The huge shadow rolled over, and everyone on the White Oak saw this moment that would be remembered for the rest of their lives.
It was a three-masted warship that looked ancient and majestic. In this age when steamships were no longer rare, the sailing warship that emerged from the thick fog seemed to have walked out of an oil painting from a century ago. Its masts were tall, its sides were steep, and green flames like ghosts were burning on the black wooden hull. The huge sails fluttered in the void, and the sails were condensed with roaring illusions and layers of flames. Such scenes, even on the terrifying vast ocean, can only appear in the most terrifying shipwreck legends.
“It’s about to hit!!!”
Some crew members cried out loudly. These people who made a living on the sea and were known for their bravery and rudeness could not help but lose their composure when facing such a huge ship. They shouted and ran, some tried to find shelter on the deck, some grabbed anything around them to stabilize themselves, and some even knelt down directly in the bumps and waves, praying and chanting the name of the storm goddess Gemona or the lord of death Bartok with unprecedented piety.
In this vast ocean, the blessings of the gods have faded, but only the power of these two righteous gods can still look upon all their people equally.
But not all crew members lost their composure. The first mate on the ship immediately turned his attention to the captain whom he trusted the most. He knew that sailing on the vast ocean was full of dangers, and an experienced captain was always the key to the fate of the entire ship. Lawrence had been on the sea for more than 30 years. The fifty-year-old captain might not be as strong as when he was young, but his experience of surviving in this vast ocean might still give everyone a glimmer of hope.
The ship that emerged from the thick fog was obviously not a normal ship sailing in the real world, but more like something that came out from the spiritual world or "deeper". If it was some kind of extraordinary vision, then perhaps some extraordinary power could be used to fight it.
The old captains who sailed on the vast ocean had more or less some experience when facing extraordinary visions.
However, the first mate only saw fear and shock on the captain's face.
The old captain held the steering wheel motionlessly, as if he had not noticed that the entire ship was completely shrouded in shadow. He stared at the ship's shadow that was rolling in front of him, and the muscles on his face were as tight as a stone sculpture. He finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, but those words were colder than the wind on the cold sea: "... It's the Lost Hometown..."
"Captain?!" The first mate was startled by the name that floated into his ears. Like everyone who makes a living on the vast sea, he had heard this title from many older, more experienced and more superstitious crew members than himself. "What did you say?! Then..."
"Lost Hometown!!!"
Captain Lawrence seemed not to hear the first mate's voice. He just held the steering wheel of the White Oak with all his strength and roared as if he was roaring at something. Almost at the same time when he finished speaking, the towering hull of the Lost Homeland finally touched the bow of the White Oak.
Almost all the sailors screamed.
However, the expected earth-shaking collision did not occur - the huge ship burning with green flames seemed like a phantom of a grand scale, sweeping across the deck of the White Oak with a whistling illusion of light and flame, the thick hull, the gloomy cabin, the dimly lit corridor, the flaming keel and pillars... The sailors opened their eyes wide in horror, watching themselves crash into the illusion of the ghost ship, and the green flames burning on the ghost ship were like a fire net, sweeping past them.
Lawrence also watched the flames whistling towards him, but before that, he first saw the flames sweeping across the first mate in front of him - the first mate's body suddenly turned into an illusory spirit in the illusory flames, and the bones in the spirit burned like firewood. He then saw the priest next to the prayer platform in front of him, and saw that the flames on the priest's body flickered, as if the god behind him was still using a meager blessing to protect him from being swallowed by the Lost Hometown.
Then the flames also burned Lawrence, and he saw that his body had undergone the same changes, and a strong sense of fatigue, obedience and fear filled his whole body. The ocean amulet he hid on his body began to take effect, and a feeling of alternating heat and coolness barely maintained his sanity. With his remaining sanity, he "passed through" the cabins and corridors of the Lost Homeland.
The eerie and depressing cabin came towards him, then whizzed away. Old wooden pillars burning with green fire were entangled with rotten ropes and barnacles. He saw a huge cargo hold, in which lay quietly all kinds of strange things that should have been buried in the deep sea. He then saw a luxurious cabin, in the middle of which was placed a wooden goat head on the table.
The goat's head turned and looked coldly into Lawrence's eyes.
Finally, Lawrence raised his head with all his strength, and he saw the figure at the steering wheel - next to the classical rudder, the tall figure in a black sailor's uniform seemed as majestic and terrifying as the master of a nightmare. That figure dominated all the ghost flames, and even the sea that was already in the depths of the spiritual world seemed to be intimidated by his majesty, and a crack appeared behind him.
Lawrence closed his eyes resignedly—he knew that he was now part of the Lost Homeland, and that the nightmarish captain needed some sacrifice to satisfy his endless emptiness and loneliness.
But the next second, he mustered up the courage to open his eyes. He felt that all the courage and madness in his life seemed to be gathered in these few seconds. He recalled the knowledge he had gained from books and legends, and looked at the terrifying captain standing on the Lost Homeland as honestly and calmly as possible.
"You don't have to take everyone—take me and leave my crew alone."
However, the tall figure did not answer. He just cast a cold gaze over. There seemed to be a little curiosity in his eyes - as if he was curious why a tiny mortal captain dared to bargain with him.
Lawrence finally couldn't hold back and roared, "They all have wives and children!!"
The figure standing on the Lost Homeland finally responded. He stared in Lawrence's direction and seemed to say something, but a loud whistling sounded from the side. In the whistling, Lawrence only vaguely heard some movements, but could not hear a single word clearly.
The response from the Lost Homeland was lost in the roar of the waves.
"What did you say?! The wind is so strong I can't hear you!!"
The next second, a huge noise rushed into Lawrence's ears, mixed with the sound of wind, waves and the shouts of sailors outside the door. From the corner of his eye, he saw the green flames fading away quickly, and the last remaining phantom of the Lost Hometown dissipated from the air like mist.
Lawrence took a deep breath, and then he noticed that his hands, which had been burned by the green flames, had returned to their original state. Even the other people in the cab had turned into flesh and blood again. The devout priest was lying beside the prayer table, gasping for breath and chanting the holy name of the storm goddess Gemona. The ominous purple-black smoke in the incense burner gradually dissipated, and pure white smoke rose from the copper hood.
It took Lawrence a long time to catch his breath, and then he looked around in doubt, as if he couldn't believe that the nightmare had just ended, until the first mate's voice came from the side: "Captain! That ship - the Lost Homeland has left!"
Lawrence was a little dazed, and it took him a few seconds to react before he muttered to himself: "... He actually let us go?"
The first mate didn't hear clearly for a moment: "Captain? What did you say?"
"That Captain Duncan..." Lawrence muttered subconsciously, but then he slapped himself as if he had accidentally mentioned some taboo words. Then he suddenly raised his head and looked at the first mate, "Call the roll call on the whole ship, quickly! See who is missing from the ship!"
The first mate nodded immediately, but just as he was about to leave, Lawrence stopped him and said, "Let's see if there are any more people on the ship!"
The first mate was stunned for a moment, then he reacted, with a hint of surprise and fear in his eyes. He took a deep breath, whispered the name of the Storm Goddess, and then quickly ran to the deck outside.
On the White Oak, which was still sailing in the spiritual world, the sound of the assembly bell rang like a death sentence.
(Theoretically there will be one at noon~~)