Seeing their leader thrown into the sea, the remaining survivors panicked and began to explain themselves in a flurry of voices.

  However, Charles remained unmoved, ignoring their pleas and insisting that they jump into the water. As captain, he had to maintain absolute control over the ship. This was both a privilege and a responsibility. In such a confined environment, the darker sides of human nature could multiply exponentially.

  He recognized that this incident was merely a test of limits by these individuals. If he didn’t suppress them now, the onlookers would surely join in, pushing their demands further. Soon, it wouldn't just be about water.

  One tall man on the edge, seeing Charles’s unwavering stance, twisted his face in anger and aimed his gun at him.

  Before he could pull the trigger, gunfire erupted from behind Charles, and the troublemakers fell to the ground in spasms.

  The other survivors watched in horror, shocked by Charles’s brutal response.

  Charles coldly observed as his crew disposed of the bodies. "If you think you can kill my men, go ahead. Otherwise, you’ll follow my orders on my ship. Test me again, and I won’t hesitate to feed the fish with your bodies."

  Under Charles’s declaration, the others instinctively averted their gazes. Whether it was the impact of his words or the deaths that increased the fresh water rations, the journey ahead was surprisingly calm. No one dared to stir up trouble again, and the two ships sailed peacefully toward Coral Island.

  **February 31, Year 9: Sunny**

  Ah~ Today is a clear, sunny day, perfect for another lively day of bickering. However, Charles and I decided not to stir things up today. After so many days of arguing, we’re both exhausted—our mouths and throats are tired. Since neither of us can outmaneuver the other, we’ve come up with a begrudging compromise.

  From now on, he will make all major decisions, but to compensate for my losses, he must give me half an hour of his time each day. We’ll try to act when the other is sleeping.

  Sigh~ I’ve realized he’s just looking for trouble. Finding the map should be a good thing, but he insists on making it complicated. No wonder he hasn’t made a single close friend in this godforsaken place after all these years; sharing a body with him is truly a torment.

  *Bang!*

  The sudden jolt caused Richard’s pen to draw a long line across his diary.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Damn it!" Richard cursed, slamming the diary shut. Grabbing his black blade, he stormed out. "Who the hell is bothering me at a time like this? I’ll chop them up!"

  Upon reaching the deck, he saw everyone leaning over the side of the ship, peering down.

  "Captain! There’s a small boat below us!" the first mate reported urgently.

  "Really? Is there someone trying to scam us here?" Richard inserted his black blade into his boot and leaned over the railing to look down.

  The boat below was an old vessel—not exactly small, but about the same size as the previous *Mouse*. The crew was busy retrieving a comrade from the water, clearly having been hit hard by the *Unicorn*.

  Charles jumped directly onto their boat, pushing his finger hard against the bald head of a middle-aged man who looked like the captain. "What’s going on? How could you not see such a large ship? Are you blind and still dare to sail?"

  Faced with Richard's aggression, the middle-aged man appeared meek and smiled nervously, holding out a crate of fruit. "Captain, you’ve worked hard at sea. Look, our black vine fruit is fresh and cheap—only 800 echoes a crate. Would you like to buy some?"

  "You think I’m an idiot? Move your lousy boat out of the way, or I’ll run right over you."

  Seeing that Richard was merely a merchant, he lost interest, grabbing the rope to return to his ship. He had no time to waste before Charles's half-hour was up.

  But the middle-aged man, seeing this, fell to his knees, wailing. "Captain, please buy something! My island has sunk, and I rented this boat! My wife and children depend on me. If I don’t make some money, I’ll have to jump into the sea with them!"

  Charles loosened his grip on the rope, surveying the captain and his three crew members. Their ears were normal—none were natives of Coral Island.

  "The island has sunk? Wasn’t the last island sinking over a hundred years ago? You can’t even come up with a good lie," Charles replied skeptically.

  The bald man wiped his tears and snot, quickly explaining, "It’s true, Captain! You might not know, but Shadow Island has sunk recently!"

  "Shadow Island..." Richard’s mind raced through the sea charts, recalling it as an old island not far from Coral Island.

  Seeing Richard deep in thought, the bald man continued to plead. "Captain, you don’t know how terrible it was. Thousands screamed as they were dragged into the sea. Creatures from the water came in swarms, pulling people under. It was like the end of the world! I spent all my money just to get a ticket back. Please, have mercy on me!"

  Richard stroked his chin, then waved his hand. "Fine, let’s call it aiding the refugees. Bring five crates on board for my crew to quench their thirst."

  Hearing this, the bald man jumped up, ecstatic. "Thank you! Thank you! May the goddess bless you!"

  "Don’t mention your goddess to me. I don’t care what nonsense you believe in. If you bring her up again, I won’t buy anything," Richard retorted, pulling the rope back onto the ship.

  As the *Unicorn* slowly approached Coral Island, more and more small boats appeared, all eager to sell their goods.

  They competed fiercely, trying to sell various items to every incoming ship, turning the sea into a chaotic mess.

  The faces of those on the small boats were filled with anxiety as they begged the ships to stop and buy their wares.

  This behavior was incredibly dangerous, especially for the larger vessels that couldn’t see the small boats. Yet, they didn’t care, seemingly willing to risk their lives for a few extra echoes.