In plain sight, the ship, wrapped in ghostly flames and like a blazing torch, slammed straight into the rocky cliffs - but the expected explosion and impact did not materialize.

The ship seemed to "melt" at the moment of impact, and the solid deck, hull, and keel structure all melted and flowed down like mud in an instant, and silently swooped down on the cliff, not so much hitting it, but more like a lump of mud "splashing" on the cliff—and then the whole ship seemed to be absorbed by the island, completely dissolving between the clusters of craggy stalagmites.

As for the spirit flames that were still burning on the ship a moment ago, at this moment, a huge ring of fire broke through the cliffs of the island, and the sea of green fire bloomed like ripples on the coastline, and after a moment of delay, it splashed into the sea, igniting the misty sea, and slowly spreading in front of the Combined Fleet.

It was so sudden that the Church Fleet didn't seem to have reacted to what was happening, and on the Lost Land, Nina's eyes widened in surprise: "That ship 'committed suicide'?!" ”

Lucrecia's tone was a little incredible: "Dad, the ship...... Did you just break free from your orders? ”

Duncan didn't answer, he just frowned tightly, confirming in his mind the vague "perception" that the ship had suddenly transmitted to him a moment before it crashed into the cliff, and it took a long time to break the silence thoughtfully: "No...... It didn't get out of hand. ”

"Not out of control?" Lucrecia was a little confused, "Then it just crashed into the cliff......"

"I gave it the order to 'go home'—so it did," Duncan said slowly, "except I thought that a ship's 'home' was the port where it usually docked and maintained, but for that ship...... Its 'home' should be the island itself. ”

Lucrecia seemed to be still thinking about the meaning of Duncan's words, but Vana and Morris, who had experienced the frost event before, had gradually reacted, and Morris suddenly frowned: "You mean, that ship is ......"

Duncan's expression was serious: "That ship was built with the 'material' of the island, at least a large part of it. ”

The loss of the Guide Ship was unexpected, but it didn't have much of an impact on the Combined Fleet - the fleet had found the location of the Holy Land Island, the route had been recorded on the charts, and now, the green spirit flames were burning silently on the surface of the sea, continuing to suppress the fog of the surrounding seas, and moments later, the Bright Star discovered the entrance to the "fjord" that Ay had seen from the sky.

For the priests of the Church of the Deep Sea and the Dead, despite some accidents, the investigation into the "Holy Land Island" is still going according to plan.

Two small landing ships, each released from the Tide and the No Rest, soon arrived near the Lost Land, each carrying eleven Marines and an armed priest, who awaited Duncan's arrangement.

On the Lost Land, Duncan is deciding who he wants to follow ashore.

"Vanna, Maurice, Alice, you come ashore with me," Duncan looked at the followers on deck, quickly picking the right man, and then his eyes fell on Shirley, who seemed to be trying to lower his presence, "Shirley, you come too." ”

"I'm not good at exploring, and I'm not as well-informed as the old man......"

"I know, but we need the ability of a dog," Duncan casually interrupted Shirley's thoughts, "it's a ghostly demon, and it's good at sensing and tracking, and it's very useful on this 'Holy Land Island'. ”

Shirley listened, her expression suddenly a little subtle, and she thought carefully before she reacted - her main role is the chain of a dog......

However, Duncan didn't care about the sudden subtle expression on Shirley's face, and after deciding who to go ashore, he waved his hand to the others: "The rest of the people stay on the boat." It's a strange place, so if there's anything wrong on the boat or in the nearby sea, contact us immediately. ”

"Don't you need me along?" Lucretia couldn't help but take a step forward, "I'm familiar with the border, and I have a lot of experience exploring weird islands......"

"Yes, but not now," Duncan shook his head, he had clearly made arrangements, "you go back to the Bright Star and keep an eye on that 'Saint,' it will come in handy later." I'll go to the island first to find out what's going on, and if I find a suitable 'spot', I'll send Aye to pick me up." ”

Lucrecia thought for a moment and nodded, "I see." ”

Duncan bowed slightly, and walked to the edge of the deck with his chosen ashore personnel.

However, at this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from not far away.

Duncan looked up and saw a small boat fixed to the middle deck, covered with tarpaulin, swaying on a stand—

It was the landing craft carried on board the Lost Country.

However, in everyone's memory, the main role of the boat was to tie two ropes to the side for Alice to use to dry clothes, or to let Shirley, who didn't want to do her homework, sneak into it to sleep.

