Convergence in the Spirit World

The Lost Homeland set sail—over the past few days, many people had been watching its every move, including the four Church Arks and the observers arranged by the city-state authorities. And under countless watchful eyes, that enormous, imposing ghost ship, wreathed in flames and smoke, sped away from Lightwind Harbor at a speed utterly unimaginable by conventional standards, vanishing in the blink of an eye into the gap between the Spirit World and the Real World.

It appeared like a phantom and vanished like a phantom. Everything was just as the legends described.

"Set~ting~ sail~!"

Shirley gripped the railing by the ship's side and gazed out at the boundless dark sea, swaying back and forth with obvious delight.

The Lost Homeland had entered Spirit World navigation mode. Beyond the ship's side, the sea had become a layer of blackness, while a chaotic sky of mingled black, white, and gray hung low over the entire world. No lighthouses, ships, or islands could be seen in the distance. There were only all manner of bizarre, indistinct projections emerging between sky and sea, as if they were looking down upon the entire world from the end of the horizon.

A'gou lay some distance from the railing, stretching his neck as hard as he could and using his chain to tug at Shirley's arm. He dug all four paws firmly into the deck while shouting a warning, "Hey, stop swaying around! Be careful not to fall overboard!"

"Since when did you become such a scaredy-cat, A'gou?" Shirley simply sat on the railing, tidying her messy hair as she turned back with a grin. "Didn't we always play by the edge of the deck before?"

"This is the depths of the Spirit World!" A'gou immediately shouted. "If you fall in here, you're not getting back