Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

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The auction concluded without any incidents, and Shard gained some experience while Miss Princess enjoyed herself. After the auction, people quickly dispersed, merging back into the crowd on deck. The wooden boxes at the front of the deck were removed, and the long benches were swiftly moved away. The entire auction lasted less than forty minutes; some of the guests hadn't even noticed what had taken place.

The atmosphere on the ship was now buzzing, with matched men and women or other combinations gradually making their way into the cabins.

"Excuse me, miss..."

"Scram."

Of course, there were those who tried to hit on the distinctively charming girl by Shard's side only to be harshly dismissed by Shard, speaking with a thick Tobesk accent.

"I didn't expect you to say something like that."

Miss Princess was in good spirits.

"Oh?"

Shard straightened his bow tie:

"I have no respect for this kind of chaos, this sort of party..."

He grunted, choosing not to comment on the chaotic intimate relationships of the nobles and the rich:

"Actually, my temper isn't that great, it's just rare to encounter a situation worth losing it over."

The old landlord who, because he saw Shard's face in the morning, was "persuaded" to commit "suicide," could testify to that.

At this moment, the cruise ship continued its journey toward the deep sea and, according to plan, was scheduled to head back to Coldwater Port in half an hour. This type of auction was quite safe; it was a pity that Tobesk City wasn't suitably equipped for such safety measures. To have a secure auction, one had to travel away from the city areas.

Having nothing else to do, Shard and Miss Princess returned to the somewhat gloomy railings to chat again.

In the distance, the lights of civilization at Coldwater Port were completely invisible. The ship's lights seemed to be absorbed by the vast sea. In a place far off, at the junction between sky and sea and unnoticed by them for the time being, a ghastly green glimmer accompanied by a storm had already appeared.

"What's wrong?"

While talking with Shard and enjoying the dwindling moments alone, the blonde girl suddenly noticed Shard clutching his chest and looking toward the dark sea surface. She immediately asked with some anxiety.

Shard shook his head, his right hand tightly clutching the pocket over his chest. Inside the pocket was the "Pirate's Blood Money," which had begun to vibrate just moments ago.

This was the phenomenon of resonance unique to special relics like "Pirate's Blood Money," indicating that another Blood Coin had finally appeared within nearby range. Shard's initial goal for coming to Coldwater Port was finally within reach.

However, they were now away from the shore, on the open sea. It was very likely that the Blood Coin was at the bottom of the sea, so jumping in to search for it immediately was not an option for Shard.

If Shard dared to activate the Blood Coin and make the resonance more apparent, he could potentially lower the difficulty of the search a little. But they were currently on the surface of the sea, and if he dared to activate it, he might well expect an undead fleet to emerge in a matter of seconds, leaving him no choice but to use up the very last drop of his Divinity.

Shard wanted to explain the situation with the Blood Coin and quickly find the captain to ascertain his current location. However, he frowned again, as the vibration from the Blood Coin was growing more and more intense, suggesting that the other Blood Coin was getting closer.

"What does this mean? Is the other one inside a fish's stomach? And now that fish is about to commit suicide by ramming into our ship?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, listen carefully, there's something off about the sound."

He raised his hand to signal Miss Princess to be silent, and, unexpectedly, Miss Princess also placed her hand over her chest. Of course, her dress did not have a pocket at the chest, and by the looks of the young woman's deeply furrowed brow, she seemed to be experiencing severe pain in her chest.

In the quiet moments of listening, the sounds of the deck's music and waves reached their ears, but after several seconds, a rough voice singing from the dark sea became audible. The sound grew louder and louder until even the average person on deck noticed the unusual noise.

The rough and eerie voice sang in an ancient language as ominous clouds swiftly approached from the northwest of the ship against the clear night sky.

The biting cold wind swept across the deck, and the previously calm sea suddenly surged with waves. The onslaught made both Shard and Miss Princess unsteady on their feet, gripping each other for support, while cries of alarm already arose from the deck behind them.

The Circle Sorcerers on the deck looked towards the northwest of the cruise ship, where at the intersection of the dark night and the deep sea, amidst the roaring storm, an old ship emitting black smoke and a dim green glimmer, approached with inconceivable speed.

At the sight of that ship, most people felt as if their heads were hammered with a heavy blow. The dense Whisper Element was eroding their spirits, the effect of the Relic, which was evident even across the ocean with merely a visual contact.

"No, the Blood Coin in my hand has not been activated... this has nothing to do with the Blood Coin; there is another Blood Coin on that ship, this is a different kind of Relic!"

The calm sea turned raging in an instant, the cruise ship coming to a stop as the oppressive and terrifying low chants grew louder. Unknowingly, dark clouds had completely covered the starry sky above and dirty green moss spread across the swaying deck at a visibly alarming rate.

"The Sea Return ritual, the Mermaid Statue is the Song of the Mermaid, and then the second line about the pirate..."

Miss Princess, clutching her chest, widened her eyes and murmured to herself:

"Mr. Edmund's guess was correct, this is really a ritual, how did we come across it... he even mentioned this afternoon that the current was abnormal!"

The Five-Ring Sorcerer was barely resisting the mental assault, while Shard deciphered the general meaning from the chanting of the ancient song.

"In the deepest depths of the sea, we come riding the storm, hunting for our master, the Crimson Spiral, you are the Merman's..."

"I know what this is!"

Miss Princess's voice suddenly grew louder, drowning out the chant and allowing Shard to clearly hear her declaration:

"A Sage-Level Relic! The 'Fishbone Pirate Crew'! Damn it, this thing is somehow connected to the 'Song of the Mermaid', also of Sage Level!"

"What? Are you sure? Another Sage Level? How is this place even more dangerous than Tobesk?"

Shard was stunned, then grabbed her, ready to jump overboard:

"I'll swim us back!"

"There's no escape, the Relic is not just the ship, the bound Undead have already appeared in the sea. Someone is conducting a major ritual in Coldwater Port! The first step is to spread the curse of the 'Song of the Mermaid', the second is the appearance of the pirate ship, the Cultists!"

"It's the Cultists of the 'Lord of the Crimson Spiral'! It's the Merfolk, we must inform the church!"

Shard added loudly, as the pirate ship drew closer and closer. Along with the buzzing in his head, he could see what seemed like thousands of Evil Spirits howling on the decrepit deck.

The ship did not slow down, crashing into them without giving any chance to react:

"Remember!"

Miss Princess, who just a moment ago had been clutching her chest, now sounded as if she was far away.

"The Whisper Element is affecting space, be careful."

"Shard, never leave the ship, never agree to become a crewmember, the exit lies in the deepest part..."

She tried to embrace Shard, but the ghostly green pirate ship had already collided with them, and in the violent shaking, the fearsome black mist from the pirate ship completely engulfed the unprotected steam cruise ship. Everything around them vanished, thousands of curses and twisted prayers whispered into his mind, clouding Shard's consciousness.