Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

"It's not your fault," Luca shook his head, knowing that she did this in order to eliminate Zenobia as a threat once and for all.

He helped Sophia settle in and then took her back to her room to rest.

Just as he was about to head back to the captain's quarters, a sudden flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

To completely deal with the problem of Zenobia, the best course of action would be to use a divine spell. Since Snake Island could grow Transcendent-level Spiritflowers, there might be other Transcendent materials there that could be useful... Explore hidden tales at empire

While he was lost in thought, the first mate, Keik, came rushing over, excited. "Lord Luca! Ghost Island... Ghost Island has arrived!"

"Has it arrived so soon?" Luca turned around and saw a massive dark shadow gradually emerging from the mist in the distance.

Even through the thick fog, the immense size of the island was unmistakable—it resembled a colossal beast lying in the sea.

"Have everyone grab their weapons and prepare to disembark," Luca immediately ordered.

The fog over the sea could obscure perception, and even he couldn't sense what might be waiting on the island. It was unclear what dangers lay ahead, so they had to be prepared.

At once, everyone on both the Black Thorn and the Windrunner Ship sprang into action. The clinking sound of iron chains and armor filled the air as soldiers brandished their swords and formed into neat rows.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the distant ocean, ready for whatever might come.

As the ships drew closer to the shadow, the only known island with any human presence in the Sea of Mist gradually revealed itself.

The island seemed to be composed entirely of unknown black rocks, with no trees in sight. The terrain rose steadily from the outer edge to the center, resembling a towering mountain floating on the ocean's surface.

Ghost Island was much larger than they had anticipated—its boundaries were beyond sight, almost giving the feeling of encountering solid land. What was most surprising was that there were no fires on the island. The only source of light seemed to come from some type of flora or fauna emitting a soft, blue glow.

These glowing lights dotted the island, creating a starry, ethereal scene against the gray mist.

As the two ships slowly came to a stop, the crew observed for a moment but saw no immediate danger.

Luca guessed that there was nothing obvious from this distance, so he ordered the construction of a rope bridge to prepare for landing.

Hum! Hum!

The Black Thorn and Windrunner Ship emitted waves of energy. Two bridges, one black and one blue, formed from secret techniques, were carefully laid across to the island, allowing the crew to disembark.

"Keik, you and a few others stay behind to watch the ships," Luca told Keik, before turning to Isaac and the others. "The rest of you, follow me onto the island. Remember, if we encounter any danger, send a signal immediately."

Isaac, Gavin, and the rest of the soldiers loudly acknowledged the orders.

Luca gave a slight nod, then, with Ellie looking excited beside him, he was the first to step onto the rope bridge.

The soldiers immediately followed.

Sophia, having used up much of her energy, was not fit for the exploration of the island. Luca decided to leave her aboard the ship.

With Keik and the remaining soldiers on the ship, there was little need to worry about her safety.

After stepping onto the island with several hundred soldiers, Luca immediately noticed that the gray mist here was much thinner compared to the sea.

The strange plants emitting a blue glow seemed to be absorbing the gray mist from the air.

"This is Clear Spirit Grass," Ellie crouched down to touch one of the strange flowers, her face filled with excitement. "I've heard my grandfather mention it. Clear Spirit Grass is the only plant in the Sea of Mist that can glow. No monsters go near where it grows."

Luca understood, which explained why people would choose to live on Ghost Island. The only real danger in these waters, aside from getting lost, would be the terrifying sea beasts.

Confirming that there were no immediate threats, the group began to head deeper into the island.

Unexpectedly, although there were signs of human habitation, they hadn't encountered anyone so far. The entire Ghost Island felt like a deserted, lifeless place.

Wasn't there supposed to be a lot of people here? Why haven't they seen anyone? It wasn't just Ellie and Isaac who found it strange—Luca himself began to feel an ominous sense creeping over him.

He furrowed his brows and said, "Stay alert. If you notice anything..."

Whoosh! Before he could finish, a sharp sound split the air.

A stone-tipped, razor-sharp arrow shot toward Ellie, spinning through the air with terrifying speed, giving her no time to react.

So they target the weakest first?

Luca's eyes flashed with a deep blue light, and without making any overt movement.

A wall of ice suddenly materialized in front of Ellie.

The moment the stone arrow hit the ice wall, it exploded with a loud bang, shards of rock scattering in all directions.

"Ah!" Ellie, startled, screamed and quickly scrambled behind Luca. Isaac, Gavin, and the others instantly drew their swords, swiftly forming a protective circle around the two, their faces tense with caution.

"Is this how the people of Ghost Island greet guests?" Luca's gaze was fixed on the direction from which the arrow had come, his eyes gleaming with cold fury.

