We arrived at the Black Anchor Bar. The place wasn't crowded. The few patrons inside huddled together, speaking in whispers.
When we stepped in, several heads turned. Some sized us up. Some smirked with open ridicule. Others watched with greedy eyes. The rest pretended not to notice us.
We walked straight to the counter, where a burly man was slowly wiping the wood with a rag.
"We're here for the lots from the Étoile de Mer. Word came down the quay about it," I said in a low voice, and slid a piece of silver across the counter.
We weren't actually interested in that, but it was as good a reason to get an entry without unnecessary complications.
The man bit the coin and nodded at its authenticity. He sized us up, then nodded. "Keep your steel sheathed," he grunted and pointed towards a bar at the back.
I nodded, and then we calmly walked towards the door. We opened it and walked inside. After walking in a corridor and a set of stairs, we entered a large underground room.
The air down here was cooler, thick with tobacco smoke. Rough benches and stools had been dragged into rough rows facing a low wooden platform. Perhaps forty men and a handful of women sat scattered about—pirates in scarred leather, merchants in threadbare finery, a few naval deserters still wearing remnants of their old uniforms, and even nobles in expensive coats with their faces covered. No one spoke above a murmur. Eyes flicked toward the newcomers, then away.
At the front stood the auctioneer: a thin, hawk-faced man in a once-fine velvet coat, now patched and stained. His name, as we found out, was Elias Hunt. Hunt held a small ivory hammer and a ledger, and beside him on the platform sat a long table draped in black cloth. Under it, shapes waited.
We took a seat near the back wall where the shadows were deepest. The auction had already started when we arrived, and Hunt had just finished auctioning the current item.
Hunt rapped the hammer once.
"Gentlemen—and ladies," he began, voice dry as old parchment. "Let's continue with the next lot. A brace of French dueling pistols, silver-mounted, taken from the Étoile de Mer last month. Bidding starts at twenty pieces of eight."
The pistols looked like a piece of art. But from the time I came from, that was all they would be considered, a piece of art belonging to a museum or collector. Functionally, they weren't much better than the pistols I used.
The bidding began.
"Twenty-five."
"Twenty-eight."
"Thirty."
A one-eyed pirate in a red sash raised the price to thirty-two.
"Thirty-five," I said calmly.
He glanced back at me.
Then shrugged and stopped bidding.
Hunt struck the hammer.
"Sold."
No one clapped. No one cared.
Payment was immediate. A man approached us. I handed him a small pouch of coins. He counted them quickly and passed me the pistols.
Lot followed lot: bolts of silk, crates of Dutch gin, a silver astrolabe, a chest of Spanish reales still sealed with the King's mark. Later, slaves were dragged in from the back rooms when their turn came. Prices climbed, fell, climbed again. The room grew warmer, the murmurs louder.
Then Hunt cleared his throat.
"Next item. A blade of uncommon quality. Damascus steel, single-edged, curved slightly—forged in the old manner, pattern-welded, with a hilt of blackened silver and sharkskin grip. Taken from a Mughal trader off the Malabar Coast. The edge will shave the hair from your arm without touching skin."
He lifted the cloth.
The sword lay alone on the table, its blade rippling like dark water under candlelight—wavy bands of gray and black steel, almost liquid in appearance. Even from the back row, the craftsmanship was unmistakable. A low whistle escaped someone near the front.
Hunt smiled thinly. "Bidding opens at one hundred pieces of eight."
Silence for a heartbeat.
Then a voice from the left: "One-ten."
Another, deeper: "One-twenty."
I leaned forward slightly. My eyes never left the blade.
"You like it?" Zephyra asked softly.
I nodded.
"One-fifty," I said calmly, joining the bidding war.
Heads turned. The room felt the shift—like a ship changing tack.
The first bidder—a fat man with gold rings in both ears—scowled. "One-seventy."
"One-ninety," came a woman's voice, sharp and amused. She sat near the front, dressed in men's breeches and a tricorn, a thin scar running from her left temple to her jaw.
