Morning fog rolled slowly across the Sonia Sea.
Adrian stood at the front of his ship, holding the railing while the cold wind brushed against his coat.
The ocean had been unusually quiet since yesterday.
No ships.
No seabirds.
Just endless gray water stretching in every direction.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"…Strange."
His Spirit Master senses were quietly active, extending outward like invisible threads.
For a while, he sensed nothing unusual.
Then suddenly—
His expression changed.
A sharp spiritual disturbance appeared ahead.
Not one.
Several.
Adrian immediately focused.
"…Spirits."
And not weak wandering ones like those from the graveyard.
These were stronger.
More chaotic.
More aggressive.
A faint chill ran down his spine.
Adrian carefully guided his ship closer while remaining cautious.
The fog slowly parted.
Then he saw it.
A broken ship floated half-submerged in the water.
The wooden hull had been shattered, and parts of the mast leaned sideways like a dying tree.
The vessel clearly had been here for some time.
But that wasn't what caught Adrian's attention.
Around the wreck…
Several ghostly figures floated above the water.
Five of them.
Their shapes twisted and distorted, like shadows made of mist.
Their movements were restless and violent.
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
"…Hostile spirits."
These were not peaceful wandering souls.
They were the spirits of sailors who had likely died violently when the ship sank.
Hatred and confusion still clung to them.
Adrian slowly stopped his ship at a safe distance.
For a moment he simply observed.
The spirits drifted aimlessly around the wreck, occasionally releasing faint shrieks that distorted the surrounding mist.
They had not noticed him yet.
Adrian crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Five spirits…"
If he could bind them to his ship, they would become excellent guards.
Much stronger than the single wandering soul he currently had.
But there was a problem.
These spirits were hostile.
Guiding them peacefully would be difficult.
Adrian reached into his pocket and took out one of his spirit coins.
"…Let's test something."
He flicked the coin lightly into the air.
The moment the coin activated—
A burst of spiritual energy spread outward.
The nearby spirits immediately reacted.
All five ghostly figures suddenly turned toward Adrian.
Their empty eyes locked onto him.
Adrian felt a cold pressure slam into his mind.
"…They noticed me."
The spirits began rushing toward his ship.
Their movements were fast and chaotic.
Adrian quickly focused his mind.
"Return to rest!"
He extended his spiritual power toward them.
For a moment, the closest spirit slowed.
But the others only became more violent.
One of the ghosts lunged toward him with a distorted scream.
Adrian immediately threw another spirit coin.
The coin exploded in a flash of spiritual energy.
The attacking ghost recoiled violently.
Its form flickered unstable for a moment.
Adrian's eyes lit up.
"Good. It works."
The spirit coins were weak, but they could still disrupt hostile ghosts.
Using that moment of hesitation, Adrian slammed his hand against the wooden railing of his ship.
"Bind!"
He poured his spiritual power into the vessel.
The wandering soul already bound to the ship reacted instantly.
A faint spiritual field spread across the hull.
The closest ghost was suddenly pulled downward toward the wooden deck.
The spirit struggled violently.
But the ship's spiritual anchor slowly dragged it closer.
Adrian gritted his teeth.
"Stay… still!"
After several seconds of struggle—
The ghost finally collapsed into pale mist.
The mist flowed into the wooden hull.
Adrian exhaled heavily.
"One down…"
The remaining spirits circled around the ship angrily.
But now Adrian understood something.
His ship itself had become a spiritual anchor.
If he weakened the ghosts first, he could bind them.
The next few minutes became chaotic.
Adrian used his remaining coins to disrupt the spirits.
Then he used his Spirit Master abilities to force them into the ship.
One by one, the ghosts weakened.
Finally—
The last spirit was dragged into the vessel.
Silence returned to the sea.
Adrian leaned against the railing, breathing heavily.
"Five spirits…"
He could now clearly feel them inside the ship.
Unlike the calm wandering soul from before, these spirits were restless.
Hostile.
But the ship's anchor forced them to remain bound.
"They'll make good guards."
Once they stabilized, they could act as a warning system against spiritual threats.
After resting for a few minutes, Adrian looked back toward the drowned wreck.
"…Now let's see what sank this ship."
He carefully guided his vessel closer.
The wreck was heavily damaged, but parts of the deck were still above water.
Adrian stepped onto the broken ship.
The wood creaked under his boots.
The air smelled of salt and rot.
Several skeletons lay scattered across the deck.
Adrian searched the remains cautiously.
Most items had already rotted away.
But then—
He found a locked wooden chest near the captain's cabin.
Adrian broke the weakened lock.
When the chest opened—
His eyes widened slightly.
Inside were several leather bags.
He opened one.
Gold coins filled the bag.
Adrian quickly checked the others.
More gold.
Silver coins.
Some jewelry.
After counting roughly, Adrian estimated the value.
"…At least 300 pounds."
Even by noble standards maybe not but this was a large amount of money for him.
Adrian closed the chest and looked around the silent wreck.
The hostile spirits he had bound earlier were probably the souls of this crew.
After dying violently, they had remained trapped near the wreck.
Adrian carried the bags back to his ship.
Once everything was secured, he took one last look at the ruined vessel slowly sinking into the fog.
Then he raised the sail again.
His ship moved forward across the gray waters.
Inside the hull, five restless spirits now guarded the vessel.
And below the deck…
Three hundred pounds of gold rested safely inside a wooden chest.
Adrian smiled faintly.
"This journey is getting interesting."