I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 386

Among sailors, the term ’Ghost Ship’ is famous.

A ship on the verge of collapsing, sailing by itself without a captain or crew. And any vessel that saw a Ghost Ship without steering clear was said to be swept into extreme peril.

To sailors, it was practically a cursed entity, treated as something to be avoided the instant it was spotted.

Though known as a curse incarnate, the Ghost Ship wasn’t regarded as a mere legend. Because it actually existed.

As mentioned before, one of the scariest hazards during sea voyages is food exhaustion.

Of course, food shortages could be alleviated to an extent via the Gallery, but once your charged points ran out...

A truly extreme predicament would set in.

However, there was a calamity spoken of as being even worse than food running out.

Namely, the region engulfed in dead silence: the Doldrums, the windless zone.

The moment sailors entered the windless zone, there was nothing they could do.

Nothing except praying to God for the wind to blow.

It was already hell, but if a sea monster appeared on top of it, it was pure despair.

Thereafter, the Ghost Ship would drift aimlessly across the vast ocean until encountering another ship.

From a sailor’s perspective, there was no choice but to say they had been literally ’cursed.’

Title) Ghost Ships are landmarks

Spotted a Ghost Ship? -> The windless zone lies ahead, so get out immediately

It’s a signpost left by our deceased ancestors, so memorize this.

ㄴBut doesn’t seeing a Ghost Ship mean you’ve already entered the windless zone?

ㄴHalf true, but think of it as a final ultimatum.

ㄴHas anyone posted a picture of a Ghost Ship on the Gallery?

ㄴThere are a few photos, but they aren’t clear.

ㄴI heard some Ghost Ships fly in the sky?

ㄴMany think the ship itself turned undead. Controlled by wraiths, you know.

ㄴSpooky brrr

Thus, Ghost Ships brought nightmares to countless sailors.

If it was just an aimless drifter, fine, but if the entire ship was undead and launched an attack, it was game over.

Moreover, rumors that some Ghost Ships could fly made the tales even more ominous.

Kiiiing-

"Wh-What is that?"

"Is that a ship? Why is something like that in the sky...?"

"Merciful God..."

And ships matching the description of those Ghost Ships began to emerge one after another all around the world.

The first Ghost Ship was sighted at sea, and news of it had spread only within the Gallery.

But as time went on, some appeared over mountains, others over rocky terrain.

Dddddd!

"AAAARGH!"

"I-Is it an earthquake?!"

"N-No! Something is rising!"

In some places, a Ghost Ship even rose from the middle of a city.

By this point, it deserved a different designation than Ghost Ship, but to the people of this world, it was one and the same.

After all, what else would you call a ship moving of its own volition without a single soul on board if not a Ghost Ship?

Thus, the Ghost Ships that surfaced across the world floated leisurely through the skies, their purpose completely unknown.

"Darling. Right now, outside..."

"I’m looking at it too. What on earth could that be?"

Salman, the wealthy patriarch in Setan, nodded at his wife’s question.

Salman was currently busy acquiring the Cheonjam Merchant Guild, which had aided Grylls.

He wasn’t the only one eyeing the Cheonjam Merchant Guild; prominent families in Setan were competing as well.

In what was practically a subterranean war of influence, an unexpected incident blew open.

’A Ghost Ship that emerged from the desert has reached the capital...?’

Salman looked out the window. High up in the clear desert sky, a warship was cruising leisurely.

That single vessel had literally turned Setan upside down. Word was already spreading that the Sultan was mobilizing troops.

This was only natural; whatever the identity of that Ghost Ship was, it had trespassed into their sovereign territory.

As the defender of Setan, everyone could understand if the Sultan decided to shoot down the Ghost Ship.

’Still, it’s a relief that they haven’t made a hostile move first...’

The Ghost Ship had merely appeared; it hadn’t taken any action so far.

It only emitted occasional noises that sounded like a mix of a foghorn and mechanical whirring.

