A slightly chilly sea breeze suddenly swept across the deck, making Captain Lawrence, who had just stepped outside, instinctively rub his arms—but he did not know whether the sensation of goosebumps came from the cool breeze or from what the young Inquisitor had told him.
Anomaly 099, the Puppet Coffin, could not only move and attempt to escape after losing control, but also continuously expand its sphere of influence, repeatedly assess humanoid targets within that range, and behead them unconditionally. Only saints might be able to resist this almost causal beheading effect...
For the past half month of sailing, he and his crew had lived alongside this dangerous anomaly day and night—though, aside from their final encounter with the Lost Homeland, nothing dangerous had actually happened during the transport. Even so, thinking back on it now still left him somewhat shaken.
Yet that was all it was: lingering fear.
He was a member of the Explorer's Association, an experienced ocean explorer. His job was to deal with the Boundless Sea—unlike fishermen who only operated in the safe coastal waters, he had spent more than half his seafaring career dealing with all kinds of anomalies and even phenomena.
When taking on anomaly transport missions, the authorities or the Church would inform them in advance of the dangers involved. Yet this section was often the shortest part of the entire contract, usually consisting of only one line: This mission carries a lethal risk; specific details cannot be disclosed.
Every captain who made a living traveling between city-states knew what they were facing, and more than half of them suffered the consequences of this deadly profession in their old age—after dealing with the Boundless Sea for so many years, anomalies and phenomena always left something behind in one's fate.
Many of his colleagues