Duncan silently glanced at the rickety boat, and after two or three seconds before he spoke, "Ay will take us to the island." ”

The boat fell silent for a moment, and began to sway harder, slamming its bow against the wooden frame for fixation.

Duncan: "......"

"Captain," Alice finally leaned over and tugged at Duncan's sleeve, whispering in the latter's ear, "or take it with you...... I feel like it's going to cry......"

Duncan glanced at Alice with a strange expression, and then looked at the small landing craft on the deck that seemed to be really unhappy, and only thought that this matter was very funny, but finally sighed helplessly: "Okay, let's also go ashore in a small boat......"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boat on the deck broke free from the ropes and hooks it had been secured, and the crane on one side of the deck creaked and rattled, lifting the boat from the wooden support and into the groove on the side of the middle deck.

The whole set of actions went smoothly, as if he was afraid that the captain would regret it.

Duncan: "......"

In any case, together with the landing craft released from the Lost Land, the three small boats broke away from the Combined Fleet and found the secret entrance to the interior of the island along the boulder cliffs at the edge of the "Holy Land Island", and began to make their way to the interior of the island.

After passing through the "mouth of the fjord", you will be greeted by towering and eerie stone pillars on both sides, calm, open and dark blue water, and a mist that still pervades all directions.

The three small boats walked cautiously in the fog, and in the hazy fog, it was vaguely visible that there were shadowy port facilities on the shore ahead, and some hallucinatory lights quietly released glow in the fog, like cold and cloudy eyes floating out of thin air.

The small boats in which Duncan and the others sailed autonomously without human pilots, while the landing ships released from the Tidal and No Resting were powered by small steam cores, which broke the silence of the fjord, and the clatter of the three ships breaking through the water was blurred by the reflection of the cliffs on either side.

Vanna frowned suddenly.

She turned her head to look at the captain, only to see that the captain was also frowning and looking in a certain direction in the fog, and behind the side of the landing craft, the two steam dinghys from the Tide and the Restless seemed to sense something and began to slowly slow down.

The echoes of the fjord slowly faded.

Vanna tilted her head sideways, and said softly as she carefully distinguished, "Did you hear that?" ”

Shirley didn't seem to notice anything abnormal, but she felt the change in the atmosphere around her, and she turned her head nervously: "Listen...... What do you hear? ”

The sound of the slight friction of the chains sounded from the shadows, and Ah Dog slowly raised his head: "There is the sound of a fourth ship...... In the fog, follow us forward. ”

Shirley's face changed slightly, and she lowered her voice: "? ”

Duncan didn't say anything, just raised his hand and motioned to move on.

The sound of mechanically driven propellers was heard again, and there was a murky noise in the fjord again—and in the midst of the humming and rattling sound, even Shirley heard the sound of the "fourth ship".

This time, the sound was even more pronounced than before, and Shirley could even hear a quieter roar mixed with what looked like a steam trap, and the sound of the bow of the ship breaking through the water.

Her eyes widened for the direction in which the sound had come from, only to find that all the sounds were mixed in with the echoes of the fjord, humming and rumbling to make out where she could be found.

She could only be sure that there really was a fourth ship, and that it was hidden in the surrounding fog, very close, and sometimes ...... It seems to be right next to it.

Morris seemed to suddenly discern something, and he stared at the misty water, and from his bosom he felt a strangely shaped lens-like device, and looked in that direction through the lens.

There is a hazy shadow that appears in the lens, like an abstract and illusory ship.

However, in the next second, the phantom in the mist was suddenly dyed with a layer of dark green—the illusory spirit flames engulfed it in the blink of an eye, and then dissipated in an instant.

The sound of the fourth ship was gone.

Alice looked at the flickering fire in the fog suspiciously, and then looked up at Duncan, "Captain, what is that?" ”

"I don't know," Duncan shook his head, "maybe there's something in the fog trying to 'mimic' us, or maybe it's just an illusion created in the special environment here...... Anyway, it's not a big problem, after all, 'something wrong' itself is a part of the daily life of the border. ”

Alice let out an incomprehensible "oh", then turned her head to look at the water in front of the boat.

"Ah, here we are."

As the puppet's voice fell, the port, which had been hazy in the fog, suddenly became clear.

Three small boats docked.

(End of chapter)