Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship-Chapter 155 - Attempting to Land on the Island

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The island was perfectly round, with smooth edges and only sparse, white shrubs about a metre high growing across its interior. The shrubs had no leaves and were very scattered.

Yang Yi randomly chose a spot to approach the island, since everywhere looked the same. He then turned the ship sideways and aimed the water-infused cannon at the shore, firing two rounds. One was a standard cannonball, which blasted a hole in the salt island’s coast.

Through the impact site, it became clear that the island’s surface was covered in about a dozen centimetres of salt frost, beneath which was dark, loose soil. So, the island wasn’t made entirely of salt, it just had a thick layer of crystallised salt on the surface.

The second round was different: it launched a human-headed octopus, which splattered on the shore into a mess of pulp.

Yang Yi stopped firing and instead used his Third Eye to scan the island, to see if he’d disturbed anything living, but nothing stirred. He switched to regular vision and observed for several more minutes through the telescope. Still, there was nothing unusual. At first glance, the island appeared completely lifeless, a dead zone.

He fired two more cannonballs, this time aiming at the white shrubs. Both were solid shots that plowed through the shrubs, carving two paths through them. They were completely pulverised, releasing clouds of white dust that shot into the air.

The shrubs were made of salt too!

Yang Yi ceased firing, deciding not to waste any more ammo. From what he could see so far, the island didn’t seem dangerous, it was just salt everywhere. However, having once walked through a salt desert filled with salt-based humanoid monsters, Yang Yi knew better than to let his guard down.

He had no intention of landing in person just yet.

“Look at the octopus corpse!” Suna called out.

Yang Yi had been watching the island, but now turned toward the shore, and saw that the octopus’s flesh had already dried out, like jerky, clinging to the coastline. Under normal circumstances, even pulverised flesh wouldn’t dry that fast… Unless something had drained all the moisture from it.

Yang Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, an idea forming in his mind. Previously, he had no way to explore such a place without setting foot on it himself. But things were different, as he had the Fallen Penitent’s Armour. With just the gauntlet equipped, it could be controlled like a puppet, acting as an extension of himself.

So, Yang Yi decided to use the armor to explore the island and collect samples.

The armour was stored in separate parts, the right gauntlet was inside the Charred Worm Ring, and the rest of it in the Ripe Stomach. Once everything was prepared, Yang Yi donned the gauntlet, sharp spikes instantly pierced into his palm, but the pain only lasted a moment.

After that, the gauntlet felt just like a normal metal glove, as long as he didn’t force it off, it was fine. Tiny spikes on its surface slowly oozed blood droplets and improved grip at the same time. Yang Yi flexed his right hand to adjust, then took out the rest of the armor from the Ripe Stomach and guided the Nightmare Star closer to the island.

He informed Suna of the plan, to use the armor to collect salt and soil samples to figure out the nature of the island.

“Take this too,” Suna said, handing him a glass jar containing two sluggish long-legged sardines.

Ever since the fire-fluff spiderlings all died, the sardines had become the new standard lab test subjects in the witch’s lab. The fish could survive over 24 hours out of water, making them very convenient to keep.

“What’s this for?”

“Put one inside the chest plate, and one on the ground, see if they dehydrate,” Suna explained.

Yang Yi thought it made sense and did as instructed.

The two sardines had been weighed, each was around 100 grams. If their weight dropped significantly, it would suggest dehydration.

Once ready, Yang Yi handed the Penitent’s Armour a basic iron shovel and a wooden bucket, then lowered a raft into the water.

The raft, made from spider silk cocoons, had been prepared earlier for extreme winter sea use, sturdy and reliable, though this was its first real deployment. After all, the armour could barely swim, it would need the raft to get ashore.

Yang Yi used the shovel as a paddle to steer it towards the island. He could see through its perspective, so controlling it wasn’t too difficult. Meanwhile, Suna fetched a bucket of seawater, curious about the local salt content.

The testing method was simple: if you knew the volume and weight, you could calculate density. Freshwater usually has a density of 1. However, she didn’t need to do the math, because within minutes of drawing the seawater, salt crystals had already begun to precipitate, indicating the seawater was in a state of supersaturation.

Once taken ashore, its equilibrium was broken, and the salt crystallised out.

“Supersaturated seawater...”

Suna’s crimson eyes were filled with disbelief. It wasn’t a lake, after all, rather an endless open sea!

Creating a localised supersaturated saltwater zone in the ocean like such was practically impossible. And yet, there it was.

Even the part of the Nightmare Star’s hull that was in contact with the water had begun to develop a crust of salt frost.

Yang Yi steered the Penitent’s Armour, pushing the raft toward the shore. Since it only had a left arm, its movement was slightly awkward. Fortunately, the task was simple, just collect some salt and soil samples and scout the island for potential dangers.

After landing, Yang Yi selected a safe spot and closed his eyes, fully immersing himself in controlling the armour.

The island’s surface was covered in white sand, though it wasn’t loose, in fact, especially near the coast, it had become solidified white salt blocks.

Yang Yi manoeuvred the armour to the previously blasted crater, used the shovel to scoop up some salt and soil, and stored them in the wooden bucket he carried. He then placed the bucket inside the chestplate, wedging it into the leg armour for stability. The bucket fit just right, making it easy to move around.

In the other pant leg was a glass jar, the perfect size, containing two long-legged sardines.

Following Suna’s instructions, Yang Yi dumped one sardine out, leaving the other inside the jar for comparison later.

Upon setting foot on the island, both sardines became even more lethargic, barely moving at all.

Plop.

One long-legged sardine hit the salt-covered ground. But in the very next second, as if experiencing a last burst of life, it suddenly sprang to life and tried to flee, frantically scrambling toward the sea. Yang Yi was a bit surprised and began guiding the armour to catch it. Through his shared vision, he noticed that the sardine’s four pearly, glossy legs, especially the feet, were rapidly shriveling, as if being air-dried.

Before Yang Yi could swing the shovel, a spike of salt shot out from the ground and impaled the sardine from below, nailing it on the spot.

Its moisture was instantly drained, leaving behind a fish that looked like it had been air-dried and then sun-scorched far beyond the norm, a completely over-dehydrated salted fish.

“What the…”

Yang Yi sat bolt upright in his chair.

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