The Black Shores' Rule: Just Make Me Happy!

(I've been too busy with work lately and forgot to update. My apologies!)

The unusual frequency bands on the map pointed them in the right direction, but were only responsible for guiding the ship to the outskirts of the Black Shores. Less than half an hour later, a thick, impenetrable white fog rose from the sea. The lantern hanging at the bow could only illuminate a distance of three steps. The sound of the waves, which was originally rhythmic, was also muffled by the fog.

Chisaki disassembled the communication terminal and reconnected it, but the screen remained displaying static. She tried three more bands, but even the public signal from Jinzhou Port disappeared. Only after projecting the test curve onto the tablet did she speak.

"The communication module isn't broken, but all the external frequency bands have been blocked. If we continue sailing, we'll be relying on a compass to find our way."

Qiu Yuan of the ship, listened quietly for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to the left front.

"The echo over there is more hollow; there shouldn't be any reefs."

Sigelica, who was leaning against the mast with her riot shield, glanced at the compass needle, which had already completed two rotations, upon hearing this.

"You two, one relying on flawed data and the other guessing the way by ear, are you two about to enter the missing persons registration process?"

Zhou Yu sat on a wooden crate on the deck with a freshly opened seafood rice ball beside him.

"I told you to include the loss insurance in the cost before you left. If it really gets lost, at least we can't let our prize money go to waste."

Sigelica reached out and snatched a rice ball, taking a big bite.

"You still have the mind to think about the bonus? We can barely tell east from west anymore."

Dania, wrapped in a thin blanket, sat next to Zhou Yu, holding a cup of hot tea in both hands. She couldn't see the sea in the distance, but she liked the feeling of the boat gently rocking. Occasionally, she would lower her head and take a bite of a rice ball, with bits of seaweed sticking to the corner of her mouth. Zhou Yu raised his wrist and turned on his old-fashioned digital watch.

The dark green characters bounced twice on the surface before returning to the most ordinary time display. There were no error pop-ups, no abnormal coordinates, and even the Aleph One frequency band that had been locked a few days ago had completely disappeared.

This made him take a second look. The fog that could paralyze all communication equipment shouldn't be without even a single error code, unless the rules here weren't malfunctioning. This state of disorientation was simply part of what the Black Shores allowed.

Chisa placed her sword horizontally on her lap, the bell on the hilt ringing softly with the movement of the boat.

"There's no killing intent ahead, but something is approaching."

Just as Linnai tucked the guitar cover under the tarpaulin, a fragmented song drifted through the fog. The lyrics were indistinct, but the melody danced lightly in the air. Aimis immediately leaned over the ship's railing to peer inside, her voice barely audible.

"Now that we're hearing singing, shouldn't we, according to the normal story progression, take the initiative to approach?"

Sigelica pulled her back.

"In a normal story, no one would venture into the foggy sea with hot pot broth. You should at least tie your lifeline securely, lest you be tricked off the boat by the singing."

The singing grew closer, and a small, warm yellow lamp emerged from the mist first. Then, a small boat that could only hold two or three people glided in front of them. The oars didn't fall into the water, but the small boat stayed steadily beside the large boat.

A girl sat at the bow of the boat, hugging her knees. Two sheep plush toys, one black and one white, lay on the edge of the boat, their soft ears swaying gently in the sea breeze. The girl looked up, her curious gaze sweeping around. When she saw Zhou Yu and the others, her smile instantly lit up. She stepped onto the edge of the boat and leaped. Chisa's hand had barely touched the hilt of her knife when she had already landed lightly in the center of the deck.

"You brought so much delicious food! This trip is going to be a lot of fun!"

Encore's gaze first fell on the rice balls in the wooden box, then on the steaming cup of tea in Dania's hand. She circled Dania, then squatted down in front of her, carefully examining her pink hair. Dania looked at her intently as well. The two figures, one big and one small, observed each other, neither looking away first.

Encore quickly stood up and extended her palm towards Zhou Yu.

"Do you have an invitation? If not, it's okay. Aalto said as long as I'm happy, that's all that matters, and I'm quite happy."

Sigelica froze halfway through her rummaging through her backpack for the receipts.

"Is the entry standard for the Black Shores simply a matter of the person receiving the guide judging whether they're happy or not on the spot?"

Zhou Yu put away the unresponsive digital watch and casually placed a seafood rice ball into Encore's hand.

"That sounds much more reasonable than Flamebearers' Academy's approval process. Okay, whatever makes you happy. Just make sure we get in safely while you're at it."

Encore tore open the packaging, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"You won't get lost if you follow my small boat, but be careful not to wander into the fog on your own; some paths there will make you forget where they lead."

She jumped back into the small boat and still had the two sheep dolls lying on the edge. After the boat turned, the thick fog around them parted along the bow to reveal a narrow waterway that could only accommodate one large ship. Qiu Yuan adjusted the rudder and followed. The compass needle, which had been out of control for a long time, finally stopped spinning, but it did not point to any known direction.

Dania remained perched on the ship's railing, her gaze fixed on the white sheep at the bow. With each gust of sea breeze, the Wooly's ears would twitch slightly, and its shiny black eyes would secretly turn towards her. She tugged at Zhou Yu's vest, her voice filled with serious doubt.

"Xiao Yu, that Wooly seems to actually move."

Encore picked up the Wooly and made it face Dania, waving its soft hooves.

"Of course it will hear you, and it can remember all the things you like to eat."

Zhou Yu turned on the digital watch again, but the dial still showed no abnormal indication. However, the Wooly's button eyes blinked slowly when the green light appeared.