Nan Yue finished washing up and left her room. Scavengers were already trickling into the hallway, most of them wearing the exhaustion of a sleepless night on their faces.
This included Zhu Xi Ning and Wen Xiang Yuan. Only Gu Xiang Kai had slept well.
"That little girl did enter our room, but since she couldn't actually do anything, I fell asleep again pretty quickly."
Wen Xiang Yuan had been in her room alone, so she naturally hadn't been able to sleep well after such a scare.
Fortunately, her mental stability had been very stable over the past few days, so missing one night of sleep wasn't too serious.
While Nan Yue was eating in the dining hall, she spotted Penny and went over to sit with her.
"Hi Nan, good morning."
Nan Yue asked politely before sitting across from Penny.
"By the way, Penny, regarding Jessica whom we mentioned last time, do you know anything else about her?"
Penny looked a bit apologetic. "Since almost no one has seen Jessica, I've only heard things. I don't know much more than that."
Nan Yue thought for a moment and tried a different approach. "Do you know about the Listening Cliff, Decapitation Valley, or the Seabed Graveyard?"
Penny let out a laugh. "Of course. Everyone on the ship knows about them."
Nan Yue was stunned for a moment. Following Penny's explanation, she learned that these were actually the three major attractions of Devil's Bay.
"But they're just legends, and no one knows their exact locations," Penny said, shrugging as she stirred her coffee. "Anyway, no one has ever seen them."
"The Listening Cliff refers to a place with a unique landscape where you can hear strange sounds. I think it's probably something like echoes."
Penny rested her chin on her hand. "Legend says the things heard at the Listening Cliff can determine whether a person lives or dies."
Because Penny's father had been obsessed with Devil's Bay, she knew these legends like the back of her hand.
Decapitation Valley referred to a certain place in Devil's Bay where, when passing through, people's heads would mysteriously part ways with their bodies.
It was unknown whether it was the result of a force field or something else.
As for the Seabed Graveyard, it was said that everyone who came to the waters of Devil's Bay would eventually be buried there, forming a massive graveyard.
This was the place everyone looked forward to the most.
There, one could witness history and the grand scale of Devil's Bay.
"Do these places really exist?"
Nan Yue couldn't help but feel curious. Penny remained silent for a moment before shrugging. "I haven't seen them at all on this journey."
"They're just legends after all. No one has ever gone to Devil's Bay and returned alive, so these legends are likely just human imagination."
Penny's mood seemed a bit low, likely because she was thinking of her father.
He had sacrificed his life for some ethereal legends, yet now it seemed like this was just an ordinary stretch of sea.
Of course, this wasn't an ordinary stretch of sea, but Nan Yue couldn't exactly tell Penny about her own experiences.
"I believe your father was ultimately walking the path of adventure."
This was the greatest comfort Nan Yue could offer.
Penny smiled and asked, "Why are you asking about these places? I thought you weren't interested in this sea."
Nan Yue hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth. "I think... I heard a little girl singing a nursery rhyme, and that was the content."
Penny's expression turned serious. "A little girl?"
Nan Yue nodded. "Could it be... Jessica?"
Penny pondered. "It's possible, though I've never seen her. I've heard the child is a bit unusual. Before Captain Steve came to Devil's Bay, she had been moved between many different schools."
Penny suggested, "It's safest for you to just pretend you didn't hear anything."
Nan Yue thought sadly that she couldn't afford to pretend she hadn't heard it.
Wen Xiang Yuan and the others also gathered some information. What others knew was limited to the fact that Jessica seemed different from ordinary children, which was why Steve cherished her so much, and that they had never seen her.
As for what exactly made her different, no one could say for sure.
"However, everyone knows the three places mentioned in the nursery rhyme. Everyone who boarded this ship wanted to see those places."
Wen Xiang Yuan said strangely, "But if no one has ever seen these places, where did the legends come from?"
Not only the passengers who had tried everything to get on the ship, but even Steve's child knew about them.
The smile on Nan Yue's face lacked warmth. "That's why I'm saying this ship really has a lot of secrets."
Zhu Xi Ning bit her straw. "A-Nan, should we split up now to look for Jessica?"
Zhu Xi Ning spoke very directly. She was going to look for Jessica, not some ball.
After all, finding a ball on such a large ship was too difficult, and if it really were just about finding a ball, it would be impossible for everyone to find it.
Nan Yue pointed to herself. "You're in a group with me. Wenwen and Old Gu will be together."
Wen Xiang Yuan gave a soft, obedient reply, and Nan Yue saw Gu Xiang Kai instinctively stand at attention.
Nan Yue thought to herself that Old Gu had been acting very strange lately.
Nan Yue and Zhu Xi Ning headed toward the cabins. She had been to the bridge before, and there was no place there for someone to sleep.
Steve couldn't possibly put his precious daughter in the lower hold to live with the crew. She suspected there might be a guest room specifically prepared for Jessica.
"Xi Ning, how are you feeling?"
Nan Yue's question sounded like ordinary concern between friends, but Zhu Xi Ning still noticed it.
"A-Nan, why are you asking me that?"
Nan Yue was silent for a moment. "Because I feel like your personality has changed a bit since we left Antswamp Village."
Zhu Xi Ning had always been gentle, sunny, and occasionally feisty, but the current Zhu Xi Ning...
How should she put it? She seemed a bit listless.
It wasn't that she wasn't active in doing missions, but rather she seemed to have a sense of not caring much about her own safety.
Zhu Xi Ning didn't answer immediately, and Nan Yue didn't press her. She checked the rooms one by one until she stopped at the end of the hallway.
She once again looked carefully at the photos on everyone's doors. This time, faint ink stains had appeared on almost all the photos.
Including her own.
But she knew very well that she hadn't undergone any special changes, nor had she done anything against the rules.
What exactly did the ink stains represent...
"I suppose so. I've noticed something is wrong with me too."
Zhu Xi Ning's voice sounded a bit dejected. "Ever since I found out I have an alternate personality, I keep feeling... she's more useful than I am."
"Whether it's in protecting my own life or contributing to the team..."
Nan Yue asked, "So you feel like whenever you're in danger, your alternate personality will come out anyway, or rather... you'd prefer for her to be the primary personality?"
Zhu Xi Ning went silent.
She didn't want to be a burden. Although she had never known anything about personalities before, she wasn't stupid. She knew very well that if it had been her in Antswamp Village, let alone helping or obtaining the Ant Mask, she might not even be alive.
Zhu Xi Ning admitted she was feeling a bit self-destructive.
Nan Yue touched the ink stains on her own photo. "When I was looking for companions, I was looking for your foresight ability, Zhu Xi Ning. I've always thought you were an excellent support. I don't need you to be a damage dealer. Everyone has their own position."
Rate on N.U.
