Captain – Chapter 686 – The Sea of Mist Below

“Captain Edward?”

The mist churned and rolled, and soon the figure of that bosun could no longer be seen. Caine, who stood beside the young woman, recovered from his momentary daze and asked.

“Yeah, besides that bastard, who else would speak in such an insufferable tone?”

Hearing this, Roy let out a light snort and said coldly.

However, she didn’t notice that upon hearing these words, her first mate’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. Though he didn’t voice his thoughts, his expression made them quite clear.

It was as if he were saying: Captain, you really don’t have much room to complain about that particular trait.

Or perhaps: Do all members of the devil’s lineage share this disposition?

“Forget it. Let him watch, let him talk. We’re going.”

Having received a meaningless yet obviously malicious answer, Roy’s mood naturally soured. After taking a deep breath, she spoke coldly, then led her first mate down the gangplank.

Just as they could see at first glance, the corridor beyond the gangplank—or rather, the entire ship’s interior—was shrouded in darkness. Yet it was strangely quiet, without the screams and grinding of bones that the young woman had expected, as if they weren’t truly within a sea of bones.

Of course, the captain had also considered that when she had glimpsed that specter through her ancestor’s eyes, he might not have been on this ship at all, but rather in the very depths of chaos.

That was a breeding ground for evil spirits and unclean things, naturally filled with terrifying sounds.

Through perception alone—or even just following the dark guidance that came from somewhere unseen—Roy and her companion could tell that the gate leading to the abyss lay at the bottom of the ship’s hold.

Thus they traveled through the corridors, heading downward all the way, their destination unmistakably clear.

During this time, the two maintained silence for the most part, with only the sound of their nearly synchronized footsteps and the occasional rustling of fabric.

The atmosphere seemed heavy, but was actually quite the opposite.

For them, darkness meant nothing, nor did they need words to provide support.

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Simply hearing each other’s footsteps and breathing, confirming their presence at each other’s side, was sufficient.

It wasn’t until they had descended countless deck levels—seeming as if there was still no end in sight, yet through perception they could sense that the gate was not far off and separation was near—that Caine, as if having finished weighing his words, tentatively asked the young woman beside him.

“Captain, if—I’m just saying if—you’re unable to bring him back in the end…”

“What would you do?”

The first mate’s soft words echoed around them, making the already silent environment even more hushed.

This was because it was a very heavy, very difficult question to answer, and because after speaking these words, Caine could clearly sense that the captain’s steps had paused.

Even her breathing stopped briefly, and though it quickly resumed, it still couldn’t escape his notice.

And the “him” in that question naturally referred to Captain Gerard, trapped in the prison of the abyss.

If she couldn’t bring back that specter, what then?

As one of the players in this game, Roy had naturally considered this question, but no matter how many times she’d thought about it, she still had no answer, much less knew how to break the deadlock.

As she saw it, without truly facing that person, it would be impossible to glimpse the true nature of this situation.

How could she speak of reversing or resolving it?

But when she truly leaped into the abyss and saw that person, would it still be in time?

No—perhaps it was already beyond salvation.

Thinking silently, the young woman resumed her steps, saying without betraying any emotion: “Without truly encountering that situation, who could know? But I think I would…”

“Still keep moving forward.”

Having come this far, there was no reason to stop. She wasn’t the type to be indecisive.

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If there was no way out, she wouldn’t hesitate when it came time to draw her blade.

Perhaps that specter hoped for the same?

After this brief exchange, Caine understood the captain’s thoughts. The young woman’s will had grown even more resolute, impossible to shake by even a fraction, so silence returned once more.

Until time passed and the stairway finally reached its end.

There was no path ahead, only broken steps.

And below the broken steps, there was no longer a dark curtain of pitch blackness suspended, but flowing colors with distinct layers—though without exception, they all belonged to shades of gray.

Countless varieties of gray, some dark, some light, intertwined together, spiraling toward the center and downward.

