Lord: I can see loyalty.

The speed of these two specially made warships is indeed astonishing.

The patterns of the magic ore reflected a faint purple light in the seawater. The two ships cut through the waves, like two nimble sea fish, leaving white trails on the azure sea.

In less than half a day, at the limit of their field of vision, the outline of a large, hazy island appeared on the distant horizon.

"So this is Shipwreck Island...?" Jimmy stood at the bow of the second ship, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked in that direction. "It's really big, much bigger than I imagined."

Vio didn't speak, but simply put away the map in his hand and squinted slightly as he looked in that direction.

As their ships drew closer, the island's outline became clearer.

It was a long and narrow island, tapering at both ends and bulging in the middle, which from a distance did indeed resemble a stranded giant ship.

The giant ship the fishermen were referring to was probably the image they had mistaken for something else after being frightened.

From the outside, the island is covered with lush vegetation, stretching from the shore to the hills in the center of the island. The dark green canopies are layered, like a heavy green cloak draped over the island.

But the most striking feature is the group of reefs surrounding the island.

The reefs, like jagged teeth, are densely distributed around the island, leaving only a few narrow waterways.

Waves crashed against the rocks, splashing up white foam and making a series of dull thuds.

Several reefs are particularly high, rising several feet above the water, and covered with barnacles and seaweed, clearly having stood there for countless years.

This is the origin of the name Shipwreck Island; countless ships that passed through this area sank here.

"Be careful, everyone," Alec's voice came from the second ship. "We're not familiar with this waterway; forcing our way through could easily lead to a runaway."

Vio nodded, signaling Gina to slow down.

The four quickly took out oars and began to move forward cautiously.

The two warships, like tentative fingers, cautiously probed the waterway among the reefs.

The navigable waterway is very narrow, and the reefs on both sides are almost within reach, covered with barnacles so densely that it makes one's scalp tingle.

A slight scraping sound could be heard from the bottom of the boat from time to time, as if the reef was testing the thickness of the bottom.

However, the skills of Patton and Ryan were indeed superb.

The key parts of the ship's hull were reinforced with magic ore, and after several scratches, only shallow white marks were left.

Valentine's magic array was also working; their ship was much lighter than ordinary ships, and could remain stable even in shallow water.

After passing through the reefs, the view finally opened up before us.

The island's shore is a gentle beach with fine, white sand that reflects dazzling light under the sun.

Behind the beach was a dense forest, its canopy blocking out the sun and obscuring the view into the depths.

If it weren't for the pirate king hiding here, it would indeed be a beautiful and habitable island.

On the beach, several dilapidated fishing boats were towed ashore, fishing nets were hung on tree branches to dry, and the air was filled with the salty sea breeze and the faint smell of cooking smoke.

"Someone's here..." Gina whispered a warning, her hand already on the hilt of her sword.

Vio shook his head. "Don't rush."

He led Gina to anchor the boat behind a reef and gestured for Jimmy and Alec to come closer.

On the beach, several fishermen were mending their fishing nets.

They wore coarse cloth clothes, their skin was tanned dark, and their faces were marked with the ravages of the sea wind.

One of the old men was squatting by the side of the boat, holding a blunt knife in his hand, scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boat with slow but skillful movements.

Vio could sense that they were just ordinary fishermen who had not learned swordsmanship or martial arts. He took out a few silver coins from his pocket, jumped off the boat, and walked towards them.

When the fishermen saw him, they were taken aback at first, and then their faces showed a nervous expression.

The old man scraping the bottom of the boat stood up, his grip on the blunt knife tightened, but he didn't say anything.

"Old folks, don't worry," Vio said, handing over the silver coins. "We're just a few merchants passing through, looking to rest on this island and ask around. Consider this money as a gift for your drinks."

The old man's gaze fell on the few silver coins, then on the sword at Vio's waist. After hesitating for a moment, he accepted them.

He weighed the contents in his hand, his tense expression eased slightly, and he spoke in a gentler tone.

"What do you want to know?"

"Is there an old man named Finn living on this island?" Vio asked.

The fishermen's expressions changed simultaneously.

The old man's hand holding the silver coin trembled slightly, and his lips quivered a few times, but he didn't make a sound. A younger fisherman next to him wanted to speak, but the old man pulled him back.

"Old man, we mean no harm," Vio's tone became even more peaceful. "We've just heard a lot about Shipwreck Island and Finn's reputation, and we just wanted to broaden our horizons."

The old man remained silent for a long time before finally sighing.

