Chapter 113 Changes in the board game, suspected interference from foreign gods

"Thank you, Naruto, thank you, Naruto."

The old helmsman thanked Naruto profusely, tears streaming down his face.

Although these crew members, lost in the Ghost Sea, had been separated from them by hundreds of years and were not related, as sailors of the Wind Capital, they had always upheld the spirit of mutual assistance in seafaring.

Ships sailed on the vast, endless ocean, with no land in sight.

Every ship was an isolated island.

Only by helping each other could ships and sailors better survive on the capricious ocean.

Naruto hesitated for a moment.

Now, Dragon Island was right before them, located deep within the Ghost Sea.

Should he first complete the hidden quest [Lost Ghost Ship] or finish the [Dragon Slaying] quest?

"The hidden quest offers abundant experience, enough to level me up a few times."

"Sharpening the axe doesn't delay chopping wood. The higher my level, the greater my chances of defeating Dragon Mother Tiamat!"

Mainly, Naruto sensed a hint of danger in the ethereal.

For example, the appearance of the North Sea Giant Monster Kraken.

As a map BOSS, how could it appear right after entering the Ghost Sea? Was his luck really that bad?

Moreover, Kraken's strength was a bit beyond imagination.

Controlling thousands of undying Ghost Ship crew members, coupled with its terrifyingly high stats, it took a direct hit from Heather's Fire Crystal Spear without a scratch. Its strength and influence were definitely enough to wipe out Heather and the Crown Prince.

If not for Kraken binding the many crew members who drowned in the sea, essentially snatching souls from Shinigami, the extremely low-probability instant kill from the [Shinigami] title would not have been easily triggered.

Otherwise, if Naruto really had to fight, it would definitely take some effort.

He might even have to reveal the new ultimate technique he had prepared to deal with Dragon Mother Tiamat.

"I'll do the hidden quest first, but the quest objective is to free every undead soul imprisoned by Kraken in this sea area, so it's clearly not just these Ghost Ship crew members."

"How do I gather the other Ghost Ship crew members in the Ghost Sea?"

Naruto frowned slightly, feeling a bit troubled, pacing back and forth on the deck, thinking.

The Wind Capital's Age of Sail was extremely prosperous, so when the Ghost Sea was discovered, countless ships and sailors flocked there, one after another.

Initially, it was for wealth, for exploring the unknown.

Later, as more ships became trapped in the Ghost Sea, more ships went there to rescue the lost sailors.

The result was predictable.

Like the Calabash Brothers trying to save their grandpa, they went one after another, never to return.

This directly led to the decline and end of the Wind Capital's Age of Sail.

"I've got it."

"I'll try using the horn blown when setting sail."

Naruto clenched his left fist, striking his right palm, his eyes lit up, and he immediately told the old helmsman his idea.

"Yes, I'll try it."

The old helmsman picked up an old, polished horn, supporting the bottom with one hand and gripping the mouthpiece with the other. He took a deep breath, and with all the strength he had decades ago, he blew with all his might.

"Moooooo~"

A loud, deep, mournful sound, like the cry of a deep-sea whale, echoed with desolation and chilliness throughout the fog-shrouded Ghost Sea.

After the echo faded.

The Ghost Sea was silent, nothing happened.

The old helmsman hung his head, looking dejected.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he said to the old helmsman.

"Alright!"

The old helmsman picked up the horn again and blew with force.

"Moooo—!!"

Naruto closed his eyes, activating Mind's Eye of the Kagura, seemingly trying to capture something.

"Keep going."

"Moo! Woo! Woo!"

Long horn sounds echoed in the long-silent, deathly still Ghost Sea. It was unclear which Ghost Ship crew member also pulled out a horn.

His horn had long been corroded by seawater, even covered with barnacles and shells, but it did not prevent it from being blown again.

"Woo~~~Moo~~~"

More horn sounds continuously rang out.

The old helmsman seemed encouraged, blowing with all his might.

Until he was out of breath and seeing stars, Naruto gestured with his hand and nodded, "Alright, no need to blow anymore."

"Naruto, was it still useless?"

The old helmsman asked, panting.

He looked around; the sea around the Wind Capital Ship was still silent, the gray mist like stagnant water.

"Who said it was useless?"

Naruto smiled.

At this moment.

The stagnant, dense grayish-blue mist actually began to slowly dissipate, and one dilapidated ship after another sailed out of the sea fog,

approaching the Wind Capital Ship.

One!

Two!

Ten!

Dozens, even hundreds of Ghost Ships, sailed from all directions, mooring near the Wind Capital Ship.

The deck of each ship was filled with Ghost Ship crew members.

At the bow of each ship, a Ghost Ship crew member took out a tattered, decayed horn and blew the horn for setting sail.

These horn sounds, surprisingly, had a magical power. One after another, they caused the gray mist, which had not dissipated even after Kraken's death, to recede rapidly like a tide.

"So—so many ghosts."

Doria fearfully clung to Naruto, hiding behind him.

The Crown Prince, Foreign Swordsman, and others also saw such a magical and spectacular scene for the first time, all dumbfounded and somewhat speechless.

"If we go back and the bards find out, it'll be sung about for months."

"Shinigami Naruto—will Naruto's poems never stop?"

"First, the Battle of the Great Snow Mountain, and now escorting the Ghost Ship crew from the Ghost Sea back to the Wind Capital. Oh my goodness, it's truly too romantic."

"Incredible, miraculous, truly miraculous. When I return to the Royal Capital, I must have the historians record it."

Everyone exclaimed in admiration.

"Everyone, everyone is still here…"

"They are the sailors of the Age of Sail!"

The old helmsman's eyes were filled with tears, his body trembling with excitement.

The scene before him was truly too shocking.

Heather walked up to Naruto, extended an arm, and casually put it around his shoulder, saying, "Little brother Naruto, whatever you want to do, just go and do it."

"Okay."

Naruto took a step forward, a sharp glint bursting from his azure eyes.

"Where I stand, all is shadow!"

As Naruto's voice rang out, the quiet shadow beneath his feet suddenly spread out like a drop of ink in water, becoming boundless blackness, expanding in all directions at an extremely fast speed.

"What—what is this?!"

"Is it the legendary dark magic?!"

"Unbelievable!"

Doria and the others were immediately startled by the black shadow covering the deck beneath their feet.

"Swish"

In the blink of an eye, this pitch-black, flat shadow, centered on Naruto, spread ten miles, even turning the sea surface completely black.

"Sink."

Naruto raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Dozens, even hundreds of Ghost Ships around the Wind Capital Ship, as if swallowed by an abyss, rapidly sank into the shadow.

This included the many Ghost Ship crew members on the Wind Capital Ship's deck.

Dark Dusk Court!

Naruto used the Dark Dusk Court to collect all the Ghost Ships in the Ghost Sea into his shadow.