Four Seas Demon Ship

For high-level demons, eating was more of a bloodline-driven instinct; they couldn't suppress their inner craving for flesh and blood. Although their bloody lives greatly damaged their artistic creativity, almost all demons were fervent art enthusiasts. Many great demons were accomplished connoisseurs, with only a very few becoming outstanding artists.

Sir Ulrich favored Nikita's cooking precisely because her meals had begun to possess an artistic flair. This was also one of the reasons she was able to survive in the Lich King's territory.

"Aren't we supposed to be departing? Why are the sails being furled?" the Banshee asked, contentedly watching the diners in front of her praise her food.

No one gave her any trouble this time.

"We have to furl the sails to depart! Hoisting them is how you dock! We demons, naturally, can't sail like those foolish mortals," Ryan exclaimed, taking a big gulp of his verdant drink.

Nikita found this practice even more foolish, so she very wisely changed the subject:

"The captain said we're going north. Do you know where that is?"

"The North Sea," Ryan replied simply.

For wizards, the North Sea was a broad concept; the entire Arctic Ocean fell within its scope. But in the parlance of demons, only one place could be called the North Sea.

That was the territory of the Great Ice Mountain Demon.

"Why are we going there?" the Banshee's beautiful, slender eyebrows furrowed. If the sea demons on the Misty were merely a bit rough around the edges, then the demons on the ice mountain were complete barbarians.

The Liches privately said that the legendary Great Ice Mountain Demon had gone mad during its advancement, suffering mental issues. Therefore, the demons under its command had also become foolish.

"You should be asking her," Ryan glanced at the Banshee.

"Pretty ladies don't need to answer any questions from crude people like us," Harry mumbled, his mouth still stuffed with pastries. Demons were all big eaters; the hundred-person afternoon tea Nikita had prepared was devoured by the two energetic young men.

Nikita noticed a few smudges of meat sauce on Harry's pink polo shirt.

"We were supposed to go to the Black Triangle next, but after you arrived, the boss changed his mind," Ryan put down his cutlery and looked at Nikita with a dejected expression. "My Siren concert tickets, booked a month in advance, are now useless, and I won't get to taste Chef Havana's braised Minotaur hooves. What did you say to the captain?"

He pulled a green parchment from his pocket and waved it vigorously in front of the Banshee. Nikita saw several Sirens on the parchment lazily perched on rocks, twisting their bodies. Above their heads hung a Jade Coin, resembling a bright moon, surrounded by three or four Gold Beans.

"One Jade Coin for four Gold Beans," Ryan slammed the parchment concert ticket onto the table.

"The north is very far. How long will it take to get there?" Nikita ignored the blond young man's complaint. She took a small sip of her green drink and asked a new question.

Harry, still with his mouth full, glanced at Ryan.

"What's the name of our ship?" Ryan uninterestingly put away his ticket and retorted.

"Misty!"

"What do you see around you?"

Nikita looked around, a hint of realization dawning on her. Although the scorching sun could still be felt in the sky, a hazy mist had unknowingly gathered from all directions. And the mist grew thicker and thicker; in just a few minutes, visibility dropped to three to five meters.

"Quiet," the old boatswain's angry growl echoed in everyone's ears.

Time ticked by, and the thick fog showed no signs of dissipating. Nikita could only hear the gentle sound of flowing water and unsettling roars emanating from the mist.

Gradually, a chill began to envelop them from all sides. The Banshee looked up, gazing quietly at the misty sky and the misty sea, unsure where the chill originated.

As the chill intensified, the mist slowly thinned, and the afterglow of the setting sun began to fall on the deck through the heavy curtain.

Nikita blinked and shook her head. Her scarlet eyes suddenly burst with shock. She looked up, staring fixedly at the sky.

Directly overhead, a brilliant river of stars stretched across the expanse.

The Banshee jumped up and ran to the ship's railing.

Not far from the Misty, a pure white iceberg was slowly gliding past. On the iceberg, a lazy polar bear lay on its summit, patting its belly and brazenly watching the black ship that had suddenly appeared before it.