"Finn... he does live on this island." His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of being overheard. "But we're just responsible for transporting some things for him. He doesn't allow us to go near the center of the island, nor does he allow us to mention him to outsiders. You... you'd better leave now."

"What is he doing in the middle of the island?" Vio pressed.

The old man shook his head. "I don't know. He even carried his things onto the island himself. They wouldn't let us help him."

"Sometimes when I rest at night, I can hear hammering and clanging sounds, like someone is building a ship... but how could such a legendary giant ship possibly be built..."

He paused, as if remembering something terrible, and his face turned deathly pale. "You guys should leave right now, really don't go there, this place... is too dangerous."

Vio didn't ask any more questions, stuffed the remaining silver coins into the old man's hand, and turned back to the ship.

"How is it?" Jimmy asked.

"It's similar to the previous intelligence." Vio frowned slightly as he gazed at the dense forest in the center of the island. "He's probably building a ship, and he's doing it all by himself. How big of a ship can an old man build?"

"Unless he's not human," Alec's voice came from behind, "or... he's not human at all?"

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

"Let's go in and take a look." Vio took the lead and walked towards the island, deliberately avoiding the group of fishermen.

Behind the beach are winding paths, half-hidden by weeds, leading deep into the dense forest.

The road was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass at a time. The branches of the trees on both sides intertwined and blocked most of the sunlight, with only a few rays of light leaking through the gaps and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

To prevent any accidents, they chose to travel together as a group of four.

The air became humid and stuffy, carrying the smell of decaying leaves and earth.

From the bushes by the roadside, there were occasional rustling sounds, as if some small animal was lurking in the shadows.

A brightly colored lizard perched on a tree trunk, tilting its head as it looked at the group of uninvited guests.

Its body is about the length of a palm, and the scales on its back gleam with a metallic sheen in the dim light, like a moving gem.

Upon seeing someone approach, it darted up to the treetop and disappeared into the dense foliage.

"I've never seen this kind of lizard in the West." Jimmy clicked his tongue in amazement.

"The things on this island are different from those on the mainland," Alec said in a low voice. "When I was young, the old count mentioned that Shipwreck Island is far from the mainland, so many creatures that have become extinct on the mainland still exist here."

The four continued walking forward, and the forest became denser and the light dimmer.

A squirrel with a blue tail leaped from a branch, clutching an unidentified nut in its paws, and peered down curiously.

At the base of the tree, clusters of brightly colored mushrooms huddled together, their caps still glistening with dew, emitting a faint glow in the dim light.

These are creatures that are extremely rare in the western region.

"This place..." Gina gripped the hilt of her sword, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. "It's a bit too quiet."

Vio stopped in his tracks. He closed his eyes and slowly released his third-level perception.

The surrounding air began to distort, and all the subtle sounds—the rustling of leaves in the wind, the whispering of small animals darting through the bushes, and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks—rushed into his mind.

But soon, he heard something else.

Heavy, familiar breathing sounds, and there was more than one.

Was it the Reef Dragon Lizard? But they had been moving forward for some time; such a sea creature couldn't have hidden in the forest for so long.

"Be careful." He opened his eyes, his hand already gripping the hilt of the Demon Feather Sword.

Almost at the same moment, Alec also stopped in his tracks.

His hand rested on his greatsword, his sharp gaze sweeping across the dense forest ahead.

"There are strange things," he whispered. "And a lot of them."

Jimmy and Gina also noticed the abnormality and drew their swords at the same time.

The rustling sounds in the surrounding dense forest seemed to have suddenly disappeared.

The small animals seemed to sense something terrifying and scattered in all directions. The blue-tailed squirrel also dropped its nuts and disappeared into the depths of the canopy.

A foul, fishy smell filled the air, like the stench of blood and seawater mixed together, making one want to vomit.

Then, the bushes in front suddenly exploded!

A massive figure burst out of the forest, bringing a foul stench, and pounced straight at Vio at the front!

The creature was more than a person tall, covered in dark blue scales, with thick, pillar-like limbs, and claws adorned with flesh and blood of what was either human or some other creature.

Its head is flat, like a snake or a lizard, and its two eyes glow with a ghostly green light, its vertical pupils filled with savagery.

What is most striking is its tail, which is twice the length of its body, with a bony spike at the tip that gleams coldly in the dim light.

It's a reef dragon.

But it was much bigger than the one Vio had killed before.

Vio did not retreat, but merely turned slightly to the side to avoid the beast's attack. At the same time, he thrust out the Demon Feather Sword with his backhand, aiming straight for the armpit of the Reef Dragon Lizard that he remembered did not have scales covering it!

"clang!"