Like a whirlpool formed of mist, like a great gate to another world.

This was indeed the passage to chaos.

The gray whirlpool reflected in her dark gold pupils, and after a moment of silence, Roy turned her face slightly to look at her first mate, saying seriously: “This is as far as we go.”

Hearing this, Caine couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly, saying nothing.

Because she had used “go” with finality rather than words approaching inquiry or suggestion. As such, this statement naturally had no room for negotiation, but was merely an announcement.

It was a forceful demand, even a command.

A command that no matter the circumstances, he must not proceed any further, not even attempt it.

Under normal circumstances, faced with the young woman’s attitude, the first mate would naturally agree first, while how he actually acted would depend entirely on the situation, without caring about her emotions.

After all, whether the captain would be angry or resentful was truly a small matter compared to safety and life or death.

So small it didn’t need consideration at all.

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But this time, the person Roy would face had countless connections to her, and the situation was particularly special, different from retaking the Mermaid or assassinating Robert.

No matter how one looked at it, this could be considered her own affair.

An affair between father and daughter.

Therefore, in the end, Caine didn’t pretend to naturally agree, but instead stepped forward slightly, embracing her gently, and whispered: “No matter what, I’ll be here.”

No matter whether she could win in the end, or bring that person back, he would always be there.

In this world, by her side.

“I know. You said you’d accompany me to see all the scenery—I remember that clearly.”

“Even if you wanted to break your word, it’s too late now.”

Roy embraced him in return, burying her face in her first mate’s chest, murmuring like in a dream.

In this moment, she seemed to have lost some of her usual strength and determination, replaced by a touch of vulnerability—a rare indulgence in warm emotions for one who had long dwelt in darkness and storms. But that lingering only lasted an instant.

The moment her words ended, the two separated once more.

Using a confident, radiant smile as her final farewell to her first mate, the captain wasted no more time, turned and leaped toward the abyss.

Before long, her figure had sunk into the gray mist, like a fish entering the sea, no longer visible.

Though he could no longer see the captain’s figure, the young man beside the “gate” didn’t look away, still gazing in the direction where she had disappeared. After a moment, he sat down on the steps.

Thinking that this departure would last who knows how long, hopefully the outside world could still hold on.

Elizabeth… bring him back.

In chaos, there were no concepts of space or time. Like a waterless sea full of turbulent currents, Roy couldn’t even tell which direction she was drifting toward.

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She only knew that wherever that aura was located must be her destination for this journey.

The vital core of the Drowned Captain.

And during the process of floating, she didn’t drift with the current as she had when sinking into dark seas before, waiting for time, fate, everything to converge as if arranged, nor did she curl up like an infant, holding her knees and falling into deep sleep.

Instead, she spread her arms slightly, forcefully breaking through the “currents,” heading toward her destined place.

As if no longer resisting fate, but wanting to embrace it.

Embrace the future and vision that belonged only to herself and those she loved, written by her own hand.

Thus, under her resolute conviction and divine-like will, the tides and waves formed by mist streams were shattered before they could reach her, and her speed increased dramatically.

Sweeping toward where that person was like a sudden wind.

Ten years, a hundred years, vast distances beyond measure—even if time and space truly had meaning here, faced with such circumstances, they would probably be shortened countless times in an instant.

Reaching the bottom in a flash.

And indeed, this was exactly what happened. Though the mist surrounding Roy grew increasingly violent and turbulent, it gradually thinned, and she could vaguely see the true scenery beyond the mist.

After drifting for who knows how long, traveling who knows how far, the young woman finally passed through that gate.

There were no more dark currents around her; all the chaos and disorder had been left behind. What appeared before her was an extremely thin, pale curtain of mist.

Behind the mist curtain lay the destination.

The destination she had spent a full twenty years seeking since embarking on the pirate’s path.

And that person sat within, having waited for her for a long time.