Chapter 188 Nautical Diary
Li Wen first inquired about Old Joey’s cabin on the ship among the sailors, and then headed into the ship’s cabin.
Too many things had happened on the ship, and it would take a step-by-step approach to sort out all the issues.
Old Joey’s cabin was searched first. Li Wen waited until Colonel and the Captain finished their search before she quietly infiltrated it. This cramped cabin was now empty, containing nothing but a few tattered pieces of clothing. Even if there were any clues left, they were probably taken away by someone who got there first, Li Wen thought.
Among the many strange things that had happened on the ship, the “Sea-Calling Curse” was the strangest to Li Wen. The first thing that could be confirmed was that the “Sea-Calling Curse” was most likely set up by the crew of the Adventurer. The reason was simple: only the crew could freely enter and exit every cabin and set up curses. Judging by the rusty state of the nails, the curse had been in existence for some time. If it were a passenger, it would have been impossible to set up the curse in advance.
Considering only the crew on this ship, the most fitting candidate was undoubtedly Old Joey. He was the oldest, most experienced, and most knowledgeable sailor on board. The “Sea-Calling Curse” was something that had long vanished into the river of history, and only an old sailor with as much experience as Old Joey could have come into contact with such a thing.
But what was the reason? This was precisely what puzzled Li Wen the most.
What happened on this ship thirty years ago that caused all of Old Joey’s former crewmates to disappear? Thirty years later, for some unknown reason, Old Joey returned to this ship at all costs…
As long as Old Joey’s objective could be understood, many problems could be solved. This was Li Wen’s belief.
Li Wen’s gaze slowly swept across the cabin again, leaving no corner unchecked. Although Old Joey’s cabin was small, the old and cold aura was exceptionally strong, as if even the air was solidified with the dust of past years. She secretly thought that if Old Joey had indeed set up the “Sea-Calling Curse,” the cabin must still contain the materials and tools needed for the curse, as long as he wasn’t foolish enough to leave them in plain sight.
She sighed softly and decided to use the same method again. She summoned The Primordial Codex of Ending and then quietly chanted the incantation of Poem of Paradise. An invisible melody echoed in the cramped cabin, and a warm and soft light gradually spread. The Gift of Temperance effect was triggered, forcefully dispelling all powers caused by mana in the room. However, apart from the old aura slightly fading, no other anomalies appeared.
Li Wen frowned, feeling a bit disappointed. Could she have guessed wrong? No, her intuition told her that Old Joey must have left something here. She wouldn’t give up so easily and carefully examined the room again.
Just then, a drop of water landed on her nose, and the cold sensation startled her. Looking up, she saw a trickle of water slowly seeping from a corner of the ceiling, gathering into a stream and sliding down the gaps in the mottled wooden planks. Old Joey’s cabin was located at the very bottom of the ship’s hull, with the cargo hold directly above. Logically, it shouldn’t be leaking here. Moreover, when she checked the room earlier, she hadn’t seen any leaks from the ceiling.
Li Wen’s heart stirred. Without hesitation, she activated Witch Form, and her body lightly floated up, rising slowly like a feather until she was close to the seeping ceiling. By the dim light, she carefully observed every gap and finally discovered a seemingly ordinary but unusual spliced joint in the wooden planks.
With a gentle touch of the Raven Feather short sword, the wooden plank slid open silently, revealing a small compartment. A leaking chest fell directly out, landing on Old Joey’s bed without making a sound.
The chest was half a meter long and wide, made of very ordinary oak, and was relatively light.
Li Wen opened it and found it filled with strangely shaped seashells and iron nails. Several reef-like rocks were constantly seeping water, and an old, yellowed nautical diary was pressed under the rocks, now almost soaked by the water. She quickly grabbed the diary to prevent further damage to the clues before examining the contents of the chest.
The shells and nails were naturally the materials needed for the “Sea-Calling Curse,” which was not unexpected by Li Wen. As for those reef-like rocks… they were a mineral known as “Deep Sea Rock,” commonly found at the bottom of underwater canyons. They were actually undigested remnants of monster carcasses after being consumed by some kind of sea worm. They had considerable uses in alchemy, and if a certain quantity of Deep Sea Rock were collected and piled together, it could form an effect similar to mana lockdown, shielding others from magical reconnaissance.
