Isaac gave an impassioned speech. As soon as he finished, the little cub in front of him let out a small yawn.

Isaac: “…”

Isaac huffed, displeased by Gu Rong’s lack of applause.

This was a bit unfair to Gu Rong. Although Gu Rong yawned, he had been listening very seriously to Isaac’s speech.

It was just that he was young, needing around 13-14 hours of sleep a day. These past few days, he not only had to run around the ship doing tasks but also switch back and forth between Rongrong and Zaizai, which was truly exhausting.

His current image could be described as a “part-time worker.”

Gu Rong was drowsy, but he still remembered his task. In a tender, childish voice: “Then if you don’t have a captain, can Zaizai be the little captain?”

Isaac: “…”

This little cub was impenetrable!

Did his big speech earlier amount to nothing, completely like playing the piano to a cub? (T/N: Chinese idiom for wasting effort on someone who doesn’t understand/appreciate.)

The crew members were all silenced by Gu Rong. This little cub wanted to be their captain!

Considering Sophia’s dying words, the crew members fell silent in thought.

Sophia had said that the key to lifting the undead curse lay with the Nicholas family, which was why she had instructed them to find the second prince.

And now, only two cubs remained from the Nicholas family: one was the Little Prince of the Starsea Continent, and the other was the little cub in front of them.

If this little cub could help them lift the undead curse, then letting him be captain didn’t seem impossible…

The crew members were still weighing the pros and cons, hesitating.

But they saw the little dumpling in front of them yawning repeatedly, so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, his little head nodding off, about to fall asleep sitting on the stool.

Gu Rong: ZZZ

The Crew: “…”

What exactly was this little cub here for?!

–

In the Pharaoh’s captain’s room, the King, Captain, and Jameson all wore grave expressions.

Lin-dalao and Xiao Lin were also present, looking silently at the black fog-covered sea surface.

The atmosphere was heavy, and no one spoke for a while.

“General Alpha, Mr. Sen, regarding Zaizai falling onto the Phantom Ghost Ship, what are your thoughts?”

King Louis XIII spoke first, his expression dark, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Alpha used to be a famous general, and the King was accustomed to calling him General, not Captain.

Captain Alpha’s beard was white, and he looked truly old. If it were in his youth, he certainly wouldn’t hesitate like this, but now his heart was full of worry, unable to make up his mind.

His favorability towards both Zaizai and Rongrong was over 50%, and after several interactions, it had increased quite a bit.

He couldn’t help but worry about Zaizai.

Jameson sat in his wheelchair, the trouser legs where his legs should have been hanging empty. In his mind was the phantom version of the “Pharaoh,” covered in fresh flowers.

When he designed the “Black Goat of the Woods,” he had designed two completely identical ships. Because General Nicholas had twins, the “Black Goat of the Woods” was his congratulatory gift for the full-moon celebration of General Nicholas’s children.

Later, the royal family needed to explore the Deep Sea Ghost Realm, and the “Black Goat of the Woods” were the only two ships capable of entering it.

Not just Devil Sharks, but no sea monster in the Deep Sea Ghost Realm could attack the “Black Goat of the Woods.”

Because the materials used for the “Black Goat of the Woods” originated from ore found in the Deep Sea Ghost Realm.

In the deepest part of the Deep Sea Ghost Realm lay rich mineral deposits, which were the reason why the Starsea Continent had spared no effort or resources to explore the Deep Sea Ghost Realm back then.

Back then, the Deep Sea Ghost Realm wasn’t called that, and there were no Devil Sharks or various sea monsters in the realm; it was just an extremely perilous sea area.

Jameson was the leader of the mining expedition back then. He was lucky enough to collect a huge amount of ore from the seabed. Not only that, but the Soul Ring and Soul Sword were also found at the center of the ore deposit.

Besides the Soul Ring, the Starsea Continent had another national treasure, the Soul Sword, both originating from the Deep Sea Ghost Realm.

Jameson presented the Soul Ring and Soul Sword to the royal family and forged the two ships from the mined steel, presenting them to General Nicholas.

However, after the Soul Ring and Soul Sword were taken away, the Deep Sea Ghost Realm completely changed. Not only did Devil Sharks appear, but the originally normal sea area became shrouded in black fog, and the Deep Sea Ghost Realm fell into eternal night…

Jameson’s legs were bitten by Devil Sharks during the evacuation. At that time, the entire ship had a full two thousand people, yet only 23 survived. He was one of them.

The Phantom Ghost Ship was once also a “Black Goat of the Woods.”

