The sky was overcast.
A few sea birds fled from the gray and misty sea surface, circling above the makeshift pier, their cries sharp and high-pitched.
Two large sailboats quietly docked beside the pier, sailors standing on the shore supervising the busy slaves.
After a moment, a burly bald sailor yawned in boredom and began to complain to his companion beside him.
"Being stuck in this godforsaken place is really bad luck!"
His tone was somewhat restless: "There's not even a decent brothel around here! Are all the people in this place fools?"
No one responded, the atmosphere on the shore was as gray as the seawater.
"Hmph, they're all a bunch of boring folks."
The burly sailor kicked a stone at his feet, sneering: "I think all of you got so scared by that damned Celestial Calamity that you wet your pants!"
"Don't bring up the Celestial Calamity again, Mike."
An old sailor, with white hair and a sun tattoo on his shoulder, sighed: "As sailors, no matter where we are, we must have respect for the sea."
"Shut up, Old Karl, don't think just because you're a bit older, you can act superior to me!"
Mike glared with wide eyes: "Look under your feet, we've already successfully escaped the sea!"
Seeing the redness in the burly sailor's eyes, the old sailor shook his head and continued to silently gaze at the distant horizon.
He could tell, Mike, with no outlet for his frustration, was using anger to mask his anxiety.
"You cowardly old fart."
Seeing the old man remain silent, Mike snorted. Just as he was about to continue mocking the old man, he saw a thinly dressed child approaching the pier.
"Get lost! Brat!" he shouted angrily: "If you dare steal anything here, I'll chop off your filthy hand!"
The little girl immediately froze in fear.
"Mike, be kinder to the locals, you're a bit too high-strung." The old sailor frowned.
He approached the frightened little girl, crouched down, and comforted her: "Don't worry, child, we're not bad people, but this is no place for you either..."
The little girl looked at Mike with some fear, then pointed to the sky and whispered to the old man: "You should run."
"What?" Old Karl was taken aback.
"The sea birds are afraid."
The little girl's cheeks were dusty, yet her eyes were strikingly bright: "They must have seen something terrifying."
Old Karl's expression changed, he suddenly stood up, and stared intently at the sea birds circling above.
"What's gotten into you?"
Mike was a bit puzzled, he looked at the little girl running away and asked, "What did that brat say to you?"
"There's no time to explain!"
Old Karl's tone was anxious, he began shouting loudly: "Everyone! Quickly move away from the shore!"
"What nonsense is that old guy saying?"
Mike only felt the old man's behavior was incomprehensible: "Mr. Charles ordered us to keep an eye on the cargo on the ship! Do you want us to lose our jobs?"
The other sailors exchanged glances, the slaves still numbly hauling cargo.
Old Karl glanced at the crowd, without a moment's hesitation he turned and left.
"Ha, that old guy's really lost it, we're on the shore, how could there still be danger?"
Mike spat at the old man's back: "I left the Alliance, painstakingly crossing the Fog Strait and enduring the Celestial Calamity, just to earn this generous reward!"
He snarled: "No one better try to block my path to wealth!"
Hearing this, many of the previously doubtful sailors calmed down and looked at Mike with approving glances.
"If we leave now, Mr. Charles will surely fire us..."
"I also think Mike is right..."
Listening to everyone's agreement, Mike finally grinned, feeling somewhat relieved, and raised his head, those bothersome sea birds called as they flew away from the shore, disappearing.
Mike's tensed body completely relaxed, suddenly feeling the urge to relieve himself, so he stood by the sea, unbuttoned his pants, and prepared to relax.
"Everyone!"
He turned his head to the crowd and laughed: "Once we reach Lion Heart Royal City, I'll take you to the best women in the local brothels!"
The sailors burst into laughter, but at that moment, Mike suddenly felt a chill for no apparent reason.
Laughter... laughter...
The crowd was clearly laughing behind him, but why was there laughter coming from right in front of him as well?
Laughter... Laughter...
Inhuman laughter.
It seemed as if something was laughing along with the crowd, the sound piercing his ears together with the howling sea wind. At this moment, Mike felt a chill spread throughout his body.
He stiffly turned his head and looked towards the sea.
At some point, the sea waves froze in place, the boundless sea transformed into a rough gray mirror. Mike lowered his head and saw his reflection laughing hysterically.
The 'Mike' in the water had its mouth wide open, that mouth like a deep chasm. It grew wider and wider, tearing apart the space around its visage, swallowing up the features in the reflection.
The depths of fear instantly clutched at Mike's heart.
"No! No no no no!! This is impossible!!!"
He let out a piercing scream, turning around intending to flee, but the chasm kept growing, spreading, and the laughter crawling out from it nurtured endless malice.
In the next moment, Mike fell into his reflection's mouth, endlessly plummeting alongside the laughter.
The Celestial Calamity happened just like that, lightly.
In the terror-stricken eyes of the crowd, black fissures suddenly sprouted from the sea surface at Mike's feet, and the space, like a shattered mirror, began to collapse, began to disintegrate.
Crack... Crack...
That was the sound of reality shattering like glass.
Within the collapse's center, Mike turned into pieces, like an abstract figure in an oil painting torn apart, falling into the void created by the space collapse, crying out in despair till his death.
"Help me! Please help me!"
But not a single person paid him any mind, everyone was frantically trying to escape for their lives.
Yet the collapse happened much too quickly! The black space fissures, like devil's claws, in just an instant, swallowed several sailors and slaves into the collapsing space, falling into the dark void left behind by the disintegration.
Amid the successive screams, panic quickly spread.
In the eyes of local paupers, the dark void left by the space collapse was undoubtedly a black monster devouring everything!
"How could this be... How could the Celestial Calamity chase onto the land..."
Far away, Old Karl witnessed it all, muttering to himself, his eyes showing deep despair.
The danger by the sea far exceeded his imagination.
Old Karl knew he couldn't escape, neither could anyone in this town, for the Celestial Calamity fissure would infinitely grow, engulfing the entire area within a kilometer radius into the void.
He closed his eyes, softly knelt to the ground, caressing the sun tattoo on his shoulder, ready to perform the final prayer of his life.
The screams of people gradually faded away, the surroundings quieted down.
And at this moment, the praying old man heard a timid and childish voice:
"It's already over."
"What?"
Old Karl opened his eyes in astonishment, and found the little girl standing by his side.
"It's already over."
The little girl repeated, holding a white sea bird in her arms, gazing clearly at the endless sea.
Old Karl looked up towards the shore, and was amazed to see the tree-like Celestial Calamity fissures starting to shrink, the void created by the collapse slowly healing.
A moment later, only two sailboats were left on the shore, though one had lost half its body, exposing a shocking cross-section.
Did the Celestial Calamity come to an easy stop like this?
"How... how could you know..."
Old Karl instinctively stepped back from the little girl, his expression uncertain and surprised.
"Because I heard it."
The little girl stroked the sea bird in her arms, earnestly explaining, "The sea is no longer angry."
Looking at that small figure, Old Karl couldn't help but associate her with the mysterious and dangerous Sacrificial Witch, who operated within the Alliance territory, each member wielding unpredictable powers.
Yet the little girl before him wore clothes made from coarse hemp, her body frail, her little face dirty, looking no different from other paupers in town.
Just when Old Karl intended to ask something, he heard a rush of hoofbeats coming from the town.
The old sailor's heart sank.
The local lord seemed to have sent someone rushing over.