"So, the original figurehead of the Nether Lord wasn't the one it has now."
Lex clapped his head, remembering the Nether Lord he had seen in the underground temple at Damir Port, whose figurehead was a young girl holding a bottle.
"The figurehead was struck off by lightning after only ten-odd days at sea. That's a truly terrible omen."
Lex continued to flip through the nautical log.
'It's been almost a month since I last saw land, but the wonders of the Sea far exceed my imagination. In this past month, Sirenss have sung for me, and Nagas have left their hair, but alas, I still haven't found what I'm looking for.'
'What am I even thinking? The things that can help It return are not so easily found.'
'I heard stories of pirates a long time ago, but I never imagined they would be so foolish as to covet the Nether Lord. I had no choice but to turn them into corpses and increase the number of my soul bodies.'
Page after page of the log was turned by Lex. It seemed this Nether Queen's Descendant's journey on the Sea was not smooth. Besides having to contend with various disasters on the Sea, she also had to deal with various threats and challenges.
When Lex casually opened another page of the log, his gaze was drawn to the words on it.
'In the past few days, the crew has been discussing one thing. They seem to have sensed some kind of threat. They can't describe it specifically, but they use terms like 'Sea Demon,' 'Projection of the Abyss,' and 'Underwater Shadow' to describe it.'
'Just today, I also saw it. It passed beneath our ship. I didn't even dare to peek. It was a massive, profound terror. I only hope it was passing by; I hope so.'
'It appeared. It wasn't just passing by. It wants the Nether Lord, it wants the people on board, it wants me. There isn't much I can do. Perhaps fighting is my only option.'
Many pages of the log were torn out after this.
The next entry read:
'…I stole something important from It, haha. Although I paid an extremely heavy price, I finally escaped. Perhaps it's only temporary?'
'But I know my time is running out. After a fierce battle, I, along with the Nether Lord, Teleported here. Will this be my mausoleum?'
'I had Atwood set up a large barrier. He knows many secret arts and is a master in this field. He is perfectly capable of doing this. I hope to use this barrier to prevent It from ever finding what It lost. This is Its punishment, serves It right, haha!'
'I'm failing. I didn't expect that It is even higher in the death hierarchy than I am, and by a lot. I can't stop myself from dying. I told Atwood he must leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, once I die, the death power It buried within me will invade all life.'
'They will make this Sea Island, this sky, and all living things on this Sea Island go towards death, even causing pollution and turning all living beings into terrifying existences.'
'Atwood refused to leave. With his assistance, I completed a secret art. This secret art allows me to remain on the ship as a 'guardian' after my death. I want to continue guarding the Nether Lord with my power. I want to watch over Its thing.'
'But how long I can exist, how much power I can retain, and whether I will still have thoughts are all unknowns. But now, this is all I can do. It made me fall on this nameless Sea Island, so I will also make It taste the pain of loss!'
'I ultimately failed to find the things that could help It return.'
This was the last entry.
Snap.
Lex closed the nautical log and lightly exhaled.
Although this log was incomplete, it could at least answer some questions.
For example, how the Nether Lord ended up on that Sea Island.
For example, the ship's owner guarded her ship in another form, so even though Adventurer Valen found the Nether Lord, he couldn't take the wealth from the ship.
However, while answering some questions, it also brought new ones.
"Sea Demon, Projection of the Abyss, Underwater Shadow…" Lex tapped his brow with his hand. These three titles all pointed to the same entity, and it was because the Nether Lord encountered this entity that the subsequent events occurred.
"Also, what exactly did the owner of the Nether Lord stole? There doesn't seem to be anything special or strange in the ship's treasure vault."
"Could it be the black iron key that the Captain took a liking to?"
Lex shook his head, feeling unable to solve these problems himself. He decided to leave them for Edwina to worry about.
He handed the nautical log to Iceberg Admiral and kept the Feathered Serpent scepter for himself. He tried to infuse it with spirituality, but it didn't cause any changes, indicating that the scepter was not a magical item.
However, as an item from the late Fourth Epoch, it should fetch a high price.
It was at least some compensation for today's adventure; otherwise, today would have been a wasted effort.
After dinner, having been busy all day, Lex lay down on his bed early. He fell asleep amidst the gentle sound of waves outside the window and the faint laughter of the pirates on the deck.
In a hazy sleep, he seemed to hear someone calling him. He rubbed his eyes and woke up.
He woke up in a spacious room with a thick carpet. He casually glanced beside him; on the bed, next to him, a graceful figure lay with her back to him. She was a beautiful temptress.
Seeing this scene, Lex didn't feel anything was amiss; it seemed normal.
He even saw himself raise a hand and pat the beautiful woman's firm, shapely bottom before getting up and dressing.
When he looked in the mirror, Lex saw a middle-aged man with brilliant long golden hair, darker at the roots.
His body bore many scars, especially on his chest, where a terrible scar almost split his body in two.
Seeing the body and face in the mirror that were not his own, a thought suddenly crossed Lex's mind: Am I dreaming?
The next second, he woke up in his room on the Golden Dream. As he breathed, a faint white mist emerged from his nostrils, then quickly retracted.
At the same time.
In the depths of the Sea, in a bottomless trench, huge bubbles suddenly emerged from within, gurgling and rising towards the top of the trench.
A moment later, a faint dark green light gradually appeared in the depths of the trench.
At first, it was just a dot, but soon a patch emerged, undulating and outlining the silhouette of something.