The precious carriage traveled through the narrow, winding streets, heading straight to the town's dock.
The lord's attendants followed alongside the carriage. Unlike the unarmed commoners, the attendants were equipped with simple leather armor and held simple iron weapons.
Lin Lan sat quietly inside the carriage, turning his head to look at the scene outside the window.
Rows of wooden houses were low and simple, and dilapidated barrels and drying fishing nets were scattered on the road. A faint smell of fish lingered in the air.
The noisy and panic-stricken crowd quieted down as the sound of hooves approached.
Many commoners hid in their houses, fearful eyes gazed from behind narrow windows, afraid of attracting the noble lord's attention and being forced to face the terrifying black creature at the shore.
Lin Lan noticed, even his attendants appeared nervous.
Even though they held weapons, their arms trembled, and many had grown beer bellies, panting heavily after just a few steps.
His subordinates were nothing but a motley crew...
Lin Lan sighed inwardly.
But there was no other choice. Although the original owner retained his noble status, no Lionheart Knight was willing to follow him to the kingdom's impoverished edge.
Now, only a few lowly attendants followed Lin Lan, who were idle and untrained, expecting them to have combat prowess was pure wishful thinking.
Even though these people couldn't protect him, Lin Lan still planned to visit the site.
The reason being, his system panel displayed a new message:
[Please be attentive, shadows of the Apocalypse are chasing your steps, intending to devour your soul and cherished past dreams (dungeon items). Seagull Town will be completely destroyed in 180 minutes!]
[Two solutions have been provided for you.]
[Solution one: Proactively go to the designated area to manifest the Dungeon Card, facing the Apocalypse Shadow under the gaze of the Red Moon.]
(Choosing this solution offers a chance of unknown rewards!)
[Solution two: The best strategy is to flee, abandon the territory, and quickly distance yourself from the ocean.]
(Choosing this solution, all collected dungeon items will be devoured by the shadow!)
Lin Lan stared at the solution descriptions on the system panel, rubbed his brows, and silently sighed.
Good heavens, it really was coming for me...
Indeed, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, his cheat 'Apocalypse Card Album' wasn't an endless treasure trove for anyone to take.
Using it certainly came at a cost.
Something had indeed set its sights on him...
It was then that a somewhat hesitant inquiry interrupted Lin Lan's thoughts.
"Lord Roland, why…why do you want to go to such a dangerous place yourself?"
Charles, the leader of the White Sail Merchant Guild, sat across from Lin Lan.
This extraordinary merchant was drenched in cold sweat at this moment, since learning of the news by the shore, unease lingered on his face.
"Because this is my territory."
Lin Lan spoke indifferently, his expression remaining calm as ever, revealing no depth.
He was certainly aware of the unknown dangers by the shore, and the abstract nature of the first solution's description, yet he still resolutely abandoned the system's second solution.
Trying to snatch the treasures I painstakingly picked up?
Damn it, no way.
Still, recalling Jay the attendant's description of the 'black creature,' Lin Lan did feel a bit shaky inside. Fortunately, his past work experience helped him maintain his composure.
Lin Lan silently observed the merchant in front of him.
Charles surely knew something, but judging by his hesitant look, it was clear he wasn't up to any good.
Although the 'Apocalypse Shadow' was actually coming for him, Charles' concealment of the truth and the disaster brought to Seagull Town was undoubtedly a nailed fact.
Must take this opportunity to extort him fiercely!
Lin Lan's lips curled into a villainous smirk.
With that in mind, he prepared his tone and said coldly:
"Charles, give me an explanation."
"Lord Roland, I..."
"You better tell the truth," Lin Lan interrupted coldly, "This is your last chance."
Charles opened his mouth, his face shifting, unsure how to explain this colossal trouble to the lord before him.
He never dreamed that a phenomenon only seen in the depths of the ocean would land ashore!
This was damn illogical!
If this news spread to the Truth Academy within the Alliance, even the lifelong ocean-studying academy dean would be shocked?
Charles' heart grew even more bitter. Threatened by the deathly peril of the Celestial Calamity, he finally gave up on smooth communication and decided to confess everything.
"It's 'Reality Collapse', Lord Roland. My ship's goods invited the oceanic disaster."
At this moment, Charles slumped on the seat like mud: "You understand the seriousness of this, right?"
Lin Lan nodded solemnly.
Actually, he didn't understand a thing...
What the heck was reality collapse? How could goods invite a disaster?
Lin Lan thought about it and decided to probe: "Why's this happening?"
"I…I don't know either…"
Charles' eyes completely lost their light: "I clearly used a witch's magic to seal up the important goods, successfully isolating the sea's sight…"
He murmured: "Why can the disaster find me time and again? Even chasing me to land?"
Lin Lan furrowed his brows slightly.
Setting aside the novelty of witch's magic, within the merchant's narration and the system's prompt, he detected a chilling common sense.
—The sea in this world seems alive. It possesses consciousness and a certain 'predatory' nature.
"What exactly are you transporting on your ship?"
Lin Lan watched the other's eyes, carefully inquiring.
"It's 'Deep Sea Treasures' I bought from an auction in the northern Gray Realm. It's a magical melting furnace that can devour magic power to arbitrarily forge steel materials."
Charles was completely honest: "I originally planned to transport it to Lion Heart Royal City."
At this point, hiding the goods was meaningless. It now seemed like getting that oddly shaped silver furnace successfully to the Royal City was wishful thinking.
This was doomed to be a loss-making transaction.
Everyone knew that sailors marked by disaster had no good outcome.
In contrast to the despondent merchant, the young lord's eyes glinted mischievously.
A magical melting furnace that devours magic power...
Charles, the old brother, painstakingly brought this thing to his turf; he couldn't easily let him down now...
Even with disaster looming, Lin Lan's mind still plotted wicked ideas. Then Charles' voice echoed in his ear:
"Lord Roland, our best choice now is to leave this town, as quickly as possible..."
His voice sounded lost: "The collapse phenomenon has already appeared; from now on, engulfing the town could happen at any moment..."
"Then why did you follow me here?"
"My goods…all my goods are on the ship…"
Lin Lan: …
Ha, greedy fool.