considering his ship had now become a ghost ship.

Merlin continued reading, and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

["On the seventh day, that strange feeling grew stronger. I had a nightmare that took me to a mysterious, eerie place. A white mist covered my vision, preventing me from seeing anything beyond two meters. To be honest, it was terrifying. But what was even more terrifying was the silhouette of a ship appearing in the distance. That silhouette turned out to be a mysterious ship!"]

Merlin swallowed hard. The ship's silhouette Van D'Sersan had mentioned was clearly the ghost ship Gerhan had told him about.

What's more, its appearance was exactly the same—emitting a white mist that obscured visibility.

["I woke up from that dream feeling utterly terrified. I was certain that the ship's silhouette wasn't an ordinary vessel but a ghost ship! Damn it! Is this my unlucky day? It was truly terrifying. The next day, nothing happened, and everything went on as usual. Until suddenly, on the seventh day, I felt a strange unease. That night was incredibly eerie. The storm of wind and rain didn't stop, as if something were controlling it behind the scenes. And even more terrifying, a white mist began to descend, obscuring my vision. That mist was just like the one that appeared in my dream."]

Merlin's heart pounded. Even just reading the entry, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He could only imagine how terrifying the situation must have been for the man who experienced it.

["I'm so unlucky! I'm sure this is a disaster! I went looking for my crew, but they had vanished! This is truly terrifying! Anyone… help me!"]

The entry stopped there. Merlin closed the book with a somber expression.

"So my hunch was right—this ship turned into a ghost ship because of the one Gerhan mentioned earlier," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "But what exactly is the ghost ship's purpose? Why did it turn this ship into a ghost ship and kill all the crew on board? Most importantly, what happened to Van D'Sersan afterward?"

Many mysteries remained unsolved. If he wanted answers, he would have no choice but to find them himself.

Merlin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He looked around the silent room.

The musty scent of wood soaked in seawater lingered in the air. The wooden floor beneath him looked fragile, as if it might collapse if he stepped carelessly.

"How can I find the answers?" Merlin pondered.

This place was deeply mysterious. There was only a long, aimless corridor.

The only way for him to be free was to destroy this dimension. But if he did that, everything would be destroyed, and he would gain no answers.

As he was lost in thought, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Merlin was startled and stared at the door warily.

"Someone? Who is it?" he thought.

The footsteps grew closer before finally stopping right in front of the door.

Merlin summoned two Primordium daggers and assumed a fighting stance.

If the intruder were a monster, he would be ready to strike.

Clack!

The door handle was forced from the outside, but it failed to open since Merlin had locked it with magic.

"Hmmm? Why is the door locked? Is there something inside?" A girl's confused voice came from outside.

Merlin froze. He recognized that voice.

"Monica?" he called out without thinking.

"Huh? You… Merlin!? Is that you?" Monica's voice turned from confusion to surprise, then joy.

Merlin released his magic, and the door swung open. Sure enough, Monica was standing right in front of him.

"Merlin!" she called out with sparkling eyes and ran inside.

Merlin put away his daggers and let out a small, resigned smile.

"So it was you. I thought it was a monster."

A moment ago, he had been ready to attack with full force. Fortunately, he had held back.

Otherwise, Monica would have been injured by now.

"Hehehe…" Monica smiled brightly. "I thought the door was locked because something was blocking it. I didn't expect it to be you inside."

Merlin chuckled softly. The two chatted casually for a while until Merlin finally asked a question.

"By the way, how did you end up here?"

"I was looking for something with Liora," Monica answered honestly. Then she suddenly remembered something and continued with a bright smile. "Oh, right! Merlin, Margaret found something important about this ship!"

"Something important?" Merlin raised his eyebrows slightly. "What is it?"

Monica then told him everything.

Merlin listened intently, and his expression gradually shifted to astonishment.

"Margaret met Van D'Sersan? The owner of this ship?"

"That's right! And now Margaret has tasked us with finding the fake owner's room on this ship," Monica replied seriously.

Merlin fell silent. According to Monica's story, Van D'Sersan was now trapped inside a painting.

And the ship's true owner had fallen into the hands of a mysterious figure, who was most likely the reason the ship had turned into a ghost ship.

Thinking back to the logbook he had just read, Merlin felt that everything was starting to make sense.

"I understand. Can you take me to where Liora is?"

"Of course!" Monica smiled sweetly.

Soon after, she led Merlin outside. As it happened, Liora was waiting not far away.

When she saw Merlin, she looked surprised, then broke into a wide smile.

"Merlin," she greeted him. "Where have you been? Why couldn't we find you?"

Merlin smiled back and explained, "I got lost. This place is a special dimension trapping all of us."

Liora nodded, finding that plausible. Then she said, "By the way, I saw Lisa earlier, and it looked like she was chasing a wolf monster. I don't know if she succeeded or not."

Hearing the word "wolf," Merlin's expression changed. He remembered the mutant wolf monster that had been chasing him earlier.

"Could they be the same monster?"

Just as he was wondering, the sound of footsteps came from behind them.

The three of them turned and saw Lisa walking toward them, dragging a wolf's corpse behind her.

"Oh! Young Master Merlin, it's good to see you!" Lisa exclaimed enthusiastically.

Merlin stood frozen, staring at the black wolf. It was the same monster that had been chasing him earlier.

"Did you kill it?" Merlin asked, though he already knew the answer.

"That's right." Lisa nodded and tossed the monster's corpse aside as if it were trash. "I was just passing by when it attacked me. Since it was so insolent, I killed it. Consider it a precaution."

She shrugged as if it were no big deal.

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched.

'Is this the ability of someone who has reached the pinnacle of this world?'

"Oh, right, Young Master Merlin. Have you learned the truth about this ship yet?" Lisa asked.

Merlin snapped out of his thoughts and gave a slight nod.

"Yes. Monica explained it to me."

"Good! In that case, let's split up. Young Master Merlin, please take Young Lady Monica, and I'll go with Young Lady Liora. What do you think?" Lisa suggested.

"I agree," Merlin nodded.

"Great!" Lisa smiled contentedly.

Just as they were about to part ways, the bracelet on Monica's wrist suddenly emitted a faint glow. At the same time, Margaret's voice came through it.

"Monica, are you there? I've found that person's location!"

***

Whoosh!

Four portals appeared, and from them, Merlin, Monica, Liora, and Lisa stepped out.

Luna, Nysera, and Catrine were surprised to see Merlin appear as well.

"Big brother!" Catrine ran toward him and hugged him.

Merlin gently ruffled her hair. He exchanged glances with Luna, Margaret, and Nysera, then asked, "So, where is it?"

"Follow me," Margaret said seriously.

She led everyone down a narrow corridor on the right.

The passage was dark and gloomy. Suddenly, a portal appeared in front of them, and Margaret stepped through it.

As they followed her, they found themselves in a massive hall. Not far away stood a five-meter-tall door.

Margaret pointed at it and said coldly, "That's the place."