"So, you need a 'shuttle'?" Shizuku tilted his head in curiosity.
"Exactly." Germain repeated what the captain of the guide's ship had said. "The entire Ghost Ferry ship shuttles over long distances once every two hours."
"Like your teleportation?"
"That's right. After nearly ten shuttles in one day and night, the Ghost Ferry ship will reach our destination."
"So that means we don't have to do anything, just stay inside the cabin?" Shizuku adjusted his heavy black-rimmed glasses.
"That's exactly right." Germain answered patiently.
Shizuku nodded, understanding and agreeing.
"Look." At that moment, Morel made a new discovery. "Everyone, look outside!"
Germain turned around, leaned close to Morel, and looked outside.
Shizuku and Bisuki silently moved to another round window to observe.
Light… They actually saw light deep in the sea, colorful lights reflecting on their eyes.
The Ghost Ferry ship had shuttled into a strange area filled with deep-sea monsters.
One by one, strange giant sea beasts swam around the Ghost Ferry ship, drifting slowly forward like sea turtles.
There were squids hanging like hyacinths with dangling tentacles, strange fish with wide, long mouths tightly shut, and sea snakes so long their heads couldn't be seen.
Even stranger, they all had transparent shells.
Everyone could see the organs inside their shells, and those tightly packed organs were the source of the glowing light from the sea floor.
"Incredible..." Bisky exclaimed.
"It's as dazzling as a jewel... If I could take it with me, I'd really want to bring it back."
Upon hearing this, Shizuku took a camera out from Blinky and handed it to Bisky.
"You can bring it back this way."
"Right, I never thought the day would come when you, Shizuku, would remind me of something like this," Bisky said, both surprised and delighted as he took the camera and started snapping photos outside.
"I've never seen these sea beasts before, nor have I ever seen so many gathered together," Morel said, almost pressing his whole big face against the round window.
This trip was definitely worth it for him.
Germain could only look outside through a small corner not blocked by Morel's tall and strong body.
It was indeed beautiful.
The scene outside reminded him of the nebula images NASA had released in his past life.
Of course, those colorful nebulae were artificially enhanced.
But this was truly just as beautiful.
After the excitement settled down, everyone returned to the round table, discussing the future while eating the lunch they had brought—after all, the guide didn't care about meals or water.
—
Knock, knock, knock—
Germain suddenly opened his eyes, alert.
He turned over in bed, sharply hearing footsteps approaching the cabin.
From those distinct footsteps and the flow of aura, Germain was certain it was the guide captain.
What was he doing here?
Had they already arrived at their destination?
Sure enough, just as the others slowly woke and got up a moment later, the cabin's sealed door was pushed open by the captain's crab claw.
A rush of seawater poured in, but not much—just a few centimeters covering the floor.
The captain walked in, his waxy pale face showing neither sorrow nor joy.
"We're almost there. Get your things ready. If you leave anything behind, don't expect me to come back just to return it."
With that, the captain turned and left without hesitation.
His footsteps gradually faded away at the end of the corridor.
He had come all the way here, but it wasn't just to tell everyone that the Ghost Ferry was nearing its destination.
Something like that could easily be handled by his crew.
The reason the captain came personally was that unlocking the seal between the ship's cabin and the outside seawater required his own hands.
Several thick candles on the table had long since burned out, leaving only one flickering weakly.
The room was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to tell the time.
However, everyone vaguely felt that roughly a full day and night had passed.
"Pack up. Don't forget to bring your things," Germain stood up and reminded the group.
Everyone was still sleepy, but they all checked their belongings carefully and then hurriedly stuffed them into the bulging-eye fish that Shizuku carried for storage.
After confirming that nothing was left behind, everyone was fully awake.
They walked out of the cabin together, the seawater rising past their ankles as they splashed forward.
At the end of the corridor was a transparent, rippling water curtain.
It seemed the seal extended only this far and hadn't been completely lifted yet.
But through the water curtain, they could already see the faint light from outside.
This meant the Ghost Ferry had quietly surfaced near the sea level.
Suddenly, a series of creaking noises came from above as the entire ship tilted upwards.
Everyone had to hold onto nearby wooden boards or pillars to keep their balance and avoid slipping.
Then a tremendous force pushed them backward, making the ship shake violently.
It was enough to make one wonder if the ship might break apart.
After a thunderous crash, a blinding light burst through the water curtain.
Following an unsettling sensation of weightlessness, the ship trembled and settled onto the sea surface, sending waves splashing everywhere.
Pop—
The water curtain in front of them shattered.
Because of inertia, they jolted forward but didn't fall down.
Instead, seawater from the corridor and cabin flowed outward along with the breaking of the seal.
"It seems there's no problem… Let's go outside and take a look," Germain said.
Everyone naturally agreed and began climbing up the ladder one by one, emerging from the cabin of the ghost ferry onto the slick, seawater-drenched deck.
The agile crabs had already returned to the sea with the tide, while several stiff fish lay sprawled across the deck, desperately wagging their tails, trying to wriggle back into the water.
The wet starfish and barnacles seemed lifeless, yet they quietly inched forward without a sound.
Outside, the sun had already risen, and the daylight spread across the entire sea.
The strange-shaped crew shouted loudly, full of energy as they raised the sails. The sails were decorated with deep-sea wave patterns.
The captain stood at the bow. He turned his head, his waxy yellow tentacles writhing as he pointed to one side. "Sea Demon Gorge — your destination, and also the landing point of that previous group."
He had no interest in remembering the names of Beyond's exploration team or anyone else, just as he wasn't interested in Germain and his group now.
The group exchanged glances, then curiously gathered at the bird-beak-shaped prow, looking out.
Sure enough, the ghost ferry rode the wind and waves, steering between two steep rocky cliffs.
The path was littered with jagged reefs, like ghostly claws trying to snag passing creatures and ships, but the ghost ferry easily weaved around them.
However, the ferry could not avoid the enchanting song drifting from the winding cliffs — a bewitching charm that stirred their hearts.
Germain looked over and saw a topless, graceful mermaid lying in a clam shell on a flat rock, her cheeks flushed as she sang a beautiful song.
Mermaids like her were scattered all around, perched on reefs, cliffs, and sea caves, as if the group had stumbled into a land of beauties.
Morel was nearly hypnotized by her seductive eyes, delicate face, figure, and the captivating song — until Germain nudged him, snapping him awake.
"I almost got caught," Morel shook his head with a dazed smile. "Thanks, Germain. I nearly made a fool of myself."
"It's nothing." Germain wouldn't be affected by such tricks anymore.
Besides, he had seen and even touched far better things before.
The captain spat toward the direction of the sirens, then pointed the way for the ghost ferry.
"Head this way! Sail fast!"
The sirens, seeing the whole ship sail past without anyone jumping into the sea, shook their fish tails in disappointment.
They stopped singing and licked their sharp teeth with their tongues.
Not long after, the ghost ferry docked in a quiet bay and dropped a wooden plank for people to disembark.
"Let's go."
The captain handed Germain a conch shell.
"If you want to return, just blow this. We'll arrive back no later than a day from now."
*******
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