I didn't hesitate. "Two hundred."
Murmurs started among the crowd. Two hundred was a small fortune for a single blade, even one so fine.
The fat man glared, then shook his head and sat back.
The woman in the tricorn tilted her head, studying me across the room. She raised two fingers.
"Two-ten."
I met her gaze and held it.
"Two-fifty."
A ripple of surprise. The woman's mouth curved—half smile, half challenge. She considered for a long moment, then lifted her chin.
"Three hundred."
The room went still. Three hundred pieces of eight could buy a small sloop outright.
I shook my head lightly. I liked the blade, but three hundred was already pushing what I was willing to spend.
Hunt's eyes gleamed. "Three hundred to the lady in the hat. Do I hear—"
"Three-fifty," Zephyra said.
My eyes widened. I turned my head sharply towards her.
Zephyra smiled sweetly. "Consider it a gift for doing so well in my classes."
The woman at the front laughed softly—a low, genuine sound. She stood, tipping her tricorn in mock salute.
"Sold to the gentleman and lady at the back," she said. "I know when I'm outbid."
Hunt rapped the hammer twice. "Three hundred and fifty pieces of eight to the gentleman and lady at the back. Payment to be settled now."
I watched Zephyra exchange the coins for the blade. She passed me the blade directly.
I was too shocked to say anything. I swiftly came to my senses. As I was about to say my thanks, she gently put a finger on my lips before I could say a word.
"There is no need for such formalities between us," Zephyra said with a gentle smile.
I blinked in surprise, then laughed quietly and nodded.
We stayed for a few more lots before leaving the auction.
We left the Black Anchor Bar. After walking for a few minutes, I noticed some men were following us.
I smirked. Looks like some people have considered us fat sheep.
"Let's go see what the deserted alleys have to offer," I said in a low voice.
"Sure," Zephyra said with a small laugh. She had also noticed our followers, too.
We walked around the market normally, occasionally stopping at shops or stalls. Our pursuers always kept at our tail, but maintained some distance not to startle us. After some time, we finally found a good deserted alley to tour in.
We walked without a care in the world as our pursuers also entered the alley, following at a distance. We slowed our pace down, but they didn't slow down, likely thinking they had us cornered. Finally, we stopped in the middle of the alley.
"Avast, lookee here, Cap'n Pierre," came a jeering voice from behind us. "These two lubbers be so green they don't know better'n to stroll down a blind alley in a port crawlin' with honest rogues like us!"
We turned calmly and found five men standing before us with predatory grins.
They looked like typical poor pirates: scars on their bodies, rotten or missing teeth, eyepatch, missing limbs, patched clothes, the usual. Only one of them, the one standing in the middle, looked better, wearing a worn and tattered coat. I recognized him from the auction. He was sitting in one of the back rows.
"If they ain't fools, then how comes they flung three hundred fifty pieces o' eight on naught but a bleedin' blade?" Pierre laughed, showing black gaps where teeth should have been.
We just looked at them with bored looks. But it looked like Pierre misunderstood our silence as fear.
"Hark ye, ye little whelp," Pierre said, sneering so wide we could count the stumps in his mouth. "Thou and this fine wench here'll be comin' peaceful-like aboard me ship. Hand over every last clinkin' coin ye got, nice an' civil, and I might—mind ye, might—make ye cabin boy and let ye swab decks instead o' feedin' the sharks.
His mates roared with laughter, slapping thighs and elbows. They leered openly at Zephyra, already imagining what they would do to her.
I sighed. "You are mugging us with just this ability?"
I looked at them with disdain. The captain was barely equivalent to a trained human, while his four crew members were just average humans. Of course, I knew I was biased here, having already fought many strong pirates, so my benchmark was too skewed. Most pirates were actually at the level of Pierre and his crew.
"What's that ye barked, ye cod-faced son of a poxed whore?" Pierre snarled, hand dropping to his cutlass hilt.
