Chapter 64: The Sea Prison
As part of the southern far seas, the Abyss of Anos was not vast. If not for the violent storms and turbulent currents, an ordinary three-masted sailing ship could cross it in less than half a month. But due to the terrible weather, even a magical vessel like the *Time Vessel* had to endure countless dangers and hardships to reach its center.
In the dark storm, rain fell like a gray curtain obscuring everything. Yet a massive ark, glowing with warm white light, broke through the towering waves, advancing along a straight beam of light. As he spoke, he casually patted the other's shoulder.
To one side, a black dragon slowly approached the ship's side. When only a dozen or so meters separated them, a colossal, nearly five-meter-tall round seal emerged from nowhere and leaped onto the black dragon's back.
This giant seal, almost perfectly spherical, lay quietly on the dragon's shell. Black totemic patterns could be seen covering its bulky body. As the black dragon drew closer to the ark, it gave a sharp flick of its tail, leaped up, transformed into human form mid-air, and landed steadily on the *Time Vessel*'s deck.
It was a slender elven youth. He had delicate features, and his long black hair was tied into a high ponytail that hung down his back. Perhaps due to the intense exertion, the youth's wheat-colored skin was slightly flushed, and his expression looked somewhat tired.
It had to be said, aside from the faint totemic magic patterns visible on him, there was no sign that he was connected to that round seal in any way.
"What's this, Joshua? Aren't you going to accompany your dragon for a swim in the sea?"
After catching his breath, Hill slowly walked over to the warrior's side. He waved toward the blue dragon on the other side, and as for... vitality, that stuff never hurts.
Ever since the day he first boarded the ark, when he obtained much information about Order and Chaos from the Azure Orb, Joshua had gradually come to understand many methods for controlling this legacy of the Sage. Channeling the life force stored within was just one of them—previously, the warrior could only passively accept the Azure Orb's healing of his body, but now he could actively direct that life force to prioritize healing more critical areas.
Within the Azure Orb, the life force obtained from burning Chaos was as vast as an ocean. Granting this pure life force to others was another use Joshua had recently figured out. Since Captain Derek had been chatting with him pleasantly, the warrior decided to try helping this newly acquainted friend.
"Setting that aside, why aren't you with Lady Anna, and instead climbing onto my dragon?"
The black dragon had already fully submerged into the sea, beginning another dive. Joshua gazed at the pitch-black tide beneath the storm and casually asked Hill, "Not worried about Anna getting jealous?"
"The water next to Black is warmer. You know, the water in the Abyss of Anos is as cold as ice water." The elven youth replied just as nonchalantly. "I used to avoid diving with Anna too. The electric currents around her are too strong; I have to keep my distance or I'd end up as a fried seal."
Clearly, the warrior was not a talkative person. Since no one initiated a topic, the atmosphere by the ship's railing grew quiet. Amid the roar of the storm, Hill couldn't help but sigh and remark with some emotion, "You're definitely not a dragon knight."
To become a dragon knight, one first needed martial prowess to subdue one's mount, but second, high charisma and excellent communication skills to make dragons willingly cooperate.
"I'm indeed not a dragon knight; it's just that my mount happens to be a dragon." Joshua, whose charisma was a measly two hundred plus, nodded and replied patiently. "Actually, riding a dragon isn't convenient either. It's been a long time since I fought while riding Black."
"Even as a warrior, you're not normal." Carefully examining Joshua's body, Hill raised an eyebrow slightly. "Normally, a proper warrior would train in many special techniques and specialties; otherwise, their strength can't keep up with others of the same level. But you..."
He examined again and concluded, "You've only trained in one breathing technique. Nothing else."
If not for the warrior's reputation spreading beyond the empire, and his clean kill of a deep-sea abyssal dragon, Hill might have doubted Joshua's strength. A warrior who hadn't trained in special techniques and specialties, relying only on skills and secret arts, was undoubtedly incomplete, far weaker than others of the same class.
"There are many reasons." Looking at the sea, Joshua understood Hill's confusion. He crossed his arms over his chest and replied calmly, "The most important one is that it's not yet time."
The warrior knew why the elven youth said this. In fact, Loranda had asked the same question a few days ago, wondering if Joshua's father had died too early, causing him to lose the family's inheritance in this area. The paladin had even offered to teach the warrior some publicly available church manuals.
Joshua naturally declined the kind offer.
So-called special techniques and specialties were like breathing techniques—[permanent buffs] that couldn't be summarized by Ultimate Essence. Due to the body's limits, the number of buffs a human could bear was finite. Thus, every warrior seeking strength would confirm their needed specialties early on and strive to fill them.
Joshua, of course, had his own goals. As a former legendary warrior, his standards were so high that he completely disdained learning ordinary specialties and techniques. What he wanted were extraordinary specialties like [Omniscient Eye], [Primordial Body], and [Perfect Reaction], at least Ultimate-rank as a foundation.
