Chapter 30: Night Wanderers
“Retreat!”
Prince Hans’ expression fluctuated, but he ultimately gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s retreat to Dragon Bone Island! The current situation is very unfavorable for us. We’ll deal with them after we gather more information about the enemy!”
Damn fog.
This strange mist had completely incapacitated them; they couldn’t find the enemy’s tracks and had no way to command the battle. Everyone seemed to be running around blindly in the mist like headless flies. It was akin to being hit without any response. If the enemy truly was a ghost ship, staying here would only lead to greater losses. The undead could ignore the fog; they observed the world based on the colors of souls, and their vision resembled that of the spirit world—a kind of grayish hue where they could see the light of souls.
In this situation, the enemy could spot them, while they couldn’t spot the enemy.
A mournful horn sounded, and with the call to retreat, the surrounding warships halted.
“What’s going on?”
“Why are we retreating all of a sudden?”
“Where are the others?”
“Where did Old Decco’s ship go? Wasn’t it just nearby?”
Sounds of confusion reverberated.
Those targeted by The Requiem were doomed beyond recovery, but the other warships that weren’t targeted had been running around aimlessly without encountering any enemies. Only when others heard the retreat horn and gradually regrouped near Prince Hans’ warship did they realize that many of their companions were missing, and an entire fleet that had set out with them had completely vanished.
“What happened?”
“Where are Kenner and the others? Why did they not return?”
Some naval commanders from the Southern Islands looked around in suspicion. After the retreat horn was sounded, Prince Hans’ warship began to move backward, and the other warships naturally followed suit. As they gradually left the area enveloped by the mist, everything nearby became clearer. However, when Prince Hans counted the warships under his command, his face became particularly stiff.
Sixteen warships were missing.
Among them, five were Víkings’ ships, and the rest were all under his command.
The fog ahead remained thick, and it had become eerily silent within. Without the cover of gunfire, they finally faintly heard a chilling wail echoing through the mist. It was not a man’s wail but rather a sharp, half-male, half-female sound, much like the background music of a ghost story, sending chills down their spines at first listen.
At first, the gunfire was deafening; now with the silence, everyone who heard that sound felt their hearts grow cold.
“It’s the vengeful spirits!…”
The high-level sorcerer standing behind Prince Hans had a solemn expression, murmuring, “And there are quite a number of them!…”
Vengeful spirits were a unique type of undead being.
Their wails could directly cause effects similar to a ‘fear spell,’ causing ordinary people with low will to faint in fright.
“Retreat!”
Prince Hans kept the fleet stationed outside the fog for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s head back for now.”
It seemed unlikely that the warships that had fallen behind would return.
The ghost ship had not left the fog. This dashed his hopes of sinking the enemy with concentrated fire. Up to this point, he was still uncertain whether this ghost ship had appeared here by chance or if it was an ally summoned by Arendelle, as everything seemed too coincidental. They had just arrived at the signal flare’s location, encountered Arendelle’s navy, and then met this bizarre ghost ship. If this truly was Arendelle’s reinforcements, then the situation was quite grim. Thinking of this, a shadow passed over Prince Hans’ heart.
As the fleet of the Southern Islands departed, vague floating pale figures started to appear in the mist, followed by the sudden appearance of a pitch-black ghost ship.
“Come back.”
As Soren spoke, the ocean’s vengeful spirits floating around the ghost ship obediently descended, merging into the ghostly sails one by one.
He didn’t pursue the enemy to eliminate them, as no matter how powerful Soren was, he was just one person with one ship.
Legendary professionals might be incredibly strong, but those surrounded by enemies were not just a few; even the saint, an avatar of a deity, could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Soren, being a quasi-legendary figure, naturally dared not take such risks. In fact, his objective had already been achieved; the Southern Islands navy had suffered heavy losses, and their morale would undoubtedly plummet. Within a few days, news of pirates ravaging the south would likely spread. By that time, the navy sailors would be anxious to return home. Unless Prince Hans lost his mind, he would certainly not stay there to clash with Arendelle while ignoring the pirate horde wreaking havoc in the Southern Islands.
Once their navy retreated, it would never be that easy to come back.
Soren had a grand feast prepared for him on the west coast!
He rallied the pirate armies to control the west coast, backed by the Northern Witch Council. Once he finished his tasks, he could deliver a severe lesson to Prince Hans at any time.
As night fell.
Soren stood on the deck, gazing at the sky; tonight’s stars appeared rather dim, and many once-bright stars now seemed gray.
These lights grew increasingly faint.
It felt like it wouldn’t be long before they extinguished; even the bright moon under the night sky seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray.
Time passed slowly.
Soren quietly awaited the arrival of midnight; dealing with Prince Hans certainly wouldn’t be limited to naval engagements. As a quasi-legendary Wanderer, if he aimed to deal with someone without scruples, the outcome would be quite dreadful. If it weren’t for the fact that he was sure Prince Hans, as a national heir, would have high-level professional guards around him, he might have preferred to execute a direct decapitation of the target. But such actions were indeed too risky; he wasn’t sure how many legendary items Prince Hans had nor how strong the protectors were.
Soren had always been cautious; he wouldn’t act on uncertain matters.
“Deep Sea Dive!”
With Soren’s command given, the ghost ship The Requiem submerged back into the sea, slowly making its way towards Dragon Bone Island.
A massive dark shadow moved through the water, eventually stopping about three kilometers from Dragon Bone Island.
“Prepare for battle.”
Soren donned a tight outfit. With a flash of cold light, he drew the Curved Blade “Ice Death.” The ghost ship was eerily silent as he looked at the awaiting undead, saying in a low voice, “Be ready to support me at any time. If you see flames, you will strike at the enemy’s dock from the south.”
The undead naga mermaid nodded and spoke, “Yes, Master!”
—“Shadow Hide!”
Soren’s figure vanished into the night, accompanied by a flash of spell light as he gradually emerged from the ghost ship, then floated down lightly onto the water’s surface.
—“Haste!”
Soren lightly tapped the surface of the water with his toes and then soared away.
He raced across the water’s surface at high speed, akin to an arrow aimed at Dragon Bone Island. Back in the Underdark, he had served as an assassin; if it weren’t for the drow matron who recruited him wanting to drain every bit of value from him, he might have become a Night Wanderer in the Underdark. Having operated in the Underdark for years, Soren was well versed in the means of assassination and skirmishes. Today, dealing with the Southern Islands’ navy was just a simple test.
Splat.
Soren’s figure lightly landed on the wooden planks at the side of the dock, where many warships were docked, and several guards were overseeing training.
He did not rush to attack but patiently waited.
“I found it!”
A cold light flickered in Soren’s eyes as he stealthily approached a dark corner, silently creeping closer and then striking in an instant!
Swoosh.
Blood sprayed out as Soren slowly lowered the corpse in his hand.
An undercover lookout!
Long-standing experience told him that such actions required neutralizing the enemy’s lookout first; Prince Hans, leading an attack on Arendelle, surely couldn’t be without one or two high-level Wanderers by his side.
“Next.”
Soren’s figure disappeared again into the night; only after eliminating these lookouts would tonight become an unrestricted hunting feast for him.
It seemed like it had been a long time since he last fought like this after leaving the Underdark.
Fortunately, his skills had not dulled!
……………(To Be Continued ~^~)
