Chapter Summaries

Richard received a ship ticket for the Naru Glory Fisherman and prepared to leave the port with Pandora, despite the fortune-telling woman’s warnings. The woman followed them out as they headed for the ship.

• Richard teased the fortune-telling woman about her missing pet, and she warned him not to leave before two days from now.
• The tavern owner told Richard that the Naru Glory Fisherman was heading north and had room for passengers.
• Richard gave the tavern owner a gold coin and received a ship ticket for himself and Pandora.
• Richard took Pandora and headed out toward the port, while the fortune-telling woman followed them.

Richard boarded the Naru Glory Fisherman with Pandora and discovered that the cabin arranged for him was damp and miserable. After the ship left the harbor, the cook Bart seized a cleaver and declared that the vessel was a Ship of Doom.

• Richard dried his cabin with magic and planned to spend much of the voyage conducting research in Eden Garden.
• Richard invited Pandora to the deck, but she stayed behind to memorize the Nine-Nine Table.
• Richard saw the fortune-telling woman glare at him and make a threatening gesture as the Naru Glory Fisherman sailed away.
• Bart charged across the deck with a cleaver, warning the sailors that everyone aboard would die unless the ship returned to harbor.
• First mate Williams confronted Bart and warned him that the captain would punish him with his whip.

Bart killed himself after warning the sailors that they were all doomed, and Captain Morgan dismissed the incident as madness. Richard suspected the fortune-telling woman had influenced Bart to delay the ship and prepared for another attempt as the voyage continued.

• Bart threatened the crew, then cut his throat and fell overboard as Jack and Sailor Paul tried to stop him.
• Captain Morgan whipped the sailors, questioned Williams and Jack about Bart, and ordered everyone to treat the death as madness.
• Captain Morgan assigned Jack to work in the kitchen and ordered Williams to give Bart’s wife two years’ wages when the ship reached her port.
• Richard suspected the fortune-telling woman had controlled Bart to delay the ship and decided to stay alert for her next move.
• Richard returned to his cabin and entered Eden Garden inside the suitcase with Pandora.

Inside Eden Garden, Richard planned several ongoing research projects, from magic patterns and biological agents to Blood of the Gods and improved spell defenses. He intended to keep developing his Reaction Shield with armor concepts from Modern Earth.

• Pandora continued memorizing the Five-Character Table and began challenging the Six-Character Table while Richard conducted research.
• Richard planned to modify two newly acquired Space Iron Rings and continue cultivating Pneumonia Fungus, which he intended to use only as a controlled last resort.
• Richard planned to research Antibiotic Bacteria and antibiotics as a way to treat infections and contain Pneumonia Fungus.
• Richard set out to improve Blood of the Gods by increasing its physical benefits and reducing its side effects, with the aim of reaching higher grades.
• Richard compared Level 1 Wizards to tanks and planned to upgrade his Reaction Shield with Composite Armor and Slat Armor technologies.

Richard considered research projects for Eden Garden, including magical armor and an upgraded energy system, then emerged to find Captain Morgan punishing Jack for serving undercooked food. Jack was sent to make breakfast for the captain as a test, while Richard and the others waited to see what would happen.

• Richard explained how Composite Armor and Slat Armor worked and considered simulating them with spells, though both would require extensive experiments.
• Richard reviewed Eden Garden's dependence on Pandora-powered hand-cranked generators and considered whether to postpone upgrading its energy system.
• After a day of research, Richard came onto the deck and saw Captain Morgan whipping Jack for making food that left several sailors ill.
• Captain Morgan ordered Jack to prepare one serving of breakfast and threatened to hang him from the mast if it was unsatisfactory.
• Jack staggered toward the kitchen as Richard, the crew, and passengers waited on deck.

Captain Morgan punished Jack for serving untasted porridge, but after Jack was rescued from the mast, he claimed to hear God and jumped into the sea. Richard suspected the fortune-telling woman was behind Jack’s behavior and wondered what she was trying to accomplish.