Hence, the Sultan was holding off on attacking recklessly, seemingly deciding it best if the vessel simply passed by without trouble.

"What do you think is inside that vessel?"

"I’m curious too. Why don’t we go take a look?"This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.

Salman’s wives chimed in one after another.

Rather than feeling threatened by the Ghost Ship, they seemed fascinated by its sheer existence.

Salman gave a small chuckle at his wives’ innocence before logging onto the Gallery.

The Gallery was buzzing with posts about the Ghost Ships appearing worldwide, effectively taking over the entire forum.

’The Wild Hunt was a localized event restricted to El Dorado—no, Avalon.’

But the Ghost Ships were different. They had shown up in every major nation.

In particular, the Messiah Empire, famous for its vast territory, had as many as two Ghost Ships appear.

Salman didn’t know why those Ghost Ships appeared, but he had a rough deduction.

’Ten to one, that fellow Grylls pulled off some weird stunt again.’

It was purely a guess, but Salman was confident.

Whenever something bizarre broke out, the root cause almost always traced back to Grylls.

In a sense, he could be called the root of all evil(?).

Furthermore, Salman only had suspicion without physical proof.

Even if he had hard evidence, there was nothing he could do.

’Besides, Grylls claimed he genuinely has no clue about this incident.’

Grylls said he barely survived dealing with the Mechanical Kraken and knew nothing about these Ghost Ships.

Honestly, even if there was a direct connection, Grylls had a right to feel aggrieved—he was just struggling to survive.

’I just wish we could learn the purpose of that vessel...’

Because its intentions were unknown, taking action blindly was tricky.

If it had shown explicit hostility, everyone would have joined forces to shoot it down.

"Salman-nim. May I go take a look?"

While Salman was silently gazing at the Ghost Ship, a voice resonated from empty air.

It was one of his wives, wearing the dinosaur hide that Grylls had gifted earlier.

Salman shook his head firmly at her request. The risk was far too great.

"No. It’s fine. We’ll just have to hope some idiot messes up. More importantly, did you get any results?"

"Yes. Here are the documents and ledgers of the Rahman family. They’ve been lobbying the trade sector."

"Hmm..."

Salman examined the information provided by his wife.

The Rahman family was currently practically guaranteed to produce the next Sultan.

In a situation like this, such information could deal a devastating blow.

"What? This guy squeezed out funds to near-extortion levels when buying the dinosaur carcass?"

"Yes. It was definitely suspicious. No matter how wealthy the house, the amount was astronomical."

"Did he have a ’win it back to repay it’ mindset? Ha, unreal."

It wasn’t an incomprehensible gamble, considering how immense the prestige of the dinosaur carcass was.

Since they were actually reaping massive benefits from it, he didn’t view it as entirely foolish.

"Anyway, well done. This will deal heavy damage to those fellows. You obtained something similar before, right?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything you want as a reward?"

"Tonight..."

Kukwaang!!

Just as Salman’s wife was about to demand her reward for hard work, a loud blast echoed from outside.

It wasn’t just noisy; it sounded like a bomb going off.

Startled, Salman and his wives hastily peered out the window.

Plumes of smoke were billowing around the Ghost Ship that had been floating peacefully in the sky.

[Kiiiiiiing!!!]

Simultaneously, a chilling noise reverberated from the Ghost Ship.

As if demanding payback for being attacked, it sounded thoroughly ominous.

"What the—! Which crazy bastard...!"

Salman was dumbfounded. The Sultan had already issued a direct decree:

Leave it alone unless the Ghost Ship attacks first.

But whether driven by a rebellious streak or a hero complex, someone had gone ahead and poked the nest.

Given the Sultan’s authority and reach, it wouldn’t be surprising if that person were executed on the spot.

[Halt search. Halt search. Halt search.]

[Alerting all vessels. Alerting all vessels.]

[Prepare for and respond to potential threats.]

