The air in Lonestone City felt heavier the day after the Fateless Gathering.
Jack sensed it better now. A subtle discomfort of impending trouble. The one that Rainsister had definitively confirmed. It wasn't paranoia. The demigods were actually planning to use the city as their personal playground.
Leaving was the logical choice. But he needed a reason. A destination. He had talked to Reina about this yesterday. And he hoped an answer would be delivered today.
That morning, Jack was in his living room. Reading the transcendent newspaper, Aether Daily, while sipping his coffee. It was then when a soft knock sounded at the door. Reina, elegant as ever, opened it.
"Dear, we have a guest." Reina announced. Without any hint of surprise in her voice.
Jack looked up. Standing in his doorway was Baroness Sapphire Artheim. She was wearing a practical travel cloak. Impeccably tailored and looked very elegant. Her expression was expectant. With a glint of excitement in her intelligent eyes.
Rune, currently perched on Jack's shoulder, pulsed with a soft purple glow. Showing curiosity.
Jack, however, had already known the reason for the visit. "Baroness Artheim!" Jack greeted, rising from his seat. "Welcome in. To what do we owe this unexpected visit?"
"Mr. Night, Mrs. Night..." The baroness acknowledged them with a polite nod. Once she took her seat, she immediately went straight to the point. "Forgive my unannounced visit this early in the morning. But I heard a rather intriguing rumor yesterday evening. And I felt compelled to investigate its veracity immediately."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Rumors travel fast in Lonestone, it seems. What's the subject?"
"A ghost ship." Baroness Artheim stated. Her eyes were fixed on Jack. "Specifically, that you, Mr. Night, have recently acquired such a vessel. Is this true?"
Jack took a sip of his own coffee as Reina poured tea for the guest.
It was a direct question. And he gave a direct answer. "Well, it's not wrong. I do get one in my recent adventure."
Baroness Artheim's expression brightened considerably. A rare sight for the usually composed academic face.
"Excellent!" She said in an excited tone. "Tell me, what kind of vessel is it? A frigate? A grand galleon?"
Jack shook his head. "Nothing so grand. It's just a sloop. A small one. More than enough for a crew of five. Perhaps up to twenty-five at most. It's functional, but not a warship or a major cargo hauler."
The Baroness' enthusiasm remained high. "A sloop, you say? I've never heard such a small-sized ghost ship. But it's still incredible."
She leaned forward. Her eyes gleamed with genuine excitement. "Mr. and Mrs. Night, I have a proposition for you."
She looked at them seriously. "I've been researching Myriad Island Archipelago for years. Collecting every scrap of lore. Every tattered chart fragment. Every whispered legend concerning the islands there."
"For over a decade, my main focus has been on the area." She said. "Historical sites and pirate treasures. I've identified more than twenty potential sites. Places where infamous buccaneers are rumored to have stashed their ill-gotten gains. Places where hidden temples are said to store a great number of ancient treasures."
She paused, taking a breath. "Until now, the logistics of a proper expedition have been prohibitive. Funding, the crew, protective anticipation against pirates, a speedy vessel capable of navigating those treacherous waters without drawing undue attention... This brings headache inducing trouble."
"But a ghost sloop..." Her gaze swept over them. "This could be the key to solve the problem."
"So?" Jack lifted his eyebrows.
"I'd like to invite you both to lead a treasure hunting expedition to the Myriad Island Archipelago." Baroness Artheim said.
Jack tapped a finger on his chin. This was the opportunity he was waiting for. "Treasure hunt?"
"Technically, it will be archeological exploration." Baroness Artheim commented. "But yes. It's basically a treasure hunt. And not just one treasure. So it would take several months at least."
Jack had already considered this. A voyage away from Lonestone. A specific goal. Potential rewards. And a chance to explore new territories.
It sounded like an excellent reason to leave Lonestone. At least for a while. A chance to distance themselves from the demigods' game without appearing to flee in panic. And treasure, of course, was always useful. Especially for his secondary class, the Treasure Hunter.
"I'm interested." He said as he looked to Reina. "How about you, Dear?"
"Sounds great, Love." She replied with a nod. "But who else will be involved in this expedition? A treasure hunt requires more than just a ship and a theory."
Baroness Artheim agreed. Her expression settled into a more serious shade. "Quite right. For now, my only confirmed personnel are my three loyal guards: Bell, Ned, and Moby. You know them. They are versatile and excellent at their work. But we need more."
Jack tapped his fingers on the table. "What about the rest of the team members from the Underlake Temple incident? They proved capable enough."
He was thinking of the Laycard couple, Dr. Crafton, Leon Drake, and Chloe Chase.
A shadow of regret crossed the noble woman's face. "I have the same thought. Unfortunately, the Laycard couple has returned to the New Continent shortly after that expedition. And Dr. Crafton has taken on a serious teaching task at Lonestone Academy this semester. He's indispensable for his students."
