SWISH...
As the last character fell, layers of silver-white ripples spread across the cover of the Sailing Logbook, instantly plunging into Byron's body.
A warm force, like a mother's hands, soothed the scars left in his consciousness.
It nourished his soul as swiftly as a gentle spring rain.
Something formless, which had once coursed only through his spirit, now thunderously tore down the barrier between the spiritual and material worlds.
After a clap of thunder, Byron suddenly heard someone chanting near his ear, their voice as coarse as sea salt, reciting the ancient epic of the North Bay Folks:
"When the sails meet the gale;
Fluttering, spinning without fail;
'Death' is the helmsman's roar;
Never sparing the foe's life, to the core!
With iron dragon keels we thrust;
Hard into enemy hulls, they bust;
The ship's body heaves and sways;
Sinking into the heart of the pitch-black sea's maze..."
In the deepest recesses of his heart, a seed began to take root, sprout, and grow...
It carried his consciousness swiftly upward from his brain, until it bloomed and bore fruit.
At this moment, Byron's breathing, heartbeat, touch, perception...all reached an ideal state for mortals.
He was like an experienced sailor gripping the ropes of wind-swelled sails, letting the sea breeze brush through his hair, savoring the joy of the vessel cutting through waves—at this instant, sail, ship, wind, and sea resonated in harmonious accord within the sailor's veins.
It seemed a long while passed, yet it felt but a moment.
The epic's chant crescendoed abruptly:
"Thus, with wounds all incurred;
The prison gates flung wide, no longer blurred;
My soul ascends to the sky;
Climbing stars of homeland high!
The warrior's soul raises a toast;
Drains the overflowing cup, aghost;
Be thou well!
Northland! Be thou well!"
BOOM!
The sound of the stone gates overhead being forcefully pushed open thundered.
A "wandering fish," long trapped in the sunless deep sea, finally leaped out from the water's surface.
Just like the ancestors of terrestrial creatures hundreds of millions of years ago, it took its first step onto land, witnessing the boundless, multifaceted splendor of the world outside.
This also allowed Byron to find a fulcrum in his soul, elevating his entire life and Rank, never again to be ordinary.
Spirituality, awakened!
At this moment, Byron could clearly sense that he seemed to possess an invisible third eye, capable of seeing, through Spirit Vision, wonders invisible to the naked eye. He had also gained an intangible yet supremely nimble third hand, which, with a mere thought, effortlessly untied the ropes binding him.
And unlike the commoner class of this world, with its illiteracy rate exceeding ninety percent, as a scion of a great noble royal family, he had been exposed to comprehensive basic education and Extraordinary Knowledge from childhood. Fully understanding his current state, he adapted to this new experience in the blink of an eye.
Spirituality awakening is like possessing an invisible, intangible, miraculous organ within. This unseen 'organ,' while imperceptible, is the inception of all Extraordinary Powers and is also a prerequisite for every mystical profession!
At the same time, Byron was well aware that the spiritual awakening was not yet complete.
In this world, humans are but creatures that have risen from the dust, never the sovereigns of the Supernatural World. Every sublimation of Spirituality is a transgression of Rank, bearing unpredictable risks. At this time, one must connect to the source of human Extraordinary Power, complete the final Anchoring, to truly wield this Great Power not inherently meant for mankind!
With his Spirit Vision fully activated, he immediately saw the vast, boundless, omnipresent silver web that enveloped the world.
This was the Silver Law, protector of the human nations and the source of all orthodox Extraordinary Powers. And, with the Law as its core, the derivative series of Transcendent Promotion systems—the Ladder of Glory!
However, just as he was preparing to complete the Anchoring based on the Extraordinary Knowledge he had once studied, the awakening process, which had been proceeding smoothly, encountered an issue.
The Silver Law theoretically comprised seven layers. Yet, even the first layer he could currently perceive seemed worlds away, utterly unreachable.
Is the Law resisting me?