From this perspective, Old Joey’s understanding of extraordinary powers was likely not low. However, he probably didn’t expect anyone to break through this mana lockdown without noticing anything unusual. Of course, Li Wen also didn’t expect such a situation to occur. After being affected by the Gift of Temperance, the Deep Sea Rock produced some unknown magical reaction, causing it to continuously leak salty seawater, which allowed her to discover the anomaly.
Li Wen finally turned her gaze to the nautical diary, which was undoubtedly the most crucial item.
Old Joey’s nautical diary was half soaked with water, but fortunately, he was an old sailor, and he used waterproof ink when writing his nautical diaries, so it did not affect the reading. Li Wen flipped through it casually, selecting a few entries that seemed more important.
July 15th.
Clear, southeast wind.
25th day of sailing, from Port Promi to the Endless Sea.
Woke up this morning, the sea was calm as a mirror. Determined the course to be south-southeast, with a ship speed of 8 knots. The helmsman discovered a deviation in the compass during his shift. after recalibration, it was restored. In the afternoon, the lookout shouted that he had spotted an arch-shaped reef. It seems we are very close to our destination.
July 19th.
Cloudy, intermittent rain showers.
29th day of sailing.
At noon, the lookout saw fragments of shipwrecks. In the evening, the Captain poured a glass of wine for everyone. He never used to be this generous. The Captain informed us that there was no turning back.
July 24th.
Storm.
Anchored in the morning. The boatswain and the first mate searched the seabed all day, but found nothing. Perhaps the position calculation was wrong? But how is that possible?
July 30th.
Still nothing found. The Captain suggested sailing forward another nautical mile. I requested one last dive tomorrow.
July 31st.
I succeeded. Who would have thought that the ship was right beneath our feet? I found a statue of a mermaid with two tails in the ship. It looks like an antique. But the Captain dared to tell me that all things in the sea belong to the ocean? How old-fashioned. I am the hero of this operation!
August 1st.
I secretly hid the statue. No one knows. After I get back, I’ll sell it, and perhaps I’ll have enough money to buy my own ship.
August 15th.
Perhaps it’s an illusion, but I keep dreaming of it. That statue looks very strange, but I can’t throw it away.
August 27th.
I’m sick, very sick, almost unable to move… Where is that statue? Where did it go? Someone stole it, they can’t get away with it!
August 33rd.
The ship is lost. Where are we? The fog is very thick, but I feel very good and my condition is excellent.
August 59th.
Who is talking to me? Who’s there… Damn it, everyone on the ship is gone. What are they plotting behind my back? I must not let them succeed!
August 175th.
I woke up, but it was too late… It was too late. It’s all a curse, it’s all the fault of the Twin-tailed Mermaid! I shouldn’t have done this, we were all wrong! Where did it hide? I have to find it, it’s on the ship! It must be!
*
Li Wen frowned deeply. The handwriting in the earlier part of this nautical diary was neat, but it became extremely abstract towards the end.
Based on the content, the diary seemed to be about Old Joey’s experiences thirty years ago when he was still a sailor, and very likely during the voyage when they met with disaster. The origin of everything seemed to be the statue that Old Joey took. From that moment on, Old Joey’s mental state seemed to decline continuously, and he eventually went completely mad.
What about the original crew of the ship? Did they go mad too? Or were they murdered one by one and thrown into the sea by the mad Old Joey?
It was difficult to deduce all the circumstances of that time from a single, rambling nautical diary. However, the good news was that she had at least figured out what Old Joey was looking for. That statue, the culprit of all his suffering, was still being sought by Old Joey even after thirty years had passed.
That statue was most likely the culprit that dragged her and Victoria into another dimension.
Li Wen put the chest back in its original place, taking only the damp nautical diary with her.
The diary’s existence proved that Old Joey was not Joseph Vilburad, which made things even more complicated.
On the surface, Old Joey was missing, and the statue he brought back seemed to possess some kind of consciousness and malice, making it extremely dangerous.
Secretly, the existence of the pirate Joseph was uncertain. Perhaps he was lurking in the shadows, watching everything that happened on the ship.