She paused. "I haven't contacted Leon Drake or Chloe Chase yet. Mr. Drake might be interested in this. But Ms. Chase is still a teenager. A student in Lonestone Academy, isn't she? It might be difficult for her to join us."
"You should contact them." Jack interjected in firm voice. "Immediately. Having both of them in our expedition is extremely crucial."
"Huh? Why?"
"Leon Drake is a divine inheritor of fortune." He explained. "And Chloe Chase is a divine inheritor of fortune. And she has just completed the final assignment in Lonestone Academy. She is technically a Mystic Scholar now. Not an apprentice any longer."
Reina added. "With them both on the expedition, our chances of success, and also our overall safety, would be significantly greater. They are exactly the unpredictable variables we need in the expedition."
And the kind of variables demigods might find interesting if they stay in Lonestone. Jack thought. But he held his tongue.
Baroness Artheim blinked. She was taken aback by the couple's directness and the unexpected information. "Divine inheritors? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely." Jack affirmed.
The Baroness considered this. "Luck and fate… working in tandem. That's a compelling argument, Mr. Night. Very well, I will reach out to them immediately."
"Good." Jack said. "Now, let's talk further about the mission plan. What kind of specialists should we recruit? What kind of supplies do we need? What's the anticipated duration? And, how should the route be arranged?"
They spent the next hour hashing out various details. The Baroness had already prepared extensive charts and notes. Laying them out across the dining table.
Jack and Reina contributed their own insights based on their knowledge and experiences from their past adventures. They discussed crew recruitment, provisions, potential dangers, navigation strategies, and the delicate balance between archaeological preservation and pure treasure acquisition.
By the time the discussion concluded, a clear plan had emerged. They would depart in three days. This would give the baroness enough time to do the recruitment. And enough time for Jack and Reina to prepare the ship and the provision.
...
The three days passed quickly. Reina used the time to procure the required provision. And Jack used it to prepare equipment and set up his ghost ship. Recalibrating it to fit their needs.
Both of them had also talked to their neighbor, Mr. Keener. Their house in Lonestone would be left under his care when they were away for possibly... months.
They also paid attention to any unusual transcendent activity. A silent precaution against the demigods' game.
So far, the city hummed with its usual bustle. Oblivious to the insidious threat Rainsister had warned them about. It was very likely... the calm before the storm.
...
It was the evening of the third day. The sky was tinged with streaks of orange from the setting sun. Jack and Reina stood in a secluded cove several hours' journey from Lonestone City. The Hidden Dent Cove.
It was a jagged bite out of the coastline. Sheltered by high, crumbling cliffs. The only sounds there were just the whisper of the tide against the rocks, and the mournful cry of distant gulls. Mist, cold and damp, began to creep in from the sea, tendrils snaking up the cliffs.
Jack stood at the water's edge. Reina was a silent, supportive presence beside him. Rune sat on her shoulder.
He closed his eyes. Focusing his will. The air grew heavy, and an invisible pressure building. A cold, spectral energy emanated from his human body. A silent command rippled across the dark water.
The water itself began to churn. Not from wind or current. But from an unseen force beneath.
From the depths, a shape coalesced. First, it was a faint outline. Then it turned into a more solid form. Shimmering with an ethereal glow.
It rose silently. A vessel that looked like nightmare.
Its hull was made of a deep, weathered wood. Barnacles encrusted its rotten planks. Tattered, dark-midnight colored sails hung from its single mast. Swaying in a breeze that didn't exist.
The figurehead was a beautiful mermaid whose mouth was frozen in sorrowful wail. The ship's name, 'The Silent Mermaid', was faintly visible on its stern. Carved in bone-white script. A new addition Jack had added these two days.
The ship floated eerily on the sea surface. Parts of the hull, the deck, and the mast seemed to burn with a cold, silent purple flame. And soft white mist began to spill from the gunwales. Pooling around the imaginary water line.
'Here she is, Love." Jack said. A faint smile touching his lips.
Rune was now glowing in a brilliant emerald color. She zipped excitedly around the ship's bow.
Reina narrowed her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the creepy vessel. She had known that Jack had acquired a ghost ship. But this was the first time she saw it.
"Quite the ride, Dear." She commented. "I imagine our guests will be… surprised."
As if on cue, a distant rumble announced the arrival of their 'guests'. The crunch of carriage wheels on the rough coastal path grew louder. Then, it faded as the vehicles came to a halt out of sight beyond the cove's entrance.
Moments later, a procession of figures emerged from the deepening gloom. Their silhouettes were sharp against the last vestiges of twilight. They were a group of twelve transcendent beings. Moving with varying degrees of confidence across the uneven ground.
Jack recognized many of them instantly. Just as he had anticipated...
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