Eden wore a black-and-red gown of her own design. Its fitted cut and voluminous skirt danced beneath the lights, graceful as a startled swan.
Moros watched Eden onstage with rapt attention, a powerful anticipation rising in his heart.
He wanted to witness for himself just what kind of talent and charm this girl, hailed as the brightest superstar of the Pre-Collapse Civilization, possessed.
Eden stood at the center of the stage, her gaze drifting across the concert hall as though searching for something.
When her eyes fell upon a pink figure, a sincere smile appeared on her face.
At that very moment, the accompaniment began to play, and Eden started to sing.
Her voice was clear and sweet, as though imbued with magic, instantly washing away the dust in people's hearts.
This beautiful singing was a heavenly sound Moros had never heard in either of his lives.
Amid the enchanting melody, Moros closed his eyes and immersed himself completely in Eden's singing.
He felt a tranquility and peace unlike anything he had ever experienced, as though all his worries and concerns had vanished in that instant.
When the song ended, thunderous applause erupted throughout the concert hall.
Eden bowed gracefully in thanks, then walked over to the piano at the side and began her solo performance.
The piano music was gentle and melodious, its tune flowing as clearly as spring water, allowing the audience to sense the brilliance of this era.
When Eden's performance ended, the entire concert hall fell silent for a brief moment before thunderous applause broke out again, lingering without end.
Moros rose to his feet and sincerely applauded Eden's magnificent performance, his eyes filled with admiration and praise.
"Eden truly lived up to her reputation."
With a sigh of admiration, Moros left the private box in satisfaction.
Although he knew that many acclaimed musicians would take the stage after Eden, Moros had no desire to continue listening.
Compared with Eden's performance, he felt that those long-famous musicians seemed to lack her unique charm and emotional impact. They were not worth spending any more of his time and energy on.
He headed straight back to his cabin. After leaving behind several wraiths as coordinates for the Demiplane passage, Moros returned to the Demiplane.
To achieve the goal of fully controlling his own power, Moros naturally had to put in the effort.
With his current Legendary Rank life level and profound mastery of the meditation knowledge bestowed by the Mage Guild, Moros was fully capable of replacing sleep with meditation.
While Moros immersed himself in the sea of magic, several barely noticeable purple veins quietly appeared on the skin of a sailor in the Ocean Miracle's crew quarters.
Large ocean liners usually carried some illegal or less-than-compliant goods. This had practically become standard practice in the industry, even regarded as an unwritten rule.
Yet this time, among the contraband smuggled aboard the Ocean Miracle, one suitcase stood out in particular, radiating an intense sense of danger.
It was a case filled with concentrated Collapse Energy fluid, and it was the most valuable cargo among the contraband.
To ensure the safety of this high-value cargo, the Ocean Miracle's management had even assigned several of its most reliable sailors to guard the special suitcase.
Collapse Energy was extremely harmful to individuals without resistance to it.
Long-term exposure to Collapse Energy without proper protective measures could easily lead to infection with Honkai Disease.
Unfortunately, the Ocean Miracle's management did not know this.
As a result, they had not taken any special protective measures for the suitcase used to transport the concentrated Collapse Energy fluid.
The Ocean Miracle's voyage over the next few days went very smoothly.
That was only natural.
The Mu Continent–Shenzhou route currently traveled by this large ocean liner was a highly established commercial route where abnormalities rarely occurred.
At least, before the first Honkai disaster descended, this route was extremely safe.
It was against this backdrop that the relationship between Moros and Elysia became closer and friendlier through their repeated conversations and afternoons spent having tea together.
Attack Amid the Storm
The eighth day after the Ocean Miracle set sail.
An unexpected storm enveloped the waters where the large ocean liner was sailing.
Faced with this sudden change in weather, the passengers aboard the liner did not feel uneasy.
After all, for an ocean liner with a displacement exceeding two hundred thousand tons, a storm did not seem like much of a threat.
Other than being unable to stroll freely on the deck and enjoy the sea breeze, the passengers' lives were not noticeably affected.
They continued enjoying fine food and wine, relaxed and at ease, without the slightest trace of tension.
The passengers believed that the storm would soon pass, and their journey would continue smoothly as before.
However, not everyone aboard the Ocean Miracle was so confident.
The bearded captain entered the liner's main control room with a grave expression. He quickly swept his eyes over the key data on the console, his tightly furrowed brow revealing the worry in his heart.
This captain, who had spent half his life battling the sea, knew full well that on the ocean, nature's power was the most terrifying thing of all.
Before nature's wrath, no matter how sturdy a man-made creation was, it could be torn to pieces.
Therefore, he had to steer this colossal vessel out of the storm's ravaging range as quickly as possible to ensure everyone's safety.
The captain took a deep breath and tried to calm the tension in his heart.
He focused his mind, gripped the wheel tightly, and guided the Ocean Miracle through the raging wind and rain.
The captain's efforts were not in vain. With his cooperation with the crew, the Ocean Miracle gradually began to move away from the storm's central impact zone, and everything seemed to be improving.
Seeing this, the captain's taut nerves relaxed slightly. He planned to leave the main control room for the moment and return to his quarters for a short rest.
However, just as he was about to leave the main control room, the radar operator suddenly reported.