I didn't bother replying and instead made a two-finger gun with my hand and pointed at him. He looked stunned at first, then started laughing uncontrollably. Following him, his fellow pirates started laughing too.
"Cap'n, ye've put such the fear in the pup he's gone moonstruck!" one of the pirates howled, clutching his sides.
I smirked. A small sphere of energy, barely a centimeter in diameter, appeared at the fingertip of my "handgun". Their eyes widened, and their laughter stopped abruptly. Before they could say anything, the sphere shot forward and hit Pierre's forehead.
Pierre fell, his eyes still wide, and remained motionless—a burnt mark on his forehead and blood trickling out of his ears, eyes, and nose.
That was the latest spell I had learned.
I discovered that the Order School didn't offer any offensive spells at the lower levels. Perhaps they existed at higher ranks, but I wasn't qualified to learn them yet. The same was true for Eromancy.
So, I had requested Zephyra to teach me one. She agreed easily and taught me a simple spell.
Mana Bolt
Type: Spell
School: Evocation
Rank: Novice
Description: Fire a ball of raw arcane energy.
And yes, there was no need to form the gun with my hands. That was just a personal preference. It wasn't a real gun, but with my shooting skills, I could at least aim much better like that.
The spell normally wasn't strong enough to kill in one hit. But I directly hit his head. The force that struck him was enough to make him brain-dead in one hit.
"Cap'n," a pirate howled in grief.
"He's a bloody sorcerer, mark me!" another cried, eyes bulging with horror.
"So what if the swab's a wizard?" the third roared, trying to rally the rest. "We be four blades to his one finger—cut the dog down together!"
The four of them pulled out their cutlasses. I kept my smirk and leveled my finger at one of their heads. Then I turned my other hand into a gun and leveled it at another head.
Two more shots, and two more pirates were down.
The last two finally showed fear.
"Run fer yer lives—he's a demon straight out o' hell!" one of them shrieked, turned, and bolted.
The other also tried to do the same, but, in a panic, tripped on his leg. He looked pale with fear. "Mercy, I beg ye! Let me go, I swear by all the saints an' devils—I'll never cross ye again!" he babbled, dragging himself away with shaking hands.
I shot him first, then shot the last guy running away. The mana bolt hit him on the back of his head, and he fell face-first on the ground.
I looted the pirates, and then we calmly left the alley.
It was nearly noon when we returned to the port. Our crew was slowly gathering back at the docks.
Soon, everyone returned.
We left the town at the first bell after noon.
After several hours at sea, three ships appeared on the horizon.
Each flew the Jolly Roger.
They had positioned themselves carefully—just enough that our course would pass near them due to the wind.
"Why does it look like they're waiting to ambush us?" Matthias asked.
"Aye," Silas muttered grimly. "They've taken us for fat merchants, mark me. Spotted the ship back in that cursed port, most like, and reckoned we'd be easy pickin's. They've sniffed our course like hounds on blood, laid wait, and set their trap clever-like."
Everyone understood that the war was inevitable and looked ready to fight.
But just as our ship was at a distance from those three ships, they fired cannons at us. A cannonball fell in the sea, directly beside our ship, splashing water on it.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Pirates used cannons, too.
Most of the cannonballs missed our ship, but one fell directly on the deck.
Ulysses took a step forward and caught it in his bare hands. The force pushed him back, and his veins bulged in his arms. He roared, and the momentum of the cannonball finally stopped, and it fell on the floor with a thud. His hands were blackened with faint smoke coming out of them, but he ignored that.
Ulysses looked at us with an arrogant smirk.
A few minutes later, another cannonball was about to hit the deck, but this one was closer to the edge.
Sebastian, who was standing nearby, pulled out his bastard sword. He took a stance. The ball hit the sword, but Sebastian angled it such that he parried the ball, and it fell into the sea. He calmly sheathed the sword and stood as if nothing had happened.
I looked at his sword. Not a single scratch appeared on it. Clearly, it was anything but ordinary.