Byron (Luo Yi in his previous life), an outsider by nature, quickly sensed the dissonance and understood the problem.
As if divinely inspired, he silently affirmed in the depths of his heart:
I am... Byron Lancaster!
Defining himself, he embraced his destiny and responsibilities, casting down his first Anchor in this world!
The barrier between him and the Silver Law dissipated in an instant.
His pure white Spiritual Radiance suddenly transformed into an anchor-like beam of light, easily hooking onto the first layer of the Law, thoroughly solidifying his existence.
He thus became a node within this vast network. The 'knowledge' and 'experience' flowing through the Law Net then nourished him in return, bestowing true Extraordinary Power.
Sublimation complete!
The lengthy transformation in the spiritual realm, in real-world terms, lasted but a brief instant.
Reborn, Byron exhaled a deep breath of turbid air from his chest, watching it rise to the sea's surface as bubbles. An icy, brilliant blue Spiritual Radiance shone from his azure eyes, once again fixing on the pack of red-eyed Man-Eater Sharks before him.
In his Spirit Vision, the Man-Eater Sharks, whose eyes alone had glowed before, now appeared entirely different. Their bodies were entwined with crimson, wailing, aggrieved souls, whose hands and feet, like tendrils, burrowed deep into the sharks' flesh, resembling grotesque tumors. Some had only a few; others, dozens.
These were evidently the "sacrifices" consumed by the Man-Eater Sharks, also part of some control-type transcendent ability.
The Innate Abilities one acquires during Spirit Awakening are mostly based on a person's strongest desires and needs. They may not be combat skills, yet they possess the miraculous power to snatch life from the jaws of death. Just like my... Cognitive Revision!
Byron no longer dodged. Following the knowledge received from the Law, he abruptly activated his newly acquired ability. His Spirituality resonated with his physical body. Invisible ripples coursed through his veins, then overflowed from his ocean-deep azure eyes, erupting in an instant.
"GET OUT!!!"
VMMMM—
In that split second, the Man-Eater Sharks, which had been moments from biting Byron, reacted as if they had encountered an utterly unprovokable tyrant of the sea—the Tiger Whale. All of them turned tail and fled as if they had gone mad.
Seizing this opportunity, Byron used his hands and feet to scramble back to the blind spot behind the pirate ship's sterncastle, successfully breaking the surface of the water.
He fiercely wiped the seawater from his face, then turned to look in the direction of the Hetting Kingdom Channel Islands.
After his cold gaze flickered, he ultimately suppressed the impulse to sneak back and exact revenge on the White Rose York Family.
His two lives, past and present, merged into one, and his personality tempered as a result. This transformed the once carefree young man, making him more mature, seasoned, and adaptable. He knew full well that the most useless things in the world were unrealistic, delirious ramblings.
Though he yearned for a grand life of pursuing freedom, even one that might end amidst raging storms, blindly charging headfirst was not bravery. Not unless he could unravel the truth behind that calamity and possess the power to challenge an entire nation!
With that thought, Byron subconsciously looked at the Sailing Logbook residing in his right eye.
He had already learned of this logbook's ability—Echoes of History:
It allows the Captain to record and retrace the history of related items or events he personally experiences, thereby unveiling various hidden unknowns and secrets. Based on the 'historical influence' of those secrets, he can gain a Spirituality enhancement or be granted an exclusive entry. No matter how absurd an entry may seem, once inscribed in the logbook, it will interfere with reality, bestowing upon him genuinely tangible power.
Influence: (0-10] from one person to a village or town; (10-20] from a city or area to an entire region; (20-30] from a region to a country; greater than 30 begins to affect the continent, even the entire world.
Hidden: The shadow of the Red and White Rose War—Historical Influence 31%—signifies its potential for continent-wide impact, offering exceptionally generous feedback.
Under Byron's gaze, deep blue ink on the logbook's ancient cover slowly formed a line of seemingly hieroglyphic characters.
