Shining Black Star (First-Subscription Bonus Chapter)

After putting away the diaries, Sifa did not rush to read them, lest he reveal that he recognized those "symbols."

Beside him, Green ordered a beer. After taking a sip, he said, "What was it you just said?"

Sifa put away his notes and smiled. "I said that next, I'll continue my own adventures. I'm chasing the legends of the sea, whether they're real or not."

"If that's the case, you should make a trip to Skye Island," Green said casually. "In a cave called Devil's Throat on that island, there's a sailing ship known as the Shining Black Star. It has existed for over a hundred years inside that cave, which no ship should possibly be able to enter."

"There are many legends about it, most involving the 'Bride on the Ship.' The most widespread version says that the Shining Black Star was originally meant to carry a bride to the Loen Kingdom for a wedding."

"The wedding ship was laden with valuables, but while passing through the waters near Skye Island, it was attacked by pirates."

Green drained his beer and said mysteriously, "The Shining Black Star fought back desperately, but ultimately could not defeat the pirates. The pirates rushed onto the deck, but when they broke into the captain's cabin, they found the bride had taken her own life on the bed."

"The bride knew she would be violated by the pirates. Unwilling to accept that fate, she chose an extreme course of action. Then something terrible happened: her body turned into black wood. She became a wooden sculpture, her beauty forever frozen in time."

"She became forever connected to the ship itself. The pirates tried all kinds of methods—fire, blades, gunfire—but could not destroy it. After failing repeatedly, they gave up and looted the ship's treasures.