Night

"Stare, stare, stare..."

Footsteps could be heard outside in the corridor.

Inside the room, Xiao Fan opened his eyes. He had entered the secret realm alone and dared not fall asleep.

The footsteps outside the door were very light; the owner must have been deliberately keeping their footsteps down.

Xiao Fan picked up the glass oil lamp and got out of bed.

Hearing the footsteps in the corridor gradually fade away, Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

Who is it? Leaving the room in the middle of the night?

Xiao Fan frowned. Normally, he wouldn't meddle in other people's business, but his mission this time was to complete the secret realm storyline.

So far, Xiao Fan knows nothing about the plot except for Island of Light.

I had heard from Yi Kong that the Black Sea is very dangerous, and this ship doesn't look like a cargo ship.

Its appearance on the Black Sea was strange, and Xiao Fan guessed it was related to Island of Light.

Because he didn't understand Island of Light's role in the backstory, Xiao Fan hadn't dared to ask Grand Prince Yi Kong directly before.

To go or not to go?

"There must be something special about going out so late."

After much deliberation, Xiao Fan decided to follow them.

He hid the glass oil lamp under his black robe, tiptoed to the door, and peered into the corridor.

The corridor was empty and deserted, so Xiao Fan carefully left the room and walked in the direction where the footsteps had left.

The wind and waves outside were huge, and the whole ship was rocking violently. Xiao Fan held onto the wall, afraid of losing his footing and making a noise.

At the end of the corridor, around the corner, is a staircase, and to the right of the staircase are two more rows of rooms.

"Looks like they should go downstairs."

Seeing that the other corridor was empty, Xiao Fan turned his gaze to the stairs.

The light bulb swayed with the movement of the cabin, and the dim light flickered incessantly, indicating that it must be raining heavily outside. The roar of the wind and rain masked many other sounds.

Xiao Fan carried the oil lamp and slowly walked downstairs.

He had just left when the door to the first room in the right-hand corridor opened from the inside.

Yi Kong opened the door and looked scrutinize the staircase.

"Is anyone there?" came an old voice from the room behind.

Yi Kong lowered his eyes, glanced behind him, and a flash of malice crossed his face. "No, it's probably because of the rain."

You shouldn't have let a stranger up.

Yi Kong gently closed the door. "One more person means one more source of strength, doesn't it?"

At the bottom of the stairs, at the turn, Xiao Fan, holding a glass lamp, looked up at the stairs above.

"Stranger?"

"Do they know everyone on this ship?"

"That means this ship is not a passenger ship."

"It's neither a passenger ship nor a cargo ship, yet it's appeared in the Black Sea. It seems my guess was correct."

To prevent Yi Kong from discovering that he had been discovered, Xiao Fan decided not to go upstairs for the time being.

Besides rows of guest rooms, the first floor of the ship also has a large hall with tables and chairs, which is probably the restaurant.

Just as Xiao Fan was about to leave, the hatch opened from the outside, and two crew members wearing raincoats ran in.

"Everything was fine before we set off, how come a typhoon hit at night? I hadn't heard that the weather in the Black Sea was so unpredictable." A young crew member complained to his companion as he took off his raincoat.

"Ah, the Black Sea... the waves are huge!" The older-sounding sailor's voice clearly carried a hidden meaning.

"Brother Xu! I heard from others that the Black Sea is black because too many people have died there. Is that true?" The young crew member asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Suddenly, Xiao Fan felt a gaze directed at him, and he quickly hid behind the wall.

"What's wrong, Brother Xu?"

I think I saw someone?

"It's so late, those important figures would be asleep by now. You must have seen wrong."

"Perhaps," the old sailor said, a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Brother Xu, please tell me the story of the Black Sea."

"Black River..."

"Phew~" Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Story of the Black Sea?"

Xiao Fan pricked up his ears to listen carefully to their conversation; he was also very curious.

"I wonder if it's related to the storyline of Island of Light."

As Xiao Fan pondered, the old crew member's voice rang out.

Do you know what the Black Sea used to be called?

"Huh? The Black Sea has other names?"

"Of course, the Black Sea wasn't always like this." The old sailor's voice was filled with nostalgia. "The Black Sea used to be called the Glazed Sea. Back then Black Sea waters were crystal clear, as beautiful as glass, and it was the most beautiful sea on the entire continent."

"And then what? Why did the Glazed Sea become like this?" the young crew member asked eagerly.

"Because... Island of Light."

"Island of Light!" Xiao Fan instantly perked up.

Finally, we've got a grasp of the plot!

"Island of Light? Isn't that our destination this time?" The young crew member's voice was full of surprise.

"That's right, the existence of Island of Light is what caused the changes in the Glazed Sea..."

"Lao Xu, Xiao He, what are you two doing here so late at night instead of sleeping?"

Just as Lao Xu began to recount the story of Island of Light, a voice interrupted their conversation.

Xiao Fan was furious. Why did this bastard have to come? He had finally gotten a feel for the plot, and now this guy showed up!

"Captain, it's raining outside. We just came back from an inspection," Xiao He explained.

"Now that the inspection is finished, hurry back to your room and rest. Lao Xu, these young crew members are inexperienced, but you mustn't be!"

The captain's words were clearly a warning to Lao Xu not to speak carelessly.

"Sorry, Captain, we'll go rest now..."

Hearing the sounds from the restaurant, Xiao Fan sighed, knowing he probably wouldn't hear anything tonight.

Carefully returning to his room, Xiao Fan closed the door tightly before taking out the oil lamp.

From the conversation between the two crew members tonight, Xiao Fan knew that the ship's destination was Island of Light.

"As long as we don't disembark, we can reach Island of Light."

"But... my mission is to complete the Island of Light storyline."

"What do I need to do to complete the storyline?"

Xiao Fan couldn't understand it.

Outside, a fierce storm raged, and Ghost Face Nether on the sea. Xiao Fan, unsure of the ship's safety, could only take a short nap to recover.

Above the Black Sea, there seemed to be no sun or moon; it was perpetually shrouded in twilight. Xiao Fan wondered how these people kept track of time.

I don't know how much time passed.

There was a knock on the door.

Xiao Fan got out of bed and opened the door. It was the servant who had brought him to the room yesterday.

"Mr. Jiu Chen, are you awake? Our prince invites you to the restaurant for a meal."

Let's go.

Xiao Fan followed the servants to the second-floor restaurant, where Yi Kong sat in a dining chair with various kinds of breakfast laid out in front of him.

Seeing Xiao Fan enter, Yi Kong waved to him.

"Jiu Chen, how did you sleep last night?"

"It's alright, but I heard footsteps in the hallway in the middle of the night, so I went out to check it out."

Yi Kong was taken aback for a moment, then revealed a hearty smile.

"The wind and waves were too strong last night, it's normal for some people to have trouble sleeping and go for a walk in the lobby. Did you see who it was?"

Xiao Fan shook his head, pulled out the chair opposite Yi Kong, sat down, and replied, "I didn't see anyone."

Upon hearing this, Yi Kong's expression remained unreadable. He picked up the milk on the table and took an elegant sip.

"Hehe, you probably misheard."