I looked at the three ships in front that continued firing cannonballs. I was pissed. Since these motherfuckers liked cannon fights so much, I would give them one.
"Tomas," I yelled.
"Aye, Mr. Zoro," he arrived instantly.
"Swiftly load the cannons," I ordered. "Load two with round shots and one with chain shot."
"Aye," Tomas said, then called some sailors, and they began loading the three cannons facing those ships.
The moment I touched the cannon, all the details on how to use it appeared in my mind. It was unexpected, but I didn't have time to marvel at my Firearms skill. I aimed the first cannon after it was loaded at the ship closest to us. After locking in, I ignited the powder, and the cannon fired. The cannonball accurately hit the hull.
I moved towards the second cannon while the sailors loaded the first one again. I aimed at the sails of the pirate ship and fired the chain shot. It hit the target and shredded the sails of the ship.
Finally, the third cannonball also stuck the hull. The hull took too much damage, and water started filling in. The crew abandoned the ship and jumped into the sea to save their lives.
But it wasn't enough. The other two ships still wouldn't let us go. They continued firing, and one cannonball again came close to hitting our ship.
Zephyra stepped forward.
"Looks like my turn."
Her hands moved in a series of complex gestures. Blue sigils appeared in the air before her, glowing softly.
With a final motion of her hand, the sigils vanished.
The sea responded instantly.
Water surged upward in front of the ship, forming a thick wall.
A cannonball slammed into it.
The shot punched into the water, slowed, then dropped harmlessly into the sea as the wall collapsed back into the waves.
Meanwhile, the sailors quickly swabbed the barrels, loaded gunpowder, inserted cannonballs, worked the ramrods to pack the clothes, and primed the vents.
A few minutes later, the sailors had finished reloading the cannons.
I targeted the second ship. One hit at the deck, another shredded the sails, and the final hit the hull. But this time the damage wasn't enough; the ship continued firing.
I waited for the sailors to continue loading the cannons the third time. But another cannonball came near us.
"Winds of Watoomb," Miao Song chanted, and a small cyclone appeared in front of the ship and traveled forward. The cannonball struck the spinning wind and was knocked off course, splashing into the sea. The cyclone dispersed after that.
The sailors reloaded the cannons, and after two more shots, the second ship was down. The pirates abandoned the ship.
The third ship finally turned tail.
"You think I will let you go like that?" I whispered and fired the last cannon at it. The cannonball hit the deck.
The third ship didn't fight back and was more interested in running away. But we had already closed the distance while fighting earlier and continued the pursuit.
The cannons were reloaded the fourth time. This time, I fired the chain shot first, shredding their sails so they couldn't flee. Then I greeted them with two more cannonballs.
The last one hit the hull, and the pirates finally abandoned their ship, seeing that there was no way to run away.
The sailors on our ship cheered loudly. Next, it was time to loot.
One by one, we arrived at each ship and looted it. Any pirates who were still nearby were massacred.
Finally, after looting the three ships, we resumed our journey.
After the fight with the pirates, I resumed my magic lessons with Zephyra.
Now that I had reached the Novice level in Order Magic, it was impossible to reach the Apprentice level in a short while, but I still studied, as the more I studied with her now, the sooner I would reach the Apprentice level.
Since Zephyra's white magic was similar to the Order Magic I was practicing, or at least similar to one aspect of it, I thought about giving her a book with knowledge copied from my Order Magic Tome, like I had given Peter.
There was just one small problem with that. The situation with Peter was fundamentally different than Zephyra's. Peter had been completely magic-illiterate. Giving him some basic theory and a few beginner spells had been enough for him to dabble.
But I couldn't use the same approach with Zephyra. She was already an accomplished mage and would need much more knowledge than that.
And I had seen in both my magic tomes that the knowledge in them seemed endless. Those tomes were already so thick, but no matter how many pages I had turned, the pages seemed never-ending. Of course, I had also tried just to open the last page from the other side. But the absurd thing was that even then, I could continue turning pages endlessly.
