Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 435 - 434: Prisoners on Undead Island

Chapter 435: Chapter 434: Prisoners on Undead Island

As evening approached, the sea was golden, as if it were melted gold.

A round island floated in the midst of the golden water, its shores lined with white seashells, while beneath the cliffs lay huge black rocks. Waves crashed against the rocks, making a "whoosh" sound, and in the next moment, they shattered into thousands of silver blooms, resplendent in their splendor.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

The sea breeze continued to blow, and wave after wave struck the rocks. In the distance, a completely black ghost ship appeared, drifting slowly toward them. It skillfully avoided the cliffs and reached a side of the beach—an improvised harbor.

"Creak—"

The ghost ship gave a loud creak as it came to a stop in the harbor, then the cabin doors opened. Four Sewing Monsters armed with Wolf Fang Clubs quickly herded the captives from the "Naru Glory Fisherman" off the ship, onto the beach, and then rushed them toward the depths of the island.

They passed through a dense forest and arrived at a clearing.

Moving past the clearing, they entered a huge cave.

In the middle of the cave was a large stone basin filled with dark brown grease. Once lit, it gave off flames more than a meter high, dispelling the darkness of the cave.

By the light of the fire, one could see numerous crudely chiseled stone huts lining the walls of the cave. Each one was only a few square meters, clearly not made for normal human residence, but more like cells.

The Sewing Monsters pushed the people towards these cells.

Those who were timid naturally did not dare to resist and obediently walked in. The next moment there was a "bang," as a Sewing Monster locked the door from the outside—imprisoning them.

Some who were braver showed some resistance. Seeing that the cells were extremely damp, and the grounds were covered with dark red stains resembling blood, they already harbored thoughts of escaping. One of them shifted their eyes, standing firm in place, refusing to move.

"Roar!" The Sewing Monster, seeing someone not cooperating, immediately became furious and roared loudly.

The next moment, a new Sewing Monster appeared, rushing out from the depths of the cave. Compared to the four Sewing Monsters that had come down from the ghost ship, this new one was significantly larger, about two and a half meters tall, and its skin wasn’t the disgusting deathly gray, but instead, a seemingly healthy... oily green color. In its hands, it held a heavy iron hammer.

The green-skinned Stitched Monster stepped forward, glanced at the person not cooperating, and let out a low growl.

The non-compliant person’s body trembled, having a bad premonition, and swiftly capitulated, shouting "I’ll go in, I’ll go in, isn’t that enough?" as they attempted to crawl into the cell. The next moment, they were intercepted by the green-skinned Stitched Monster, who grabbed their clothing and hoisted them into the air.

"Ah, no, let me go, save me!" the non-compliant person cried out, kicking wildly.

The green-skinned Stitched Monster paid no attention, holding the person aloft before violently throwing them to the ground.

"Puff!"

With a single throw, the non-compliant person was bashed to the ground, coughing out fresh blood.

But it was not over yet.

The next moment, the green-skinned Stitched Monster gripped the hammer, aimed at the person’s head, and smashed down with full force.

"Bang! Splurt!"

The non-compliant person’s head instantly burst like a watermelon crushed by a truck, causing instant death.

The green-skinned Stitched Monster did not stop, attacking the corpse relentlessly with the hammer, flinging blood and flesh everywhere, nearly pounding it into mush.

"Roar!"

Four gray Stitched Monsters seemed unable to bear the sight anymore, and they cried out.

The Green-skinned Stitched Monster then stopped and, snorting twice, held its hammer stained with fresh blood and minced flesh, turned around, and slowly walked deeper into the cave, disappearing into the darkness.

The four Stitched Monsters resumed their task of stuffing the crew of the "Naru Glory Fisherman" into the cells.

Having seen the fate of those who did not cooperate, every person from the "Naru Glory Fisherman" was extremely obedient, whether alone, in pairs, or threesomes, and soon they were all stuffed into cells and imprisoned.

The gray Stitched Monsters carefully checked each cell door to make sure they were locked, then trod away from the cave.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo—"

Flames burned in the cave’s brazier, casting their light on the faces of each person in the cells, all of whom wore expressions of shifting unease.

In one cell tucked in the corner, three people huddled together, none other than Captain Morgan, First Officer Williams, and... Tomia, the helmsman who was steering when they hit the reef.

Captain Morgan was now frowning, as if pondering something—earlier he had been sent flying by a Stitched Monster, suffering broken bones, and he moved with some difficulty, yet his life was not in danger.

As for First Officer Williams, he was in better shape than Captain Morgan, having also been flung by a Stitched Monster and knocked unconscious. But after waking up in the Ghost Ship’s cabin, thanks to his robust physique, he only suffered some superficial injuries, though... his head did hurt from time to time.

Regarding the helmsman, Tomia, he was in the best condition of the three, and he had chosen to squeeze into a cell with Captain Morgan and First Officer Williams because he wanted to care for them both as a way to alleviate his guilt for hitting the reef.

After all, if it hadn’t been for his mistake, none of the people aboard the "Naru Glory Fisherman" would be in their current dire straits.

Thinking of this, he felt an immeasurable hatred for not having noticed the underwater reef earlier. And when he considered the bleak future, his entire body became even more tense.

Trembling slightly, he looked at Captain Morgan and asked in a low voice, "Captain, do you think... we’ll die?"

"Ahem, ahem..." Captain Morgan coughed lightly and then shook his head, "I don’t know. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know where we are right now, let alone what these monsters plan to do with us."

"Undead Island." First Officer Williams suddenly spoke up from the side.

"Huh? What?" both Captain Morgan and helmsman Tomia asked, not having heard clearly.

"Undead Island," First Officer Williams said seriously, repeating, "This should be Undead Island—at least that’s what everyone says. I’ve heard tales about the Ghost Ship in several port taverns.

The stories say that the Ghost Ship roams the seas, occasionally attacking passing vessels. And once it successfully attacks, it would take the people on board to Undead Island. No one taken to Undead Island ever leaves alive. That’s because there’s an Evil Wizard known as the Death Mage living there, who’s very fond of studying ancient Alchemy, and the people captured are the materials for his Alchemic experiments."

"Ghost Ship? Undead Island? Death Mage?" Captain Morgan echoed these three phrases to himself, coughed again, and then gave a bitter smile, "Before this, I never believed in such rumors; in fact, before seeing those hideous monsters, I always thought it most likely that Pirates were after us. Now, I never imagined we’d actually end up in this situation. Is this misfortune, or luck?"

"Uh—"

A silence fell in the cell.

Just then, a rapid "thud, thud, thud" of footsteps rang out as the previously departed Stitched Monsters returned. They circled the cells, and without explanation, swiftly opened one and forcibly dragged out a woman—a female passenger from the "Naru Glory Fisherman." Regardless of the woman’s pitiful cries, the Stitched Monster dragged her away, quickly disappearing outside the cave.

This!

Everyone in the cells, peering through the bars at one another, saw their own fear and anxiety reflected in the others’ eyes, dreading that they might be next. In the corner cell, Captain Morgan gave a light cough and once again forced a wry smile, "They’re not going to let us die easy, are they!"

With those words, he sighed deeply, head bowed in a defeated manner.

...