There was a brief silence in the air, followed by the sound of rustling.

From behind a large rock, a young man appeared, raggedly dressed and holding a stone bow.

At the same time, several other figures, equally wary and armed with stone bows and spears, emerged from different positions.

These people were filthy, their clothing barely covering their vital parts. Their hair looked like it hadn't been groomed in a long time, and they appeared somewhat unkempt. On their heads, they wore primitive, stone-like headbands that looked more like decorative pieces.

"Grugga grugga!" The young man at the front watched them with suspicion, muttering a string of unintelligible words. The language was obviously different from anything they were familiar with. But that made sense; after all, they were in the isolated Sea of Mist.

Seeing that the group did not react, Luca observed the man notch an arrow and aim it at him. Meanwhile, the others behind him also raised their weapons, glaring fiercely at the group, as though ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

"Lord Luca, should we make a move?" Gavin whispered, a fiery red flame already kindling in his eyes.

The others also turned their gaze toward him.

"Let's observe the situation first," Luca waved his hand, not in any hurry to act.

He stepped forward, looking at the young man in front of him, and asked, "Does anyone here understand the language of the outside world?"

The young man holding the stone bow furrowed his brows, now realizing that there was a language barrier between them.

He glanced over at the several hundred soldiers behind Luca, then muttered something to the people behind him.

One of them nodded, giving Luca a deep look, before turning and heading further into Ghost Island.

Luca did not stop him.

Soon after, noises could be heard coming from the depths of Ghost Island.

A group of indigenous Ghost Island riders, mounted on creatures resembling blue wild boars, charged toward them.

These people looked quite strange; aside from a few normal humans, there were also half-orcs, snakefolk, giants, lizardmen, and Luca even spotted several green-skinned goblins and elves among them.

When they came to a halt, the young man approached an elderly figure, who wore an oversized captain's hat, and whispered a few words.

It was clear that this elderly man was their leader. Luca sized him up, noting that the elder was wearing a tattered black cloak. Despite his small stature, almost like a dwarf, his beard nearly touched the ground, giving him a peculiar appearance.

"A Dwarven Race?" Luca was somewhat surprised. The Dwarven Race was a long-lived species, renowned for their high intelligence. The foundational principles of magical-tech in the Via Empire were invented by a master from this race.

However, this race had a very low population and a low birth rate. They were rarely seen on the Eternal Continent, so Luca never expected to encounter one in the desolate Sea of Mist.

"Grug grug," the elder, a Dwarven Human, pushed aside the young man who tried to help him and, with great effort, jumped down from the wild boar.

He then looked up at Luca, sizing him up before speaking in a neutral tone: "I am Sharp Sigmond, the current island master of Ghost Island. I apologize, but Ghost Island does not receive guests at the moment. Please leave immediately."

The old man looked frail, but his tone was anything but polite.

Luca furrowed his brows slightly and said, "We mean no harm; we're just looking for something."

Sharp Sigmond's tone remained unchanged, "It doesn't matter what you want. Leave now, unless you want to die here."

With that, he tapped the ground with his cane. Immediately, the people behind him raised their weapons, their eyes turning hostile. It was clear that they were no longer willing to engage in conversation.

The atmosphere quickly grew tense, like a drawn bowstring ready to snap.

"Are we really going to force our way through?" Luca hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dismissed the idea.

It wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with taking that route, but the name Sharp Sigmond sounded familiar to him, and anything that gave him that kind of feeling was usually someone not to be trifled with.

Moreover, those seemingly ordinary natives were not simple either. Many of them appeared to be high-level professionals. Surviving in the Sea of Mist wasn't something that could be done easily. These people on Ghost Island were clearly not just relying on the Clear Spirit Grass. There was no need to stir up trouble.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"It looks like you want me to show you the door," Sharp said, noticing Luca's silence and growing impatient.

He was about to teach these outsiders a lesson.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted Ellie, who had been hiding behind Luca. He raised an eyebrow, pausing mid-thought. He looked her over and then asked with a frown, "Little girl, who is Levin Barnes to you?"

Hearing her grandfather's name unexpectedly from a stranger, Ellie froze for a moment and instinctively replied, "Do you know my grandfather?"

"Grandfather… No wonder you reek of an Exile," Sharp said as he studied her, then suddenly smirked. "By the way, has your Barnes family run out of men? Sending a little girl like you to cross the Sea of Mist?"

"Cross the Sea of Mist…" Luca's mind stirred. It seemed the Barnes family often sent people into the Sea of Mist, and it wasn't just for the sake of finding their homeland. There was more to this than met the eye…