Sea Survival: My Luck is Off the Charts

August 8th, 8:00 AM sharp.

A platform materialized out of thin air beside the raft.

[Dear players, please take your train tickets, board the platform, and wait quietly for the train’s arrival.]

Faye Yardley and the other two jumped directly onto the platform.

When they turned back, the raft behind them was gone.

Faye Yardley warned them softly, "When we get there, remember to keep your tempers in check and use polite language. Starting right now, no swearing. Not even by accident."

"Got it."

"Mm."

The platform, which had been empty at first, was soon packed with all sorts of people.

Eamon and Cole Kensington flanked Faye Yardley, keeping anyone from getting too close to her.

Faye Yardley saw a baby sucking on its thumb in an adult’s arms. The woman holding the child had a face full of worry. She noticed the woman actively trying to move toward other parents with children.

She let out a soft sigh and didn’t go over to meddle.

The train slowly pulled up to the oceanic platform. Its doors opened, and numerous staff members with misty, swirling figures disembarked.

Anyone who wanted to board had to hand their train tickets to those misty figures.

Faye Yardley and her two companions followed the flow of people onto the train, and the three of them found an empty row of seats.

One ticket, one seat.

After this train was full, Faye Yardley saw that there were still quite a few people on the platform outside. They would have to wait for the next one.

The three of them didn’t speak, but there were always some very sociable and talkative people in the car, making the whole carriage feel boisterous.

And the staff, who were like smoke and mist with no physical bodies, didn’t seem to care at all.

It was as if their programming only included collecting tickets.

On the train, Faye Yardley kept feeling like someone was staring at her, but whenever she turned to look, she found nothing.

She glanced down at her watch. After the train had been moving for a quarter of an hour, it began to slow down.

[Next stop, Lumina. Passengers who are disembarking, please prepare to alight.]

Faye Yardley’s brow twitched. ’Lumina?’

’I still have a deed to a property in Lumina.’

’Does this train run all the time?’

’If I save a ticket, could I try using it next time?’

’After all, they’re Oceanic Station train tickets. "Oceanic Station" is the name of the platform, but there are no specific destinations listed.’

’So, is not getting off at the wrong stop also part of this game?’

After the train stopped, some people got off and others got on. The train started moving again.

Three stops went by in succession. The fourth stop was finally Nightfall Citadel. The name of the previous stop had also been quite deceptive: Evernight City.

Many more people got off the train at this stop. And right off the platform was the main gate of Nightfall Citadel.

The gate’s plaque soared into the clouds, and the entire structure had a grim, dark aesthetic. It looked like the towering gates of the underworld, exuding a chilling aura.

There were ticket booths on both sides of the gate.

Getting in was simple; you just needed to show your admission ticket.

"I’ll stick close to you, Faye," Cole Kensington said, taking out his Nightfall Citadel admission ticket and holding it in his hand.

Eamon nodded hurriedly as well. "Yeah, I won’t wander off."

Faye Yardley glanced around but saw no one she recognized. She nodded. "Let’s go in, too."

"Faye!"

Just as she was stepping through the gate, Faye Yardley vaguely heard someone call her name. She glanced back, but seeing nothing, she resolutely entered.

"Ah, we’re a step too late. Faye is already inside." Holding a child, Ethan Yardley couldn’t just chase after her. Still, he had faith in his sister’s abilities and her somewhat magical good luck.

He hadn’t expected they would actually be able to run into each other here.

Otherwise, he would have had her wait for him and his group at the gate.

"Boss, we need to take the little ones to the childcare center first. Everyone, hold onto your admission tickets, and don’t forget the kids’ tickets either."

Of course, there were other groups with just as many children, but they hadn’t run into each other.

However, a woman holding a child did push through the crowd to get closer to them, hoping to piggyback on their childcare ticket. After all, one ticket was good for three children; what if they had a spare?

After they entered the gate, many pale Smoke People floated over, collected their admission tickets, and asked, "Where would our guests like to visit first? We can take you there."

Faye Yardley asked directly, "Can we just walk around Nightfall Citadel on our own for a bit first?"

The Smoke Person seemed easy to talk to. Despite its indistinct features, it somehow gave the impression of having a calm and kind expression. Its voice was also soft and gentle. "Of course, you can. But it’s best to choose an attraction to enter as soon as possible. Lingering outside for too long is just a waste of time."

"Do you have any recommendations for good attractions?"

"If you guests aren’t afraid of the cold, you could visit The Frigid World. It’s a recently developed attraction, and guests who have been there all say it’s quite fun."

The words "Frigid World" immediately struck a chord with Faye Yardley. And it was recently developed... ’Could that place be Aquaria?!’

Faye Yardley wasn’t even considering other attractions anymore. She said, "I want to go to The Frigid World."

"It’s a bit far. Guests can choose to take our small train to get there."

"Please take us to the small train station. We want to go."

Cole Kensington felt a sense of inexplicable urgency from Faye. ’Is The Frigid World really that appealing?’

The Smoke Person extended a hand, which morphed into an arrow. "Please follow me."

Although they were surrounded by people, the Smoke Person led Faye Yardley’s group of three without any obstruction. After a couple of left turns, they quickly arrived at the small train platform.

Faye Yardley took out the small train tickets, and the three of them boarded the train directly.

She was in no mood to talk now, filled only with endless worry.

What was she worried about? Even she couldn’t say for sure.

’After all, everyone from the entire planet of Aquaria is already in this survival game at sea. Am I worried that the planet has been taken over by someone else?’

There were quite a few people on the small train, not all of them ordinary humans. There were beings from all sorts of different races.

However, all the Undead Creatures subconsciously avoided the rows in front of and behind Faye Yardley when choosing their seats.

But a Tigerman sitting next to Eamon seemed to be a chatterbox. "Hey, little bro, did you go to The Frigid Expanse during the closed beta?"

Eamon didn’t answer and was tugged by the Tigerman. "C’mon, little bro, the ride’s so boring. Let’s chat."

Eamon glanced at Faye Yardley, then turned back and replied, "I haven’t been. And stop yanking on me so hard with your hand."

"Alright, alright. I haven’t been either, but my brother has. He said it’s a newly discovered, unclaimed world that Nightfall Citadel got its hands on first. That’s why we have to pay Nightfall Citadel for admission to go there now."

Faye Yardley suddenly turned her head and asked, "What’s inside The Frigid World?"

"Oh, there’s tons of stuff! A newly discovered world is bound to have some good things you can’t find outside."

Cole Kensington asked casually, "Oh? Are The Piranha-folk there?"

Unexpectedly, a large fish head suddenly stood up in the row ahead of them and turned around. "What, you got a problem with The Piranha-folk?"