Captain's (Future) Log:

June 13th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ Sailing on the sea is very boring. Maybe I should start writing a diary. Writing a book every day isn't that entertaining either. I need something to vent my inner frustration. ]

June 16th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ Another day of devilish training, and once again, I can feel the approach of death. I lasted more than 40 minutes today. Sigh, I miss Raila. It's been so many days since I last touched a woman; now my dreams are full of lust. But when I open my eyes, all I see is loneliness and this devilish training. ]

June 20th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ I think Elena must have undergone training like this before, because she seems very happy watching us suffer. Her gloating expression, taking pleasure in our misfortune, is impossible to hide. Sigh, sometimes I even wonder if she's a boy in a girl's body. Her barbaric behavior doesn't match her ladylike image... I miss Raila... I don't know why, but lately I'm remembering Yukino and even Kaila more and more... I think I'm going crazy... This infinite sea is eating me alive. ]

June 21st, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ I managed to persist for over an hour today. That made me happy, but my "little brother" tried its best to distract me the entire time. ]

Blood Alliance Year 456, June 22nd!

[ I feel excited to witness my growth every day. Today, I lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes. By the way, today I had a heart-to-heart talk with Jason, and his condition isn't much better. He, too, is willing to do anything to have a woman to f*ck... Sigh, two lonely brothers stuck on a ship full of saints who don't care about mortal desires... Sometimes I wonder if the other men on the ship have something wrong with their little brothers. Otherwise, how can they live without touching a woman for years? ]

June 25th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ Andre mentioned that the training is almost over. He said with our current physical condition, "touch" would no longer cause additional damage. Finally, I don't have to endure this nightmare training anymore. However, my final result remained at 1 hour and 42 minutes... Forget it, there's nothing else to say. The careful boy once surrounded by beauties has long gone into hibernation; all that's left is a soulless body... By the way, today I caught a fish. That was a wonderful experience. ]

June 26th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ Without the devilish training, I feel a little restless. I even miss it. Can you believe what I'm writing?... At least I can't believe it. Maybe this is what happens when you go crazy... How does a naked woman look? I seem to have forgotten. Is there something wrong with me? ]

Blood Alliance Year 456, June 27th!

[ A boring sea voyage. To kill time, I busy myself with exercising, fishing, and writing... I think I saw a naked woman standing on the sea, far from our ship, while I was fishing, but Jason said there was nothing... Have I started seeing things? ]

June 28th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ The endless sea remains unchanged. It's so dull. Today, Jason and I fought over something I can't even remember. Maybe he said something like his woman is more beautiful than mine? Anyway, neither of us won, and I spent a great deal of time recovering from my injuries... His punch to my nose hurt a lot... But it was worth it. No one is more beautiful than my Raila, and Yukino, and Kaila too... Damn it, I'll fight him again tomorrow. How dare he... ]

June 29th, 456th Year of the Blood Alliance Calendar!

[ The sea is still as boring as Elena's mind! By the way, in the fourth round of fighting between me and Jason, I finally showed that bastard who's the boss on this ship... I forced him to acknowledge that Raila is the most beautiful woman in the world... Hehehe... No one can mess with my woman. ]

...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A dull series of sounds echoed across the deck. Ed stood with his pistol in hand, firing at a target a short distance away. Beside him was Jason, equally absorbed.

Life on the ship was monotonous, and everyone needed something to pass the time. After their continuous fighting grew increasingly bloody, Vanessa, the ship's doctor, due to a lack of medicine, had started charging them for treatment.

This forced them to stop their childish battles, and they became friends again, ones who only knew how to talk nonsense. But boredom wasn't enough, so the two of them decided to practice their shooting skills. With the vast supply of ammunition in the lower deck, it seemed a shame not to use it... and most importantly, it was free.

The No. 3 pistol had plenty of ammunition, and Ed wouldn't waste this rare opportunity to improve his aim. After all, even the best gunman needs practice, endless rounds of it.

Jason, holding two differently styled revolvers, joined in, firing shot after shot.

Nearby, other crew members were engaged in their own training.

Ed emptied his pistol, removed the magazine, and reloaded at lightning speed. He spun the pistol in his hand twice and used its barrel to tilt his hat in a stylish gesture.

"How do you do that?" Jason asked, leaning in shamelessly, his curiosity plain on his face. He had long forgotten their previous battle, especially his defeat, his skin was quite thick.

He had to admit, Ed's smooth, acrobatic moves and cool poses were captivating. Especially the way he ejected the magazine and reloaded, it was seamless and elegant. If he could learn them, it would be very helpful for impressing beauties; they liked seeing that kind of trick.

"Want to learn?"

