Birds circled in the sky as the Yufeng and Black Thorn ships sailed steadily across the azure sea.
Compared to the Wavebreaker from Seaway City, the onboard experience of the Yufeng was far superior. The captain’s room not only had a constant temperature enchantment, but it was also equipped with a mirror crystal ball, allowing Luca to observe the status of the ship’s various sections. It even gave him the feeling of being in a CEO’s office.
“There’s some truth to the saying ‘you get what you pay for,'” Luca thought to himself, though unfortunately, now was not the time to relax.
He pulled out a piece of parchment and spread it out on the table. A prominently marked red line on the nautical chart caught his eye.
The Sea of Mist was located at the deepest part of the Western Sea. By sailing directly west, one would eventually reach the destination. However, this route passed through many perilous waters, so after careful consideration, he decided to first head toward Snake Island. From there, he would follow the safe route marked on the Barnes family’s nautical charts, entering the Sea of Mist via a passage called the “Shipwreck Strait.”
Although it wasn’t the fastest route, it was the safest. There were too many unknown dangers in the Sea of Mist, and it was better not to take unnecessary risks.
Once he confirmed there were no issues with the course, Luca rolled up the nautical chart and pulled out the magic runes notes that Orf and Carmichael had given him from his storage ring.
It would take a few days to reach Snake Island, which gave him just the right amount of time to study some Superclass Magic Runes.
The magic runes notes that Orf and Medel had given him contained a wealth of Superclass Magic Runes drawing techniques, with categories so numerous they were jaw-dropping. To be blunt, they could rival an entire professional skill system.
This was both the strength and weakness of the Demonic Rune Mage profession. The skills were abundant but scattered, making it hard to specialize. This was also why many Demonic Rune Mages would eventually shift to single-element magic runes later in their careers.
One reason was lack of energy, and the other was a lack of funds.
Luca’s profession change to Demonic Rune Mage was precisely because of its high potential. He didn’t want to abandon the professional advantages of the Demonic Rune Mage for a single-element focus. If that were the case, he might as well have switched to an Elemental Mage.
Though his coin purse was a bit lighter these days…
After much deliberation, Luca selected twelve magic runes: five Superclass Magic Runes and seven advanced magic runes. The advanced magic runes were simple, useful mainly for basic attacks, but the real focus was on the Superclass Magic Runes.
The five Superclass Magic Runes he chose were “Void Shock,” “Heartfire,” “Hundred Releases,” “Death Gate,” and “Phoenix Soul.” They spanned a variety of types, primarily chosen to diversify his combat methods.
“Void Shock” was a space-type enhancement magic rune, capable of shaking the fabric of space and causing massive area damage. “Heartfire” was an elemental magic rune that could ignore defenses and directly attack the heart of the enemy. “Hundred Releases” was a support-class rune that could remove curses and negative effects of Superclass or lower.
“Death Gate” was a mysterious-class magic rune that could summon a gate to the afterlife, banishing or controlling enemies. “Phoenix Soul” was a defensive magic rune that could render the body and soul ethereal, making it immune to most attacks.
Having chosen the magic runes he needed, Luca took out the materials Tark had purchased from his storage ring. With a flash of light, ten high-tier materials appeared on the long table, and the room was immediately filled with a dense aura of elemental energy.
Luca’s fingertips gleamed with a deep purple light, and just as he was about to start crafting the magic runes, his eyes caught an unusual movement in the reflection of the crystal ball nearby. He couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.
“What is she doing here?” A flash of surprise flickered in his eyes.
…
Meanwhile, in the cargo hold of the Yufeng.
Squeak! A wooden crate filled with cargo slowly cracked open, revealing a pair of sapphire-like eyes that curiously scanned the surroundings.
After confirming that no one was around, Ellie let out a long sigh of relief and grinned smugly. “A few guards think they can keep an eye on me? Ha, what a joke!”
This was none other than Ellie, who had sneaked aboard the fleet. As for how she managed to get on the ship without being noticed, well, that was probably a mystery known only to the heavens.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside the cargo hold, and Ellie quickly ducked back into the wooden crate.
Bang! The lid of the crate slammed shut, its sound reverberating through the hold.
“What was that sound?” Isaac, who happened to be passing by, paused, somewhat puzzled. He walked directly into the cargo hold.
Inside the crate, Ellie clamped her hand over her mouth, cursing herself for being so careless. She should have waited until nighttime to sneak out. But it was too late to regret now. All she could do was pray that Isaac wouldn’t find her.
Unfortunately, her prayers were in vain, and worse yet, they seemed to have the opposite effect.
Isaac’s hearing was far beyond that of an ordinary person. He immediately pinpointed the source of the noise. After staring at the large wooden crate for a moment, his eyes narrowed, and his hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword as he slowly approached.