• Captain Morgan poured Jack’s porridge over his head, whipped him, and ordered Sailor Paul to hang him from the mast.
• Richard left the deck and resumed his research in Eden Garden while Jack remained hanging in the cold wind.
• At dusk, Richard returned to the deck and saw sailors take the unconscious Jack down from the mast.
• Jack told the sailors that God was speaking to him and that he would save them.
• Jack jumped over the rail into the sea, and Richard wondered whether the fortune-telling woman was behind the incident.

Jack returned to the Naru Glory Fisherman and led a mutiny, taking control of the ship from Captain Morgan. After killing Sailor Paul, he promised the passengers safe passage as Richard watched and wondered what would happen next.

• Captain Morgan accepted the sailors’ claim that Jack had jumped into the sea and ordered them to keep quiet about him.
• The next morning, Richard learned that Jack had returned by climbing the anchor chain and had rallied dissatisfied sailors to seize the Naru Glory Fisherman.
• Jack’s mutineers bound Captain Morgan, the mates, and the captain’s other trusted men.
• Jack stabbed Sailor Paul to death, blaming him for helping drive Bart to his death and for hanging Jack from the mast.
• Jack ordered the mutineers to lock up Morgan’s men and promised the passengers safe passage if they did not cause trouble.

Richard suspected that the Fortune-telling Woman had caused the mutiny to delay the Naru Glory Fisherman, and he waited to see what would happen. After a second mutiny restored Captain Morgan to power, a Ghost Ship appeared behind the vessel.

• Jack stopped the Naru Glory Fisherman, claiming it needed to fish for supplies, and Richard suspected the Fortune-telling Woman had manipulated him to delay the voyage by two days.
• Passengers driven into the lower cabins conspired with sailors loyal to Captain Morgan, and a second mutiny broke out on the fifth day of the voyage.
• The sailors quickly subdued Jack, freed Captain Morgan and his officers, and returned control of the Naru Glory Fisherman to Captain Morgan.
• Captain Morgan ordered Jack gagged and confined, then announced he would spare the mutineers and resume the voyage.
• A passenger spotted a massive, empty ship with a skull painted on its hull and blue flames in its eyes as it pursued the Naru Glory Fisherman.
• The passengers recognized the pursuing vessel as a Ghost Ship that had caught up earlier than expected because the voyage had been delayed.

Captain Morgan took command of the Naru Glory Fisherman and maneuvered it away from the pursuing ghost ship. Though it had faded into the distance by dusk, he suspected it would return and ordered the crew to prepare for a night of sailing.

• Captain Morgan ordered the crew to raise the sails and get the Naru Glory Fisherman moving as the ghost ship approached.
• Captain Morgan took the helm, directed the crew through repeated turns, and gradually widened the distance from the ghost ship.
• Richard watched Captain Morgan handle the ship and recognized his skill as the source of his authority.
• At dusk, first mate Williams brought Captain Morgan Meat Porridge and urged him to rest, but Morgan warned that the ghost ship might resume its pursuit.
• Captain Morgan ordered the crew to take turns resting, keep at least a third of the crew on deck, and prepare torches and lamp oil for sailing through the night.

Captain Morgan risked sailing at night to escape the pursuing Ghost Ship, but his attempt to lose it failed as the vessel drew closer. Richard watched the Ghost Ship approach from the dark deck.

• Captain Morgan chose to sail at night to escape the Ghost Ship and avoid delays from a possible blockade.
• After darkness fell, Richard spotted the Ghost Ship’s faint blue light behind the Naru Glory Fisherman.
• Captain Morgan ordered the crew to extinguish the torches along the stern and sides, then turned the ship left to lose its pursuer.
• Richard realized that the Ghost Ship had drawn closer despite Captain Morgan’s maneuvers.

Captain Morgan ordered the Naru Glory Fisherman’s cargo thrown overboard to escape the pursuing Ghost Ship, but after the ship pulled ahead, it ran aground at dawn.