Because he possessed the Ultimate Essence of Force, his body could bear far more permanent buffs than average. But Joshua didn't intend to change his plans to learn ordinary specialties. Besides, he had only recently advanced to Ultimate-rank before coming to the Abyss of Anos, so he still had no specialties other than the Steel Armor Breathing Art.
—But it was time to prepare. Joshua nodded silently. Now he had Ultimate-rank strength, and with the massive battle qi from killing Chaos, his combat power surpassed his level, meeting the conditions for many extraordinary specialties.
"These past few days have been peaceful. No Corrosive Sea Beasts attacking, and the storm is just this level—can't threaten the *Time Vessel*."
Beside him, Hill muttered to himself, "If we can approach the central maelstrom this smoothly, our mission this time will be easy."
Peaceful?
"Peaceful?"
Hearing that word, Joshua couldn't help but laugh dryly. He shook his head and gave the elven youth a faint smile. "Mr. Hill, do you really think so?"
To Hill, that smile held no trace of amusement, only a chilling cold. Rubbing his shoulders uncomfortably, he asked in confusion, "Isn't it peaceful? Since encountering that deep-sea abyssal dragon, the *Time Vessel* hasn't met a single Corrosive Sea Beast for days. The storm is fierce, but it's just the normal level in the Abyss of Anos."
"Hard as it is to believe, my friend."
At that moment, thunder rumbled from the sky obscured by dark clouds. Then, lightning as dense and intricate as a spiderweb streaked across the heavens, continuous booms shaking the atmosphere and the sea. The rain, already thick as a gray curtain, grew even heavier, as if the sea were pouring down.
Caught off guard by the sudden downpour, the elven youth nearly choked. But around the warrior, a thin, black-red aura appeared, shielding him from all rain and seawater.
As if expecting this scene, Joshua looked up at the lightning-streaked sky and said calmly, "As long as I'm around, it can never be peaceful."
The already surging waves grew even more terrifying under the suddenly violent wind. Waves over ten meters high swept toward the ark with unstoppable force, the entire sea seeming to boil.
"Damn it, I haven't seen waves like this in at least twenty years."
Back in the cabin, Captain Derek stared through the crystal barrier at the storm outside in shock. He cursed instinctively, then took a drag of his pipe. "Last time was when a submarine volcano erupted off Far View Cape. What the hell is causing it this time?"
Beside him, the first mate, though pale, forced himself to stay alert. "This is the Abyss of Anos, the hell of all seas, Captain. You're not scared, are you?"
"Nonsense!" Glaring at the similarly middle-aged first mate, the red-haired elder said sternly, "If it were the old broken ship, maybe I'd be scared. But now we're driving a Temple Ark—I wouldn't even fear a trip down the River Styx, let alone this drizzle!"
Despite his words, no one dared to slack off. Within seconds, most of the crew returned to their posts, responsible for controlling the divine magic arrays inside the ark to counter the raging waves outside.
On the *Time Vessel*'s deck, Joshua and Hill still hadn't returned to the cabin. The elven youth looked around, as if searching for something, while the warrior calmly watched the churning water.
Soon, two massive figures broke through the waves. A blue and a black dragon leaped up simultaneously, transformed back into human form, and landed on the deck. Faina and Black both looked confused. They had sensed a strange change in the deep-sea currents and surfaced immediately, only to find the shallow waters raging with towering waves and the storm inexplicably intensified.
Just as they left the water and boarded the ship, patches of ink-black tide rose from the depths of the sea. Although the Abyss of Anos was called the Black Sea, it was only because of the constant storms and overcast skies; the water itself was colorless. But now, due to a massive amount of black dust—unknown what it was—welling up from the deep, the entire sea turned pitch black.
Unlike the still somewhat bewildered Black, the blue-haired dragon girl's expression was grim. She knew this black tide was the strange current she and Black had sensed. Instinctively, Faina felt this was the reason no Corrosive Sea Beasts had appeared for days. She smelled a conspiracy.
"Here it comes."
Suddenly, Joshua muttered to himself.
As he spoke, the massive ark, which had been cutting through the waves, gradually stopped. Gasps echoed from within the cabin, and the black seawater touching the ark's surface shimmered with iridescent colors.
"Mana is draining!" Hill and Faina noticed this immediately, their faces darkening. Although the *Time Vessel* belonged to the Church of the Seven Gods, it still used mages' mana engines for power. Now, the black seawater mixed with unknown substances had drained all the mana from the entire sea. All elemental forces fell silent, leaving only the holy light runes around the ark to flicker, resisting the relentless waves.
Above, black smoke and mist spread through the dark clouds. It devoured the restless lightning, turning the falling rain equally black. The entire sea had no light except the glow from the Fusion Core Star atop the *Time Vessel*.
The sea had become a pitch-black prison.