As for understanding what was written on those pages? I couldn't understand a damn word if those could even be called words. It was like asking a kid who barely understood basic arithmetic operations to read and understand how to solve third-order differential equations.
So, basically, it was impossible to copy enough information from the tomes unless I could find a better way to do that in the future.
I had even considered letting her borrow the Order Magic Tome till I was here, but with Miao Song, a mage from Kamar-Taj, with us, I wasn't risking letting him see such overpowered tomes.
Who knew what he might decide?
Perhaps he would conclude that such knowledge shouldn't remain in the hands of a greedy human.
Or that I was incapable of protecting it from falling into evil hands.
And naturally, the safest place for it would be Kamar-Taj.
I wasn't taking such a risk. Who would I go to cry to if Miao Song snatched it from me? I wasn't even strong enough to fight him. Not to mention the Sorcerer Supreme behind him.
I got up after sitting on the chair with Zephyra for so long and stretched my legs.
"Let's take a break," Zephyra suggested.
Finally.
I nodded, and we left the cabin. It was already late into the night.
The moment I stepped onto the deck, something felt… off.
I looked around.
The ship was barely moving.
The sails hung lazily.
The wind had nearly died.
A thought formed immediately.
The wind had changed direction.
Zephyra tapped my arm lightly and pointed ahead.
A small commotion was forming near the bow of the ship.
Lantern light flickered across a cluster of sailors gathered there.
Something had happened. And I had a feeling it might be due to the change in wind.
"Cap'n, you've got to listen," Silas said earnestly, a hint of fear visible in his eyes. "We ought not be sailin' through the Singing Mists. Ships that go in there don't come back. That fog swallows 'em whole."
"We have no other choice," Miao Song said. "Because of the change in wind direction, we can't continue on our current route. The only alternative you suggested would add two more days to the journey—time we simply don't have."
"But Cap'n," Silas pressed, shaking his head, "dead men don't reach their destination at all. Best be late than lost to the sea."
I leaned slightly toward Matthias.
"Mr. Matthias," I whispered. "What happened?"
"Those damn pirates," he muttered. "We planned for the wind change in these waters. There's a current that passes here around this hour. If we had arrived even one hour earlier, we would have caught it easily."
He shook his head.
"But because of that delay, we missed it. Now the only option left is to pass through the mist and catch the current there."
If it were pirates who had delayed us, then how could they have passed if I weren't here?
I was technically an anomaly.
I was never supposed to be present here.
So, how did they reach the island in time?
Did they take the route through the Singing Mists as Miao Song was suggesting?
But didn't Silas say it was extremely dangerous?
If they had taken that area, then how did they pass through that area?
Of course, there was also the possibility that it was all a hoax. Or perhaps something really did exist in the mists—but it simply wasn't a match for four superhumans.
In the end, what had happened?
As I was troubled thinking about what might have happened in the original timeline, the discussion between Miao Song and Silas came to an end.
"Silas," Miao Song said firmly, "I have made my decision. We will take the route through the Singing Mists."
Silas looked miserable.
"But Cap'n—"
"The passengers of this ship are far from ordinary," Miao Song continued calmly. "Even if there truly is something within the mist, we are capable of dealing with it."
Silas hesitated.
Then he sighed in defeat.
"Aye… Cap'n."
The helmsman turned the wheel, and the ship changed course.
After some time, faint mists appeared in the distance. The sailors stared at it with unease. But when they saw how calmly our group regarded it, some of their courage seemed to return.
The fog thickened as we sailed forward.
Soon, the sea around us vanished into white.
And the ship slipped into the Singing Mists.
The sailors lit additional lanterns across the deck as visibility continued to worsen.
Through the mist, dark shapes occasionally appeared in the water.
Reefs.
"Were these reefs the reason for the legend?" Ulysses asked, squinting at the jagged silhouettes faintly visible through the fog.
"There is a possibility," Matthias replied thoughtfully. "Perhaps the reefs become more numerous, deeper within the mist. With visibility this poor, ships might easily crash into them."
