Chapter 370: The Ghost Ship (1)

"So, do you believe that I’m your brother now?" Nolan asked in dissatisfaction, folding his arms across his chest.

Sharon rubbed her sore buttocks and looked at her brother with annoyance mixed with guilt.

"I believe it. But your actions were so cruel, weren’t they?" She pursed her lips.

Her brother was so cruel that he slapped her buttocks hard. The pain had subsided, but not completely.

It was the first time she had seen a man act so cruelly toward a woman.

Nolan rolled his eyes. "Cruel? What do you mean by cruel? Look at yourself—I was standing there calmly, and you suddenly attacked me. If I hadn’t blocked every strike, I’d be dead."

All of his sister’s attacks earlier were not jokes but were actually fatal—they all targeted vital points such as the head, neck, heart, and solar plexus.

If even one of her attacks had hit, he would have been finished for sure.

Faced with his accusation, Sharon fell silent, unable to refute it.

She had to admit that her actions earlier were very reckless and... stupid. She had launched a deadly attack on her own brother because she had thought he was a monster in disguise.

Sharon bowed her head and apologized, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Don’t be angry, okay?"

She raised her head, her eyes slightly teary. Her adorable expression melted Nolan’s heart.

"Alright." He let out a small sigh. "Forget about it. The important thing now is to deal with this situation."

He looked seriously at the fog surrounding them.

"At first, I thought this fog was harmless. But it’s not. When I went up to the deck, I didn’t find any crew members on watch. They probably either disappeared or fainted."

Sharon also grew serious. She had sensed something strange about the fog, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

"Do you think this fog is caused by a ghost ship?"

Sharon’s question made Nolan pause for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah, it’s because of a ghost ship."

Dong!

The bell rang again from behind them. They both turned and saw a faint shadow in the distance.

"The ship is coming," Nolan said indifferently.

Sharon immediately wore a wary expression. She stepped in front of Nolan, as if to protect him.

The ship slowly drew closer, and an unsettling aura quickly spread around them.

Nolan and Sharon felt a chill pierce their skin.

Ten minutes later, the ship became clearer, revealing its full appearance.

The ship was brown, but each side of the hull emitted a faint green glow. It was enormous—one and a half times the size of their own ship.

Yet its condition was far from good. Many parts were rotten, even damaged.

There was only one sail mast left, when there should have been two.

The large sail flapped in the wind, bearing an emblem of crossed swords beneath a pirate hat.

A pirate ship, huh? How strange...

Nolan narrowed his eyes.

That emblem looks similar to the one from my previous world.

Pirates existed in this world as well, but as far as he remembered, their emblem was usually a crow or something like that.

This ghost ship, however, bore an emblem of two crossed swords topped with a pirate hat. It was very similar—no, it had to be the same as the one from his previous world.

His suspicion grew, though he didn’t want to jump to conclusions just yet.

Bang!

As the ship drew closer, its massive hull slammed into theirs.

The impact made their ship sway, and Sharon momentarily lost her balance.

But with Nolan behind her, she was promptly caught and steadied.

"Thank you," she murmured softly.

Nolan merely nodded. The fog around them thinned slightly, though it didn’t vanish entirely.

Both of them remained on high alert, expecting the monsters that might attack their ship.

Second after second passed, but nothing came. The ghost ship stayed where it was.

"That’s strange," Sharon muttered. "Doesn’t the ghost ship have any crew or monsters inside?"

She had expected an attack, but none came.

"Hmmm..." Nolan rubbed his chin. "Sister, I think the ship is completely empty. Do you want to check it out?"

His words surprised Sharon. She glanced at him suspiciously. "Are you sure? Aren’t you afraid there might be a powerful monster inside that could kill you?"

"I’m afraid, but standing idle won’t help. Don’t you remember what Loid Anderson said? Every ship that encounters a ghost ship is destroyed, lost, or sunk. Isn’t checking it—or not—the same as inviting death?"

His reasoning was so logical that Sharon had no argument to refute it.

"But if we wait here, we might still have a chance to survive. After all, Cassiopeia and Draco are on this ship."

Nolan shook his head. "You’re right, but we can’t rely on them completely. This fog is very mysterious. It’s not impossible that they’ve been affected by it. And most importantly..."

Nolan smiled playfully. "Opportunities like this don’t come twice. Who knows—there might be treasure or something inside. Wouldn’t it be fun to hunt for it?"

Sharon’s heart beat faster. The words "hunt for treasure" sounded irresistible when she imagined it.

After weighing his words, Sharon gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.

"All right, let’s go! I’ll protect you, so don’t worry."

Nolan just chuckled softly. Who knew who would end up protecting whom?

"Well then, let’s go."

He grabbed Sharon’s hand and pulled her closer to the ship.

Shortly after they left, a black shadow slowly emerged from the stairs. It was Cassiopeia.

She stared at the fog-covered deck of the ship and couldn’t help shivering.

Even a Celestial mage like me is shivering. That ghost ship must be extremely dangerous,

she muttered coldly.

She moved toward where Nolan and Sharon had been standing and froze at the sight of the massive ship floating before her.

"Is this the ghost ship?" Her expression turned horrified.

Quickly, she assumed a fighting stance, ready for a possible attack from monsters.

But after ten minutes of waiting, no sign of monsters appeared.

This doesn’t make sense. Is the ship really empty?

She wondered inwardly.

The urge to investigate rose within her, but she remembered Nolan and Sharon, still in their room.

Caught between doubt and curiosity, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind, accompanied by a playful voice.

"Tsk! The ghost ship is finally here. Why so quiet, Cassiopeia? Don’t you want to check it out?"

Cassiopeia was startled and turned around, only to see Draco smiling playfully at her.

"Draco?"

Draco ignored her and kept his gaze on the ghost ship ahead. "Why hesitate? Let’s check it out."

Cassiopeia shook her head. "His Highness Nolan and Her Highness Sharon—"

Before she could finish, Draco interrupted. "They’re not in their room. I already checked."

Cassiopeia’s eyes widened. "Wait! Don’t tell me they..."

She stopped, but her meaning was clear—they must have gone to the ghost ship!

"Are you coming?" Draco asked again, glancing at her.

This time, Cassiopeia didn’t hesitate. She nodded firmly. "All right, let’s go!"