But the sword tip pierced the scales, leaving only a shallow white mark.

"Lord: I Can See Loyalty" is currently being serialized and is not to be missed!

This beast's scales were more than twice as thick as the previous one.

"This thing is an adult!" Alec recognized it and said.

The reef lizard, in pain, let out a sharp hiss and swung its tail wildly!

Vio raised his shield to block, but the enormous impact sent him staggering back several steps, his heels landing on the soft fallen leaves, nearly causing him to fall.

But before he could even stand firmly, several more hissing sounds came from the forest.

A second, a third... more reef lizards emerged from the dense forest, their eerie green vertical pupils like will-o'-the-wisps in the dim light, surrounding the four of them.

"It seems," Vio said, gripping the Demon Feather Sword and frowning slightly, "that Finn wasn't entirely unprepared."

This group of reef lizards was clearly prepared by Finn; otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until they were deep in the forest to make his move.

The battle erupted in an instant!

Vio gave the first adult reef lizard that had attacked no chance to catch its breath.

The moment its tail swept across and missed, he had already steadied himself, and the energy within his body suddenly surged outward!

The knight's aura was fully unleashed, and the air within a radius of several feet suddenly distorted. The beast's movements slowed down noticeably, as if it had sunk into an invisible quagmire.

"die!"

Vio's figure disappeared from the spot.

The Demon Feather Sword, accompanied by a whistling wind, pierced straight for the throat of the adult Reef Dragon Lizard!

This time, he wasn't aiming for the scales, but rather the soft palate exposed when the beast opened its massive jaws.

"puff--!"

The blade pierced through, and blood gushed out!

The reef lizard let out a mournful hiss, twisting its body wildly and swinging its tail haphazardly, smashing the surrounding bushes and shrubs to pieces.

Other reef lizards were also prevented from getting close by this scene.

Vio, however, gripped the sword hilt tightly, his whole body swinging wildly in the air, never letting go.

He gripped the Demon Feather Sword tightly, glared fiercely, and channeled the magic power within his body into the weapon.

In an instant, the Demon Feather Sword flashed with purple light, the resistance beneath its hand vanished, and the blade pierced through the Reef Dragon Lizard beneath it.

On the other side, Alec's greatsword was already unsheathed.

He didn't unleash his knightly aura; he simply calmly faced the nearest reef lizard.

The beast lunged at him, but he dodged to the side, and his greatsword slashed down, striking it squarely in the neck!

"puff!"

The scales of the reef dragon shattered instantly, and blood gushed out, but it couldn't be severed with a single sword strike.

Alec frowned slightly, but did not panic. He simply swung his sword back and slashed down along the wound again.

With the second sword strike, the scales shattered completely, and the head of the adult reef dragon was almost severed. Its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of fallen leaves and dust.

"These adult creatures have much thicker skin." Alec sheathed his sword. As someone who grew up in the Western Territory, he knew very well the strength of these sea beasts.

Jimmy and Gina also attacked simultaneously, facing two slightly smaller reef lizards.

These sea monsters, though not as large as the one Vio faced, were still more ferocious than any human enemy they had ever encountered before.

It lunged at him, but Jimmy dodged it, his longsword piercing its side, though only half an inch in.

The beast, in pain, swung its tail. Jimmy had no time to dodge and could only parry with his sword, being forced back several steps by the blow.

"..." Gina remained silent, but her broadsword arrived just in time, slamming into the head of the reef dragon lizard with a whistling sound.

The beast was so badly injured that it saw stars and staggered backward. Jimmy seized the opportunity to deliver a final blow, piercing its throat.

They pounced from the other side as well, and the two attacked simultaneously.

Jimmy's sword pierced its eye, while Gina's sword struck its forelimbs. With perfect coordination, the reef lizard fell into a pool of blood within moments.

The battle lasted for less than a minute.

Of the seven adult reef lizards, five fell to Vio and Alec's swords, while the other two were killed by Jimmy and Gina working together.

The forest quickly fell silent again, with only Jimmy's slightly rapid breathing and the stench of blood emanating from the carcasses of several sea monsters remaining.

"Finn should have already noticed us." Vio sheathed his sword, looked into the depths of the dense forest, and frowned slightly. "With such a commotion, he couldn't possibly be unaware."

Alec nodded. "These sea creatures are behaving strangely; they must have been tamed by him."

"His ability to tame sea creatures shows that his control over this island far exceeds our imagination."

"What should we do then?" Jimmy asked. "Should we continue?"

Vio didn't hesitate. "Let's go. Now that he knows, let's meet him openly and honestly."