An unknown language echoed from the Ghost Ship. Naturally, it was English.

Although Salman couldn’t understand the meaning, one thing was crystal clear:Get faster updates on n⁠ovelping.com.

The Ghost Ship was commencing full-scale ’hostile action.’

"Damn it! Evacuate all clan members immediately! Mobilize the troops for defense!"

"W-What about that ship?"

"We aren’t fighting it! Let the fools who made the mess clean it up!"

Salman was wise. He wasn’t the one who had started this mess anyway.

Let the noble house that launched the attack figure it out.

Wiiiiing-

Meanwhile, an eerie sound emitted from the Ghost Ship. After issuing orders to his wives, Salman turned back to look at it.

As if preparing a bombardment, large cannons extended from the underside of the Ghost Ship.

The barrels were relatively small, but their sheer quantity rivaled a Ship-of-the-Line.

Wiiiiing-

The energy condensing inside those cannons was far from ordinary.

Even from a distance, one could tell a massive amount of mana was gathering.

Soon, having gathered all its power, the artillery...

Kwaaaa!

Unleashed long, slender beams of light. The target was precisely the location that had fired upon it.

The energy beams shot forth at blinding speed and struck the target with pinpoint accuracy.

Kwaaaang!!!

A massive explosion erupted upon impact. Though it was a simple energy beam, its destructive power rivaled high magic.

Seeing that sight, Salman had a bad feeling. Fighting that thing would result in severe casualties.

Seeing how the Ghost Ship remained unblemished after taking a first strike, its durability seemed incredibly tough.

’I don’t know which moron caused this... but good luck to them.’

Regardless of the chaos outside, Salman prioritized evacuation.

Wasting strength over there might cause his entire family line to collapse.

Would people criticize him for ignoring others? The Sultan gave a direct command, so wasn’t the defiant family in the wrong?

This wasn’t self-justification; those people were simply idiots. Thus, Salman moved quickly.

Wiggle!

"Oh. Don’t worry, my child. Daddy will protect you."

Of course, he fully intended to protect the dinosaur egg that was showing signs of hatching.

Since he had no children with his wives yet, the dinosaur egg was all the more precious to him.

If any damage came to this dinosaur egg, he would exact vengeance upon the family that launched the attack.

"Darling! Over here!"

"Alright!"

Cradling the dinosaur egg securely in his arms, Salman sprinted toward the shelter.

It was right around the time the clash with the Ghost Ship erupted in the sultanate.

A Ghost Ship also appeared in the skies over Mephisto, the realm of the demon race.

The demons were momentarily puzzled by the unannounced arrival of the Ghost Ship, but brushed it off as no big deal.

Because currently, the most critical sporting matches were taking place in Mephisto.

As it was the tail end of the season, numerous sports leagues were holding their final games.

Among them, baseball stood shoulder to shoulder with soccer in popularity.

Although a Ghost Ship hovered right over the stadium, the fans didn’t give a damn.

Kkang!

Right at that moment, a batter cleanly cracked a ball thrown by the pitcher.

"Yeah! Go! Go! Go!"

"It’s a home run! That’s a home run!"

"WOOOOOAAAAAH!!"

The fans went wild. Bases loaded, two outs.

Hitting a grand slam home run in a clutch like this—fans had no choice but to go insane.

But as if played by a trick of fate, of all places, the Ghost Ship was floating lazily right above the ballpark.

It had even drifted lower than usual, almost as if interested in baseball.

Kkang!

As a result, the baseball smacked directly into the hull of the Ghost Ship. Instantaneously, the crowd’s cheers came to a screeching halt!

The baseball traced a weak parabola and plummeted down. A fielder caught it effortlessly, recording an out.

"...KILL THAT MOTHERFUCKER!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"

"IT WAS A HOME RUN! THAT WAS A HOME RUN! ARRRGGGHHH!!!"

The demonic fury of the crowd exploded toward the Ghost Ship.