The Misty had crossed thousands of miles of ocean and arrived in the North Sea.

Crossing ten thousand miles of sea as if flying, the phrase suddenly surfaced in the Banshee's mind.

"You were asking how long it would take to reach the north, right?" Harry sauntered over to her with a mischievous grin, holding up his pocket watch and feigning solemnity. "After my careful measurement, it took approximately five minutes and thirty-seven seconds, with a margin of error of about five minutes and thirty-six seconds."

"Margin of error?" Nikita wanted to kick him but was more curious about what that margin of error entailed.

"That's the time it took us to enter and exit the mist."

The Banshee said nothing, only expressing her inner excitement through trembling breaths.

Ryan looked at the new crew member's reaction with satisfaction and comforted her, "Don't get too excited. This is just a small spectacle. After you've been on the ship for a while, you'll understand what true miracles are."

"I'm not excited, I'm just cold!" the Banshee said, her teeth chattering.

Harry scurried into the cabin and returned with a brand-new, plush white overcoat, draping it over the Banshee.

The Banshee shot him a glare but said nothing.

"That's my new coat!" Ryan roared, getting into a scuffle with Harry.

On the iceberg not far away, the white bear, biting a large fish, stood on its hind legs, staring with small, bloodshot eyes at the spectacle unfolding on the deck.

Nikita didn't pay attention to their fight; her gaze was drawn to the sea nearby.

Compared to the warm waters they had left, the water in the North Sea was a deeper color. The dark blue surface shimmered with light, dotted with ice floes of various sizes. Compared to the iceberg, these ice floes appeared fragile and desolate, with only a few tired seals resting their tails on them.

Not far from the Misty, ripples appeared on the calm sea surface. The seals resting their tails raised their heads alertly, staring at the ripples, their tails patting the ice beneath them restlessly.

In less than a minute, a massive whirlpool appeared before Nikita's eyes. The deep center of the vortex resembled the mythical Sea Eye, unfathomably deep.

The seals screamed and, like dumplings being dropped into water, leaped off the ice floes, desperately swimming towards the sea away from the vortex.

But it was too late.

A colossal gray ship, draped in seaweed and shells, spewed seawater as it emerged from a deep ocean trench. The seals caught in the whirlpools slammed against the seaweed and shells like eggs on stone, leaving behind only patches of dark red scars.

Nikita looked at the two young sirens beside her, who had stopped fighting.

"The Vortex, another great ship that can rival us!" Harry explained to Nikita with a smug look. "I estimate the boss is going to meet that old guy from the Vortex this time."

"Not just him." Ryan's voice, tinged with surprise, came from behind them.

Turning around, following Ryan's stiff posture, Nikita saw a hazy image.

It was like a mirage spoken of by mortals. In this mirage, a wide, fat, five-masted ship was anchored peacefully in a beautiful harbor. Nikita could even see a scene on the port dock not far away: a drunken sailor being stripped of all his valuables by a few thugs and thrown to the ground.

"This mirage is so clear, it's like it's real!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

"Because it is real." Harry's voice lacked its usual smoothness, sounding somewhat somber.

Nikita looked at him in astonishment, only to see Harry gazing intently at the mirage.

"This is the Sea God, a massive tower ship that dominates the East Sea region," Ryan explained softly from beside her.

Nikita understood, then was stunned.

"The Misty, the Vortex, the Sea God, plus that stable iceberg," Harry counted on his fingers, muttering. "Something big is really happening."

"Iceberg?" Nikita turned around dizzily, looking at the iceberg not far away.

It was indeed an iceberg, a genuine iceberg. The polar bear on top seemed displeased with the successive intruders, letting out an angry roar.

"I originally thought it was just an iceberg. But seeing the legendary sea monster ships popping up one after another around here, I can't help but recall the legends from the north."

"What exactly did you say to the boss?" Harry looked at Nikita sternly.

The young banshee looked bewildered.