Captain – Chapter 187 – The Ghost Ship

“A token? You mean… the Lady’s cat’s eye stone?”

Feeling the Captain’s undisguised hostility, the scholar’s eyelids twitched several times before he seemed to recall something and shook his head with a bitter smile: “No, Captain, you’ve been deceived. Captain Solomon was deceived as well.”

Hearing this, Roy blinked and asked in bewilderment: “What do you mean?”

“It’s not a token at all, nor does it have divine power to break curses. It’s merely a replica of the Eye of Lamia.”

Bivis explained to the increasingly confused Captain: “A snake woman’s eyeball, a witch’s crystal ball, a female prophet’s medium for foreseeing the future… the Eye of Lamia has countless names and legends, but ultimately, it’s simply the Lady’s eye for observing the world.”

“Perhaps you don’t know that after being betrayed by that Pirate King, besides losing her connection to the magic box and the power sealed within it, the Lady also suffered an even more powerful seal. She was eternally confined to a solitary island at the world’s end, unable to leave even half a step.”

The scholar paced slowly around the room. The crisp sounds of the young dragon crunching on eggshells intertwined with the raven’s complaints, diluting the almost solidifying gloom.

“Therefore, she needed a pair of eyes to help her see scenes beyond the solitary island, to help her observe… or more precisely, monitor those chosen by her. That’s why those replicas and lies emerged.”

“She watches them constantly. If they betray the contract, the Death Silence will harvest their lives and souls. If they die for other reasons, the Death Silence will come to reclaim these monitoring eyes.”

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Spreading his hands, the scholar smiled and said: “There are only three such cat’s eye stones in total. If you know the location of one, or have already obtained it, please don’t hesitate—crush it decisively. This would be equivalent to extinguishing one of the Lady’s eyes.”

“Really?” The young woman still had some doubts, but her hand had already slowly moved away from the sword hilt.

“Absolutely true, Captain. As I told the First Mate, before that journey ends, my fate is tightly bound with yours and the Mermaid’s, for better or worse. Especially with the Death Silence having appeared, I have even less reason to deceive you.”

Bivis sighed softly: “If we don’t find that island, my curse can never be broken, let alone escape the Death Silence’s hunt. Though I am a Death-Fearer, who knows if the Lady has granted them the authority to end immortality?”

Listening to Bivis’s sincere words, Roy folded her arms and thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, agreeing with his explanation.

The young woman’s face broke into a smile, her tone as natural as if nothing had happened: “As you guessed, we do know the location of a cat’s eye stone. It’s buried in a treasure chamber deep underground. In fact, the Black Emperor wasn’t truly foolish. I believe he never carried that stone with him all these years.”

“In a few days, I’ll personally dig out that stone and crush it, but before that, I have some questions for you.”

The scholar turned to organize the scattered materials on the table and said: “Ask away, Captain. Answering your questions is part of my duty in our agreement.”

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“First, I’m curious about what you called the, uh, what eye was it again?”

Sensing the Captain’s imploring gaze, Caine coughed lightly and supplemented: “The Eye of Lamia, a legendary eye possessed by a woman cursed by the gods and transformed into a snake demon. It can transform into countless forms and possesses myriad abilities, including foresight.”

“Yes, yes, yes, this Eye of Lamia thing, does it truly have the abilities described in legend? If so, I suggest we part ways immediately.”

Roy nodded repeatedly, looking at the scholar’s back as she proposed.

“How could that be, Captain? In fact, there’s nothing in this world that can truly foresee the future, nor anyone who can predict it. Otherwise, the Lady would not have been deceived by that cunning Edward and paid such a heavy price.”

The scholar pulled a piece of parchment from under the young dragon’s foot, earning an annoyed glare, and explained with a bitter smile: “The crystal ball’s abilities, besides seeing outside scenes through replicas, are limited to transmitting messages to those holding the cat’s eye stones, nothing more.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. A deity who has lost her power and is confined to a solitary island is nothing to fear. And according to you, those captains who worked for her are mostly dead. So the only problem now is the Death Silence that still roams the ocean.”

Roy beckoned to the raven, and the little creature obediently flew back to her shoulder, calling in a low voice: “Cursed ghost ship, cursed ghost ship!”

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Lightly tapping Alfie’s little head, the young woman laughed softly: “Yes, another cursed ghost ship. Why can’t the Captain sever ties with these things?”

Hearing the Captain’s casual words, Bivis’s hand trembled slightly, almost scattering the papers again. He stuffed the organized materials back into the bookshelf while curiously asking: “You’ve encountered… other ghost ships?”

Ghost ships were a term used by pirates of the Southern Islands to refer to extraordinary warships that defied natural principles. By that definition, the Mermaid itself could be considered one of the most notorious ghost ships.

“Of course. As a pirate, one always encounters inexplicable things. Do you remember that giant ship you saw on the night you encountered the dragon?”

Roy bent down and scratched the well-fed young dragon’s chin with her finger. This little creature, like the raven, seemed to greatly enjoy this form of caress, not only narrowing its eyes but also letting out a few comfortable growls.

“Yes, that eerie, gloomy feeling remains deeply etched in my mind, impossible to erase.”

Bivis turned around and said: “If I remember correctly, you called it… the Drowned Captain.”

“That’s right, a ship name every pirate should remember by heart. According to historical records, it was a ship that crashed against reefs due to a siren’s song and transformed into an ominous entity steeped in heavy resentment. Those water ghosts clung to the hull and eventually became a ghost ship hunting all legendary creatures, and so-called legendary creatures…”

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Roy looked at the young dragon before her and suddenly sighed lightly: “Naturally include dragons.”

“You mean you’ve faced such an existence?” The scholar’s eyes revealed shock, as if asking, “How are you still alive after encountering such a thing?”

Guessing the scholar’s thoughts, the Captain smiled and said: “Yes, by all accounts, that ship should only wander in the Cursed Sea, the Cursed Sea where Devil’s Island is located… I don’t know the exact location of that sea, but I’ve had one encounter with this ship.”

“Perhaps some creature left the Cursed Sea, or maybe the captain guiding the ghost ship went mad. Anyway, I’ve seen it once, and even had the crew fire upon it.”

“And the result?” Bivis held his breath, awaiting the Captain’s answer.

“Result? There was no result. It chased the Mermaid for a while, but unfortunately for it, there was a fierce storm at sea, and within a few hours, we had lost it completely.”

Roy’s smile grew increasingly mischievous, like a fox whose scheme had succeeded: “I don’t mean to boast, really, I just want to tell you, Scholar, that the Mermaid is also a legendary warship. We need not fear any ghost ship. So…”

“Tell me, what exactly is the origin of this Death Silence?”