[Sea Ghost: Tier Six, Upper Rank, a ghost that belongs solely to the sea. In certain waters, it can render itself ghostly, and it can also ghost-ify the ship it commands, granting the vessel unimaginable stealth abilities...]

Weilian’s abilities became manifested. In other words, he gained "Magic," which resulted from his advancement on the ship, freeing him from the restrictions of his original world.

"Do you feel any changes?" Su Changxing looked at him expectantly and asked.

Weilian appeared bewildered, "What changes? What exactly do you mean?"

He was still completely unaware.

"My body feels a bit lighter; it seems like I do have some changes."

He slowly started to realize and gradually understood the existence of that power, sensing the mysterious aspect within himself.

However, he was still quite unskilled and couldn’t use his abilities flexibly, which caused him to behave strangely, switching back and forth between normal and ghostly states.

In the eyes of the other crew members, they only saw their captain disappearing and reappearing from time to time.

Moreover, Weilian’s abilities endowed the Horror Ghost Ship with even stronger stealth capabilities, allowing it to enter a Stealth state at night.

After sailing for another half day, they encountered an ironclad warship. Because they were in a Stealth state during the day, the warship did not notice them but only sensed something unusual on the sea surface.

After all, they were people who had long sailed the seas and were very sensitive to unusual changes.

"What is that, the surface seems to be moving; take a look." A sailor on the lookout said to the person next to them.

The sailor with a monocular looked in the indicated direction, showing a puzzled look on his face and observed for a while. "The surface is moving, but there’s nothing there; it should be fish beneath the water."

The Horror Ghost Ship clearly looked like a Pirate Ship. If discovered by these sailors, they would likely fire cannons at them without hesitation.

Maelon’s current situation was not very clear to Su Changxing and the others, so they could only sneak in quietly to check the situation first.

As they approached Maelon’s waters, they began to frequently encounter other ships; there were passenger ships, cargo ships, warships, and even some small fishing boats.

On some small nearby islands, fishermen lived, making a living by fishing and visiting the city once every half month.

Wodan, although the Imperial Capital, could not compare to Maelon in some aspects. It was the birthplace of steam, also known as the Technology City, with many new products spreading to the entire Empire from here.

The southern and northern regions of the Empire presented entirely different appearances. The north was filled with numerous factories, railways, and steamships, while many southern areas remained as they had been over a decade ago, relatively backward.

"I have never been here, but I know what this place looks like. The Imperial Tower contains many records and photos of Maelon." Kasmin looked at the lighthouse emitting its beacon in the distance, showing a hint of excitement.

Su Changxing was also curious about that person, whose wisdom had changed the vast Empire. The Empire’s current state was undoubtedly half his contribution.

Eric, a scientist who pioneered the steam age, had no title but managed a city, the Empire’s newest and most prosperous city.

Su Changxing guessed that this person might be a Player or, to put it in a more crass way, a traveler who brought with him extra knowledge and pioneered this era.

He could not believe that someone could single-handedly bring about the mighty change of the entire Empire.

In other words, even if he was a Player, it seemed he had not changed this Empire. Players existed in this world but were trapped here instead.

Su Changxing squinted and calmly asked, "Are you sure Eric will stand by your side and help you reclaim the throne?"

Kasmin nodded, saying, "Yes, he used to come often to the Imperial Tower to see me and conveyed some very novel knowledge. He had an excellent relationship with my mother as well."

Su Changxing noticed a crucial element, "So you’re saying he’s my rival in love?"

Kasmin blinked and said quietly, "They aren’t in that kind of relationship, just friends,"

Su Changxing touched his chin, "Theoretically, that’s possible. With the Empress’ extraordinary poise, no man wouldn’t be captivated by her."

Kasmin glanced at Su Changxing and said faintly, "You seem to be an exception."

Su Changxing chuckled, "Didn’t you say I was your mom’s lover?"

"No, it sounds like an insult... Didn’t you say I was your mother’s lover?"

"..." Kasmin was silent for a while, "In my impression, you were quite indifferent to my mother. I saw you when I was a child, and then you disappeared for a long time. I thought I would never see you again, thinking you might have died somewhere."

"But now, you’ve reappeared, accompanied by my mother’s death. For a while, I thought this might be related to you."

Disappeared for a long time?

A big question mark popped up in Su Changxing’s mind. It seemed peculiar, as if it was a coincidence kept in the dark or so-called destiny.

When he entered the High-Level World, Liu Gula returned to the Imperial Tower, accompanied by the Empress’ death, and he came to this world, taking over Liu Gula’s identity.

No!

This is wrong!

Su Changxing’s heart began to race as he realized there was something he knew but had ignored as if led by a subconscious guide.

A chill rose in his heart.

He remembered.

He remembered that when heading toward the Bronze Gate, the shop’s refresh time was eight days, but after arriving here, the refresh time was five days.

That is to say, three days disappeared in between. He didn’t pay attention before, thinking it was the time consumed crossing the Bronze Gate, but now it seems unreasonable.

If no time was consumed in between, that means he arrived here three days earlier and stayed in the Imperial Tower before the Empress was assassinated.

Thinking about it now, it sends shivers down the spine.

So here’s the question: what exactly did he do during those three days? Did he lose that part of his memory, or was there another situation?

Su Changxing also connected this to what Kasmin mentioned about Liu Gula, who disappeared from this world for over a decade before reappearing.

He immediately felt his tongue and mouth went dry. What if he approached it from a different angle?

Could it be that the person named Liu Gula is actually him?

Could it be that he is Liu Gula?

This might not be the identity substitution he initially imagined; that was just his preconceived notion.

Because this is a real world.

If that’s the case.

This world is in chaos. The people around him can be replaced by others at any time, even the Empress. What system is left to speak of in that case?