Charles and his crew boarded the Narwhal. Compared to the dilapidated Rat, the Narwhal was undoubtedly more spacious and clean, a pleasure to behold.

He ran through each cabin, checking everything meticulously to ensure nothing was amiss. As a captain, he had to be as familiar with every part of the ship as he was with his own body.

After confirming everything was in order, Charles returned to the cockpit and gave a slight wave of his hand. The Narwhal’s chimney began to spew thick black smoke, and the ship slowly headed out to the deep sea.

Glancing out the window at the shrinking coral island, Charles walked to the communication pipe and shouted into it, “Chief Engineer, how does the new ship feel?”

After a few seconds, James’ hearty voice came back through the pipe, “Captain, the ship is great! The steam comes out quickly! And it’s not hot down here at all, just 39 degrees.”

“Open the turbine to maximum, let’s test her speed.”

“Aye, Captain.”

As the black smoke from the chimney began to pour out continuously, the Narwhal’s speed increased. When it reached its peak, Charles, at the helm, felt as if he was driving a speedboat.

Charles estimated that the Narwhal’s speed was at least three times that of the Rat.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of something white on the surface of the sea out of the corner of his eye. “Chief Engineer, reduce speed!”

The speeding Narwhal slowed down, and Charles saw what it was—a bloated corpse.

The body, which should have been lying in the water being eaten by fish, was now standing on the surface of the sea on its two feet, staring motionless at the Narwhal.

Charles wasn’t curious about the origin of this creature; he had seen stranger things at sea. He just wanted a target for his new cannon.

“Boom!” The recoil from the deck gun caused the ship to shudder violently.

Although Charles wasn’t accurate with the cannon at first, after firing a dozen more shots, the bloated corpse was instantly blown apart.

Whatever force had made it stand again, it had to lie down in the face of the cannonball.

Charles was convinced that if he had been on this ship when he encountered the buoy monster before, the outcome would have been entirely different.

After testing the new ship’s various performance, Charles turned his attention to the sea chart on the wall.

It was the sea chart provided by the Explorers’ Association. With this and a compass, they could find their target.

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“First, follow Route 6, and when you reach Beacon 68, turn south to the destination.” Charles’ finger slid across the chart.

“Aye, Captain!” the second mate at the helm responded. The red-haired man looked excited, his eyes scanning around.

“I remember your name is… Knona?”

“Yes, Captain, that’s my name, given by my mother. Captain, is it true as Fred said, that you’ve explored an island before? Can the monsters really create a non-existent person in one’s memory? How did you find them out?”

Charles’ eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant, “Just steer the ship well. Your shift will be over soon, and the first mate will take over.”

Seeing his captain leave the room, Knona felt a bit puzzled, “Did I ask something I shouldn’t have? I had my flattery all ready.”

The days at sea passed one by one, and the old and new crew members gradually meshed together. Except for Dipp, who was too young and somewhat unpopular, everyone else got along well.

The Narwhal was fast, and in just seven days, they arrived in the vicinity of their target.

Bright light beams swept across the dark sea, searching for the target island.

The sea chart and compass could only locate the approximate position; the exact coordinates had to be found through a tedious process.

Inside the cockpit, Knona looked at Charles beside him. “Captain, I’ve heard that some people at sea have special ways to find islands, much better than this brute force method. It’s sort of like magic. Do you know how to do it?”

“Cut the chatter and steer the ship,” Charles thought his second mate was excessively talkative.

“I… I have a way…” Bandage, sitting on a stool, unusually interjected.

Seeing the two men’s gaze fall on him, Bandage slowly continued, “Within the church… there is a… ritual, to seek the help of… Father Fatan. It requires… a sacrifice.”

Charles looked at Bandage with mixed feelings. His first mate seemed not to have completely shaken off the influence of the Fatan cult. He hoped time would reduce the brainwashing effects.

“Forget those disgusting things. We don’t need them.”

“Captain, look! What’s that!” Charles followed Knona’s finger and saw a vague island appear in the distance. They had found it.

The excited crew members stood on the deck, gazing at the distant island.

Having learned from past experiences, Charles did not rush to land. He ordered the Narwhal to circle the island for observation.

The light’s brightness was limited, revealing only the perimeter of the island. It was large, and it took the Narwhal three hours to complete a circle at its speed. The island appeared barren under the lights.

The most common sight on the island were oddly shaped rocks, some as tall as three or four stories, and others half the size of a person. They were spaced far apart, seemingly following some sort of pattern. For a moment, Charles felt as if he had arrived at a quarry.

“Can anyone live here?” Dipp asked hesitantly, a question no one could answer.

Charles knew that whether or not the island was habitable, it certainly harbored some danger. This was a level 5 danger island, and five exploration ships had never returned after venturing here.

“Throw some live fish onto the shore. Let’s see if there are any meat-eating creatures on the island.”

At Charles’ command, some sea fish were thrown onto the beach, their bodies deliberately cut to release blood, which began to spread a fishy smell. Everyone watched with anxiety.

The fish, deprived of water, soon suffocated to death. After half an hour, Charles suddenly saw a pair of eyes light up among the rocks. “Chirp chirp chirp~”

With black fur, a long tail, and beady black eyes, it was a common rat.

In full view of everyone, the rat ran to a dead fish and began to gnaw on it.

Relieved expressions appeared on the faces of the crew. The emergence of a normal creature was good news. If a rat could survive here, perhaps humans could too.

But before they could celebrate, more greedy eyes emerged from the rocks. Waves of rats surged towards the dead fish, and the white beach was instantly covered with black and brown fur.

The sound of chewing on the coast rose and fell, sending shivers down the spines of those on the ship.

“These… these rats are a bit too many…” Second Mate Knona said with a forced smile, looking at his captain.