Extraordinary Voyage

The night was murky, with only faint starlight flickering.

Bang—

A box filled with cargo slammed heavily onto the dock.

"Fools, be careful! If you damage the goods, you'll pay for it!"

"Sorry, sorry, we'll clean it up right away!"

At New Inn Port, many ships were still operating at night. Someone from a merchant guild made a mistake, prompting a supervisor's scolding.

It also caused a stir among some people hidden in the darkness...

Unlike the military-commercial dual-use port of Gabred, things here were much more complicated.

As the headquarters of the Phaletis Kingdom's Adventurer Association and Sea Hunter Guild, New Inn Port welcomed a diverse assortment of people from all backgrounds, along with the "strange treasures" they brought back—sailors, adventurers, sea hunters, speculators, and even destitute seamen.

With complex personnel and tempting wealth, disturbances were the norm here rather than the exception.

At that moment.

An adventure ship, with visible damage from a perilous journey, slowly docked under the navigator's guidance.

Bang—

Before the ship even stabilized, dozens of people rushed down from it in a hurry, as if something was constantly chasing them.

After a brief exchange with the port staff.

The group quickly vanished into the darkness under the lead of a liaison waiting at the dock.

The port workers, though puzzled by these antics, paid no further heed; the city was full of eccentric characters, and they lacked the curiosity to dig deeper.

As long as the management fees were timely paid, people could go wherever they pleased.

....

"Todd, how's your contact with the buyer? We need to deal with this thing as soon as possible." A robust man in a long coat asked the liaison walking beside him with brisk strides.

"Boss Stanley, I've contacted them. The agreed time is tomorrow night." Todd, the sharp-looking liaison with short hair, whispered as he moved closer to Stanley.

"Aren't they local forces? Can't we trade right away? Why wait till tomorrow night?"

He spat out a string of questions in rapid succession.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man called Boss Stanley glanced unconsciously behind him, at a box wrapped tightly in black cloth held by one of his subordinates.

"We've defied the client's instructions by not delivering it to the designated person and risked so much. Can't they be flexible?"

Clearly, the pressure from what was inside the box weighed heavily on him, nearly making his voice lose its usual steadiness.

"Boss, it's not possible. There are multiple forces interested in this item, and the highest bidder mentioned that they need to quickly transport the item away after receiving it. Even the local powers need to arrange a safe exit; tomorrow night is the soonest possible schedule."

If they can't ensure the item's absolute safety, they would rather not take it!"

With a bitter expression, Todd explained to his boss, having already exhausted his efforts, yet the timeframe was simply too tight.

In truth, Stanley wasn't initially anxious. Although he had taken a commission to deliver the item, going against contracts to await better offers was as easy as drinking and eating for him, not concerned with the employer's demands.

However, the box—an extremely sinister box—had undergone bizarre changes upon reaching the final deadline.

He swore, having spent his life as a sea hunter encountering various strange objects, he'd never seen anything so eerie.

This box... it possessed a consciousness!

Not some vague, low-level creature consciousness, but clear, agile wisdom—yes, Stanley could only describe it as wisdom!

With wisdom comes communication, albeit unpleasantly. Recalling all that happened, Stanley, seasoned in navigating the seas, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

It seemed like a high-standing master or rule-maker, putting forth its bizarre and absurd demand—its so-called rules of the game.

The holder must act according to its rules, or every twelve hours, it would devour a living person! Until all sea hunters aboard were consumed!

Initially, everyone scoffed at the box's threats.

But subsequently, even uniting the entire team's strength couldn't overcome that small box; impenetrable, indestructible, inescapable, devoured eight companions almost effortlessly.

They compromised.

From the moment the task's deadline expired, they seemed to have become servants to the box.

Stanley even entertained a wild notion that perhaps there was never a client to begin with; the sinister box orchestrated everything behind the scenes.

For now, through repeated trials of flesh and blood, they could barely coexist.

He believed that only by finding another willing party to accept and transfer the box could they truly rid themselves of it, and after tremendous sacrifices, they were indeed reluctant to part with the promised bounty of Golden Lions.

"Quick, hurry, it's time to switch!"

A young man in the group responsible for timing with a pocket watch suddenly screamed, and a figure swiftly came forth to take over the box.

The previous holder breathed a sigh of relief, retreating quickly, as if it wasn't a box but rather a large-scale Alchemy Bomb.

The newcomer didn't do so altruistically; if that cursed item went rogue, everyone who shared a ship with it would suffer, with over a dozen former companions proving that point.

All they could hope for now was that the boss would find a buyer and trade it away; escaping the terrifying box while gaining a fortune in Golden Lions would be ideal.

That was their original motivation for cooperating so eagerly.

Today's box rule was that the holder must remain in constant motion; if a holder failed to switch, they had to meet a box demand each hour.

Whether answering a question or completing a ridiculous task, the difficulty escalated gradually; failure meant being consumed outright...

The shift just completed, and the sound of gears tuning a winding mechanism emanated from the box.

"Clack... clack..."

Then, resembling either a music box or a chant, an indescribably cold aura spilled forth from it: "Ah ha ha, you avoided me, what a pity!"

The box's discontent filled the surrounding sea hunters with sweat from fear.

Indeed, hearing that ghastly voice, even Official Knights at the Extraordinary level like Stanley shivered.

"Forget about those damned buyers, Todd, first find us a safe place to stay."

"No problem, boss, everything's ready. Follow me."

Todd bowed in agreement, masking the gleam in his eyes with his nod.

Leading the way away from the bustling port area, he guided the group towards the desolate factory district where the night remained silent and vacant.