"January 2, Year 9 of the Journey.

  It has been over twenty days since we set sail. The island we are exploring this time is quite far, and the resources on the Unicorn Ship are running low.

  If Island 1002 can be established as a new island, resupplying from there would be much easier.

  When I passed by that island, the devastation on its surface indicated that Elizabeth and 1002 were not faring well in their battle. It may take some time for this island to develop.

  However, that strange power from 1002 is indeed not easy to deal with. I hope everything goes smoothly for them.

  Kede has also begun his actions. Regardless, everything is moving in a positive direction. I wonder where Anna is now; perhaps I can... [crossed out]"

  After waiting for the ink to dry, Charles closed the diary and headed to the deck to begin his daily inspection of the ship.

  Just as he was about to push open the kitchen door, an excited Deep ran past him, holding a fishing rod with a jellyfish-like creature hanging from the hook.

  "Freddy! Come quick! I caught a crystal jellyfish! Can you make soup with it?"

  From the kitchen came the furious shout of Chef Freddy.

  "Get out of here! Stop hauling in all this nonsense! You can cook it yourself! I won’t do it!"

  Charles walked into the kitchen, bypassing the two, and confirmed that there were no abnormalities inside.

  "Chef, the hardtack is starting to get infested with bugs; please pay attention," Charles interrupted their exchange.

  Freddy rushed over, assuring him that he would take care of it immediately, explaining that the infested ones were for the sailors, and the captain's food was definitely fine.

  "What do you mean 'for the sailors'? Are sailors not human?" Deep argued back for the sake of his comrades.

  Charles didn’t stop them; compared to the fear the crew had shown when entering unknown waters, they now had the leisure to argue. Indeed, humans adapt quickly.

  Exiting the kitchen, Charles walked toward other cabins. The inspection wasn’t just about checking for anything crawling into the ship; other factors were equally important.

  Whether it was food, fuel, or the crew's mental state, any small mistake could turn a ship into an iron coffin, endangering the lives of everyone on board.

  On the deck, in the cockpit, the turbine room, the crew's lounge, kitchen, cargo hold, and water tank—Charles meticulously checked every area.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Other captains might have different practices, but on his ship, Charles always conducted the inspections himself.

  Details determine success or failure; it was this attention to detail that had allowed him to survive at sea for so long.

  In fact, these tasks comprised most of a captain's work—simple, monotonous, yet extremely important.

  "Captain! An island!" Hearing this news, Charles was momentarily stunned; according to the actual situation, they should still have three days until the target point.

  He hurried to the deck and saw the blurry outline of an island under the searchlight in the distance.

  Unlike the previous islands, this one was quite "tall." It resembled a flat-topped mountain more than an island; the surrounding cliffs were barren, and the platform above was so high that it was completely out of sight.

  Looking up at the imposing island, Charles waved his hand to signal the sailors to drop anchor, then turned to his vampire crew member. "Odric, fly up and take a look."

  Odric nodded and transformed into a bat, soaring into the sky.

  While waiting for his return, a puzzled Deep approached. "Captain, the anchor isn't touching the bottom."

  "How can it not touch the bottom? We're right next to the island!"

  Charles led him to the winch, discovering that the chain was indeed fully deployed. The Unicorn Ship's anchor chain was over a hundred meters long, and yet it still couldn't reach the bottom. What kind of structure was this island? A vertical telephone pole?

  After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then we won't drop anchor. When we go ashore, Freddy and the sailors will stay on the ship to keep watch."

  Odric soon returned, his expression somewhat strange. "Captain, it's a swamp up there."

  "A swamp?" Charles was taken aback by this answer; he hadn’t expected a swampy terrain to appear on an island.

  "Regardless, let's go up and take a look. Perhaps this island is a supply point for the 'King.'"

  With Odric's help, a rope ladder was quickly laid out against the cliff. As Charles and the other crew members climbed up, they discovered that Odric was indeed correct: it was a swamp.

  This swamp was different from forest swamps; there were no trees, no flowers, no life—only wet mud, foul water, and thick fog.

  However, the swamp was not entirely devoid of features; various rocks, large and small, lay scattered in the muck.

  When fish meat was tossed into the mud, no creatures emerged to feed on it.

  Carefully stepping into the mud, Charles found that it wasn’t very deep; the deepest part only reached his thighs. When he stepped with his right foot, he discovered that the ground beneath was solid.

  "Hey, buddy, doesn’t this place look like a hot pot? Look at those stones; they resemble the white tofu in a lamb hot pot."

  Charles ignored the teasing voice in his head, scooping up some muddy water and bringing it to his nose. The distinctive scent of seawater mixed with the stench of decay filled his nostrils.

  The water in this swamp was seawater, of no use whatsoever.

  Charles waved his hand, signaling the others to follow.

  Everyone frowned at the harsh environment; no one liked filth, and walking through the swamp felt like stepping into a cesspool.

  Lily's mice jumped into the water but quickly turned into black coal balls. Seeing this, the white mouse Lily clung tightly to Charles's neck, refusing to let go.

  Although Charles had dark vision, the thick white fog obscured his sight, and in this place, he could see nothing.

  This environment reminded Charles of the first island he explored; he didn’t want to make the same mistakes again. Periodically, he compared the number of crew members to the tally on his arm to ensure no one had mysteriously disappeared or appeared.

  The torches in the hands of the crowd pushed back the fog as they slowly made their way toward the center of the island.

  The muddy water of the swamp carried a certain chill; after only half an hour, Charles could barely feel his toes.

  Not daring to be careless, he had all the crew members stand on the rocks, waiting for their feet to regain sensation before continuing.

  Taking advantage of this opportunity, the crew stuffed food into their mouths; even if they weren’t hungry, they needed to eat something to provide energy for their bodies.