"Captain, at roughly fifteen nautical miles in the seven o'clock direction, we've detected several unidentified vessels, but... their signals suddenly disappeared."
"What?! How is that possible..."
Before he could finish speaking, a violent explosion suddenly rang out above the main control room.
A powerful shockwave swept through the room, causing all the crew members inside to sway uncontrollably.
The force nearly knocked the captain off balance. He hurriedly grabbed the nearby console to steady himself.
"What happened?"
The first mate voiced the question on everyone's mind in the main control room.
At that moment, a terrified crewman rushed into the control room and shouted.
"Captain! This is bad! We're under attack! The radio transmitter has been destroyed!"
Upon hearing this, the captain's heart sank. He knew exactly what it meant.
Damn it! How could there be pirates on this route?!
"Don't panic! There are spare—"
parts aboard. As long as we repair the radio transmitter..."
Although panic churned in his heart, the captain maintained a calm appearance and tried to reassure everyone.
However, before the captain could finish, the displays of the various electronic devices in the main control room began flickering. Soon, every screen lost its signal.
The experienced first mate reacted immediately.
"It's a signal jammer! We're being attacked by pirates!"
"Everyone, enter emergency status immediately! Activate the backup power and ensure the key equipment remains operational!"
The captain shot the first mate a fierce glare, then decisively issued his orders in an attempt to stabilize the situation.
But at that moment, even worse news came from the engine room: the steam turbine appeared to have been deliberately sabotaged and could no longer operate.
The captain's face immediately turned ashen. Not only had they lost contact with the outside world, but their power system had also failed.
On this vast sea, a ship without power or communications was nothing more than a juicy piece of meat waiting to be carved up.
He hurriedly ordered the engineers to repair the engines at once, while demanding that the communications personnel restore the communications equipment as soon as possible.
However, despite the captain and crew giving it their all, they still could not change the Ocean Miracle's dire predicament.
For the time being, the passengers aboard the Ocean Miracle were unaware of the vessel's current plight.
As a top-tier luxury liner, the Ocean Miracle possessed a full range of entertainment facilities, enough to let passengers spend a wonderful time aboard.
Therefore, even though the storm disrupted the passengers' planned deck activities, they could still stroll through the shopping district, swim in the indoor pool, or work up a sweat in the sports center.
The existence of these facilities allowed the passengers to fully enjoy the pleasures of their journey and temporarily forget the storm outside.
At least, that was the case for Moros, Elysia, and Eden.
Moros and Elysia were both unfathomably powerful extraordinary beings.
With only a casual glance across the sea, they could easily detect the "pirates" piloting small boats and quietly encircling the Ocean Miracle, then wipe them out.
However, Elysia was currently immersed in the ship's bustle and splendor with Eden. They lingered in all kinds of stores, their hands full of shopping bags and their faces brimming with contentment and joy.
Meanwhile, Moros remained in his Demiplane, fully focused on studying the spell tomes he had taken from the Magic Guild Level 5.
He immersed himself in the words on the pages, striving to absorb the knowledge and power within to further improve his magical skill.
He longed to gain complete control over the power granted to him by the Hero Panel, power that was formidable even among Legendary Rank mages, and wield it with greater ease.
Because Moros and Elysia were both too absorbed in their own affairs, neither the necromancer nor the Origin's Herrscher noticed what was quietly happening outside the Ocean Miracle's hull.
It was not until over a hundred fully armed mercenaries disguised as pirates boarded the Ocean Miracle and brazenly fired their guns to force everyone onto the upper deck that they realized matters had nearly reached the point of no return.
"Boom!"
Amid a series of undisguised crashes from battering rams, dozens of fully armed mercenaries burst into the shopping plaza through every entrance. They pointed their guns at the ceiling and loudly ordered everyone to gather.
This sudden turn of events made Eden somewhat nervous.
She tightly gripped Elysia's hand and asked in a trembling voice.
"Elysia, what is this?"
"My dear Eden, don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
Elysia gently patted Eden's hand, soothing her emotions.
With Elysia's strength, these mercenaries posed no threat to her, but the Pink Fairy Lady did not let down her guard.
She maintained her smile and composure while preparing herself in her heart to respond.
If these mercenaries dared to threaten Eden, she would act without hesitation, even if it exposed her special abilities.
I hope it won't come to that...
Elysia silently prayed as she pulled Eden toward the center of the shopping plaza.
The Necromancer Joins the Battle
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, a battering ram slammed violently into Moros's door, forcing it open.
"Don't move..."
When the two fully armed mercenaries rushed into the room, they were stunned to find it completely empty.
This room, locked from the inside, was clearly marked as occupied on the crew quarters roster, yet there was no one in sight.
"What is going on?"
One mercenary asked in confusion.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
The other mercenary shrugged helplessly, clearly just as puzzled.
Just as the two stared at each other in bewilderment, several wraiths silently appeared in the first-class cabin.
These wraiths were the coordinates Moros had left behind for the Demiplane passage.
Their bodies were twisted and grotesque, radiating a chilling aura of negative energy.
"Damn..."
The mercenaries realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.
The battle was exceptionally swift and brutal. In almost a single exchange, the two mercenaries were torn to pieces by the wraiths.
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