• Captain Morgan tried to evade the Ghost Ship with decoys, ropes, darkness, and speed, but it continued to close in.
• Richard suggested throwing the cargo overboard, and Captain Morgan ordered Williams and the sailors to jettison it.
• The lighter Naru Glory Fisherman gained speed and left the Ghost Ship behind, while the passengers celebrated and the sailors worried about their lost cargo.
• After staying at the helm until dawn, Captain Morgan handed control to a helmsman and headed for his cabin.
• The Naru Glory Fisherman shuddered to a stop, and the helmsman reported that it had run aground.

After the Naru Glory Fisherman ran aground, Captain Morgan ordered everyone to lighten the ship and use the rising tide to escape the reef. With the Ghost Ship closing in and a rock-pierced hull flooding, Morgan chose to trap the ship at the reef and face their pursuer.

• The Naru Glory Fisherman ran aground in the dark, and Captain Morgan stopped First mate Williams from attacking Tomya.
• Captain Morgan recalled the coming high tide and ordered the crew and passengers to throw cargo and supplies overboard.
• As the tide rose, Captain Morgan directed the sails while everyone helped the Naru Glory Fisherman back away from the reef.
• The Ghost Ship appeared in the distance, and the crew raced to free their ship before it caught up.
• A rock pierced the ship's left side, and the sailor reported that they could not plug the leak because they had discarded the repair lumber.
• Captain Morgan ordered the lower cabin flooded and sealed, then drew his sword to confront the approaching Ghost Ship.

Captain Morgan prepared the Naru Glory Fisherman to resist the approaching Ghost Ship, but the ship’s crew discovered five Stitched Monsters aboard it. Morgan attacked one to rally the sailors, but it struck him back onto the Naru Glory Fisherman, leaving him motionless.

• Captain Morgan ordered Bartes to secure the lower cabins and Williams to distribute weapons to the sailors and passengers.
• The Naru Glory Fisherman righted itself as the Ghost Ship closed in and stopped alongside it.
• Captain Morgan sent Lyle, Hizer, and Klee to investigate the Ghost Ship, but their screams quickly fell silent.
• Five Stitched Monsters emerged from the cabins, and Captain Morgan slapped a panicking sailor before urging the crew to fight.
• Captain Morgan leaped onto the Ghost Ship and stabbed a Stitched Monster, but it struck him through the Captain's Cabin wall, leaving him motionless.

Five Stitched Monsters captured the Naru Glory Fisherman’s crew and sank their ship, but one was dragged underwater and killed by Richard. After dissecting its corpse in Eden Garden, Richard reconsidered staying out of the Ghost Ship’s affairs and wondered whether to follow it and investigate the monsters and the Fortune-telling Woman.

• The Stitched Monsters defeated Captain Morgan’s crew, took everyone aboard the Ghost Ship, and sank the Naru Glory Fisherman.
• As the Stitched Monster that destroyed the ship swam back, an unseen hand dragged it underwater and drowned it.
• A shark approached the Stitched Monster’s corpse, but a mass of ice appeared and the body and nearby figure vanished.
• The four Stitched Monsters waited for their missing companion, then drove the captives into the cabin and sailed away on the Ghost Ship.
• Richard dissected the dead Stitched Monster in Eden Garden and concluded that its creation might hold valuable knowledge for his research.
• Richard considered following the Ghost Ship to learn what the Stitched Monsters and the Fortune-telling Woman were doing.

The Naru Glory Fisherman’s survivors were imprisoned on Undead Island, where a green-skinned Stitched Monster brutally killed a man who resisted. First mate Williams identified the island as the home of the Necromancer, and the chapter ended with the monsters dragging away a female passenger.

• Four Stitched Monsters drove the Naru Glory Fisherman’s captives into prison cells inside a cave on the island.
• A Green-skinned Stitched Monster killed a man who refused to enter a cell, then left the cave.
• Captain Morgan, first mate Williams, and Tomya discussed their situation, and Williams said they were on Undead Island, where a Necromancer used captives for alchemy.
• The Stitched Monsters returned and dragged a female passenger out of her cell as the other prisoners watched in fear.

