From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Edmund tried to close his eyes and rely solely on his intuition about the path to determine the ship's condition.

Identifying where you came from, determining your direction, and finding your next destination are all part of the journey.

The deck beneath his feet was heaving slightly, and the sea breeze maintained a relatively constant angle. He could feel the wake left by the stern fading rapidly, unlike roads on land, so the navigator had to constantly check his position.

Some understandings related to the traveler's journey then emerged, and Edmund kept these feelings in mind.

Another change brought about by the traveler's journey is also beginning to emerge.

He could still clearly recall the manor, Thomas, and Rebecca; his memories had even become clearer due to the activation spell. However, the regret he felt upon leaving was lessening unusually quickly, while the emotions attached to his memories were being eroded by distance.

He realized that this change was less about liberation and more about the natural effects of the journey. It allowed practitioners to get used to leaving, quickly adapt to unfamiliar environments, and reduce the constraints imposed on them by the past.

If this trend continues, will the impact gradually increase?

Could a seasoned traveler clearly remember every place they've been, yet no longer feel any attachment to any of them?

Unable to find an answer, Edmund could only take out a pocket notebook from his pocket and write down a few names.

Ryan Hall, Rebecca Young, Thomas, Farian Madeleine's treasure, the plagiarism scheme, the game company... and the mid-term plan to send Jacob to see the Abyss Father.

The last point reassured Edmund considerably. At least for now, the Traveler's Path wasn't powerful enough to extinguish a person's inherent desire for revenge.

He decided to periodically recall these people, promises, and unfinished tasks.

Near the end of the afternoon, Edmund met Captain Albert Moreau at the stern.

This was a middle-aged man with gray hair and a bony face, whose uniform collar was neatly tidied.

In a previous conversation with customs broker Nora, she mentioned that Captain Moro had been traveling between Veridias and Prishini for many years and was quite familiar with the northwestern route of the Heart-Rending Sea.

Edmund nodded to the man as a passenger as he passed by, and Moreau returned the greeting, but his gaze lingered on Edmund's face for a moment longer, probably because he also had some personal opinion about the thirty-five years old on the passport.

As evening approached and the sea gradually darkened, passengers on deck returned to their cabins one after another.

Edmund remained outside, talking to an old sailor who was tidying up the mooring lines. The old sailor, having heard that Adrian Cole was in the business of ship equipment, began to complain about the long-overdue electrical wiring on the Grey Swallow.

"As long as Captain Morrow can get it to port on time, the company won't be willing to replace the ship." The old sailor tightened the last loop of mooring line. "This ship has been with him for more than ten years, and it's more reliable than many young sailors."

Edmund scratched his chin. "It sounds like this route isn't going to be peaceful."

"Most of the time it's peaceful, but when something really happens, it can make people recite all the prayers they've ever offered in their lives. I've worked on the western route of the Heartbreak Sea for over twenty years, and the number of strange things I've seen is less than the stories told in the port taverns in a week, but it's still far more than the newspapers are willing to admit."

As the old sailor finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to the northeast, where the night had already fallen.

"The Grey Swallow will pass through several areas of sea that are prone to fog. Normal sea fog is nothing to worry about, but the troublesome thing is that some fog is not normal. 'We' have a joke about it."

Edmund asked at the opportune moment, "What exactly did you mean?"

"When a lighthouse appears in the fog, don't trust the lighthouse, trust the compass. When the compass starts to malfunction, don't trust the compass, only bravely trust yourself."

"The last one doesn't sound very reliable."

"So, that was a joke. When even a compass becomes unreliable, most people won't even know which way they're going."

Edmund then asked whether the lighthouses belonged to nearby ports, but the old sailor slowly shook his head.

"Sometimes lighthouses appear in directions where there is no port on the nautical chart. Some people follow the light and turn, only to run into reefs. Others refuse to get close and manage to escape after several hours in the fog."

Has the Grey Swallow encountered a similar situation before?

"I've encountered it twice. The first time I only heard about it, and the second time was about seven years ago. Back then, Captain Moreau noticed the seawater was a different color in advance and led us around the foggy area. He's familiar with this route and usually doesn't let the Grey Swallow get close to those places easily..."

After a pleasant chat, Edmund thanked the old sailor and then returned to his cabin.

About two hours after dinner, the cabin gradually quieted down. Amid the sounds of the engine and the waves, Edmund reviewed his identification documents, then turned off the table lamp and lay down on the narrow bed that swayed slightly with the ship's movements.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a deep bell rang, startling him awake from his sleep.

The sound lasted only a short time, but its dull lingering echo traveled along the ship into the passenger cabin.

Edmund opened his eyes, reached for his pocket watch by the bedside, and realized it was past midnight.

Does ringing the bell at this time serve as a notification or alarm?

After waiting a while without hearing a second chime, Edmund took out the Tide-Listening Stone, disguised as a mechanical stethoscope, and attached it to the outer wall of the cabin. The Tide-Listening Stone immediately amplified the sounds coming from inside the steel plate.

The sounds layered upon each other, forming the background for the Grey Swallow's normal voyage.

Edmund closed his eyes, trying to discern the anomaly from the amplified sounds. The side effects of the Listening Stone were beginning to appear; the excessive noise constantly dartd over his attention, making it difficult for him to concentrate for long periods.

Just as he was about to put away the stethoscope, a faint echo emerged from beneath the mechanical noise.

It traveled along the seams of the steel plates and the metal frame, passing through several compartments, making it impossible to determine the initial volume.

The bell did indeed ring. The sound likely came from the lower stern, near the rear cargo hold and crew quarters.

Edmund moved the receiver to the other side of the bulkhead and walked a few steps down the corridor, trying to further determine the location.

However, the bell only rang once, and then there was no further sound. The Listening Stone could amplify the sound, but it could not accurately pinpoint the source based on the brief aftersound.

Edmund pondered for a moment, knowing that he couldn't possibly make a big fuss over a muffled chime.

In the end, he only noted down the time and general direction of the bell's sound, and when he lay down again, he never quite fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the crew on watch in the mess hall did not ring the bell. Captain Morrow checked the navigation logs as usual, and several veteran sailors were discussing the day's wind direction and boiler coal consumption.

It was as if only Edmund had heard the bell ringing from deep within the ship's hull last night.