Lord: Sequence Master

On the balcony of his cabin aboard the Oceanic Anthem, Rosen lounged comfortably, enjoying the sea breeze and the warmth of the sun. The gentle sound of waves and seabirds filled the air, though he knew that when the birds stopped singing, it usually signaled impending trouble.

These days, wild seabirds were almost nonexistent—most had been contaminated by the Ashen Plague and transformed into ashen creatures. Only ships like the Oceanic Anthem could repel the ash long enough for the remaining seabirds to survive.

The sea, unlike land, allowed for clearer skies. While the ash on land formed a thousand-meter-thick blanket, only cities could disperse such thick clouds. At sea, however, the ash was only about a hundred meters thick, and a populated ship was enough to part it.

The ocean and land differed because much of the ash had dissolved into the upper layers of seawater. Despite the Oceanic Anthem being part of an island nation, fish were scarcer and more expensive than meat due to ash contamination of the oceans. The only sustainable way to eat fish was to capture them from sea-related spirit realms.

The weather at sea was ever-changing. One moment, the skies were clear and the sun bright; the next, heavy rains could descend.

Rosen noticed the sunlight fade and opened his eyes to see a downpour coming down from the sky. What caught his attention wasn't just the rain but the sight of fish falling from the clouds, their eyes gray and lifeless, and their bodies warped and mutated—clear signs of ash contamination.

Just as Rosen was about to retreat into his cabin, the announcement blared from the ship's loudspeakers.

"Emergency notice… emergency notice…"

"The Oceanic Anthem is on course with a Sequence 5 supernatural creature, a Mist Whale. The Mist Whale's spout has caused large numbers of ashen creatures to rain down with the storm. The ship's escort crew is currently en route to drive off the Mist Whale. Passengers are advised to return to their cabins immediately…"

The repeated announcement confirmed Rosen's fears—Mist Whales were nothing to trifle with. He remembered how even a Sequence 9 Mist Whale near Blackstone Harbor had forced a dozen pirate ships to unite in an attempt to kill it. Now, a Sequence 5 Mist Whale posed a serious threat to the Oceanic Anthem. If it actively attacked, the entire ship could be destroyed.

However, Rosen's fears soon proved unnecessary. After clearing the ashen creatures that fell with the storm, the Oceanic Anthem became enveloped in a white mist and disappeared from the physical ocean, entering the spirit world. The ship sailed through the spirit realm for several dozen nautical miles before returning to reality.

If not for Rosen's ability to sense the spirit world through his divine domain, he wouldn't have noticed the ship's brief detour.

Still, his instincts told him that the danger wasn't over yet.

As expected, soon after the ship reappeared in the real world, several pirate ships flying skull flags emerged from the ash several kilometers away. The moment they appeared, their cannons locked onto the Oceanic Anthem and unleashed a volley of shots.

The sea around the Oceanic Anthem responded as if alive, rising to form walls of water that blocked the incoming cannon fire.

A group of griffon riders took to the sky, diving toward one of the pirate ships.

Rosen had expected a fierce battle, but the situation de-escalated quickly. The Oceanic Anthem sent out a small cargo ship loaded with goods. After inspecting the cargo, the pirate ships turned around and left.

The pirate ships, all weaker than Sequence 6, had managed to extort a ship as formidable as the Oceanic Anthem, which was likely a Sequence 4 vessel. Rosen pondered the situation, realizing that the earlier appearance of the Mist Whale was likely no coincidence.

It seemed that the pirates had lured the Mist Whale into the ship's path. While the Oceanic Anthem could have defeated the pirates, the battle would have caused enough commotion to attract the whale, which could have destroyed the entire vessel.

Faced with the threat of the Mist Whale, the ship had no choice but to compromise.

Still, Rosen was certain the matter wouldn't end there. The Oceanic Anthem had suffered a significant loss, and the Blazing SHadow Duchy would undoubtedly seek revenge. The pirates, on the other hand, must have had some form of backing to dare challenge such a powerful ship by using a Mist Whale as a weapon.

With the immediate danger seemingly passed, Rosen turned on the television in his cabin, intending to watch some recorded tapes.

The cabin was well-equipped, with a TV and VCR, both Sequence 9 alchemical devices. Many of the tapes were blockbuster films directed by Blue Whale Kingdom filmmakers, and watching them would give Rosen a deeper understanding of the kingdom. His small goal was to finish watching all the movies before the voyage ended.

But just as Rosen set up the tape, something felt off.

His pet, Graymouse—the former Gray Rat Patriarch—was standing by the window, staring out with unease.

Graymouse had always been a film enthusiast, so its strange behavior immediately put Rosen on edge.

"What's going on?" Rosen asked as he approached, joining Graymouse by the window.

"I have an instinctual feeling… that danger is near," Graymouse replied, its squeaky voice filled with worry.

Without hesitation, Rosen quickly stored Graymouse in his Divine Beast Pen and activated his Mysterious Study Room. He wouldn't let Graymouse into the study, but he trusted its instincts.

Though Graymouse had once been a Sequence 3 demigod and was now only at Sequence 8, it still possessed abilities beyond its current level. If it sensed danger, then there was indeed something to fear.

Standing by the study's window, Rosen observed the sea for hours, but nothing happened.

Just as he began to doubt Graymouse's instincts, the water around the ship suddenly began to collapse, and the Oceanic Anthem started spinning, sucked into a massive vortex that had appeared out of nowhere.

At the same time, massive tentacles—resembling those of an octopus—descended from the sky.

The suction cups on the tentacles latched onto the ship, and Rosen watched as the Oceanic Anthem was lifted straight into the air.

Through his Hunter's Eye, Rosen saw a massive octopus floating like a hot air balloon, pulling the ship skyward.

But that wasn't the only threat. Deep below the surface, massive shadows began rising toward the ship.

The Hunter's Eye caught sight of a gigantic jellyfish-like creature, its translucent tentacles shooting out blue beams of light that froze the water around the Oceanic Anthem, encasing the ship in a block of ice.

The Hunter's Eye shattered, and the cabin's windows cracked as they were frozen solid.

Had Rosen still been in his cabin, he would have been frozen alongside it.

As the Oceanic Anthem took heavy damage, the sound of a rousing pirate song echoed across the water. A giant of water, formed from the sea itself, rose up, one hand holding the ship and the other reaching toward the mysterious jellyfish. However, the jellyfish vanished like a phantom, leaving nothing but a trail of mist in its wake.

(End of Chapter)