Rules Ch.110

Chapter 110: Cruise Ship (8)

Originally, after the monsters on the Golden Anchor leapt into the sea, they should have quickly scattered, swimming into the deep ocean or other waters.

However, before they could escape, someone had already activated the “time loop.” Everly wasn’t certain whether the creatures trapped inside could freely move in and out of the loop’s coverage once it was formed, but she suspected they could not. Otherwise, the whole purpose of creating the time loop would be meaningless.

Once activated, the “time loop” acted like an invisible prison, enclosing a vast area of the sea centered on the Golden Anchor and confining all the mutated monsters within a limited space. It caused the monsters to be forgotten by time alongside the cruise ship, trapped in a continuous cycle. For the next thirteen years, they endlessly repeated the process of “sacrifice—mutation—jump into the sea—wandering,” until thirteen years later, the Mary Jane inadvertently entered this frozen-time zone.

“As far as I know, the ‘time loop’ involves the power of space and time. It’s an extremely complex and difficult spell. Throughout history, very few people have been able to teach themselves spacetime magic. But besides self-study, there’s another kind of person—someone born under the favor of nature, naturally capable of manipulating the forces of space and time. These people are called ‘spacetime witches.’”

“A witch! The letter in the captain’s cabin mentioned that there’s a witch on the Golden Anchor!”

The clues all connected, and the group, realizing the truth, couldn’t help but shiver.

Everly nodded. “Exactly. I suspect that the one who activated the time loop on the cruise ship was a rare spacetime witch.”

Such witches are extraordinarily rare, even among the witch community. It’s said that a single spacetime witch might only appear once every several generations.

Moreover, because the power of space and time is so overwhelmingly strong, even a spacetime witch favored by nature would find using it extremely difficult. Typically, they can only manage minor feats—like “restoring a withering flower to full bloom” or “returning an aging self to youth.” But something like drawing a time loop to trap an entire massive cruise ship? That was unheard of, never seen before.

So, even though she spoke with such certainty in front of everyone, Everly herself wasn’t entirely sure whether spacetime witches truly existed.

“Captain, that’s my analysis of this ‘ghost ship’ incident,” she said. “Of course, there’s also a more optimistic possibility: that when the time loop formed, it didn’t trap the creatures inside. In that case, the hooded cultists who jumped into the sea may have already scattered far and wide, only returning in human form when the time reset. To confirm which is true, it’s actually quite simple—you could try lowering fresh blood and flesh into the water with a rope. If a large number of humanoid aquatic creatures gather, then it’s clear the time loop traps them; if not, they’re free to roam.”

The captain thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, let’s do as you suggest.”

He picked up the phone and gave instructions via the intercom to the crew in the kitchen and on the deck.

About ten minutes later, the intercom crackled, and the terrified voice of a crew member echoed in everyone’s ears:

“C-Captain! There’s… there’s something under the sea… so many of them! We threw down a piece of flesh, and it was gone in no time. And… I don’t know why, but they look… a little… human!”

The ominous suspicion was confirmed, and everyone’s expressions grew serious.

“Captain, you should leave. Whatever happened on the Golden Anchor long ago has already exceeded the bounds of science. Ordinary people intervening too deeply would only bring misfortune. If you can’t bear to abandon the ship’s legacy, you can record its coordinates and contact headquarters to have specialized psychics handle it. There’s no need to risk the lives of everyone on this ship.” Everly took the opportunity to persuade him.

A few of the explorers who had personally boarded the massive ship also tried to persuade him:

“Captain, why don’t we follow Miss Everly’s advice and leave for now? If we can get back to shore in time, Dali might still be saved.”

“Yes, the situation on that ship is far too strange. We really don’t dare get any closer.”

Seeing everyone urging him to leave—and even the first mate, who usually sided with him, shake his head slightly in disapproval—the captain finally clenched his teeth and made a decision. “Understood. This was supposed to be just a short trip anyway. If we linger here any longer, the passengers will be unhappy. Let’s pack up and prepare to leave.”

Great!

With the goal achieved, Everly finally allowed herself a bit of relief.

The captain was efficient. Everly had barely stepped away when the shipwide intercom came on, announcing to all passengers that the cruise would depart in ten minutes, leaving the area around the Golden Anchor. They were warned that the ship might encounter heavy rain and rough seas, and for safety, passengers should remain inside.

After nearly a day spent in a signal-less stretch of ocean, with the massive ship that had been missing for thirteen years right before their eyes, no one was allowed to board it. The passengers, already somewhat bored, were mostly relieved to hear that the ship would move.