She had the same design as the Pharaoh, like a “twin sister.” Yet now, she had become a ghost ship. Her skeleton remained, but her flesh and blood had long decayed.

Jameson pondered deeply: “To reclaim the second prince and the Soul Ring, I’m afraid we can only rely on the Soul Sword.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere became even more stagnant.

After a moment, King Louis XIII ordered someone to bring the Soul Sword.

The Soul Sword was housed in an exquisitely crafted sword box. Opening the box, a completely black sword lay quietly inside, shrouded in a dense black mist.

–

On the Phantom Ghost Ship, Gu Rong lay flat on the sofa, deeply asleep.

A group of crew members surrounded the sofa, looking at this little cub sleeping oblivious to the world, each with complex feelings.

Crew member Hall said, “Are we really going to let this little cub be the little captain?”

Another crew member asked sincerely: “If we let him be the little captain, can we lift the undead curse?”

Hall shrugged: “Who knows?”

“But it’s worth a try,” Isaac said.

He sat by the fireplace, drinking a bottle of rum. The bottle was dirty, and his skin and clothes were also dirty, blending perfectly with the Phantom Ghost Ship.

Outside, the Ghost Ship was covered in rose branches. Inside the cabin, the framework was also composed of skulls. Those skulls, originally with closed eyes like inanimate decorations, now, one by one, slowly opened their eyes, their eyeballs rolling gulu-lulu.

The skulls awakened, and all looked towards the little cub sleeping sprawled out on the sofa.

“Oh oh oh, isn’t this General Nicholas’s child?”

“Such a cute little baby! We were gifts for General Nicholas’s children. Ultimately, we were meant to be passed down to General Nicholas’s twins. The other Black Goat is still in the Starsea Continent, considered given to the Little Prince, so naturally, we should be passed down to the Second Prince!”

“Gagaga, that’s right, we should be passed down to the Second Prince!”

“The Second Prince wants to be the little captain, let him be! The Second Prince is our little captain!!”

“Little Captain, Little Captain!”

The group of skulls could actually talk.

Even stranger, they actually remembered their origin, remembered they were created as gifts for General Nicholas’s children.

Seeing Gu Rong, they seemed to have found their little master, cackling and demanding that Gu Rong be made the little captain.

Hearing the chattering of the skulls, the group of crew members dug their ears, extremely annoyed by the noise.

But the crew members wavered even more. If Gu Rong could help them lift the undead curse, what was wrong with letting him be the little captain?

Gu Rong finally woke up amidst the chattering of the skulls.

The cub stretched lazily as he woke up, still groggy, raising his small, meaty hand to rub his eyes.

Seeing Gu Rong awaken, all the skulls instantly shut up, falling silent, but their eyes, wider than copper bells, were all fixed on the little captain.

Gu Rong became fully awake, met the gazes of the crew members, and then saw the staring skulls.

Gu Rong blinked his big eyes, then tilted his little head after a moment, seeming very curious.

These skulls had closed eyes before; why were they all open now?

Gu Rong slid off the sofa, walked up to a string of skulls, patted a skull’s head with his small hand, and even wanted to try poking its eyeballs.

The skull promptly closed its eyes, dodging the disaster, and yelled: “Aiya, my eyes are going blind!”

Gu Rong let out a “Wah,” his mouth forming an ‘O’ shape, then dadada, ran around the cabin patting skulls. He’d pat this one, and the skull would roll its eyes; pat that one, and the skull would grin toothily.

The crew members just watched Gu Rong play with the skulls.

This little cub… has some serious nerve!

He wasn’t the least bit afraid of moving, talking skulls!

[These skulls are so lucky, getting their heads patted by the cub!]

[Hahaha, send my head over, let the cub pat it like a rubber ball!]

[Then send my head over, let the cub kick it like a ball!]

–

Gu Rong had the attention span of a child. After patting the skulls for a while, he stopped.

After sleeping, his little tummy was flat hungry again. Gu Rong asked 006 to buy him a bottle of milk, holding it with his short little hands to drink.

The crew members’ attention was constantly on Gu Rong.

Seeing him materialize a bottle of milk out of nowhere, they were all stunned.

This little cub seemed unusual, definitely not an ordinary child.

Letting him be the captain of the Phantom Ghost Ship… seemed plausible.

What Gu Rong didn’t know was that while he had woken up and drunk a bottle of milk, the crew members had basically convinced themselves.

Isaac looked at the round-headed little dumpling in front of him and said, “Little ghost, why do you want to be our little captain?”

Gu Rong thought about his task and clenched his little fist: “Zaizai wants to lead the Pharaoh into the Phantom Ghost Realm!”

