This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 302 [Spiritual Energy Subplot: Mysterious Shadows of the Ghostly Sea]

Chapter 302: Chapter 302 [Spiritual Energy Subplot: Mysterious Shadows of the Ghostly Sea]

Endurance, 1:12 PM.

The ship was cruising steadily on the inner maritime trade route of the United Federation. It was much hotter on the sea than on land, and the ocean was no longer calm after leaving the shallow waters; standing on the deck without holding onto something could easily result in a fall.

Conrad led Chen Ke into the cabin. This modern fishing vessel didn’t need many sailors. Judging by the standards of a smuggling ship, the crew seemed sparse.

After scanning the ship with Spiritual Vision, he meticulously counted a total of 26 crew members. Only four were needed to keep the ship sailing normally; the rest, Chen Ke knew all too well, were gunmen, each armed.

"This is the kitchen, this is the crew’s lounge... The only places you need to remember are these two. Oh, and this is the restroom. It’s unisex, and the lock is broken... so knock before entering," Conrad said.

He slowly walked Chen Ke through the corridor. Although this was through Hainerd’s connections, Chen Ke felt that Conrad was rather reluctant to help, his tone filled with impatience and aversion.

"Are there women on this ship?" Chen Ke couldn’t help but ask.

"Yes," Conrad replied briefly.

Chen Ke didn’t ask further. After all, there was no rule saying women couldn’t be smugglers, and before joining the Mail Service, Lucina had been a sea smuggler.

Conrad took Chen Ke to a small cabin that featured a wall-mounted fold-down bed. Pulled down, it barely offered enough room to curl up on, and sitting on it, one could still see the seascape through the porthole.

"You can rest here. It’s not very spacious, but unless you want to sleep, it should be enough," Conrad said.

"So... is there anything else I need to know?" Chen Ke stood at the cabin door and asked.

"Mr. Chen, your journey won’t be particularly long, at most seven to eight hours, so there’s no need for us to make small talk. To put it simply, I don’t want to carry you, but I owe Hainerd a favor," Conrad said coldly.

Chen Ke looked displeased, but on another person’s ship, it wasn’t wise to lose his temper, especially since he still needed Conrad to take him to Norton City. Now was not the time to burn bridges.

"I’ll make sure you hardly notice I’m here, if that makes you feel better," Chen Ke said lightly.

"That would be perfect," Conrad said, then turned and walked away.

Chen Ke sighed, pulled the folding bed down from the wall, and carefully sat on it. In fact, even without wanting to sleep, sitting there felt quite cramped. His knees pressed tightly against the cabin wall opposite, with nowhere to stretch his legs but to fold them up. Combined with the inexplicably high temperature inside the ship, the tiny room felt like a steaming basket.

"Goddamn it... Hainerd... he must not be on good terms with you," Chen Ke muttered to himself.

It was unbearable here. Unable to stand it any longer, Chen Ke stepped out of the small cabin and straightened his pants by the door.

He activated his Spiritual Vision and saw that Conrad and the sailors were busy. Most of them stayed below deck on the third level, which, if he wasn’t mistaken, must be where they transported their cargo.

Smuggling ships were often modified to some extent depending on the need. The Endurance’s bridge had only two levels, and at the back of the deck was a large crane used for net casting, with fishnets and other equipment piled on it.

The main structure of the entire ship was concentrated below the deck. The first level was the crew’s lounge, a U-shaped corridor encompassing a dozen cabins—Chen Ke’s location was at the stern.

Beneath the crew’s lounge were three holds for storing fish catches, holds that Conrad and his team would not use for smuggling goods because a smooth dock inspection meant these areas were guaranteed to be checked. It was unwise to hide the Holy Relics here.

The true hiding place of the Holy Relics was in a space beneath the fish hold, near the ballast and fresh water tanks, where the areas were hollow and could fit anything.

The ballast tanks were located at the stern and bow, while the middle section housed the engine room, which powered the entire ship, and was generally occupied only by a few maintenance personnel.

Chen Ke did not know why Conrad was so rude to him. He speculated that he must have interfered with Conrad’s work, as he watched the sailors bustling in the fish hold.

Rather than staying cooped up in the cabin, Chen Ke decided to go to the deck to see the sea view and feel the breeze. He followed the corridor forward and climbed the stairs up to the deck.

The sea breeze brushed his face, and the scorching sun hovered overhead, burning his skin. He could faintly see the shore, but at the same time, the deep blue sea and the azure sky met at the far end of his vision. Occasionally, a few white birds flew by, making "Eur-Eur-Eur" calls.

Chen Ke was no expert on birds, but he guessed that these might be seagulls, their white feathers and yellow beaks occasionally diving into the water to snatch up fish near the surface.

He leaned on the ship’s railing, gazing at the coastline, enjoying a moment of peace, when suddenly, voices arguing from the bow reached his ears.

Looking towards the sounds, he saw a man dressed in navy blue short sleeves and brown work pants, and a woman with a ponytail, wearing a black tank top and jeans, arguing.

"You are wrong, they couldn’t possibly be there, impossible!" the woman said, shaking her head.

"Impossible? Then explain this ancient badge’s instructions. If you place it according to the angle of the mural, on the southeast corner of the map, and rotate it 45°, it points right there!" The man spread his hands in exasperation.

"That might just be a misdirection. Ancient prophecies mentioned the Holy Seal was split into six pieces, held by six Guardians... Their descendants formed six sects, scattered around the world," the woman countered.

"And what of it?" The man shrugged.

"It means that it’s either just a myth, or these sects are all in civilized parts of the world, definitely not in some forest in South America," the woman laughed.

"You believe too much in those historical stories and prophecies. I only trust the clues of solved puzzles," the man crossed his arms.

"That’s also why you always come back empty-handed," the woman retorted, hands on her hips.

Although Chen Ke did not understand their argument, he could not resist greeting them, as their attire and recent conversation made it clear they were not Conrad’s subordinates, but like him, merely hitching a ride.

"Hey... the weather is really nice," Chen Ke blurted, approaching them.

Both turned to look at him, momentarily startled—probably not expecting someone to join their conversation.

"Actually, I’m about to die from the heat," the woman adjusted the ponytail that the breeze had blown to her chest, shaking her head.

"Seems like you’re also hitching a ride?" the man asked.

Chen Ke extended his hand, replying, "Chen Ke, just a traveler who missed his cruise ship, and I have to reach Norton City by tonight no matter what."

The man shook Chen Ke’s hand, saying, "Nathan, a photographer for the Exploration Channel."

Following him, the woman also shook hands with Chen Ke, saying, "Laura, a university history teacher."