The latest log entry was, of course, from this time. As it turned out, even with a nautical log right in front of them, amateurs like them couldn’t understand any of it.
Wind direction, wind speed, navigation index—none of it made sense to them.
But they did notice something strange.
The last entry for the Dream Star cruise ship was three years ago. If a nautical log was supposed to be written for every voyage, then the Dream Star hadn’t set sail in three years.
Looking through the logs from three years ago and earlier, the Dream Star had set sail almost every month.
But this regular schedule had stopped three years ago, until this unusual voyage.
Why did the siren specifically target this ship?
Had something unknown happened to this ship three years ago?
Even when they returned to the hall, this question lingered in the minds of the five.
Because of the thick fog on the deck, everyone decided to keep the entertainment indoors.
To ease the guests’ tension, the Count had announced in the hall earlier that there would be a unique circus performance that night.
The guests’ moods were soothed once again. Some who were tired from dancing or had wandered around enough began to stroll through the various indoor spaces.
There was not only fine wine and an abundance of food and fruit, but also plenty of entertainment options like Texas hold’em, dice, golf, a screening room, and more. With nowhere else to go, the guests had no choice but to pick whatever entertainment appealed to them to pass the time.
The atmosphere remained calm, and no one seemed to notice the strange changes around them.
Ji Nansheng scanned the hall but couldn’t find the Count or the Countess. Instead, he saw that terrifying player—Dijia.
As if receiving Ji Nansheng’s signal, Dijia strode toward them. “Come with me.”
Ji Nansheng subconsciously stepped back. “To where?”
Dijia: “The Count took the Countess. I’ll show you her true face.”
The five exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then followed Dijia.
Dijia led them into the corridor and walked toward another lounge area.
The hall was divided into two levels. The first floor was the entertainment and leisure area, and the second floor was the lounge.
Though the lounge had rooms, each with beds and sofas, it wasn’t where the guests slept at night. It was just a place to take a short break after tiring themselves out on the first floor.
Their actual sleeping quarters were in another area.
Now, Dijia was leading them toward that very area.
As they followed behind Dijia, Ji Nansheng asked the question on his mind. “Why do you say the Countess is a siren?”
The man walked ahead, and all Ji Nansheng could see was his broad back.
He was dressed in a black shirt and black trousers. His well-built muscles filled out his shirt, not with exaggerated bulging muscles, but the kind of strong physique all men envied.
His legs were straight and long, with a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and firm muscles.
‘This man looked impressive. He must have discovered something they hadn’t noticed, right?’
‘If he was a player, then maybe he was some big boss?’
“Because she’s beautiful,” the man’s voice came from ahead.
Ji Nansheng rubbed his ears. “What?”
‘What did he just say?’
‘Because of what?’
‘Beautiful? No, no, no, I must have misheard. With such a wise face and a powerful presence, all he cared about was looks?’
“She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” the man’s words immediately shattered Ji Nansheng’s image of him as a big boss. “Is there anyone more fitting to be a siren?”
Ji Nansheng: “…”
‘Big boss?’
‘Pfft.’
‘An empty-headed fool!’
Ji Nansheng only dared to scold in his heart.
The corridor was lined with thick, dense carpeting, so soft that their footsteps were almost completely muffled. As they walked further, the sounds from the hall had long disappeared.
This was a completely different route from the one they took earlier to where the captain was held. After a turn, they arrived at the resting area for the passengers.
The resting area was located inside the ship and divided into five levels. Ji Nansheng’s resting place was on the fourth level, while the Count and Countess resided on the third level.
Dijia seemed very familiar with the Count and Countess’s quarters, walking directly to the third level without any hesitation.
The wide corridor was deserted, with no guards in sight.
Just as Ji Nansheng found this strange, Dijia had already started walking in.
There weren’t many rooms on this level, only four, and they were presidential suites, the finest accommodations on the cruise ship.
Especially the innermost room. The door that was luxuriously gilded in what might be real gold looked incredibly opulent.
Dijia raised his index finger in a “shh” gesture and pointed to the door.
Everyone immediately became curious and moved closer, faintly hearing the sound of a heated argument from inside.
“I’ve given you all my love. Why did you betray me?”
That was the Count’s voice.
The Countess’s voice carried a hint of grievance. “Count, I swear on the honor of the Henry and Sainon families, I really didn’t betray you.”
The Count: “Who are you really thinking about? Is it that damn man?”
The Countess: “Who do you mean, Count?”
The Count: “Who else could it be? Your former fiancé, Jacob.”
The Countess’s voice wavered with tears: “How could that be? Jacob has been missing for three years. He was the one who abandoned our marriage, which nearly made me unable to hold my head up in the Sainon family. If you hadn’t married me, I would have been ridiculed for a lifetime. I don’t have time to hate him, so how could I still be thinking about him? The only person I love now is you.”
The Count’s voice that was full with anger softened: “Yes, Jacob abandoned you back then. If it weren’t for me, you might have been driven to despair and thrown yourself into the sea. I saved you from that abyss. You hate Jacob, you’re grateful to me, you love me, and you’re loyal to me. You would never betray me.”
The Countess’s voice grew calm as well. “Yes, Count, I hate Jacob. I love you. I’m grateful to you. I’m loyal to you. I would never betray you. I am your wife.”
Ji Nansheng: “…”
Why did this conversation sound so strange?