"Yeah!" Jason nodded eagerly.

"If you want to learn, I'll teach you. Just call me 'dad' and bring me a good gun." Ed grinned smugly, then picked up his pistol again, inspecting it closely.

"Bobby's craftsmanship is impressive. After his modifications, the gun handles so much better."

In addition to the grueling training to improve his physical fitness, and messing around with Jason and Elena, Ed spent much of his time with Bobby, learning the finer points of gun customization. Along the way, he had Bobby modify his pistols to suit his preferences.

Hearing this, Jason gave him a look that said, Dream on, before glancing at the revolvers in his own hands. "But one thing you said is right. I really need to get Bobby to tweak mine too."

With that thought, Jason grabbed his guns and headed straight to the lower deck to find Bobby.

Ed, on the other hand, went downstairs to have dinner.

Later, he returned to his room. By then, the sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, leaving only a faint afterglow to light the world.

Based on their current sailing speed, they should reach their destination in a few days, and his eternal nightmare would finally end. Ed had determined that after reaching the island, he was going to buy three women at the same time and f*ck them to their last breath. He was even going to take a potion to remain full of energy until the end.

Lying in bed, Ed glanced at the magic mirror on his bedside table and shook his head helplessly.

He got up, walked to the table, and picked up the notebook in which he was writing his book, and started working on it. As night fell, the soft glow of an oil lamp illuminated the room.

The ship gradually fell into silence.

The only sound in the room was the brush rubbing against the page.

Before long, Ed fell asleep at the table.

In a trance, it seemed as though he had entered a dark world once again.

Ed, realizing he was back here, didn't react with surprise. He was used to it by now.

Since returning to the ship, the magic mirror would occasionally pull him into this space.

For no particular reason.

Just to talk. The other party, like him, was also very bored and had nothing else to do, so every night it would drag him into this place, and they would spend time talking. Most of the time, it was just nonsense, just like now...

"Why is your magic still so lifeless?"

A faint voice echoed from the darkness.

Ed reluctantly gathered his thoughts, preparing to reply.

There was no need to speak aloud here. Instead, he focused on his thoughts, allowing the words to form and fill his mind, ensuring they were clear and deliberate.

In this place, the one trapped in the magic mirror could hear everything Ed wanted to say, if he thought it with enough intensity.

'I'm still on the boat, and we haven't made any progress yet. How could it improve so quickly?' Ed thought firmly. When it came to fooling others, no one could beat him, and right now he was telling the truth.

"Really? It feels like it's been a while already."

Ed understood the sentiment. Trapped in the darkness of the magic mirror, it would indeed be difficult to sense the passage of time.

Thinking of this, Ed's curiosity stirred.

'You've been trapped here for so long, unable to measure time. How have you managed to stay sane?'

"I just don't allow myself to fall asleep. When I'm awake, I can feel the passage of time. Falling asleep would sever that connection and leave my mind vulnerable."

"Besides," The voice continued, "the Soul-Trapping Mirror isn't inherently harmful. Its original purpose was to house souls, giving fragile spirits a place to rest."

'What? This artifact was actually meant to be something positive?' Ed thought with disbelief.

"Of course."

'Don't read my mind,' Ed snapped internally, a hint of anger in his mental voice.

"Ah? Isn't that what you wanted to say?"

There was no escaping it. This was simply how things worked here. If a thought became too intense and dominated the mind, it would be perceived.

That particular outburst had just been Ed's internal complaint, but the sheer strength of his frustration made it come through as clearly as spoken words.

Here, controlling one's thoughts was essential. If you suddenly felt like venting but didn't want to, the effort to suppress it often made it more noticeable.

This place was a nightmare to deal with.

"It can't be helped," The voice said. "If your magic became more active, I could communicate with you more naturally, and maybe even get a glimpse of the outside world."

'That's not what I meant!' Ed thought, exasperated.

"All right, all right."

'What era did you live in?' Ed asked, steering the conversation to something he'd long been curious about.

"The Radiant Year, 14,655 of the Moxa calendar. That was my time. Didn't you know?"

'I've never heard of it. A calendar that lasted for 14,655 years?' Ed found it hard to believe.

Such a calendar implied a power or authority that had persisted unbroken for millennia. Even in a world as fantastical as this, it sounded absurd.

"The Moxa calendar wasn't created by any mortal force," The voice explained proudly. "It was established by God. It is God's calendar."

Ed's head throbbed as he tried to process that information. It was hard for him to believe that gods were so kind as to let ordinary people create their own kingdoms, let them rule, and provide support from behind the scenes.

"You're not focused enough today. Let's talk another time."

With those parting words, Ed was pulled from the dark world.

He blinked awake, still lying on the table.

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