"Might be nothing more than bad navigation," he added.
"Might be," Ulysses muttered.
"Silas," Miao Song called. "Instruct the helmsman to be extra careful of the reefs. Have some sailors to be on constant lookout duty."
"Aye, Cap'n," Silas nodded and left.
I liked the faint coldness in the air, so I went to the front deck and leaned against the railings to enjoy it. I could also serve as an extra set of eyes to look at the reefs.
Zephyra joined me, and we just stood in comfortable silence, gazing at the white sea.
Some time had passed. The number of reefs increased, but they were not too dangerous. With the sailors on the lookout, the helmsman easily steered the ship around them if any got in the way.
I suddenly felt as if I heard a faint humming voice.
"Did you hear that?" Zephyra asked.
So, it wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me?
I nodded.
"It's the Mist Witch!" Silas exclaimed in horror. "She is calling the ship to its grave."
"Relax, Silas," Miao Song said. "It's just harmless singing. It does not affect us."
Silas looked afraid and unwilling, but dropped the matter.
I noticed that despite what Miao Song had said earlier, he looked completely vigilant.
I went back to looking at the front. The humming volume increased slowly. I actually enjoyed it as it was very pleasant to the ears.
It was soft, like a mother singing a lullaby to her child. It was sweet enough to make a man forget about the ache in his joints after a long day of work. There were no words, but the melody just curled into my mind.
I looked back, even the fearful sailors now looked less afraid and seemed to enjoy the faint humming.
The humming continued for some time, then it faded quickly. Before I could complain, as if a track had faded out and a new one had faded in, the humming returned with a new melody.
It felt even more pleasant to hear. But the new tune wasn't just better sounding, it was fundamentally different from the previous one. As was clear from the notification I got the moment the tune appeared.
Hypnotic Singing Detected
Source: Mist Witch
Effects: Mind Calming
The Gamer's Mind can suppress this influence.
Do you wish to nullify the effect?
[Yes] [No]
Interesting.
Not only can this ability nullify negative effects, but it also allows me to choose whether to let positive effects affect me.
I looked at Zephyra, who had a pleasant smile on her face, free from any weight she carried on her shoulders all the time.
I looked back, and everyone on the deck seemed happy and relaxed.
I selected No, and the effect applied to me too. Its effect on me wasn't too obvious, as my Gamer's Mind already kept my mind calm and in top condition. But the little extra wasn't bad.
The ship had been sailing through the fog for more than an hour. It was already very late, and with the pleasant humming, I was already feeling somewhat sleepy.
I looked back, and the sailors looked diligent, looking everywhere to make sure they wouldn't miss a reef.
Ulysses was already sleeping on a chair, with a blanket over him, most likely placed there by Sebastian. Miao Song and Matthias sat and discussed something. Sebastian stood near Matthias, but he also maintained one eye on the mist.
I turned back to the front.
Should I go to sleep?
I had other plans before sleeping, but seeing how relaxed Zephyra looked under the humming, I decided to let her enjoy her time.
It was then that the humming once again faded out, and another tune faded in.
My slight sleepiness went entirely up in smoke as I read the new notification I got after the tune changed.
Hypnotic Singing Detected
Source: Mist Witch
Effect: Induces trance in listeners
Nullified by Gamer's Mind
My eyes opened wide at the notification. I turned sharply towards Zephyra and noticed a glassy look in her eyes.
"Zephyra."
"Zephyra." I used a louder voice.
"Zephyra." I shook her.
She didn't listen to me at all.
I looked back, and everyone else had the same glassy look in their eyes.
I turned back to Zephyra and pulled her towards the table Miao Song and the others were sitting at. In her state, she could fall off, so I sat her on one of the chairs. I did the same for Sebastian, too.
My gaze flickered to the front, and I noticed a large shadow in the mist.
"Fuck," I cursed loudly. The ship was on a collision course with a large reef.