As his footsteps grew louder and closer, Ellie’s heart raced, her nerves tightening in her chest.
“Issac, go ahead with your work. I’ll handle things here.” A voice, oddly familiar to Ellie, suddenly rang out from outside the hold.
The footsteps stopped, and the young man’s respectful voice soon followed. “Understood, my lord.”
The sound of his footsteps faded, becoming distant until they disappeared entirely. Only then did Ellie dare to crack open the crate slightly to peek outside. She was relieved to find that the cargo hold was now empty.
“That was close.” Ellie patted her chest, still a bit shaken. If anyone had found out she had snuck aboard, Luca would surely send her back, and all her efforts would have been in vain.
The cargo hold was far too dangerous. She needed to find a new hiding place as soon as possible.
But where was the ship’s restroom? Ellie pressed her long legs together, her face turning red with embarrassment. She scanned the area but couldn’t spot any sign of a bathroom. Eventually, she shyly glanced down at the floor, wondering if she was really about to take care of it here.
“Turn right when you leave, and it’s the bathroom.” A calm voice reminded her.
Ellie, a little excited, said, “Thank you so much—”
But halfway through, she suddenly couldn’t continue.
Ellie stiffly turned her head and looked behind her.
A young man, dressed in a black noble robe, had somehow appeared in the cargo hold. His pale golden eyes were calmly observing her, making Ellie feel like a prisoner about to be executed.
…
In the bright captain’s room.
Ellie sat slumped in a chair, looking as deflated as a duck that couldn’t swim.
“Is this how you got on board?” Luca casually twirled two bronze keys, one large and one small, in his hand. He looked at the girl. She must have used some sort of high-level stealth item to bypass so many people’s Perception to get on the ship.
“Yes.” Ellie cautiously raised her head to glance at him before lowering it again and whispering, “This is a high-tier space-type item called the ‘Mother and Child Keys.’ If you place the child key within ten kilometers, you can use the mother key for spatial teleportation. If you like, I can give it to you.”
Luca’s lips twitched. “Are you really offering me a high-tier item like this? Does Marquis Gerald know about it?”
He tossed the mother and child keys back to Ellie and sighed. “Stop dreaming of bribing me. I’m sure Gerald is probably searching for you all over the place. Once we reach Snake Island, I’ll arrange for someone to send you back.”
“I don’t want to go back!” Ellie immediately became anxious upon hearing this. When she saw Luca frown, she quickly rushed over and pleaded, “Please, take me with you to the Sea of Mist. The Marquis’s mansion is just so boring! Every day, it’s either learning all sorts of etiquette or socializing with a bunch of idiots. That kind of life is no different from being dead!”
Well, the life that others would dream of had, in this girl’s mouth, turned into something no better than death. This bright and beautiful noble daughter clearly hadn’t learned her lesson from the last incident.
Looking at Ellie, who had tears in her eyes, Luca shrugged. “If this were just an ordinary trip, I really wouldn’t mind taking you, Miss Ellie.”
“But you should know, our destination is the Sea of Mist. I can’t even guarantee I’ll make it out alive from that sea.”
“Taking you with me would be the same as committing murder. Do you understand?”
Anyone who followed him to the Sea of Mist knew how dangerous it was, but Ellie was different. She was driven more by curiosity and rebellion. If she were to lose her life for this, the punishment would be far too severe.
Even though this was the second time she had made such a mistake.
Ellie’s tears immediately began to flow, more effective than a faucet. “I know the Sea of Mist is dangerous. You don’t have to worry. I brought a lot of items…”
She knelt down, wiping her tears as she pulled items from her storage ring. In no time, the ground was covered with over a hundred pieces of equipment and tools, ranging in size.
The lowest-ranked items were high-tier, and some were even Superclass-grade!
This scene left Luca dumbfounded.
What the hell! Did she bring the entire Barnes family’s treasure vault with her?!
“And I also brought a compass and space-type items that will work in the Sea of Mist. I can help you find whatever you’re looking for!” Ellie picked up an old compass and a ruby ring, holding them out to Luca. With tearful eyes, she pleaded, “Please, take me with you. I just want to find my grandfather’s belongings…”
It took Luca a while to snap out of his shock. He also understood from her words why Ellie was so persistent in going to the Sea of Mist.
Ellie’s grandfather, Levin Barnes, had once been the most famous navigator in the Western Sea and was also a Sky-level Superclass professional.
His entire life was spent exploring the Sea of Mist and the lost kingdom of “Farlenben.” And it wasn’t just him—Ellie’s great-grandfather, her great-great-grandfather, and even those further back for thousands of years had shared the same pursuit.
Ellie’s ancestors were royalty from that once-glorious empire, and this was the greatest secret of the Barnes family.