"Record true history; never speak falsehoods!"
It had the air of an ancient historian, but he had confirmed that the logbook itself possessed no intelligence, could not communicate, and only rigidly followed its rules.
With Byron's Spirituality awakened, the logbook also unlocked access to the memories of his past life as Luo Yi. All the text transformed into the Chinese characters he was most familiar with, comprehensible only to him. In accordance with his reading habits, the logbook's writing style also abruptly changed.
Captain: Byron Lancaster
Bloodline: North Bay Folks (direct descendant of Reinhardt, the 'Bathed in Dragon Blood' and 'Kingly Title: Blue Dragon King', founder of the ancient North Sea Empire)
Motto: All enmities must be avenged!
Title: The Last Lancaster
Son of Prince Edmund Lancaster of Sorenburg, formerly seventh in line to the Hightens throne, now an avenger with nothing to his name.
This title may grant you unexpected boons during events related to the Kingdom of Hightens, the North Bay Folks, Dragons, the Lancasters, etc.
(Some are born as beasts of burden, while you were born in Rome. Every step you took led you further from Rome. Alas... your Great Rome has fallen!)
Acquired Title Effect: York's Nemesis—relentless pursuit, to the death!
The closer you are to Hightens' sphere of influence, the stronger the effect.
Legend Level: [12]
(This is a Supernatural World replete with various forms of Divination. The news of your survival is evidently already circulating within Hightens on a small scale. Abandon all illusions and flee for your life!)
Spirituality: [1]
(Awakened. Although achieving spiritual sublimation at seventeen, without 'Spirit Awakening elixirs' or Spices, doesn't make you an outrageously incomprehensible genius. But compared to those forever without hope of transcendence, and that other avenger who, upon witnessing his entire family's annihilation, furiously awakened a legendary ocular power, you are already far, far stronger.)
Occupation: None
Class: None
Crew: None
Innate Abilities:
[Cognitive Revision] Awakened based on the strongest desires and needs during spiritual sublimation.
Allows cognitive-level mimicry of other beings or kin, enabling impersonation of predators, kin, or prey. Can even perfectly replace another individual (a divine escape skill).
[Weather Intuition] Many animals possess senses far exceeding human capabilities, particularly an extreme sensitivity to weather changes. Now, so do you.
(Bonus ability, originating from the Royal Family's nearly thousand years of consanguineous reproduction, which has progressively diluted the Blue Dragon Blood. Even a salted hairtail from the sea would have a stronger fishy smell than your bloodline. Don't fantasize about atavism leading you to the pinnacle of life. You don't have that kind of fate.)
Knowledge:
Storm Swordsmanship (The knightly training you received in the Kingdom's Order of Knights has laid a solid foundation);
Sailing, Artillery Skills, Firearm Skills, Warship Combat Techniques (An outstanding graduate of the Royal Navy Academy, proficient in every sailor's duties, but still lacking experience);
Law and Natural History (Your noble birth granted you a perspective far exceeding that of commoners and access to various precious knowledge, enabling you to maximally avoid the dangers of the Supernatural World. You should be grateful your start wasn't a 'curly-haired baboon in Hell' difficulty setting);
Hittite Sun Text and Runes (Knowledge is the fount of the transcendent; ancient scripts are the keys to unlocking it);
Each field of knowledge corresponds to a Transcendent Sequence under a certain Ladder of Glory.
Clearly, even if your family has fallen, you still possess far more choices in life than the average person!
Hidden: The Shadow of the Red and White Rose War (You have discovered a part of this world's truth. Historical Influence 31%, Decryption Rate 11%.)
Bonus Entry: [Historical Reviser] (Inactive)
Special Tip:
In this perilous world, no human can cross the great seas relying solely on their physical body.
Captain, please acquire a vessel or become a crew member on one as soon as possible, and officially begin writing your own [Sailing Logbook]!