Chapter 313: Hypnotize the Crew in the Drifting Ship (2)
Chapter 313: Hypnotize the Crew in the Drifting Ship (2)
Among the ships that anchor in the harbor, some have not hoisted the sails. A steamship … No, is it a magic ship? At the pier, some sailors and golems are busy unloading the cargos.
All kinds of fish are on sale at the harbor stalls, with a special fishy smell, but not as acrid as I thought. Maybe they are frozen by the magic ice.
The good smell of the grilled fish is drifting toward us. I try my best to endure and endure. It's not the right time to enjoy it. However, is that sea snail…?
"Touya, look! "
I look at the direction that Yumina is pointing at. There is a cracked ship drifting by the beach far away. Besides, on the sail hanging on the broken mast, we can see the crest of unicorn. As expected, is it the crest of Leaflease. Sure enough.
When we approach and check the hull, we find a plate with the name of “McLean” carved on it. It is loose and dangling there.
"As expected, this is McLean."
Just like a criminal police with bad luck, it survives anyway.
I talk with a sailor, hoping he can tell me some details.
The ship drifted here four days ago, in the morning after the storm was over. 34 crew members were discovered on the ship. There were several others, but they all died.
People here want to know their story, but they cannot understand each other. The crew just can speak several simple words, so they cannot have a normal conversation.
The crew were given a map to show their country. They turned the map upside down and said something, but local people couldn't understand. They looked scared when they saw the golems. Maybe they had reached the breakdown point, some of the crew members began to behave violently and could not stop. So, they were put into prison.
Weapons and cannons were discovered inside the ship. Thus, they were considered a group of the pirates who haunt around inshore waters.
The ship is loaded with weapons, because it used to be a warship.
"It is sent to defeat the pirates…"
It makes me feel disconsolate, since this may be caused by pirates.
Now the country has not decided how to deal with it. If they firmly believe they are pirates, they will be executed. Now we should rescue them as fast as possible.
The sailor says that the crew of McLean are prisoned in the jail next to the guards' dormitory.
Though it's the daytime now, we can make ourselves invisible and sneak into it. We arrive at the guards' dormitory which is located at a corner of the harbor and has three floors. The building next to it is the jail. It is built with a sort of concrete and looks cloddish.
May because of the daytime, there is only one guard at the entrance. There are people walking on the street. As soon as anything happens, the guards will rush towards here. Maybe that’s why they let their guards down. It's a blessing for us.
"[Invisible]"
All of us hide ourselves in the shadow, and pass by the guard in front of their eyes. At the corner of the building, there is a set of stairs downward underground floor. We can see several cells over there.
About 10 people are imprisoned in 3 cells. They lowered their heads, some of them are sitting wearily, some lying there, and some sobbing.
I use the curse [Silence], in case of being heard by the guards outside, so the soldiers cannot hear us even if we shout out.
Then I break the spell of [Invisible]. The crew are surprised by the invaders who suddenly appear.
"Is there a captain, or commander among you? "
"You can speak our language?"
"Right. We know that you are sent from Leaflease to defeat the pirates.
From the surprised crew, a red-beard man in dirty clothes approaches the bar and speaks to me.
"I'm Symons, deputy captain of this troop. Our commander was swept into the sea while our ship drifted here."
"What happened to you? Please tell us the details."
The deputy captain who is talking with me lowers his head in agonies and begins to tell me the whole story as he recalls what happened.
"I don't know… That day, we were supposed to set off with other ships and go to the pirates' den. However, we found ourselves trapped in mist. I though it weird at that time. Because it had been sunny till then. The mist became denser and denser, when I noticed a golden light in it. Then we were deep in the golden mist and lost our direction. We even didn't know if we were moving forward or circling at the same place. The compass failed to work, and no sun or star can be seen. Before long, the mist dispersed, but a storm came. Everyone clung to the ship, praying for the ship not to be wrecked. After the storm, we found ourselves drifted to this beach. We thought we were saved, but they could not understand our language. We told them all the names of the countries we know, but they knew nothing about them. Besides, there were ships and iron creatures that we had never seen before… Oh, right, where are we? What is that iron creature? And the map upside down …"
"[Invite the darkness, input the fake memory… Hypnosis!]"
Before Symons the deputy captain finishes his last sentence, I cast a spell of [Hypnosis], and then no more question is asked.
The crew are surrounded by purple haze. Then their eyes became dull gradually.
"Is that alright? You strayed from Leaflease's fleet and were attacked by a sea monster. You survived, but were shipwrecked and hit by a storm, hovering between life and death. You are having a strange dream, because the phantasm comes when you are hungry and strained to the breakdown point. The weird ships and iron creatures are all caused by this. It's a dream. It's an illusion."
"I--llusion…"
The crew are gazing vacantly and muttering. Well done.
Rul doubts if this description is too vague. There won't be a problem I think, because their memories have been replaced by what seems reasonable for themselves. They were really hit by a storm.
In brief, it will be enough if they think this harbor is a dream.
After we break the locks of the cells, I cast a spell of [Transfer Gate], connecting this place to the yard of a mansion on the Doragrape Island. Yumina and others take them there.
Lead by Yumina and others, the crew pass through the Transfer Gate like sleepwalkers.
After all of them are transmitted to the other end, including Yumina, I escape from the dungeon. I put a spell [Storage] to collect the McLean’s wreckage left at the shore. Then I go to the Doragrape Island before we cause the commotion.
In the yard we arrive at, there sit the crew, with dull and glassy eyes still.
It's not good for their nerves if they are kept like this for too long time. We have to bring them back to their original world.
Suddenly, I receive a call on my smart phone. "Hm? A call to this world…" I check it. Sure enough, it says "Unread Message, from the God" on the screen. So I answer the phone.
"Yes? This is Touya."
"Hello, Touya. You have a lot of trouble, right?"
"Ah, you have seen what happened? "
"H’m. I have something to tell you. It's about something related to the event you are involved now. If you have time, can you come to visit me? "
Go to the Gods' world? What does he want to tell me? For the time being, I say ok and hang up.
He said it’s something relating to the event I am involved now… Is that about the drifting event in the other world? It looks as if something has happened in the Gods' world…
… Well, first we have to help the crew here.
I open the Dimension Gate in the center of the yard. The two worlds are connected.