"Where am I?"
The masked girl stirred awake, her voice faint as she blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings. She found herself in a warm, cozy room lit with soft lamps, the air carrying a faint scent of herbs. The bedding was soft, and the walls had a strange tallic sheen unlike anything she had ever seen before.
She was the sa girl Tyler had rescued from the mysterious door hidden beneath the Wyvern Nest— a door that led to another world.
Before she could gather her thoughts, a figure suddenly appeared before her like a phantom. Hovering in midair was a woman with flowing green hair and ethereal eyes.
"##£&*?" the woman spoke, her words incomprehensible.
The masked girl stiffened. She could not understand a single thing.
The green-haired woman was Serena, the ship’s overseer, currently manifesting through her virtual form. Serena studied the girl closely, then nodded as though confirming sothing.
"Oh, right. You don’t know the language of this world," Serena mused with a small smile. "Well, that’s fine. We can fix that."
She clapped her hands. Imdiately, the room’s door slid open with a smooth, horizontal motion. Several figures walked in—ship doctors dressed in neat uniforms. They approached the bed and carefully checked her condition, murmuring in the strange tongue. The girl felt tense at first, but their gentle deanor reassured her. These people weren’t hostile.
When the check-up was done, Serena extended her hand and gestured toward a peculiar helt resting on a nearby stand.
The girl hesitated, then picked it up. Serena conjured a virtual duplicate of the helt and wore it herself, demonstrating the process.
"Like this," Serena encouraged.
Reluctantly, the girl placed the helt over her head.
In the blink of an eye, her surroundings changed.
She was no longer in the cozy room, but seated at a wooden desk in a bright classroom. Rows of empty seats stretched around her, sunlight streaming through the tall windows. Her eyes widened in astonishnt.
Serena stood at the front of the room, now dressed in a teacher’s outfit. She tapped the board behind her where glowing letters ford the words: Language Class.
"The ti ratio here is adjusted," Serena explained, her voice clear and echoing through the classroom. "By the ti you master our language, only a single day will have passed outside."
The masked girl tilted her head, confusion flickering in her eyes. Yeah, Since she doesn’t understand the language.
Even if she does, she would still tilt her head in confusion. A classroom inside a helt? This feels little familiar and unfamiliar at the sa ti for her.
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
Inside the Dragon Boat
Lily, Mathilda, Mana, Darla, and Su Fei had already removed their pirate disguises. The infamous masks and cloaks of the Phantom Pirates would only attract unnecessary eyes in a place like this. Instead, they now looked like ordinary Immortal Practitioners—cultivators blending into the vast tide of strangers boarding the Dragon Boat.
Even so, their presence had a subtle weight. Though they looked casual, their auras were anything but weak.
At the entrance, the group stopped at a row of glowing platforms. A girl with squirrel ears and a fluffy tail was stationed there, smiling politely with rehearsed precision.
"Please place your hand here," she said. Each of the won extended their palm one by one, letting a flare of their aura pass through the array. With a soft chi, each was issued a sleek black card etched with shifting golden runes.
"You can scan the QR mark here and recharge the card," the squirrel-girl explained cheerfully. "Every hour, 500 Lydia will be deducted from your balance. Should it reach zero, please recharge imdiately or you will be forcibly ejected from the Dragon Boat. To access higher floors, there are separate fees. Unlocking features can also be done through your card."
Mathilda whistled softly, twirling her new card between her fingers. "They’re making money just by letting people walk around. Tyler could learn a thing or two from them."
Mana smirked. "With Tyler’s personality, I wouldn’t be surprised if he builds sothing like this one day. A floating fortress that bleeds its visitors dry."
The won laughed lightly as they stepped aside to recharge their cards. None of them bothered to be frugal —each casually loaded a million Lydia.
Darla’s eyes flickered in surprise when she noticed the glowing interface on her card. "Wait... what the heck? They even have Northern Network access here?"