Isaac: “…”

Everyone: “…”

WTF!

This little cub actually knew about the Phantom Ghost Realm?

Not only did he know about the Phantom Ghost Realm, but he also knew their battle plan?!

That’s right, the crew’s battle plan was to lure the Pharaoh into the Phantom Ghost Realm beneath the Deep Sea Ghost Realm, then capture them all in one net, and seize the Pharaoh while they were at it.

The Pharaoh originally belonged to General Nicholas, not the Starsea Continent, and should be returned to its rightful owner.

Both Black Goat of the Woods ships would ultimately belong to the Deep Sea Ghost Realm.

They originated from the Deep Sea Ghost Realm, and beneath it lay the buried spirits of the Nicholas family.

The more the crew looked at Gu Rong, the more extraordinary he seemed.

After much internal debate, the crew members finally compromised.

Isaac smiled and said, “You can be our little captain. But the Phantom Ghost Ship is different from the Pharaoh. She has her own thoughts now. If you can command this ship, we will let you be the little captain.”

Actually, he was completely going easy on him.

The Phantom Ghost Ship was composed of countless skulls. And earlier, when Gu Rong was sleeping, the skulls were already clamoring to support Gu Rong as their little captain. Now, letting Gu Rong command the Phantom Ghost Ship was equivalent to letting him command these skulls.

If Gu Rong just said a word, these skulls would eagerly rush forward.

Gu Rong was young and didn’t quite understand: “How to command?”

Sol interjected: “It’s simple. You make the Phantom Ghost Ship change its shape according to your thoughts. If she can obey your command, it means this ship accepts you, and we will naturally support you as our little captain.”

Gu Rong understood, stomped his little foot, and let out a “Heh.”

Crew Members: “???”

What does that mean?

This was actually just a meaningless gesture typical of a child. Gu Rong was a lively cub, so naturally, he had more actions.

Sol said, “Let’s go up to the deck first.”

You couldn’t see the ship’s external changes from inside the cabin.

Gu Rong walked with his short little legs, following the crowd onto the deck.

At this time, the Pharaoh and the Phantom Ghost Ship were still about a hundred meters apart, quietly facing each other.

Everyone on the Pharaoh was also holding telescopes, observing everything about the Phantom Ghost Ship. Seeing Gu Rong emerge from the cabin, the King’s and the Captain’s expressions changed slightly.

The crew members of the Phantom Ghost Ship, being undead spirits, didn’t need telescopes. They could see everything on the Pharaoh clearly.

They sneered, their dark faces filled with thick mockery and disdain.

Gu Rong finished his milk and took out a lollipop to eat. Remembering that this ship was called the Big Black Goat, he said in a tender voice, “Turn the ship into a big black goat!”

Crew Members: “…”

Oh, it’s Black Mountain Goat, thank you.

As soon as he finished speaking, the skulls chattered and rearranged themselves. The shape of the Black Mountain Goat transformed into the shape of a black mountain goat. The ship was still covered in rose branches. A black mountain goat, the size of a giant ship, covered in blooming flowers, stood quietly on the fog-filled sea surface. It looked breathtakingly shocking, yet mysteriously eerie.

The black mountain goat’s eyes even moved, dark and deep, quietly looking towards the Pharaoh not far away.

Ghost Ship Crew: “!!!”

Pharaoh Crew: “…?!”

Everyone on the Pharaoh was shocked by this scene. Being watched by the Black Goat ship, a dense sense of horror rose in their hearts.

Gu Rong let out a “Wah,” now really playing. He said again: “Turn into a giant octopus!”

The Black Mountain Goat disintegrated and reformed again, turning into an octopus with eight giant tentacles, also the size of the Pharaoh. Those giant tentacles were still writhing, floating on the sea surface, several times more terrifying than the Black Mountain Goat just now.

This was simply a living giant octopus.

Never mind the Pharaoh crew being stunned; the crew members of the Phantom Ghost Ship were also dumbfounded.

They only knew that the Phantom Ghost Ship could change its form at will, that it was a truly terrifying cruise ship, but they had never seen it with their own eyes.

As for why they knew, naturally, the skulls themselves had chattered about it. The crew members were routinely scorned by the skulls; among the three thousand people on the Ghost Ship, not a single one could find the second prince who could command the ghost ship.

Hmph!

Gu Rong clapped his little hands, pointed at the giant octopus. The cub liked cool things the most, and from this moment on, he was the little captain of the Phantom Ghost Ship.

Gu Rong: “Giant Squid!”

The Skulls: “…”

Wait, do we look like a squid? Did we transform wrongly?