Chapter 9: The Great Whirlpool and the Ghost Sea

Although the clumsy excuse was immediately spotted for its loopholes, perhaps because the Merman Tribe genuinely disliked conflict, or maybe due to the overwhelming presence of the towering ship, Noah’s Ark, the Priestess didn’t press hard on logic and stubbornly insisted that they were merely a traveling merchant caravan. The Merman Chief, Mingjiao, did not overly trouble Miss Vilyric.

Seeing that she indeed bore no ill intent, he briefly explained the situation of the area nearby.

It turned out that the cluster of islands inhabited by the Merman Tribe was called the East Sea Pearl. It consists of six outer islands and a single inner island, forming the largest civilized tribal region within a radius of thousands of kilometers, comparable to the capital of a maritime kingdom.

The sea ruled by the Merman Tribe is referred to as the Emerald Sea Region.

The reason the Emerald Sea Region is distinctly separated from the outside world is because this “maritime kingdom” is surrounded by a vast and mysterious area known as the Ghost Sea, forming a colossal closed loop.

At the only relatively open gap exists an even more mysterious and terrifying super-sized deep-sea whirlpool, whose immediate influence radius reaches hundreds of kilometers. This terrifying pull would swallow any ship, marine life, or even birds passing through its vicinity.

While both the Ghost Sea and the Great Whirlpool rarely impacted the lives of beings and island tribes within the Emerald Sea Region, they still largely isolated this sea from the outside world. Outsiders could only traverse the temporarily calm Great Whirlpool for about two months each year.

So, when the youthful Merman saw the oversized ship, Noah’s Ark, and noticed that Miss Vilyric had a pair of white wings on her back, he felt especially puzzled, since it was currently the most active period of the Great Whirlpool, and it seemed unlikely that a winged person would venture this far south.

“The Great Whirlpool, the Ghost Sea… sounds rather fascinating, so no living creature can cross the Ghost Sea? What exactly is in there?”

Walking toward the construction zone, which is the core area of Parut Island, one of the six outer islands of the East Sea Pearl, Miss Vilyric was quite curious about the situation described by the Merman youth.

The Merman warrior leading the way, a young man named Alec Mingjiao, who bore four tear-like markings, nodded.

“Nobody knows what exactly lies within the Ghost Sea; anyone who traverses through that mist has no chance of returning. However, if one must speak absolutely… it’s not entirely hopeless.”

“We have a notorious pirate in the Emerald Sea Region named Rashid Bachiri. His ship, the Master of the Sea, is the largest in the entire region and he’s known as the Pirate King.”

“It’s said that he has been seen entering the Ghost Sea only to re-emerge again, but that guy is a pirate, his whereabouts are elusive, and rumors suggest he can even navigate his ship into the deep sea; who knows how much of that is true?”

“Hoh… to navigate a ship into the deep sea, that sure takes some skill. Rashid Bachiri, huh…”

After some contemplation, the Priestess returned to the main topic.

“So, if we choose to wait for the Great Whirlpool to calm down, how long would that take?”

“Well… as far as I know, it just entered an active phase not long ago, so it’s likely to take at least seven or eight months.”

Upon hearing that painfully long timeline, Vilyric couldn’t help but frown.

“Isn’t there any other way? With the size of our ship, can’t we cross that Ghost Sea? If it’s just some powerful monsters lurking around, we should be able to handle that. Don’t underestimate us as mere traveling merchants; our self-defense skills are actually quite decent…”

Alec gazed deeply at the black-haired girl, and at that moment, the four tear-shaped marks on his face appeared oddly ominous, as if mourning some lost things.

“Outsider, many experienced captains and even renowned warriors have once held similar views about the Ghost Sea, but the truth is, without exception, they all perished in that treacherous mist.”

“The legend of the Pirate King is ultimately just a legend. While I don’t know where you came from or why you’ve mistakenly wandered into the Emerald Sea Region at this time, I advise you not to recklessly charge into the Ghost Sea. Just wait for the Great Whirlpool to subside before departing; it’s also for the sake of your crew.”

“According to the caution passed down from our ancestors in the Merman Tribe, the dangers within the Ghost Sea cannot simply be described in terms of strength. It is a sea valley sealed by Goddess Veil—a strange and ineffable underwater grave; stepping into it is equivalent to becoming a slumbering ghost of the deep sea.”

“That’s dreadfully ominous… alright, alright.”

Seeing Alec maintain such a mysterious aura, Vilyric said no more, merely nodding slightly and silently following him and the escorting Merman warriors deeper into Parut Island.

Considering the need to avoid suspicion and give the Mermen a sense of security, the Priestess did not let Noah’s Ark approach the islands any closer. The rest of the companions, including Ming Lan, stayed on the ship to monitor the Mermen warriors in the outside world, with only her assuming the role of the envoy alone.

Vilyric never presumed to look down on everything due to her strength. Although her initial intent was to exchange for a sea chart and leave directly, given the current situation and Alec’s alarming descriptions of the Ghost Sea and the Great Whirlpool, it wouldn’t hurt to gather more relevant information before proceeding.

After about an hour of travel, they reached their destination.

The Merman Tribe’s home was built deep within the island, surrounding a significant freshwater lake in the heart of Parut Island.

Unlike typical terrestrial beings, over half of their houses were constructed underwater, using materials that weren’t conventional wood or stone but rather special corals and marine materials. Some particularly massive shells were even transported from the sea to the island to decorate their homes.

While the buildings surrounding the lake retained some semblance of humanoid architecture, those “houses” hidden beneath the lake were utterly bizarre and bore no normal appearance whatsoever.

After leading Vilyric to the lakeside, Alec instructed her a few times and then left the other Merman warriors half to protect and half to watch her, as he leaped into the lake alone, swimming downward.

Standing at the shore, Vilyric could clearly see the magnificent and exotic structure residing underwater that resembled a giant coral reef, towering several stories high; it seemed that the person in charge of one of the six outer islands resided there.

While the Merman youth temporarily left, the Priestess, with no intention of finding herself bored, engaged in conversation with the nearby young Merman warrior who, despite wielding a weapon, appeared quite innocent and likely easier to interact with… ahem! Easier to approach.

“Hey, sister, can I ask you something?”

Not concealing her gaze, the Priestess elbowed the nearest young Merman warrior, who looked a bit confused, finally realizing that Vilyric was talking to her, and hurriedly bowed excessively, stammering in clumsy Velan.

“Hello, yes, is there something you need?”

Seeing this scene, the other Merman warriors cast her scrutinizing looks, but they didn’t immediately stop the conversation. Vilyric promptly seized the moment, pointing toward a nearby multi-story building on the shore.

“I just wanted to ask, what is that building used for?”

   

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