Chapter 365

Daphne

"System, what the hell is going on?" I ask, my voice raw, my arms burning as I cling to the plank.

The purple orb appears, hovering above the water. It pulses once, then launches into an explanation.

Apparently, this world’s plot follows Prince Caspian. An illegitimate prince who ’yearns’ for adventure. His kingdom is highly dependent on trade by sea—but for the past fifteen years, a monster has been sinking their ships. The economy is collapsing. People are starving.

When Caspian receives word that his brother has been killed by the monster, he sets out on a journey to hunt it down. To avenge his brother. To restore prosperity to his kingdom. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He heads out with a notorious pirate’s daughter—a talented female navigator. (They’ll both become his wives by the end, even though he already left a wife at home.) Along the way, they save the life of a mermaid princess. She joins them.

She also marries him.

Happily ever after.

Except the beloved mermaid princess is killed. The dear main character refuses to give up his first wife—the one who killed her—to the merfolk for revenge.

It triggers a war.

Damn.

These harems really cause chaos.

"Okay, the plot aside." My teeth are chattering. "Anything that can help me before I literally drown?"

[Well.] The System’s store interface flickers to life.

[From the system store, we have transportation devices.]

I scroll through, still clinging to the plank with one hand. Bicycle. Skateboard. Motorcycle. The list starts to get more random—a broom, a sword, a carpet, a spaceship?

I pause.

One item is unnamed. Just question marks.

??? - 1000 SP

"What’s this?" I ask.

[What—oh.] The System sounds almost surprised.

[That is a tiny fragment of a god’s steed.]

I stare at the listing. "Why is it under mode of transportation?"

[Because it is, in a way, a mode of transportation.]

"A fragment of a god’s steed."

[Yes.]

"How?" I ask.

[Once you get all the fragments, you will be able to have something that shapeshifts into any—]

I don’t let the System finish.

I hit purchase.

A black blob materializes in front of me, hovering above the dark water. It pulses. It’s about the size of a cat. It looks vaguely... disappointed.

"Be a boat," I command.

The blob shifts. Warps. Condenses.

It becomes a simple wooden plank.

The exact same plank I was already holding onto.

...

[...]

I stare at the System.

The System stares back at me.

[...You didn’t let me finish, Host.]

"I just wasted a thousand points." My voice is flat. "A thousand points."

I sigh. Deeply.

I only have 2,100 points left. I had to borrow 1,800 SP from the System to get the memory skill I used on Elliot. That debt took decades to pay off. And now I’ve blown a thousand on a magic blob that turns into a plank.

I scroll through the store again.

Ships.

I find one. A pirate ship—sails and cannons and a flag with a skull. The listing says the original Daphne was a pirate. Apparently, in this world, I have a reputation.

The ship costs 900 SP.

I buy it.

A ship materializes beside me—wood creaking, sails unfurling, lanterns flickering to life. It’s beautiful. Terrifying. Mine.

I climb aboard.

I buy a few more things—the ability to sail the ship, a map, a compass, some weapons, food supplies, and gold coins for whatever passes as currency in this world.

When I’m done, I’m broke.

500 SP left.

A fraction of what I had.

I change into clean clothes,a pirate’s shirt, dark trousers, boots that lace up to my knees.

I grip the wheel. The wood is warm beneath my palms.

I set a course for the nearest port.

The map says it’s called Port Vermillion.

Guess I’m a pirate now.

***

Caspian

Port Vermilion is a stain on the map. A haven for criminals, pirates, and anyone who doesn’t want to be found. The streets are mud. The buildings are crooked. The air smells of salt and blood.

But rumor has it there’s an old man here who saw the monster and survived.

And I need to find him.

My boots sink into the muddy pathways. The locals eye me—my coat is too fine, my boots too clean. I don’t belong here. They can smell it on me.

Marina refused to come ashore. She’s waiting on the ship, hidden below deck, afraid one of her father’s men might recognize her.

I don’t blame her.

I wouldn’t want to be recognized either.

A gunshot echoes through the street. I flinch, hand going to my coat, fingers brushing the pistol hidden in the inner pocket.

A man crumples to the ground. Dead. His body is looted before it stops twitching.

I force myself to keep walking.

Don’t stare. Don’t react. Don’t be prey.

The old man is supposed to be in a tavern at the edge of town. The Drowned Rat. Fitting.

I find it. Push through the door.

The inside is dark, smoky, sticky. The patrons eye me the way wolves eye a wounded deer. I ignore them.

I look around. She said I’d know him when I saw him—and she was right.

Despite the fact that everyone in here has scars and missing limbs, his are way more pronounced. Jagged claw marks rake from his face down to his neck, the wound still healing, pink and puckered and disgusting.

I steel myself and take a seat opposite him.

He opens one eye. Blinks at me slowly. His good eye,the other is milky white, long since blind.

Then he smiles.

He’s missing teeth. His breath is foul—rotten and sour, like something left too long in the sun. I hope my disgust doesn’t show on my face.

"An’ther fool, aye." His voice is wet. Ragged. He laughs, a rasping sound that turns into a cough.

I wait for him to finish.

"You know the rules." He taps his empty tankard. "No bottle, no information."

Of course.