The sky was dim, and the sea was shrouded in a mysterious fog.
The gray sea reflected the dark world like a dust-covered mirror, its surface gradually rippling as a pirate ship broke through, leaping from the waters.
This was a ship with a very strange appearance.
It resembled a giant beast forged from steel, its hull covered in wild silver armor, with menacing launchers mounted on the bow and both sides, exuding an intimidating presence.
"Tch, this damned ghost weather."
Standing at the bow, Eleanor squinted her eyes, assessing her surroundings.
She wore a deep black leather coat, her hair tied in a high ponytail, with an eye patch covering one eye, drawing attention with shark-like teeth flashing with a chilling gleam.
"Where exactly did that Empire cargo ship sink?"
The slender black-haired woman snapped open the golden pocket watch in her hand, staring at its face and murmuring impatiently, "I should be getting close to it..."
The watch's hands spun rapidly, finally steadying in a southern direction.
Eleanor slowly put away the pocket watch and called out behind her:
"Lucia, turn on the spotlight! Starboard twenty!"
"O-okay!"
A muddled voice came from the depths of the ship.
A trace of helplessness flashed in Eleanor's eyes as she left the bow platform, entering the cabin and reaching the control room.
"Creak... creak..."
In front of the helm sat a sharp-eared Witch, dressed in a robe, her petite frame covered in freckles, with a head of tousled golden hair.
The Witch was focused on the sea depicted on the screen, steering the wheel with one hand while shoving jerky into her mouth with the other.
"Focus on steering!"
Eleanor shouted from directly behind her, "Do you have any idea how dangerous these waters are? This place is littered with wrecks!"
"Ah! Boss!"
The Witch named Lucia was clearly startled.
She puffed out her cheeks and cautiously said, "You know I feel insecure when I don't eat, but don't worry, I'll keep my eyes on the sea. Besides..."
Lucia glanced at the captain's grim face, muttering softly, "It's not like you didn't insist on chasing that Empire cargo ship, which is why we're near the Gray Realm..."
"Alright, alright, from now on, we'll only sail safe and reliable official routes."
Eleanor's face darkened further, "And let's use your food budget to pay for the tolls set by the Alliance!"
Lucia pouted and shut her mouth, turning on the ship's headlight.
The gray fog on the sea grew thicker.
The spotlight could only illuminate a few dozen meters ahead, as if the murky sky had descended, merging with the boundless dim sea.
Their ship seemed to sail through a lightless Abyss.
In these circumstances, only Captain Eleanor's pocket watch could point the right direction.
Suddenly, Lucia froze, her eyes widening as she saw vague humanoid figures appear on the sea's surface ahead.
Their forms became clearer in the spotlight's beam.
It was a group of long-limbed, faceless creatures standing on the mirror-like gray sea, their exposed skin covered in colorful fuzz.
Strands of Starlight spread beneath the sea's surface.
"Captain! It's the Celestial Calamity 'Starlight's' tendrils! Our ship is spotted by the Sea Monster!!"
Lucia screamed, instinctively slamming down on the cannon trigger on the console.
The distance was too short, no need to aim.
A blazing beam of light tore through the darkness, landing right in the center of the 'crowd'.
A deafening explosion echoed!
The eerie figures were instantly blown to shreds, yet the pirate ship did not slow, plowing straight through the severed limbs.
Chunks of flesh flew in all directions, the scene was shockingly bloody.
Even so, Lucia's expression remained tense, sweat beading on her forehead, her face paling.
She knew the Sea Monster's hunt had only just begun.
Rumble——
In the blink of an eye, the weather violently changed.
Roaring thunder and a storm swept in as the calm sea erupted with monstrous waves, and the calamity finally bared its sharp fangs at them.
A sharp, chilling wail emanated from beneath the sea.
Even though the Legion Ship's cannon fire had shredded the crowd, some fleshy pieces clung to the pirate ship's surface, squirming in the wail in an incomprehensible manner, multiplying and merging, increasing in number.
Then they scrambled to squeeze into the ship's crevices.
Thus, the environment inside the ship transformed into a true Nightmare.
Starlight writhed, and one by one, hairy arms 'grew' from the floor, the walls, the ceiling, reaching for Lucia and Eleanor.
"Captain! If you don't do something, we're done for!"
Lucia's face was ashen, shivering, but she kept her grip on the wheel, ensuring the ship stayed the course.
Eleanor, in contrast, stood calmly.
She looked at the dense arms surrounding them, her deep red vertical pupils exuding an authoritative gleam, as she inhaled deeply.
Lucia immediately covered her long ears in anticipation.
Roar!!!
The next instant, a majestic and low roar erupted!
Contained within that sound was some kind of astounding power, as visible waves of sound spread out layer by layer, blasting all the writhing arms in the shadows into dust.
The entire ship trembled incessantly under the roar of the Giant Dragon!