The four continued forward, but their pace noticeably increased.

The forest grew denser and the light grew dimmer. The canopy overhead almost completely blocked out the sunlight, with only a few rays occasionally filtering through the gaps.

The air grew heavy, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.

It's as if something has been sleeping on this island for a long time and is now slowly awakening.

Gina gripped the sword hilt tightly, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily. "Something's not right here."

Vio frowned and nodded. His perception was amplified several times by the knight's aura, and he could clearly sense what was waiting for them ahead.

It was clearly not the aura of a human, but rather some much larger, more ancient... being.

Sea creatures?

Vio abandoned his thought and sped up.

Finally, they passed through the last dense forest, and the end seemed to be the clearing in front of them.

But the sight before them made everyone stop in their tracks.

That was a ship.

No, that was no longer a ship in the strict sense.

A huge wooden boat lay quietly on the open ground in the center of the island, tens of meters long and taller than the main building of Eagle's Beak Castle.

The ship's hull is a dark grayish-brown, covered with a thick layer of barnacles and shellfish, as if it had been sleeping on the seabed for centuries.

Its bow had vanished, but it didn't seem like it was unfinished; rather, it seemed to be waiting for its owner.

But what's most impressive isn't its size, but its construction.

The curves of the hull were too smooth; it didn't look like a ship, but more like the shell of some kind of creature.

Rib-like beams extend from both sides of the hull, their curved arcs resembling the ribs of a giant beast.

The patterns on the hull are layered, like scales or the structure of a ship, gleaming with a faint, dark light in the dim light.

"This, this is..." Jimmy opened his mouth wide, unable to speak for a long time.

Alec was also stunned.

He had seen many ships—merchant ships from the Western Regions, warships from the royal capital, and dragon-headed ships from the Northern Continent—but none could compare to the behemoth before him.

This is no longer a ship; that's right, it's more like a miniature city, more like a mobile fortress!

Vio didn't speak, but suppressed his surprise and slowly approached.

He could sense that this ship was no ordinary vessel.

Those barnacles and shellfish didn't grow naturally; they seemed to have been deliberately planted there. The patterns weren't traces of time, but rather carriers of some kind of power.

The ship wasn't a real ship; it seemed to be just part of something Finn had prepared.

He walked around the ship and discovered even more astonishing things.

Several huge holes were dug out on both sides of the ship, with neat edges, clearly man-made.

Those openings were more than a person tall, and their shapes were irregular, some round and some long and narrow, as if they were passages specially made for something.

"What are these...?" Alec noticed the holes as well, his brow furrowed. "They look like they were prepared for something?"

Vio didn't answer, but squatted down to examine the marks on the edge of the hole.

Some of the marks looked very new, as if they had just been dug up recently, with fresh sawdust on the edges.

The inner wall of the cave entrance was incredibly smooth, as if it had been repeatedly rubbed by something.

A terrible thought flashed through his mind.

This is in conjunction with the intelligence reports that mention Finn "raising sea monsters".

He had assumed the sea creatures referred to the adult reef lizards.

But now that I think about it, it's obviously not that simple.

The large and small sea creatures they killed were not wild, but domesticated.

Finn kept them on the island, perhaps not for protection against people, nor for training, but rather for…

"Your Excellency," Gina's voice came from behind, tinged with barely concealed nervousness, "You've come to see this."

Vio stood up and walked to her side.

Gina pointed to a spot on the hull where an area was not covered by barnacles, revealing the wooden planks underneath.

The wooden board was covered with densely packed symbols, neither words nor patterns, but a kind of mark he had never seen before.

"These are... ancient runes from the Northern Continent?" Alec walked over, examined them carefully for a moment, and his expression turned serious. "I've seen similar records in the old count's study before. It seems to be used to... seal something?"

"A seal?" Vio turned his head.

"That's right, if I remember correctly, these are specifically used to seal away some powerful being." Alec's voice was low and somewhat worried. "These runes aren't something an ordinary mage could create; they'd require at least the level of a grand mage. And Finn actually managed to..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone already understood.

This ship is not for sailing.

It was used to imprison something, or rather, it used to be.

And now, Finn might be about to unleash that thing!

Vio suddenly stopped moving. His third-level perception made him realize something. He raised his head and looked at the highest point of the ship.

There, an old figure stood quietly, looking down at them. The sea breeze blew his gray hair and tattered robe, and his thin body seemed as if he might be blown over at any moment.

But he didn't move at all, his deep gaze fixed on everyone.

Finn.

The name popped into Vio's mind; he had never seen it before, yet the name came to mind.

This guy has finally shown up.