69: Chapter 69 Arrival at Alcatraz

“Someone, likely a royal descendant or some high-level mage...”

“In their despair, they activated an extremely powerful composite magic circle, causing the entire island to sink to the bottom of the sea, foolishly hoping to drag all the demons on the island down with them.”

The sea breeze blew across the deck, the rigging creaking softly in the wind.

In the distance, several silent bolts of lightning could be seen flashing through the clouds on the horizon; there was no thunder, as it was still far away.

Scholar Gray sheathed his sword, brushed the dust off his robe, and spoke in the helpless tone of someone who had spent most of his life doing research:

“Of course, these are all just speculations. After all, it has been far too long.”

“Our archaeological evidence is all indirect, relying mainly on fragmented records left behind by other civilizations of the same era.”

“For example, business correspondence from the Dwarven Kingdom, the Ocean Kingdom, and others with whom the Oreans traded.”

“None of it is direct evidence, but things are different now...”

“Orean Island has resurfaced. If the secret chambers and libraries still remain, if the inscriptions on the stone walls are preserved, and if we can find a complete fragment of the ‘Law of Dominion’ magic circle...”

“Then you will be able to witness a once-glorious civilization with your own eyes,” Richard chimed in.

Gray was taken aback for a moment, then laughed out loud.

His laugh carried the pure, selfless emotion unique to scholars.

“Exactly! That is what I want to see most in my life!”

Morpheus listened from the side for a moment, then joined their conversation.

“What you said is exactly what I was thinking. Learning about ancient ruins and history from all over the world is just so fascinating!”

“However, concerning the demise of the Orean Kingdom, I have a different perspective...”

The two of them then began to discuss loudly.

As they talked, Richard found himself completely unable to follow their debate. He smiled helplessly and walked away.

Richard thought he should check on Jinbao first, hoping he wasn't throwing up again.

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By the second week of the voyage, the ship encountered a terrifying thunderstorm.

This was not the kind of summer afternoon shower that dispersed after a few claps of thunder; it was a persistent thunderstorm unique to the Roaring Storm Sea.

Dark clouds surged up from below the horizon, swallowing the entire sky in less than half an hour.

Day turned to dusk, and dusk turned into a pitch-black night where one couldn't even see their own hand.

Lightning leaped wildly within the clouds, striking down from the zenith to the sea surface one after another.

The exploding pillars of light illuminated the entire sea in a deathly pale glow, only to plunge back into deeper darkness the next second.

The waves rose from two meters to five, and then from five to seven. The sea dog was tossed up and down between the crests and troughs.

Every time the bow plunged into a trough, the entire ship would emit a teeth-gritting creak.

Selina stood in the middle of the deck, her feet planted firmly on the swaying planks, holding the eye of the storm holy emblem high above her head with both hands.

Silver-blue static electricity erupted from her wrists, spreading along her lightning-struck wood bracelet to the holy emblem.

Her ritual robe clung tightly to her body in the howling wind, and her deep auburn ponytail whipped straight back, yet she stood steadier than the ship's railing.

Wavebreaker, a unique divine spell capable of reducing storm interference.

Rings of silver-blue light rippled out from the holy emblem, crashing into the giant waves on both sides of the hull. The crests of the waves subsided significantly the moment they made contact with the rings.

Though they still crashed onto the deck, they no longer threatened the ship's balance.

Richard realized he might have underestimated Selina.

Judging by the power of the divine spells she wielded, she was definitely not at an apprentice level; she certainly possessed the strength of an official priest.

On the other side, Jinbao had tied himself to the mainmast, with every strap of his tool bag buckled tight. Aside from his hands, he couldn't move a single part of his body.

Cecilia, Morpheus, and the black cat sat at the bottom of the cabin stairs, leaning against the oak walls.

Richard stood by the helm, gripping the ship's railing tightly with both hands, fully experiencing the turbulent waves of the ocean.

The thunderstorm lasted for a full day and night.

With the captain's steering skills and the assistance of Selina's Wavebreaker, the sea dog made it through the storm zone and navigated past the reef belt.

By noon the next day, they sailed into a calm and tranquil stretch of sea.

The sails were swapped from the storm-torn old ones to the spares, and the sailors washed away the accumulated seaweed and wood shavings on the deck with seawater.

Still chomping on his unlit pipe, the captain stood by the helm and jerked his chin toward the bow.

“Demon Island is right ahead.”

When Richard saw the sight before him, it looked like a morbid oil painting.

“This place looks like a land of great misfortune...”

Not far away, low-hanging clouds had edges tinged with a bile-like yellowish-green.

Thunder rolled through the clouds above the island, but there was no rumbling sound—only a dead silence.

Orean Island, nicknamed ‘Demon Island’, did not look like a naturally formed island at first glance.

This was because the overall shape of the island was too regular.

The outer edge was a ring of stepped reefs, with the height difference between each step being almost identical, like artificially terraced fields.

Countless broken obsidian pillars still stood on many of the reefs, each as thick as the sea dog's mast, their surfaces densely carved with twisted runes.

In the center of the island stood the massive ruins of a pyramid-shaped structure.

The top of the pyramid had been sheared off by some immense force, leaving a jagged edge, but the main structure of the tower still retained its complete outline.

In a relatively calm bay nearby, several sailing ships were already anchored.

One of them had a slender hull, and its sail was embroidered with a skull full of gold teeth.

The captain gasped, “No way, even the ‘Gluttony King’ of the Pirate Council is here. You adventurers had better watch your step.”

“This crew is extremely brutal and obsessed with looting treasure. Their captain, Jinmailun, is an utterly despicable fellow...”

Hearing the captain's words, Richard felt that they too needed to be on their guard.

There were also several smaller, shallow-draft light survey vessels, clearly designed specifically to get close to the rocky shallows.

No one could be seen on the decks, and the cabins also appeared to be empty.

Richard glanced at the empty ships, took his horned helmet from his backpack and put it on, then drew his dwarven roaring battleaxe, wrapping his fingers around the non-slip leather of the handle.

The Anti-magic Rune on the axe blade glowed with a dull red light the moment he gripped it.

He said in a low voice, “Team, get ready to disembark. Stay alert.”

Soon, the other two adventure teams also set foot on this new island.

Upon landing, the first ground they stepped on was a layer of dried sea mud.

The black sea mud would sink up to their ankles when stepped on, making a squelching 'pfft' sound when pulled out, carrying the stench of rotting fish.

Gigantic skeletons lay scattered across the shore.

They were so ancient that they had semi-fossilized, their bony surfaces covered in cracked patterns.

Yet their shapes were still recognizable: there were jawbones with three rows of barbed teeth, and horns curved into spirals.

The Oreans used to dismantle disobedient demons here, like butchers carving up livestock, transporting the useful parts into the city and discarding the useless ones on the shore.