Richard explored the outskirts of Undead Island and discovered that the Stitched Monsters grew stronger but stupider as their skin changed from gray to purple. He killed a Purple-skinned Stitched Monster with dry ice and began dissecting it in Eden Garden.

• Richard explored Undead Island and observed that its Stitched Monsters came in four types whose intelligence decreased as their strength increased.
• Richard followed a Purple-skinned Stitched Monster and watched it repeatedly ram a tree until it broke through the trunk.
• Richard suffocated the Purple-skinned Stitched Monster with dry ice, then carried its body into Eden Garden.
• Richard found that the Purple-skinned Stitched Monster's shell-like exterior was too hard for an ordinary knife and cut it open with Space Scissors Absolute Cut.
• Richard dissected the Purple-skinned Stitched Monster while Pandora recited the Seven-Character Table outside the room.

Richard discovered that the fortune-telling woman from Hague was on Undead Island and connected to the Ghost Ship. He followed her to a stone building, where he found a yellow-robed necromancer waiting among shelves of strange specimens.

• Richard finished dissecting the Purple-skinned Stitched Monster and prepared to capture a Blue-skinned one for study.
• A screaming woman fled through the woods and drew several Stitched Monsters, which soon surrounded her.
• The fortune-telling woman appeared, struck the fleeing woman, and ordered a Gray-skinned Stitched Monster to carry her away.
• Richard recognized the fortune-telling woman and decided to investigate her activities instead of capturing a Stitched Monster.
• The fortune-telling woman brought the woman into a stone building, where Richard saw a yellow-robed necromancer beside a hall full of specimens.

The necromancer prepared to dissect an unconscious woman while arguing with the fortune-telling woman over her promised share of the captives and his failure to grant her immortality and eternal youth. He convinced her to leave so he could continue his research, and she walked out of the stone building.

• The necromancer drugged the captured woman and ordered the Stitched Monster to lay her on the stone table.
• The fortune-telling woman demanded the woman’s face as payment, but the necromancer denied owing her anything and dismissed her role in capturing the ship.
• The fortune-telling woman confronted the necromancer about the necklace’s harmful side effects and accused him of breaking his promises of immortality and eternal youth.
• The necromancer argued that he needed the captives for research and proposed turning the fortune-telling woman into a Stitched Monster if he ran out of time.
• The fortune-telling woman refused that kind of immortality and left as the necromancer prepared to cut open the unconscious woman.

Richard killed the fortune-telling woman after learning through an out-of-body experience that she and the Necromancer were weaker than Formal Wizards. Her shattered bracelet summoned the island’s Stitched Monsters, and Richard prepared to confront them all at once.

• The Necromancer sent the Gray-skinned Stitched Monster to guard the door and returned to studying the woman on the stone table.
• The fortune-telling woman left the stone building, complained about the Necromancer, and said she wanted the young brat’s eyes.
• Richard appeared from the woods, and the fortune-telling woman tried to attack him with her necklace and Purple Bracelet.
• Richard vanished from her sight, then stabbed her through the heart with an ice spike and killed her.
• The Purple Bracelet shattered, releasing purple smoke that drew Stitched Monsters toward Richard.
• Richard decided to deal with the approaching monsters together and gathered Wandering Energy Elements within his body.

Richard slaughtered the Stitched Monsters surrounding him and approached the stone tower, where he faced the necromancer. The necromancer sent his powerful Black-skinned Stitched Monster after Richard, and the monster finally turned to attack him.

• Richard used spells and his greatsword to kill the Gray-, Green-, and Blue-skinned Stitched Monsters, then used Spell Salt and explosions to destroy the four Purple-skinned Stitched Monsters.
• The necromancer emerged from the stone tower, saw Richard among the dead Stitched Monsters, and fled back inside when Richard approached.
• A massive Black-skinned Stitched Monster burst through the tower wall as Richard neared the entrance, forcing him to retreat.
• The necromancer ordered the Black-skinned Stitched Monster, which he called Black Iron, to kill Richard, but it initially turned toward the necromancer instead.
• The necromancer clarified his order, and Black Iron finally turned to face Richard.