Charles had just thrown off the covers and stepped out of bed when a piercing ringing filled his ears, followed by a tidal wave of whispers crashing over him.

  This time, the situation was far more severe than any he had faced before. Hallucinations began to cloud his vision, and he saw the crew’s bodies rotting, grotesque tentacles bursting forth from them, transforming everyone into bloody monstrosities.

  Without a second thought, Charles grabbed the box Elizabeth had given him and pulled out a large chunk of green gel, swallowing it down.

  The whispers in his ears quickly diminished, and the crew’s appearances returned to normal. Breathless and drenched in cold sweat, Charles stood at a distance, trying to regain his composure.

  Ignoring the concerned voices of the others, he said, “Notify everyone, we need a meeting in the captain’s cabin.”

  Soon, the rest of the crew gathered for an emergency meeting in the captain’s quarters.

  “What’s our location?”

  “Uh... we can’t confirm yet. The giant wave seems to have tossed the Unicorn Whale far away, but thankfully the first mate’s experience kept the ship from capsizing.”

  “What about crew losses?”

  “We lost two sailors, likely swept away by the sea. The second turbine was punctured by that butterfly’s claw, and Chef Frey dislocated his left arm.”

  Just as the second mate, Krona, finished speaking, the chief engineer chimed in.

  “Captain… that monster’s forelimb pierced the turbine room. The hole has been patched, but turbine power is compromised; the Unicorn Whale is only moving at one-fifth of its previous speed.”

  Bad news kept piling up, and Charles felt the weight on his shoulders growing heavier.

  Taking a deep breath, he spoke decisively, “First mate, adjust the crew’s watch schedule and fill the vacant roles. Cancel the previous mission; we’ll head south first. There are more human islands to the south, increasing our chances of encountering help.”

  The crew nodded in agreement, and after what felt like an eternity, the Unicorn Whale finally began to move again.

  Once the crew had dispersed, Charles took a swig from a bottle he had retrieved from below decks. The composed captain from earlier had vanished, replaced by a man filled with deep-seated fear.

  That hand, larger than a mountain—was it truly a giant from his nightmares? What was it?

  He had heard of the deities of the deep sea, but whether they were real or not didn’t matter to him. Today, seeing a deity for the first time made him acutely aware of humanity’s insignificance.

  “Is this really still Earth? There can’t be such massive creatures here! The sheer gravity alone should crush it!”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  For a fleeting moment, the thought of selling the ship and returning to the island to live out his days crossed his mind.

  But the blurry image of his family flashed in his mind, and Charles’s gaze hardened. “I can’t give up; not even a god can stop me!”

  After taking another deep swig from the bottle, he tucked it away and walked back outside, his expression once again cold and impassive.

  Time passed slowly. Under Charles’s command, the Unicorn Whale gradually regained its calm. Although they hadn’t escaped danger, the morale among the crew stabilized.

  Some even had the leisure to collect the yellow snow, hoping to show off their finds to others upon their return.

  Yet, the enormous hand that had emerged from the depths was a taboo topic, one that everyone tacitly avoided discussing.

  “Mr. Charles, Deep is bullying me!!”

  In the mess hall, the little mouse Lily stormed up to Charles, who was eating, to complain.

  “That guy said if there’s no food later, he’ll eat my friends!”

  Hearing the accusation, Deep looked up, suppressing a laugh. “Captain, I was just teasing her. Besides, mice aren’t that tasty.”

  “Can you be less childish? We’re not out of danger yet.” After reprimanding the first mate, Charles turned to Lily.

  “There’s enough food; if we run low, we can fish. We won’t need to eat your friends.”

  Upon hearing this, Lily finally relaxed and jumped in front of Deep, confronting him.

  Although Charles wore a calm expression, inside he was secretly anxious. There was enough food, but fresh water was running low.

  If they didn’t find a new place to land before the fresh water ran out, the entire crew would die of thirst.

  As if sensing Charles’s thoughts, Bandage, munching on bread nearby, approached. “Captain… I have a way out…”

  Charles’s interest piqued. “What method?”

  “Sacrifice… just three… souls. The Furtan god will guide us…”

  A flicker of disgust crossed Charles’s face. “Forget those disgusting ideas.”

  After a moment of silence, Bandage looked at the sailors in the distance and said, “The ship has enough fresh water for another month. If we draw lots for a sacrifice… the survivors could drink the blood of the others… the last three could last half a year…”

  Charles suddenly turned his head, narrowing his eyes at Bandage, as if seeing him for the first time. This guy was far from the harmless person he pretended to be.

  “Sorry… it’s just an emergency plan… I’ve been in this situation before… I ate my captain…”

  “Enough!! Eat your meal!” Charles’s sudden shout startled everyone.

  The next day, the crew discovered that the fresh water on the Unicorn Whale was being rationed. No one opposed it, but the smiles on their faces had significantly faded.

  The amount of fresh water dwindled day by day, and even Charles’s liquor was rationed out.

  When each person could only receive a cup of water daily, someone finally snapped, desperate to jump overboard, only to be stopped by the other crew members.

  Bandage brought up the idea of sacrifice once more, and just as Charles began to waver, a blurred white beam of light sliced through the darkness above—the light of a lighthouse.

  Standing among the cheering crew, Charles let out a heavy sigh of relief. His heart, which had been in turmoil, finally settled. The hellish scenario had been averted.

  As the Unicorn Whale slowly approached, a strange island came into view. If other islands resembled pancakes, this one looked like an egg.

  At the bottom of the egg was an opening, with various steamships entering and exiting, adorned with red flags.

  Due to their lost bearings, Charles didn’t know the name of this island; it didn’t appear on any maps he remembered.

  However, since it was a human island, communication should be possible. The Unicorn Whale followed the other ships into the giant egg.

  Inside the egg was a colossal city, with various Gothic buildings arranged neatly. Perhaps because it was a cavern, bats frequently flew overhead.

  “First mate, ask them if they have a shipyard. The Unicorn Whale needs a turbine replacement.”

  “Got it!” Deep replied, holding up two green flags and quickly signaling from the bow.

  Before long, Deep returned with a peculiar expression. “Captain, their flag signals are quite different; I can’t understand them.”