That was rare. In the North Seas, connecting to the digital trade grid was nearly impossible. Most transactions were handled physically, through cash and Aura/prana Stones. Only in so positions and locations could the Northern Network reach. For a ship to have that level of coverage was astonishing.
"I wonder how they receive it clearly," Lily muttered, her sharp eyes scanning the Floor where faint runic patterns pulsed. She didn’t linger long— best not to stare too hard.
They stepped forward and were instantly greeted by a swarm of Immortal Practitioners— children, teenagers, young adults—each wearing laminated badges around their necks that read in bold letters: Guide.
"Beautiful ladies! Just 2,800 Lydia per day and I can show you everything you need to know!" chirped a cheerful fifteen-year-old looking girl, bouncing on her heels.
"Pfft, ignore her! You deserve soone reliable." A narcissistic rman practically flexed his muscles into their faces. "Handso, dependable, and only 2,500 Lydia. Let be your escort."
"2,100 Lydia! Choose us, fairies!" another trio of winged girls shouted in unison, wings fluttering. "We know where the exclusive handso boys are sold!"
The entire thing was ridiculous— and clearly a practiced economy. The "guides" were allowed to live on the Dragon Boat without paying, but in exchange they gave 10% of their earnings to the ship. A fair trade, considering how many visitors poured through daily.
Mathilda’s eyes imdiately locked on one particular girl— a tiny thing with shark fins sprouting from her back, teetering awkwardly on a scratched hoverboard. Her offer was modest: 2,500 Lydia. Mathilda didn’t even hesitate.
"This one." She patted the girl’s head gently, ignoring the louder calls.
The shark-finned guide bead so brightly her entire face flushed pink. "Th-thank you! I’ll do my best!" She zipped ahead on her sputtering board, leading them toward the main hall.
Inside, the first floor sprawled open like a vast market bazaar. The sll of salt, fish, and spices filled the air. Everywhere stalls glead with strange aquatic catches —shimring scaled fish, jelly-like creatures glowing faintly in orbs of water, and rare specins still alive, trapped inside magical spheres that floated above counters.
It was noisy, chaotic, alive.
Behind them, the narcissistic rman sighed theatrically, watching the girls walk away. "Even in this era... even cute girls prefer other cute girls. How are boys like supposed to survive?"
A passerby snorted. "Just turn gay."
The rman ignored the jab, shifting his focus to a new group of custors entering.
One of them, however, caused an unexpected stir.
"What? Five hundred Lydia per hour? That’s outrageous!" a young man shouted angrily, waving his card.
The guides exchanged wary glances. Tourists who balked at the entry fee were not worth chasing. For the North Seas, 500 Lydia per hour was nothing. For outsiders, however, it could feel like robbery.
The young man grumbled to himself, his eyes scanning the bustling crowd. "Still... I hope I can find the White rchant Group here. From what I heard, they clashed with the Hunter Pirates near Dragon King territory. The chances of them being here are high."
The young man was none other than Ling Tian.
He didn’t get far. A sudden sensation swept through the floor like a ripple in the ocean. Many practitioners stiffened, their instincts screaming.
Ling Tian froze. It was as if the abyss itself had opened at his side, swallowing the air. Slowly, he turned his head.
It’s just a re presence of soone.
A man in a black suit and a phantom mask walked past, his steps silent yet commanding. On his right, a striking woman with dragon wings, curling horns, and a tail that flicked lazily behind her— Dragon Princess Zuzia. On his left, another woman, her skin faintly greenish-blue, wrapped in a coat made entirely of sleek feathers— Myrtle.
The man in the mask was Phantom Blackwood.
Ling Tian’s chest tightened, but he doesn’t know why.
Phantom Blackwood paused for only a mont, his masked gaze flickering toward Ling Tian. His eyes widened in brief surprise—an expression so subtle only soone watching closely would have noticed.
An "old friend," here of all places.
But just as quickly, the mont passed. Phantom Blackwood turned away without lingering, his attention shifting back to the registration arrays ahead. His stride was steady, deliberate, as though Ling Tian were no more than another face in the crowd.
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