I ran towards the helm and pulled back the helmsman, who was standing like a statue. He fell on his butt but didn't react at all.
The moment my hands touched the helm, the knowledge appeared in my mind on how to sail it.
My Driving skill works on ships, too?
I exclaimed internally.
I immediately chided myself; there wasn't much time. I immediately steered the ship to the left. The ship took a sharp turn. As the ship turned, I looked around.
I noticed one of the sailors sitting near the edge was about to fall off the ship. I immediately ran towards him. Their use wasn't over, so I couldn't let them die so soon. I pulled him and threw him towards the middle of the deck.
I ran back to the helm and, after steering it again to make sure it stayed on the correct path, looked back.
Two more sailors were near the edge. They were the ones who were on the lookout. I ran towards them and pulled them back too.
Finally, no one was in immediate danger of falling, so I focused back on the ship.
I had barely made it safe from the large reef. The ship passed by it, barely some distance away from it.
The immediate danger was gone. But that wasn't the end. No, it was the beginning.
The path became increasingly dangerous as more and more reefs appeared.
Even with my skills, it became harder to control the ship while making sure it wouldn't hit a reef.
Other than the reefs, I also noticed many wrecked ships—some broken, some half-submerged. There were all types: marine, pirate, and merchant.
A graveyard of the sea.
Under normal circumstances, I would have loved to scavenge them for treasure.
Unfortunately, my current situation did not allow such luxuries.
A few reefs appeared together as they sat diagonally to each other. I had to steer the ship in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the reefs.
After I passed those reefs, no new reefs appeared, but before I could sigh in relief, two more appeared.
These reefs were on either side of the ship, and the gap between them was too narrow for the ship to pass comfortably. There was no time to sail completely around these reefs.
I gripped the helm tightly and forced the ship straight between them.
The hull scraped against stone on both sides.
A loud creaking roar echoed through the ship.
Wood splintered.
The railings near the middle of the deck shattered.
But the ship squeezed through. Barely.
No new reefs appeared as I continued sailing, but the humming continued.
Feeling slightly relaxed, I let my mind wander to our current situation. There was no way they could've passed this area without me. That means originally they never passed through the mist.
Then what changed?
A thought suddenly struck me: the fight with the pirates caused the delay.
Yes. I was sure. It was the fight that was the reason for this cluster fuck.
In the original timeline, they would've still been attacked by the pirates. But as seen earlier, they were perfectly capable of defending themselves. Even if the pirates had attacked them, Miao Song would've increased the speed of the ship, and those pirates would be left in the dirt.
But I was present in this timeline. It was I who actually decided to fight the pirates by attacking them with cannonballs. The entire fight, killing nearby stragglers, and looting the ship, of course, took too much time. And hence the journey was delayed.
As I reached this conclusion, I noticed the mist had begun to grow less dense.
The sound of a bell ringing came. I saw a faint silhouette of a ship coming towards us. It shouldn't be possible, as that ship was technically sailing against the wind. The ship passed by me, but it was still far enough that I couldn't completely see it.
From what I could see, it looked like a merchant ship, but completely derelict. The lanterns were lit on its deck, but they burned green. Multiple shadowy figures were visible on the deck, though I couldn't make out anyone.
The only figure I could clearly see was a woman. Her form looked almost ethereal. Her face was blank as she hummed the melody.
Our eyes met for a moment.
The ship drifted by us and then disappeared into the mist.
I continued sailing our ship as visibility continuously increased and the humming volume decreased.
Soon, our ship emerged from the fog entirely.
Behind me, the crew began waking from their trance.
The helmsman stirred on the deck, looking around in confusion.
I stepped away from the wheel.
"Take the helm."
"Aye?" he muttered groggily.
Then realization hit him.
"Aye!"
He jumped up and grabbed the wheel.
Miao Song stood nearby, his expression solemn.
"I'm going to sleep," I said.
I gave Zephyra a small nod before heading toward the cabin.
Exhaustion finally caught up to me.
When I woke, the ship had already reached our destination.