Everyone obediently returned to their cabins, watching through the windows as crew members scurried across the deck, stowing gangways and raising the rudder. After a short wait, the ship’s horn blared, and the Mary Jane slowly steered away from the Golden Anchor.

Ten meters… nine meters… eight meters… Everly pressed herself against the window, holding her breath, watching the raised bow cut through the waves, heading straight into the storm beyond the isolated area.

But the familiar roar of wind and rain never came.

When the bow of the Mary Jane touched the invisible outer edge of the “time loop,” it was as if an enormous, unseen mouth had swallowed it. Everly watched in awe as the ship’s bow seemingly “disappeared” from sight.

At that moment, the enormous Mary Jane, moving too fast, could no longer stop in time.

Everyone on board—including Everly—could only watch helplessly as, driven by inertia, the ship surged forward. From bow to midsection, the Mary Jane barreled on… and when the invisible membrane struck the cabins, Everly and Misha hugged each other in despair, closing their eyes.

But the death they imagined never came.

When they opened their eyes, they were still alive.

Shocked, Everly pushed open a window and leaned out to look behind the ship. She saw the stern of the Mary Jane emerge from the invisible membrane as if it were a mold being opened. Outside the membrane, the storm raged, waves towered high—but inside, everything was calm, as if time itself were at rest.

Not far ahead, a brand-new cruise ship floated silently on the water. It was like Mount Olympus from Greek mythology, standing silently above the sea, watching the Mary Jane—like a Sisyphean figure—endlessly repeat the futile task of pushing a stone up a hill.

Yes. When the Mary Jane tried to pass through the membrane, it had encountered a ghostly trap—it had plunged right back into the time loop.

They had been captured by the time loop!

…

About ten minutes later, everyone, including Everly, gathered again in the captain’s cabin.

“Why is this happening, Miss Everly? Why can’t we leave this time loop?” The captain paced the room anxiously, frowning.

Everly’s expression was equally grave.

She had assumed that the time loop only trapped those who were already enclosed within it when it formed. She thought that beings like them, who had entered halfway, could come and go freely.

But unexpectedly, after only a day inside the loop, when the Mary Jane tried to leave, it failed. Why was this happening? Could it be that the time loop is a one-way place—once caught, you can never escape, forced to remain trapped here for the rest of your life?

“No… that’s not right… this time loop isn’t completely sealed—it has a gap!”

After a moment of thought, Everly suddenly remembered what Misha had mentioned last night about the massive ship “aging.”

“Between 7:59 PM and 8:00 PM, there’s a brief window when the time loop disappears. During that time, not only will the Golden Anchor be affected by the 13 years that have passed, becoming extremely worn and dilapidated, but the storm outside the loop can also strike us unimpeded. If we leave the time loop during that period, we should succeed!”

“Miss Everly, can you give a specific time range? I need to be certain that it’s enough for the entire cruise ship to escape. If the loop resets halfway through and splits the ship in two, I have no idea what would happen—if the ship were torn in half, everyone on board would die.”

The captain’s concern was valid, but unfortunately, Everly only knew of this brief stage in theory and couldn’t say exactly how long it lasted.

“Perhaps, Captain, you could use the intercom to gather information from the other passengers,” she suggested.

“I understand.”

The captain nodded in agreement. Soon after, the ship’s intercom rang again. The captain personally addressed all passengers with utmost sincerity and seriousness, asking if anyone had observed the Golden Anchor appearing dilapidated.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as hoped. While some passengers had indeed witnessed the ship appearing aged, they, like Misha, had been so shocked by the sight that they hadn’t noted the exact time.

As a result, even though everyone in the captain’s cabin was eager to act, for safety reasons, the Mary Jane could not depart immediately that evening.

This is a small cruise ship, about 180 meters from bow to stern, with a top speed of 50 km/h at full throttle. Assuming the edge of the time loop has no thickness, the ship would need at least 12.96 seconds to completely exit the loop.

The captain needed to use a stopwatch to calculate the total duration of the loop’s disappearance and compare it with 12.96 seconds. Only if the interval exceeded 12.96 seconds could the Mary Jane escape safely.

In addition to timing, the captain also prepared an unmanned lifeboat. When the time loop disappeared, the crew would push the lifeboat to the edge of the “membrane,” keeping half of it inside and half outside.

Then, when the time loop restarted, they could pull the lifeboat back and use its position to determine whether the next loop failure would allow them to drive the ship straight out, regardless of the exact duration.

<< TOC >>