Those last few lines, it was as if the Count was hypnotizing the Countess.
The door was tightly sealed, with not a single crack.
He couldn’t see what was happening inside and could only press his ear against the door to catch the slightest sounds.
The Count: “My dead, if Jacob were to appear before you now, what would you do?”
The Countess’s voice was confused. “What would I do?”
The Count: “You would plunge your dagger mercilessly into his heart. A man who betrays like that deserves his retribution.”
The Countess’s voice was dull and innocent. “Yes, I would stab him in the heart with my dagger.”
The Count: “Good. Remember, Jacob is an ugly monster. Getting close to him will only bring misfortune. He must be killed.”
The Countess: “Yes, I’ll remember. Jacob is an ugly monster. I must kill him.”
The five players looked at each other and took a synchronized step back, putting some distance between themselves and Dijia.
Dijia raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes seeming to ask: Why are you backing away?
Ji Nansheng: “…”
‘Why?’
‘Brother, do you have no self-awareness?’
‘Don’t you feel like you resemble that “Jacob” mentioned in the conversation between the Count and the Countess?’
No matter how you listen, it sounds like the Count has hypnotized the Countess. When the Countess sees Jacob, she sees an ugly monster.
Wasn’t this exactly like how “they see Dijia as a normal person, but the Countess sees him as a monster”?
Dijia pointed to the end of the hallway, signaling them to leave.
Hearing the rustling of footsteps from inside, Ji Nansheng and the others were afraid of getting discovered and quickly left.
Once they were off the third floor, Dijia spoke in a low voice, “You heard it, right? The Countess bewitched the Count and staged this play with him. I underestimated him. He’s more cunning and clever than I thought.”
The five looked at each other.
Muscular Man: “The Countess bewitched the Count? Brother, that’s bold of you to say. It sounded more like the Count was hypnotizing the Countess to me. I now have every reason to believe the reason the Countess loves the Count so much is because of his constant hypnosis.”
The girl added, “I even suspect you’re actually Jacob. In the Countess’s eyes, isn’t the terrifying monster just Jacob?”
Dijia: “I’m a player. This game is called ‘Yesterday Reappears.’ The game copy is called [Deadly Voyage], and there are two tasks: first, survive for 72 hours; second, find a way to leave the Siren’s territory. There are still 56 hours left of game time. I also know that sirens are skilled at transforming—they can turn into NPCs or players.”
*Changing”Deadly Waterway” to “Deadly Voyage”.
The man continued speaking smoothly, explaining the game in detail, “If I were a siren, how would I know so many details about the game?”
“That’s not right either. Why is the Countess so adamant that you’re the siren?” The girl frowned. “She described your appearance before—something about green skin, jagged teeth, basically ugly and terrifying.”
The man raised an eyebrow slightly. “That’s how she described me?”
“That’s pure slander, blatant slander.”
“This only further proves that the Countess is lying. She’s trying to lure you into believing I’m the siren.”
“Isn’t this lie a bit too poorly crafted?” Glasses said, rubbing his chin. “Doesn’t it seem strange that the Count can hypnotize? Hypnosis is quite powerful!”
The girl agreed, “Yeah, I also find it odd. The Countess had a fiancé three years ago, but he disappeared mysteriously, which is why she married the Count. If her fiancé hadn’t gone missing, the two of them would have been married by now, right? The Count wouldn’t have had a chance. The last entry in the Dream Star’s logbook was also three years ago. Could there be some connection?”
“Maybe the real siren is the Count?” the blonde player suggested, sticking to his romantic theory. “A beautiful maiden strolls by the sea, a terrifying siren sees her and falls hopelessly in love. To possess her, the siren kills her fiancé and takes on the Count’s identity, forcing the maiden into marriage. From then on, the maiden is deceived and falls deeply in love with the Count-siren, unaware that he is the one who killed her fiancé. What seems like a happy ending is actually filled with tragedy. It’s a sad yet romantic love story.”
Dijia interrupted the blonde player’s poetic thoughts. “In my view, there’s only one candidate for the siren, and that’s the Countess.”
Ji Nansheng twitched the corner of his mouth, “Just because she’s good-looking?”
Dijia: “Is there any stronger evidence than that?”
Ji Nansheng: “…”
‘Hey, don’t think just because you’re handsome you can get away with anything!’
Time on the ship passed quickly. Perhaps due to being in the Siren’s territory, the time in the upper-right corner of the system still showed 4 PM, but it was already dark outside.
The surrounding fog never dissipated, and everything was shrouded in a gloomy darkness. Plus, two people had just jumped into the sea, and the deck was completely deserted.
Dinner was scheduled for 4:30 PM.
After dinner, the Count and Countess appeared in the hall arm in arm and dressed elegantly.
The Countess had changed into a sapphire blue gown, with a voluminous skirt that swayed gently as she walked, like ripples on water.
Under the lights, one was radiant and glamorous, while the other was gray haired but looked vigorous. At a glance, they looked like a granddaughter and her grandfather.
The Countess looked at the man beside her affectionately, as if he were her whole world.
The Count tapped his cane, producing a crisp sound. “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the fright during this voyage. To make it up to you, we’ve prepared a marvelous circus performance for tonight. This circus is the Empire’s most renowned Royal Circus. Originally, I intended it as a surprise, but due to last night’s incident, the circus was revealed early, losing some of its surprise.”
