TL: Zhao
Editing: Krisaia
"Get away from the railings! Brace for impact!" The vice-captain appeared on deck and shouted at the top of his lungs. As luck would have it, ahead of them was a sandy beach that he could use to cus.h.i.+on the s.h.i.+p.
Li Yiming held onto the railings as tightly as he could and grabbed Chen Quan's shoulder with his other hand. He extended his senses toward the island, only to find absolute nothingness. 'What…? This is impossible…'
The cruise s.h.i.+p plunged into the beach at full speed, but to everyone's surprise, there was no violent shock, no loud thud, nothing. Instead, it was as if the cruise s.h.i.+p had run into cotton candy.
"Do not panic. We send off a report of our location every five minutes to satellites. Even if it doesn't go through, it won't be long before the control tower sends help. This island is a good place to get some rest and avoid being stranded on the sea. I promise you, we'll be able to return home safely very soon." The vice-captain was a little bewildered by the way the cruise s.h.i.+p docked into the beach, but remained professional and tried his best to ease everybody's tension.
The vice-captain had barely stopped speaking when a terrifying spectacle unfolded in front of his very eyes. The sand on the beach suddenly s.h.i.+fted, gathering into a stream of gravel that slowly confluenced and formed a staircase which extended from the deck of the Pandaria to the beach. Witnessing such a bizarre, almost terrifying phenomenon caused quite a stir within the crowd, and some shrieks of horror came from those with a faint heart.
The next instant, beads of green light shone from beneath the sand, and a tapestry of gra.s.s suddenly appeared over the sand, forming a long strip of lushness which extended all the way to the center of the island. The clamor had died down, and all had their attention riveted at the green carpet that seemed to welcome them to the island in a way that defied all rationality.
"Welcome to the Island of Eternity. Dear guests, you've arrived just in time for the start of a wonderful show. So, what are you waiting for?" An ethereal voice suddenly came from the distance. Whoever was speaking sounded eager at the arrival of his new visitors.
'This voice…' Li Yiming frowned. The voice sounded familiar to him, but he decided to wait before making a move.
"It's getting colder…' Fang Shui'er suddenly said. A thin layer of frost had materialized on the surface of the deck.
Li Yiming wrapped his fingers around the metal railings and could feel its freezing touch on his skin.
"We should get off of here." Li Yiming sighed and tapped Chen Quan's shoulder, jumping down onto the sandy stairs before anyone else. He knew that the freezing temperature was simply a way to push them off of the s.h.i.+p. It would not take long for them to freeze into ice sculptures if they chose to remain.
Chen Quan pulled on his collar, barely able to quell the excitement within him. His face had turned wine-red from the antic.i.p.ation of finally uncovering the truth had sought for so long. Fang Shui'er followed Li Yiming, but took the time to turn back and glance at Yu Runkai as she jumped onto the stairs made of sand.
As soon as Li Yiming set foot on the island, the icy gusts and freezing cold vanished. The wind became a warm late spring breeze that tickled his face, and Li Yiming took a deep breath before directing his attention toward the center of the island. The thick, ominous layer of cloud was no longer to be seen, uncovering a starry night sky.