"Ugh..." Lucia's eyes sparkled with starlight, and she hazily opened her eyes, only seeing the tall back of the Captain.
"The cabin has been cleared, continue onward, I'm heading to the deck."
Captain Eleanor tossed out a phrase, reached out to open the iron door leading to the deck, and fierce winds and rain immediately poured into the cabin, her clothes flapping wildly in the storm.
"Damn it, almost every Celestial Calamity loves this bad weather trick."
Eleanor wiped away the water on her face, cursed in a low voice, and stepped onto the deck.
All around was darkness, and normal eyes could only see the sea illuminated by the searchlights.
The sky flashed with lightning and thunder, the deck rocked crazily, and the violent waves were already crowded with dense, colorful arms.
These solidified fears seemed to have taken root on the sea surface, desperately grabbing around and leaving scratch marks all along the side of the ship.
Nonexistent illusions affected reality, where materialism and idealism were long indistinguishable amidst the boundless sea.
Why is the Celestial Calamity so active? What on earth happened in the Starlight tier?
The sharp cries from below the sea pulled Eleanor's mind back to reality, as she regained her senses and noticed a shadow gathering beneath the sea surface behind the ship.
In the next moment, it forcefully parted the muddy seawater, weighing thousands of tons, and revealed its true form in the midst of the storm.
It was an extraordinarily strange-looking large "sailboat."
Boom—
Thunder roared, and its bow heavily smashed onto the sea, raising wave after wave that weighed thousands of pounds.
The impact rushed forward, and upon closer inspection, every detail of that ship was composed of dense phantom arms.
They outlined the ever-changing sails and masts, constructing the deck and the ship's outline, even mimicking a mouth full of sharp teeth at the bow that was terrifying to the extreme.
This is the Sea Monster born of the Celestial Calamity.
It is the Nightmare of the sea and the terror in human hearts.
"Indeed, the Starlight tier swallowed that Empire cargo ship..."
Eleanor gazed intently at the twisted monster and sighed, "Truly a pity, it looks like I won't be able to retrieve those treasures..."
Murmuring softly, she drew a peculiarly styled single-action revolver from her waist.
The barrel of this revolver was exaggeratedly long, carved with intricate and magnificent golden patterns on its surface; rather than a weapon, it resembled a finely crafted piece of art.
Eleanor then reached into the inner pocket of her coat and extracted an exquisite box the size of a palm.
She opened the black box, and inside lay a special bullet, gleaming golden-stained, seemingly crafted from pure gold.
Next, a bright beam of sunlight descended from the sky onto the surface of the golden bullet amidst the storm-raging dark sea.
Even as the ship sped ahead, that beam of sunlight remained fixedly on the bullet's surface.
This scene was wondrous and sacred.
Staring at that bullet, Eleanor's face displayed a pained expression, quickly replaced by fierce determination.
With a decisive action, she pushed the sunlight-connecting bullet into the revolver's cylinder with a snap.
That streak of sunlight also transferred onto the revolver, making it exceptionally eye-catching.
The distance between the two now lessened to a mere hundred meters, as the ancient and terrifying giant four-masted sailboat loomed before them.
It also noticed the unusual sunlight, and the Sea Monster emitted a wild roar, accelerating once more.
Instantly, the waves roared, and the sky turned dark.
Eleanor pulled the trigger.
·
·
Lucia clambered hazily onto the deck.
She struggled to move to the edge, and with a "Wah," vomited a burst of color.
"I told you not to eat so much, my dear First Mate."
A magnetic voice crept into her ears, and Lucia, pale-faced, wiped her mouth and looked up to see Captain Eleanor enjoying the sea breeze, fiddling with the pocket watch in her palm.
Behind Eleanor, a bottomless trench appeared on the sea surface, with divided seawater on either side.
An indiscernible 'sailboat' lay at the center of the trench, its upper main body vanished like an apple bitten halfway through.
The air faintly retained the echoes of angry wails, and scattered fragments floated on the surrounding sea.
More and more sunlight penetrated the clouds, gradually illuminating the dark world as the heavy seawater began to converge, sweeping the remains of the four-masted sailboat into the depths below.
"Are we still searching for that Empire cargo ship, Captain?"
Lucia hugged the Captain's leg, pleading, "Spare your poor First Mate! I can't hold on any longer!"
Eleanor paid no heed to her companion's theatrics.
Her eyes steadfastly locked onto the golden dial, her expression growing increasingly excited:
"Lucia, we did not return empty-handed this time; I just successfully used the 'Angel's Right Eye' to steal the secret of the stars' wrath!"
Lucia gasped momentarily, climbing up and curiously tiptoeing to peek at the pocket watch in the Captain's hand.
The dial rippled like water, revealing a picture.
It was of a young noble with gray hair and gray eyes.
He sat by the edge of a grand giant wall, looking indifferently at the starlight below his feet.